come_sailaway | APRIL EVENT PART 2: GUABANCEX

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APRIL EVENT PART 2: GUABANCEX

[it's around midnight, at the very start of the 13th, that the first wave rocks the ship.

winds howl against the windows, pushing the integrity of the glass. near-constant lightning lights up the sky like day, even with the punishing fall of rain, coming down in sheets of unnaturally icy water. it's not the only thing falling from the sky, though: shapes that anyone who has seen them can recognize as pretty much every piece of furniture on decks six and seven, tossed into the sea by the wrath of the storm. apparently. kinda. it's complicated.

should, for some reason, a person's first instinct during crisis be to check in on what Friday is up to, she is not at her usual spot at guest services at all. she is, in fact, on the sports deck, where she has been since she first scented the sharp ozone of Jenny's always inevitable shedding of her mortal form. she's clutching to a railing as a particularly strong (and almost targeted) gust of wind nearly throws her off the deck. she's shouting, probably, but it can't be heard over the storm.

Jenny is about still recognizable as herself, though being about 15 feet taller than normal is a little off-putting at first. expansive waves of her hands bring lightning from the sky and water from the ocean, both of which she uses to bombard the door to the bridge, which, as per usual, stays stubbornly closed. at least she only really seems mad at--]

Release them, liar! Cheat! I'll bring this whole realm down with me! I should have killed us all years ago!

[haha no this is very much a "you" problem. so. should probably. get. on that.]

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[Jade's rude roommate is, as usual, not-sleeping out of the cabin. He's on his way to the buffet (he likes to eat late with no people around, sue him) when the ship starts rocking violently.

Other than avoiding the elevators, Natsuno has absolutely no idea what to do in this situation, and whether it's safer to go down to the muster stations or stay where he is and try to take cover. Jade will run into him on Deck 5's promenade just as he narrowly avoids a flying coffee table.

No attitude from him this time - this is an emergency and Jade clearly knows better how to stay safe. So Natsuno replies (in a far too calm tone):]

Deck four or three?

[It had been another routine Jade's grown accustomed to at this point: the fact that Natsuno often keeps late hours himself, and often tends to be out of the cabin when he does. To be sure, Jade had long since penciled a mental note on the fact that he's had yet to actually see Natsuno actually sleep for any length of time, a topic they've doubtless already infuriatingly danced around without actually addressing once or twice, same as all the others where Natsuno's odd little habits might be concerned. Either way, though, his midnight absence had never been a point of concern before...until a commotion like this comes around, on this particular night--

Which means that when Jade does run into him on the promenade, it's...! Well, "a relief" would be a rather strong term, but the feeling is somewhere in that general range? Jade is promptly falling into step beside him, as they mutually move to steer clear of the more densely-chaired part of the area.]

Hm--deck four, I'd say, more midway in elevation. The facilities on four... [No humored bush-beating attitude on this end either; Jade is all business, features set in a slight frown of some concentration as he turns over his mental map of the ship in memory.] The theater is there, yes? No windows in that area, and all of the chairs there are bolted down, at the very least. An area with the least amount of loose furniture would be ideal...tch, if this were a proper military vessel, loose furniture wouldn't be half such an issue--

[Really! Jade's esteem of the 'pleasure' nature of this cruise has been middling neutral at best this whole time anyhow, but occasions like these do have him more acutely missing the spartan and grounded sensibility of his Tartarus...and so it's a brief flare of irritation directed more at their surroundings than anything. --And he's promptly distracted anyhow, when the ship suddenly lurches on a swell and throws off both their steps. Jade reaches out to grab Natsuno's shoulder, an attempt at steadying them both.]

--Never mind that, though. I'll accompany you there. Though, I don't suppose you have any more of an idea as to what's happening out there right now, do you?

Okay. Theater then.

[Look at them, having a direct no-nonsense conversation! How long can they keep this up before it derails into yet another ping-pong of blithe sarcasm and flat stares? Only time will tell...!

In any case, the steadying hand is helpful and probably needed. This one isn't nearly as outrageous as the other accidents he had on the Serena Eterna, but he's seriously sick of falling on his ass. Unfortunately, the only thanks Jade gets is that once he's steady, Natsuno shrugs his hand off lightly and without glaring.]

Captain started a storm because he's bored? [He frowns.] No idea, and I'm obviously not going up there to find out. [Jade, though, was clearly heading the opposite direction...] But you were on your way to find out, right? I'll be fine on my own -

[Only there's definitely a case full of whiskey bottles rolling down the promenade and straight at them. And is that John's piano behind it?]

[Would it be too much to call this mutual truce of business sincerity a "miracle"? Eh, probably. Even if it might technically qualify just on account of its rarity, alongside the fact that it's probably not lasting very long...

