bursts into tears

[oversea]

Comments

[oversea]

... Mm. I guess you're right.

[ this is not a healthy bar to set.

after a while, there's movement to their left. thorns freezes... until a small creature pokes its head out from the bushes. ]

Finally.

[ ... he'll have to use a unit to attach the tracker to it, since he's too worried about scaring it off. ]

Let's keep going, but after a while it should be safer to stop somewhere.

[transmit]

[ when was the last healthy bar they set. they weren't even healthy before they started looping; this was inherently doomed from the beginning.

but at this point, it's almost impossible to stay upright, let alone talk, barely even registering movement from the bushes until thorns designates it as clear. relying on sheer willpower, he ekes out a nod. depending on how long thorns wants to keep going, he has maybe another half hour before he trips over his own feet just trying to stay vertical. at least if he does, docybara is there to break his fall… his literal crutch from their last run-in until now. amazing. ]

[oversea]

[ well

that decides when they're taking a break. thorns runs to the cart to dig through it until he finds their first aid items, and then he rushes to elysium's side. docybara whines, concerned, and he gives him a pat to reassure him. ]

I'm checking your wounds.

[ he knows what's likely doing the most damage to him is the oripathy, but the bomb damage probably is not helping. they can take care of the either one of the two. ]

[transmit]

[ nothing about the situation is helping, really. he's hard of breath, starting to feel warm, and is finding it harder to remain upright. but he has to. there is nothing he wants more desperately in the world than to be by thorns' side and to live the life they both envisioned.

his fingers curl into thorns' clothing. it feels like saying anything would just make this worse, too. ]

[oversea]

[ he kisses his forehead, and then once he's done doing what he can to elysium's wounds, he will help him to settle down on the floor with the cart as support for his back.

he moves on to quickly tend to docybara's injuries. ]

We'll stay here for a while. Try to sleep.

[transmit]

… You haven't slept at all since you were on watch. You have to look after yourself, too.

[ which

he knows is a luxury, but still. even if he wanted to protest it, he isn't in the best condition to. where did he mess up? how did he mess up? it's like the spiral never ends. ]

[oversea]

I'll sleep once we make it to the next town. Don't worry.

[ unfortunately, he can't trust elysium to be in guard duty at the moment in his condition, and he likely won't be able to rest up and heal properly until they're actually somewhere safe. as long as they're on high aler outside, elysium probably won't himself relax. ]

[transmit]

Mm. Let me send that message to Lungmen I've been meaning to.

[ as altruistic as this might sound, there's no denying the self-serving edge to it: the more lungmen involves itself in the issue, the less likely their pursuers are to have the resources, or the inclination, to bother them.

he has to collect himself, close his eyes. he tries not to let it show how difficult it is, even though it's all he can think about. breathe in, breathe out. channel his arts like he always had and has been for the past few hours and it'll be fine. ]

[oversea]

[ he settles down next to him to keep an eye as he does this. is this perhaps a bit overbearing? maybe. but elysium hasn't looked this bad in a while, considering people shouldn't be using their arts for such a prolonged period of time. ]

... Mm. Let me know.

[transmit]

[ it's not.

while the transmission itself goes without incident, barring the requests for assistance he blows past, it's as though his strings are cut the moment he finishes the message, his balance tipping until he ends up collapsing against thorns.

goodnight. ]

[oversea]

[ goodnight.

thorns will readjust them so that elysium can lay a little more comfortably, even though he probably won't notice a difference with the level of exhaustion he's at. he'll keep checking their perimeter with alchemy, but he gives up on doing it at a constant rate or else he's going to tire himself out faster...

docybara (which my autocorrect now remembers) waddles over and settles down at elysium's other side. ]

[transmit]

[ docybara is so important to me

depending on when thorns expects elysium to wake up, there may be cause for concern when he just sleeps past everything. calling his name and gentle shakes will not be enough, and as docybara starts to break down the drug in his system, he gets antsier and antsier.

he starts whining at thorns to do something. but what… ]

[oversea]

Settle down, Doctor.

[ ... okay. he says this, but he's starting to get nervous.

of course, the first thing he's going to do once it becomes clear he isn't waking up easily is to check his breathing and pulse.

[transmit]

[ good news!




both are abnormal. his breathing and pulse are way too fast, and his brows are knit together as if in pain. if he really wants elysium to wake up, maybe he can resort to something more forceful? surely it will be fine. ]

[oversea]

[ HOW IS THIS GOOD NEWS

but it's all he needs to start shaking elysium more forcefully. ]

Elysium. Wake up.

[transmit]

[ it means… he is alive… 🥺

there is a groaning noise but consciousness does not seem to be anywhere close. wahoo. docybara is now convinced thorns is a lying liar. ]

[oversea]

[ docybara no!!!!

okay. thorns is going to have to move to get up, but he readjusts elysium so that he is leaning against docybara. he has to go dig to find medicine... ]

[transmit]

[ how can docybara worriedly watch if he is being used as a prop… he is so discontent but he seems aware enough not to want to move elysium. this has been such a terrible, no good, very bad day.

and although elysium doesn't seem to be waking up, he starts muttering words under his breath. ]

Maybe we need to go straight to Sietsa…

[oversea]

[ well, at least he can talk.

thorns returns and will try to get elysium to take the meds... ]

Hey. I need you to wake up.

[transmit]

[ love that docybara is in my autocorrect but siesta is not

he's just going to double over coughing. it remains unclear whether he'd heard thorns or not. ]

[oversea]

[ AAA sorry he is just going to lean in really close and shake him. ]

Elysium. Look at me.

[transmit]

[ he blearily opens his eyes…

but mostly he just tries to sit up, only to collapse back on thorns. ]

… Aaah… How long… has it been…?

[oversea]

A few hours.

[ they probably should have been on the move by now, since it's best not to stay in the same place for too long, but thorns is realizing elysium is not in the condition for moving that quickly... ]

[transmit]

[ that long?

nothing gets him to rise to his feet faster. pain shoots through his body, but now isn't the time for that. like it's something he can just command away as he wills—and to an extent, he can, after doing it so many times in the past. ]

… I'll take the medicine and we can be on our way. I should be good for a while longer.

[ 'sorry' sits at the tip of his tongue, but saying that aloud will only make everything worse. they'll power through this—they have to. ]

[oversea]

[ he's not sure how true that last part is, but they really can't afford to stay put for too long. they got rid of the tracker, but it doesn't mean they're entirely in the clear yet.

he hands the medicine over. ]

... We're stopping at the first town we see.