I refuse to learn from my mistakes [Open]

[fjorgedinfire]

characters: Fjord and OTA!
location: Downtown shopping center; later the Invincible
date/time: 23rd Feb, spanning the next however long
content: Fjord thought infiltrating some crocodile spirits was a not terrible idea, and must face the repercussions
warnings: Some bodily hjarm, first aid thereon

[ 1. Closed to Soldat ]

It takes Fjord a bit more effort than he would have liked to make it clear of the water-logged bottom floor of the shopping center, and stumble his way out of the building completely and into the night. His lantern is still strapped to his waist, and a leather charm bounces with a tinny little clink with every laboured step he takes; the sound, as well as the bob of the lantern, is extremely irregular, as he clutches tightly to his left side with one hand and limps down the stairs and into Downtown proper.

He looks like shit. His entire everything is still completely soaked through, dripping with water; his breathing is laboured, grunting and wincing and cursing with every stumble as he tries to hold his blood-slick armour tight against his wounds. But there's a mindless determination to his form, nonetheless - where he looks like he's going to keep moving to find help, even if it kills him.

[ 2. The Invincible, OTA ]

After he's been rescued, and fixed up enough that he's not at immediate risk of dying, Fjord can be found at the Invicible again. He's not great about sticking to orders for bedrest, though: he's just as often found in the main living area, nursing some heavy-duty bandaging around his entire torso - which is visible even through his newest acquisitions, a plain grey t-shirt and black tracksuit pants - and also an ale at one of the tables in the corner, where he's propped himself up in a corner to keep his torso straight.

Until he gets banned back to his bedroom in room 203, or retreats there to give himself an actual proper break. The hardest part is making sure he doesn't leave to go on his patrol route; he doesn't like sitting still and doing nothing, and he's gotten used to having Jester and Caduceus around so that injures like this didn't happen.

(Those injuries are going to be a surprise for everyone, as well. He didn't tell anyone he was going to explore the mall.)

Comments

[fjorgedinfire]

"Huh. Good job." That is an excellent record. Fjord feels rather lucky that he's never been in a situation to encounter the same enemy on multiple different days.

"Think you'd be willing to do it one more time?"

[worthallthis]

Well. If anyone's going to keep Fjord alive in that, it's gonna be them. Maybe they can do a little experiment, too. There's more going on in their head now than there was in November-- literally, given the Asset-- and that might make a difference, too. Hell, there's a violent thing inside their head now that is used to ignoring fear even more then Soldat is. (Want to test you out against some nasties, Asset? Yes.)

That's that, then. "Yeah, think I would," Soldat says. And then, before Fjord gets and more dumbass ideas, they add, "But only once you've recovered. I ain't carrying your ass back from the forest because your ribs got busted again." There's the Brooklyn again.

[fjorgedinfire]

He grins openly this time, without pain. "I suppose that's fair."

And he's happy to take most of the walk back in silence; fiddling with his lantern charm as they go, trying to unhook it from his lamp. He'd had quite enough of being raw and open, thanks.

It takes him a minute, but finally he gives a quiet, satisfied, and distinctly back-to-Texan, "There." as he manages to work it free.

[worthallthis]

They're almost at the Landmark by then, anyway. Soldat gives him another sidelong look, this one more curious than skeptical or dubious. "The charm changes your accent?" (You're one to talk, pal. I have brain damage, Sarge, I'm allowed to fluctuate.)

[fjorgedinfire]

"Yeah, that's the catch for this one," he says dryly. "It might give you a boost against mental bullshit, but you can't lie while you're wearing it. Apparently my accent counts."

He looks at Soldat again. "What's your excuse?"

[worthallthis]

Sigh. "Programming that wears off when I deal with morons." Then, less flippantly (and with less annoyance), "Had the old accent drilled out of me. Actually had to speak a whole different language for something like fifty years, and they tried to re-teach me my original language in a way that fit in better. I think. It's fuzzy." The timeline and exact methods are uncertain, to be honest. Was it part of the actual programming or was it after? Does it even matter, really?

[fjorgedinfire]

"I'm sorry, fifty years?" That's the takeaway he's getting from that right off the bat, and he's looking Soldat up and down in surprise. "You've aged real fucking well."

[worthallthis]

"More than that, technically-- I was traded or sold or something. To a different country, at some point. Not sure when." They'd shrug if they weren't holding Fjord up. The hotel is finally in sight, even with the return of complete darkness after the aurora. There's a torch out front. "Kept me in cryofreeze. Cold storage. Whenever I wasn't on a mission. Didn't exactly experience all that time." Welcome to the general awfulness that was Soldat's life before dying, Fjord.

