Something Wicked This Way Comes

[oleaeuropaea]

Who: Vash the Stampede, Kiera, Passenger, Wolfwood, and Zahilya. Plus some others if they want
What: It's time for a homecoming. Too bad the greetings won't be so warm.
When: End of September
Where: Around the Grove
Warnings: Gore. Character Death. Possession. References to holy imagery.

[As September draws to a close, the woods seem eerily silent. It seems almost as if the birds have stopped singing. They hold their breath, fearful of a predator stalking amidst the woods. Through the brush, maybe you’ll see it — feathers that stick up like blades. Once bright white plumage has been tarnished with dirt, debris, and perhaps even blood.

But you’ll have only a second to see it. For just as soon as contact is made at the edge of the woods, the creature bursts out.

Vash the Stampede has returned to Aldric’s Grove.]

Comments

[purifier]

[When the fire stops (because Vash is no longer Corrupted, hooray!), Zahliya hops down from Vash's back and sheaths his blades.]

By the Stars. There you go, chugging your murder fluid gain.

[He, 5ft tall and lean, is going to Hoist Vash onto his shoulders.]

Need me to pick you up, too? You're coming to the clinic whether you like it or not.

...

I saw Passenger pass by me. You didn't breathe in the dust, did you?

[lupusxylem]

M'fine...

[Wolfwood huffs, finally moving to sit up now that Zahliya has pulled his weight off of him. It's going to take a few minutes for the serum to kick in, but at the very least he can feel his fatigue abating pretty much immediately, trying to ignore the familiar feeling of his heartrate kicking up.

But then Zahliya says something weird, prompting Wolfwood to look back over.]

...Passenger? No, I ain't seen 'im. What happened?

[purifier]

[Flatly stated as he's scraping Wolfwood off the ground too, get over his shoulder gay boy.]

He's dead. Sesa passed me by with him when I was in the woods.

[Again: He left you guys alone for a few hours, he's never leaving again tf.]

[lupusxylem]

[......

He doesn't want to ask. He doesn't. But.

He knows he has to, even as he grumbles about Zahliya lifting him because hey-]

...was it Vash?

[purifier]

[Zahliya is frustrated... more with himself than anything else, but also the bitch in the woods, but also his sibling on the barn who is most definitely pretending she's not horrifically entertained by this. He's frustrated with Vash, but it doubles back onto him, because he's known; if he were strong enough to fix it at the time, he would have.

It's neither of their faults he's frustrated, technically. Zahliya won't take his anger out on them.

He grits his teeth, slings both boys over either shoulder (how, you're so small), and marches toward the clinic. You are going to go see the healers now. He doesn't care how many of those blue death-vials you chug, Wolfwood. You will be checked over. He doesn't trust those things after last time.]

I wasn't there. Probably. Unless you know of another Corrupted who went insane and started wreaking havoc? I didn't talk to Sesa, because I knew I had to get back here. I... ["shouldn't have left", but that's beside the point. He shakes his head and continues.]

You're under my orders to rest. If you won't rest by my orders, I'm going to have Callie sit on your chest until you have no choice but to. And I'll tell Ydalir.

[Scary.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood doesn't need to even ask more. Like, what else could have done it? Nothing but Vash, he's certain. And...honestly, thinking about it just makes the feeling of guilt and exhaustion more deeply mired into his bones, making it feel like he isn't even going to be able to move for a while after this. To that end, he just sortof allows it as Zahliya carries both him and Vash to the clinic, staring sidelong at the ground as they go.]

Yeah, yeah...I ain't goin' anywhere.

[...]

But if you really want blondie to rest, you'd better deadbolt his door and keep him in a room without windows. Trust me.

[purifier]

Ha.

[Zahliya... is exhausted. He's going to go bean the False God personally for all the shit they've been put through, but for now: He kicks the door to the clinic open and click-clacks his way into the room where the beds are, puts Wolfwood down on one, puts Vash down on another.]

I will be back with handcuffs and belts, then.

[...please stop him—]

[lupusxylem]

Okay maybe you ain't gotta be that prepared.

[ZAHLIYA-

Also ugh, he's so sore. He is going to become flat now bye.]