isleofavalon | [open] march madness

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[open] march madness

🧙 WHO: Rosho and anyone!
⚔️️ WHAT: general catch-all for quests, tdm prompts and future event stuff
🕒 WHEN: all of March
🗺️ WHERE: around Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: none

( 1. FUCKING BNUUY )

[ A cafe visit is a hard thing to turn down, but a rabbit cafe? How do you even say no to that? Even if it's terribly over-indulgent, the cute rabbit-themed desserts just won't stop tempting Rosho, and petting a rabbit can do wonders for stress, right? It's a perfectly good reason that can't be debated. However it's after his third cafe while Rosho is sipping on a nice milk tea that he scrolls through the QuestBoard app, and right there is absolutely a task he could take care of, no problem.

All he needs to do is just..... not spend too much money. This is about finding that angora rabbit, not eating more sweets! ]

( 2. GREEN THUMB )

[ This really does just seem like an entire month devoted to rabbits, isn't it, Rosho idly thinks as he browses a small florist shop's assortment of plants and flowers to figure out a good set-up for that ritual needed to get rid of these winter fairies. He knows enough about plants in passing, but not enough to be able to reliably pick out night-blooming flower. Eventually after chatting with the florist, he decides on picking out some yellow evening primrose. It'll be nice to take care of a plant regularly again.

Of course once he gets his planter set up he doesn't expect for more rabbits to end up in his house. It's not dust bunnies, but these little animals might try to eat his plants! So don't mind Rosho anytime it's a late hour and he's got his inn room wide open as he tries to shoo a grouping of little moon rabbit kits out. ]

Go, go! You're really cute, but there's no way I can keep you, there's already enough animals in this place!

[ Oh no they're crawling all over his feet, stop, help, he wants to keep them all. ]

( 3. SMOOTH MOVES )

[ Rosho probably should have learned something about eating strange, free foods in another world after being in... another world previously, but sometimes your stomach decides things for you and your brain has to process the consequences afterward. And of course, with all the positive words the smoothie vendors are offering, it's hard to say no to their product. Rosho is easy to scam for a reason. ]

( ooc: feel free to pick whatever smoothie flavor you'd like or hit me up to decide on one! only stipulation is strawberry-rose is an open option for Sasara and other canonmates only, sorry! )

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[Doppo didn't remember the immediate aftermath of the blow; he might have passed out from the pain for a split second, only to be awoken again as Rosho desperately pulled him up. The wound hurt horribly and he couldn't move his right arm...that was bad, right?

Rosho was speaking, yelling loudly so he had to be okay, and it was half due to his friend's efforts that he was upright again. They had to run.]

Rosho...are you-what happened? Are you alright?

[He wasn't sure how he got standing again, but Rosho probably had a hand in it. There was a lot of blood; it was all over Rosho's hands, and dripping from the rip in his suit as well. How recently had Hifumi even mended this one? His roommate was going to be so disappointed...

The bake-kujira had grown in size and placed itself between the two and the dullahan, even if it was only a temporary measure; Doppo needed to get moving, and fast, but all he could do is cling to Rosho's side.]

[ To think that Doppo was this seriously injured and yet he still had the mind to ask if Rosho was okay. But he doesn't have time to wallow in the guilt of getting him involved in this mess, doesn't even have time to say much of anything as he hoists Doppo's good arm over his shoulder and wraps an arm around his back. They need to get going. He's not sure how long his fox(es) can hold off the creature, and even with the large ghost whale now standing between the two of them and the dullahan, it's still only a ghost, right?

His gaze shifts to land upon the discarded box. ]

Shit... shit, this wasn't worth it!

[ He wants to keep the box out of the dullahan's possession out of spite, and so he gives it a hard kick which sends it flying quite a few feet in the distance. Rosho begins hobbling as fast as he can, dragging Doppo along with him. ]

Doppo, walk, just move your legs as fast as you can and don't stop, okay?!

[Unfortunately Rosho was right and his familiar was just a ghost that could curse people; none of that worked on the Dullahan. Doppo was doing his best, really, trying to cling to consciousness and move his legs which had suddenly become spaghetti.

Hypnosis mic battles hurt like hell, but this was a different sort of pain, and he could practically feel the blood running out of the open wound. It was getting everywhere and he was somehow just fixated on that.]

