Day 153 - Your war isn't over yet

[followsthevoice]

Who: Raile and you!
Open: Open
When: 153, afternoon
Where: The River
What: After a long trip and even longer fall, Raile is back at the Bastion and looks worse for the wear
Format: Any
Warnings: Maybe some drama, some body squickiness

[Raile had, as Raile often did, stumbled back into The Bastion looking like he'd been through the whole seven hells; though thanks to the help of AZ, his arm was now firmly set back inside it's socket instead of being half crooked. When he'd fallen off the Skyway, the winds had been so violently unpredictable that he'd been tossed all the way to Mount Zand where he landed hard on his side and spent half a day unconscious underneath a pile of brush; when he awoke, he found his shoulder dislocated, his head cut open, and his hammer gone, not exactly the best of circumstances to be left in if he did say so himself. Thankfully giving up wasn't in his nature, so with his Carbine in hand and nothing more than his sheer force of will in tow, he set off back towards The Bastion.

It was rough going, especially considering he had to improvise his gun as both a crutch and a club when the times called for it; it was fair to say that he'd earned the numerous welts and bruises on his already battered body, but he wasn't going to let The Wilds take him that easily. Eventulaly though, he had found his way home and now he was kneeling by the river as he used it's perpetually flowing waters to wash the dried blood off of his face; using the water's reflective surface to get a good look at the deep cut on the side of his head...too big to close up on its own, but too small to throw any real ruckus over.

Considering that was the most lasting bit of damage...Raile could deal; there was no way he'd let himself die before he gave his apologies in person, though he figured he might owe Zulf a few more now as he clicked his tongue and ran his finger around his head gash.]

Damn...got me good, it's gonna take a while to heal proper...though maybe I can use that fancy new hospital....

[He mumbled to himself as he leaned his head back and poured some water into the wound itself; earning him something just short of a growl as he gritted his teeth.]

Comments

[fuckthemancers]

RAILE!

[What was that about it being too small to throw a ruckus over?]

[Zulf is making a bolt from across the Bastion- it's hard to miss that mess of white hair on the kid's head even with all the strange additions from other worlds. His skirts are hitched up away from his ankles as he runs as fast as he possibly can. Even as someone not in combat, he's still and Ura and his speed is something. In a heartbeat, he's crouching down besides Raile with his gaze flitting everywhere as he sees each new injury.]

You're alive.

[It's rasped out, his lungs still not recovering from the dash he's made and able to only push out those two words for right now.]

[followsthevoice]

[Raile barely had time to look up before Zulf was right in his face, though right now he was more worried about the man's lack of breath than he was about the cut on his head; it was only deep enough to get his index finger in up to the nail, nothing he was concerned about. He reached up and placed a hand on Zulf's shoulder as he looked up at him, trying to show him that he was definitely alive and more or less okay.]

'Course I am. Didja think I'd go off dyin' 'fore I got my apologies out?

[No way that was happening, a Cael always kept his word on things, even if he had to drag himself back from the brink of death to do it.]

[fuckthemancers]

I don't know what had happened, you'd already disappeared from view by the time I had any idea of what was going on!

[Still, that hand on his shoulder seems to bring him back to earth and Zulf hisses out a shaky breath.]

Look at you... We have a hospital now, there's no need for you to be out here. Come on. [He gets up to his feet and reaches for Raile's to try to pull him up.]

[followsthevoice]

Yeah...I think I'll need this arm slinged; AZ popped m'shoulder back in but...

[He used his other hand to accept Zulf's help up, but he clicked his tongue as he tried to roll his shoulder, only to feel a sharp pain course down his arm.]

Definitely. Ain't no use in agitatin' it any more. I feel on it pretty bad and gettin' roughed around didn't help it much.

[Look at that...Raile actually being responsible about his injuries. It was really starting to look like a week of outright miracles.]

[fuckthemancers]

[Typical that the miracles would happen after Zulf's had a heart attack and then some.]

This is what happens when I take my eye off of you, isn't it...? I'll try and clean you up as best as I'm able, then. If nothing else, I know there's a healer in the Bastion who can do some good for you.

[He turns and starts to guide Raile to the hospital, only to pause for just a brief moment.]

...Please don't do that again.

[followsthevoice]

I wasn't tryin' for it...

[That feeling of fear he felt flying over the edge of the Skyway was something he never thought he'd feel...and something he never wanted to feel again.]

I'll do my best though, I ain't no good t'anyone busted up like this...don't much like being cooped up either.

