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Entry tags:

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Who: Mom and the kids (aka otome, stahn and leon)
When: forward-dated IC: 5/25 ; OOC: 2/20
Where: Otome's apartment
What: They worried mom, there are unfortunate messages on their phone, it's time to pay a visit
Rating/Warning: None!

[The only blessing, the only one, is that they end up being wrenched back into Cerealia together.

That's literally the only one, because they're immediately dumped into the Pleasure District, right in front of some extremely questionable shops. Leon looks around blearily, expression bewildered, before he manages to place where they are. He's so tired that he isn't even able to be scandalized; instead, he immediately glances around for Stahn, before placing where he is and breathing an inward sigh of relief. They're both a mess, really--battered, bruised, injured, dirty, starving--but at least they're both alive.

... And then Leon gets the notifications.

... He knows Stahn received the exact same ones, and with a single look, they both know exactly where to go--so it's time to trek to Otome's in all of their messy glory, and knock on the door.

Hey Otome here are your kids, they're doing fine (they're not doing fine).]

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[Leon tenses as well, but for a completely different reason; he's still not comfortable with physical affection like this, of course. But... he's too tired to leave, too relieved to see her, and he can't leave Stahn behind either. So he remains there, tense and rigid, until she lets go, and then he frowns tightly.

And as per Leon norm.

He's right back to business.]

Stahn is injured.

[Fix it moooooom.]

My healing artes were not enough to even properly stem the blood flow.

[But... Otome can take care of it better, right? She'll be able to help Stahn in ways that Leon was just unable to.]

[ The benefits of being one of JP's top physicians, honestly... spiritual or physical wound, this was her area of expertise, and she offers up a quick nod before ushering them inside. She got out her brief emotional bout, she can focus on the more urgent issues now. ]

Is it just Stahn who's injured? And Stahn, can you show me where? Have you eaten?

[ Is this going to require one spell, or one spell and a demon-- either way, she's reaching for her cellphone and gesturing for them both to sit down on the couch. ]

[stahn moves his arm slowly, lifting his shirt (and wincing) to reveal the makeshift bandaging leon crafted with a torn piece of his cape. beneath that is a decently-sized wound that pierces through his torso—its placement and the fact that he's still able to move on his own is probably enough to show that none of his vitals were hit, but... it's bad.

especially given that it was pierced through with old metal, and they didn't have much way of disinfecting it. he looks as if he's lamenting the whole thing, even through his pain... he's mad at himself for causing the people (and swordians...) he cares about most so much trouble. but once otome has an idea of what she's dealing with, he'll comply with her request, slowly trying to hobble to the couch.]

...We haven't eaten. [he says it tiredly—now would be a great time for otome to be able to hear dymlos, since he could explain everything a lot better than these two exhausted children.]

It is only Stahn.

[Not strictly true; Leon has some scrapes, a minor gash from the floor falling out from under him, and some bruises, but it's nothing serious and nothing he'd consider an injury. More importantly, they are both half-starved and dehydrated, so he nods tiredly at that.

He'll even sit on the couch--mostly because he's pretty sure his legs wouldn't support him if he tried to remain standing, and collapsing in Otome's living room would be embarrassing.]

There were these monsters made of old metal parts and pieces. [If Dymlos and Chal can't deliver the report, Leon will have to do the best he can.] They could not be killed, only temporarily taken apart. One of those was what caused Stahn's injury, on the third day there.

[It's lucky it was very nearly the last day there, honestly, so any infection couldn't set in too terribly, but it's still not an ideal situation.]

... There was very little in the way of food or water there.

[ Otome's moving quickly now, ducking into the kitchen and returning with an armful of fruit and two water bottles, which she'll place on the table in front of them. Then, another room, balancing a basin of water with a washcloth on the edge, and what looks like a medical bag.

Finally-- ]

Kazfiel!

[ Out of the cellphone appears a demon, hovering in a rather dignified and solemn manner.

"What do you wish of me?" ]

A Diarahan, please. On the dark-haired boy. I'll handle the rest of the healing myself-- [ As she moves closer to Stahn, to get better access to his injury. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration. ] But I'd like to disinfect the wound first. The two of you, please eat slowly. I'll feed you properly after we're finished here.