I'm sorry...the blood...your sweater...

[Behind them, the dullahan finally broke free of both familiars, cutting through the bakekujira as if it were smoke. The pair hadn't gotten too far before the dullahan drew its sword again to slash down at the two men, cutting into their backs.

[ Everything feels like a nightmare as Rosho tries to only focus on getting them to some sort of safety as fast as they can. There's a small cropping of trees nearby, maybe if he gets Doppo there he can call for help, use his alchemy somehow, do something to keep them safe. He tries to ignore the pained call of the foxes as they're struck down, but at least the noise seems distant, maybe they can do it.

There's a hot, sharp pain that strikes across his back. Rosho cries out and immediately crumbles to his knees, Doppo falling with him. It starts to hurt more and more, searing, his eyes watering from the pain. He doesn't dare to move.

As the dullahan approaches one of the foxes soars forward and scuttles over Rosho's legs, pawing at his backpocket until a little nose peeks in then pulls out a gold coin, one of a few Rosho keeps on him. It hurries and stands between the two and the dullahan, body arched and fur puffed up, angry. It's small, hardly threatening even with those wild open eyes, but the dullahan suddenly stops in its tracks. ]

[When Rei first re-entered his office and saw the thank you for accepting this quest message on the computer monitor, he wasn't alarmed-- just confused. Had Rosho decided to use his computer for side job hunting? That's fine, he supposes-- there is nothing particularly incriminating on his computer that Rosho could turn him in for.

But when Rei scrolled up and saw which quest Rosho had oh-so-helpfully picked, he'd never jumped out of a chair faster in his life.]

Damn it!

[An earsplitting screech rings out above them-- Rei's familiar, searching the skies while Rei rode a ("borrowed") horse to catch up below, spots the commotion. She dives, feathers glittering in the light, and fastens her claws into the forsaken illicit package to spirit it away and draw the ever-encroaching dullahan's attention.

Rei keeps his distance-- no sense getting injured too, he's not stupid-- until the dullahan, wary of both the gold and of losing sight of its head, backs off from its victims to chase the hou-ou. Then he jumps from the horse and runs to the two men cowering at the treeline, dropping to his knees to take stock of them.

Shit. Shit shit shit. Doppo's here too?]

You fuckers had better be alive! Don't move.

[ Rosho doesn't dare move even with the swell of noise that follows, and he dreads what to come, hoping that playing dead will prove useful enough. He can make out the growling noise of his fox but there's... something like footsteps, and then a bird. He doesn't lift his head until all of a sudden there's Rei's voice right beside him.

It hits him then that maybe, they've gotten lucky, and they might not die. But Doppo's blood is still on his hands. Doppo hasn't said anything. Rosho struggles to push himself up, arms trembling against the ground. ]

R-Rei...? I, Doppo is...

[ He bites his lip and almost crumbles from the pain of his back, blood rushing to his head, and he's starting to feel woozy but he refuses to lose consciousness. He needs to make sure Doppo's okay, he got him into this mess, he's the reason he got hurt, if anything were to happen to him...

Rosho's familiar, still caught in a panic, has dropped the coin onto the ground and has now started screeching at Rei. It doesn't know if he's here to help or hurt, but it won't take chances, as tired as it is from trying to hold the dullahan off. It nips and bites at his shoes, gnashes at his pant leg. ]

Edited 2021-03-19 08:47 (UTC)

I said don't move. [He's relieved to hear Rosho respond, though. Thank god, he's still alive. Now to keep him that way. Rei doesn't want to imagine what losing him would do to Sasara.

Rei reaches back to grab the fox by the scruff of its neck-- that hurts, you little fucker-- and plops it by Rosho's head.] Keep him awake.

[Now for Doppo. Rei reaches for his swiss army knife-- usually used for opening booze, now useful for something more grim-- and moves to cut open the man's jacket and shirt to reach the wound. He needs to work fast; no time to worry about saving Doppo's wardrobe.] Did he get hurt first? How many times?

[As Rei investigated, he'd see that Doppo had a deep stab wound to the right shoulder, and the slash to his back that had at least been partly blocked by Rosho holding him.

Fortunately, all the manuvering started waking Doppo up, the pain almost blinding him as he heard voices. His memory was still in peices, but he remembered that he was trying to protect something. Someone? There had been an attack and....

