[ OPEN ] hide your love, don't be shy

[godshattering]

Who: Claude and you!
When: all throughout August and September
Where: Cadens (pre-Nocwich), the Horizon (any time), and Libertas (post-Nocwich)
What: Catch all for both months
Warnings: For anything referencing Libertas: death, violence, and war


( Open and closed starters in the comments! Also good with prose or brackets and if you'd like to plot something more specific, you can find me at indech, arboria#1862, or by PM at any time. )

Comments

[assembles]

[ That burst of magic that envelops him and gives him a little boost is nicer than Steve had really expected. He usually isn't the one who needs to be healed like this, given how quickly his wounds knit up on their own, but it does take away some minor aches that he had from their journey through the collapsing house as well as giving him an injection of fresh energy.

He spreads his arms to show the civilian that he's just fine, and also gives him an encouraging nod.

After that, it's all Claude, who takes to healing the survivor's wound with care. Even if the man would have managed even without the spell's effects, it's nice to see his arm looking a whole lot less red and angry.

Yet Steve doesn't miss the toll this takes on Claude. He's lost a shade or two in his complexion and also has some perspiration beading at his hairline and forehead. Well, the sooner they can all get out of here, the better.

At Claude's suggestion for how to do that, Steve takes note of the crates and the desk, as furniture which hasn't been completely destroyed and they could therefore use. He could just as easily pick them both up one by one and hop up through the hole in the roof, but he doesn't know how comfortable Claude or the civilian will be with that. So... ]

Sure, we can give it a try.

[ The sun's almost completely set outside. They need to make the most of the daylight they have left, and so he quickly gets to work with stacking the crates from the floor up to the desk, building a makeshift staircase of sorts.

He turns back to Claude and the survivor then, nodding to Claude specifically. ] You give it a shot first. Everything should hold steady. I'll wait right here just in case you lose your balance.

[godshattering]

[ Steve once again makes much quicker work of arranging what's needed for their exit than he could've managed, and he sends a glance the survivor's way as if to say, see? Purely for entertainment's sake since Claude imagines they could all use something more light-hearted now, but. It doesn't seem to earn him more than a look back. Fair enough.

Their way out's assembled, and all that's left is to test it. Even before Steve speaks up Claude's in the middle of taking a step forward to volunteer himself on that first climb both to test it out and demonstrate, and he nods while hopping up onto the desk as the first metaphorical hurdle there. ]

You've got it. We'll be out of here in no time at all at this rate.

[ Added more for their new friend's benefit than Steve's since Claude's guessing his teammate here knows that as well as anyone. With light steps so as to not knock any of the crates over and to prove their sturdiness, Claude walks up until the ceiling is in reach. For someone used to climbing, it's not much of a hop up to grasp where he needs to go next nor is it particularly difficult to pull himself up and out onto the roof.

It does give him a chance to pat around the roof tiles in his immediate reach to make sure they're all secure and unlikely to cause anyone to slide or loose their grip. They seem to be in good shape, and he has high hopes getting out will prove much easier than getting in to where the man was trapped. All that's left to do now is lean over to look down to where the other two are hopefully still waiting as he kneels back down, ready to grab the hand of anyone who needs added assistance on the brief climb out. ]

It shouldn't take us too long to get back across the roof. There's just a bit of climbing down involved on the other side, but nothing quite like this.

[assembles]

[ It's no surprise that Claude is eager to demonstrate the climb up the makeshift stairs, and Steve simply stands back with his arms crossed and watches, searching for any signs of unsteadiness in how the different crates are stacked on each other. Claude's nimble enough that he makes the whole thing look easy, but this is probably as safe as it's going to get.

They can assist the civilian with getting out easily enough now, though. Steve's glad to hear that this little climb will be the worst of it, based on what Claude's already scouted out. ]

Good to know. [ He nods to the survivor. ] You next, come on. [ He helps him up onto the desk and then hovers nearby as the man does the rest of the climb on his own, just in case he loses his balance and goes tumbling down again.

Claude's ready with a hand stretched down to oversee the last part of the process, and soon enough they've got the man up on the roof. Steve is fairly sure there's no one else trapped in this house, having kept an ear open this entire time on the off chance, so he can leave without any second thoughts.

While he doesn't really need the stairs, he climbs them anyway and then pulls himself up onto the shingles of the rooftop. That last sliver of sun glares almost defiantly at the horizon line. ]

Everyone good? Let's get you down to ground level. [ Steve looks from the man they rescued to Claude. ] Lead the way.

