awashlogs | [ JULY CATCH-ALL ] dextera’s summer of fun

[ dextera has no idea what a moondrop heart is, he is not especially good at stealing, and the woods are still a terrible, dangerous place in his mind—but he was talked into this because he likes guren and he hasn’t spoken to emma in some time. the sun has finally come back out after a couple days of rain, too, and it’s pleasant enough that dextera feels… safe.

he feels safe! so the three of them have agreed to meet up for this quest, which hopefully will involve as little fighting as possible.

already, in the distance, dextera can spot what looks like a castle through the trees, and that bodes well for the outcome of their mission. still, the most pressing question on his mind is something that probably all three of them should address before they actually try to go in. ]

What is… a Moondrop Heart?

[ painstakingly spelled out, since he’s not even sure it’s a thing, based on the crazy names for the cure ingredients found in the forest. ]

[Guren's been pretty quiet this whole time, eyes focused on the castle in the distance. He's still a little iffy on quests after the whole bogeyman thing, but this sounds like something they can do. A way they can be safe. He has his demon and he's got drugs.

But the second he sees Dextera gesturing beside him, he turns to him.]

It sounds like something out of some kind of RPG. [Helpful.] My guess is a crystal of some sort, but it'll probably be obvious in a castle like that.

[His eyes turn back to it.]

Hey, kid. [Emma, of course.] We're working together. That means do what I say, got it?

[He's only being bossy because he cares, I swear. The last thing he wants is for someone like Emma to get hurt, or to be in danger at all...]

[It's only a fetch quest, Guren. How bad could it be? No one is gonna die (again) on her watch!]

Maybe a flower like a snowdrop. There were a bunch of weird plants found last month.

[But the gem sounds more plausible with the massive castle guarding it. Emma is just staring at that display of fairy tale weirdness. She's never seen such a big building... Especially one that gaudy. Its crazy what can just pop up in this forest when it wants to.]

I got it! I won't wander of, you can count on me.

[She flashes a thumbs-up to Dex as well. They're a team right now, after all.]

[ dextera would like a flower, but guren’s guess is probably more appropriate. not that he has any fucking clue what an RPG is, but “treasures in a castle” is pretty much part of the collective unconscious. ]

Don’t mind him.

[ dextera is not usually the positive one, but children make him soft. it’s not that guren is being mean, but dextera naturally eases up in order to balance out the attitude toward emma!

like a couple of parents. ]

Team? Scouting alone?

[ how should they proceed? ]

I guess it could be a flower...

[ That’s all he says to that, allowing Dextera and his silent commentary to match Guren’s tsun to stay only with Emma. He’s focused ahead, plotting, immediately spotting a guard in the towers and more on upper levels. Somehow, Dextera’s questions get him to whip his head over to him. Guess he was catching it in his peripheral! ]

We stay together, for the most part. We may have to send certain people into things first, but look up there— guards. All we have to do is steal this thing, so let’s not get caught. I’ll head in first, here, and you two follow me.

[ Of course he has to be like this ]

[ dextera likes to just admire his feather, sometimes.

it still glows softly, never losing the “magic” that’s so often associated with the holy light of an angel of myth, and the pure white sometimes hurts his eyes to look at for too long—but he likes it. he keeps it on display, high out of reach of either leliel or the cat that now sometimes strolls up to his room for a nap.

so he notices it, immediately, when the feather suddenly flushes a now-familiar shade of red. that’s guren’s color.

he doesn’t know what it means, but anyone would be able to guess that an angel’s feather suddenly losing that snow-white glow to turn anything else is a bad sign. it’s tainted, fallen, and dextera can only attribute it to a problem with guren. so he first goes to his laptop, firing off a quick message—Are you okay?—before remembering that guren said he had something to do in the forest today.

that’s…

dextera doesn’t waste any time after that. he’s out of the house in an instant, bringing supplies and food. he knows better than to throw himself into the woods without knowing where guren has gone, so as much as it pains him, he goes to guren’s home, letting himself in and waiting, nearly manic with worry. ]

[ Of course Guren had to ruin that beautiful feather.

It took hours to get to where the beast was in the forest. Night fell, and it attacked immediately after that. The glowing would have happened then. From there, it was just as long of a trip back, though Tonbokiri’s horse assists in speeding that up a fair amount. Still, it’s way too long before Guren gets home, bloodied and beaten and a mess.