[ As for Kazfiel, he'll extend both hands in front of him, palms facing Leon, as a green glow drifts from his hands and settles into his body to take care of whatever minor injuries he might have. ]

[while otome is moving around, stahn just closes his eyes—he's so tired and in a lot of pain; he's been doing his best to keep both suppressed as much as possible in order to not cause leon any more worry, but now that they're in the safety of otome's apartment, it's hard to even force his eyes to stay open.

he will, once she returns to the room. there's a look that's grateful... both in that she does everything she can to help them with food and water, but also that she doesn't neglect that fact that leon needs healing too. that's important to him, and stahn is glad that she didn't even give leon a chance to protest.

he'll move slowly to take the bottle of water and... guzzle about half of it in one go. eating seems nice in theory, but the pain makes the idea a little nauseating, honestly. so he holds off for the moment, instead shifting as best he can to make her job a little easier.

there are a lot of 'thank you's that will come in a bit, but that seems like too much effort right now for stahn, so he just closes his eyes again for the time being.]

[He's too tired to protest, honestly; the stinging, glancing blow in his arm closes up, and a lot of the bruises from falls are cleared up, making his breathing easier. He just breathes out softly in response, and reaches for one of the bottles of water as well, as well as one of the oranges.

In comparison to Stahn, who guzzles the water, Leon sips it, but he's clearly just as thirsty; he sets to peeling the orange as soon as he's sipped his way through a good portion of the water, fingers trembling only a little from exhaustion and relief in equal measure.

He's starving, that's for sure, so for now he can just keep himself busy with peeling this orange and watching Otome and Stahn a little warily, concerned despite himself. He trusts Otome with Stahn, he does--he just can't quite help it.]

So there were non-living monsters where you were, and nothing much to live off of.

[ Otome's voice is soft, pensive, even as she moves briskly. She'll use the warm washcloth to clean the dirt and blood away from the wound, before switching it out with a bottle of clear liquid and several cotton pads-- she'll at least warn Stahn that it'll sting before she applies it. ]

I'm glad you were able to tend to this, at least. [ She still has a lot of questions to ask, but neither one of them look like they're in good enough shape for a decent explanation. It can wait.

Once she deems the injury satisfactorily cleaned, she'll let one palm hover over it and casts a single spell. The gold light that follows should close the wound entirely and take care of any other injuries, and Otome rocks back on her heels with a small sigh. ]

I can't do anything about blood loss, but resting should take care of that.

[the warning is a good enough one, though it doesn't stop stahn from letting out a small hiss of pain through his teeth when it begins to sting. he's not used to this kind of treatment; for most of the time he's been fighting, rutee has been there to tend to his injuries—and when she wasn't, gels and oberonamin usually covered the gap. this is far and away one of the most serious injuries he's received that wasn't healed as soon as the battle was over.

but otome's skill and ability helps, and with the wound closing and other injuries (fortunately, the rest were minor enough not to note), he feels a little better. not much thanks to the exhaustion and general distress, but now it's one less thing to worry about. he blinks a couple of times to try and push back the burning feeling in his eyes. he guzzles the rest of the water done, letting out a quiet sigh.]

Thanks, Otome. [that doesn't seem like it's enough to express his gratitude, but he does offer a weak smile; he really appreciates the lengths she goes through to help the both of them so much. he respects her strength and ability, and he's sorry for causing her so much trouble all the time.]

I'll be okay. [about the blood loss.] I'll rest well tonight.

[he doesn't really know what else to say; so much that happened was terrible, and he's not sure where to even start. especially... when some of it is stuff he doesn't want to say in front of leon. there's no doubt he'll talk to her about the mirror building and the repeated memories on his own time, though.]

[Leon's quiet as Otome works her magic, though it is a relief to see Stahn looking a little more comfortable and less in pain. He just quietly cycles between eating slices of that orange and sipping his water as they talk, but when Otome brings up the situation, he just swallows and speaks up, wearily but certainly.]

We were beyond the walls of the Residential District.

[He musingly looks at the bottle of water, mostly empty now.]

That is what that scraping noise was from before. Those monsters.

[And that's...where they were.]

Beyond the--

[ That close, and yet totally unreachable? She can remember the scraping sounds all too well... imagining what caused them, and now having a mental image to accompany it? She's frowning at the very thought of Stahn and Leon trying to fend them off. ]

... I'm glad the two of you are safe. [ If nothing else, they did return. ] Would you like more water?

