Backdated before Vash's post

[lupusxylem]

Who: Wolfwood and YOU
What: Wolfwood has come back from the grave and is not making it anyone's problem
When: Week of the 24th oocly roughly, icly who knows
Where: Clinic/Grove outskirts
Warnings: Will edit if needed


A)

[For a while, Wolfwood is relegated to the clinic, unable to leave due to needing time to recover from his near-death experience with the Forest immediately after reviving. He can't exactly leave, nor is he going to try to refuse anyone who tries to come visit, whether it be to yell at him for what he did, or just to see him for whatever reason.

Judging by the way he's half-sitting in bed staring away from the door, he doesn't particularly care either way. His missing leg, obvious by the empty space where his leg would be under the sheets, is a permanent eyesore.]

B) Netbook

[Though he has been alive for almost a week, but it isn't until he finally leaves the clinic that he addresses the Grove proper. A simple message in his usual messy scrawl appears in everyone's notebooks.]

its wolfwood
yall were right
sorry

C)

[Actually finding Wolfwood to speak to him might be a bit of a harder task. He isn't actually at or around the Church at all right now, seemingly avoiding it for the most part. Not hard to imagine why.

There will be, however, an evening just before sundown proper where Wolfwood will ask Livio to help him out by the river. He won't try to venture any closer to the Grove, keeping on the side of the river where Vash's house is instead.

There he will sit in his wheelchair by the softly rushing water, watching the bio-luminescent seaborn bloop along near the shallows.]

Comments

A)

[succiduous]

[As one of the people literally next door, Gnosis is aware of when Moder leaves the Grove and when she comes back with Wolfwood. He's aware of when Wolfwood gets treated, too, and he'll give the man some time to recover before he decides to pop over next door.

He has a tape measure and a notebook in hand. This isn't unusual for him, except he's going to be purposeful in the visit as much as he's going to be decently sentimental. Livio nearby gets a nod when Gnosis arrives, and he pulls up a chair at Wolfwood's bedside and sits.]

I won't ask how you're doing. I get the feeling that you wouldn't want to answer. That aside... is there anything I can get for you?

[lupusxylem]

[If there's one thing Wolfwood has appreciated about Gnosis, it's his understanding that he's not good with dealing with his feelings, or serious emotional topics, or...anything of the sort. Then again, Gnosis is a smart man. He likely just can see with his eyes that Wolfwood isn't doing great, so why would he bother asking?

His shoulders sag just a little as his head turns against the pillow a bit, eyes cast back towards where the Liberi is sitting.]

Not really. Not unless your Arts can turn back time.

[succiduous]

[Gnosis is someone who cares, a lot. It's just that he doesn't know how to turn that caring into words, and he believes actions speak louder anyway. Why would he waste his time on platitudes and "I'm sorry" comments when he could simply see if Wolfwood needs anything?

There's a dry snort at the comment, despite the lack of humour in the situation.]

I do know someone. Unfortunately, she isn't here.

[Mostima would totally turn back time for you, buddy.]

How far would you want to go back, if you could?

[lupusxylem]

How far?

[He echoes the question, his tone briefly incredulous. He sinks back a bit further against the pillows, glancing up at the ceiling.]

Further than just this place, I'll tell you that. Maybe even further than that.

[All the way back. Back, back until he's back at the orphanage. Back before his life was destroyed. Back before Livio's was.]

[succiduous]

I feel much the same as you do. It's natural for us to wish we could go back when we feel that mistakes are made, or that we've been slighted in some way. I've had that wish for most of my life.

[He shakes his head, sighing.]

You don't need to hear it, though, and I don't need to preach to the choir. I did come here with a purpose other than that, believe it or not.

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood's head lifts off his sternum, just a fraction.]

So why'd you come here, then?

