idolpro | Shrike's Heart (#2)

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!heart games

Shrike's Heart (#2)

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

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[ the man looks up at you and—momentarily, recoils, just as he did at your companions, but—there's a flicker of something in his eyes. recognition, almost. He coughs and sputters, but— ]

Who—who are you? Who are all of you?

...friends.

If only—

[ he coughs. ]

...well. Probably for the best you weren't here earlier. Actually.

What happened?

Did yu live in the village up ahead?

Didn't think—didn't think the war would reach here.

[ he wheezes, again, squeezing the boy tight as he attempts to not cough into his hair and fails. ]

Yeah. War's fucked up like that.

It gets into everything.

It really... really does.

[ he moves as if he intends to wipe his mouth with his hand, but winces at moving his arm; there might be a breakage or sprain. ]

No chance even, for surrender.

Fuckers.

[He hesitates.]

[Hesitates longer.]

[Pulls his hand into his sleeve so there's some fabric to spare, and uses it to wipe the man's mouth for him.]

[ he laughs, weakly, sheepishly. ]

Th-thanks. How can I protect him like this, right...

...he'll be just fine.

We'll look out for him.

I just wish...

...just wish I could do more.

[ he does submit to Sekhmet bandaging him up, though he still has a hacking wheezing cough. ]

You've done a lot already.

You got him out, didn't you?

[He doesn't wince at that cough, though he knows damn well what's coming next]

If I get him a little further...

Just, 'm so tired.

...I know.

[He falls quiet for a minute.]

It's okay to rest. He's going to be fine.

'm just trying... not to fall asleep. That's—

[ he coughs again, after the pep girl gathers up the boy from his arms—this time, he has space free to rock forwards, dark blood spattering onto the marsh ground in front of him. ]

[...yeah.]

[Yeah.]

It's okay, if you sleep a little. We'll watch out for him, while you do.

... Um, it's - Thorn, right...?

Can you stay here with him...? We're -

Sekhmet is looking for medicine, and we're going to take his brother somewhere safe, but he shouldn't - falling asleep, or being alone right now, I think...

[ both of those could be bad. she's not a medical professional, but ]

[Lowers his voice, so that the man can't overhear.]

His brother's dead already. The man... all that we can do is make him comfortable.

[ similarly low, ]

I know.

But - if there's a chance that we could still help him, then... I think that we should. That's why we're taking the smaller boy, too . . .

You've tried very hard. You've done a lot already.

Maybe if I'd tried... harder.

[ but the coughing is getting worse. ]

Edited 2020-02-20 04:06 (UTC)

I've... seen this before. In a dream.

He has a minute left. Maybe two.

...Mm. If there's a chance to save him... but if not, let's keep him comfortable.

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justfuckingtryit - 2020-02-20 04:17 (UTC) - Expand

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