Katelyn had never gotten the chance to go to medical school, but she still knew a neck wound that deep and grisly would require immediate, professional medical treatment for the victim to have any chance of survival. She'd inflicted several, similar neck wounds on others, and she knew how quickly they all died from it. Kai confirming that Meena wasn't breathing was just the nail in the coffin.
Tears dribbled down her face, hitting the snow and leaving little pockmarks behind.
"I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered, "I- I c-can't fix something that b-bad."
She wiped her face on her sleeve, trying to keep her eyes clear to address the wound she could actually treat.
"Pl-please, hold still," she pleaded. "Th-This will hurt, but I don't w-want you to d-die too..."
Witch Barrier
Private! (CW: self-harm)
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1525
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Ren's straining turned into a thrashing.
"No! No! You don't understand," they half-screamed, voice breaking; they were fully aware of how unreasonable they sounded. They could see the amount of blood that had pooled around Meena's body, and they knew that the wound in their throat probably looked horrendous. They knew it didn't really matter that they barely noticed the pain. And yet, and yet, and yet--
"You don't understand," Ren repeated. Their voice still didn't sound like their own--of course they would lose control of it now, of all times--but at least it wasn't a scream. It was so very rare for them to raise their voice. "I--I know that he's probably dead, I'm not in denial, I know you don't know how to fix it, I'm just--I just want to check. Just check. And if he's still alive then we can--we can try. That's all I'm asking for. I know he's probably dead already, I know he's beyond saving, I know--but I have to try."
Yes--try. They had already tried so many times, and every time they had let Meena down. What did it matter if they failed one more time?
"No! No! You don't understand," they half-screamed, voice breaking; they were fully aware of how unreasonable they sounded. They could see the amount of blood that had pooled around Meena's body, and they knew that the wound in their throat probably looked horrendous. They knew it didn't really matter that they barely noticed the pain. And yet, and yet, and yet--
"You don't understand," Ren repeated. Their voice still didn't sound like their own--of course they would lose control of it now, of all times--but at least it wasn't a scream. It was so very rare for them to raise their voice. "I--I know that he's probably dead, I'm not in denial, I know you don't know how to fix it, I'm just--I just want to check. Just check. And if he's still alive then we can--we can try. That's all I'm asking for. I know he's probably dead already, I know he's beyond saving, I know--but I have to try."
Yes--try. They had already tried so many times, and every time they had let Meena down. What did it matter if they failed one more time?
"Ren." Kai almost never raised his voice, especially not with the people here now. Even this wasn't a shout so much as a growl. He had moved his hands away from their neck to give Kitty space to work, but he re-tightened his grip on them elsewhere now. Maybe enough to hurt a little. Maybe that would snap them out of it.
There was finally a moment where it felt like some kind of curtain was lifted. All of this felt like a performance. Meena's speech, Ren's desperation to save him still even though they had said they knew, even Kitty's apology. It had Kai grinding his teeth until he could force the words out.
"Stop. Both of you."
Kai started to unfold from the ground, pulling Ren with him. "We're going to stitch you up," he said to Ren. "And then we're going to get off the road. We can't do this here."
It felt cruel, but the part of him that cringed away from that was drowned out. Call it practical. Or just exhausted. Either way.
They could grieve later. He knew they would. If it was going to happen anyway, it didn't have to be now at the expense of everything else.
If someone had to switch off their sympathy for a moment to make sure they got away from here without anymore loss, it could be him. Kai could do that if Kitty and Ren couldn't.
"Come on."
((Kai Rosado-Prince continued in Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil))
There was finally a moment where it felt like some kind of curtain was lifted. All of this felt like a performance. Meena's speech, Ren's desperation to save him still even though they had said they knew, even Kitty's apology. It had Kai grinding his teeth until he could force the words out.
"Stop. Both of you."
Kai started to unfold from the ground, pulling Ren with him. "We're going to stitch you up," he said to Ren. "And then we're going to get off the road. We can't do this here."
