❪ event ❫ THE DESCENT: PART ONE.

[natha]

THE PROLOGUE     Your sleep on the night of the 15th is not a restful one, unfortunately. It’s unclear whether you are in a state of half-wakefulness, or dreaming. The voices you hear certainly sound very real. What is it, Sael? —Is everyone asleep?! Every one, yes. Sael, it appears you do not have good news to deliver...? N-No! I don’t know how it slipped past us, but there’s something powerful coming this way. Something hostile. I can barely keep the core systems online! ... I don't know what to do... I see... and we cannot protect Thesa and Alria in addition to transferring the Refugees to Olympia. This force, they waited for this moment. They knew I have been Intervening, and that I have become weak from such Interventions— ... We've been had. It cannot be helped. To save the Refugees on the Stations, we must eject the awoken unto El Nysa. My remaining energy shall go into shielding Thesa— left defenseless, every being we have saved on this station will perish... Sael, where is the ideal location for the landing? Hmm. There aren’t any people within a ten mile radius of The Outlook, and there shouldn’t be any for a few more days. I think that’s the best location right now. Very well. Instruct Zasere and Roman to begin preparations for an emergency eject. This is the only way we can save everyone. I am counting on you to ward off the enemy on the space front. The rest... is up to our Refugees. The alarms are blaring. It shouts against your eardrums, calling you to wake again. This time, you are in new pod, strapped down completely and cushioned tightly against the walls. In truth, you had no idea when you’d gone to sleep, but it is reminiscent of when you had been saved from the force of the Storm. A voice greets you when you come to, while the conversation between Darma and Sael is still fresh on your mind. Despite their voices playing like an old tune in your memory, you still know it is something that happened. Something has gone terribly wrong. You hear Darma speak, her voice loud in your head. Fellow Refugee, I wake you with regrettable news. A force equal to our own is attempting to engage Thesa, no doubt to steal the souls contained here. My energy is near depleted with this last Intervention, so I cannot send you to the grounds safely as originally intended. However, there is hope yet.This power shall instead shield Thesa and Alria — and believe in me when I swear no one shall be hurt. Your loved ones are safe with us. —Unfortunately, that is at your expense. Your descent will not be an easy one. This pod that contains you shall pierce through El Nysa's atmosphere and land you on an island west of Olympia, simply called The Outlook. Travel east. Find the West Outpost, then continue east until you find the Olympian North Gate. There is a method to this madness. You shall be sent in waves. The inhumanly strong shall be first. The parachute will soften the landing, but I am aware of all your capabilities. The first wave will survive the drop, and will work tirelessly to secure the others. Find your bearings, and ensure the safety of the second wave. They are the healers and medics. Catch their pods, ease their landings, make certain that they shall not be harmed, because you will need them for your wounds. The third wave are your strongmen. They shall help clear the debris and take people to safety, making way for the fourth wave, those can conjure magic to help. Bring everyone to a safe distance. A supply drop will follow soon after; it shall contain tents and tools that will be useful for the long night. The fifth and sixth waves are largely vulnerable humans. With your combined efforts, you shall survive this great misfortune. Forgive us, Refugee. Leave the Moons to us, my promise to you is still in tact— focus on what you can do for others like you. Helping at least two (2) Refugees will earn you one (1) Natha REP. Threads must be AC length to qualify, and can be submitted HERE by JULY 31st. THE DESCENT     FIRST WAVE. The instructions are clear. Those who are a part of the First Wave should be equipped with physical strength and fortitude to survive the drop or the power to regenerate and heal their own wounds. While the pods are already designed to cushion some of the impact, as this is the first group, it will likely to be the most jarring. In all of the waves, some of the pods will malfunction and offer no cushion at all. They will be expected to quickly find their bearings. Their mission isn’t simply just landing, after all. The first wave will be expected to help the next wave, and the wave after that. Whether through their abilities or brute strength, they will be expected to help soften the landing for those who are falling. They will also be expected to pry open hatches, carry people to safety, and to just... survive. It’s not always easy being first. SECOND WAVE. Within the next hour, it’s time for the Second Wave to make their descent. You were selected based upon your aptitude for healing and/or being able to administer first aid. Perhaps you can help the tired and weary. Maybe those who have landed have have strength, but no stamina. Either way, it may be unwise to exhaust all their abilities at once. The night is long, and you may want to conserve their energy for the next waves to come. At least you’ll have help in getting settled. THIRD WAVE. Akin