[ It may just be one person, but it still feels good to have done something. It still opens up a little more of the tightness in his chest. ]

[godshattering]

[ As the man reaches up for him when he's in range, Claude grips his hand and leans back to balance them both as slight leverage to get him up and out of the damaged house. With a gesture for the man to wait and not get any ideas about racing off across the tiles unsupervised, he waits for Steve to successfully get out himself before standing up. There's another sigh of relief under his breath and well-disguised within moving since why linger where none of them want to be?

With that he leads the way back, deliberately taking slow steps to remind the survivor to be careful even if all of them are eager to keep going. Claude hadn't come across any loose tiles, planks, or otherwise, but with his luck now would be the time they decide to surface. And the last thing they need is undoing the good work they've done so far, and he's determined to get this man to safety.

One person. One person less in the rubble, one person hopefully able to reunite with their loved ones. It helps. It has to. ]

Alright, this will likely be the trickiest part, [ he announces when they arrive to where he'd climbed up. The sunset is casting shadows which weren't there before and the angle of looking down from the roof to the ground can be disorienting. having flown at high heights for years now means it doesn't phase him, but Claude glances up to see the survivor looking on a few shades past incredulous. ] I promise it looks more intimidating than it is. And we're not going to let you fall, got it?

[ Claude first takes a seat on the roof's edge to show it's sturdy and waves for the man to do the same. He's less concerned about Steve in this, if only because it's quite clear Steve's more than capable of many things as he's learned, so after talking through the steps of what they're going to do there's nothing left but demonstrating the way down. There's a terrace below with the window to crawl through on their slightly meandering way back in, so he lowers himself down to where there's beams to grip as another makeshift ladder to show they're also secure enough to support someone. One last jump and he's on firm(ish) ground again looking up at the two men above. ]

See, nothing to it. From here there's only one more level and we'll be back on the ground to get you to where you need to go.

[assembles]

[ As they make their way across the blessedly steady rooftop, Steve notes that the man they successfully extracted from the house more or less listens to everything they have to say, following along dutifully but quietly. He's probably in a state of shock, especially now that they're up here and there's still enough light to see at least the immediate surroundings. There are a whole lot more bombed-out buildings where this one came from.

No doubt his thoughts are running in a million different directions, thinking of all the people he cares about and whether they were as lucky as him. There's a good chance some of them weren't, but that's not something that they should get into until they're safely back on solid ground. Steve's relieved that the civilian hasn't devolved into throwing panicked questions at them just yet.

Before he knows it, Claude has led them to the place where they'll need to climb down. It doesn't look like much to him, but he's sure that for someone who's just lived through such an ordeal, it's got to be intimidating. Claude goes first, demonstrating the way that it should be done, and that seems to at least give the survivor some reassurance that he isn't going to slip and fall after all this. He looks back to Steve, who gives him an encouraging nod as well. ]

You're doing great. This is just the home stretch, all right?

[ Steve remains up top to oversee as the man carefully climbs down, following Claude's footsteps. It all unfolds without incident, allowing Steve to bring up the rear in climbing through the window.

Once they're all inside, Steve silently meets Claude's gaze and gives him a small approving nod. He's doing a great job with all this, too. ]

[godshattering]

[ Throughout everything, the man never seems to complain about being asked to climb across roofs, down walls, through windows. Claude keeps a careful watch on him, relieved when an expression does show on his face now and then. There's something to it like coming off the battlefield, soldiers bearing the brunt of everything they've seen. For that he's equally careful to keep patient and offer reassurance here and there as they go, getting ever closer to the ground where it'll be on to one of the infirmaries nearby.

Once they make it through the window Claude glances back and happens to catch Steve's eye and catches that nod. There's a smile that flits across his face, there and gone in a minute before he nods back and turns his attention to the survivor once more. ]

Like Steve said - just a bit further and then we'll be off to get you properly checked over.

[ The last past of their trip is through the ceiling where they'd originally climbed up to track down the noise. This part will certainly take a bit more trust than everything else has required, given that they hadn't bothered to create a terribly secure way up. But the secret to this, Claude thinks, is to keep moving and not give any chances for the man to balk. With any luck, anyway.

With that in mind, he lowers himself down through the opening and after a quick second of appraisal, lets go to drop onto the cabinet. Given that it's still at angle Claude slides down it before catching himself with one foot wedged into a shelf before extending a hand out yet again for the man to take. ]

One last jump down, and we'll be able to get out of here. Ready?

