Zompania Draft: Coming Home

[frost_jewel]

Who: Anyone drafted to Zompania, or recruited as reinforcements, or left behind in the village. SO. Everybody!
What: The draftees and reinforcements return to the village.
When: May 26, early early in the morning
Where: Back in Luceti
Summary: Most draftees and reinforcements return to Luceti in the very early hours; now, instead of a medevac site for the draft, the village is a welcome (?) refuge from the nightmare of Zompania for its own. There's a high likelihood it still looks a lot like it has in the past few days; those in the fight didn't even get a chance to shower before returning.

(This is the place for all your post-draft trauma and reunions and every other thing. Have fun! And don't forget to entry-tag your character.)

Comments

[neversurrender]

He watched realization dawn over her with a sinking feeling in his gut. Without the words to comfort her, he stood there and let the knowledge sink in. When it became too much for him to witness he looked away, no longer able to look her in the eye as her gaze darted between him and the hammer.

It was almost a relief when she finally spoke. Almost. Because now he would need to summon the words that had died on his tongue every time he had tried to summon them over the past couple of days.

"Shift Hunters. They're...rabid, dog-like creatures. And extremely difficult to kill. They cornered Billy at some point and Thor saved him. But he couldn't fight them all on his own. By the time I got there...he was already dying. He gave me Mjolnir and told us to run."

He took a deep breath, surprised that he had managed to get all of that out. But once he had started speaking, it was like he couldn't stop until he reached the end.

"I'm so sorry, Jane."

[searches_forhim]

It sounded horrific. She didn't sob, but inside her heart did. Tears fell, and she reached a hand out to touch Mjolnir's leather strap. She knew she couldn't carry the hammer, but at least making contact with it made her feel as if she were touching him.

"So he died all alone?" She felt that she should have been there with him. Nobody should have to face their last breath without someone to hold their hand. But sacrificing himself to save another, that sounded exactly like her Thor. She knew that his golden heart would never allow him to preserve his own life at the risk of someone else.

"Did Billy at least survive? Please tell me that Thor didn't die for nothing." She finally ripped her gaze from the hammer and back up to Steve's face.

[neversurrender]

He stood stone still as the tears began falling down her cheeks, wishing there was some way he could offer her comfort. But he was tired and drained and Thor's face as he died has haunted him every day, every moment since. He couldn't even comfort himself, so what could he possibly offer her?

"No, he wasn't alone. I was there, and Billy as well." That was the only thing that made situation something bearable. That he had gotten there in time to say farewell to his fallen comrade.

"Billy is fine. In fact, he's the one that saved us from being killed by those things."

[searches_forhim]

"You were?" She sniffled and wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands. She'd been so focused on Thor, she hadn't stopped to really look at Steve. He looked absolutely wrecked. She moved her hand from Mjolnir's soft leather to Steve's hand.

"Thank you, for being there for him when I couldn't be." As heartbroken as she was, she couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been to actually see him die. She hoped, for Steve's sake, that he was as strong emotionally as he was physically.

She was glad that Steve and Billy had made it out alive, regardless of who had saved them. That it had been Thor made her proud of him, but she had been proud long before.

"Are you injured? There's a place set up. I can take you there."

[neversurrender]

He gently squeezed her hand, although he felt for a moment as if she was the one comforting him when it should have been the other way around. Pushing those thoughts away, he shook his head. "If I had been a few minutes later, I wouldn't have made it in time. If I gotten there sooner..."

The words trailed off. He didn't need to burden her with his own guilt. Or give her reason to think that if Steve had been there then things could have been different. In fact, the shift hunters might have ended up killing all three of them instead of just one. Shaking his head, he released her hand and took a step back.

"I'm fine. I heal faster than the average person."

[searches_forhim]

"Steve..." She struggled for the right words to say. It was heard to think when all she could hear in her head was her own pain. She stepped closer and put her arms around him, settling for a hug to show him that she didn't blame him. She knew Thor pretty well, and she felt certain that he would not have wanted anyone to sacrifice themselves for him. Arriving sooner could have been disastrous.

She let go before it got awkward. "I'm gonna stick around here and help with the injured. I'm sure you just want to get home and sleep for about a week, right?"

[neversurrender]

He hadn't been expecting the hug so for a few moments his arms hang suspended by his sides as he tried to determine what to do. When he finally did move, it was to wrap his arms around her shoulders and give her one, tight squeeze before letting go. They didn't know each other too well yet and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Even if she had been the one to initiate it.

Nodding his head, he couldn't help but feel relieved that she was giving him an out. He wanted nothing more to go home, crawl into bed, and check on Peggy. Not necessarily in that order.

"Yeah. Sounds about right. I'll see you around, Jane. Hang in there."

[searches_forhim]

"You too. And take care of that hammer, will you? Thor's gonna want it when he gets back." She wasn't sure how long they'd have to wait for his return, but she was sure that he and Mjolnir went together like peanut butter and jelly. She'd seen first hand just how different he'd been in New Mexico without it.

"Tell Peggy I said hi."

She watched as he walked away, just another figure in the crowd of walking wounded. She imagined his reunion with Peggy, and her grief almost overwhelmed her. She stumbled over to a place to sit and let her sadness take the reins for a while, holding her head in her hands as she cried.