to the First Wave, the Third Wave will possess some durability, and some manner of strength, making you a reliable ally. Especially in a time of crisis... Or so we hope. While the landing is tough, and some of you may need first aid. As soon as you’re all healed up, you’ll have no time to dawdle. Your help is required. “Please help those still trapped in pods. Carry those unconscious to safety. Lift debris, and rescue all you can.” May be a vague message still stuck in the back of your head. Something whispered to you while you were just waking. Well, might as well roll with it. It’s the best shot you have, after all. FOURTH WAVE. Those in the Fourth Wave, as Darma projects, were selected due to the versatility of their abilities. No one expects one man to do the same as the next. Rather, that’s precisely the point: to be different. To be able to accomplish something unique. While one individual may be blessed with powers that assist in putting out fires, another may have the ability to shield those from oncoming debris. Maybe one even has the ability to channel all of these. Regardless, it’s up to you and your quick wits to see what tasks are open. It’ll take some coordination, especially as there are more people mixing into the fray, but, you can do it, can’t you? FIFTH WAVE. If you are in the Fifth Wave it is likely that you have a specific power or ability. One that isn’t easily channeled or called upon. Or, perhaps, you were merely placed here for insurance. Whatever the case if, your expertise will presently be put to the test. Maybe you’re quite proficient in survival skills, and you’re already eyeing the supplies that were dropped between the Fourth Wave and now. Goods all ready to be salvaged. Okay, maybe some can’t, but as they say, “it’s the thought that counts.” Besides, the injured from earlier certainly need a space to rest, and camp isn’t going to make itself. Regardless, maybe you feel more comfortable joining in the efforts to assist those who still require it. Whatever it is, you are sure to find your place and use. Darma obviously held the same faith. FINAL WAVE. The Final Wave is fortunate in a variety of ways. With Thesa Station a bit more stabilized, Darma utilizes the last bit of her powers in insuring that these last remaining pods are met with the softest landing, right beside the fifth, that is. The fragility of life is nothing she is unfamiliar with, after all. Still, that isn’t to say nothing is expected of you. Most of the individuals that have dropped earlier will likely be exhausted. An hour stretched between each one, makes several hours for the first couple of waves. They'll need a place to relax. You will act as the final group of helpers. Settle into whatever role feels best for you. Are you an excellent cook? Great at rationing supplies? Perhaps, you have a secret skill in ______ that might come in handy here? Or, maybe, despite the gentler landing you still managed to get hurt. The sky's the limit, and you got this! Meanwhile, in the distant kingdom of Olympia, the Empress and her loyal subject discuss matters late into the night... I’ll have the results of that dragon toxin study ready for you soon, Your Highness. I just need a few helpers to— oh wow, is that a meteor shower? Oh yes, it appears so. How beautiful.. hehe. Let us thank Thesa for this blessing. GATHER YOUR BEARINGS     All in all, the descent lasts for nearly seven hours. After the deployment of the last wave of refugees, it’s only natural that you may be feeling pretty worn out. A. Within the remains of the pods, Refugees will find basic camping supplies such as small tents, sleeping bags, and compasses. Not all of the supplies remain intact, thanks to the impact of the crash. But, sharing resources will ensure there is enough for everyone to rest for the night. Can you really in good conscience leave that stranger next to you without shelter? B. Although you may be tired after such a life-threatening ordeal, there is still work to be done to ensure your survival. Fortunately, it works out because now there are plenty of empty hands. There are stray debris and metal parts that should be collected and disposed of. There's firewood that needs to be collected, and campfires to upkeep. The nights in the Outlook are particularly chilly, and so it will be imperative to keep warm! C. Your clothes are tattered or too bloodied to sleep on with comfortably. Fortunately, Darma thought ahead. There will be various types of clothing provided, mostly robes that resemble her own in earthy tones, all to help them camouflage you for your next big adventure. FINAL OOC NOTE     This INTRO event will be broken up into three parts! Please keep this in mind when plotting your threads/tag load. PART 2 will be posted on JULY 18TH and PART 3 on JULY 22ND, at 6 PM EST. In the event of CAPTCHA, we will be providing an overflow. In the event of a second CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals. These threads remain eligible for AC, AC Rewards, and REP. The NETWORK is currently down, as Sael must concentrate all of his efforts on warding off the invading force. Characters may still message each other's personal IC inboxes. Submit two (2) AC-eligible threads from this log for one (1) Natha Orbiter REP point here by JULY 31ST. Recommended Listening: Alex & TOKYO Rose QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