At any rate, they may as well try to get some mileage out of this while it lasts. Natsuno is ~~briefly~~ spared yet another instance of the Serena Eterna-brand slapstick mishaps that seem to constantly follow him like a curse, and Jade's far too preoccupied to be particularly fussed about the lack of profuse gratitude that follows; he's happy enough to release Natsuno as soon as gravity briefly re-centers, and the lack of a glare is only a bonus. Though, his words...]

It would be prudent, I think, to find out exactly what we're dealing with... [Whether it's the Captain having himself a little whimsy, or something requiring a more hands-on approach altogether...Natsuno isn't wrong, in that assumption. But Jade's also shaking his head anyway, starting forward again with an indicating wave for Natsuno to follow.] It's good you're at least not planning to throw yourself out into the elements too--still, right now this vessel is far too hazardous for you to safely navigate on your own! I'll see you to the fourth deck at least, and--

[--well, but the rest of his sentence is being drowned out by a clatter of bottles, and--is that a piano, hurtling down the promenade?! Sure looks like it!]

Watch out! [Alas, so much for unhanding Natsuno for any actual length of time. The kid's facing away from the incoming mess, and so Jade's spotting it just a second before Natsuno does, and moving to practically tackle him out of the way of an untimely demise by half a bar's amenities. --While the renewed lurching of the ship, accompanying the new wave of flying furniture, makes it so they're both pretty much wiping out on the floor anyway. But at least it's not just Natsuno hitting the ground this time...!]

[He lets out a surprised yelp when Jade tackles him, followed but an oof when they slide across the floor. He regains his bearings just in time to see the bottle cabinet crash into where they were standing just a moment ago. The piano topples on its side, somehow still playing Uptown Girl.

At this point Natsuno has to reassess the situation. First, Whatever emergency is going on out there, he's pretty useless while Jade's skills - magic or naval expertise - are valuable. Second, the little late night debacle in cabin 109 proves that Jade clearly can't heal himself like Natsuno does. Conclusion? It's best that Jade goes to help passengers who actually need it instead of risking himself protecting a shiki.

Which means, sadly, that the reasonable conversation is over and the bratty teen act is making its victorious return.]

Thank you, but - I can get there alone.

[He pulls himself back up, trying his best to stay steady. Damn it, it's gonna be a challenge to make a run for it...!]

[While the upbeat dulcet notes of Uptown Girl continue merrily playing away on a now-lopsided piano in the background, Jade's promptly trying to disentangle his own limbs from Natsuno's as the both of them try getting to their feet--a task made all the more daunting by the ship's center of gravity swinging yet again from one side to the other, to be sure, as the stormy ocean swells only seem to be intensifying outside. Natsuno's freed and upright first, but--]

--Can you, really? [Startled out in a mingle somewhere between dubious and sarcastic, almost an automatic reflex in response to just how abruptly Natsuno suddenly swings from vague cooperation to--what, is this a sudden advent of teen stubbornness? Now, of all times?? There's something--off, here, but Jade certainly doesn't have the luxury of taking any time to place it just yet, busy as he is trying to get on his own feet before Natsuno tries to pull something foolish. He makes a harried gesture at the piano as he draws upright:] Much the same way you avoided that on your own, yes? I'm sure there are others heading outside already; in the meantime you need--

[The floor starts keeling underneath them once more; the gesture of an arm becomes another reaching grab for Natsuno's, as Jade attempts to adjust his own posture and sees the latter's flagging again too. Although...something about Natsuno's words, and the way he's suddenly scanning their surroundings--] --Hold on! Surely you're not thinking of running through this--!

Watch me.

[This time he slips away from Jade's reach, taking advantage of a rolling couch to put some distance - and obstacles - between them. Natsuno's aware of how insane he must seem right now, but he doesn't care. He already proved himself to be a questionable roommate - if Jade decides to ragequit, all the better. Creatures like him should keep to themselves in this situation - don't reveal your freak abilities, don't let others get hurt for your sake (no matter how nosy and annoying they are).]

Just go outside, make yourself useful -

[Ah, an opening. Natsuno starts running in the direction of the stares, and for a few moments he's actually doing pretty well. His kind can be very athletic when they want to.

But then, the ship shakes and lurches. There's an ominous groan of metal giving in before a large neon sign comes crashing down. Natsuno, pinned in place by gravity, can't make away it in time.

That's just what teens DO on the Serena Eterna - make stupid decisions and eat shit.]

