chikaidestroyer | ∞ 83: A chronicle of life and death [action]

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∞ 83: A chronicle of life and death [action]

[What a wonderful afternoon. The sun is shining, the sky has cleared up, and the ground is drying after two days of rain. And Albert is around the village today, weaving through the streets and between houses and even to the edges of the forest.

Little do people know that Albert received a beautiful flower last night, and he happened to smell it. When he awoke up the morning, getting out of his room proved to be an ... arduous battle. And getting out the front door? Well, he had at least discovered what a doorknob was by then.

He has a vague, wondrous look on his face as he looks at swaying tree branches and flowers he would have otherwise ignored. His hair is in slight disarray, as if he had rolled out of bed and fought his way through a bedroom door. His clothes are in a similar state, and notably the same as the ones he had been wearing last night.

This isn't strange at all.

He will be wandering around for the entire afternoon. Attempts to talk to or capture the 6'1" strategist will be bizarre. ...And he won't be returned home until sunset or so.]

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[Albert idly eats some crackers, staring off into space. It's almost as if he's waiting.]

[It's not reassuring, it's worrying. But if he is childlike, then perhaps it's just a sign that he's been too active and needs a nap? And there's the fever to consider as well. Her eyes move back toward him, sitting near her, even though she's speaking to Caesar.]

... He has some details about the upcoming draft.

I see. It's about time. [Caesar doesn't sound too interested, but that's nothing short of the usual. He still feels anxious.] Anything I should know about?

[He reaches over to pick up another cracker from the plate, completely oblivious to whatever it is that Raine and Caesar are talking about. Not much longer...]

Your name was on the partial list. [Still watching him. She should be able to do something, not just sit here.]

Hah. I see that I am indeed rather lucky. [But actually, he could break something. That was not what he wanted to hear right now.] Do we know when?

[Rather abruptly, Albert freezes in his seat. The half-eaten cracker falls from fingers that no longer have the strength to hold it. His skin wrinkles as his muscles seem to degenerate, stretched taut at his wrists and the angles of his face. The wine-red color of his hair washes out to white, beginning at the roots and ending at the hairtips.

What little light there had been in the strategist's vacant gaze fades, and he sways before tipping out of his chair and falling to the floor.

It all happens in less than half a minute.]

[Any reply that Raine was going to give to Caesar is abruptly lost in a strangled cry as Albert literally seems to wither away before her eyes.

It all feels a lot longer than less than half a minute. She needs to move. She needs to force herself to his side before shock can set in. She can't let shock set in.

She drops to her knees at his side.]

[On the other hand, it happens way too fast for Caesar. It happened so fast that it didn't feel as if he had any control over what he was doing. It wasn't until his brother hit the floor that it would occur to Caesar what happened, but he immediately stood up and ran to stand at Albert's other side.]

H-hey! Are you... Are you okay?

[It's only after the initial clamor that Albert's belabored breaths may be audible. His eyes remain shut, and that content look on his face seems to have followed him into his current state. He appears too old, too frail for the few signs of life he still shows.]

[Still a pulse. Still breathing. But this is wrong. All of this is wrong.

She finds herself casting without thinking. It's better to have tried than not try at all, and perhaps - just that hope there-] Recover!

[Meanwhile, Caesar is... absolutely terrified. He doesn't know what to do. There's nothing he can do. Raine's already casting magic, so he can't even yell at her and tell her what to do, and it wasn't like he could tell this Ginko person to hurry the hell up, either. Caesar drops to a knee, but all he can do is watch, and even that isn't something he wants to do. That can't be his brother. No way.]

Albert, if you- I swear, you better not...

[But somehow, it hurts to speak, and he doesn't even know what he's trying to say in the first place.]

[The magic falls upon Albert's body, giving him that supernatural glow for only a moment before fading with no visible improvement. He continues with those weak breaths for several moments.

And then he stops breathing altogether.]

