awashlogs | Event Nine.

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Event Nine.

Thus, on Life’s gloomy sea,
Heareth the marinere
Voices sweet, from far and near,
Ever singing in his ear,
“Here is rest and peace for thee!”

t's a dark night, and the sounds of feet in the darkness are further dampened and hidden by even more magic, as they are lured away by the soft sounds of dreams that are too good to be true, leaving the Town much, much emptier than when it began.

On one side, an island, and a ticking clock to a gruesome death.

On the other, the slow realization that those bonds everyone has been forging might mean much, much more than they first thought.

Welcome to Awash's ninth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post.

You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Please be sure to very clearly mark where your characters are in your prompts, so people know which they can tag depending on which group they are in. Thank you!

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[Even after all the fighting is done and the curse marks have vanished from his face, he can feel the demon wanting to come out more from the inside. The kiss is sweet, and he wishes he could return it without hurting Dextera with any leaning, but he holds back for now. They can do that later. What he needs is to hold off on rowing just yet, grabbing a syringe from his jacket and rolling up his sleeve of the arm closest to Dextera. It's covered in the curse marks, but once he injects his drug, they all recede, and he sighs out, like in relief.]

Let's go.

[Now, they can begin rowing instead of just floating aimlessly, and he starts himself. It's only when the island is a good five hundred feet or so behind them that he speaks again.]

I wasn't able to get a headcount. [There was too much chaos, fighting. He doesn't know if everyone was saved. And that's eating at him, right now. Especially since he didn't stay to comb it by himself— but what would he have been able to do? He honestly feels like his body might give out at any moment, and his only response is to keep pushing.

Everyone else has been. It wouldn't be fair to put in any less. He's supposed to be a leader.]

We'll have to check once we're back.

[He knows Dextera can't talk as he is now, but there's a comfort in sharing this all aloud.]

[ dextera takes it all in, quiet in a way he hasn’t been, recently. things haven’t been easy, but he’s been sharing it piece by piece—besides his literal inability to say anything right now, he’s just tired, and seeing the curse marks on guren and hearing the way he plans aloud is a sign that he’s tired, too. ]

…

[ dextera rows, trying to keep pace with guren as well as he can. he watched them all on the way over, even if a raft is a little different from what guren managed to construct with emma.

he wants to offer more comfort than he can, right now, but words haven’t ever been such a necessity with them. he just nods, letting his gaze linger on guren for a beat longer than necessary as if that says what he wants to in his stead. the vastness of the ocean, too, if he stares at it for too long, gives him vertigo. guren is an easier sight to keep. ]

[He wished... that people didn't have to get hurt.

It's such a childish way of thinking, and he knows that. The world is a cruel place. Any world is. But still, his heart dreams of peace, of the power to maintain peace, and of the happiness that everyone wants to achieve. But how can they get there like this?

He doesn't like the implications of this whole situation. A good chunk of them are stolen, put at risk, and those left behind are struck ill? Everything in this town focuses on connections, so it has to be the same thing. The connections that are restoring everything are tying them together, somehow? Is that it?

It's unnecessary. They would have gone after them anyway, so why? Is it just some kind of magic? A punishment? Guren is trying so hard to figure it out that he sometimes forgets Dextera is there, beside him, until he feels his gaze on him and glances over, offering a small smile as reassurance.

Eventually, the island is long behind them, and the shore is in sight. Guren picks up his pace slightly, determined to get Dextera to some help.]

We're almost there.

[ dextera’s thoughts are along the same lines, at least in regards to bonds—he’s not nearly as kind as guren, deep down in the dark parts of his heart, and all he can do is be thankful that guren wasn’t taken. in the grand scheme, maybe being left behind was a greater toll, but dextera is selfish in the most immediate ways.

guren’s reassurance is welcome, though.

by the time they’re close to the harbor, dextera’s rowing arm is burning, and while it’s a miracle that he hasn’t hurled yet, it’s definitely coming as soon as they’re on steady land again. if there’s anything they’ve learned, it’s that dextera isn’t meant to be a sailor. ]

Ngh…

[ finally, they reach the docks, but dextera isn’t going to be able to get out on his own. ]

[Once they're close enough, in shallow water, Guren drops his paddle on the raft, reaching to take Dextera's too, before he drops himself into the water. He pulls Dextera along with him this way, finding it faster, and stops only once he's able to grab onto the wooden dock closest, pulling himself up, dripping, and holding the raft with one hand, and extending his other.

