∞ 29: Futile plans [voice] | record unhackable after the fact

[chikaidestroyer]

[There's the sound of loose rocks bouncing down a dirt incline. The sound of boots skidding roughly down dirt and stone. The sound ends abruptly with a thump, and then a thud as Albert hits the ground.]

Ugh... Useless...

[There's the rasping of breath, the grating of dirt and small rocks as he unsteadily gets back to his feet.]

Can't be-- lieve... The... Nn.

Hate this ... place. So ... much.

Comments

[voice]

[fortunefail]

That's right. And if I remember correctly, I still owe you a favour.

[voice]

[chikaidestroyer]

...Heh.

Yes. Help.

[voice]

[fortunefail]

What's your location?

[voice]

[chikaidestroyer]

Mountains. Down ... halfway?

Owl's nearby. Flying. ...Marks position.

[voice]

[fortunefail]

Heh, that's handy. I'm on my way.

[indeed, sound of footsteps in the background]

[voice/action]

[chikaidestroyer]

Nn...

[Albert's still awake enough to stumble over to a place to wait. He slumps against a tree to wait, dozing in and out of sleep.]

[action]

[fortunefail]

[about fifteen minutes later, Yuan is following one grumpy little owl to the scene of the crime. Really, this might be one of the few situations a pet would come in handy. He approaches Albert and stops a few feet away from him, waiting for any kind of reponse]

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert's a pretty sorry sight to look at right now. He's really not doing well with this whole getting-better thing. He doesn't even react to Yuan's presence, breathing noisily and raggedly. It takes Rune's pronounced landing on his tender head to wake up the man.]

Ow.

[action]

[fortunefail]

[he kneels down in front of Albert to look him in the eye. Concussion people tend to have a glazed look on their face, so that's really something to inspect]

... Sleep well?

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Glazed look, dilated eyes. Classic signs of being concussed. Albert can't even look at Yuan clearly with how close he is, wincing after a moment and shutting his eyes.]

Horrible. ...The professor's gone.

[action]

[fortunefail]

So I've heard. Her journal recorded it all.

[is it wise to move concussioned people? Hm... Well, leaving them in the woods is even worse. That's gonna be a long trek to the clinic.]

Can you walk?

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

I can. I can't ... navigate. [Well, that's putting it kindly. He couldn't tell one hill from another if he tried.]

[action]

[fortunefail]

[it was actually more of a question related to leg-use. There's really no point in coming to help someone if you let them walk completely by themselves. That'll teach Yuan for being so vague.]

You can lean on my shoulder. Come on.

[he holds out a hand to pull Albert to his feet.]

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert takes the hand gratefully, though he knows at the back of his mind that this is, at best, a one-time happening. Wow, the world can certainly spin a lot when all you're doing is trying to stand up. Let's try not to be sick.]

Thank you.

[action]

[fortunefail]

[ohoh, one time? With Albert's history? Not likely.]

... Any time.

[he pulls Albert's arm around his shoulder, giving him a moment to regain his balance]

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[...Okay, point taken. He's trying not to make this a habit, though.

He breathes a little easier as he adjusts to being helped by Yuan, but it's not going to stay that way as they head back. He hangs his head, really not used to his skull feeling like it's three times larger than it really is.]

All right... Let's go.

[action]

[fortunefail]

[Yuan starts walking, slowly, so Albert can keep up.]

... Were you two investigating something out here?

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[It's really not too hard to walk, and his balance is better with Yuan's support. But he is tired from trying to walk back by himself.]

The barrier. Haven't been there to research.

...Has this happened before? [He can't seem to recall.]

[action]

[fortunefail]

This?

[ohhh, that's unspecific.]

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[A slightly frustrated sigh.]

People kidnapped at the ... barrier.

[action]

[fortunefail]

I'm... not sure. If the Malnosso have something to hide, it should've.

[buuut Yuan hasn't been keeping up with kidnapping news lately]

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Neither has Albert. Baaad.]

Something to hide... Let's hope.

[He lapses into silence for awhile after that.]

[action]

[fortunefail]

[lazy mun is lazy, and it's affecting Yuan's credibility. Drats.]

... Then, you haven't discovered anything yourself?

[action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Hahaha, if laziness is affecting Yuan's, it's killed Albert's.]

...Not that I saw. The professor, I don't know. We hadn't been there long.

[action]

[fortunefail]

I see...

[thoughtful, credible silence, as they keep walking]