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ann takamaki ( wave 2 )

[burglarize]

ARRIVAL (closed to wave one and two)

[ It was a rough ride down. Ann didn't think it would have been that bad. It wasn't like some rollercoaster that rushes across wood tracks with twists and turns. It's a straight shot — a straight down towards the ground and when the pod is caught (or cushioned), Ann's bumping against the inside. Parts of her attire are ripped and she hates that the most. She knew she'd need Carmen immediately and it's a shame that she is stuck wearing the most uncomfortable outfit on her descent.

She doesn't stay still, feeling the walls closing around tighter as time ticks around. Even if it's seconds, Ann's calling out. ]

H-HEY! Hello?! Let me — [ There's a definite fidget with a latch, but fails. ] Let me out of here! This thing might blow up or something!

HEALING (open)

[ It's been a few hours and it's showing how inexperienced Ann is at this. There's a large pink figure in a flame red dress waving it's little heart-shaped men in the direction of a few people injured. There's a faint light green glow onto their wounds which begin to heal ever so slowly. Ann looks at the small line of people hoping to get treated in an impromptu medical tent.

There's sighs and pouts, groans and finally, Ann crotches to sit down, hands on the side of her head for a moment. ]

I know, Carmen — I'm tired too. [ Well, Carmen didn't say anything but she can only infer... ] I don't — I don't know why we can't heal more people. There's like twenty people out there... I don't know if we can do this.

[ Her eyes drop and hands push into her red gloves, pushing her mask up a bit to keep herself from crying. ]

WILDCARD (open)

If you've plotted with me (or vice versa) feel free to drop a random scenario here! Here is my OOC plotting comment and anything there is fine! Ann can be also found around her friends or trying to rough it outdoor (and fail).

arrival!

[demonly]

[ He seems almost equally panicked as she after taking the brunt of her fall, clumsily and none-too-gently as it's his first try. As gently as he can (which is not very), he sets the pod down, hopping back around to the front to start attempting to pry the door open. ]

Uh, uh - hold on a second! [ With a loud clang, the door suddenly rips off, taking him with it to the ground in an fashion that would have been comedic had the circumstances been different. But he's quick to scramble out from under it, calling out to the girl he'd heard inside. ] Are -

Are ya still alive in there? Hello?!

[burglarize]

[ Everyone is shitting the bed, basically. Ann's impatient and more pods are definitely on their way down. Ann's dealt with overcoming a lot of stressful times but she's alone. She thinks of Shiho alone on that station and her friends in other pods — it's a lot, okay.

When the door is ripped off, Ann sadly cares less about the boy who helped her and more about clawing her way out. Her grip is weak at first, but with a tug forward, she's crawling out onto the pod and nearly tumbling off. ]

Barely — [ She coughs, the smell of smoke from some ruined supply drops in the area catching in her nose. ] Is everyone okay?

