Chaos Plot Reactions!

[thefinaljedi]

Who: Anyone/Everyone affected by Helios' nasty bout of Possession Sickness
What: Picking up the pieces
When: August 11th/12th
Where: Wherever there was bad mojo!
Summary: Apep, an Egyptian god of Chaos, possessed Helios and wrecked havoc. Those involved are going to have to cope with their injuries, mental traumas, and newfound night terrors!
Rating: R, for possible trigger warnings for descriptions of violence and bad language.


Nothing is ever easy for them House 46 folks. Gawddamn!

Comments

[fleurdesel]

[Best not to argue then- unless he takes her back to that damn house. Then, teacher or no, she will argue the point.

It's unlikely that he'll take care of it there, however.]

I don't know all the details but...no less than two, and no more than three days.

[fleurdesel]

Nothing else has worked. Then again, I have not tried much. [She huffs a soft, ragged laugh.] Just. Shuffled it off to the back of my mind and ignored it.

[thefinaljedi]

I understand he was stopped, and the possessing spirit sealed. Where is he now?

[A long time, for a dark god to be on the loose. Though the word...loses something when he thinks on it]

[averybadfeeling]

[... The last time he saw her like this, it was after the week with Tony Stark.

At her cold neutrality, he flinches. That cold neutrality, aimed at him. This time, he realizes, the comfort, peace, and certainty were not a love built up and stolen by the Malnosso in a week. They were the result her own faith in him, and he had nobody to blame for their painful, traumatic destruction but himself.

It was all he could do not to weep. He could not. He had no right. Not after...

... he had just wanted to protect her.

His voice comes out carefully neutral and distant as well.]

"... It was... a decision made partially motivated by a... concern of my own, and so it was not made with a clear understanding of the consequences it might have. I can offer no sufficient apology."

[He will not shed tears.]

"... Perhaps it would be best if I left you in peace for the time being. If you have need of me for any reason-"

[His voice wavers for just a moment, almost imperceptibly. He controls it. He has no right.]

"- let me know, and I will help you if I can."

[He will not weep.

He turns and begins walking off, forgetting entirely about the sticker lying on the ground in his wake.]

[windandrain]

Good. Tomorrow, we go. To the mountains. I've found a place, and we should be undisturbed.

[Yamabushi practices were slightly extreme, even in her fairly conservative worldview, but this may help]

You will need a towel, and I suppose you will desire a bathing suit.

[fleurdesel]

...I do not know. We spoke, briefly, not long ago but. He wanted space. He's ashamed of what happened and I cannot force my company on him if all it will do is remind him of Apep's actions.

[thefinaljedi]

Then later, I will have to find him.

[Luke takes a sip from his teacup]

Do you have words for me, as well?

[fleurdesel]

...Why will I want a bathing suit?

[windandrain]

You'll be getting wet.

[She shrugs]

Water cleanses. I'm given to understand that nudity is frowned upon. So, you will want a bathing suit. Or clothes you don't mind getting wet.

[fleurdesel]

No. You couldn't have known. No one could have seen this coming, not without a shift- and not from Helios. There is no one here to blame but the Malnosso.

[She sighs and sips her tea, before looking back up to Luke.]

Have you settled that which caused you to leave?

[thefinaljedi]

I've sensed the darkness in him before. Grandmaster Sunrider did as well. We should have said something.

[And his eyes narrow at that, taking a much more formal tone.]

I have made my peace with my father's disappearance. Ami will return in time. And I am too tired to continue fighting.

[fleurdesel]

I would rather not be alone. I would also rather not see you like this.

[She scrubs her face with a hand and reaches out to grab his sleeve, to hold him there. Walking away does nothing. Last time it had taken an ice storm, a panic attack, and medication to see them settled again. She's rather not repeat that cycle. She doesn't want to drive him away. Not after she's lost Rick, after he's lost Anakin.]

You are not at fault, Chevalier.

[Softer, warmer, with the hope that the endearment would sooth his distress.]

There is nothing for which you should apologize. Especially since I am being a frigid bitch. Sit. Please.

[fleurdesel]

...what sort of ritualistic purification involves water and potential public nudity?

[fleurdesel]

...that was phrased poorly.

[Her shoulders slump and she pinches the bridge of her nose.]

