when johnny comes marching home

[ayu_nee]

Who: Everyone
What: Returning from the draft!
When: Midnight on the 7th and on
Where: Anywhere
Summary: Open post for post-draft returning and reaction, for those not in the plaza. If you're in the plaza, go to that log; if you're not, feel free to post here. ^^
Rating: Varies.

Comments

[ayu_nee]

[The first few days of the draft hadn't been terribly pleasant, but the last— oh, the last day had been worse than all of them combined. The terrain and the wildlife, the storm and flooding, the near-endless stream of enemy fighters overwhelming even the semi-protected territory around the base camp, all of it combined to make the setting pure hell. And yet through it all Ayumu endured, keeping her stoic calm: even with much of her sense of self in turmoil she still had her training to fall back on and her pride to keep her steady.

Though during the long day she'd added a few more injuries to the assortment of minor cuts and bruises already acquired in the unfamiliar and hazardous setting, it had seemed that she would return home almost unscathed— at least up until only mere hours before midnight. The darkness, the confusion, the rain, and the weariness that came with being still human finally took its toll, and when a group of the Third Party ambushed the small party, it had changed. With his capacities reduced by the presence of a Shifter Nataku hadn't noticed a soldier striking at him from behind; with clumsiness born of fatigue Ayumu hadn't managed to move quite fast enough, and though her knife found a home in the Shifter's throat she still fell beneath a blow from another's blade that sliced through one concealed wing.

The next few hours she recalls only in bits and pieces, a feverish blur of rain and mud and pain, mingled voices and shouts and the clash of weapons. And then abruptly— it is over. Silence, without so much as the spatter of raindrops. Ayumu opens her eyes for a moment, a heartbeat later recognizing the sparse surroundings of her room in House 50, and is halfway tempted to think it nothing but a fever-dream. And then she relaxes, recognizing safety and releasing her hold on consciousness at last.]

[2ndunitcaptain]

[ Shinpachi is doing better with sleeping than before, but nothing goes away completely for a Shinsengumi member. This is especially true on nights where someone he cares for is away, risking her neck, where he could do nothing to protect her.

He didn't want to fail her twice. That was not a think Shinpachi Nagakura could stomach without fully cracking.

The short man was ambling his way down the hall to return his sake cup to the kitchen sink. By force of habit and hope, he glances through the door of Ayu-nee's room, checking for her. He expects nothing, as his life was not so convenient that she'd show when he was anticipating her.

His result, well, it's hard to say if it ironic or not in his fuzzy state of mind.

There she is, or at least he is presuming it is her. For a minute, he forgets his manners and all sense of social standards and hurries into her room, without even a knock, just wanting to see her face. In the dark, it's hard to tell, but that is no man's build and he is almost sure it is her, but... ]

Ayu-nee...

Action // Voice

[daisy023]

[SPARTAN-023 was returned abruptly to her apartment room.

Covered in an amount of dents and scratches in the outer plating that were beginning to resemble her armor's state before she returned to Harvest, it takes Daisy-023 a moment to process that she was no longer in the jungle.

Once accepted, she takes a deep breath, wanting to give in to the temptation to close her eyes.

However, it is only twenty seconds before she rises, and searches for familiar people. It is not the time for her to rest just yet. There were many wounded to transport now. People to account for.]


This is SPARTAN-023. Report.

[Voice/Action]

[ufo-fanboy.livejournal.com]

Scratch 'jungle' off my dream vacation list.

[Mulder appears right on the edge of town, more worn out and weary than he's arguably ever felt. There's blood and dirt all over him, and a few still bleeding cuts that he's just filing away as being 'minor'- unless someone really wants to bother him to go get looked over, he'll dismiss them for now.]

[He trudges through town in the direction of his building. Despite being physically drained his mind is racing still with everything he's seen out there, and might make it hard to get proper sleep.]

Action | House One

[distressedude]

[He was back.]

[His clothes were torn and dirty. His hair was messy and disheveled. Small cuts and bruises littered his arms and legs. And he was completely soaked. If not for the cold night air, he might have fallen right there on the spot and slept. But while he was back in the enclosure, but he wasn't back yet. And more so than that, he was alone. Despite how exhausted he felt, he knew he had to keep moving.]

