🧙 WHO: Sakura Haruno -&- YOU! ⚔️️ WHAT: Various things 🕒 WHEN: The course of Sakura's stay 🗺️ WHERE: All over the Isle of Avalon! ⚠️ WARNINGS: Warnings in thread headers
[He’s quiet after she offers to let him talk about it. He understood what she meant, it was to try and help him relieve the burdens he carried, but he felt they were his to cat and his alone.
But, he could at the very least give her a summary of what happened, to explain his father’s guilt. Or at least… part of it.]
It’s… complicated. [He let out a sigh and took a breath, his recanting of the story was very distant, he tried to be as removed from it as he could.] My father is a Legatus, or he was. He lead the VIIth Legion was thought to be killed in action after a weapon project he was working on, the Ultima weapon, destroyed his base of operations in Eorzea.
My siblings and I all enlisted when the VIIth legion was reformed and we heard that the weapon project was being continued. We wanted to continue where he left off, to see his legacy through.
The Legatus that replaced my father hated him. My father surpassed him at every turn, and he hated it, despised him for it. We’re adopted, and not Garlean, so he didn’t even see us as people. We wound up easy targets for his resentment, and being the eldest of my siblings I did my best to take responsibility for them.
[ Though she doesn't know the terms that he uses she's still able to figure a bit out from context. Legatus was clearly a high rank if he was in a position of leadership, and he'd been designing some sort of ultimate weapon called the "Ultima weapon".
His peer had an inferiority complex and had taken it out on his better's adopted children. Garlean must be the name of his adoptive father's people, then.
Last, but certainly not least, it seemed obvious that he had taken the brunt (if not all) of this man's wrath in lieu of his siblings, which was admirable, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they knew, and how they must've felt if the did.
All the while Sakura has gotten started with her work. After first soaking and then ringing out one of the towels she'd set to work on cleaning his wounds beginning with the easier ones and working her way through the worst from there. In the time that it took Alfonse to explain all of that she'd managed to get through most of the gashes and cuts and was starting to take the cap off of an ointment that would help with healing and disinfecting.
She had an uneasy feeling about the direction of the story, like an unsettled sense of thinking she may have a feeling of which way the tale would end. His father's guilt, and the need for distraction... ]
Men like that are always a danger to everyone around them... So it seems like you must've had an encounter with him before arriving here, and then when you did you were thanked for your trouble by being thrown into the lake.
[ She observed, tsking softly at the powers that be. ]
Are any of them here, then? [ She asked, glancing up for a moment before her eyes returned to her task. ] Or is it just you and your father?
I did. My brother Rex and I arranged it so our youngest sister would be taken into custody, by those who had come to stop the Legatus, Velens Van Varro.[the name is spat out venomously] Rex didn’t survive the encounter with them, it was by design, but…
[He was getting too personal, he could still see Rex’s smiling face as he went off to his death.
He shook his head and pushed the memories away.]
At that point I was the only one left for Velens to vent his frustration on.
[He winced as she hit a tender spot, but made no sound. Didn’t hurt half as bad as receiving the injury.]
Just my father and I. There are others from my world, but none I knew personally.
[ Sakura is quiet, reflective over the information, but whatever she thinks she doesn't expound on it just then. He can't see her face because his back is still to her anyway, but there's a moment where the silence maybe feels a little heavier and somber. ]
I'm sorry.
[ He might show up here, but Sakura won't give him that hope as it may turn out to be false. This "Valens" may turn up instead, or if Rex or their siblings turned up it may be more shock than they bargained for, like her and Sasuke. ]
Well, then I'm glad you at least have your father, but if you don't mind me saying so: I'm not sure how long you're going to be able to hide this from him. I'm sure he'd want to be able to help. I know I would if it were my teammates.
[ She's moving on from cleaning the wounds now to begin casting one of her healing spells. It isn't very powerful so the spell will take some time, but thankfully not much concentration. He should start to feel some relief from the pain within a few minutes. ]
No, I can't- [And then it all just came tumbling out unbidden. Things he didn't wish to tell, but couldn't help it. There was just so much, so much he'd been sitting on, so much he'd been holding back.] Out of the five of us, only our youngest sister was left.
[He ran his hands over his face, then slumped forward to just hold his head in his hands, as his breaths grew shakier. He was trying to hold himself together, but he was hanging on by a thread. For all he spoke of his father's guilt, he had no small amount of his own. He was forced to now live with the consequences of his actions, which was proving to be... quite the heavy burden.]