His eyes fluttered open, blurred vision trying to focus on his surroundings as he attempted to move. That was a mistake, and he let out a pained groan.]

...Rosho?

[That's right. Rosho was there. For some reason they were together and had been attacked, and he was trying to protect Rosho. He'd been carrying him when all of a sudden they'd apparently ended up on the ground. Was the guy with the sword still around?

He was reaching out with a hand, struggling to move since his right side didn't work, but all it did was put Rei with his knife into his field of vision. Doppo had no idea what he was doing here, and he wasn't even sure if it was good terms when they last left, having seen something about Rei he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to, and his eyes widened.

He couldn't exactly articulate his feelings, but it became evident as he tried to get up, reaching out desperately for Rosho in an attempt to escape.]

Rosho he's....kill us!

[ Rosho's pretty close to wanting to pass out himself, but once his familiar is plopped down nearby it scuttles on over and nudges at his face before beginning to lick him. It doesn't exactly do much to help him feel better, but its got his attention, long enough for him to focus on Rei speaking. ]

That thing, it got Doppo first... he's hurt, really badly...

[ He can only trust that Rei knows what he's doing, so when Doppo wakes up and finally speaks up in a panic, Rosho's relatively calm as he tries to reach out a hand to steady him. ]

Doppo, don't... don't move, Rei is helping... it's okay...

[Rei ignores Doppo's panic, except to tsk in tense annoyance. It's an extremely good sign that he's awake, but god, at what cost.

Cutting through Doppo's clothes to his injury is but the work of a moment, and he sighs at the damage. How long has it been since Rei's seen this kind of wound? He thought he'd left that shit behind.]

You're lucky that thing keeps its blade sharp. At least the cut is clean. [Small comfort, though, when he's injured this badly.] This is gonna hurt. Bear with it.

[Bundling Doppo's torn shirt, Rei presses it hard onto the wounds, hand clamped down on Doppo's shoulder. It's been a while since he's had to use first aid knowledge, but Rei knows this much with perfect clarity: stop the bleeding.]

Rosho. [He snaps his gaze back to his teammate, staring at him piercingly. Triage means he has to attend to Doppo first, but....] You got cut on your back? Anywhere else?

[It took a couple moments for Rosho's words to register in his mind, but he stopped trying to move at least. Rosho talking meant he was awake, and he trusted him. Doppo couldn't figure out for the life of him why Rei of all people was here, but he really did seem to be concerned.

Unfortunately Rei chose next to press down on his bleeding wounds and he bit down so hard not to let out a pained scream that he just ended up bleeding from his lip instead. God, he wanted to pass out. It was hard to concentrate on anything and vision was blurry.]

What's he....doing here? Rosho...he okay?

[The blood was soaking into the fabric of his clothes, but the pressure at least seemed to be helping stem the tide.]

[ He wishes he could do something, anything to ease Doppo's pain. Alchemy can't do a single thing. Rosho simply clutches onto Doppo's free arm to try to distract him from the pain. ]

I, I think it's... just m-my back...

[ Rosho wants to lay himself back down but his glasses have fallen off of his face, he needs to check and make sure they haven't broken even though he was told not to move further. He gives a pained look to his pipe fox as the small creature continues to watch him. ]

Glasses, move them?

[ His fox chitters softly then crawls underneath him to pick them up carefully in its mouth. Rosho ducks his head, and as the fox tugs, the chain slips free off of his neck. Once his fox shows that he's gotten the glasses safely in its possession with a wag of its long tail Rosho lets out a relieved sigh and lays himself flat on the ground. His eyes flutter closed for a moment. ]

Rei... is a friend. You can trust him, right now.

Scream if you want, Kannonzaka. I'll hex you to numb the injury once you're stabilized. [Rei keeps his grim hold on the man's shoulder tight, keeping a close watch on the seep of blood. He hardly has time to feel much at all about Rosho's first admittance of him as a friend-- he's too busy running through all the possibilities he might find in his teammate's wound. Rosho is hearteningly aware, speaking... and has enough wherewithal to worry about something like his glasses, so the wound must be shallower than Doppo's. It definitely missed his vitals.

But still-- Rei's jaw is tight.]