[demonly]

I think so, for the most part -

[ He offers an arm as she almost tumbles off the pod, averting his eyes from her torn outfit because what kind of space faring outfit is that. ]

But this ain't everybody. [ Quickly, he takes a glance to the sky to make sure there's not another pod suddenly hurdling towards them, or something equally catastrophic. ] There's still, uh...however many waves they said before all this started.

[ Okay, he can't remember that clearly, but all that matters is making sure people don't smash into the ground like he did. ]

wildcard!

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Now that things have (relatively) calmed, Claire's doing what she can to keep busy. Stop for too long, and the situation might catch up to her, and God only knows what will come of that. Whatever Ann is in the middle of, it doesn't look as important as gathering firewood, and so she zeroes in on her.]

You're not injured, are you? If you've got use of your arms and legs, we could do with more kindling.

[burglarize]

[ Things being calmer was definitely good. The pods falling from the sky were less and less of a sight and instead, as everyone spent the time recuperating, Ann did too. She's laying on her back, her hand draped lazily over her face and a few soft groans here and there. She isn't in her catsuit anymore, back to her civilian attire and trying to rest.

For all of like 30 minutes. She's less of taking a "break" and actually trying to avoid helping for a bit.

When she hears someone talk closely in her vicinity, her forearm drags away from her face and she sits up. ]

My ego, mostly. [ That counts, right? Claire gets a worried look. ] — Like, going out to the great unknown and gathering firewood?

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Everyone would like to rest. But that's for the injured. They have to pick up the slack.]

Not far. We've got a lot of fires to keep going, or else we'll freeze before the great unknown gets us.

[She can feel the temperature dropping steadily with each passing hour.]

healing.

[jewelling]

[ Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that she was assigned to one of the later waves. Unlike most, she managed to scrape by with a few scratches, bumps and bruises that was not worth bringing light to. Medics, far and wide had already had their needed attention elsewhere, plus Rin felt she would be more useful building a tent or two for a few refugees who physically couldn’t for one reason or another.

It was her way to show her gratification for all their hard work.

When she was nearly completed with her task, something flashy caught the corner of her eyes. That flashy something gave her enough reason to finish up her project, dust off her knees and approach the unofficial medic tent. ]

A heroic spirit? [ Her curiosity spoke out for her. She wanted a closer look. ] No, it can’t-- [ Pausing for a brief moment, her eyes shifts from the fiery spirit to the girl next to it who was nearly in tears. ]

Wait...-- are you crying?

[ No, Ann. Don't do THAT. ]

[burglarize]

[ Carmen stood tall, a stoic image with a pointed hip and sway of her motions. She was elegant, an otherworldly creature that was puffing her never-ending cigar. It doesn't address anyone, merely following Ann's commands through the whole ordeal.

Someone addresses her and her hand covers her face, shaking her head hard enough to make her blonde pigtails bounce. ]

No! [ There's a tremble in her voice. ] Why would I be crying?

[ There's definitely a pause as the people in line look to her questioningly. ]

Okay, maybe? So what? This is super stressful.

( arrival )

[wildest]

[They start falling from the sky in dozens, more of those containers that look exactly like all the ones already scattered across the ground, like the one he'd found himself in when he'd been dropped to this area. When they plummet into the ground, everything under his feet trembles, and Kotetsu winces at the impact. That is not going to be comfortable for whoever is in that pod.

Then he hears it, a voice, feminine and young and panicked. It tugs at his heartstrings and Kotetsu immediately rushes forward.]

Hold on, I'm coming over! [His powers haven't returned yet, but he knows they should be back soon, any minute now. Its been nearly an hour since he's been out here. Even if wrenching at the door aches his already numbing hands, Kotetsu doesn't let up as he struggles with trying to free her.] Okay, this is-- gonna take a second...!

[burglarize]

[ It would have been beautiful if the containers that fell like a meteor shower didn't contain valuable life. She wonders: what did they look like to people on this dumb planet? Thoughts like that flicker occasionally, but when the pod hits the ground, it's definitely going to be more panicked. What if she landed in an ocean? In a forest alone?