[Well, you know! It's one thing to have a roommate that's questionable, and quite another thing to have a roommate bordering on suicidal--which is just a tad how Natsuno's coming off, about now! Because it does look like a positively insane shift in priorities in the span of mere seconds, and Jade's left reeling both physically and a bit mentally as Natsuno actively dodges out of his reach to set off on his own. It's really as if there's suddenly some sort of disconnect here--as if Natsuno had suddenly realized something, and now--

Now...Jade sure is watching, alright, forced to jerk backwards to avoid the couch that skids promptly between them and finding any attempt at following Natsuno abruptly waylaid by several more tumbling articles of promenade furniture, as the floor starts tilting once more. It doesn't stop him from shouting over the ruckus of the storm outside and the debris knocking about everywhere, though:] Yuuki, wait--!

[Naturally it seems to fall on deaf ears, though. Maybe because of how very clearly Natsuno seems set on ignoring him now, making surprisingly decent headway for the stairs as he does. ...But maybe also because Natsuno ends up having a lot more to be preoccupied with mere seconds later, too, when the unmistakable creak of a large article of metal fills the air in his vicinity and a sign--

--Oh, oh, that made impact. That had to have made impact, even if Jade can't quite see him any longer past the obstacles infuriatingly in the way--but that's just the crux of it, now isn't it? Natsuno very clearly didn't actually make it to the stairs, and that sign looked heavy, and he needs to get over there...

Drawing in a sharp breath, Jade centers his own gravity as best as he can midway through another lurch of the ship, raising a hand and running a swift calculation of angle between himself, Natsuno's direction, and the shifting objects strewn in the distance between them. The mental path drawn isn't directly to Natsuno, but off to one side, with enough space to ideally avoid scattering anything extra upon him. After all--at half power--aimed just so--the brief and melodic thrum of third fonons gathering might very well be drowned out in the racket, and Natsuno is probably far too indisposed to pick up such a noise among others at this point anyway, but it's happening all the same and the transition is about a second or so, before--]

O darkened stormcloud, loose thy blade and run mine enemies through--Thunder Blade!

[A sharp and bright crack of electricity, gathered into a flaring arc at Jade's fingertips and fired off with no small amount of force, whipping into the couch and the chairs piling beside it and everything else in a propelled track launched right down the promenade; the end result is a pile of debris and smoldering fonons colliding into a wall some ways beside the stairs, and Jade's wasting no time setting off in a sprint through the narrow path very briefly formed by the projectile. Still not nearly so quickly as he'd like with such unstable gravity at hand...! But he's straining to spot and assess Natsuno's condition under the sign even before he quite reaches him--a brief flare of some indecipherable feeling, faint but sharp, sinking somewhere in the pit of Jade's chest as he draws close.

After all, Natsuno's probably not looking too great at the moment, now is he...?]

[Alas, Jade's electrical artes show is completely lost on Natsuno, who's currently busy lying unconscious under the wrecked sign. There's blood, for sure, but at least his head isn't crushed and all limbs seem attached, though not necessarily at the right angles...

There's blood matted in his hair from a wound to the back of his head and his left arm is crushed. However, a closer inspection will reveal that none of the wounds is actually bleeding, like it spilled out and then just stopped. His still breathing steadily though, and it's not long before his eyes flutter open and he groans weekly. And once some of the rubble is clear - that sure looks like a long, jagged piece of metal buried in his stomach.]

Edited (sneaks in some weird shiki physiology) 2022-04-20 15:16 (UTC)

[Right, definitely--not looking too great, not looking too great in the least. Jade has seen his fair share of truly horrible wounds and disfigurations over the course of a bit over ten years being in the military and on the ground during various levels of wartime (to say nothing of the fact that he'd be the one inflicting them nearly half the time). Yet still...it's one thing when you expect to see these sorts of things on a battlefield--or over the course of a fight in general--and somewhat another, to witness them as the result of some terrible accident, much less in circumstances like these. Coupled with the fact that this is, for better or worse, a person he's become at least decently familiar with over the course of his time on this ship. A person this young, to boot--

A cursory look on approach does confirm a lack of head wound or thorough crushing of the chest cavity, early indicators that it isn't actually immediately fatal, but...that sure is blood all the same, and terrible angles for some limbs to be in. Jade ignores that sinking twisting thing in his chest--utterly unhelpful, at the moment, and objectively insignificant enough that it's debatable whether he'll even remember to properly examine it later--no, instead, the entirety of his focus is honing in on the terrible debacle before him. The speed of Jade's arrival is such that he nearly skids to a halt beside Natsuno, kneeling down immediately beside this general pile of wrecked signage and teenage boy half to mitigate the continued swaying of the ship as well as possible and half to immediately start reaching for rubble not immediately stuck in the boy. Fortunately for the both of them, Jade isn't particularly prone to panic in most dire situations, far more given to put any developing nervous energy immediately towards action--and this particular sort of action could only help, at the moment. The metal pieces are heavy but mobile, tossed aside in such a way as to ideally not slide right back into the both of them with subsequent keels of the floor; even as his hands move, Jade's mind is already racing, picking up and sorting and discarding through all possible routes to take from this point, because time is surely going to be of the essence here. These are thoroughly grievous injuries--Natsuno can't be left like this for long--Jade has his phone, habitually tucked in an inner pocket of his uniform these days. He already knows of Watson as a potential doctor, but at this rate immediate stabilization with healing artes may very well be necessary first. If only he could access any, he could--

