teaism | pls don't judge me I have so many injured guren icons okay

pls don't judge me I have so many injured guren icons okay

[Compared to this, the talking furniture from ages ago seemed almost pleasant. The door clicks shut behind them, and Guren almost wants to drop down right here. It's the first building they've come across in a while now— some sort of cabin in the woods that's falling apart just like the rest of the town they'd started in. Guren was bleeding from a variety of areas— a number of spots on his torso, his head, his face, his thigh— and that doesn't even start on the broken bones he's sporting, but he had a demon to take care of those injuries.

The man he was trying to support next to him was a different story. Hadn't they said something about not wanting to test if he could die and come back...?]

Look at me, Dex. [Guren wasn't trying to hide his worry now. He'd arrived too late, or at least that's his perspective. He shows up and something is nearly finished toying with Dextera like he's some sort of doll— something grey, with wings. Guren couldn't grasp what was happening, but interrupting had shown him that he was nearly outmatched. Nearly. With some biting words, he'd slain the creature(?) just before he was about to be offed himself. It was risky, to say the least.

But they're indoors now. Indoors, and there have to be supplies they can make use of somewhere. He staggers his next step forward as he tries to lead Dextera in, coughing blood against the back of his own hand. He's noticing that even his own injuries are staying longer than usual, somehow...]

Damn it...

[But he needs to know how Dextera is doing. How much can he handle? Guren doesn't want to find out his limit right now. One hand grips at Dextera's shoulder. They've been supporting each other the whole walk here, and he's trying not to weigh him down. His other hand, though the back of it is bloody now, rests against Dextera's chest carefully.] Sit down here.

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[Some good news about the water they've just fallen into: it's not foggy down here at all, even if looking up at the sky gives them no sight of the forest floor they just fell from. It's grey, like everything else. Also, instead of being cold to the bone, it's warm and comfortable.

Guren emerges from the water with a choke of a cough, blinking through it to try and look around. He'd seen fingers reaching for him as he fell— Dextera had to be down here, too.]

Dex! [He's panicking already, heart beating fast, eyes unable to find Dextera just yet. Is he under the water? He's about ready to duck right back under, just as quickly.]

[ dextera can’t fucking swim!

but the water they’ve fallen into isn’t so deep that he can’t rescue himself, though he swallows a big mouthful before he surfaces, coughing out the water with a nasty, ragged sound.

it’s not as bad as being dunked into harbor water. ]

Ggh! [ the fall didn’t reopen his wounds, but he’s still sensitive in places, still sore. ] G— Guren—

[ he looks pathetic, honestly. ]

[NO... That is the saddest thing he's ever seen. His panic has him swimming over immediately, and thankfully they weren't that far to begin with. He snakes an arm around Dextera and starts swimming over to the edge of the water with him.]

Damn it... Are you alright? It just fell out of nowhere, I couldn't— [Ugh. His excuses don't matter anyway, so he cuts himself off, catching onto the rocks and dirt that seem to surround the body of water and shifting to help Dextera climb up. He'll go after him.

It looks like a completely different area, down here. Sheer cliffs are almost on every side, a waterfall dropping from one of them into this large... lake? It's circular, but not perfect, and smaller rivers or streams trail off in a different direction. It looks like it would be a pretty place, if there was any color. There's lots of plants, even if all of the forest trees seem to be up on those cliffs.

Guren runs a hand through his hair to slick it back and out of the way. The water might be warm, but getting right out of it is uncomfortably cold. He keeps an arm around Dextera.]

[ dextera can’t catch his breath, the water dripping from his mouth, even from his nose as the water trickles down from his damp hair. he gasps, roughly, still coughing as guren carries him over to the edge of the water. ]

I— [ HACK HACK ] I’m—sorry—

[ he’s apologizing for not being able to swim, and as soon as he’s able, he steadies himself on the edge of the lake. ]

Ugh.

[At the edge of the water, he can place his hand to Dextera's back as he gets through all of that choking. Guren takes a quick look up to see that it's all sky, and then down at Dextera again. Poor guy.]

Just focus on catching your breath.

[He thought for sure he'd lost him for a moment, there. That they'd been separated, that it would take forever to get back to him. And then, that he had fallen and hit a rock, maybe, or even worse—

His heart still isn't over it, either, and he takes a deep breath. Honestly, what can he say after that? Maybe they both need a minute.]

[ dextera is able to calm down as guren leaves him in silence for a little longer, and finally, wiping his face clean, he seems to be slightly more at peace—even if his eyes are still wide, a little panicked, his breathing has evened out. ]

I’m... okay.

[ dextera swallows, and his voice tastes strange from the water he’s taken in. ]

I thought you...

[ even now, he’s more worried about guren, even though guren almost certainly would have been just fine without dextera. ]

[ He frowns as he watches Dextera, the memory replaying in his head. Could he have handled that better? Maybe he should have pulled him closer, so they could fall but Guren could shield whatever happened. But the truth is, if it had been something that ended in death— he had to push him away. ]

I know. I’m sorry.