[Had the others been dropped off somewhere else in the village? Were they all right? Did something happen at the last minute as they were all taken away from the battlefield? Too tired to even begin organizing his thoughts, he makes a beeline for House One, probably walking faster than he should be considering his condition. Thankfully, he wasn't dropped off too far from home. It's only a few minutes past midnight that he arrives at the front door.]

[He was home.]

Action | House One

[silversnowfall]

[At first, Nephry thinks she's hallucinated hearing someone outside. It's very late and she hasn't been in the best of mental states anymore. And to prove to herself that no one's there, she goes to open the door.

There's someone there.

She takes one look at the state Ion's in and puts an arm around his shoulders to bring him inside.]

[generalflirt]

[He's back. Masaomi comes back in his bed, his eyes still wide and adrenaline still pumping in his veins. He's back in his room... and still covered in mud, still bleeding in a few places, and still wearing Shikamaru's new damaged and bloodstained vest. He feels the vest lightly at first, the batons are gone, but-

No, he needs to leave. He needs to leave now. Even though it's midnight and everyone else is probably boned tired. Hell, he is too.

He gets up quickly, not collecting anything from his room except the journal which he left on his bedside table and without saying a word for anyone just quickly heads out of his room and out the door to the house. So quick and focused is he on leaving he doesn't even take note of the awful smell filling the house. He has no intention of coming back, either]

[simplestgift]

[Archie returns holding his sword and standing on the bridge by CH1 and has to orient himself for a moment. He's soaked to the bone and has something akin to a sunburn on his face. After a moment of realizing he either got killed in battle and a week has passed or the battle's over, he sheathes his sword. The motion strikes him as one he wouldn't do if he had been killed.

His hands are bloody, but none of it is his. He climbs down to the creek below and washes them off before walking down the path toward home.]

[captainhornblower]

["Sleep" over the last few days for Horatio has consisted wholly of naps on the couch when he's simply too tired to do anything more.

Which is where he is when Archie reaches the apartment. At the sound of the door handle, Horatio is wide awake and sitting up. It takes only one second and two blinks for the sleep to leave his mind enough for a grin to cross his features at seeing the man standing there.

The next instant, he's on his feet and crossing the room.]

Archie.

[It's pure relief to see him back.]

[Voice] Action for the House 10 if they want

[godbent]

[So she gets home in a flash, and suddenly there's mud in her bed. Mud all over. She's bone-dead tired and starting to feel feverish besides. She gets up from the bed regardless, and then crawls into the bathroom at midnight. She takes a soak in there...

And then goes to crawl back to her bed- no. The bed is muddy, she just goes to the couch in the living room and falls to sleep right there, curling up onto herself. She might need some more blankets and some chicken soup or something - she's running a fever, after all.

When she finally wakes up tomorrow at about 10AM, she clicks the journal on for an absent-minded message. A quick one, open to everyone:]

Haruhi here, I'm alive.

[Not that she feels up to replying, and her tone implies as much. But she'll try]

[action]

[emp3thy]

[Minato's not going to bother to reply to that entry. Instead, about an hour later he just appears in her house. No knocking, he has a key. He's carrying a few bags as well.]

[Action]

[crytearsofjoy.livejournal.com]

[Action]

[automailed]

[It's mere seconds after the door knocks that it opens, revealing a rather frenzied and unhappily eager Edward. His hair is disheveled and he probably looks like he's barely slept in days, but the way he looks pales in comparison to her. For a long moment he can do little more than gawk at her.]

...Winry...

[Oh god what happened to her?

But then- she's alive...]

[notaboy-gtfo.livejournal.com]

[ It wouldn't matter if Smellerbee got dropped in the plaza, the other side of town or the freaking mountains- her destination is House 30 and she's operating on tunnel vision until she gets there. She is also not bothering with dropping a journal message. That would involve walking and talking at the same time, and like hell she's in the mood to make that kind of effort right now.