Her fists bang at the pod until her wrist grows numb, and finally, she hears something — even if it's muffled. ]

Just don't get hit by another one!

heal my achy breaky heart

[frizziest]

Ann?

[ he isn't about to mistake her for someone else anytime soon. from her blonde hair to the catsuit that hugs her frames to the humongous Persona assisting her in her healing, there is no possibility of that being anyone other than Takamaki-san. Akira is overwhelmed with relief to find someone else. it isn't everyone, but it is certainly a start.

Akira will go ahead and fight through the line of people even if they will likely moan and groan in the process. he has a busted lip and some bruising on his cheeks, but it should be a sight she should be familiar with considering what had happened back in their Japan before this all occurred. even with fresh blood at the corner of his mouth, he still manages to smile, showing his happiness towards finding her even as she seemed stressed to no end. ]

You seem a little... rough for wear. [ don't mind him as his eyes glaze over her through the visor of his mask, noticing the variety of tears in her catsuit. not a good time to say he appreciates the look, he imagines. he's back to staring her in the eyes while his one gloved hand goes up to touch her on the shoulder. yes, he lost the other glove. ] I believe I have some chocolates on me with your name on it. Would you like them?

[ too bad they're probably melted by now. oops. :( ]

[burglarize]

[ She hears her name and looks up, pulling her mask back down and sniffling like she has a cold. ]

Joke- [ No, there's no point in the names, right? ] Hey, you made it in one piece, Akira.

[ She seems joyous but between pulling herself together, it's hard to be the peppy loud person she is usually. Biting on her bottom lip, she's left looking at him with an awkward smile. ]

I guess you could say that. Had a really bumpy trip and there was lots of fires to put out. Not, literally... but — there's more people coming in and not a lot of people able to help them. Carmen can't even heal multiple people but she's doing her best.

[ Her eyes look sympathetic, even if Carmen is pulling directly from Ann's energy. But, when he approaches and touches her shoulder, she looks up a bit sheepishly. ]

...Wait, why do you just have chocolate?

Healing

[totheno1]

[Nanjo had been quietly nearby, the familiar feeling of another Persona user until he had spotted Ann. Her choice of outfits was...somewhat regrettable (was this some sort of costume?) her appearance reminded her of an old friend. He walks over, pushing the glasses up his nose, before crossing his arms.]

Young lady, every cloud has a silver lining.

[Honestly, it's the best he can offer, considering his uh...everything.]

Thanks to your actions, others are able to survive. Truly, it is regrettable that I do not have any healing abilities, otherwise I would aid you. Would food aid you in any way?

[burglarize]

[ It was something from Party City, honestly. The red doesn't do her favors of staying discreet and the mask was acting more like a shield to hide her worry. She's ready to find the nearest fellow healer and beg for them to do something, but she has to do her fair share.

She pulls her hands away and looks up, trying not to spout out the first stupid thing she wants to say. She's a little like Ryuji in that sense. ]

There's other people that need to eat first. I mean — unless you have a slice of cake or an chewy peanut butter bar on you...

[ She trails off, trying to keep herself together. ]

Sure they didn't expect it to go like this dropping us off here.

healing

[ladya]

[ While the art of queuing hasn’t exactly died within Aranea, not even with the particularly bad wakeup call she very recently forced to deal with, she isn’t particularly impressed at the sight of a girl in a bright red, patent leather getup and her frilly assistant mope at their lack of energy.

Sporting blood-shot eyes and an outfit comprised of dirty rags, the dragoon’s never looked worse in comparison. She loudly clears her throat, idly shifting her weight away from the deep gash on the left side of her stomach. ]

Not that I want to crash the little pity party goin’ on here, but everyone’ll understand if you need to take a break.

[ And if they don’t, Aranea’s in a foul enough mood that she’ll thoroughly trash the person that doesn’t understand. ]

[burglarize]

[ At least Ann's face is better to look at than Ardyn. She's having a moment, sure, but she's a qt compared to the hobo. Soak it in.

