nysalogs | (closed) do you know what's worth fighting for

[In hindsight, Kagari probably should've seen something like this coming a long time ago. It'd been building slowly enough that Kagari hadn't paid it much mind, dismissed it as boring politics that he didn't have to get involved with. He'd asked Darma, after all, if there was anything in particular the Natha expected of him where the conflict was concerned. Act, or do not... but the choice to do so must be yours, not ours, she had said. And until now, his position had been firmly under do not.

Until, of course, some crazy motherfucker had seen fit to shove an actual person at him and told him to throw them in the fire? Kagari never claimed to be of particularly strong moral character or anything of the sort, but randomly murdering a person out of some kind of misplaced nationalistic fervor was s e v e r a l bridges too far, even for him.

But it sure doesn't help that calling these people out on their insane fuckery might risk getting him shoved in the fire himself, and he really ..... doesn't want to die either ? ? ? ?

He's honestly fucking glad to see one of those horrible birds from Murkwell Hollow again, just so he doesn't have to deal with this shit. Well, at least until it grabs his shirt with its talons and tries to fly off with him, anyway. Then he's uh. Much less glad. And swearing rather explosively in Japanese as he screams and thrashes, which is probably not great for his Nysan cover, tbh. Halp.]

[ Koltira recognizes that screaming face. His stomach twists--a sudden coil of guilt, unfurling hot and sharp in his gut. But there's a more pressing matter to deal with right now, so he sets it aside.

He's in full armor at present, sword in hand--it's seemed necessary to stay fully equipped lately, and the events of the past few nights have proven that choice wise. He lunges for Kagari and the bird, Byfrost flashing, its runes blood red. He slashes at the vulture's legs, cutting into the corded muscle, causing it to falter before it gains too much altitude. It squawks in pain and surprise, and its grip weakens. ]

Flee!

[Kagari definitely remembers both that voice and the command to flee, but in the initial seconds between the bird letting him go and hitting the ground, he doesn't really think about it. After all, Kagari does value his own neck a good bit, and running is generally pretty decent advice when caught between a bird that wants to eat you and a guy that tried to strangle you not weeks ago.

The next couple seconds, however, change that particular plan of action. A sharp pain runs through his leg as he hits the ground, and when he tries to get up, and he promptly falls back down. He's twisted his ankle.

He looks very quickly between Koltira and the bird, and then carefully tries to .... scoot backward with his hands....until he hits some kind of wall, and then there's swearing anew.]

[ Koltira's dealing with the bird, still, so he doesn't immediately notice Kagari's injury. First he has to run this vulture through--which he does, viciously so. There's a burst of feathers and blood, a screech that vibrates in the air, and then a wet, gelatinous thump on the street. Koltira twists Byfrost's great blade in the creature's belly, and the slimy, slippery noise of metal cutting through viscera follows.

He stares at Kagari as he stands over the creature, his cheek spattered with dark blood, his expression otherwise inscrutable. ]

You can't get up.

[ It's a question, but it's not phrased like one. His voice is dull; guttural. ]

[Under other circumstances, Kagari would probably have been thrilled with that vaguely macabre display. But the memory of Koltira's hand around his throat is still fresh, and the death knight should be able to feel the spike of fear that runs through Kagari as Koltira meets his eyes.

He's locked in a mental debate with himself for a moment; he's hesitant to admit that he can't get up, lest Kotira take the opportunity to really kill him this time, but then again, he just saved his life. And he let Kagari go last time, for reasons he still doesn't entirely understand. On the other hand, if he makes some smartassed comment and pisses the guy off, that still doesn't rule out getting strangled, and also presents the possibility of being left behind with the Wyverns who are still throwing people into fires.]

...No.

[Should I start begging now? is the next thought on his tongue. it stays unvoiced. Instead, cautiously:]

Are you going to help me?

[There isn't an expectation or request in his voice; he's just honestly asking what Koltira's intentions are.]

[ He wrenches Byfrost out of the bird carcass, causing another splurt of feathers and gore. He hefts the sword onto his back, paying no mind to the blood sluicing down the blade, the trail he leaves he as strides towards Kagari. He well remembers their last encounter, and he cannot blame Kagari for the wariness. But he doesn't know how to soften himself. ]

Yes.

[ He reaches, picking Kagari up like he doesn't weigh anything at all. ]

Tell me where to take you.

[He flinches automatically when Koltira reaches out for him, but all the man does is pick him up, as promised, so Kagari doesn't struggle. He's a little confused by all this, honestly, but he has time to ask his questions in a moment. First, there's the matter of where to go, and when he hesitates this time, it's not out of fear. Rather, he's not really sure...what to do...in Japan, all medical care was taken care of in-house at the MWPSB. One of very, very few advantages to being both prisoner and employee of the government, if it could be called an advantage.]

Uh...I guess -- get some ice or something at the marketplace, and then go to the Old City? Er, that's where I live.

[u fool koltira literally has ice magic, u saw this already]

Edited 2018-03-07 10:04 (UTC)

[ One ice, coming right up. His palms glow blue, and his already cold touch turns even colder, as though Kagari's suddenly stuck his leg in a freezer. Tiny ice crystals form over the patch of irritated skin, small enough to soothe. It's probably the most innocuous use of his magic possible. ]

Tell me if it burns.

[ He starts off otherwise, carrying Kagari vaguely in the direction of the Old City. He knows the layout of this town, sort of, though the chaos makes things more confusing. Kagari might need to point out a better way. ]

...Whoa.

[It hadn't quite occurred to him Koltira could do that, though it makes sense; he remembers now those chains he'd been bound with were made of ice.