Did they seriously just lose. Ridiculous. All that crap and they had to get pulled out mid-fight.

Expect her back at around 1:30, housemates, opting for the living room window so that she doesn't have to climb all the way up to hers. She'll be the one creeping in exhausted, sore, soaked, muddy and a bit on the bloodstained side. She will also be the one stubbing her toe on the couch and making an executive decision that it will get to play substitute bed for the time being.

See you at whatever time you head through, guys. Try not to startle her or she might have to throw stuff. 8|b ]

[paranoidpatriot.livejournal.com]

[On more ordinary circumstances, Jet might have known better than to think Smellerbee would wait around a place like a medical tent, but taking the unnerved anticipation that gripped him with no sleep- and the fact he rarely had not known what physical state to expect to find Bee in into account- he went out to the plaza anyway.
It's hours of pointless scouring later when the rickety door of house 30 clatters back open. Jet is thoroughly soaked to the bone and does not even bother to turn on the light, but it only takes him seconds to see someone on the couch.]

"Course you'd be here"

[He mutters beneath his breathe, the ensueing slap to his face ringing extra loud from the splatter of rain. At last now he can relax.
Hopefully dropping a blanket on her soggy, sleeping form won't be too much of an interruption.]

[wingenvy]

[Upon his return, Zack is soggy, muddy, exhausted, and probably wounded and bloody in more places than he cares to look. Mostly exhausted, though, after a full week of fighting in the most unpleasant woods he's ever been in.

So the first thing he does, when he suddenly finds himself back in the village with everyone else, is stagger over to the closest structure - in this case, the fountain - sit down, flop against it, and fall asleep. The medical tent is for really injured people, obviously.

People can bother him if they want, but he's too tired to walk home, so he's going to spend the night there and either be found or stagger home in the morning, when the rain wakes him up. Not sure how it'll happen just yet, so harass at will.]

[thestormishere]

[ Getting Hope taken care of is Lightning's first priority by far, but when Zack doesn't show up too even after some time has passed, she can't help but wonder where he's gotten off to. Surely there's no reason to be too worried though- he can take care of himself, right? And surely someone would know if... anyway. Finding him as well is definitely high on her list, though not yet to the point of panic.

With the rain just starting up, she makes her way to the plaza with an umbrella over her shoulder, thinking that if nothing else, she might be able to help with any more wounded. She may look like she hasn't slept in days (which is more or less true, actually), but her magic has very little to do with how well she is, so...

... Hey, that injured dude over there looks kind of familiar... ]

Zack!

[ And that's the only warning he'll get aside from the sound of heavy, hasty bootsteps before Lightning crouches down beside him, peering at his face as she touches his shoulder. You better not be dead, idiot. ]

[acowardlyoak.livejournal.com]

[ Shuri arrives on the outskirts of town. Miserable, muddy and still reeling from all of that horror, he just sits where he arrived at and makes no move to even attempt to return home. ]

[goldenfirefly.livejournal.com]

[Someone's coming for him, though. Upon looking outside and seeing that the draftees had returned, muddy, wet and bloody yet alive... Stella went out to see if Shuri was back.

She had seen what had happened over the journals... couldn't bear to respond. She had to shut it and breathe deeply, to try and get that image out of her head, the laughter that was so similar to the soldiers of the past... the one's who'd...

It's mostly because of that one experiment that leads her to try to find him despite all of that. When she looked at him as a son. And when she does find him, she does hesitate... but then walks to his side and kneels down slowly.]

Shuri?

[falenandawn]

[Frey didn't end up in his bed upon his return: he didn't even end up anywhere near house 15. instead, he's slouched unconscious against the side of one of the community buildings.

He's quite the sight, like most of the returned draftees: his hair falling out of its braid, he's dirty with mud and blood from his injuries and managed to make quite the mess of the wall of the building he's leaning against. Hope the residents don't mind the bloody smear.

He probably won't wake for a while yet, exhaustion and blood loss having knocked him out cold as soon as he was shifted back to the village.]