But, as Ann continues to have Carmen cast Dia onto 2-3 more people, she looks up and gets to her knees. She wants to keep going, has to. Even with her friends scattered about, she thinks of Shiho who is some kind of bargaining chip. Waking her up was her promise, her wish — so she shakes her head. ]

Nuh uh. There's two medics out in the field, three more taking a break and the rest are directing people here. I'll live.

[ But, she definitely points her gloved finger towards the gash in Aranea's hip. ]

You won't if you don't get that taken care of. Do you mind if we —?

[ Take care of it, she means. Ann is too tired to fight people too. ]

healing

[tricksune]

[ As far as their posse's concerned, Yusuke is more of a physical technician than a support role—he really can't do much to help his teammates in medical, especially now when they're filling in holes where they're needed all around the camp. It's been what feels like ages since he's seen her last; plenty of time for some wear and tear during a long, long day. He's got his own share of scrapes and bruises to show for it. Most of them do—precisely why her job is likely harder than his.

Job being heavy lifting, presently: he's got a box of supplies in his arms when he spots Carmen's tell-tale, hourglass figure, trotting over to her... and stopping abruptly. ]

Ann? [ He leans in a little, definitely trying to peer into her mask. ] You're crying.

[ in case she is unaware ]

[burglarize]

[ Well, when you put your passion into not only art but your battle, you're stuck with Yusuke. Knowing how the shit is hitting the fan? They'll need him in the future and seeing him as she looks up just eases her mind. The more friends, the more Ann inflates to the bubbly girl that wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

Yusuke is ... the same as ever, and it makes it all the easier to wipe away her tears and dust herself off. Casting another Dia against someone with a gash across their head. ]

I was not! I just needed to take a break for a minute! It's really exhausting casting for an hour straight!

healing.

[buraiha]

[ oda's wounds were mostly superficial. given how rare healing abilities were, even when the curators have gathered such a wide variety of different people from different places, it seemed prudent to let the healers do their work on the people who are worse off than he is. therefore, he'd just been passing by with an armful of blankets, when he notices...

well, actually, the first thing he notices is the tall, woman-like figure waving what looks to be heart-shaped men at people. that's... generally something new, he figures. he'd be interested enough to pause for a moment to look at the spectacle. and then he notices the crouching girl, the line-up, and the soft glowy lights that tend to follow healing-ability users, and things start to fall in place. ]

Oi. This line's closed. [ it's said quietly, in a tone that booked for no argument, even though oda's fairly certain that there wouldn't be an argument. there were other lines, and it was fairly obvious that the girl manning this one needed some time to herself. by means of explanation, he drops one of his blankets over her head,
before crouching down to be at eye-level.

she looks young. so many of them do, here. ] ... you want me to stash you somewhere they can't find you?

[ she looks like she could use the getaway right now. ]

[burglarize]

[ Sorry about Ann's problematic ass canon.

To her, Carmen's normal. Even somewhat comforting — like a extension of herself that she never knew was there. Carmen isn't strained, she's this awesome being that can do whatever Ann can. And right now? Ann's not sure she can keep doing this. Her mind is strained, fatigued with both insecurity and her own tiredness.

She's ready to just get to her feet and start pulling the most severe out for help, but when someone promptly closes the line, she flinches. ]

Hey, you can't do that! [ She's stubborn. One of the traits she shares with Ryuji, much to her disbelief. The sudden join of blankets on her mask-clad face makes her confused and lash out a bit. ] No — what? There's people out here that need help and —

[ But, her voice softens a bit. Almost apologetic as she pulls the blanket off her head. ]

I can't.

healing

[personalwar]

[ There are a lot of injured. Most of the wounds aren't serious, so it becomes a matter of prioritizing, though 76 has been reluctant to break out any of his biotic canisters just yet. He'd rather save them for an emergency (he only has so many) and there seem to be plenty of other people here who have medical knowledge and abilities beyond anything he could do.

