[Day 204] there's nothing more important to me [open]

[pleasedaspunch]

Who: Flowers, anyone

Open: Open

When: 204

Where: Just barely outside the Bastion, on the Skyway

What: Hard work and positive thinking sometimes isn’t quite enough when you’re dropped into an entirely new world

Format: Any

Warnings: Non-graphic wounds

The first thing that he was aware of, was overwhelming pressure, and the reptilian part of his brain screaming to get up get up you’re going to be crushed, get up.

 

With a ragged gasp, Flowers’ eyes flew open, just in time to read static from his visor, and for his brain to fully process the gravity of the situation he was in.  It was a punch to his nerves, quite literally given the sheer amount of debris still stacked upon him, and he couldn’t help the pained noise that slipped between his clenched teeth, or the hiss that followed it as he worked his way out of the remains of what had previously been Blue base’s wall.

 

What was going on?

 

It was a question he had to consider, more than consider when he had the chance, but for the time being, he busied himself with fumbling with the seals to his helmet, sighing in relief as the pressure seals gave way with a hiss, and fresh air and bright light flooded his senses.

 

Another breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, that was it, good, good.  He cracked a faint smile, nose wrinkling after a moment.  Yes, okay, things were much different than he remembered, that was undoubtedly a bad thing, but that didn’t have to be the end of the world.  He just had to soldier on, keep a positive attitude, and-

 

Alright no, his limbs felt like lead, and despite the fact that he knew it was a poor idea, he let himself carefully slump to the ground, sighing heavily.  A moment, he promised himself, just a moment to sit and regain his bearings; after all, he had been through much worse before. 

 

True, he had no memories of ever waking up in a radically different environment sporting a rather nasty headache and a new hole in his shoulder (usually any of the three were accompanied by a lot of yelling and people running about, so he supposed the quiet was rather nice), so there was that to take in.  Also the fact that his shoulder was starting to ache something fierce; that was probably more pertinent than figuring anything out quite yet.

 

Thankfully it seemed that his field kit was still somewhat intact, and though the biofoam burned like fire through his veins, its discomfort was an assurance that he at least had a little more time before he would have to pay attention to the wound.  Which brought him back full circle: where was he?

 

A cursory glance around revealed nothing, which was frustrating, but he was determined to put a positive spin on things.  At the very least, at least no one was shooting anymore?  That was certainly good, yes; but as time wore on, he was more and more certain that he was just exhausted.

 

Closing his eyes for a moment couldn’t hurt, could it?

 

Of course it could.

Comments

[pleasedaspunch]

Though Zuko’s act was almost certainly entirely innocent and well-intentioned, Flowers shifted slightly, keeping the helmet just out of reach, despite the sharper lancets of pain that were burning down his arm. Too many years on the field had ingrained the need to keep his things, the project’s secrets, safe, and if he was going the extra mile to drag the helm from the wreckage, then he was going to do everything in his power to keep it with him.

“I’ve got it, thank you though.” The words were still warm, despite the previous slight opposition. The news of a tower is excellent though, and it brings a bright smile right back to his face. Hopefully it was standard issue, he had never been too good at trying to adjust frequencies on things that were cobbled together, it just wasn’t his area of expertise.

Doing his best to put as little burden on his rescuer as possible, he let himself be moved, trying to give her as little difficulty as possible. “Lead away, I am just tickled to see this place you’ve mentioned.”

[daughterofursa]

Zuko doesn't fight him for it, though it does make her frown. Not to be trusted, even for little things and with sensible reasons, still stings sometimes. Even in her refugee days, she never would have stolen anything as useless to her as a mismatched and probably oversized helmet. But this guy doesn't know her.

"I wouldn't get too excited," she says, though to be honest, the Bastion's grown on her. If it weren't for the circumstances that brought her here, she might even say she liked it.

It doesn't take long to reach the Bastion's entrance, even at their slow pace. And the view from there... will probably only add to his confusion. The mismatched buildings, the strange animals wandering about, the people with no uniform appearance or mode of dress. They don't look like they all belong on the same planet, much less the same village.

[pleasedaspunch]

Realizing his folly, Flowers shot an apologetic look towards his rescuer, but neglected to offer any explanation for his behavior. Unfortunately, it was trade secret, and even if he felt a bit bad for his rudeness, there was little he could do to explain his need to remain vigilant. Classified information was a hassle at times.

“Ah, but if you can’t get excited, then life gets boring, right?” He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head slightly. “Everything is a new adventure, and I only wish that I didn’t have things that need attending to so that I could take time to properly appreciate this settlement of yours.”

That was the plan, at least. Get treatment for his wounds, find the radio, hack the signal, radio the director, and make his way back to his outpost as quickly as possible. There would be time to figure things out and make proper safety protocols to prevent this sort of happenstance in the future, once he was certain that his mission hadn’t been compromised.

