Shrike's Heart (#2)

[idolpro]

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Comments

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[justfuckingtryit]

[This... seems so much like a dream he's had before.]

[He sets his jaw, and steps toward the reeds.]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ That girl from pep is already heading that way, too; she holds her sword at the ready.

But what you encounter there is, in fact, what you would expect, which suggests a thing or two about what this is all about. ]

[romanticlove]

Oh-!!

[Someone's here!]

We have to help them.

[Rising to her feet quickly to dash towards him.]

[justfuckingtryit]

[He is not entirely sure there's time left to help them, but,]

...yeah. Let's see what we can do.

[Keeping pace, right besode her]

[romanticlove]

We don't have our abilities, so if they do... I won't be able to revive them. We'll have to find a way to treat their injuries.

[But what could they do without medical supplies? Basically, nothing.]

[justfuckingtryit]

[Basically nothing.]

[It isn't too terribly long after they get to the side of the man, though, that he lowers his voice, so that he can't be overheard.]

I think the best we can do is make him comfortable.

[romanticlove]

Oh.

[She sighs dejectedly, trying her best to erase the worry and regret once they're closer.]

Please, don't worry. We'll figure this out.

[The boy would surely die, with those injuries. If he wasn't already dead.]

We can take care of him.

[As if they could do anything.]

[justfuckingtryit]

Mm. We'll look after him.

[For whatever time is left.]

[romanticlove]

Should I carry him...?

[She looks away from the injured for a moment, swallowing and trying not to let the smell of blood make her throat burn.]

[justfuckingtryit]

...yeah. We'll follow you in a few minutes.