untrueheart | Act 2

Act 2

[After a confrontation with her (former? Were they ever?) friends, and several failed attempts to sway people to the side of the spirit of shadows, Rue ran away. There was no one to tell and, as far as she knew, no one to come looking, either. Even Twila abandoned her as she ran, south down the same path she’d taken into the village not three weeks before.

You see, the failures were hers. It was Rue that denied the influence of something that wanted her to turn others to her will. Its will. Nobody would know that she ran, of course, because she hid. In the same small forest dwelling that she first used, with its stock of unlikely to spoil food and its proximity to the lake and river. Running had no point if she just came crawling back again the next day, trying to appease…something, anything that would accept it.

Now, some days later, she is completely out of food and the slice from Mytho’s sword isn’t getting any better. It seems she has no choice but to return to the village proper and figure things out from there. The messages inside her journal indicated that they were working on some kind of solution for those still “possessed”; maybe they’ve found it by now.

The walk seems much longer in her current state, hot and tired and unsure of what she will find when she gets there. Rue remembers seeing and hearing about a clinic, and she thinks she should get there, but can’t seem to manage how. Or where, for that matter. When she reaches the village edge she wanders between the houses, keeping to what shadows exist.

Until she backs straight into someone, that is.]

[Later, after the escapades and the slinking around and, above all, discovering that a great deal of the village was “normal” again, she sits in the quiet alone and opens her book with intent for the first time, writing in shaky letters with her weaker hand.]

Is it always like this? Strange changes that turn everyone against each other? [A pause for anyone watching, but one that won't register later.] What did she want from us?

[[ooc: All avenues are, as usual, open. Which means! The 'someone' in the action bit isn't designated, it can be anybody. It can be more than one body but please only living (animate, you know) ones.]]

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[She could never be unsafe with Mytho, as long as she loved him.

The kneeling catches her completely by surprise. Is that what's making her shiver?]

Thank you, but I no longer feel that way. [She wasn't eager to run into Mytho right away again, but...allies. There was already sort of one.]

[He nodded, glad to hear that the effects of whatever spirit she and her friend were under are now gone.

And then he notices her shivering.]

We best get you inside soon. It isn't much further from here.

[If he had a haori, he would give it to her, but today was warm and he hadn't brought it. He motions to Saizou to run ahead to the clinic and the pig takes off. Then, he turns slightly.]

It might be faster if you were to climb on my back.

[She doesn't want to shiver. It just won't stop.]

No, thank you. I'll walk. [The barriers of indignity and strangeness are too high to cross.]

...If you insist.

[She's still shivering and that...isn't good. It could be shock, infection or blood loss and none of them are very good. But grabbing a girl against her will isn't something he wants her to remember him for, so he stands and starts moving again, keeping a close eye on her.]

[The injury is days old - not that Souji knows such a thing - which would narrow his list of possibilities considerably. Inside her head, Rue knows that it's only her practiced control over her movements that keeps her from slowing or stumbling.

That's bad. Anyone would realize that. Of course she knows it.

Pushing through it to keep up, to follow him along, is her only choice.]

We're almost there.

[And none too soon. She's pushing herself more than she should right now. Whatever it is that's affecting her, it's wearing her down. They arrive soon after and Souji holds the door open for her.]

Take a seat on one of the beds there, I'll see if someone is in.

[Some time in the future, when she isn't trying to keep her thoughts from turning sloppy pirouettes and also walk forward and breathe at the same time, she will perhaps wonder if this man exists solely to offer spurts of kindness and hold open doors.

It will sound better in her head, that day. This day she does as instructed, finding somewhere to sit almost immediately - though it is a chair. It's closer.]

[When she's seated, he runs off, looking into the back. Normally there is someone on duty, but for now it seems they're out. Must be on a supply run.

He comes back a moment later with a first aid kit and some blankets. He sets the kit down and goes to put the blanket around her shoulders.]