C

[unheiring]

[The Netbook post from Wolfwood tips Luca off that he's returned. Even if he doesn't totally understand how the afterlife works here, he'd at least known it was a possibility. In the back of his mind, he'd held out hope, even as more conscious thought insisted not to.

Not long after, Luca tries to seek him out. He has a bottle of something strong in hand, one that's held close as he crosses the river to seek out the man. Thankfully, he's lucky enough to find Wolfwood out and about, or... as about as he can be.]

Ser Wolfwood. [Luca's voice is... stiff as he approaches. Carefully restrained, as if fearful that something might slip.] I wanted to bring you this. As an apology.

[He holds out the bottle.]

[lupusxylem]

[The very last thing he'd be expecting, from anyone, is an apology. That is maybe the only thing that can pull Wolfwood out of his funk enough to look at Luca like he's grown a second head, brows furrowing deeply behind his sunglasses.]

Sorry, come again? The hell're you apologizin' to me for?

[unheiring]

[There's the briefest moments of hesitation. A faint flush works its way over his cheeks, visible for a split second before Luca snaps his head away, using his hair to obscure his face as best as he can.]

Zahliya spent the evening with me. If... I had not distracted him, things would have been different.

[lupusxylem]

[...ah. So That's what it is...

Wolfwood watches Luca in silence for a moment, exhaling heavily as his thumbs tap a low staccato against the arms of the chair.]

Yeah, maybe. And if I didn't organize the whole thing, it wouldn't have happened in the first place, would it have?

Why are all of you so caught up in takin' responsibility for this? And even if the Gargoyle was there, can you say for sure things would have been different?

[Sure, maybe he could have stopped Elsword sooner. But then, Elsword would have been dead, not him.]

[unheiring]

[Luca only shrugs at the question.]

I imagine this place was only looking for the slightest bit of provocation. You might have been the example this time, but it could have been anyone.

[There's a faint flash in his eyes at Wolfwood's question. He doesn't know that things would have been different, but...]

You would have had a better chance. That's all I can say for sure.

C)

[simplicitas]

[Guess whose house is in full-view of Elsword's :) :) :) :)

He left his house Once for Mizuki's birthday and then hasn't for the rest of the month, but he happens to be looking out the window and spots the blurry form of Wolfwood across the way.

He doesn't see the damage done, of course. He just sees Wolfwood in a wheelchair and decides to make his way over, out the window and to the riverbank, where he lands on the opposite side and hops across the stones so that his flying at Wolfwood isn't taken as a threat. Hop, hop...

...

And then he stops, eyes wide, heart jumping into his throat. Oh. Oh no.]

...I... uh.

[He takes a breath, then strides forward, just a single step.]

...I'm... sorry.

[lupusxylem]

[It's...genuine, the spike of fear he feels when he sees Elsword approaching for the first time. He has no idea what's really happened in his absence save for what Livio's been able to convey, and to be honest they didn't talk a whole lot about what happened that night...for obvious reasons. He doesn't know what to expect.

He stays where he is (obviously, where could he go) and watches Elsword warily where he comes to a stop by the river.

The silence that stretches between them is painfully deafening, broken up only by the babbling of the water over the rocks.]

...guess you're. Back t'normal now, huh.

[His baseline normal, anyway. Still extremely corrupted, but.]

[simplicitas]

Yeah, back to... normal...

[Still extremely corrupted. He looks paler than normal, too, because he hasn't been outside since the incident. No sunshine. No being out by his smokehouse making food, no camping...

He looks torn between approaching more and staying where he is. Part of Elsword wants to give Wolfwood a hug. Part of him wants to run back home and hide and pretend he didn't see anything.]

Your leg... this shouldn't have happened. I'm...

[Seconds from crying, it sounds like.]

[lupusxylem]

[He can tell. It's not hard to, really.

There's a part of him- a non insignificant part- that wants to tell Elsword to stay the fuck away from him. Whenever he looks at him right now, all he can see is...that thing coming for him. Through him. If it weren't for that...