Kagari mumbles a thanks, but otherwise says little at first, letting Koltira take them in the general direction of the ramshackle house he'd claimed, offering suggestions for shortcuts and detours in the places where things were getting a little too violent. At one point, while they're at a lull, Kagari suddenly decides he can't contain himself any longer.]

What's your deal, anyway?

[A beat, then, in clarification--]

Was it magic again? Like at the ball?

[Just a more...murdery magic maybe??? Hell if he knows. But he kind of feels like he's owed an explanation, in any event, because it's just too weird to carry on like this guy didn't try to kill him and then save his life and isn't right now going out of his way to help him. None of these things add up in Kagari's head, and he's the kind of person who often tends to be suspicious of kindness as it is.]

Water.

[ Koltira all but spits it out as he keeps carrying Kagari. The streets are raucous, thick with angry, frightened crowds. Koltira navigates them without mercy, shoving people aside if they come too close. He takes Kagari's direction, and it leads them at last to a somewhat quiet back street, a place where the din of the chaos is only a dull roar. The house is not far, either. ]

Something in the water they gave us. It--inflamed my senses.

[ He frowns. ]

I did not mean to do what I did, but I know that is a frail excuse.

It was drugged, huh.

[Kagari never got around to trying the Flona Cave water, due to aforementioned near-strangling, but he can definitely believe that. It sounds like the kind of thing Makishima and his cronies would do, honestly--drug the drinking supply to heighten everyone's aggression and disrupt the use of the Sybil System. He doesn't let himself dwell too hard on that line of thought, though.]

Coulda used a bit of a clearer warning, but [a shrug] whatever. We're even now, so you don't have to feel guilty about it anymore, or anything.

[He's just assuming that's why Koltira helped him; why else go out of his way for a near-stranger?]

I did what I could.

[ He feels no remorse about that part of it. He was radiating threat, and Kagari ignored it. But that doesn't mean what happened afterwards was right. ]

And you cannot tell me how to feel.

[ There's the house. Koltira's still carrying Kagari, bride-style, and his fingers are still thrumming with cold. He stops just before the door. If Kagari doesn't reach for the knob, Koltira's going to kick it open. ]

[He doesn't, in fact, immediately reach for the knob, because he's a little distracted by what reads to him as spitting on forgiveness he didn't need to offer. He lets out a tch.]

Fine, then keep feeling guilty if you want, I don't give a rat's ass. I was just saying I'm not pissed at you.

[This is possibly the world's grumpiest, huffiest declaration of not holding a grudge, but at least it's sincere. He already has a lifetime's worth of things to be angry about, really, and there wouldn't be any point in holding onto resentment about this.]

[ Koltira kicks the door. ]

That is your prerogative.

[ Upon opening, he carries Kagari over the threshold, and then ... stops. This isn't his house, after all. ]

Where do you sleep.

Hey!

[Okay, he hadn't been expecting the door to get kicked in. This guy really can't wait to get him out of his hair, huh?]

How the hell am I supposed to fix that??

[ He grunts. The door isn't broken--though the lock might be. ]

Such things are easy to repair. If you have no skill in it, I will do it for you.

Answer the question.

[He mutters:]

Kinda hard to do with the whole standing problem...

[A huff. Koltira's already said he'll fix it, so there's no good belaboring the matter, so he moves on.]

There's a cot thing in the side room.

[Grumble mutter mumble grump.]

Edited 2018-03-12 02:19 (UTC)

[ Koltira takes him there, then drops him--unceremoniously--on the cot. He looks about for pillows afterwards, though, frowning. ]

You must keep your leg elevated.

[Unceremonious or not, Kagari had fully been expecting Koltira to turn around and leave as soon as he'd put him down. Instead, as the death knight looks around for pillows and then offers his advice, Kagari realizes with some discomfort that he might have been mistaken, earlier. It's a little harder to dismiss this as simply guilt now.

There's only the one pillow for his head, though. If Koltira looks around further, he'll find there's actually little to this small house of his beyond the essentials--some cooking utensils, a few (mostly dragon-themed) knick-knacks, a recently-purchased handgun, and his old handheld gaming device from his world, gifted back to him by the Natha. It looks more like a teenager lives here than an adult man, honestly -- but he tends to spend as little time here as he can. He's had his whole life to live inside a building, after all.]

...Why do you even care?

[He wanted that to sound more defensive than it did. Being prickly and rude is about the only defense he has against getting hurt, at least in the more than physical sense -- but that moment of apparent concern caught Kagari off-guard, and a bit of actual vulnerability leaks out.]

Edited 2018-03-12 04:27 (UTC)

I don't.

[ He says this flatly, without any particular emotion. It's not a lie: he doesn't know Kagari that well, and has no particular investment in his life. But, despite appearances--despite experiences--he is not an inherently cruel man. He doesn't leave people to suffer needlessly, not when he's in his right mind. ]

But I did not rescue you so that you could break your frail body further.

[ No pillows, then. He sighs, frustrated. ]

Have you ice, at least?

[That seems to be an answer that satisfies Kagari; there's no forthcoming hostility, at least. He just sort of shrugs at the question about the ice.]

Iiii don't.

[The steampunk equivalent of a refrigerator has served his purposes well enough, so he hasn't really needed ice. This is the problem with getting your first taste of freedom at 22 years old...you're technically an adult with literally no idea how to be an adult.]

How long before your magic ice melts?

Perhaps five minutes.

[ He doesn't time it, but it's not meant to last long.

Koltira exhales--a puff of frost that hangs for a moment in the air, crystallized, before bursting into white powder. ]

Simply rest, then. I am no priest, and can do nothing more.

Well, that sucks.

[He doesn't sound too upset about it, though. It's just a sprained ankle, after all. He'll live.]

But it's cool, I mean, I'm kinda surprised you did this much.

(closed) do you know what's worth fighting for

Koltira

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