I asked my father to kill me. I didn't want to keep living as the weapon Velens forged me into. Every time my father looks at me I can see it, the guilt eats away at him- he can't find out. He shouldn't have the bare that guilt too...
[ The force of his protest was so emphatic that Sakura paused in her work to look up at him. This new insight is... horrifying, but not a tale that's entirely strange to her either. She's sorry to have pressed, even though she still believes what she said. It's something he'll have to decide for himself, however, as is fully his right. She's got no place butting in.
It's only a split second after that fact that the truth of his words settle in. He'd asked... and while she doesn't realize the full scope of what he means by living as a weapon (she's thinking very much figurative because not even Sasori's self-experimentation could fully encapsulate the horror of the truth) she does catch the implication that his father might have complied with his wish. ]
[ It's not even like she can make a judgment or anything, she doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, doesn't know the context. If his wounds are this severe who knows what else he went through.
As the shock wears away she simply grimaces for a moment, not that he can see that either, and then sighs quietly. Her tone is gentle after. ]
Alright. I'm sorry for pushing, it's not my place.
[ Instead, she files the knowledge away. It's a heavy topic for a first meeting and she doesn't want to continue causing him distress, besides. That won't help with his recovery. So she changes the topic, shifts the focus. ]
How are you feeling, physically? I've healed the worst and most recent injuries so you shouldn't have any pain moving as normal.
[He runs his hands over his face. He needs a moment to gather himself, kicking himself for just... saying it all. It was something he both wanted to keep to himself, but also to speak it, so it would be less lonely. It was eating it at him more than he cared to admit.
Her words snapped him from his thoughts. She was done he work. So he tentatively rolled his shoulders to gauge how well he'd healed. To his shock there was... nothing. Well, nearly nothing. Only the minor discomfort of the damaged scaled remained, but after everything he'd been dealing with, he barely acknowledged that as more than a minor annoyance.]
There's... no pain. [He gets to his feet and tries to look over his shoulder, hard to see without a mirror, but it does at least look better than before.] I- I honestly can't remember the last time I could move and nothing hurt.
[He decided to be bold and stretch his arms up, and hear the satisfying crack of his back. And still, no pain. There's even a chuckle of relief, and his tail does a brief wag, again, something easier now that his back wasn't hurting.]
[ It was a pretty heavy bomb to drop, but that doesn't bother her. She does him the courtesy of not lingering for his sake rather than hers. At least he let it out to SOMEONE, right?
Stepping back to give him more literal room now, she observes as he goes through the motions and movements, ensuring that he's able to move about. She likes what she sees so far, in that his body seems more relaxed. That's a good sign, that's a very good sign. Some small part of her worried that her "magic" wouldn't prove as effective as her healing, but it seems she worried for nothing. ]
That's good...!
[ Oh, the tail wag- that's cute! Sakura has to put in an active effort not to look charmed or amused. It feels good to have been able to help him, though. ]
I'm not sure what sort of care your scales normally need, and I don't think that my healing will do much for them, but if you'd like to see me again about the rest you can tell me then. Maybe I can help take care of those, too.
Hopefully it will sort itself out, but in all likelihood I imagine some are just dead scales. Not much to do about it until the new ones start growing in though, then we can see what damage has been done.
[Hopefully the dead scales would get pushed out in favor of newer healthier ones, but honestly he couldn’t speak from experience. He’s never had to deal with that much damage before, and his father… well he was tragically scaleless. So even if he had the inclination to talk to him about anything, he still wouldn’t be able to help. He’d nearly taken him to the medical ward when he started losing his baby scales, if Alfonse hadn’t informed him it was normal.
He did at least assume since of the damage would be too much, and the scales just dead, it will be good to have someone that can actually get a good look at his back to help him with it. That and he really didn’t want to be the one plucking the scales off, something about the thought of it made him a bit squeamish.]
So, should we head back then? I-if you want to of course, you’ve honestly helped me more than enough for today if you’re tired.
[He had no idea hope magic worked. At all. Could casting it make someone tired, he… he assumed so? But really, he had no concept of it at all. He just wanted to be considerate.
[ Mental notes are made, things to remember if she's going to treat him for any more injuries going forward. For now, it's enough that Alfonse feels well enough to move about freely and without discomfort.
