[the problem is this: higekiri is the sword, and the sword is higekiri. to be told to put it away, even by friends, making his grip on the hilt of it tighten as though he has no intent on giving it up to anything or anyone. he would sooner die in this form than part with himself to anyone here - he knows that just as certainly as he knows that something is wrong.]
... Humans are so fragile.
[and while normally he would reflect on such a thing with a bit of teasing remorse, with some level of fondness, neither of those are present in his tone now. there's the slightest strain of irritation, even if it's hard to place where it comes from or who it's for.
he continues to bleed out as the pain overtakes his body, makes his breath shudder in pained gasps, and finally his free hand presses against the place where H had bitten him, his glove becoming covered in his own blood where the wound is open.]
This body is... breaking. Melting. [a beat, and then almost contradictory:] I want to keep fighting.
[what? who? he's not sure at the moment, but he knows that's what he wants.]
[That scares her even more, but she takes a few steps closer now that the zombie is dead, until she’s right there at Higekiri’s side. Most of the people in this room have seen her topless, so she doesn’t feel much shame about stripping off her shirt. If he’ll let her get that close, she’ll bend to press (a non-goopy part of) her shirt to his wound.
Or he could stop her, because both Higekiri and Dana’s emotes are scaring me.]
Melting is bad. [THANKS. The zombies are dead, he's keeping an eye on them, and he's letting the two of them deal with Higekiri because he's a little too freaked out to think much of it. Instead, he's going to check the vials one by one to read every label. He'll grab all of them, plus another jar of green liquid and some more syringes.
...he's also checking under the tables to make sure there's no hidden notes or, like, bodies or something there. If he can. How do tables work.
Anyway with all of that said and done he's going to approach and take a breath.]
We should check how bad the wound is...Beck, be careful with yours, too. [...a glance to Wei Wuxian.] Gremlin, you still okay like that? [With your...third...arm...?]
[The fact that his face is paling somewhere beneath the zombie blood n' guts and scratches is about the only indication that he's not doing well, because, as shown, his pain tolerance is insane.]
Haha, I'm fine, don't you worry about me.
[He holds his... zombie arm decoration with one hand and reaches out to try - first touching, and then holding, if it's allowed - Higekiri's free hand with the other, assuming it's moved before Beck tries to staunch the blood.]
Where does it hurt? Just the bite, anywhere else? All over? What kind of pain?
[According to the labels, all of the individually packaged vials seem to be a local anesthetic. Which is, uh, pretty useful right now considering 3/4 members of this team got hecking mauled. There's nothing hiding under the tables, though.]
[higekiri doesn't stop beck - but he watches her. whereas normally his eyes are gentle and amused at pretty much everything around him, it looks now as if he's a bit wired. like his edges have been sharpened all over again, fixating on her and while not outright regarding her as an enemy, as if she could become one at any moment. wwx can claim hige's hand, bloody as it is, but he'll find it tense again, like he's holding onto something so tightly inside that he might tremble.
and to think he just started to relax again after his brother died - but he supposes it makes sense, for him to literally start falling to pieces without him.]
Burning - everywhere.
[he reports it, and he keeps his voice even - it seems as though he wants to press on, to be useful, to fulfill his duty as the only true weapon among them, even though his body is actively rebelling against him. his breath stutters even if he tries to will it to stop, blood dripping down his person as he almost grows light-headed, but fights to hold onto his consciousness.
he levels his gaze at wwx, certain.]
We need to continue the mission. If I break, so be it.
[This is still not okay? But he's going to go and collect the four clipboards with notes about their zombies, too, pretty much being a hoarder to pick up everything they've found so far so he can flip through all of the pages instead of just the first with the initial and age and base information. He'll do this for all four, still awkwardly cradling jars and vials and syringes in his arms and also his gun.]
We're not leaving you to break, don't be an idiot. [The words are harsh but the tone is soft and worried as his eyes scan the pages.] ...we have local anesthetic, a mystery blue jar that I'm pretty sure we need for the ritual, and green jars with something that "detains the effects of accelerated apoptosis and necrosis." Which...might help Higekiri not turn into a zombie and die. And the best part is we're still locked in. So what do we do?