It felt cruel, but the part of him that cringed away from that was drowned out. Call it practical. Or just exhausted. Either way.
They could grieve later. He knew they would. If it was going to happen anyway, it didn't have to be now at the expense of everything else.
If someone had to switch off their sympathy for a moment to make sure they got away from here without anymore loss, it could be him. Kai could do that if Kitty and Ren couldn't.
"Come on."
((Kai Rosado-Prince continued in Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil))
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Ren stilled at Kai's words, out of surprise more than anything else.
They knew they were being the stupidest version of themself. They noticed now, as Kai hauled them to their feet, what everyone else had noticed long ago--that Meena was no longer breathing. They could process the facts: that resuscitating someone after their heart had already pumped all the blood out of their body made no sense; that even if Meena were still alive, his injuries would surely prove fatal within a few days without access to a proper medical facility (a conclusion like this one had seemed so easy to accept just a day ago, when they found Meena standing over Millie's ruined body); that even if they somehow did save Meena, it would be so easy for him to try to kill himself again; that they were making themself a liability; that they were taking from Kitty and Kai without offering anything in return.
It still felt like they were finally giving up on Meena and abandoning him. For a moment, they couldn't stop themself from hating Kai.
Then it passed, as Ren's hatred usually did, and all the fight drained from their body. They resisted Kai not at all as he half-carried, half-dragged them away.
[Ren Vu continued in Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil]
They knew they were being the stupidest version of themself. They noticed now, as Kai hauled them to their feet, what everyone else had noticed long ago--that Meena was no longer breathing. They could process the facts: that resuscitating someone after their heart had already pumped all the blood out of their body made no sense; that even if Meena were still alive, his injuries would surely prove fatal within a few days without access to a proper medical facility (a conclusion like this one had seemed so easy to accept just a day ago, when they found Meena standing over Millie's ruined body); that even if they somehow did save Meena, it would be so easy for him to try to kill himself again; that they were making themself a liability; that they were taking from Kitty and Kai without offering anything in return.
It still felt like they were finally giving up on Meena and abandoning him. For a moment, they couldn't stop themself from hating Kai.
Then it passed, as Ren's hatred usually did, and all the fight drained from their body. They resisted Kai not at all as he half-carried, half-dragged them away.
[Ren Vu continued in Bones in the Soil, Rust in the Oil]
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1525
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Katelyn stood up as Kai began to drag Ren away, taken aback both by the former's sudden harshness and the latter's sheer denial and desperation. She understood both of their reactions, but nonetheless felt deeply disquieted by it. They were not the same people they were a few days ago. It wouldn't be fair to criticize them for that though, as she herself had changed quite drastically over the last few days.
She threaded the stitch through the needle, tying it off before hastily scooping her weapons out of the snow and stuffing them in her bag. The billhook poked a hole through the fabric as she struggled to zip it closed, another sign of how overstuffed and overloaded the bag had become. At least she knew for sure she would be able to share her rations with her friends now.
Timidly, she looked back at Meena's body. One less friend to share her food with than she would have had otherwise.
Once again, she sniffled, and wiped her face on her sleeve.
"S-Sorry, Meena," she whispered, "I w-wish we could've been friends..."
((Then, without another word, she dutifully followed behind Kai.))
She threaded the stitch through the needle, tying it off before hastily scooping her weapons out of the snow and stuffing them in her bag. The billhook poked a hole through the fabric as she struggled to zip it closed, another sign of how overstuffed and overloaded the bag had become. At least she knew for sure she would be able to share her rations with her friends now.
Timidly, she looked back at Meena's body. One less friend to share her food with than she would have had otherwise.
Once again, she sniffled, and wiped her face on her sleeve.
"S-Sorry, Meena," she whispered, "I w-wish we could've been friends..."
((Then, without another word, she dutifully followed behind Kai.))