He seems so hesitant to inconvenience others that Sakura can't help but smile. Is it weird that he reminds her a little bit of Hinata? One of her best friends from home, someone whose younger sister she's been trying to look after in her place. She's an only child, so she doesn't know what having siblings must feel like, but if she did she would like someone like them.
So in a weird, roundabout way Alfonse is kind of like a big brother or could be, potentially.
Sakura was gathering everything back up while he explained. By the time he finishes she's done packing again and snaps her medical pack shut. With a smile and shake of her head, she insists. ]
Nah, I'm alright. Trust me, my stamina's better than that. If you're sure you feel up for it I can still work. Maybe we can share some of the lunches I brought later over a break?
[ She'd like to get to know him more, especially if she'll continue treating him in the future. Honestly, she needs something- someone -to focus on other than Sasuke, Hanabi, and work. The former is certainly more interested in doing his own thing and needs space, Hanabi has school to keep her busy, and one can only do so much work in a day with the shop's hours. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ragingblossom) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
isleofavalon2022-02-27 01:19 pm
no subject
[He’s quiet after she offers to let him talk about it. He understood what she meant, it was to try and help him relieve the burdens he carried, but he felt they were his to cat and his alone.
But, he could at the very least give her a summary of what happened, to explain his father’s guilt. Or at least… part of it.]
It’s… complicated. [He let out a sigh and took a breath, his recanting of the story was very distant, he tried to be as removed from it as he could.] My father is a Legatus, or he was. He lead the VIIth Legion was thought to be killed in action after a weapon project he was working on, the Ultima weapon, destroyed his base of operations in Eorzea.
My siblings and I all enlisted when the VIIth legion was reformed and we heard that the weapon project was being continued. We wanted to continue where he left off, to see his legacy through.
The Legatus that replaced my father hated him. My father surpassed him at every turn, and he hated it, despised him for it. We’re adopted, and not Garlean, so he didn’t even see us as people. We wound up easy targets for his resentment, and being the eldest of my siblings I did my best to take responsibility for them.
no subject
His peer had an inferiority complex and had taken it out on his better's adopted children. Garlean must be the name of his adoptive father's people, then.
Last, but certainly not least, it seemed obvious that he had taken the brunt (if not all) of this man's wrath in lieu of his siblings, which was admirable, but Sakura couldn't help but wonder if they knew, and how they must've felt if the did.
All the while Sakura has gotten started with her work. After first soaking and then ringing out one of the towels she'd set to work on cleaning his wounds beginning with the easier ones and working her way through the worst from there. In the time that it took Alfonse to explain all of that she'd managed to get through most of the gashes and cuts and was starting to take the cap off of an ointment that would help with healing and disinfecting.
She had an uneasy feeling about the direction of the story, like an unsettled sense of thinking she may have a feeling of which way the tale would end. His father's guilt, and the need for distraction... ]
Men like that are always a danger to everyone around them... So it seems like you must've had an encounter with him before arriving here, and then when you did you were thanked for your trouble by being thrown into the lake.
[ She observed, tsking softly at the powers that be. ]
Are any of them here, then? [ She asked, glancing up for a moment before her eyes returned to her task. ] Or is it just you and your father?
no subject
[He was getting too personal, he could still see Rex’s smiling face as he went off to his death.
He shook his head and pushed the memories away.]
At that point I was the only one left for Velens to vent his frustration on.
[He winced as she hit a tender spot, but made no sound. Didn’t hurt half as bad as receiving the injury.]
Just my father and I. There are others from my world, but none I knew personally.
no subject
I'm sorry.
[ He might show up here, but Sakura won't give him that hope as it may turn out to be false. This "Valens" may turn up instead, or if Rex or their siblings turned up it may be more shock than they bargained for, like her and Sasuke. ]
Well, then I'm glad you at least have your father, but if you don't mind me saying so: I'm not sure how long you're going to be able to hide this from him. I'm sure he'd want to be able to help. I know I would if it were my teammates.
[ She's moving on from cleaning the wounds now to begin casting one of her healing spells. It isn't very powerful so the spell will take some time, but thankfully not much concentration. He should start to feel some relief from the pain within a few minutes. ]
no subject
No, I can't- [And then it all just came tumbling out unbidden. Things he didn't wish to tell, but couldn't help it. There was just so much, so much he'd been sitting on, so much he'd been holding back.] Out of the five of us, only our youngest sister was left.