Either way, he meets Higekiri's gaze, and there's something in his own that's - understanding, but unyielding, all the same. It's not like he doesn't get it. He really, really does. All the same, he absolutely refuses to leave people behind if there's even a shred of a possibility to avoid it. So he just gives Higekiri's hand a squeeze and then looks over at Junpei.]
Deal with Higekiri first, we can figure out the door after. I want to take one of those hearts, too - I can handle that part. [Removing zombie organs! He does it all the time.] Anything useful in those papers?
[is it idiocy to use a tool to its necessary point, and then discard it when it's no longer needed? after all, he doesn't feel very much like a treasure at the moment anymore.
but he'll let them staunch the bleeding, carefully keeping his face neutral as it happens, even though there's the slightest twitch of his mouth downward from the pressure and as he regards the rest of them.]
Deal with me... is it.
[well doesn't he hate being a liability. he lets his eyes at least flick around the room, because the truth is that he doesn't know what to do in this situation.]
Is there... anything else to find with the rows of containers? [a beat] Shall we look inside where they once laid?
That's actually not a bad idea. I kind of figured it was just a zombie hotbed of death but...yeah. [Give him a second, he's puttering around the room to pull the documents off of the clipboards, folding them up into his pocket and throwing the clipboards onto the dead zombies. Bye. The gun is put away with the safety on, and he's juggling jars and syringes as he goes to investigate the fridges the four zombies came from. He'll open each one of them, looking around inside where he can INCLUDING THE CEILING AND FLOOR, GOD, NOT MAKING THIS MISTAKE AGAIN, looking through the sheets, etc.]
We could also put him inside but that seems kinda...extreme, I guess?
That isn’t how he meant it. You aren’t someone we have to deal with... You’re our friend.
[Of course, that’s half to calm him down and half a diversion tactic; as she speaks to him, meeting his eye, she’s pulling the jar of green liquid and the syringe out of her pocket and moving them towards Wei Wuxian.]
[i still can't believe the necromancer from 200 AD is the one in this party with the strongest medical knowledge BOY...
Either way, he'll meet her stare briefly, shifting a little because both A) there's a zombie hand in his gut, that's uncomfortable even for him and B) because then he can more seamlessly reach for the jar and syringe with the hand that drops away from his abdomen. He knows he probably can't fill the syringe without Higekiri noticing, so he just keeps his hand over them both for now.]
Right - sword you may be, but you're no less valuable than Beck or Junpei, you know? We're not losing anyone here tonight.
[He will... wait to see if Junpei's search bears fruit before trying to fuckin stab Higekiri, though.]
[Junpei is free to look through the refrigerators again!
A and N's refrigerators are super duper busted, given the fact that the girls literally clawed and kicked their way out of them. The hatches are busted, and the sliding trays where the bodies would normally go are damaged enough that they can't be pushed back in again. H and J's refrigerators are still in working condition, however. The white plastic sheets now have some black goo splattered on them due to the scuffle, but they're otherwise fine. Similarly, there's nothing else on the floor and ceiling.]
... I suppose you don't understand because you are soft-hearted.
[a sword is to forged to be used by humans - but he seems to understand that there's no real point in arguing. he also just doesn't see a reason to hold his tongue either, because he knows his own worth and it's always been secondary to the people around him unless he's wanted for his renown.
but he's not easily diverted and he's not easily distracted, as sharp and on edge as he currently is, eyes following the green liquid and the syringe.
everything is still in pain, and he speaks only when he can find his tongue amidst the flares of it, shuddering]
[It isn’t him, she knows it isn’t him or that something is very wrong with him right now - but it’s not difficult to tell from her expression for a moment that it stings all the same, hearing something like that come from his mouth. She looks towards Wei Wuxian as Higekiri tells them to do what they must. One hand stays on her bloodied shirt, but one comes up to hold onto his shoulder.
She’s hoping it’ll be comforting - and that it’ll be extra incentive not to stop the injection.]
[...so this is what they're doing, huh. It's a little bittersweet and a lot painful but still...alarming. There's something in the back of his head that says there's something wrong, and even so he doesn't approach just yet. He's cautious, climbing inside J's fridge and just testing to see if he can close it. Take care of Higekiri first, sure, but there are two of them doing that. If they're on a time limit they don't know about, it's best to split the work to try and seek a way out as well. Can he close the fridge, is that even helpful? We'll find out.]