[ Gently, without letting himself stop to think about it and change his mind, he leans in and kisses him. His hand moves to rest on his cheek, and it’s only when he pulls away again that he realizes he’s left a smear of blood on Dextera’s face. He glances down at his hand, the faint sting finally recognized for what it is. It’s a big slice across his palm, looking a little like that tree root he tried to grab onto when it vanished. Had it been solid enough to cut? ]

Ah, woops. [ He’ll reach over again, this time with his sleeve to wipe Dextera’s cheek clean. ] Anyway, try not to worry about it anymore. We both made it, and we didn’t get separated.

Edited 2018-04-10 07:57 (UTC)

[ the kiss is a pretty good way to soothe him, though dextera finds himself fretting all the same when he realizes that that guren is bleeding. even if he can regenerate himself, no one wants to see blood like that. he takes guren’s hand, but he’s careful to touch only the back of it. avoiding the cut. ]

But now we’re here.

[ he clears his throat one last time, and then cranes his neck to look upward. it doesn’t seem like they can just climb, and it might even be too high for guren to just scale the cliffs?

certainly too high for dextera. ]

...where is here?

[ Guren isn’t too worried about the cut, since he regenerates— but slowly, he’ll have to realize that this one just isn’t closing up. It’s a little deep, so he doesn’t think anything of it right now, simply staring back up at the cliffs. It’s way too high, and there’s not enough ledges or shelves of rock to make do. ]

It must still be part of the forest. [ He turns back to look away from the cliffs, down rocks and streams that keep going lower. ]

But that wasn’t a natural drop. There was ground, and then there wasn’t... [ He honestly doesn’t know what to do. Do they go follow it down? Try to find a way back up? Stay around here in this comfortable water? The feeling of someone watching hasn’t gone away. ]

Maybe we should stop and rest here. [ They sure just went through Enough... ]

[ to be frank, if only internally, dextera doesn't remember the drop too well. it was all so sudden, and he doesn't have the observational skills when he isn't trying to focus in on something as emotionally charged as that. he remembers being pushed, and falling, and grabbing—and now he's here.

luckily, he's here with guren. he has to be thankful for that. he lets his hand fall away from guren's, but only to wrap his coat more tightly around himself—it's totally soaked, and the water is starting to cool. ]

We're lucky we didn't break anything. We shouldn't push our luck.

[ which is to say—a rest sounds good, at least while they figure out what to do next. ]

Yeah. I can’t tell where the sun is, either, but it’s going to get cold if it sets.

[ And they are both drenched. He sighs, pulling away enough to stand up, but then offering his free hand to Dextera to do the same. ] Let’s look by that waterfall first. [ If they walk along the edges of these cliffs first, then there might be somewhere that stands out where they can rest. His pack of items he brought is soaked, too, so he can’t even pull out one of the blankets, really. He has to wait until they dry, too.

The waterfall doesn’t seem interesting at all, but just on the other side of it, following the cliffs, is a cave buried by plants that he’s sure should normally be green. Guren frowns into it, like he’s not sure if it’s better to go in for shelter, or stay out here where it’s not so pitch black and mysterious. ]

[ it's cold already! but dextera isn't a particularly warm person, so that might have something to do with it. ]

...

[ it sure is dark in there, and dextera knows better than to blindly trust the dark—the dark is where monsters hide, where people die, and after narrowly avoiding death only a few minutes ago, the last thing they need is to go in unprepared. he's got his idea sephirah, but when he pulls it out, the light it provides is only enough to illuminate what's in front of their faces.

if dextera were alone, he might actually risk it. but over the waterfall, he can't even hear if there's anything lurking deeper inside the cave. ]

It doesn't look like we have many options.

Figures.

[ Ugh... If Dextera’s light thing can’t even help, then it’s better to save that cave for when they feel more up to it. Instead, he moves them further away, so the waterfall is muffled and whatever might be in that cave can’t maul them immediately, and pulls out what he brought. Some blankets... soaking wet, they don’t look as nice.

He pulls his jacket off, leaving it out to hopefully dry?? And annoyed at how his hand is still throbbing, slaps a bandage over it. Then he’s gesturing for Dextera to come closer. ]

Come here. You’re cold, right?

[ dextera doesn't miss that guren is attending to his hand, when he's usually quite devil-may-care about his injuries. he's not sure how the regeneration works, only that it does. for now, however, he doesn't ask about it—only casting a worried glance at guren's hand, hiding it by tucking away his crystal, and then he nods as if nothing is wrong.

he is cold. so he listens to guren, moving closer just as asked. are they going to cuddle for warmth? is this where they're going??? ]

...you are too, aren't you?

[ their poor blankets... ]

[ They’re gonna CUDDLE... Guren automatically moves to pluck at Dex’s coat. ]

Yeah, I am. Here, take this off, or you’ll just be colder longer. [ Then they can cuddle. As soon as he’s able to, he wraps his arm around Dex and tugs him closer. It’s a sad side hug thing, but look, he’s trying his best. They’ll get there. The only sign that it’s getting later is the temperature, and Guren isn’t even sure if they left in the morning or the early afternoon. His phone is dead, so it’s not like he can check.