[todistantskies.livejournal.com]

[ Tir doesn't know why he chose to leave his apartment at such a late hour, but he felt an urge to, like he needed to go out. It was a strange feeling, but not one he was going to question at the moment.

As he left the building, though, it didn't take more than a brief look around the surrounding area to find the white-haired man bloodied and beaten against the building. ]

Frey!

[ He didn't hesitate to run over to him, either - or wonder who else here would have white hair, red wings, and a three-section staff - to crouch down beside him and shake his shoulders gently. ] Hey, are you awake?

[corrinesbell]

[Sheena's just going home.

Physically about as wrecked as everyone else coming back - wet, dirty, tired, bleeding - it's all she can do to limp away from the plaza and head for house 18. It's a long, slow walk for an exhausted ninja.

When she arrives, no matter whether Presea or Zelos is awake, or even home, first on the list is a hot shower. Then bed - if bed can mean 'on the hall floor in her pajamas']

[pimpinwings.livejournal.com]

[Because Zelos was actually worried, no matter how much he tried to fake that he wasn't, he was waiting for her sitting outside trying not to look too agitated.

Of course, the second she arrives, all that is out the window, and it's go time for mother hen mode. He'll help her to the shower, and he can't say he isn't that unsurprised to see her passed out.

Right, to bed with her she goes.]

[seiriald]

[The sudden change from the havoc that had been occurring at the base camp to the relative quiet of the forest surrounding C6 managed to rouse Kaori's consciousness enough, taking note of the feeling of safety compared to where they were all before. But she was too tired and nauseous to move or seek a more suitable shelter, mind focused on the throbbing from her maimed Filial wing.

Sleeping sounds good, maybe it'll keep whatever illness she is coming down with at bay if she kept her eyes closed long enough. She didn't want to move for a long while.]

[forestpride.livejournal.com]

[But not too long later she will have a pair of hands trying unusually hard to wake her]

[unseenspy.livejournal.com]

[Jay is very annoyed right now. Annoyed that the past draft was a disaster, and annoyed that he's wet and dirty, tired and bleeding...and yes, possibly even smelly. The first thing he wants is a shower. At this rate, he'll smell like Moses, and he definitely doesn't want that.]

[Voice]

[mountain-sage.livejournal.com]

[Saleh's voice sounds exhausted and shaky.]

I'm so...glad to be back. This draft has been nothing short of a nightmare.

Kain...he's fallen in battle. I'm sorry...

location: battle dome clinic

[boomchucka.livejournal.com]

[Labrador's sleeping flowers had worked like a charm eventually and had left Selphie in a state of deep, dreamless slumber when the dimmed lighting in the clinic had eventually become too much for the perky brunette. She groaned in protest to the lights shining in her eyes before rolling over onto her tender side. Crying out in pain, Selphie's first instinct is to curl into a ball at the protest of muscles screaming in agony. She's shaking like a leaf from the sudden change in temperature as tears start falling down her muddy face. She could very well be opening up the wound in her side from the sudden movement as it didn't feel completely closed despite the healing she'd already received.

She was still in her blood-soaked clothes and her bandaged thigh was exposed for all to see.]

No more, no more, no more, no more...

[daisy023]

[SPARTAN-023 could not rest. Not yet. She got her share of injuries and dents from the battle, but there was little that could knock down a Spartan. She had suffered worse injuries to let that happen. She was lucky that she had much more protecting her out there.

Many more didn't share that luck. This was why she was trying to help some of those that returned, instead of having let herself collapse on her room.

The Spartan, covered with the remains of mud, blood, and feathers above her camouflaged pattern on her armor, walks up to Selphie. With the way she was shaking, she could have a fever right now. And she does not fail to notice how the movement could've opened one of her wounds.

She searches around her area for blankets, and first aid kits.]

[Voice]

[hotheadedidiot]

[This month's draft... didn't go as smoothly as ones in the past did. Noooot at all. Stahn pulls out his journal. He was so relieved to be out of that miserable place and back at home. In his warm house with its dry clothes and its clean water and its delicious food... ]

Man... I'm so glad we got outta that place after a- ...Ah... Ah... Ah-CHOO! ...All.