...watch the sword. [It's a soft warning, low and wary as he keeps his eyes on Wei Wuxian's hand and the injection. But at the same time he's also grabbing for his gun again just in case. He trusts nothing? I trust no Dana tbh.]
[He thinks Higekiri's words are pretty lucid, there - "you don't understand because you're soft-hearted". It's not an insult, not as he interprets it. Just something from the perspective of a blade, tempered and brought into existence for the sole purpose of being wielding by another.
Still, he'll let go of Higekiri's hand long enough to open the jar so he can draw some measure of liquid into the syringe. Are there fuckin instructions on how much to use on these jars oh my god IF NOT HE'LL PLAY IT SAFE and fill it halfway, instead of all the way, just... in case... One can always inject more anti-zombie juice!!
After that, he takes up Higekiri's hand again, before leaning in to place the needle at some fleshy juncture close to the bite wound. If he's not stopped, he'll give Higekiri a look, glance toward the sword in his hand, and then push the needle in to inject the dose. FINGERS CROSSED YALL.]
[There's literally no way to open or close the fridge from the inside but I guess... Junpei can kind of do the worm and wiggle to try and slide the fridge closed while he's on it???? Move those hips while this dramatic moment is happening, Junpei Tenmyouji.
LUCKILY meta text will be kind and state that the jar indicates the proper dose is 6cc.]
[he doesn't care very much if he's okay or not - at the end. only if he's useful to them. that is his purpose now, to be of help until he breaks. there's a moment where he's about to say so, opening his mouth to share that reminder with them, but he is stopped only by the fact that wwx is filling up the syringe and higekiri watches it.
even through the pain and burning, he wants to fight - but he wants to be useful even more than that. there is nothing to fight, and he doesn't quite like it, but he'll clench his hand tighter around his own sword as the syringe sinks in and he thinks again that being a sword would be simpler, repairs would be simpler
but the noise that leaves his mouth is only a uncomfortable growl, low in his throat]
The substance enters his bloodstream, and the effects are immediate. It feels like taking a dip in the pool during a hot summer's day. Starting from the point of injection, he will feel an immediate relief for the burning sensation that had spread through his veins. While there will still be some discomfort, and the damage that has already been done is irreversible, Higekiri will no longer feel as if his veins were on fire. The progression has been detained, just as promised. :)
no just kidding. higekiri seems to settle upon receiving the injection, letting out a breath as the tension leaves his body. for the record, he is absolutely still missing a chunk of skin where he was bitten, and covered in blood and goo, but at least it seems like he's doing... better?]
.... Mm. The melting is gone.
[so that's good. he'll nod his head in gratitude to both beck and wwx, but seems to still lack his smile. then he'll move to stand, flicking his sword clean as best as he can finally, and then immediately proceed to help out with the investigation, going to look at the sink.]
We ought to continue. Treat your wounds and assist when you are well.
[he doesn't know anything about human repair and he's not going to pretend to??? but he'll at least go to experimentally turn on the sink just because it's something they haven't done yet]
Uh, yeah? I agree with Beck. [But he's still watching Higekiri carefully, not sure how to proceed before he's moving to close the fridges and head for the door. Not the one Kyuu told me I can't have, but the one they came in through. They never looked at it after they entered, so he's going to check it out. He'll take a look for any markings on or around the door, the floor, the ceiling, etc. Check for hidden messages written in demon blood. Try the handle, etc.
And while this is happening:] Try turning on all of the sinks while you're there, Higekiri. It might be worth testing. [...] There's material for washing and drying the bodies, right? Maybe we can use those for your sword. Or all of us? Are we supposed to purify ourselves or what?
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fullthottle) wrote2019-11-11 06:52 pm
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... Humans are so fragile.
[and while normally he would reflect on such a thing with a bit of teasing remorse, with some level of fondness, neither of those are present in his tone now. there's the slightest strain of irritation, even if it's hard to place where it comes from or who it's for.
he continues to bleed out as the pain overtakes his body, makes his breath shudder in pained gasps, and finally his free hand presses against the place where H had bitten him, his glove becoming covered in his own blood where the wound is open.]
This body is... breaking. Melting. [a beat, and then almost contradictory:] I want to keep fighting.
[what? who? he's not sure at the moment, but he knows that's what he wants.]