Rosho. [Rei continues to address him-- not just because he has something to ask, but to keep the man focused on anything but his injury.] And-- fox thing. You have alchemy, right. Can you use it right now? Whatever you can do without moving much-- don't pull your cut. We could use some bandages or at least cord. And a blanket, even a rough one. Whatever you can manage from the plantlife here. Is any of that possible?

[Doppo almost let out a laugh at that, if opening his mouth would've resulted in anything other than screaming in pain, at least. If he couldn't handle this, what was the point in even trying in the first place?

But Rei wasn't lying, the pressure put on his wounds was excruciating. It might have been helping stem the flow of blood, but by god, he wanted Rei really to just finish him off right then and there. Somewhere along the way Doppo ended up clutching onto Rosho's arm with a vice grip. Their voices were swimming around but the idea of a curse sprang up in his mind-he was sitting there doing nothing, could he help out Rosho in return?

Rosho might feel tendrils of numbness start travelling towards the source of his pain before they were cut off by a thunderous call from his familiar. The whale had been hovering above in case anything else came, but now descended on the two injured men, circling the group agitatedly. Doppo slumped, and this time he did laugh.]

Ah...like usual, I can't be a help to anyone...I'm sorry.

[ Stay awake, stay awake, Rosho tells himself. Doppo's going through so much worse and he needs to be able to help Rei however he can, but the numbing sensation that swells over him makes it so easy to want to close his eyes and not open them again, he's exhausted.

Thankfully it's the disgruntled yip of his fox that snaps him out of it. Even if he doesn't have a name, don't call him fox thing! The numbness seems to be gone, and the noise in the distance sounds like that of a whale call. Ah, Doppo's familiar must be worried too. He tries to lift his head but can't, not with the way the pain surges up his back, and instead he pushes his hand against Doppo's side in a gentle nudge. ]

Don't say that. [ He'd be a lot better at reprimanding him if he wasn't in so much pain. Rosho's brow furrows as he looks at his fox. ]

Help, give me things... please? Whatever you find, and... stick. I'll, have t'draw, on the ground.

[ Leaving the pair of glasses near Rosho's head, his kuda-gitsune suddenly splits into multiple smaller foxes that scatter immediately. A handful begin scouring the area for whatever they can find, sticks, leaves, rocks, anything as long as it's carriable. One fox remains with Rosho to keep up watch and help him stay awake just as Rei ordered, and another one skitters toward Doppo where it begins to tend to him fretfully in the way it'd been doing to Rosho earlier. Once enough items have been gathered the foxes put them together in separate piles. While it's not much, it's something, and so Rosho will slowly begin to start writing down the symbols he needs.

At least the benefit of being a math teacher means symbols are his specialty, so he's done well at memorizing various things, but the pain keeps him from getting things conjured quickly. Eventually they'll have some cloth bandages at hand, a blanket, a bottle of water and some thin corded rope. ]

If you want to help, focus on self-preservation first. [Rei stops himself from adding "dumbass" to the end of that sentence, though it's certainly tempting. This guy truly needs all the will to live he can get. At least his weird ghost thing-- Jesus, it's huge-- seems to be worried on that front.

By the time Rosho finishes the alchemy work, Doppo's bleeding has slowed. Rei allows himself a sigh. Maybe they'll actually get out of this in one piece.]

Good. You did real good. [His voice is gentler as the need for urgency drops.] Now rest. Give me just a minute.

[Doppo's shirt is definitely done for-- it's more stain than shirt, now. But it's done the job of keeping him from bleeding out just fine. Rei gets to the task of cleaning and dressing it next; the bandages make for easy work, though it's still only a temporary field dressing.]

Don't move that arm, now. Didn't see anything life-ending while washing it out, but the less you disturb it, the easier it'll be to save your trapezius.

[He washes Doppo's blood from his hands with a sigh.]

All right, Rosho. Proud of you for hanging on.

[As he moves to remove Rosho's already-shredded sweater and top, there's a familiar shrill cry in the distance; Rei's hou-ou is returning, searching for them.]

[Doppo didn't have anything to say to the two of them on that; he couldn't, not with them both telling him it was okay. He really didn't expect it from Rei of all people and that was strangely comforting.

He may or may not have acknowledged Rei's words, but he took the rest part literally and his own eyes fluttered closed, relaxing his grip on Rosho's wrist as he started to fall asleep. Now that the man had taken away most of the pain, he was exhausted and his head was spinning. He didn't want to be awake any longer, especially since it seemed that Rosho was going to be okay.