[He ran his hands over his face, then slumped forward to just hold his head in his hands, as his breaths grew shakier. He was trying to hold himself together, but he was hanging on by a thread. For all he spoke of his father's guilt, he had no small amount of his own. He was forced to now live with the consequences of his actions, which was proving to be... quite the heavy burden.]
I asked my father to kill me. I didn't want to keep living as the weapon Velens forged me into. Every time my father looks at me I can see it, the guilt eats away at him- he can't find out. He shouldn't have the bare that guilt too...
1/2
It's only a split second after that fact that the truth of his words settle in. He'd asked... and while she doesn't realize the full scope of what he means by living as a weapon (she's thinking very much figurative because not even Sasori's self-experimentation could fully encapsulate the horror of the truth) she does catch the implication that his father might have complied with his wish. ]
2/2
As the shock wears away she simply grimaces for a moment, not that he can see that either, and then sighs quietly. Her tone is gentle after. ]
Alright. I'm sorry for pushing, it's not my place.
[ Instead, she files the knowledge away. It's a heavy topic for a first meeting and she doesn't want to continue causing him distress, besides. That won't help with his recovery. So she changes the topic, shifts the focus. ]
How are you feeling, physically? I've healed the worst and most recent injuries so you shouldn't have any pain moving as normal.
no subject
Her words snapped him from his thoughts. She was done he work. So he tentatively rolled his shoulders to gauge how well he'd healed. To his shock there was... nothing. Well, nearly nothing. Only the minor discomfort of the damaged scaled remained, but after everything he'd been dealing with, he barely acknowledged that as more than a minor annoyance.]
There's... no pain. [He gets to his feet and tries to look over his shoulder, hard to see without a mirror, but it does at least look better than before.] I- I honestly can't remember the last time I could move and nothing hurt.
[He decided to be bold and stretch his arms up, and hear the satisfying crack of his back. And still, no pain. There's even a chuckle of relief, and his tail does a brief wag, again, something easier now that his back wasn't hurting.]
no subject
Stepping back to give him more literal room now, she observes as he goes through the motions and movements, ensuring that he's able to move about. She likes what she sees so far, in that his body seems more relaxed. That's a good sign, that's a very good sign. Some small part of her worried that her "magic" wouldn't prove as effective as her healing, but it seems she worried for nothing. ]
That's good...!
[ Oh, the tail wag- that's cute! Sakura has to put in an active effort not to look charmed or amused. It feels good to have been able to help him, though. ]
I'm not sure what sort of care your scales normally need, and I don't think that my healing will do much for them, but if you'd like to see me again about the rest you can tell me then. Maybe I can help take care of those, too.
no subject
[Hopefully the dead scales would get pushed out in favor of newer healthier ones, but honestly he couldn’t speak from experience. He’s never had to deal with that much damage before, and his father… well he was tragically scaleless. So even if he had the inclination to talk to him about anything, he still wouldn’t be able to help. He’d nearly taken him to the medical ward when he started losing his baby scales, if Alfonse hadn’t informed him it was normal.
He did at least assume since of the damage would be too much, and the scales just dead, it will be good to have someone that can actually get a good look at his back to help him with it. That and he really didn’t want to be the one plucking the scales off, something about the thought of it made him a bit squeamish.]
So, should we head back then? I-if you want to of course, you’ve honestly helped me more than enough for today if you’re tired.
[He had no idea hope magic worked. At all. Could casting it make someone tired, he… he assumed so? But really, he had no concept of it at all. He just wanted to be considerate.
no subject
He seems so hesitant to inconvenience others that Sakura can't help but smile. Is it weird that he reminds her a little bit of Hinata? One of her best friends from home, someone whose younger sister she's been trying to look after in her place. She's an only child, so she doesn't know what having siblings must feel like, but if she did she would like someone like them.
So in a weird, roundabout way Alfonse is kind of like a big brother or could be, potentially.
Sakura was gathering everything back up while he explained. By the time he finishes she's done packing again and snaps her medical pack shut. With a smile and shake of her head, she insists. ]
Nah, I'm alright. Trust me, my stamina's better than that. If you're sure you feel up for it I can still work. Maybe we can share some of the lunches I brought later over a break?
[ She'd like to get to know him more, especially if she'll continue treating him in the future. Honestly, she needs something- someone -to focus on other than Sasuke, Hanabi, and work. The former is certainly more interested in doing his own thing and needs space, Hanabi has school to keep her busy, and one can only do so much work in a day with the shop's hours. ]