We're more than carbon and chemicals

[lucetimods]

Who: All Draftees
What: Fighting Third Party
When: 26th, 27th, 28th, 1st, and 2nd
Where: The Southern Farmlands
Summary: See here for overall details.
Rating: Probably gonna be gorey in places :|a

DOESN'T NEED A CUT. People should know how this works, if not, just follow other people's lead. I'm gonna set up some strategist threads at the top, for the four strategists to use if they want to, otherwise people should start their own threads.

((Mod Note: Since this has been asked a few times, just fyi, the livestock do not talk. Happy hunting!))

Comments

[illusional]

[Cheyenne won't be taking up any extra time either, getting right to the point.]

Pull it out. Th-the... sword. Ple... please.

[She takes in a choked gasp and coughs, blood dripping from her lips. It's been a long time since she's been in this much pain... she tries to speak again, to apologize for asking him to do something so horrible, but she only coughs again. Each breath causes the blade to shift just a little more. She needed to heal...!]

[But touching the hilt of that sword is going to cause those same feelings as her touch moments before. Cheyenne knows this, but doing it herself isn't really an option right now.]

[hakoiri.livejournal.com]

(ooc: Augh, I'm sorry for being so slow. Notifications are still being slow for me. )

[ He scowls. ]

But . . . if I do that . . .

[ Alf never finishes, as his body reacts instinctively to Cheyenne's pain. Between the already heightened sense of anxiety and his disdain for women suffering, he can't afford to think on this anymore. He grabs the hilt of the sword --

and freezes for a good second or two from those disgusting thoughts, that everything's hopeless and that there's no way she'll survive and that trying is pointless so why does he bother when people don't see him for who he is

-- then he stands and staggers back, effectively pulling the sword out of her. He drops it almost immediately and falls onto his knees. He gasps and gulps in the air, then looks up toward Cheyenne. ]

[illusional]

[[ooc: Don't worry about it, I'm kinda slow too!]]

[Cheyenne senses the change in Alf when he grabs the sword, but all of that is lost when he pulls the sword out. She lets out one pained scream before falling limp, blood quickly coating the ground around her now that the sword was out.]

[For a few minutes, it seems like that was it. Once more she's stopped breathing and the amount of blood around her makes it obvious there's no way any normal person could have survived this...]

[Thankfully, Cheyenne wasn't a normal person. Enough of her dress had been torn away by the initial attack that the skin beneath was clearly visible. Gradually, the skin seems to seal shut as the wounds within start healing right in front of him.]

[After a number of minutes, she gasps and coughs a few times. Slowly, she starts to push herself off the ground, resting upright on her knees.]

Thank you... Alf.

[hakoiri.livejournal.com]

[ He stares as the skin seals shut on its own -- it's all he can do. This is phenomenal. Alf watches with his mouth agape. An unbecoming display for one of his social standing, but he can't help himself with his weary mind and this kind of extraordinary recovery.

From his spot on the ground, he closes his mouth. The corners of his mouth lift, and he offers her a relieved smile when she supports herself upright. ]

Cheyenne . . . [ he really can't say her name enough times. ] You're really all right.

[illusional]

[For someone who has essentially just come back from the dead, she doesn't seem too happy about it. Feeding on potency always makes her feel so much emptier than usual and after being in so much pain only moments ago, she's not really up for showing her emotions right now.]

I am. But you are not.

[She hangs her head just a bit.] I asked you to do something terrible. I know how unpleasant it is to come in contact with me. I cannot possibly apologize enough for putting you through something like that.

[Not just once, but twice.]

[hakoiri.livejournal.com]

[ He, too, hangs his head for a moment. So the strange feelings were due to getting in contact with her. Then he shakes his head and rises, as much as it throbs from everything that transpired in mere minutes. He's also feeling a little jumpy, if not shaky, but that's not something to blame on her. ]

Please . . . there's no need to apologize. [ Stepping closer, Alf crouches down in front of Cheyenne at a respectable distance. ] What matters is that you're doing better. That's why I came here. I'll be fine.

[illusional]

...if you are certain.

[And yet there was a part of her that felt unconvinced. He said he was fine and she couldn't sense any weakness in him that would imply a severe injury... and yet, somehow, just seeing him in emotional pain caused an unpleasant emotion to rise up within her.]

[As much as her instincts were telling her to stand and leave so as to relieve him of the burden of her curse, Cheyenne stayed put. Although she didn't quite understand why, she didn't want to see Alf hurt. There was nothing she could do about the aura that surrounded her, but maybe she could still protect him in another way...]

Although there are no more soldiers in the immediate area, more are approaching. If you would not mind fighting alongside a monster, I am willing to offer you my support in exchange for helping me.

[A pause. Her voice is still rather emotionless, but at the same time, she almost sounds unsure of what she's saying.] That is to say, I wish to protect you, Alf.

[hakoiri.livejournal.com]

[ The thought honestly baffles him. The man should protect the woman. The other way around confuses him when it challenges the mindset he's grown up with.

But there are soldiers approaching, and that creeping anxiety is a setback. In the end, he decides to take that leap forward -- or is it backwards? The man should protect the woman. It's all so confusing for him. ]

I . . . All right. In turn, I will protect you as well.

[ He nods, more to himself than to her. She watches his back, he'll watch hers. Then, quickly: ]

I would be fighting alongside Cheyenne. Not a monster.

[illusional]

[Here she is sitting on a battlefield, surrounded by corpses and covered in her own blood, and Alf still doesn't believe her to be a monster? It's enough to bring a smile to her face, really. A small one, but it's there nonetheless.]

[Despite all the blood she lost moments ago, she manages to stand upright without incident.] The one thing I must ask is that you take care not to look directly at me. Should you catch sight of my eyes while they are open, your soul would be in danger of being torn apart.

It is far unlike my usual methods of feeding and is not something I would want you to experience...