[fjorgedinfire]

Oh.

Something goes unpleasantly cold in the sudden yawning chasm that is Fjord's stomach, and he can't hide the frown at those words. Concern, fear, empathy... it's hard to tell the exact mix of emotions in those yellow eyes, but all of it speaks of someone who, maybe not in the exact same way but on some very real level, gets it.

It takes him a moment to remember to breathe again, and to look away.

"I'm sorry," he says, quietly. "That must've been horrible."

[worthallthis]

"It was pretty horrible. Felt bad for anybody who got my memories during the thing last week." They sound pretty calm about it, at least, in a resigned kind of way. "There was some shit in those I wouldn't want anybody to relive. Better to have the memories back, though, to have more of the pieces." Because yeah, they don't remember most of it, either. Have fun with that, Fjord.

Soldat recognizes the freeze and the stare, even slows down a little to accommodate it, but they're going to be kind and not ask about it yet. Maybe on the way back to the Invincible, or something, once Fjord's been patched up a little better and had some chance to process. They help Fjord through the hotel door, holding it for the both of them.

[fjorgedinfire]

Fjord is just quietly going to put that bit of exposed self back under wraps - and also nearly hurt himself again trying to push a door open before Soldat gets to it. Because he's good at this.

He hasn't actually been inside the Landmark yet, so the sheer glamour of the place is a little overwhelming: especially when he's a half-eaten, half stripped half orc in bandages that are starting to ooze. "Goddamn this place is fuckin' fancy," he mumbles.

[worthallthis]

No you don't, buddy. Soldat is not letting him even reach for that door, keeping their metal arm firmly around his waist (avoiding the worst of the bruising, of course). "You sit. And don't do anythin' stupid while I'm gone." That last comes out resigned-sounding and very Brooklyn. Weird.

Anyway, they lower him to one of the fancy stuffed hotel benches opposite the concierge desk. "I'll get the kid. Then we'll haul you back to the Invincible."

[arsarcanum]

Lucky for both of you, Sora was all ready to do some work on some Christmas presents for his friends (yes, really, it's a work in progress okay), then changed his mind and decided that he wanted to go get something from the restaurant and maybe chat with the Concierge on the way. He still has yet to go into fistbumping lessons with them! It's essential.

So he's bump bump bumping down the stairs to the lobby when he hears a very familiar Brooklyn accent. Soldat? Or the Sergeant? "Hello?" He's across the way, still at the door for the stairs and near the elevator. "Back already? Didja forget something?"

[worthallthis]

No Sergeant, just the echo of something they've said before, even if they don't remember it. Soldat smiles over in Sora's direction, and the accent sticks around long enough for another dry quip: "No, ran into an idiot who tried goin' after a couple dozen territorial spirits all by his lonesome." They jerk a thumb, the metal one, at Fjord.

Both smile and accent fades, though, when they say seriously, "I can't do shit for internal bleeding. Was hoping I could talk you into one of your healing magics."

[fjorgedinfire]

Fjord isn't watching Soldat and Sora immediately; he hasn't even noticed Sora yet, he's gotten completely distracted by the somewhat horrifying visage of the Concierge.

It takes catching Soldat's motion to him out of the corner of his eye for Fjord to look up and notice Sora - which makes him sit up a bit sharply, and immediately grimace at the sudden rush of pain, gripping his injured side automatically with his right hand instead of waving.

[arsarcanum]

Sora's cheer will slip away as soon as the soldier's does. Internal bleeding? Big no. Here's something he doesn't do often in front of either of them: he kicks off from the floor and glides into the air, flying over the desk and the various lobby chairs in the way and coming to a running landing nearby, summoning his Keyblade in a rush of light. Fastest route from point A to point B is a straight line.

Okay, those are punctures? Punctures? If Sora wasn't frowning before, he sure is now. What did Fjord try to fight, a giant stapler? "Hold still, hold still. Heal." And he's radiating green light from head to toe. Usually he asks if his patients are good with being treated - CPR training's hard to kick - but this seems serious enough that asking seems like a moot point at this point. No court of law to piss off, after all.

So Fjord will also start glowing even more radiantly green than he is, then flowers and leafy vines will curl around them both. The spectral plantlife melts into their skin and vanishes into the air around them, and while Fjord may only be a little less punctured, most of the bruising will recede and the cracked bones where applicable will be easier to move. Nothing's healed all the way, but most of the problems that aren't flesh wound related should be eased by quite a bit. Another three or four casts and he should be all right.