Again, he’s slipped away from the others to deal with this alone, though they didn’t just let him leave while bleeding out. Thankfully. Still, when he enters his house, it’s with a stumble in, grabbing at the nearest wall for support. Something in his eyes seems out of it, as hard as it is to look at his bloodied face, and he doesn’t greet Dextera right away. He doesn’t seem to even notice him, yet...? ]

G—

[ dextera is horrified. he looks—he looks terrible. dextera hadn’t seen the worst of the bogeyman’s aftermath, and he wonders now if guren’s demon is still unable to heal him properly. all of this should have left him dead, and dextera is most certainly worried that if not tended to, it will anyway.

he’s quick to move from his waiting position to help guren, thankfully heedless of getting his hands bloody even if it’s later going to make him sick to think about guren losing so much.

his mind is in overdrive right now. ]

Dextera?

[ There are hands on him, and he turns his head to see Dextera properly. His hair had been slicked back, but it’s all starting to fall back after everything he went through. Honestly, it’s not as bad as the bogeyman. Though, this time, the claws went straight through the left side of his face, and those poison things went straight through his eye. Blood is trailing down there, and he can’t open it— he doesn’t seem all that concerned.

Recognition hits him as he speaks Dextera’s name, and more of his weight leans against him suddenly, almost like he’s relaxing, or even losing strength. It’s slight. It’s just that he’s home now, safe. ]

I’m fine, don’t worry. What are you doing here? [ Did something else happen...? ]

[ dextera doesn’t answer him right away, even though he should. he’s just scared. he’s terrified. he reaches up, smoothing his face over guren’s cheek, under the eye that’s so badly damaged—his stomach churns, but he’s just relieved to hear guren speak as if nothing is wrong, even if something very clearly, definitely is. ]

…

[ he adjusts to make sure that guren’s weight is safe in his arms, but he doesn’t know if they should move. instead, he just tries to help guren to the floor, and they can figure out what to do later.

his hands are busy, but he’s murmuring something—maybe not meant for guren. just involuntary. ]

—thought something—

[ Guren... understands the worry. But he came here so Dextera wouldn’t have to worry. Izuku was going to post about what they saw, and Guren could pretend things were fine even if he and Maya were hurt so badly. But now... Dextera has to see this, and Guren feels like he’s let him down again. ]

Dex.

[ A quiet request for his attention, now that he’s lowered to the ground and breathing, his own hand smoothing over his own chest. Peasant clothes, again, messed up. Claw marks so deep he’s got to have a number of broken ribs. ]

Slow down. I’m okay. I’ll be okay. What are you saying? Thought something?

[ guren saying his name like that gets him to stop, and he sits next to guren instead of trying to run off somewhere and grab all the water and bandages his hands can carry.

he doesn’t know for certain that guren will be okay, but he wants to believe it. he takes a deep breath, but it doesn’t do much except outwardly make him look like he’s calming down. he reaches into his coat, showing guren the feather—now, not only permanently stained guren’s color, but covered in his blood as well. ]

Something happened.

[ he was right to think that, but he didn’t expect it would be like this. ]

[This soft cop, tough cop routine is hilarious. It's only a quest! Which she can say because she didn't die during her last quest, hm.

Maybe being on edge makes a bit more sense with that context. She'll attempt to keep the mood light though. They can definitely do a simple question like this! Even if this castle appears to be heavily guarded.]

Together it is. We'll watch your back, Mister Guren.

[Maybe saying that will calm the overprotectiveness. We're in this together.]

It changed color...

[ How...? It knew? What kind of a spell does that, and why would Dextera have it for Guren? He doesn’t understand, but his worry just have been ridiculous. He reaches, still leaning against him, to touch his face. He tries not to smear blood on him. ]

I’m sorry. We had to retreat. There’s something deep in there that’s wants us dead, and it’s damn smart. It went for Maya first because she was acting as our healer. It was going for Izuku next... I couldn’t let someone else die in front of me. Everyone’s fine, but Maya and I got the worst of it. That’s all.