[...He was going to need it.]

[Voice]

[daisy023]

[She agrees with the sentiment. However, for Daisy, it was not over yet.]

Are you sick?

[imatreenow.livejournal.com]

[Upon returning, the first thought that entered Mithos's head was to get home to see Martel. She is likely to be asleep now, but of course she would want to know that he's back. He has been gone for a month, growing more desperate to know of her condition as each day passes. Without doubt, she must have been just as worried about him.

So here he is, inconspicuously making his way to house 52 and closely monitoring his surroundings despite his rapidly increasing exhaustion. He had been returned to the tunnels sans Cruxis Crystal, and in that moment the strain of not sleeping for four days of constant battle caught up with him. But he has to stay focused. He's certain that Raine or Yuan will attempt to drag him back to that cell, and that is something he would like to avoid. Almost there...]

[fortunefail]

[Mithos' suspicions aren't without truth; Yuan has been waiting for his return, fully intent on capturing him a second time. What point would there be in imprisoning someone for his crimes if the Malnosso manage to release him not even two weeks later? That's hardly enough to teach someone a lesson, especially when that someone is Mithos.

Yuan's been waiting by House #52. On top of it, to be precise. It's somewhat ironic to be hiding right over Martel's head, but he's been careful to hide his mana as much as possible. If he's lucky, Mithos won't notice he's there until it's too late. If he's not lucky... Well, then he'll just have to fight the blonde into submission as silently as possible.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[The arrival home from the draft went just as Albert had experienced in past drafts -- he appeared in the house, above the bed just enough to fall right onto it.

Unlike previous times, he's soaked, covered in mud, and exhausted. Albert remains in bed for a full minute before trying to roll out of the soiled sheets. He ends up crashing onto the floor, face flat against the carpet. He'll move in a little bit. Really.

...At least he avoided the bedside table.]

[wise_maiden]

[Correction: the arrival home from the draft was almost the same as what had been experienced in past drafts.

Seconds after Albert vacated his bed in favor of the carpeting on the floor, Raine suddenly appears just above it, mid-air, before landing with a soft 'thump' on the pile of pre-muddied sheets. Not that she's any cleaner; her clothing is soaked with mud, blood, and of course all of that water from the storm.

Likewise she's fairly sore and exhausted, so the location doesn't even register. She closes her eyes. Everything would have to be cleaned, but for now she's just overwhelmed with needing to rest, even for a few moments. Ugh.]

[returninghope.livejournal.com]

[Zan'nen had missed his bed by a long shot. No, the Malnosso had instead been kind enough to drop him off on the opposite side of the river, closer to C1 than anything else. It was a long walk back to community building four.

He was dirty, drenched in his own blood on his left side, and spattered with more from others on his right. Even so, even though he's exhausted, he doesn't want to go to the clinic. All he can think about is going home and collapsing somewhere safe and familiar.

Still, he doesn't make it quite that far. The last of his strength gives out once he's across the bridge. Zan'nen slumps down along the side, partly obscured by plant-life. One nap, one quick rest and he'll head home.]

[seleniahymn]

[That may be your intention, Zan'nen, but Tear has other ideas when she spots the young man slumped to the slide on her way back to House 1. She herself had just been treated for the injuries sustained in battle in the makeshift clinic, something she noted he would also need as she walked over and kneeled down in front of him, voice soft.]

Wake up, you can't stop here.

[rain-of-bullets.livejournal.com]

[It's well after midnight when Haine comes trudging in the door, finally free of the monsoon and the battle and everything else that came with it. His nerves are threadbare, shaky at best, and though he did take Mihai's advice with the clothing, he's still soaked head to toe, clothing covered with bloodstains, mud, rips, tears, and the occasional scorch mark. Despite all that, his body seems to be fine, though one of his wings has a noticeable break and the both look much less full and healthy than before. Probably not the worst state he could've come home in, but at least he was able to drag himself here.

He throws his soggy shirt to the floor only a few steps inside the house, hissing quietly as he pulls it over his tattered wings and starts heading for his room.]