Farewell Happy Fields!

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Farewell Happy Fields!

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What: Aftermath of Anoli Attack: Hospital
Where: Leo Ward - Caduceus Hospital Headquarters
Summary: It is the aftermath of the Anoli attack on the Closing Ceremonies. The injured have been taken to Caduceus Hospital Headquarters, and it is time for reflection, visting, or old-fashioned escapes from the hospital rooms.
Warnings: Mild squick if people want to describe their wounds in explicit detail.

Caduceus Hospital Headquarters. It has a distinguished history within Hinoto-Ri, boasting of a staff of well-trained Healers, as well as possessing the most cutting edge medical technology possible. There was no limb they couldn't reattach, no organ they couldn't replace... - they even claimed to be able to bring someone back from the dead (with the small disclaimer that it could only occur under certain conditions and with an obscene amount of luck).

So needless to say, the hospital was more than well-equipped to deal with the aftermath of the Anoli attack on the Closing Ceremonies.

---

Nearly every hospital bed had been filled by an injured patient that night. The A&E room had been in constant chaos, with civilians crying and shouting, searching for loved ones, or demanding to see doctors or healers to help so-and-so...

There had also been plenty of reporters milling about, shouting and crying over the status of the Mayor's Secretary, and whether the Red Lion had really died at the scene, or if he was still alive and well within the safety of the hospital's ICU.

By the time morning broke, there was a false sense of tranquillity within the hospital. The healers had been pushed to their limits with the sheer number of patients being wheeled in and out of surgery, but otherwise, the situation had finally gotten under control. Now, both civilians and visitors were merely waiting for word of the conditions of their injured friends and family...

[Welcome to the winding down of the event! You are now at the hospital, where you may be visiting the injured, or be one of the injured yourself! Those with RED injuries will be in the ICU, and those with YELLOW injures will be in normal wards, for obvious reasons. Those with GREEN injuries wouldn't have had to go to the hospital at all, so they are free to come and go as they wish!

You may all start your threads and mingle!]

Comments

Open: wandering about

[poorlittleblueburdie]

He'd been hurt in the chaos, sure, but as the doctors figured out soon after bringing him in, as bad as it was at first, he healed on his own easily enough before they could do more than clean whatever wounds were left, or set the bones. Nothing else had been needed. Well, nothing past him needing to feed again, but that wasn't hard to fix, in a hospital. He'd choked it down without even adding anything to it to disguise the flavor. He'd slept for an hour or two after that, and then after feeding yet again, he cleaned himself up and ventured out of the little room they'd let him have his nap in.

It was some mix of guilt and pity that kept him here, and as he peeked into various hospital rooms, he wished more and more that his brother Vedast were here -- he was the doctor, not Avitus. He had the Gift of being able to heal others with a mere touch, a transfer of energy, or however it was he did it. So did another of his brothers, Armandus, a fighter, someone who would've done far more good during the chaos than Avitus had. Someone who wouldn't have been such a cowardly failure--

Stop it, he told himself, pausing to take a breath and carefully put his mask of calmness back on. My brothers are not here. I am.

He looked down, and caught sight of his hands, fingers buried deep in the huge black feathers of his wings, which he'd pulled around himself in sort of a hug without even thinking about it. The thought crossed his mind, of the human guards, back in the Citadel, how he'd seen them wearing his clan's feathers on strings around their necks, for good luck. For protection, for-- for whatever it was they wore them for. He knew, rationally, that it was surely only a superstition. But, not sure what else he could do to help and being thoroughly against the idea of offering any of his own blood to help heal the others, for Reasons, he figured it couldn't hurt any, either. If nothing else, maybe simply being a token of proof that someone was actually thinking of them would help give them hope to pull through, or feel better sooner.

So he ran his hands through his feathers again, testing them. There were a lot that could come out, after the stress of the recent chaos, but they'd grow back soon enough. He'd just live with his wings somewhat sparse in plumage for a couple weeks, that was all... and he pulled one out, stepping into the nearby room, to leave it somewhere nearby -- half tucked into a bouquet of flowers that would be easily visible to the patient, or on the nightstand, or somewhere like that, and if they were asleep, simply slipped back out of the room again, testing another feather, making his rounds.