Wolfwood looks down at the river, past his knee as the little seaborn continue to swim by. These weren't here before, a testament to just how much he's missed in the time he was gone.

But being trapped in the clinic gives you time to think. Time to feel sorry for yourself, time to ruminate over your own bad choices. Time to wonder what exactly the point of it all was.

...]

C'mere, kid.

[simplicitas]

Are you sure...?

[Elsword knows he's in control now. Who knows what'll happen if he gets closer. He fears being close to people and having the Forest take over again. He fears making Wolfwood feel worse than he probably already does. He shouldn't have come here; every time he crosses the bank, someone gets mad at him, or something bad happens. He should just stick to his side of the river. Maybe he should go live by the lake with Callan and risk drowning on a near-daily basis.

Still, despite all of that paranoia, he does approach. Slowly, either until Wolfwood tells him to stop or until he's right at the wheelchair's side.]

A

[harmacy]

[There has been a surprising lack of I-told-you-sos since Wolfwood's return. Perhaps Add is capable of some professional restraint after all... or, perhaps he still feels some guilt for what happened, his failure to stop Elsword sooner, his failure to heal something already too far gone.

Or it's a weird third thing.

This is supposed to be a regular check-up, but instead of going over the usual dull questions about Wolfwood's physical comfort and symptoms and medication tweaks... Add sighs. With one tap on the holoscreen he autofills every single answer with yesterday's. Fuck it.]

When you were in the Garden... did you see anyone else there?

[lupusxylem]

[Add and Wolfwood likely have a routine down for this by now, and it's most of the same answers from Wolfwood every single day. The phantom limb pains get worse every day, but at some point you just have to deal with it because medication can only dull the pain so much, and Wolfwood is tired of reminding himself of what he's lost. So.

He's thankful that Add is asking him something different, today. Even if he's not expecting it.]

Uh...I mean. I saw Nene...and Livio. But I'm guessin' you mean from before.

[...]

I didn't see anyone so much as...heard 'em, I guess. Barely.

[harmacy]

Ah.

[It's not much of a reaction, but... he's quiet, just long enough for it to feel kind of awkward.

...

When he speaks again, it's measured, cautious. This isn't the time to act embarrassing. Stick to the facts and nothing more.]

Do you remember what she said at all?

[lupusxylem]

[To that...Wolfwood shakes his head. He COULD ask Add how he knows she was a she, but the guy's been missing an eye since he got here.

He knows exactly why.]

Couldn't make any words out. Just...she was hummin', and it sounded like I was bein' fussed at. But like...I dunno. In a mom way.

[It reminded him of Miss Melanie.]

B

[purevanillacookie]

[ Oh Wolfwood. ]

It is all right, my friend, there has been no permanent harm done.

[ Except Vash disappeared but... ]

Are you all right?

[ Sir you DIED what is this. ]

[lupusxylem]

[Oh, he could laugh.]

wish that were true

also no im not
but im here so thats something

[purevanillacookie]

[ Oh his heart hurts for him. ]

I must admit, I do not understand how this can be, yet I will not pry. Allow me instead to ask if you need or desire anything?

[lupusxylem]

[He doesn't pry...yet Wolfwood decides to explain anyway, because Pure Vanilla needs to know regardless.]

guess nobody got around to tellin you yet
people dont always stay dead permanently here
it aint a guarantee youll come back
but

the catch is the forest takes somethin from you

dunno if you can do much for me now
other than make sure nobody broke the church while i was gone i guess

[purevanillacookie]

[ ... Hello, what. That is... so forbidden. There is, of course, magic he has read but to do it in practice!! ]

I ... am sorry, then. In many ways. That this has happened to you. That you were not allowed to rest in peace. That you have had something snatched away. That you have not been allowed to choose.

The Church is all right, I assure you. It is clean and maintained. Do you wish anything from it?

[ Undoubtedly the books are back but no burning them this time. ]