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[bloodandblunder]

"H... hello? Um, this is me-- ah, Noire! I'm Noire, and I'm very sorry for missing you somehow... I promise I'm not avoiding you, unless you're scary or you're Mo-- trying to curse me. U-um, so when I can figure out how to-- ( beeps ensue, followed by a shriek of fright ) O-oh, no! What did I push, how do I-- make it-- oh gods, did I break it?! W-why can't we just talk in person?!"

[ BEEP. ]

voicemail; action ; video

Comments

[memlost]

Thank goodness...

[ He pads on over and tucks his phone away, then kneels by her bed so he can inspect her hp bar for injuries. ]

Is there anything you need? Water? Food?

[bloodandblunder]

[ The scar's hidden beneath her clothing, so he won't be seeing any traumatic-looking wounds. But when she shifts further, trying to sit up, she winces and clutches at her stomach. ]

I... I'm not really hungry...

[memlost]

Water, then.

[ Seeing her difficulty, he helps her sit up slowly with an arm. ]

Don't push yourself. I'll be right back!

[bloodandblunder]

S-sorry... [ it's close to automatic for her by now, but she'll give him a grateful smile when she's semi-upright. ] I'll behave.

[memlost]

[ He smiles in return, and also because compliance is good. When she looks like she's steady enough, he scurries away to fetch some of that water. A moment as he finds a container to steal, followed by blissful silence as he trots out to the well.

...

Aaand then he's back. He sets the filled container down and waters a cup with it, then hands off to Noire. ]

[bloodandblunder]

[ She hasn't really moved since he dashed off, but she'll reach out for the cup and breathe out a soft sigh before she sips from it. ]

Thank you... [ at least her throat feels a little better now. ] I didn't mean to worry you so badly.

[memlost]

I'm just glad you're back.

[ The wondering was the worst part... Even if she's clearly in some pain, he's relieved to see her in the flesh again. He sits cross-legged by her bed. ]

Could you explain more about what happened? If it's not too soon, that is.

[bloodandblunder]

... [ it's probably too soon, but she'll take a deep breath anyway. ]

Did you see a box with a statue down... in that area, when the garden fell?

[memlost]

Mm-hm. The one with the vaguely ominous note on it?

[bloodandblunder]

So you did read it...

[ A sigh. ]

I don't know how, but what that note talked about-- it happened to me, and some other people... without warning. We found ourselves in a room full of statues... and, um. It became troublesome very quickly.

[memlost]

So that part really was true! It sounded strange, but I guess there's no ruling anything out in Haven.

[ And then, if he remembers the note correctly, the statues would have forced them to relive their deaths. He won't ask her about that, but... bringing people back from the dead? Non-Risen-style? ]

Who was the target for revival?

[bloodandblunder]

I... still don't know, actually. I was... [ she lowers her cup, her other hand lowering to press against her abdomen. ] ... already gone by then.

[memlost]

... I see... Well, I hope it wasn't all for naught. It doesn't seem very fair for you to have gotten sucked into that when you don't even know who you were there for.

[bloodandblunder]

Mm... no. [ And she sighs a little, gaze turning distant, for all that she's staring down into her cup. ] I might have been more help if I'd remembered that note before someone had to die.

... If nothing else, I hope everyone else is all right now.

[memlost]

[ His head tilts. He is so out of this loop. ]

It's a good thing you remember at all! But who else was with you if not Morgan or Gerome?

[bloodandblunder]

Three other people-- um, but I only knew Sakon?

[memlost]

Oh, Sakon! I'll have to track him down and give you a status report.

[ spoilers: "he was walking around and mumbling to his hand like a crazy but attractive hobo" ]

He doesn't seem like the dying type. I bet he's performing some amazing and startlingly unlikely acrobatic feat right this moment.

[bloodandblunder]

I hope you're right... [ but she musters a thin smile. ] He's very strong, there's no doubt about that. And fast...

[ Noire, don't sound like you're fangirling the guy who exhausts you. ]

[memlost]

And he can play actual hopscotch on enemies on the battlefield?! ... I wasn't the only one who noticed that, was I?

[ why wasn't everyone stopping to stare in awe RIGHT THAT MOMENT ]

[bloodandblunder]

... I think I do remember that, now that you mention it. [ she was a little blood-and-thunder happy at the time. ] He had a harder time with these monsters, though. We all did.

[memlost]

They looked tough. And it doesn't help that you were all a fair bit malnourished and disorganized compared to our usual Risen skirmishes.

[ Since everyone was... literally pulled off the street and tossed into battle on a minute's notice. ]

But you all made it through all right! Which is pretty darn impressive, I think.

[bloodandblunder]

You should have seen the ones in the room we were trapped in, though... they were at least a dozen times worse.

[ except she won't go into detail, because just the memory is making her shudder. ]

[memlost]

... That bad, huh? They must have been if they took you out so quickly. I suppose we know now why they had to abandon the project in the end.

[bloodandblunder]

There's a very high risk of death, with no guarantee of success...

I'm surprised they didn't just destroy it.

[memlost]

As nightmare-inducing as the thing is, it seems like a shame destroying it. It isn't every day you come across ways to revive the dead.