Catch him in the halls doing this? It's okay, staff! His feathers are pretty sanitary, honest. :D

[terra_nullius]

Someone else has been wandering too, and given how many people were in the hospital as well, it was only a matter of time until he did run into other people. He was looking for people he knew, poking his head into each room in turn. It was there that he saw the strange man - with wings! - leaving a gift by the bedside of one of the bedridden.

He waited for Avitus to leave before approaching, curiously.

"Does that hurt? Do they have special properties?"

[poorlittleblueburdie]

"Ah... not... really?" His wings sank just a little around him, the two large appendages around his torso as though hugging himself with them. He buried his hands in them again, shrugging slightly. "Some of these are due to fall out anyhow.

"The humans in the Citadel, where I'm from, especially the guards... they keep them as good luck charms. I... figured it couldn't make anything worse.... Who knows."

He ran his hands down the wings' undersides a little, then down the outsides -- he only had two fingers and a thumb on them, the hands looking almost a bit like birds' feet, and the claws... it looked like he'd been carefully filing those down to where they looked more like humans' nails. He was clearly well practiced at searching for those loose feathers -- it only took him a second or two before he found one he wanted, barely flinching as he gave a quick tug and pulled it right out.

He held it up for the man, offering it. It was about eight inches long, and four wide, a big soft round thing. "Would you like one too?"

[terra_nullius]

It made sense in a way... birds shed feathers - molting, the word sprung to mind. Someone with wings would go through the same process, new and stronger feathers replacing older ones or damaged ones. He wondered if that meant that the person before him could fly, though he held on to that question for the moment.

Instead, his eyes went wide at the offered feather and he reached for it a bit timidly. It was the first time he'd been offered something...

"For me? Is it all right?"

He didn't want to close his hands on the feather yet, in case Avitus changed his mind.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

It might be a safe enough bet that he should be able to fly -- from wrist to wingtip, those wings were a good six feet, not quite seven, long. Or at least, they would be if they didn't seem to bend halfway down. (What kind of bone structure did they have, anyway?) He had to have at least an eighteen foot wingspan, and he didn't look to weigh much at all, as thin as he was.

"Of course," he said, giving him a little smile, holding it out further. "If you'd like one, I can't see any reason against."

[terra_nullius]

Xehanort takes it, a bit of awe on his face. It's fluffy and soft, still a big warm from body heat. His hands shake a little. Even if it's a small gift, it's still the first thing he's received from another person. It means something that he can't quite put his finger on.

"Thank you..." he whispers. He clears his thoughts and puts on a smile, bigger than he's meant to. He's surprisingly happy about this.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

Huh... it meant that much to him?

Avitus tilted his head a little, lowering his stance a bit to peek up more at the man's face. "You like feathers?"

It certainly did feel good to know that something he'd done had been the cause of that smile. Whatever happiness he could contribute to, especially in a hospital, and especially during a time like this, just had to be worth it!

[terra_nullius]

"I... don't know. This one is interesting..." He'd seen pictures of birds in books, but the feathers in there were always stylized. This is a real feather, and it's interesting... though he'll examine it (carefully) on his own time rather than in front of the person that gave it to him. "I've never seen a feather before. Not a real one."

He turned it over carefully, holding it up and watching the way the light reflected off of the blade.

"I'm sure that they will bring happiness to people. Knowing that someone cares enough to leave a gift... that means a lot."

[poorlittleblueburdie]

"You've... really never seen one? I hadn't thought--"

His wings sank a little again, smile fading just a bit. "...What sort of place did you live in before?" Curiosity was taking over, even as he idly resumed preening, running his fingers through his feathers. Birds had always been present in Nosgoth, so the new idea that maybe they weren't in this man's world was completely unexpected to him.

[terra_nullius]

"Oh..." For a moment his head dipped, as though the feather was suddenly entirely fascinating. "I don't remember anything about the world I came from. I arrived here without any memories of the past. For all I know, there could have been birds everywhere."

[poorlittleblueburdie]

"Oh...!"

And he hadn't expected that, either. He was quiet a moment. If this place were all that the other knew of, so far....

He tried turning that thought around on himself: hypothetically, if this place were all that he knew of, what would he most want to make sure he found out about? Never mind that he hadn't even explored all that it had to offer yet himself, something already came to mind, and he couldn't merely not bring it up.