No, no. A thoroughly unhelpful thought tangent in itself, summarily chopped short in his own head. Jade clears away the last movable piece of metal, and finds himself confronted with the proper sight of a particularly large and jagged piece running right through Natsuno's stomach; a sharp sigh presses out. ...And is accompanied by a groan that's not his own? It actually takes a second for Jade to realize the noise is actually coming from Natsuno, accompanied by a flutter of eyelids--and that's thoroughly startling, to say the least. Jade's reaching to very gently grasp one of his uninjured shoulders, more in a bid to try minimizing any immediate sudden movement than any particular attempt at assurance. (...Well. Maybe just a bit of an attempt at assurance too, but. He's not thinking about that. More importantly--)]

Yuuki--can you hear me? Try not to move too much; you're critically injured. [Tone even but terse; Jade leans over him a bit more now, trying to get a better look at the point of impalement. Is it passing all the way through...? Hard to tell at this sort of angle, short of outright turning Natsuno over--] --I'm reaching out for help shortly. In the meantime, you should... [...Hold on, though. Here Jade had been figuring that perhaps examining the amount of blood loss from the stomach wound in particular might help with determining the depth of the metal, but...

There isn't actually any more blood coming out at all...?

Inadvertently, Jade's words trail off. Frowning, he's looking back over the other open wounds, and--all the same. Bloodstains on the floor, and on his clothes, and yet...nothing new actively flowing?

Wait, but that isn't right--]

[Just another installment in the "Natsuno Yuuki regains consciousness and immediately wishes he hadn't" saga.

Everything hurts, everything is dizzy - he has no idea if it's coming from inside his head or from the rocking ship. It takes him a few more moments to register the blur of colors and muffled sounds above him as Jade. Oh, right, he tried to make a run for it and then the sign -

" - critically injured."

Natsuno's head rolls to the left and - oh. Huh. Somehow doesn't even look like it belongs to him, let alone an arm. With the weight of metal removed, the wounded arm starts knitting itself back together - slowly, way too slowly. He didn't drink blood even once since waking up on the Serena Eterna, and his body has to work hard to fix the damage. He's going to be so hungry after this...

Next, a look to the right. Everything is fine there. But his stomach hurts -

Well fuck. Also, something Jade just said makes alarm bells ring in his head.]

...no help.

[The last thing he needs is to bring more people into this. This is bad, so bad, now there's gonna be questions he doesn't want to answer. It's hard to think straight through all the pain - all Natsuno knows he needs to get out of this situation (and get the situation out of him).]

I'm fine -

[He grabs the metal shard with his uninjured hand and pulls, causing a fresh surge of blood that immediately stop flowing. The pain is so awful Natsuno has to stop, unable to bite back a choked scream. He has to brace himself and just do it, rip it out like a band aid, it won't heal when it's stuck like this...]

[The mending process is very slow indeed--enough so that it's taking Jade some time to properly register just what's actually going on here. Regeneration of this variety just isn't exactly a thing that any human ever does in the world of Auldrant--not completely unheard of with monsters, perhaps, and healing artes can induce such a thing to injuries when cast, but neither of these things seem to be the case here...and the agonizingly slow knitting of Natsuno's arm is easy to miss initially. The lack of more blood on its own takes a second or so to properly sink in, to say nothing of processing what the immediate implications of this even actually are, and the sound of Natsuno speaking up ends up being enough to briefly thoroughly sidetrack said processing as well. Jade's attention promptly snaps from the site of impalement to Natsuno's face, startled yet again at the level of responsiveness already happening--though the first words out of Natsuno's mouth are something like that, and the frown on Jade's features is deepening upon hearing it.]

No, we are getting help, because I am not just leaving you like this. [Again with this...what even is this, honestly? Teen brattiness can stretch a long way for a lot of situations, perhaps, but at a time like this it really is quite beyond the pale. Jade's not sure whether to be more impressed or irritated that this would be the first thing Natsuno tries to think of upon regaining consciousness--mistaking it for some sort of bizarre sacrificial streak as he still is, anyway...he sighs.] Transport would be unwise, but--

[--Oh, but no, time to put that tangent away rather promptly too. Because Natsuno very clearly isn't actually listening, seeing as he's now--moving--and grabbing the metal shard in his stomach, and pulling--

The result is no surprise whatsoever, but the sight of the attempt and the noise Natsuno makes to accompany it sure isn't pleasant all the same! Eyes widening as a flash of something genuinely between surprise and a mortified sort of concern crosses Jade's features, he's automatically reaching to grab the wrist attached to the uninjured hand trying to pull out that shard for a fact--] --Hold on! Don't--you're impaled! Pulling this out of the wound will only accelerate the loss of your--your...