[fuckthemancers]

[Despite his next words, Zulf does sound immensely relieved like that. He's not sure how well he'd be able to handle the next break if anything were to happen to Raile or Zia.]

Well you'll simply have to deal with it until your wounds heal properly. There's still plenty to do here without going out to the Skyway. You could help Stuart, or Rin in the kitchen...

[Reaching the hospital, Zulf holds it open for the young Cael.]

Make things up with Zia.

[stoleyourshit]

[There's a small creature watching Raile from next to the river, crouching low in the grass. She'd stayed away from all of the mess a few days ago, but this Kid didn't seem to be the type to get hurt that badly. What happened?]

[followsthevoice]

[Raile frowned as he sighed and reached into the river itself...the blood wasn't stopping and he needed something to stymie the flow...and with nothing else on hand and the river being clean as anything, he pulled out some clay from the bottom which he slapped onto the wound. It hurt like hell and felt disgusting at best, but it would keep him from bleeding out until he could get a proper bandage over it. As he was letting the pain fade, he glanced over at a patch of grass nearby and cocked an eyebrow as he noticed something moving around; it wasn't anything dangerous, he was sure of that, but what or who was it he wondered?]

I ain't gonna bite y'know, c'mon out if y'want.

[stoleyourshit]

[The fox approaches, staring at him carefully. She's not totally convinced that he's safe, but he's safe enough for now. She sits down a little ways from him, eyes wide and curious.]

[followsthevoice]

[Well...there was a creature he'd never seen before. He eyed it just as curiously, raising an eyebrow before reaching into the pack on his belt and pulling out a vineapple which he rolled slightly towards whatever it was. Looked fluffy to him...maybe it had a weird name like Kerfluffle? Maybe.]

Hey there, y'new t'the Bastion?

[stoleyourshit]

[She nosed the vineapple back towards him. But oh. Huh. Should she talk? She could talk. Even if her mouth didn't move.]

I've only been here a few days, yes.

[followsthevoice]

[Wait...did the Kerfluffle just talk to him? Well...honestly, in the grand scheme of things...was it really all that strange? He'd definitely seen stranger, so he decided to just let it go at that. If Kerfluffle's could talk, far be it from him to call it strange.]

Huh. Sorry I ain't much a welcome wagon at t'moment, but welcome all the same.

[Raile'd never really been good at the whole greeting people thing, let alone a Kerfluffle...but he was trying his best at the very least.]

[astras]

[ She spotted the man as she was taking a walk. He looked really injured, and she couldn't just ignore that. Polka gasped and rushed over to where he was. ]

S-Sir! Sir, you look really hurt!

[ Stating the obvious, she reached where he was and knelt down beside him, inspecting his injuries before she even had permission to do so. Rude, Polka. ]

[followsthevoice]

[Well...this was new and slightly uncomfortable; Raile wasn't exactly used to having people dote over his injuries, especially considering his current circumstances. He shifted slightly as he was inspected, but didn't really make any protest against it...if only not to be rude to this person he'd never met before.]

I'll be fine, this ain't nothin' y'need t'kick up a fuss over...

[astras]

[ She's going to fuss over you, deal with it. ]

I-I think you should go to the hospital, sir ... you might not think it's anything big, but wounds like that can become much worse if they're left untreated!

If we were on the Skyway, I could possibly heal most of it instantly, but ... I don't know if going back there when you're this injured is that good of an idea.

[followsthevoice]

'S alright, I've got this.

[He said as he reached into the river and put his hand to the bottom until he felt clay beneath his fingers; he scooped up a nice handful and brought it out, inspecting it for a few seconds before slapping it unceremoniously against the wound. He let out a low hiss, but it was for the best right now...it would form a makeshift cast as it dried and coming from the Bastion, it was guaranteed to be sterile enough to ensure it wouldn't have anything to let his gash get infected; so until he found a bandage, it would serve nicely...better than Zulwood Oil, that was for sure.]

Nature'll provide when man can't.

[astras]

[ And here we have a girl gasping. She's ... not sure that's sanitary, sir. While she agrees on the statement about nature (being a floral powder salesgirl back home and all), she's not sure if she's okay with this serving as even a temporary fix. ]

S-Sir, I'm not so sure that's the most sanitary fix ... I still think we should get you to the hospital ...

[followsthevoice]

Anythin' from the Bastion is sanitary...it don't play by nature's rules.