He's going to help him out and onto solid ground.]

I've got you.

[ dextera takes his hand, and it’s too much.

that’s the movement that makes him turn his head and gag, once he’s on the docks—but maybe it’s a big fuck you to the sirens to barf into their water. he misses the raft, at least! ]

Ggh…

[ all the endurance training in the world wasn’t going to prepare him for this. ]

[He frowns, but all he does is let the raft go and bring that hand to Dextera's back, instead. He rubs gently, hoping that it'll help soothe him, but even that is done weakly. He's pale, looking out at the harbor and then turning back inland, to see how everyone else is doing.

It feels like he still can't rest. Like there's still so much to do.]

You should find someone to heal you. If they're too exhausted, there are bandages and medical supplies that we left behind, too, ready for us...

[He thinks he's gonna go do a headcount and shit lol]

[ dextera feels so miserably sick. what he actually needs to do is get some meat in his body, the way he’s always healed himself, but the idea of eating now makes him want to puke all over again.

little by little, the town’s inhabitants are returning, but there’s so much more that still needs to be done. even when everyone is back, there’s still so much damage to look after.

dextera is exhausted, just thinking about it. he wipes his mouth, and turns his glassy gaze on guren. ]

…and you?

[Guren may not be hurling on the docks right now, but it honestly looks like that might be better for him, with how much he's holding in. His cuts have all healed, leaving only bruises and dirt, his own wet clothes from jumping into the water, and his messed up, previously slicked back hair.

His eyes are stuck on the others, almost in a trance. There's so much to do. Nothing's done. He can't rest right now, not while everyone else is still fighting to be able to.]

I'll check on everyone else.

[It seems like Dextera is finished puking, now, so Guren withdraws his hands and moves to try to walk further in on the docks to do just that. Does it seem like he's slumping a little... Does he really think Dextera would be fine with this, anyway...]

[ dextera loves you so much, guren. he loves you so much, and that’s why he is definitely not going to let you go. ]

…

[ since he had to crouch to vomit anyway, he’s already close enough to reach out and just grab guren’s leg. even if it’s only a momentary distraction, it’s better than just letting guren walk off into the distance. ]

[If this had been even half an hour ago, he still would have had the strength to react normally. Stop walking, look back, talk it out. But as it is, he's on such auto-pilot that he can't even register that something grabbed onto his wet leg until his body is moving forward too much, meets that resistance, and he falls. Flat on his face, on the docks.

Hm. He's just going to stay like this.]

Ah—?!

[ dextera thought with almost absolute confidence that guren would stop when he felt dextera’s hand. he was wrong.

the surprise of it is enough to get dextera sitting up, and he quickly moves over to guren—only hurting a little, his leg throbbing where the siren scratched him.

he… touches guren’s back. hello… ]

[This is almost nostalgic. But whenever he was knocked on his ass before, it was on purpose, on both sides... This is just a mess of an accident, and his pride is wounded for that. He feels the hand on his back and responds by curling his fingers into his palms, near his face.]

Ugh.

[Can he just expire right here. He turns so his cheek is against the ground instead of his now-slightly-bleeding forehead, moving his eyes to find Dextera but still refusing to stand up. Honestly, the fall made him dizzier than he was before, and breaking him from his concentration allowed that fatigue that was already there to really grip at him.]

I'm fine. I'm just taking a break. [let him die here]

[ yeah, dextera honestly completely understands, without sarcasm or judgment… but guren can’t stay here. he’s wet and bleeding and tired, and so is dextera. ]

…

[ he would be willing to let guren chill here, really, if other people didn’t need to use the docks. ]

My house is nearby.

[That's right, at least. Guren pauses, considering it for a moment, and then he moves, pushing himself up from the docks. He's a little wobbly about it, but he covers that up and extends his hand to Dextera. Come here, you.]

Alright, I get it.

[He needs to rest... he can't go on. It should be just fine to accept that, but once he's pulled Dextera up, the look in his eyes is frustrated, somehow.]

I won't be of any more use here, anyway.

[This time, he waits for Dextera to start walking.]