Or rather, that had been the plan until a line of buildings came into his vision. The sight before him certainly gave him pause, the sheer hodge-podge of everything silencing his incessant chatter. This was abnormal, even by colony standards, and hinted at something far more complicated taking place than anything he previously could have considered.

“This is…Bastion, you said?” The question was still conversational, but a bit more distracted than his previously enthusiastic lines of inquiry. He hummed under his breath, then continued on, testing the waters. “It’s…interesting you can’t see the Halo from here, one would think that something that large would be visible from anywhere on the planet’s surface.”

[daughterofursa]

"If there's one thing my life hasn't been, it's boring," Zuko mutters, knowing he can hear her but not really directing the remark to him.

She scans the Bastion briefly herself; it's hard to say which things are going to seem normal and which utterly bizzare to a newcomer, but she'd bet their resident giant dragon falls under 'alarming' for most people. She doesn't see him from here, though.

"I don't know what your 'Halo' is. When I said you were far from your battlefield, I meant far. This isn't your world. It isn't mine either."

[pleasedaspunch]

“Perhaps then, when the threat of injury is not waylaying any productivity as it is now, you and I need to have a long conversation, because I do think it will be rather enlightening.” Despite the casual tone, it wasn’t a suggestion, but rather a thinly veiled demand. Every small snippet of information that he was being fed painted his current situation as something that would need to be discussed thoroughly, with no small detail left unattended.

How did he get off -world to begin with, was perhaps a good thing to start with. Followed by where his crew was, and if the technology he was supposed to be guarding was safe.

What had been a dull pain in his shoulder, however, had graduated to a harsh, throbbing fire that very nearly threatened to render him speechless as the biofoam began to wear off, and there was little chance of gathering any sort of answers to his questions if he was so distracted. The discomfort was growing more and more evident in his expression, though he strove to project a pleasant demeanor, it was becoming far too much effort to maintain that almost unnatural level of cheer. “You mentioned something earlier about tending? Would it be rude of me to ask if that was still something in the cards?”

[daughterofursa]

Zuko understands that it isn't a request or a 'maybe.' She'd been far less patient when she showed up. "You'll get your explanation, I promise." If not from her, then certainly from someone else. It might be better from someone else; she isn't good at breaking things gently.

"The hospital's just past the onsen." Which may not be the strangest zoning decision, but probably not a sentence he would normally hear. "Not much farther."

And it's probably lucky for him that he arrived today and not during any of the past few days, when their healers would have had their hands full with the plague. The sick haven't fully recovered yet, but they need a lot less attention now, she's sure. Everyone in general is a lot less stressed out.

[four_quarts]

Generally speaking, there are a few things that healers are pleased to see after dealing with plague victims for a few days. Cups of tea and their own bed are often at the top of that list. People badly wounded enough to need someone else to help them walk on the other hand, are rarely a particularly pleasing sight.

It is for precisely this reason that upon noticing the two when they walk through the hospital's doors, his expression briefly flickers to 'Seriously?' before shoving that under a look of professional concern.

"...Would you prefer my assistance walking to the nearest exam room, or shall I just lead you there?"

[pleasedaspunch]

It was good to hear an agreement, because Flowers had every intention of following up on his promise. The quicker he could take tabs of his situation, the quicker he could work to fix things up and get back. As much as he would have loved to scout about a bit more, his priorities were elsewhere, and he couldn’t be derelict in the duties assigned to him.

Brows furrowed in slight confusion, but he kept quiet, focus still stolen by the increasing realization that the biofoam, and thus the painkillers, was wearing off and that his shoulder hurt a hell of a lot more than he had originally thought. What was an Onsen? It wasn’t a word that he recognized, and it didn’t sound to be Sangheili in origin either. Something native to her language, perhaps? Definitely another question to be asked later.

Thankfully the hospital was much closer than expected, and he sighed in relief as they passed the threshold. Mumbling a quiet thanks to Zuko, he forced a tired grin to his face as a new voice cut through the air.

“Oh hello there,” he managed to inject some of his previous cheer into his words even if it was far more artificial, “I think that is perhaps a question for this one, but regardless of it’s source, I would appreciate some sort of help, I think.”

[daughterofursa]

Zuko has a different word for it herself, but 'onsen' seems to be the one more commonly understood by everyone here, including those who never had a word for it before. But the translation effect and its shortcomings can definitely wait.

"I've got him," Zuko says with some amount of unnecessary stubbornness. Ghaleon is a newer face, and she doesn't know him. Still, a little help wouldn't be so bad, especially since it feels like Flowers has been leaning on her a bit more--whether he actually is or she's just getting tired, she's not sure.

"...but a closer room is better," she adds. She can handle this a little farther, and anyway she won't be much use after that.