It was of dire importance, you see.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

Avitus leaned just a little closer, watching the other's reaction. He held his breath, but to ask.

"Have you tried ice cream yet?"

[terra_nullius]

A blink, and then another, but he does remember something... cold and sweet and...

"Oh... yes, there was some at the Christmas party, I think..."

Another grin. "It was really good, but I couldn't eat a lot of it since it was so cold."

[poorlittleblueburdie]

Avitus nodded. "It does get hard, when it's colder... but if it's allowed to sit and warm up a bit, it's softer, and one can eat quite a lot."

That's the voice of experience, there.

"What of hot chocolate?"

Clearly, these were priorities. Very important priorities.

[photonicfighter]

There was a fellow wanderer out in the halls, wearing a hospital gown and with her arm in a sling, a lost look in her glassy gold eyes. Though she had quite a bit to think about, the sight of a rather blue-looking figure doing... something... in one of the nearby rooms caught her attention. She took a step back, turned a little, watched from a good distance outside the doorway... and spoke up when Avitus exited.

"...what were you doing?" It's not an accusation. It's more curious than anything.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

He paused, blinking at her, surprised. She's... not human.

Well, no, that was obvious. But that the most easily obvious not human thing about her was her color, and there's something oddly familiar about it. Purple wasn't blue, and she didn't have huge feathered wings or long ears, but....

"Leaving a gift," he said, after a slight pause. He brought his wings around himself again, somewhat loosely hugging his torso, hiding his odd hands in their undersides, as he resumed preening without even looking at what he was doing. "I-- where I'm from, my clan's feathers are considered good luck. And I thought... perhaps people would appreciate them here.

"Would you like one as well?"

He put his wings up just a little more, starting to smile faintly. Blame his general shyness and uncertainty, sure, but he was still looking over her face, his eyes meeting hers, and taking her in. Hers is an appearance he finds himself liking... and finds himself a little curious about, too. What was she?

[photonicfighter]

His surprise surprised her in turn. Being boggled at wasn't uncommon by now, but perhaps she expected a fellow non-human anomaly to take the strange more in stride. But her surprise was quickly giving way to warmth and interest. He, too, was something a bit familiar to her. Ears like a newman, a skin tone not too far from other CASTs she had known... but he had wings. Wings! How wonderful!

"Oh. I see! That's very thoughtful of you. I think we could all use a little good luck, in this place."

The offer of a feather brought further brightness to her smile. "I... I would, if you're offering. That's very kind of you." If he had been in Hinoto-ri long, he might note that her voice sounds as though it was coming from a computer. It has that digitized edge to it. And there are seams and joints at her elbows and knees, barely covered by the sleeves and drape of her hospital gown.

[poorlittleblueburdie]

He may have noted an oddness to her voice, but he's spent far, far less time on the network than he has just wandering about most of the districts and taking in the sights, or in his apartment, working on various projects, like lamps and combs.

He wasn't sure what to make of the faint seams on her cheeks, and hadn't noticed the others yet -- she might note he had none on himself; whatever she was, exactly, he wasn't that -- but her eyes being the color they were, a yellowy gold color, not that much unlike his own... the smile he gave her widened further.

"Which sort would you like? There's plenty that're coming loose all over. It's... called molting," he clarified, just in case she were worried. Most likely a stress-induced molt, but he wasn't going to give her that detail.

He raised one of his big wings up a little, not really stretching it out very far, but enough that she could get a better view of it. The feathers were arranged much like those on a bird's wing, with the bigger, somewhat stiffer ones toward the bottom, and smaller ones, rounder and softer, toward the arm... but there were far more of them than a real bird's wing would have.

((...now I want to replay PSIV.))

[photonicfighter]

"Ah. Molting. Like a bird, right? Does it hurt?" She appreciated the clarification of how his wings worked. And she also appreciated the better look at one of his wings, making a little "ooh!" sound, and stepping in closer.

"They're all very nice. They're yours, though... you know them best. You decide?" Her experiences with feathers were limited, mostly, to retrieving nice-looking ones from rappies and selling them to raise funds for new equipment. They didn't give her the context needed to know which kind of feather it would be alright to ask him for.