[...There's still barely any blood coming out. A small renewed surge, perhaps, accompanying the slight budging of the shard, but again right after--nothing more. It finally does start to sink in as Jade nearly says it, even if he's still gripping Natsuno's wrist in the pause that falls, staring from his stomach to...that crushed arm, a slight movement at the corner of his eye, as the horrible angle it's in seems to be--slowly--starting...to right itself...?

Well now.]

...Your blood. [Practically a second statement, by the time the tail end of that sentence finally finishes. A frown settles anew on Jade's features as he returns to eye contact with Natsuno. Thoughts are still whirling, trying to make sense of this brand new data, but the first and most likely explanation being formed is...] Wait. Are you healing?

[Welp, busted. At this point there's really only one possible answer.]

...yeah.

[It's clear he can still feel the pain, though, and he hardly has the strength to struggle with more than words - Natsuno stops pulling at the shard the moment Jade grabs his wrist.]

It's not safe here. [Jade isn't entirely wrong about that bizarre sacrificial streak - Natsuno is well aware that a fonist colonel or not, Jade is going to have a much worse time if he got hit with another sign, flying furniture or one of the many deadly scenarios deck five has to offer.] I'll be fine. But this thing -

[He squeezes his eyes shut and groans when an especially violent wave rocks the ship and irritates the wound.]

Has to get out.

[No, indeed it's not safe here, as Jade would also agree aloud if he weren't so distracted by just about Everything Else About This at the moment. All the more reason for the both of them to get off this particular deck as swiftly as possible--and Jade is most certainly ensuring that Natsuno's getting into that theater a deck below in some form or another, whether he likes it or not after this. It is clear that he can still feel pain, after all, and Jade doesn't have nearly enough information on hand to confirm with confidence that Natsuno would actually be fine with getting flattened by another sign or piece of furniture or something else careening at him at ship-tossed velocities. Saying that he'll be 'fine' over and over like that doesn't exactly inspire a lot of faith at the moment, sorry Natsuno...!

...But the context of the situation has most certainly changed all the same, when Natsuno confirms what truly does seem to be the case. Open wounds very gradually starting to close, his ruined arm just as slowly assuming more of an actual arm shape, and blood continuing to be far too sparse--yes, this surely must be healing in some sort of sense, for all that Jade detects positively nothing in the way of any kind of healing arte being activated at the moment. Not exactly as if Natsuno seems to be in much of a state to actually cast anything, either, clearly just barely able to speak through the pain as he currently is...if anything, Jade can only assume it must be an involuntary sort of regeneration, which is...

Well, that could be a lot of things, now couldn't it? But now isn't the time for further questioning, or further pondering, when the ship's still rocking and this shard of metal is still embedded in Natsuno presently. ...All aspects currently considered, pulling out that metal might indeed actually be the better option, if healing really is occuring here...even if it goes against every kneejerk sensibility of human anatomy and injuries of this nature that Jade has. He might insist he's not a qualified sort of medical doctor, if asked, but he is intimately familiar with these sorts of things all the same.

--Still. He's also very familiar with far more unpleasant things, too--like setting your teeth and going through with an extremely difficult sort of motion. The pause that follows Natsuno's last words is only a very brief one, in which Jade's expression eventually shifts from concern and confusion to...well, not much of anything, really. Blank, with a grim sort of touch, as he exhales a bit and then moves to close a hand around the end of the metal himself.]

...Very well. But you aren't going to be able to pull it out on your own--so I'll need to do it. [Doing this sort of thing on your own, at these evident levels of pain...it's doable, perhaps, but not by everyone, and not always on demand. From what he can tell of Natsuno's state at the moment, leaving him to keep attempting it himself would be more of a cruelty than anything. So, the only other option...] Apologies; this will be very painful. On my count of three you should brace yourself. One, two--

[--He's pulling before three, actually, sorry Natsuno! Because the trick is to not actually give yourself any time to brace at all, if you can help it!! Fortunately(?), Jade has quite a bit of experience in pulling sharp objects out of impaled bodies; it's the most common sort of wound you can inflict with a spear, after all...and while a jaggedly asymmetric piece of metal might be rather different, enough similarities remain. This is less a tug and more like a very controlled yank, a singular motion of exceptional force and little hesitation.

So at least, probably--that piece of metal sure is coming out, now??]

