Taking the long road home

[bloodyashes]

Characters: Anyone. Everyone.
Setting: The few days after the event, throughout the Tower as you will.
Format: Mingle! Assign your own dates/locations/etc, tag yourself, do as you do.
Summary: Jason's dead. So are a lot of other people. Fallout and picking up the pieces.
Warnings: Discussion of death and cannibalism inevitable.

[Catch-all for events following the Event. Discuss Jason's death and its consequences, come back from the dead, party?, quiver in fear?, take a long, hot bath. Whatever it is you do, do it here.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

[Like he wasn't going to end up there eventually. Really now.]

[Waver was looking worn down when he arrived a few minutes later, mercury maid nowhere in sight. Regardless, he seemed to have put on his best indifferent expression, hands in his pockets.]

What's wrong?

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji gently eases himself back onto the bed, and is still there when Waver arrives, hesitant to move for fear of opening up more wounds.

As if to answer Waver's question, when Ryoji looks over, he launches into another fit, wiping his mouth with the towel and gasping for breath before letting out a frustrated sigh. Of course it had to get worse just when someone else who could worry about him entered the room...]

[oathshackledbird]

They killed the only person who knows how to properly bring us back, that's what.

[There is anger in Diarmuid's voice, but that anger shifts into concern when Ryoji starts coughing again. He motions for Waver to come over to the bed grateful he arrived as quickly as he did.]

Ruana doesn't know what she's doing. He's still hurt and is coughing up blood. That's not how it should be...

[fionnuisce]

...Ask a stupid question, right?

[Unsurprised, Waver merely shook his head and walked over.] I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen, but god forbid we ever have good fortune. Hold still, Ryoji.

[A faint green light glowed around the magus' right hand, Waver closing his eyes and visibly struggling to maintain it. The light flickered and faded intermittently, healing weak but efficient. If nothing else, Ryoji would end up able to function. At worst he'd need a little longer to recover fully, but it was the best effort Waver could put forth after having run all over the tower with an active contract, a working Mystic Code, and a nasty case of exhaustion.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji remains stiff as the light washes over him, the crease in his brow fading as the pain starts to lessen. As least the open wounds are closing up a little quicker, so he doesn't need to worry about external bleeding. He still feels a bit of pain, but it isn't as intense as before, and, eager to reassure the two men, Ryoji shifts so he's propped up on his elbows and smiles at them.]

Thank you, Waver-san. I'm a little better now. Sorry for the trouble...

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid visibly relaxes as Waver begins to heal Ryoji. He's sure the boy is probably still hiding some things, but as long as Waver has taken care of all the serious injuries, he won't complain.

And speaking of Waver, a blind man could tell that he is exhausted, let alone someone who is bonded to him. For a moment, he feels guilty about that. However, he soon pushes the guilt away since it will do no good. Instead, even though he's not exactly sure how it will work, he tries to push a little of his energy back along their bond.]

Please sit down before you fall down, Mo Stór. Shall I get you both some food?

[fionnuisce]

I'm alright. Don't worry about me right now. [Shrugging off Diarmuid's concerns, Waver leaned back against a wall and focused on Ryoji.]

All that was complications from being resurrected?

[notsogrimreaper]

I’m not hungry right now.

[All he can really taste is blood right now, anyways… he nods at Waver’s question.]

As far as I can tell. It's like they just tried to bring my old body back, with the injuries from the fight, instead of a new one.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid blinks as if he has just been struck by a horrible thought.]

Can she not put us into new bodies even with what of Jason she...took in? Could she really be just trying to heal the damaged ones?

[fionnuisce]

That's a reasonable conclusion to make with the information we currently have. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised, but this does present at least two possibilities.

[Leave it to Waver to jump straight into analyzing.]

One and more probable, Ruana simply lacks finesse and can't grasp whatever finer details are necessary here. Two, it could be that whatever ability she uses to...do all that isn't absolute. In other words, what if she doesn't completely assimilate abilities?

[notsogrimreaper]

[A lot of this analysis is going over Ryoji’s head in his current state. All he really knows is that he’s in for a lot of trouble and a lot of pain should he continue to die here. He shifts around on the bed and looks curiously at the two.]

We can only hope it’s the first one and that maybe Ruana will improve at this over time, but if she didn’t get all of Jason’s abilities, we might be in a lot of trouble. Bodies can’t be brought back forever. What if one of us gets completely destroyed?

[oathshackledbird]

People have become too lax about dying around here anyway. The answer is we just stop dying.

[Diarmuid rubs at the bridge of his nose.]

Death is not just a speed bump. Perhaps this will help remind people of that, because I am not one to place hope of any kind in Ruana. Even if she could get better at this, I don't know that she will care to.

[fionnuisce]

Basically, yes. While running into life or death matters is not something we can control or completely prevent, using a little more caution would benefit all of us.

[notsogrimreaper]

I was planning on being a lot more cautious ever since I woke up like this. We have to be careful from now on, or we might not come back one time.

[And Ryoji isn’t ready to lose anyone here that’s important to him just yet.]

[oathshackledbird]

Getting the information out about this change is going to be important, but I will understand if you don't want to talk about it yourself.

[Diarmuid reaches out to give Ryoji's hand a squeeze.]

You don't mind if we share this, do you? I don't know how many of you...didn't make it out, but this isn't something we can hide.

I lost this tag orz

[notsogrimreaper]

I don't mind at all. I could talk about my own experience too, if you needed me to... I'm really not that bothered about sharing if there's a chance I can help other people.

[He squeezes the offered hand, smiling confidently.]