His whale familiar flew up again, circling back towards Rei's familiar to help lead her back to the group. It was playing lookout until it didn't need to anymore.]

[ Rei's reassurance is, needless to say, strange to listen to, but it's also just the thing Rosho needs to try to stay calm through this chaotic mess. He tries to keep an eye on Doppo for as long as he can, so when his eyes fall shut and he stops speaking, Rosho nearly panics. His fingers curl tight at his side as he prepares to shake him, but he can soon see the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

It's then that it finally hits him. What he just did. ]

It's my fault. I asked him, to come with me. He got hurt, because of me. So, don't be mad, at him. It was me.

[ In fact, he didn't even notice the dullahan in the beginning. Was it Doppo? When he fell to the ground the first time, was it because Doppo was protecting him? All of that blood, he got hurt, when it should've been him. There was so much blood... ]

Rei, he... Doppo, will be okay, right? I... i-if he...

[ It'll be all his fault. If Doppo doesn't make it through this... his eyes water immediately. How is he going to explain this to Doppo's teammates— Doppo's friends? How is he going to tell this to Hifumi? ]

R-Rei, I... I'm sorry...

[Ah, hell. Are those tears? It's almost funny that of all the things Rei has dealt with-- he just dug around in Doppo's shoulder for God's sake-- this is the part that makes him the most uncomfortable. Something about soothing a person, especially crying, is.... .... ...]

...Save it. [His voice is rough, unused to comfort, but the hand not using Rosho's shirt to stem his bleeding strokes gently through the man's hair-- just once.] You're both going to live, 'cause I'm gonna give you both an earful. Understand?

[Really, it's his fault, Rei thinks almost bitterly. Stupid of him to let his guard down. Stepping out for even a moment, that turned into more moments, enough moments for Rosho to see things he shouldn't have, unsupervised. Stupid of him to hold any sort of trust. Now look at this mess... but ah, well. Rei has fucked up enough in his life, what's one more near miss to send him to hell?]

Kannonzaka's stable. So give some thought to yourself for half a second-- you've worked hard enough to save him already.

[ For someone like Rosho who grew up keenly familiar to the stern sort of tone heard in Rei's voice, he doesn't even flinch. It's what he deserves, after all, just like he always seemed to deserve hearing those sorts of things and being spoken to in that sort of way back then. Mistakes, intentional or not, couldn't be forgiven. So he doesn't say anything further. There's nothing else he can say really beyond the apology, and even that's not enough.

A weight settles on his head, but his kuda-gitsune who has reverted back to a single form, is right in front of him. The small fox is chittering softly as it lays flat on the ground and sniffs at him before beginning to lick his forehead. So, it's not his fox, it's... it's Rei's hand.

Rosho blinks, confused, unsure of what to do. He sniffles then closes his eyes.

For some reason, he almost laughs.

Even someone like Rei can be like this... like, a father. ]

Yeah... understood. [ Rosho replies quietly, his voice still warbling and tight with emotion. ] Should I do, anything else? I... I'm, cold. 'n really tired.

[ Probably from the blood loss. ]

Just lie there. I've got you.

[Rosho's wound is easier to stem than Doppo's deep one... Rei finds himself amused, briefly, at the ugly emotion of "better him than Rosho". If he categorizes it as needing Rosho alive for his long-term plans back home instead of simple fond sentiment, it feels permissible.]

Your wound's shallow enough, considering. [Thank god the dullahan went for a slash and not a stab.] No serrated edge on the weapon. No spine damage, since you've been moving around like that. Gonna hurt like a real bitch when you raise your arms or bend while it's healing, but you'll be all right. [again:] I've got you.

[Rei's hou-ou finally lands, looking tired but triumphant. The abhorrent package must have been either handed off or Thrown Off A Cliff, and the dullahan sufficiently routed. "Good girl," Rei murmurs, though he's too busy dressing Rosho's wound to properly praise her; she settles instead upon Doppo's uninjured lower back, feathers puffed up, to keep him warm.]

I'm gonna wrap you in the blanket, all right? [Rosho is so easy to lift. This kind of swaddling, too, feels familiar enough to ache. God. Rei hates it.]

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[open] march madness

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