Have you eaten? I can see if there is something to eat as well.

I don't want to eat. [What she would love to do is get away. Her primary thought is that someone ought to have returned with him, and yet he is alone. There is no one here to help after all. She would have been better off outside the village, where she was before.]

That wasn't the question.

[With the blanket on her shoulders, he kneels down in front of her, taking bandages and antiseptic out of the kit.]

Have you eaten recently?

Before I came back into town.

[It wasn't much and it did not take her long to regret eating. Fairly sure she knows what is about to happen here, Rue presses her lips together and looks away, off to the side. Under that failure of a bandage is an angry and vengeful gash, to be quite frank. She doesn't want to see it.]

[Hmn. Well, if she'd eaten then it was something at least. He starts to unwrap the bandage and frowns at the sight of it. It definitely was going to need some cleaning and maybe even a stitch or two.]

....This will sting, I'm afraid.

[He sets the used bandages to the side and starts on the wound with antiseptic, dabbing it on using clean cotton and cloths, trying to be as gentle as possible.]

[It's too old for anything other than time or someone with healing magic, the latter of which Rue doesn't quite realize she can seek out.

Gentleness will not dull the stinging. She doesn't make a sound, but her wings twitch and the feathers fluff and rise to nearly twice their usual depth. Those are the things that scare her more than most: the times when 'natural' and 'like a bird' happen together. Thinking inside such narrow confines keeps her mind away from what Souji does, but she's also holding her breath.]

[He finishes cleaning it and gingerly tries to move the skin to close the gap. It doesn't seem to want to move and so he lets it be, turning back to the kit to get fresh bandages.]

The healer is out at the moment, but if you come back later, they should be able to use their magic to fix this completely. That way it won't scar.

[Good thing he stopped. That hurts and she yanks her arm away with a hiss and a very sharp look before he can think of trying it again.]

What was that?

[He looks up at her, the bandages in his hand.]

I said it would sting, didn't I? I had to see how far you had healed and whether or not you would need stitches.

Edited 2013-07-11 03:05 (UTC)

[Though she is narrowing her eyes at him, by force, they want to be wide with fear, questioning, and so they carry an interesting effect of both.]

[He holds his hands up, one of them still holding the bandages and looks up at Rue apologetically.]

I promise I won't do it again. I just need to wrap it and it will be over.

[It's embarrassing to be so out of sorts in front of anyone. The happiness with which Souji responds only serves to throw off her internal balance further. Rue takes a harsh breath and tries not to scowl so hard.]

Fine.

[Slowly, he lowers his hands and, keeping an eye on her, reaches out for her arm again. Corner a person when they're wounded and they can do just about anything. He knows that all too well.

If she lets him have her arm, he'll dress the wound in fresh bandages and tie it off as neatly and gently as he can.]

[Oh, she lets him. This time she watches his every move, alert as possible through the pain and disorientation. Once he's through it still hurts, as she expected it might, but the edge of the fear that something even worse might happen has faded.

All at once the world pitches upward and Souji will find that Rue's tense posture dissolves, to the point that the most likely landing place for her forehead is somewhere near his shoulder.]

[He lets her relax, reaching up only to slow her fall forward. The poor girl is exhausted and once her head is on his shoulder, he reaches up to check her pulse.]

Rue-san, would it be okay if I move you to a bed?

[Right now, she's okay with a lot of things. She's not very conscious.]

[When she doesn't answer, he shifts and lifts her from the chair, taking her over toward a bed. Once she's situated and covered up, he goes to get her a glass of water and some light foods, soup and a bit of bread to eat when she wakes up. He leaves this on the stand by the bed and then goes to leave.]

[When she wakes, she'll appreciate it. Though she may never convey that sentiment to Souji.]

[[ooc: So apparently I will drop almost everything for this CR, I really do love it, and have a fun trip!]]

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Act 2

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action; akdjf;aj yeah oops - i totally meant to post this one first

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