[Unless healing artes involve the caster looking miserable as everyone around has to listen to the distinct crunch and squelch of tissues putting themselves back together - then yeah, it's entirely involuntary.

Natsuno nods weakly when Jade all but declares he'll get the offending metal out, face set in a similar grim blankness. The shiki's out of the bag, so to speak, and there's no reason to draw it out because of pride and teenage attitude. He closes his eyes when Jade starts counting, not wanting to look at it. Don't scream, don't scream, don't -

Yeah right, of course he screams. This is the worst pain he felt in his life (well, physical at least). Once the metal is removed there's yet another flow of fresh blood that stops as quickly as it starts, the wound already starting to close.

Natsuno is already sitting up, trying to draw enough breath to talk. He needs to get up, needs to go - ]

Thanks -

[He coughs, spitting something small and round into his uninjured hand.

A metal nut.]

[Wow that sure is........yeah. Yeah that's a metal nut alright.

The awkward half-second pause in which the both of them probably stare at it is, truly indescribable, no doubt. But.

Alright he's not saying anything about it if Natsuno doesn't say anything about it, anyway--]

[Yeah so that wasn't a fun time! Not in the least. Even someone as fairly desensitized to violence and gore as Jade would readily agree that hearing the agonized screaming of anyone getting something painful yanked out of them is hardly the most pleasant thing in the world. ...Honestly, a sound like this is also usually followed by the person dying in short order, without any immediate healers on hand--which sort of just continues lending to how utterly jarring it is, to watch as that stomach wound sure does immediately start closing.

Jade's promptly casting the (not nearly bloodied enough) shard of metal aside, blank expression of moments earlier pinching back into something of a frown as he canvasses Natsuno for any other signs of foreign objects possibly stuck in him. None immediately visible, at the very least...and now the kid's already sitting up, which is plenty jarring too. Jade doesn't quite push him back down with the hand still on his good shoulder, but it's a near thing, and his grip on said shoulder is tightening a bit all the same in a bid to ensure he's not just immediately slumping back over. Still aggressively putting all thought of that metal nut aside--]

Careful. You're surely not quite healed enough to stand as things are right-- [--now, with how the floor's still pitching underneath the both of them as the ship continues dipping through the ocean's stormy swells outside, but--well, Jade's sentence is proven before he even gets a chance to quite finish it! Because there's another rather sharper shift in gravity happening, about now, as a particularly loud peal of thunder cracks outside and--

Well, it was only a matter of time before this small window of luck ran out. There's a clatter as the floor tilts anew, and a promenade table starts sliding their way, immediately accosting Jade's attention. Promptly, with a sudden-half-raise of his free hand to accompany another very brief thrum of hastily-gathered fonons:] O mighty explosion--Energy Blast!

[--The table explodes! In a contained but abrupt sort of fashion, several yards before it has a chance to reach them; Jade's leaning over Natsuno with an arm angled to shield him from the much smaller pieces that tumble past them instead. No time to fuss too much, though, as far as Jade's concerned--the floor starts to tilt the other way, and he doesn't exactly need to look up and around to figure out what the source of a larger amount of clattering might be. There really is way too much furniture on this deck--]

Here--come on, we're moving! [Ah, this is going to be pretty rude, and perhaps also kind of painful on Natsuno's end, and Jade would almost be inclined to apologize about this too if they weren't quite so strapped for time...! As things stand now, though, they need to make a break for those stairs nearby and Natsuno's clearly not going to be able to do it on his own.

So! Unless he already has enough strength to effectively fight it, Natsuno may very well find himself being scooped up in a very approximate sort of bridal carry; not exactly the lightest thing Jade's ever lifted, but urgency and adrenaline can get you a long way, and he isn't actually the more noodly sort of mage archetype--isn't that lucky? If there's not too much struggle, perhaps they'll even be able to reach the alcove to the stairs before that additional furniture arrives to flatten them...!]

[There's accepting that you're an undead abomination, and there's coughing out bits of ship, covered in blood and who knows what else. All Natsuno can think is this is wrong, this is SO WRONG and it's honestly a blessing Jade decides to not say anything. The shock and the fact he still feels awful are enough to make him stop moving the moment Jade squeezes his shoulder.

He's just gonna... drop that nut to the floor and say nothing. In fact, the next moments are blissfully sass-free - all Natsuno can do is stare at the exploding table because, well, flashy magic is much more impressive when it's meant to help instead of blowing up a waterslide when he's still inside it. Natsuno hisses in pain when Jade scoops him up, but doesn't struggle. He knows he's too weak to make it on its own, and he better cooperate if the two of them are going to make it.

They don't get pancaked - hooray! And the stairs are even usable.]