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[That scares her even more, but she takes a few steps closer now that the zombie is dead, until she’s right there at Higekiri’s side. Most of the people in this room have seen her topless, so she doesn’t feel much shame about stripping off her shirt. If he’ll let her get that close, she’ll bend to press (a non-goopy part of) her shirt to his wound.
Or he could stop her, because both Higekiri and Dana’s emotes are scaring me.]
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Melting is bad. [THANKS. The zombies are dead, he's keeping an eye on them, and he's letting the two of them deal with Higekiri because he's a little too freaked out to think much of it. Instead, he's going to check the vials one by one to read every label. He'll grab all of them, plus another jar of green liquid and some more syringes.
...he's also checking under the tables to make sure there's no hidden notes or, like, bodies or something there. If he can. How do tables work.
Anyway with all of that said and done he's going to approach and take a breath.]
We should check how bad the wound is...Beck, be careful with yours, too. [...a glance to Wei Wuxian.] Gremlin, you still okay like that? [With your...third...arm...?]
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Haha, I'm fine, don't you worry about me.
[He holds his... zombie arm decoration with one hand and reaches out to try - first touching, and then holding, if it's allowed - Higekiri's free hand with the other, assuming it's moved before Beck tries to staunch the blood.]
Where does it hurt? Just the bite, anywhere else? All over? What kind of pain?
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and to think he just started to relax again after his brother died - but he supposes it makes sense, for him to literally start falling to pieces without him.]
Burning - everywhere.
[he reports it, and he keeps his voice even - it seems as though he wants to press on, to be useful, to fulfill his duty as the only true weapon among them, even though his body is actively rebelling against him. his breath stutters even if he tries to will it to stop, blood dripping down his person as he almost grows light-headed, but fights to hold onto his consciousness.
he levels his gaze at wwx, certain.]
We need to continue the mission. If I break, so be it.
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We're not leaving you to break, don't be an idiot. [The words are harsh but the tone is soft and worried as his eyes scan the pages.] ...we have local anesthetic, a mystery blue jar that I'm pretty sure we need for the ritual, and green jars with something that "detains the effects of accelerated apoptosis and necrosis." Which...might help Higekiri not turn into a zombie and die. And the best part is we're still locked in. So what do we do?
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Either way, he meets Higekiri's gaze, and there's something in his own that's - understanding, but unyielding, all the same. It's not like he doesn't get it. He really, really does. All the same, he absolutely refuses to leave people behind if there's even a shred of a possibility to avoid it. So he just gives Higekiri's hand a squeeze and then looks over at Junpei.]
Deal with Higekiri first, we can figure out the door after. I want to take one of those hearts, too - I can handle that part. [Removing zombie organs! He does it all the time.] Anything useful in those papers?
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but he'll let them staunch the bleeding, carefully keeping his face neutral as it happens, even though there's the slightest twitch of his mouth downward from the pressure and as he regards the rest of them.]
Deal with me... is it.
[well doesn't he hate being a liability. he lets his eyes at least flick around the room, because the truth is that he doesn't know what to do in this situation.]
Is there... anything else to find with the rows of containers? [a beat] Shall we look inside where they once laid?
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That's actually not a bad idea. I kind of figured it was just a zombie hotbed of death but...yeah. [Give him a second, he's puttering around the room to pull the documents off of the clipboards, folding them up into his pocket and throwing the clipboards onto the dead zombies. Bye. The gun is put away with the safety on, and he's juggling jars and syringes as he goes to investigate the fridges the four zombies came from. He'll open each one of them, looking around inside where he can INCLUDING THE CEILING AND FLOOR, GOD, NOT MAKING THIS MISTAKE AGAIN, looking through the sheets, etc.]
We could also put him inside but that seems kinda...extreme, I guess?
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That isn’t how he meant it. You aren’t someone we have to deal with... You’re our friend.
[Of course, that’s half to calm him down and half a diversion tactic; as she speaks to him, meeting his eye, she’s pulling the jar of green liquid and the syringe out of her pocket and moving them towards Wei Wuxian.]
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Either way, he'll meet her stare briefly, shifting a little because both A) there's a zombie hand in his gut, that's uncomfortable even for him and B) because then he can more seamlessly reach for the jar and syringe with the hand that drops away from his abdomen. He knows he probably can't fill the syringe without Higekiri noticing, so he just keeps his hand over them both for now.]