((It is always a good time to replay PSIV! :3 ))

[poorlittleblueburdie]

He couldn't help some small sound, almost a giggle, at her reaction, and spread it another foot or so, so she could see better, angling it more toward her in an invitation for her to inspect it more closely. He reached over and started running his hands through the feathers, pulling them apart a bit as he combed through them gently, letting her see the different sizes and shapes, from the much smaller, circular contour feathers, only a couple inches in diameter, to the feathers about one and a half feet long, and half a foot wide, at the bottom.

"In molting, the base of the feather starts to let go, and the feather gets loose. It doesn't hurt to pull it out; it has to be removed, or fall out, either way, to make way for a new one to grow. They don't all come out at once, but I'm certain that most of them, if not all, will be replaced within a month. So the question is entirely of what sort of feather would appeal to you."

In other words, point him to a size/shape, and he'll check for one of that kind that's loose.



((...except it's 3am. *eyes the Genesis*

....oh, who am I kidding. Chucking it into the emulator on my PSP now. It was my first JRPG; I ought to have it on that mem card on principle.))

[photonicfighter]

He thought she was funny, being so impressed? She was alright with that, if it meant she could have a better look. She came closer still, lifting a hand as though to touch, but hesitating without doing so. "...may I?" For it was polite to ask about that sort of thing.

"Aah... I didn't know that was how it worked. I suppose if they're already going to come out, then... ah..." And she indicated one of the longer feathers with a little gesture. "One of those?"

[poorlittleblueburdie]

Avitus lifted his wing up to better reach the lower ones... and as he did so, pushed its leading edge right into her hand, giving her a little nod; it wasn't as though his wings were made of glass. In fact, judging by the way he was preening through those feathers, looking for one to pull out, they probably had more in common with limbs like arms than not. Something about the way the surface of it moved when he messed with it, and how the shape seemed to bend halfway down, bringing that bottom edge up closer to him... it must have had a batlike structure under its feathers, rather than a birdlike one; he was curling its fingers up.

He ended up reaching over the arm and pulling one from the backside of the wing, in the end -- but it was one of those largest feathers, like she'd wanted, and he ran his fingers over it, making sure all the barbs were neatly locked together, before offering it to her.

"Here you are." Have the feather and a smile!

[photonicfighter]

Dakki made another little startle-surprised sound when her hand made contact with the wing. Her look shifted to a questioning one, but the answer seemed to already be there. And so she let her fingers run along the feathers lightly... and then a little more firmly.

"They're... they must be powerful. Can you fly with them?"

And then, a feather just for her. She took it with her one good hand and brought it closer, looking at it this way and that. This... this was making her feel better, after her unexpectedly unpleasant meeting with Garviel. It was such a small thing, but it gave her some hope that she wouldn't be alone in this strange place for very long.

"...thank you!" Abruptly, she snapped out of her reverie and renewed her eye contact with him. "Really, I do mean it. Thank you. Ah... I'm Dakki Sigal. And..." There was an awkward moment where she tried to extend her one free hand for a handshake, realized it was still full of feather, and scrambled to find somewhere to put it... then the feather vanished in a small flash of blue light as she filed it away in her nano-storage. Satisfied with that, there came her hand, ready for a proper greeting. "...and you'd be?"

[poorlittleblueburdie]

"I'm sure I can...." They were big enough, he could surely at least glide with them. He folded them both up behind his back when he was done, watching the feather disappear into thin air, and stared at the spot where it was. It took him a second to respond, but at least he did, taking her hand in his.

At least he knew what a handshake was! "My name is Avitus. You... can teleport things?" Surprised, yes. Put off by it, no; that smile was hinting at coming back already.

[photonicfighter]

"That's so wonderful, being able to do that..." She missed the subtext that he didn't much care for flying, she was so taken with the idea of having wings and flapping about. And besides, a bit of an explanation was in order. After a firm handshake from a cool, mostly human-feeling hand, she withdrew it and pulled the feather back out of nano-storage.

"No, it's not so much teleporting, as it is placing something into a pocket of warped space. I carry most of my things in my nano-transformer." And she lowered her head and pulled the collar of her hospital gown away a bit to indicate a circular object that rested at the base of her neck between her shoulder blades. "I know they're not terribly common outside of where I'm from. They're very convenient, though!"