Edited 2010-06-17 04:48 (UTC)

No- [--

Still moving in that automatic way, Raine somehow manages to reach in her pocket and find the unicorn horn. Quickly, undoing the wraps of the rag it was in, the horn glows faintly as she clutches it close and starts casting, again It's hard to concentrate. She pushes.]

Resurrection!

You- you idiot! [Caesar moves to grab a hold of Albert's shirt, but he hardly touches it before backing off when he notices that he's stopped breathing. He's stopped breathing.

That's all Caesar can think of. He can't say anything, and he can't do anything, and... He's scared, but he can't look away, and he doesn't want to look at Raine, almost as if he thought doing so would confirm what he thought.

This wasn't fair.]

[Like the Recover spell, the Resurrection spell causes Albert's body to glow for a moment, but there is again no sign of improvement. His aged body remains deathly still, lips parted and face turned slightly to one side.

Then, invisible to the normal eye, a burst of fine purple dust escapes his nose. It dissipates quickly.]

[... it didn't work.

She can only look down at him for what feels like several very long moments.The spells should have worked, if this ... this power, this ailment wasn't beyond her capabilities. It's not enough. She vaguely registers Caesar being there, suffering. As long as someone is there, she has to keep herself together. Somehow.]

... Albert. [She hears herself speaking, though from very far away. A hand gently moves aside the limp hair. So fragile. So brittle.]

[It hurts. He doesn't know what it is, but it hurts.]

Is this guy coming or what, Raine? [He speaks harshly. He's not trying to be strong, he's just... angry. He looks at her for a brief moment and motions toward the body between them.] When he comes back, I... I'm going to hit this guy really hard for leaving me behind again, Miss Raine.

[Saying it, acknowledging it, however... He wanted to cry.]

If he got the message, he should be on his way... [But she doesn't know. It can't have been that long.]

... I know. [She slowly holds out a hand to him.] Lets... let us get up, Caesar. We don't know if... [If there's still a danger. If whatever killed Albert could get them as well.] Just... have some of your tea, you barely touched it.

[It's a moment before he lifts his hand to take hers. It was hard to move, and it took a lot of effort to do so, but he knew that if he didn't, he'd probably be stuck here forever. It didn't matter to him that whatever killed Albert could still be there - this supernatural stuff was beyond him normally, and at that moment...

He nods a little, and he's able to stand, with Raine's help.]

If it tastes cold and gross, I'm not drinking it.

[But he probably will anyway, because he feels really empty.]

Then... lets hope it doesn't. [Or she can just get fresh tea. But the kitchen seems so far away right now.

She guides Caesar back to his chair. Automatic.]

... I'm sorry.

What a jerk. [Caesar shakes his head at the apology. He sits down and stares at the cup of tea that he'd left on the table earlier.] Doesn't he get that I... [need him? But it's hard to say that.] It's not your fault. Or his. I just want- need him to be okay again.

He will be. You just... need to hold on until then. Else he'll turn this all back around on you, in that way of his... [And hopefully by then she would have stopped replaying it all in her mind. The way his hair turned and his body withered. Wilted. Like his damn morning glories. The flowers he was following just earlier laying crumpled and withered on the low cabinet.] He will be. [Her hand brushes absently against Caesar's shoulder. It's trembling.]

[There comes a rap on the door of House 42, at this point-- not too long after Ginko's received Raine's message in his journal. Only long enough for Albert to follow the cycle of the flower-- a thought which strikes him as he waits. Pack on his back... blowing smoke at something clinging to the doorway.]

((ooc: sorry, LJ is screwing with my comments today))

Edited 2010-06-17 22:40 (UTC)

[Caesar can't say anything to Raine, because inside, he's still in a panic. He can't help it - thinking of the worst thing first is something of a habit, after all. He reaches for the cup of tea he'd been ignoring when he hears the knock on the door, though, and nearly jumps to go and answer it.]

Could he have taken any longer? [...even if it hasn't actually been that long. It already felt like an eternity. Of course, he nearly trips over himself when he remembers-] Oops. Guess our trap's been rendered useless now... [So he's going to go ahead and move that cabinet out of the way, a bit quicker than he had earlier.]