Right - sword you may be, but you're no less valuable than Beck or Junpei, you know? We're not losing anyone here tonight.
[He will... wait to see if Junpei's search bears fruit before trying to fuckin stab Higekiri, though.]
—Anything over there?
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A and N's refrigerators are super duper busted, given the fact that the girls literally clawed and kicked their way out of them. The hatches are busted, and the sliding trays where the bodies would normally go are damaged enough that they can't be pushed back in again. H and J's refrigerators are still in working condition, however. The white plastic sheets now have some black goo splattered on them due to the scuffle, but they're otherwise fine. Similarly, there's nothing else on the floor and ceiling.]
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[a sword is to forged to be used by humans - but he seems to understand that there's no real point in arguing. he also just doesn't see a reason to hold his tongue either, because he knows his own worth and it's always been secondary to the people around him unless he's wanted for his renown.
but he's not easily diverted and he's not easily distracted, as sharp and on edge as he currently is, eyes following the green liquid and the syringe.
everything is still in pain, and he speaks only when he can find his tongue amidst the flares of it, shuddering]
Do what you must.
[his hand still hasn't let go of his sword]
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She’s hoping it’ll be comforting - and that it’ll be extra incentive not to stop the injection.]
You’re going to be okay, Higekiri.
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...watch the sword. [It's a soft warning, low and wary as he keeps his eyes on Wei Wuxian's hand and the injection. But at the same time he's also grabbing for his gun again just in case. He trusts nothing? I trust no Dana tbh.]
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[He thinks Higekiri's words are pretty lucid, there - "you don't understand because you're soft-hearted". It's not an insult, not as he interprets it. Just something from the perspective of a blade, tempered and brought into existence for the sole purpose of being wielding by another.
Still, he'll let go of Higekiri's hand long enough to open the jar so he can draw some measure of liquid into the syringe. Are there fuckin instructions on how much to use on these jars oh my god IF NOT HE'LL PLAY IT SAFE and fill it halfway, instead of all the way, just... in case... One can always inject more anti-zombie juice!!
After that, he takes up Higekiri's hand again, before leaning in to place the needle at some fleshy juncture close to the bite wound. If he's not stopped, he'll give Higekiri a look, glance toward the sword in his hand, and then push the needle in to inject the dose. FINGERS CROSSED YALL.]
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LUCKILY meta text will be kind and state that the jar indicates the proper dose is 6cc.]
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even through the pain and burning, he wants to fight - but he wants to be useful even more than that. there is nothing to fight, and he doesn't quite like it, but he'll clench his hand tighter around his own sword as the syringe sinks in and he thinks again that being a sword would be simpler, repairs would be simpler
but the noise that leaves his mouth is only a uncomfortable growl, low in his throat]
1/2
and he drops dead immediately.]
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The substance enters his bloodstream, and the effects are immediate. It feels like taking a dip in the pool during a hot summer's day. Starting from the point of injection, he will feel an immediate relief for the burning sensation that had spread through his veins. While there will still be some discomfort, and the damage that has already been done is irreversible, Higekiri will no longer feel as if his veins were on fire. The progression has been detained, just as promised. :)
Now, what else will they do?]
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no just kidding. higekiri seems to settle upon receiving the injection, letting out a breath as the tension leaves his body. for the record, he is absolutely still missing a chunk of skin where he was bitten, and covered in blood and goo, but at least it seems like he's doing... better?]
.... Mm. The melting is gone.
[so that's good. he'll nod his head in gratitude to both beck and wwx, but seems to still lack his smile. then he'll move to stand, flicking his sword clean as best as he can finally, and then immediately proceed to help out with the investigation, going to look at the sink.]
We ought to continue. Treat your wounds and assist when you are well.
[he doesn't know anything about human repair and he's not going to pretend to??? but he'll at least go to experimentally turn on the sink just because it's something they haven't done yet]
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...We should take that out. It might do something bad if it stays in.
[She trusts no zombie arm!!!]
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And while this is happening:] Try turning on all of the sinks while you're there, Higekiri. It might be worth testing. [...] There's material for washing and drying the bodies, right? Maybe we can use those for your sword. Or all of us? Are we supposed to purify ourselves or what?
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covers the screen pretend im on the right account
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