He sees the line that's forming, and more noticeably, he sees the large figure floating behind a teenage girl. They seem to be providing at least some of the aid, except then the girl withdraws slightly from the crowd, seeming to need a breather or something.

It's not a good idea, to let the people who are expecting help from you see your weakness. If anything, she probably needs a break, but there isn't the time or place for that. Or if she's going to do it, she'd be better removing herself entirely from the chaotic crowd.

76 strides toward her, his rifle resting over his shoulder so that he can have one hand free. Though it's also because his bruised ribs are starting to bother him now that the some of the adrenaline has worn off, and this posture takes some of the edge off of the pain. Besides, there hasn't been anything to fight yet, which is one small blessing in this whole mess. ]

You better shape up or move away from here, kid. There's other people we can call in to help with the wounded here.

[ He's brusque, to be sure, but his guess is that someone her age doesn't have experience with a crisis situation quite like this one. So right now? She's only making things worse.

He's also curious about her silent companion, though, and takes the chance to look it (her?) over while he waits for the girl to answer. ]

[burglarize]

[ As long as the healing continues, what does it matter? Ann just needs a few minutes — she's still thinking and casting Dia on people one by one. It's a bit slower and there's a tension at her temples with each more. She feels her energy running low and partnering that with hunger and genuine confusion of what happens next? It could wipe a person out.

She needed to get a hold of herself — just let her feelings out briefly and get back to work. 20 people turns to 19, and so on... it'll continue until the waves stop. With how frantic they all are, spread thin, there's no direction. Ann has to do that but it takes 76's voice to cut any self-pitying she was doing.

Her eyes look up, mask slipping back fully down onto the brim of her nose. ]

N-No way! They assigned me here and I won't give up on anyone. I just need a second, okay?

[ Her voice was snappy and stubborn, but there was a tenderness to it that was almost pleading. ]

We can't heal everyone at once, Carmen's stuck doing it one by one — [ She sniffles, wiping away at any stray tears before trying to get to her feet again. ] If they don't like me taking a break, they can wait a minute to cool off.

healing.

[noctsout]

[ Okay, so, just. Don't mind him (staring) watching the spectacle that is a fancily dressed woman and her minion army, casting the familiar warm glow that which his potions used to take, green and healing. 'Those of another world' was an explanation that needed a little more time for him to fully acclimate, especially in the light (get it, haha, yeah, slay him) of magic, so inherently different and yet familiar in these tiny little ways.

Dusting only questionable wounds to his neck and minor scrapes and bruises, Noct's wounds weren't those that required lining up, superficial and bone-deep in equal measures. Exhaustion was a malady that only sleep could actually cure, and such thoughts were taking rare leave from Noct, besides, when another person(?) takes to crumbling, curled into a manner of misery that the woman seems to ignore, and. Alright then.

Far be it that Noct stalks up to a woman swathed in red and heels to demand-- what, empathy? Understanding? To slow the heck down and let her partner catch her breath, whatever, but he can cut the line (don't make him warp for this, because he will), past those that were receiving healing to-- ]

Here. You-- look like you could [ use an ether or three ] use something. To drink, I mean.

[ It's oddly shaped, the drink that he offers. It'll taste no different from vitamin water when or if she accepts it; at least he didn't offer her one that was full of vegetables. Such kingly mercy. ]

[burglarize]

[ It's tough. She thinks of Shiho, her best friend who is stuck on ice like a popsicle was her incentive. She has to be strong, push through to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The girl isn't one to bitch about her problems so she tries to have her moment and move on. Carmen doesn't bat and eyelash behind her jaguar-esque mask, instead she puffs at her cigar and follows the mental commands from Ann — keep healing.

She's in her thoughts only briefly until a voice calls to her. It takes only a moment to snap out of it, looking up with an inquisitive and unsure stare. ]

Uh, what's this? [ She looks at it before cautiously taking it. ] This isn't a wine cooler or something, right?