werites | bursts into tears

[ NOT THE GELATINOUS kills yaywon

but give him a moment. ]

There's some in the general area, but I think we should be able to go through a path that's clear with no issue.

[ what is the texture, then… it is up to you to right this wrong. ]

They're this far out? [ aaaa CAN THESE PEOPLE LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!!! they're technically just doing their villainous jobs out here before they'd even known about their existence, but still. ] They're really just brute-forcing their problems…

…

We can't have them giving away our position either.

[ IT'S NOT GELATINOUS bursts into tears

honestly, the people this far out are probably just meant to be guarding the perimeter to make sure no one wanders in so far away from the action they're likely not the most alert. but it's always better to be safe than sorry, since all it would take is for the two of them to let their guard down for a second for something bad to happen. ]

... We can find somewhere covered.

There should be trees and foliage we can use.

… Hold on for a sec.

[ a bit of a delayed reaction, but now that they're out of imminent danger, he just… does a full half-circle around thorns, checking for any injuries. sorry. ]

[ help.

he has a few scratches, and a small bruise, but nothing that looks any more serious than anything else they've gotten. one of the enemies tried to tackle thorns and the move was so stupid that it succeeded in distracting thorns long enough he got hit. ]

Yes?

… Just double checking that you're fine. More than any injuries, how's the mental strain with the Corazonix?

[ he's not sure what kind of answer he expects, but

he can at least try to get some kind of answer… ]

I can handle it.

[ which he fully believes, since if he can't handle it then it would endanger elysium and that's not acceptable.

he grabs his hand to give it a quick squeeze. ]

I feel normal.

[ his hand that is either flag or sword. but he appreciates the gesture nonetheless, returning a smile that just looks a touch tired for it. ]

… Alright. We can't waste any more time.

[ this is why they can't hold hands... it's so sad...

but thorns nods. they can talk properly once they're out of here, or at least as far away from this mess that they can take a break.

it does make thorns wonder why this town in particular. or if it's not only this town... but he tries to shake the thought away. that line of thinking is why they can't mind their business. ]

[ let it be known that they're put in this specific position because they'd wanted to find a spot to send a transmission back to lungmen. about a ten-minute walk from where they started, elysium keeps moving, but there is a telltale tension to him as he slips into iberian without thinking. ]

We're being followed. Four o' clock from where I'm standing. Stealthed. I don't know how long they've been on us, but they only just crossed into the range of my Arts.

... Okay.

[ this really was going too smoothly. ]

Let's keep going until we reach somewhere they can't surround us at.

I'll dispel it on go. There are… four of them?

[ his brow furrows. ]

Their steps are lighter than the other guy who tried to ambush me.

[ a fall guy… ]

... These ones are definitely better trained than the ones we were dealing with.

[ they probably used the others as a test to see if they should be worried about the two of them or not. ah, well, not much they can do about it now. ]

We can take them. [ ... ] Ready?

[ the way they can't even say they were minding their own business because they'd tipped off lungmen and were about to feed them even more information. this is miserable.

… they really don't want this getting out, do they? ]

Yeah. I'll back you up.

[ waits for thorns' go… ]

[ they have done nothing but try to ruin their plans!!! wow!!!

thorns can see a clearing ahead. he waits until they're a little closer to it before he glances at docybara, then at elysium. his grip on his sword tightens. ]

Go.

[ they could've ruined them harder but they showed restraint and that should count for everything…

but he doesn't need to any more than that to immediately begin channeling his arts and spin on his heel. they seem surprised at first—which may be the upper hand thorns needs to get a quick one in on one of them. they need all the advantages they can get. ]

[ at least they're getting their exercise in!!!

but he does immediately go for whoever is closest, knocking their weapon out of their hands as he slashes at their front. the doctor startles and continues going forward... which he supposes is fine, since it's better for him to get out of the range of the fight.

thorns would prefer if elysium went with him actually ]

[ for better or worse, there is no world where elysium abandons thorns on a battlefield. that has been true since long before they were ever together.

he's less useful on the offensive while channeling his arts, but he keeps himself light on his feet, taking only shallow cuts and scratches as he continues to dodge attacks from left and right. so, they're savvy enough to know to take out the support. wahoo. they don't seem any match for thorns, and they seem to recognise that minutes in.

to turn the tide, elysium catches a glimpse of their intent at the corner of his periphery, metal flashing darkly beneath the cover of night. ]

… They have a bomb! Thorns!

Shit.

[ well, at least they let docybara run off ahead of them or else this would have just been more problematic.

of course, his first reaction is to check how far it is from elysium, and so the most thorns is able to manage to do is use hits units to get the bomb further away with them. it explodes, and they can both get damage, but it is at least not close enough to them to blow up any limbs or worse. ]

[ the blast wave leaves his ears ringing as shrapnel tears past, skimming skin and shredding fabric. debris rains down around them—this close, it would have been impossible not to be caught in the splash zone to some extent. they're trained for this, like everything else, so the damage is kept to a minimum.

the real problem is the smoke trying to fill his lungs, especially with elysium's lungs already as fragile as they are, arm moving up to block it from entering his nose and mouth. in the aftermath, their assailants melt back into the chaos. his immediate priority is thorns, moving toward where he remembers him last. ]

We have to get moving. Now. Did you see which direction the Doctor went?

Just ahead. He'll come to us when we call for him.

[ at least, they gave him a low enough dose that hearing an explosion wouldn't go unnoticed, so docybara is likely on high alert right now. thorns would prefer to get further away before they summon their son though, the last thing they need is him running into a dense field of smoke.

he can tell that he's burnt somewhere, but that isn't a priority compared to getting out. ]

Let's go.

[ hopefully they won't be followed... ]

[ they may not be followed, but they may be tracked. isn't that fun?

but there's no time to think about it, not when they have places to be. he nods and quickens his stride, brushing off the breathlessness beginning to catch up to him. this is absolutely not the moment for a sickly victorian child episode… they gotta go. ]

[ they gotta go!!!

thorns keeps them moving until they are far enough that they no longer see any smoke. once they're there, thorns is just going to try to locate where their baby is with his alchemy... he can't have gotten that far since their cart was hooked up to him, but he doesn't think they're far away enough for it to be safe to actually all out. ]

Are you okay?

… Mm. [ his voice is quieter than it was before, so there's that. every so often he also turns his head away from thorns to make a sound, suspiciously close to a muffled cough. ] Keep going. Momentum's important.

[ mostly because he feels that the moment they stop, he's likely going to keel over. ]

[ ... his concern is growing, but he'll keep moving forward anyway. after a while. ]

Found him.

[ and thorns will direct them to cut to their left. their baby is right ahead, looking distraught at the separation... ]

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