pyrighteous | [OOC] Folkmore IC Inbox

[ Thanks Casey. Hunter reluctantly shifts a bit now; the water is getting cold and he’s ready to be back in dry clothing soon.

Also, he shakes his head. ]

I can’t replicate it with my glyphs. And even with Flapjack, I was never any good at healing magic. So I’ve always had to do first aid instead. Belos - uh -

[ He stops himself, but Casey knows the rest of that old refrain: Belos didn’t let him get healing magic. ]

[Casey grimaces, and he withdraws his fingers to avoid letting Hunter feel his sudden tension. He can sense the discomfort, anyway, recognizing it's about time to finish up, so he gets the warm water flowing again to rinse the suds out so they can get out of here. This feels like a hot tea kind of night, so that can be next on his to-do list. And also: stupid Belos. He keeps his mouth shut this time, though. Filter still exists, success.]

Rue knows some healing magic. They healed Leo after...

[He trails off, the memory hitting him like an entire sack of bricks. He's quiet for a moment, then pushes against the tub to get himself to his feet, moving to the side closet and fishing around for a towel. ...Slim pickings. Most of what they had was used up trying to staunch Leo's bleeding arm. He drags one out of the back and offers it out to Hunter, politely averting his eyes as he turns.]

[ Hunter takes the towel and dries himself off quickly before wrapping it around himself. His clothes are super trashed for now, so he’ll have to get something else from his room.

He pauses, though, as he drips on the bathroom floor, turning towards Casey. ]

What … happened to Leo?

[A difficult question, and one he's been avoiding, but the inevitable has at last come for him. His body looks tense as he glances away, unable to hide his shame. It was his fault... now he has to say it out loud, finally.]

I was out in the neighbourhood... I got turned around, and the hunt found me. I was pinned behind a building and trying to hide. Sensei came to help, and- we were fighting them, there were too many. He- Leo- he made a portal so we could escape, but they shot me...

[He grips at the elbow of the arm that has yet to move, still limp and useless in its sling. If he'd been faster, if he had dodged properly, maybe-]

I was too slow. One of the fae cut his arm off... and...

[He trembles, ducking his head.]

I-I don't know what to do. I can't... [fix this. He can't make it right, the arm is gone-]

[ Hunter’s eyes go wide as he just screeches to a halt mentally, trying to figure out which is worse right this second. Like, losing an arm is objectively the more severe injury, but Casey is right in front of him and he got SHOT in his ARM. And also Casey has been sitting here helping Hunter one-handed while hurting. The guilt spike is massive for a moment.

(Breathe, okay. Now that Hunter is safe and clean again, he needs to help. What can he do?) ]

Is he safe at least? H-here?

[ That’s the first step. After that there still isn’t much that Hunter can do, but maybe there’s still something. ]

[Casey nods slowly.]

He's here... he's asleep in my room. A-at least I hope he is.

[He sure needs the rest. He deserves to sleep through the worst of it. And at least he's been healed.]

Probably, um. People are gonna come and go a lot, until he's strong enough to go home. To make sure he's safe and heals okay... sorry. I couldn't ask first.

[It's Hunter's apartment too, and the place has been kind of taken over. Still, it's a half-hearted apology, a clumsy courtesy at best. He'd do it again.]

[ Okay, asleep in Casey’s room. That’s good, and it also explains the blood trail. Hunter hadn’t quite figured that out before the bark crisis happened. ]

No, I - I’m glad you brought him here. We can both protect him this way.

[ Though now he’s gently eying Casey’s arm. ]

[Another nod. Leo has lots of people around who can protect him now. He'll be safe... hopefully. Casey notices the target of Hunter's gaze after a moment, and gives the arm an awkward rub. Still no feeling in it, though it was worth checking, since it'd been a while.]

Rue healed me, too. It's okay. Just... I can't get it to move anymore.

[ Hunter hesitates a moment. He’s … still wrapped in a towel or he’d offer right this second. ]

Let me - um - get dressed. Then let me see what I can do.

[ What CAN he do? Not much. But he can at least look. ]

[Casey's shoulders hunch a little at the offer, a smidge of tension and weight released. If Hunter's okay, then that's one less person to worry about, one more to help. They're in a better shape than before. He did something useful. Maybe he can... he can...

He looks down, plucking idly at his bloodstained clothing.]

Can I... borrow a shirt?

[All his clothes are in his bedroom closet, and he really doesn't want to go in there. (Because it would wake Leo, and he's meant to be resting. That's the reason. He just doesn't want to disturb Leo.)]

-- Oh! Yeah, of course.

[ Though after having offered already, Hunter does look Casey up and down and reconsider just a little. Not because he doesn't want to! Just because - well. ]

As long as you're okay with it being a little long on you.

[ Their frames are roughly the same, but sorry Casey, you're a shortie. ]

[Casey shakes his head. Whether or not his clothes fit properly is so far on his list of priorities it may as well be nonexistent.]

I'm used to it. As long as it's clean I don't care...

[At the end of the world it was so very normal to have clothes that were too big. If any were made for him they were made for him to grow into, so they'd last a few years. This world is the first place he's ever been where everything fit. Going back to bigger clothes will be very easy. Anyway, it's only until he can get back into his own closet.]

R. Right. You uh - probably didn't have much before.

[ Hunter's having some of the same thoughts himself. All of his clothes had fit fine - maybe even weirdly fine given they'd been the previous Guard's - but once the Collectors invaded, everything had gotten messy fast. ]

I'll be right back.