[Look that bloodied nut and all the awful implications surrounding it will now forever remain a secret carried between the two of them, never to see the light of day by anyone else. This sort of thing just, transcends the petty bounds of established annoying roommate dynamics or bratty teen inclinations altogether....there's going to be plenty to talk about later, but. At the very least, they're never going to talk about That.

Really though, it's a shame Natsuno didn't catch the Thunder Blade of earlier; even more flashy and exciting than an Energy Blast, which is in itself about as basic as a fonic arte can get! But, well, in the future there may yet be better occasions for such demonstrations--you know, without the looming risk of getting pancaked by cruise ship amenities.

No, right now the priority is getting to the stairs--and they do! But it's a couple of flights down to deck four, and while it's a small blessing that the steps are still usable...well, this whole situation sure is still Challenge Mode with stairs in general, now isn't it? Between the rocking of the ship and the fact that Jade's arms are now fully occupied with Natsuno's weight...

Yeah, it's rather precarious! Honestly, even Jade would admit it's a bit of a miracle that he manages to bring Natsuno down the first flight without missing a step and sending them both tumbling down the rest of the stairs altogether--in the end it's a hasty balance of pausing just long enough before the stairwell to wait for the ship's gravity to align just a bit, and then taking full advantage of that small window to practically sprint down two steps at a time. Pretty strenuous, for the record! His poor back will be killing him after this!!

...But really though, it is kind of unsustainable, and Jade's leery to take the risk of being so lucky twice. He staggers to a halt on the first landing, and leans back against a portion of wall without a stair rail as the ship starts keeling sharply once more, huffing out a terse sort of breath. His arms have remained rigid around Natsuno up to this point, but...]

Hm--I think--I'm going to need you to stand. [Alas, there isn't any fonic arte for levitating people...but Jade's not actually going to put down Natsuno until he gets some sort of confirmation first, at least, even if he has to brace his elbows back against the wall a bit to keep from sliding with another tilt of gravity. The only good thing about this awkward setup is that it's pretty easy to look down and check how Natsuno's actually faring, at the very least--] How are you feeling? Still healing? I think, if you lean upon me, getting down the last flight should be less of a risk...but do you think you'll be able to walk?

[Jade's poor back. Natsuno will actually feel bad about this one, unlike the whole 109 party debacle. On top of the backache, he also leaves Jade with weird shiki blood staining his clothes. It never coagulates, only changes color from bright red to dark. Hope Jade doesn't get injured before the storms washes it all off, because if it comes in contact with human blood? Natsuno's blood will go absolutely wild and devour every ounce of it.

Once asked to stand, Natsuno slides down wordlessly, stumbling toward the rail for support.]

I'm better. [It's the truth, even if he still looks and feels awful. The stomach wound is healing and his left arm looks almost human now, though it still hurts to move it.] I can walk. [And because they're out of immediate danger, he tries again:]

Just – take the stairs up. People are out there. I can get down to the theater myself.

[Well. There's probably something to be said for an unbelievable level of tenacity here, but.

Jade simply gives Natsuno a Look, for a protracted moment or so.]

Are you really going to make me carry you again? I'll do it, if you're going to insist like this, but I am giving you one other option here.

[Emphasis on "one other", though--because the concept of heading back up the stairs off the bat is one that's being quite clearly and firmly discarded--and would that really be so surprising? Surely Natsuno could at least take a guess as to why. The last time you went ahead you nearly got squashed by a sign, kiddo, at this point he's not letting you out of his sight until you're firmly seated in a theater chair or so help him...!

Jade's moving to stand beside him next to the rail, and holding a hand out. Come on, put an arm here, let's go.

(And alas, the only real injury Jade's probably taking away from Hurricane Jenny this time around is a new array of bruises and perhaps some dents to pride here and there--not nearly so bad a time as Natsuno's, this time around. At least the tables will be turned next month, though...! ~~And clearly this freaky blood thing absolutely should happen anyway, at some point down the line...! Yikes anime vampirism sure is something else--~~)]

[Natsuno actually glares at that Look, like they're arguing about roommate etiquette and not, y'know, trying to not die. He isn't used to this kind of concern from adults, especially not after he just revealed himself as an inhuman, self-healing freak.

Still, he leans on Jade with his good arm without another word. Looks like the best way to get it over with is to do as he's told...! And this time, he truly won't argue or cause trouble until they make it to the theatre.]

[Inhuman--perhaps. Freakish in the self-healing--well, just a bit. Perhaps in just about any other sort of circumstance, these sorts of things would be giving Jade a bit more pause. Some scenario where they aren't dodging death by furniture at every turn, or...some scenario where this were a complete stranger instead--an unknown entity would certainly garner at least some wariness, by comparison. But...