I meant to ask if you are settled. If your frustrations and distress are no longer so prevalent. If you have had the time to find your peace. I will be the last person to fault you for this.

[averybadfeeling]

[... He freezes immediately.

She was comforting him.

She was traumatized so painfully that she would not even tell him how,, and she was comforting him.

He tries to keep the tears from his eyes when he turns again, but it's too late. They started the moment she couldn't see his face. He can only hope they are not too visible beneath his hood.]

"... Do not be concerned for me. Of course I will stay with you."

[fleurdesel]

...why are all the men I know idiots?

[It's murmured with a fond exasperation, she reaches out to tug him down and stubs out her cigarette as to not bother him. She can't know his mind, she's lost that ability to connect with him, but she can pull him close and lean against him. Warmed by contact and familiar brown wool. Not singed. Not reeking of smoke and ichor. Ben was safe, Ben was whole, and nothing she'd seen had been true.]

You're dear to me Ben. I'll always be concerned for you.

[averybadfeeling]

[He manages a smile at that, albeit a weak one, as his arms slip around her protectively.]

"I simply meant to imply that I am not the one in need of healing at this moment."

[fleurdesel]

[It's Ben. She's safe. He won't hurt her-

And she still goes tense for a moment. She doesn't flinch, she doesn't pull away, she just...braces herself for a vision that doesn't come.]

There's no medication for what was done to me Ben. Trust me, I've looked.

[averybadfeeling]

[When she tenses, he very nearly pulls back, but a moment later, she relaxes. It is as if she was expecting a blow that never came.

Not from him, surely...?]

"Not all healing is done with medicines, I believe."

[And yet she still does not tell him what happened. This is beginning to worry him.]

[fleurdesel]

I don't...even know how to begin to fix this.

[She allows her eyes to fall half closed and sags against him. Relief for a moment. For an hour.]

I don't even know how to explain.

[averybadfeeling]

[His arms tighten a bit around her, as if to reassure her that he was really there and not leaving.]

"What did the being possessing Helios do, precisely?"

[lostinmyway]

[Grune is nothing if not resilient. Though she spent the day after receiving the news that Helios had been brought back to himself in a somewhat quieter mood than usual, that and some residual aches and pains from getting tackled by Viral were the only signs that she had been affected by what had happened.

By now, she's entirely back to normal. Her friends are not, however, and so that means she still has work to do.

Grune spends a good portion of the 11th baking, and by mid-afternoon, she has her results: two double-layer cakes decorated with green icing. One is destined for House 44, and the other is to be shared around with Rei, Saori, and Lupin, as well as anyone else she finds who needs some good old-fashioned sweets therapy.]

[redjacketthief]

[He's been sleeping.

For the better part of two days Lupin has been sleeping, and he was tired of being tired. He wanted to be at 46 to protect the fort to keep an eye on Artoo and try to rebuild, but he knew that it just wasn't possible at this point. Between the last Shift and the chaos with Apep, he was just too drained. He needed to relax, had needed it for the better part of a week, and staying with Law and Itachi for a few days was calming enough.

Between treating his injuries on such short notice, helping him set traps around 46, and taking him under their roof, Lupin was going to find a way to repay the two men. He didn't think he was ever going to be able to.

After a night and a day of not daring to leave the lower levels of House 22, occupying his time with naps and playing with the two cats, Lupin finally felt okay enough to venture into the backyard for a little while. The sounds of nature were a comfort after the disorienting silence. It gave him a chance to relax--his mussed hair and frighteningly casual attire were evidence enough that he had seized it. His right arm was slinged and immobilized for the moment, and his unsteadiness was apparent in his every move. He just didn't care anymore.

Lupin barely looked up when Luke approached, preferring to keep studying the birds that played in the garden.]

'Bout time you came back. [His tone was distant, and dripped with his suppressed annoyance. A long beat passed before he spoke again, this time quieter.] I knew that you'd be able to find me. That's why I didn't leave a note.

[thefinaljedi]

I have managed to work out my frustration, yes. I've found an outlet in Vaapad.

[He shrugs and looks at her.]

Look. I wasn't trying to run.

[thefinaljedi]

[Luke's in no mood for games. The waves of Dark Side energy...were bad enough. He didn't need Lupin's attitude either.]

So, start explaining.