[ And Hunter heads back to his room to both a) change and b) get Casey some clothes. That gives Casey a few minutes of quiet in the bathroom here. ]

[Casey uses those few minutes to at first just... sit on the edge of the tub and stare at the floor. Tell himself he's okay a dozen times or so. Call Peter on his relic again. (Missed call.) Again. (Missed call.)

Unsatisfied and still worried sick, that's when he unties his arm from the sling and awkwardly drags off his own shirt, grimacing where the dried blood sticks and fails to fold normally. He sits there with it in his lap for a long moment, staring now that he can see just how much blood it was, before tossing it towards the pile already left by Hunter. He can... probably get the stains out. Maybe. If he'd been home he would definitely try. But it's tempting to just burn the whole pile and get new clothes.

That's where he'll be when Hunter returns, hunched on the side of the tub and cradling his limp left arm, going back to staring at the floor tile as if it'll answer all of his life's questions.]

[ Hunter takes a few moments for himself once he's back in his room. Clean and refreshed, but it's still all been a bit MUCH hasn't it? He takes his time getting back into clean clothing, taking a moment to fully towel off as well.

He returns a few moments later with a shirt and also a pair of shorts in case Casey wants those too. (They'll both be long on him, but should both fit.) When he returns, though, he winds up pausing in the bathroom door a moment, staring at Casey. The bloodstains ... and that poor limp arm. ]

Here. These should work.

[ He steps in, holding out the small pile of clothing. ]

... Does your arm hurt?

[Casey lifts his head as Hunter returns, releasing his arm and reaching out to take the clothes. Oh... that's nice of him. He'd only asked for a shirt but the blood had absolutely trailed down over his pants, too. Maybe he'll feel better with clean clothing.]

It did at first... now it just feels kind of numb. Their arrows are probably made to paralyze.

[It's lasting a lot longer than he thought it would. If it doesn't wear off soon, he's going to have to grab the arrow from the trash and start analyzing it. For now he's just putting up with it, still low on the priority list.

He spreads the shirt out and starts trying to wriggle into it with one working hand. Hunter might notice that he too has his share of old scars: big bite marks along one arm, various scratches and points of impact scattered all over, and long claw lacerations over his back. The limp arm is freshly healed and red, marks of an arrow going in and out on each side. There aren't as many scars as Hunter, as he'd always been well protected by his family, but a life of war is not gentle either.]

[ It's still a lot to see. Hunter's own experience means he doesn't freak out or anything, but there's a distinct wince as his eyes track over all those marks. They've both had a hard life ...

Once it's clear Casey's having some trouble, hunter steps forward. Offers his hands? If Casey permits it, he doesn't mind helping get the shirt on and around the paralyzed arm. The gesture is natural enough, even, given he'd helped his uncle with his armor many times before. ]

Like some kind of poison?

[Casey doesn't protest the help; if anything there's a quiet exhale of relief with an extra pair of hands. He's had an arm in slings and casts before, and it always makes day-to-day activities - like getting dressed - a huge pain.]

Maybe? I don't think so, though. Poison usually travels through the blood, it has a stronger effect. It only affected my arm, so I figure it's isolated there. Look-

[He's able to lift his shoulder a little. It's mostly his hand and up to his elbow.

Next up he shucks his pants and trades them for the shorts, which thankfully goes much faster. Helps to have two working legs, and they're loose enough on him that it's a simple enough task to get them over his hips. ...And yeah, he does already feel better. The material sits more softly against his skin, not sticky or crusted with dried blood. It's almost enough to make him feel normal.]

[ Huh. That does look like something more specific then, yes. Hunter frowns a bit at it but ... well, at least it's not getting worse. That's something.

He makes sure to adjust the shirt so it will be comfortable, leaving Casey to handle the shorts. ]

I can try something if you want? I don't know if it will work or not.

[Casey's brows furrow, and he holds the arm up for Hunter to give whatever it is a shot. What's there to lose, right?]

Sure...

Okay. Uh -

[ He takes Casey's arm under his fingers, then starts peering through all the glyphs on his arms. No ... not that one ... that one won't work...

He settles on a rather small, squiggly set made up mostly of light glyphs. ]

This might sting a little.

[ He taps the glyph and administers a small shock to Casey's arm to see if he can wake it back up. ]

[Casey hisses - yeah, that does sting, actually - but his eyes widen immediately after because-]

Hey! My fingers twitched!

[And he felt it, too. So it's not entirely numb, it seems? He tries to keep wiggling them, but the best he gets is a little bit at his pinky. O-oh... he blinks a few times, a slight tremor passing through him as he exhales.]

...so... i-it's not gone forever...

[Maybe it will wear off eventually, then? His arm won't be stuck like this. Thank goodness. That's a huge relief.]

[ It sure is something. Hunter also exhales in relief. ]

Yeah uh. I don't think I can get you any more movement back, but at least you've still got all the connections. I think it'll wear off?

[Casey stares at Hunter in quiet wonder for a long moment, allowing those words to sink in. Then with a quiet, incomprehensible noise he throws his good arm around Hunter for a tight, unashamedly clingy hug. It's such a little thing, in the grand scheme of all that's happening right now, but that one little thing was apparently the last straw holding together his restraint.]

[ Oh - that's a bit of a surprise? Hunter startles, though not enough to pull back. He just pinks a bit at being hugged when he didn't think he'd done all that much to deserve it. Slowly, gently, he puts his arms around Casey in turn. ]

Casey?

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