He keeps staring out at the water with a frown. He doesn’t even know what to do next... what kind of leader is he. ]

Doesn’t seem like whoever’s watching us plans on stopping. [ He guesses he won’t sleep?? ]

[ dextera lets his coat be taken off, though he feels naked when he's all wet like this. his shirt clings to him, and he shivers as he allows himself to lean into guren, soaking up all the warmth he can when the temperature is dropping around them like this. ]

You feel it too.

[ an observation, but not a happy one. the forest always seems to have its eyes on them, but maybe it's because they're so deep that the feeling is pressing down that much stronger. ]

...do you think it's a person? Or...

[ It’s alright, Dex, Guren’s undershirt is white so he also feels a little exposed. As long as they stay close like this, things should warm up, right? He occasionally rubs Dextera’s arm to help with it. ]

I can’t tell. If they’re careless enough to let us notice, it’s either that they’re not skilled or they want us to know. [ Fucking anime presence shit ] I doubt it’s fully animal, at least. Something like a predator would have attacked by now.

[ He is honestly so used to being watched. It’s still not fun. ] Or maybe it’s a trick of the forest. But I don’t want to rely on that.

[ dextera, as casually as possible, reaches to take guren's injured hand—it's probably no secret that he's worried now, but there's something, something that doesn't sit well with him. is it his innate sense of not-quite-rightness? the instinct that helps god to purify the world as it corrupts?

he's not sure. but he's got guren's hand now. ]

I can't tell either, but my instincts aren't as good as yours. [ a beat. ] What should we do?

[ It’s strange, and it’s settling in slowly, but Dex is right to think there’s something off. His hand won’t heal, something is there, or it’s the forest itself, and they have no idea where they’re going or what to do. He always has a plan, but hearing that question this time is worrying. He doesn’t have an immediate answer.

Maybe it’s that his head feels a little foggy. Actually... ]

Do you feel anything else? [ It’s just him with the foggy head and the strange, creeping feeling he can’t place. Cutting your hand on weird spooky trees isn’t the best, it turns out. Poor Dextera will have to wait on the answer to that question. Guren brings his free hand to his head. ]

[ ...that doesn't feel right either. dextera frowns, looking from the bandage on guren's palm up to his face now. is he feeling okay? he's been pushing himself quite a lot these past few days, trying to take care of dextera's wounds, but it's weird for it to all catch up to him now. ]

I don't.

[ a quick answer, but only because he's distracted with worry. ]

Are you all right?

[ maybe he hit his head on the way down... ]

Yeah, I...

[ His head and his hand throb, and the faint sound of his name tells him Mahiru has been trying to call him this whole time. Alarm crosses his face, he pulls back from Dextera and goes for his sword, completely intending to cut his own arm off.

It barely makes it out of its sheath before Guren falls over. Thankfully, he’s just asleep. ]

[ dextera is already in panic mode when guren makes it worse by going so quickly for his sword—and his stomach nearly turns itself inside out when guren hits the ground like that. ]

Guren—!

[ what happened? what happened? dextera squeezes his shoulder, trying to get his attention, but he’s—dead? no, he’s breathing.

that’s a good sign, but the rest of it is still quite bad.

dextera shakes his shoulder now, and there’s a tremble in his own limbs that had mostly disappeared from his company with guren. it resurfaces now, his body’s natural defense against fear. he should... move him? or maybe splash some water on him? he doesn’t know, and it paralyzes him.

he’s never had to deal with someone else in such a condition. at least with his brother, he was always sure... ]

Guren.

[ He doesn’t stir at all, though as time passes he does occasionally mumble in his sleep. Most of it can’t be understood, but the name Mahiru does make it through. If Dextera keeps trying to wake him, he’ll wake up sooner, but as it is now it takes a few hours to open his eyes.

Once he does, he’s staring in a daze around, and then more urgently. ]

Dextera. [ Where— ]

[ dextera doesn’t give up, exactly, but he realizes that this must be something brought on by the forest. guren won’t wake up normally, and so dextera is forced to bide his time in the peak of anxiety. ]

I’m here.

[ the words leave him in a rush as soon as guren stirs, asking for him, and it would be touching if dextera weren’t so afraid for him. ]

Guren.

[ he didn’t just leave guren there, instead trying to arrange him so his head is propped up by their supplies. he leans over guren’s form now, his expression open with worry. ]

[ Thank god, he’s still here. Time in your mind talking to a demon passes differently than in the real world. Every few minutes meant an hour, and so he can imagine how long Dextera has been waiting. He’s glad to see nothing took advantage and attacked. ]

I’m okay. I’m sorry. [ He reaches to touch Dextera’s cheek with his good hand as he sits up, then glances down at the other. ]

My demon just wanted to talk. [ She had no idea of what was happening, either. Her words were muffled and distorted, like when his first demon had restrictions placed on the first time. Guren was able to read her lips for some things— their connection was out of sync, it was like the opposite of a doping pill, and it came from his hand. That was half of what he’d already found out, but by now it was through his whole body.

He pulls his hand away from Dextera to take the bandage off his hand, instead. It’s bloodied, the bandage is soaked, and even if it’s not currently bleeding, it’s an open wound. It hasn’t healed. ] Something is getting in the way.

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