[ That’s all, he says ]

[ dextera exhales, letting the feather drop to the ground as soon as guren touches his cheek. he reaches up, instantly covering guren’s hand with both of his own, taking solace in this contact.

maya is hurt too… he wants to check on her, but not now. not when his head is spinning with worry for guren, and he’s only just gotten here. ]

…

[ he’s breathing heavily, trying to collect his thoughts. ]

You need—help.

I still have extra bandages from what happened with the bogeyman.

[ He’d kiss him if he didn’t think he’d fall over or smear blood on Dex. (Or both.) Instead, he watches him quietly, allowing his hand to be taken. He lets out a slow breath. ]

They’re in my room. Can you help me up?

[ guren shouldn’t move. he should sit right there and let his body rest, because doing anything else will probably kill him. that’s what dextera thinks, anyway, based on his own experiences in life. ]

…

[ he lowers guren’s hand from his face, holding it tightly. with his other hand: ]

Stay.

[ He really shouldn’t move, and it’s good Dextera tells him to stay, but Guren immediately feels useless for it. He feels like he can do it, like he needs to prove that he’s better than he seems so Dextera can rest easy...

But he has no depth perception right now, and he might make it even worse by trying. ]

...

[ Ugh, maybe he’ll move out of the doorway while Dextera goes upstairs, so at least he can hide his struggling. ]

Fine. I’ll stay, so hurry back. There are bandages, and there’s some water down here.

[ dextera did grab some things before he came over, but what guren has on hand will probably be more suited to guren’s use anyway.

he nods, pulling away to hurry upstairs, and he soon comes back with a container of water, a rag, and several bandages. probably more bandages than guren needs, really. ]

Don’t move. [ again, he says it, and then he gestures to guren’s torn shirt. ] Off?

[ He had moved slightly, while Dextera was upstairs, and now he’s closer to the couch than the door. But he’s still on the ground, bleeding, and he has to turn his head more to find Dextera when he comes back. ]

...yeah. Just remember, I’ve had worse. [ He’s moving to take his shirt off, or at least try to. He can push through pain, but some of his body is injured more than just with cuts, too. ] And it’ll heal, just like those scars that went away.

[ He’s trying to make excuses, but when his shirt is off, it’s clear that whatever got him was very strong, and with some vicious claws. ]

[ dextera is shaking, even if he’s trying very hard not to. guren—the feather must have alerted dextera that he was in danger, possibly mortal, but what use is that when dextera couldn’t stop this from happening?

he wets a cloth, and like he did before, tries to clean away the blood.

guren has been getting too hurt, recently, and for what? to find information? to protect the town? dextera hates it, but he can’t stop guren from doing these things. he just can’t stop the upset on his face either, his brow furrowed in this kind of distress as he washes guren’s wounds. ]

…

...

[ Guren doesn’t know how to make this better. He’s not sure if he can. He knows that the way that he is and just who he is causes pain for everyone around him. It’s always been that way. It’s why he’s tried to keep to himself, and now he’s wondering if this is too cruel for Dextera to deal with.

But he shakes those thoughts away, putting his own hand over Dextera’s and the cloth, helping. ]

Do you want to stay here the rest of the night?

[ dextera nods.

there are things he wants to say to guren, not out of malice, but out of his own selfish desire to keep guren safe above everyone else—and he’ll say them, later, once he’s sure that guren is going to keep breathing, but for now his jaw is tense and his hands work diligently at wiping away the blood.

it looks a little better, but now dextera can see the depth of the injuries. ]

[ No words, even then, just a nod. Guren is quiet himself in return, but when he can see Dextera has cleaned his chest up nicely and keeps looking just at the injuries, he shifts to lean against him, forehead dropping down to his shoulder. He’s tired, he’s out of energy, and his demon is focusing on his eye. ]

It didn’t follow us. We don’t have to chase it again.

[ that does stop dextera from focusing too hard on guren’s wounds, even if it’s worrying in his own way that guren has suddenly dropped against him. he’s conscious, at least—that’s all that matters for now. ]

…

[ he doesn’t say anything, but the way he lifts his hand to touch guren’s shoulder, a little possessive, says it for him. good. ]

[ JULY CATCH-ALL ] dextera’s summer of fun

GUREN + EMMA | QUEST 18

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GUREN | THE FEATHER

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