[You could eat off the ground here and not get sick; the only way you'd get sick here is if you ran yourself ragged or brought something back from the Skyway.]

I don't know nothin' bout that place; unless o'course you know where things in there are...I s'pose a bandage'd be better than this ifin' I can get one.

[evacuate]

[Zia doesn't even hear that the Kid's back until he's been all patched up and taken care of—as usual, Zulf is on top of things, and she is too drawn into herself for her own good.

For a while, she lingers by the monument, scoping things out without having to get too close to anyone, much less to deal with them—and then she sees him pass by.

There are a few seconds she spends wringing her hands and trying to sort through her feelings. They're all an indiscernible tangled-up mass and she wants to pull them apart, separate them and spread them out before her—here is her anger, here is her relief, her elation is over there, far from her discomfort; she wants to go through and feel them one at a time instead of failing to reconcile the urge to hug Kid with the urge to yell at him again.

She walks over slowly, hands folded in front of her. Her voice is soft and she smiles, but keeps distance between them—for his sake, mostly; someone so beat up's got no reason to want to deal with the girl he last saw screaming at him.]

Well, look at that. Back from the dead.

[followsthevoice]

[He knew this was coming; he'd tried to mentally prepare himself for the moment...but now that it was here, the sound of her voice freezing him solidly in place. He was feeling more than he had in a long time and it confused him greatly; out on the walls, in the wilds, and during his fight for the cores and shards...feelings hadn't been an issue, it was just more convenient for him to stay hidden behind the walls he'd built. Now...it wasn't that easy; things were different and more and more he was being forced to deal with things he had no idea how to deal with.

He took a deep breath and let Zia speak before he even bothered turning around...he'd been expecting something more angry, but the calm, evenness of her voice cut him worse. He finally managed to move his feet so he could look at her and nodded slightly, though he made sure his mouth was neatly hidden behind his bandana...a habit of his so that people wouldn't be put off by his odd facial expressions.]

I ain't dyin' yet. I got promises t'keep and apologies t'give.

[Yes Zia, he said apologies; and he was staring right at you when he said it. He'd learned a lot of things since then, but he wants to make sure she'd even want an apology at all or if she just wanted to tell him to shove off for good.]

[evacuate]

Oh? Can't even give a girl a minute to fuss over you before you get all emotional with her, huh.

[Her smile doesn't fade but it falters, and she has to force it to stay steady. Zia isn't going to press her concern, though, difficult as it is. Zulf has almost certainly done both their fair shares of fussing and then some, anyway—the Kid's definitely been taken care of and probably already sick of it.

Tilting her head and pursing her lips, she steps forward—go on, she tries to silently say.]

[followsthevoice]

I figured there'd be a fuss when I got back...but that ain't important right now.

[He sighed, but she wasn't telling him to get lost, so that was probably as good a sign as he was apt to get. It took him a few minutes to figure out the words in his head, but after a short paused, he continued.]

Look, I'm sorry, t'you and Zulf. I thought what I was doin' was right...but it wasn't. I went behind both yer backs and that wasn't right at all, so y'have every right to be and stay sore at me. All I can promise from here is t'take more mind of the people I care about...I ain't used to it, but I gotta take int'account that I matter t'other people too.

[He didn't know if Zia would accept that or not, but it had been a big step for himself personally to admit that out loud; either way, he was hoping that they could at least get back on friendly terms.]

[evacuate]

[It takes her just a few seconds to respond—and Zia nods, opens her mouth like she means to say something, then looks away and puts a finger on her lip.]

Okay. [Wow, okay, that was pathetic; she thinks about that and tries again.] I...I believe you. That you'll do good on that promise.

[It's not an "it's okay" because, well, it's not; she still can't shake the feelings of being small and silenced and fragile—but she trusts him to do better. She trusts him.

Her smile comes back and she clasps her hands over her chest, shuffles a little closer so that she's not much more than arm's length away from him.]

And I'm really glad you're okay, you know. Lemme at least get in a little bit of fussing.

[followsthevoice]

I'll do m'best, I've worried you an' Zulf enough fer one lifetime.

[He knew he still had things to prove before they were fully back to normal, but this was a good first step he thought; at the very least she was glad to see him and was willing to get in arm's reach. He held up his good hand, hesitantly at first, but with a little mental affirmation he was able to extend it out to rest on Zia's shoulder. It was a light touch and a simple gesture, but he was glad to see her too and he wanted her to know that.]

Alright, I think y've earned a fair share o'fussin.