[worthallthis]

Perhaps oddly, for Sora to see, Fjord is in fact wearing Soldat's shirt and very fine pea coat, leaving them with only two layers instead of the regular four, as well as Soldat's usual combat boots. He's been bandaged up tightly-- cracked ribs on top of the bruising-- but yeah, lots of bad bruising, and who knew what else further in. Hence the visit to someone who could possibly do something about that.

Soldat steps aside, not wanting to get caught in the magic, if that's even possible.

Also, because the plant thing is weird and they'd rather not wind up with flowers sprouting out of the arm, or something.

[fjorgedinfire]

Fjord has only seen this kind of plant life in an actual living jungle, and never magical, so he is staying the fuck still in a bit of shock and awe and pain as he feels the magic knit him back together.

He's holding his breath until the spell ends, which he doesn't realise until he suddenly gasps a breath in, and realises it doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as it just moments ago. It still all hurts but now it's the old ache of a partially healed wound, nowhere near so fresh.

The relief on his face is palpable, and he sinks into the chair a fair bit. "Thank you, Sora."

[arsarcanum]

Sora shakes his head and pulls a face, and this one is much less serious! This is comical. Now that he's certain that Fjord's not going to bleed all over the floor, he's down for more tough love than actual stress.

"No thanking me until I'm done. Now you gotta deal with me being real mad at you for like twenty minutes while I sit here and heal you until I'm sure all the fractures are gone." He's going to sit on the floor and make an even uglier stinkface. (He's supposing Fjord's wearing Soldat's clothes for, like, comfort maybe? Shock? Something like that? Anyway, it definitely looks funny on someone else.) "Next time, make sure Alisaie or somebody knows you're out there doing stuff. Sure she'll be mad too, but at least she'll only be mad at you for like five minutes because she's actually good at healing people."

[worthallthis]

"Kid, you don't need to heal him completely," Soldat points out, half-serious. "I need him out of commission for at least a week. To think about what he's done. And so I got time for the ferry to show up before he decides to do somethin' else stupid." They'd rather not hare off after green-eyes without the thermal scope on his rifle, thank you. Plus, they'd also rather Sora not wear himself out with powerful magics, when they know that healing magic doesn't work as well here anyway. "I already did the lecture thing, by the way."

[fjorgedinfire]

"He did," Fjord echoes pleasantly. "He was very threatening." And very worried, which was touching.

The reason for the jackets becomes more obvious when Fjord starts stripping them off to examine his bandages; he's not wearing a shirt of his own at all, and up close Sora will be able to see how his pants are leaving a puddle on his chair, and squelch when he shifts in an attempt to get comfortable in the freezing garments.

It is not a fun time to go commando.

[arsarcanum]

"Right?" They're like that. Sora's been on the business end of their tirades enough to know that. It's very nice tbh.

Sora wrinkles his nose. Aw, bro. "Okay, you're gonna need a towel." Sora pats around for his keys, revealing it from his pocket and looks up at Soldat. "I'll be right back. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I can't fix it all anyway, but I don't want him to go round two with Nessie or whoever he decided to 1 v 1. Not before I can fix whatever, anyway." And maybe he can see if Alisaie or some other better healer is around.

[worthallthis]

"The alligator spirits in the shopping center." Which Sora would surely have heard about, given Soldat had badly wanted to shoot them all in search of a towel of their own, when they were first discovered. Considering they'd fallen through some of the ice and had a Very Bad Moment of thinking it was cryo before the group moved on, they really don't think that desire was particularly unreasonable.

For now, they add, "Thanks, Sora. Nobody's goin' anywhere."

Possibly Soldat will sneak into the kitchen for some coffee for them both, Fjord could use a hot drink and Soldat always wants coffee. But that won't take long.

[fjorgedinfire]

"I wasn't trying to fight it, I was sneakin' past it," he protests, leaning forward to rest one elbow on the table. "Only I think the lantern tipped 'em off."

...Fjord wouldn't say no to a hot drink, though, he is riddled with goosebumps.

[arsarcanum]

Sora's going to hear that, narrow his eyes at Fjord, then put two of his fingers to his eyes, then turn his hand and jab them at him. You've already died once on his watch, mister, and that was really not great. Twice and he's going to get a child leash for him.

He's going to get up, nod to the soldier and hustle up the stairs and back to his room for the towels, then. He'll be back in five - he'll take the stairs three at a time and fly most of the way back - but it's still enough time for them to get a small chat in while he's out. Go on, old people, gossip.