[ dextera starts to move in for a kiss before he tastes himself, and realizes that’s probably a gesture better suited to after he’s cleaned his mouth. ]

…

[ instead, after a soft sigh, he brushes his fingers back through guren’s hair. ]

Catch your breath. Then come back.

[ he retakes guren’s hand, then, and leads them both with slow, careful steps back to the house. ]

[That gesture is so affectionate that he's stunned for a moment. His hair is so tousled that it kind of just wavy-flops wherever it wants to after Dextera runs through it, but it absolutely works to ease a tiny bit of tension from Guren.

He curls his fingers into that grip, walking with him.]

I still think you should see someone about healing those as soon as you can.

[ dextera frowns, and touches his shoulder. his arm doesn’t need to move much to feel it—the bleeding has stopped, thanks to guren’s fusa, but it’s not actually healing at all.

he’ll take care of it later. ]

…I’ll try.

[ he shifts his hand so their fingers are laced together. it all seems quite confident, but when they reach the house, he has to take a moment to rest, pressing his forehead to the side of the building and taking a deep breath. ]

I'm sorry you had to go through all of that.

[Guren waits until then to say what he's been thinking all this time, squeezing his hand, but not forcing him to enter any quickly than he's ready to.]

I know you don't like fighting. Ideally, the defense force would have been enough, but...

[A lot of them were missing, and even then... They were all sick.]

[ dextera turns his face to look at guren, his eyes soft even if he still looks a little dazed. as soon as he’s in a bed, maybe not on the floor for once, he’ll going to be out like a light… for now, he’s struggling to keep his head above water. ]

We’re together.

[ where guren goes, dextera will go. not following him into the forest was a matter of logistics, rather than willingness, but it meant that of course he was going to go with guren to the island.

with that little note, dextera lets them both inside, and he’s relieved to hear leliel clucking up a storm. her sounds aren’t enough to irritate a headache. ]

[He almost wants to ask about Dextera's brother. But selfishly, while Dextera has his focus on him, and not on his brother, he'll keep it for himself. It's healthier to have some distance, and he'd already learned they'd made up. So it's better, probably, right?

He smiles tiredly at the words, and the sound of Leliel. Her sounds are soft, they're not irritating even if he sometimes pretends that they are. Guren is so tired, he doesn't think he even has the energy to take a bath. He jumped into the harbor, before, but that didn't scrub himself clean. Now he's just dirty and damp, and that's fine. He wants to sleep.

Hopefully Dextera doesn't mind that he's wet, still.]

I guess a nap doesn't sound so bad.

[ dextera is most certainly going to cuddle up to his brother once things settle down again, but right now, he’s focused on the feeling of guren’s hand in his, as clammy as his wet skin is. ]

Heh.

[ was it obvious that a nap was what dextera was going to force guren down for? probably. he’s slow to ascend the stairs, since the movement strains at his hurt leg, and for once in her little chicken life leliel is faster to the top than her dad.

she’s perfect. dextera loves her so much.

finally, though, he pries his hand free to sit at the top of the steps, and it feels like he could collapse right here. he sighs. ]

Clothes… off.

[ not a sexy command. just a tired one. ]

[It's obvious because he always needs either naps or food. Guren stops at the top step with him, though he doesn't sit. If he does, he might never get up, so.]

Mine, or yours?

[That's a joke, mostly... He wants his own off since they're wet, but he feels weird about doing it out here on the stairs. So...]

Do you need help? [He knows he hurt his leg and his arm...]

[ dextera does give a tired laugh, at that. they’re both going to strip, though guren definitely needs it more than he does. mostly, dextera wants his coat and shirt off—the fabric is trying to dry into his wound, and even if he can avoid infection, it still hurts. ]

…?

[ with an apologetic smile, he shrugs off his coat, but he wants guren’s help with the shirt. with dextera sitting down and guren standing up, it should be a little easier to pull it right off. ]

[He can definitely help with that. He removes the fuda from that coat, too, since they were stuck over the wound and cloth rather than directly on the skin. Then, ducking down slightly, he peels that shirt right off of him, slowly and carefully.]

I have bandages in my jacket. [See the thing with him having fuda is he probably has some dumb keep dry spell around them because he was expecting them all to run into shit on the way to the island. It works out.

He'll go ahead and fold Dextera's shirt as well as his coat over his arm, helping him carry them both.]

Good yet?

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