I'll be okay.

[he could probably use like six more bottles of water, honestly. but instead, he reaches for an apple and slowly bites into it. equal parts relieving and still kind of nauseating after not eating for four days, but he'll deal with it.

while letting leon do the bigger talking about what happened. they both may be exhausted for dealing with much of the same thing, but stahn is feeling practically catatonic after that injury, so he can barely think of what needs to be said aside from:]

You were safe this whole time then, right?

[... Honestly, Stahn. Leon arches an eyebrow at that and sighs.]

Yes, we will both likely need more water.

[And to Stahn:]

Do not inhale it this time.

[Jeeze!! Your poor stomach.

Even as he reaches for another orange.

They're sweet...... leave him alone... besides, he's also curious as to the answer of Stahn's question.]

Yes, I was fine. As it turns out, I was one of the few people still left... it seems a lot of you disappeared at once.

[ So of course she had panicked, but they likely already know that, so she's explaining this as she heads into the kitchen and returns with four more bottles. ]

... I wasn't sure when I'd see you again.

[he was thirsty, okay! and also.. trying to not cause otome any extra worry after they showed up in that state. sometimes it really is bad just how selfless he can be at times.

but at least he listens to leon, sipping the water in a way that's a little more civilized.]

It's good... you were safe. I wish nobody would have had to see a place like that. [for him, everything about it was terrible. just thinking about it upsets him, so he sucks in a breath, following up with taking another bite of the apple.]

[Leon's upset over it too for a long of reasons, but he just focuses on peeling his orange, head ducked and gaze fixed on said orange as if peeling it is the most important thing in the world.

He's.

Fine.

And aside from the worry, Otome seems to be fine too, which is reassuring.]

Let's focus on the here and now, then. If you two need to rest, you're welcome to do that here.

[ YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL thankfully goes unstated. ]

Wouldn't that be a burden on you?

[somewhere in him, he knows she'll say it's not but... they're a mess. he would feel awful imposing on her, even though he barely has the strength to move.

"been through hell" is probably putting it lightly at this point, honestly.]

No.

[You can always count on Leon to be more.....certain......]

We aren't staying here.

[He's not staying somewhere else for the night.

Not when he knows he'll have nightmares.]

[ Well, that was... decisive. Otome knows better than to be hurt by the rather swift refusal; Leon likely has his reasons, and she can't force it, so she only nods slightly in response and turns back to Stahn. ]

Caring for either of you isn't a burden, ever. Not knowing where you were, or whether you were all right or badly injured somewhere...

[ Her throat grows tight, even as she smiles faintly. ]

To me, that's much worse.

Otome...

[his heart sinks a little hearing her say something like that. even if their disappearance couldn't be helped... he feels terrible about that. and perhaps doubly so more terrible for returning with such a bad injury; leon and dymlos both had scolded him for his actions and yet...

it almost feels worse this way.]

I hope it won't happen again. I really... I really hope it won't be like this again.

[...........

It had better not be like this again. That's all Leon can really think, honestly, as he sits there and peels his orange.

Stahn had better not do what he attempted to do before again.

But, perhaps for the both of their benefits, he speaks up.]

Neither of us would die so easily. There isn't any need to worry over that.

That doesn't mean getting hurt is any better.

[ Not that she blames Stahn for showing up with an injury, but she sighs a little and shakes her head. ]

In any case, you're welcome to stay for as long as you need to, even if it's just to get to get your stamina back.

Mm. I think we can rest a little bit before we go back.

[leon's not getting a choice in this one. as much as they both need to be back in their apartment to bathe, eat, and sleep for approximately 100 years.

but in all honesty, stahn's not ready to leave. and not just because he's tired. it's because he doesn't want to be alone right now—he just wants to be around someone else. he knows once they get back, leon is going to want to be away from him... they're still not on the most pleasant of terms after what happened, after all.

so he wants to embrace the warmth of company a while longer, so it'll be easier to bear being alone when they get back to the apartment.]

[... He's not entirely happy about it, but he's not willing to argue over it either.

Instead, Leon's going to just...sullenly eat his orange.

This is a fine, fun, family-friendly activity.

Don't mind him, it's been a lot in a few days, and he's not good company at the best of times, let's be real here.]

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