Hm, that's the odd sort of catch, isn't it? They're certainly not friends, exactly. Barely even agreeable roommates, honestly. Yet all the same, perhaps by the simple virtue of the fact that they've had to tolerate each other's existence for at least a few hours a day every day for the last month or so...Jade does know Natsuno as some form of acquaintance by now, at the absolute least. And it's not as if there's any particular hatred here. Brattiness yes, rudeness nigh-constantly (if not equally dished on both sides), a perpetual seemingly unnecessary sort of caginess around certain oddities in habits that are just now finally starting to make a bit of sense. Perhaps in another time--before the lowering of the Outer Lands, back home--Jade would have been more than happy to leave Natsuno to his own risky devices after the first attempt at breaking away. But now...

Well, Natsuno is still his roommate, after all. ...And he's a teen, besides. About the same age in some ways as...

Hm. Anyway.

Glare is matched for deadpan glare in turn--and it's a vague sort of relief, really, when Natsuno does eventually lean on his arm without much in the way of further protest. (He would have actually gone through with carrying Natsuno once more, if he tried being particularly stubborn about all this, but you know. Considering the terrain...and also his back.....yeah--) A begrudging compromise finally achieved, the journey down the rest of the stairs is a slow and staggering but successful one. Though they probably very nearly mutually wipe out on the floor yet again a couple more times--or perhaps even do, here and there, making for a great head-start on new bruises for Jade and Natsuno both--in the combined time it takes to emerge from the stairs and close the struggle of distance to the theater. At least there's a great deal less furniture to contend with on deck four, though, and...

Eventually--finally--they're pushing through the doors already half-swinging loose, and they're there, and sure enough the theater in itself is still decently intact through the perpetual gloom it already maintains by design. Just as Jade had guessed, the bolted-down chairs don't yet budge even as the floor continues swaying to and fro; by the end of it all Jade's all but pushing Natsuno into one of them, before standing back with a weary sigh. Ah...he's really almost about as covered in blood as Natsuno is, by this point, but oh well. It's not his, and the downpour outside's probably going to end up washing off most of it before the night is out anyway, and--]

Right. As hoped--seems things are more stable here. ...You are going to stay in here, yes? I don't know--how long the duration of your healing might be... [A slight and rather harried sort of pause, as Jade's glance falls to the spot where that stomach wound had been in particular; multiple questions still want to form somewhere in the back of his throat, a number steadily growing from the moment he'd yanked that sign piece out earlier. But, no, still...] Regardless, you should take this time to recover, and either way--this is most likely the safest place you could be on this ship currently. Although, you'll want to keep an awareness for any signs we might start sinking...I will try to message you to warn as much, if I can. But if you find the floor listing to one side and not righting itself, I would recommend seeking out higher ground regardless of lightning at that point.

[Another pause. Jade draws in a breath, very clearly still wanting to say rather many more things, but he also seems to be visibly stopping himself too; ultimately, he's only letting one question out after all, terse and a bit...wary. Still sort of expecting some form of argument, really.]

...Is that clear?

[Now that he's in a relatively safe shelter, Natsuno pretty much collapses into the chair, allowing himself to slouch miserably. He should rest as much as he can - if he makes it out alive, he's going to be hungry and may have to finally use that, uh, special coffee machine in the buffet.

He stares up at Jade, his face a stony mask. There will be questions later, but for now - ]

Crystal. [A pause, and he adds, sincerely:] Thank you.

[Maybe there will be crosses and stakes later, he thinks. But right now Natsuno appreciates the concern, as unnecessary as it feels.]

[You know...one would think this would be a perfect opportunity for some form of briefly obnoxious preening--something of a return to form, maybe, at least so far as Jade's established himself as Natsuno's nosy and annoying roommate up to this point.

But instead Jade's expression seems to pinch a bit, as something very nearly...uncomfortable? Discomfited? Flickers across his features for just a moment. Because truthfully...the actual clear sincerity here may be catching him a bit off-guard.

(......It's a funny thing, really. People don't thank him much, in general, and that's a trend for a reason. But.)]

...That's-- [Well, the moment's there and gone; Jade's expression closes just as quickly, to something rather more neutral, in the same sort of way he's stopping that start of a sentence short. But he does shake his head a bit. --Honestly. Natsuno will not be half so inclined to thank him in a few hours, probably, should they all happen to make it through this alive, and should a lull in the chaos finally settle...] We need to talk, later. Assuming, of course, that we're not sitting at the bottom of the sea by that time...

At any rate, I'm heading out to the deck. [And head out he does, leaving Natsuno to the theater.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL EVENT PART 2: GUABANCEX

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cw: injuries (no gory descriptions but just in case)

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1/2 WHY AM I LAUGHING GDI.........

2/2 also ofc lmk if i should change this lmao...

you're good! glad you enjoy my dumb slapstick humor

never stop with ur slapstick humor ok, a treasure....!!

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