[assembles]

[ Maybe it's the knowledge that they're about to hit ground level, or maybe their calm attitudes and reassurances have been working as expected, but the man they saved only hesitates for a moment or two before following after Claude, hopping down and then using gravity to slide along the slant of the cabinet and finally to the floor. He does grip onto Claude's hand at the end, if only to make sure that he doesn't lose his balance and go stumbling into the wall.

Steve's fast on their heels, letting out a sigh of relief now that everyone's made it out with no incidents. He can hear the house groaning under its own weight, though, and wonders how long before other parts of it give out. Better not to stay here and learn the hard way.

As he leads them back to the front of the building, the man finds his voice and speaks up, even if he sounds hoarse from inhaling all kinds of dust and smoke.

"Thank you both. I really didn't know if anyone was going to find me. You're not Cadens military, are you?"

Right, that. The lack of uniforms or official equipment must have been a clear giveaway. Steve looks over his shoulder at him and shakes his head. ]

No, sir, we're not. We're concerned citizens, but the people in charge need all the help they can get.

[ Steve's never been one to sit on his hands, and it doesn't seem that Claude is either. ]

[godshattering]

[ Members of the military - it makes sense that's the assumption. The military's been here for days before they could even arrive, they tend to take care of everything major around everywhere, and who else would be crawling around buildings? Hard to say whether Libertas really knows much about the Summoned aside from the art walk on top of that. Claude's opening his mouth to offer some (likely half-assed) explanation but Steve beats him to it, and what the other offers is far better. When the survivor looks his way on their way out to the street he nods to confirm it. No harm in that. ]

It's true, we're not associated other than living in Cadens ourselves. They asked for help and here we are.

[ No need to get into it, he thinks, since that might bring on more questions. Or perhaps the man doesn't care more than a passing curiosity now that they're out of the building - also reasonable, given the magnitude of everything else going on around them and there being more realities to set in yet. If he's not looked outside, the streets are likely to be shocking.

All the more reason Claude turns to the man as they walk, intent on being as much of a distraction as he can while they pass other buildings in every bit as awful shape as the one they'd just left and even if the topic is still the state of things as they are. ]

It's not far to the nearest infirmary. Along with helping out all around the city, I've been taking a few shifts here and there at this one in particular. If you're not averse to a familiar face stopping by, I'll check in on you now and then.

[assembles]

[ While there might not be any harm in explaining that they're Summoned and that could even do some good for their public image overall, Steve doesn't know if it's a good idea to get into all of that right now. It would only invite a more in-depth discussion that none of them really have time for at the moment. If Claude's going to visit this guy in the infirmary, it might come up in conversation then, but they'll keep it simple for now.

At that offer, the man seems taken aback. He stares at Claude for a few seconds, as if he can't understand all of this kindness.

"Well, it would be foolish of me to turn you down, wouldn't it? So you both just do this out of the kindness of your hearts?"

Apparently that's out of the ordinary. Steve knows that most people won't put themselves into this kind of danger if they're not getting anything out of it. Realizing they can't ignore the sorry state of their surroundings for long, he nods to the closest burned-up building. ]

When we heard what was going on out here, it wouldn't have felt right to just sit around in Cadens doing nothing.

[ They turn a corner, then (or what's left of it), and if Steve remembers correctly, the infirmary Claude was talking about is just down the road. ]

[godshattering]

[ Hm. As much as he'd like to be surprised that the survivor seems so surprised by any offer of kindness, that they're here in the first place of their own desire to help, everything in between - it fits in with what he's noticed here and there about the Free Cities. Not that Fodlan has much room to talk in that regard; all of the cities if not the territories themselves have the same issues, and it's unfortunately familiar. Can't do anything about home, but at least here Claude can offer another oversized smile to make it show around the mask again (hopefully) and yet another nod to follow up Steve's comment he couldn't have phrased better himself. ]

That's right. No sense in not coming to help out where we can if we're able to do so. From what I hear, most of us are planning to stick around as long as we're needed here so we'll be a regular enough sight.

[ The man seems to consider this as they make it to the infirmary, possibly in an attempt to figure out just who the two of them are even off this vague information, but there'll be more time for that later. Now that they're inside and out of the worst of the dust, Claude tugs his mask back down to hang around his neck as they approach the makeshift registration desk.

There's a bit of paperwork to go with this, he's learned, to help make sure they both know who's here and which citizens have been accounted for. As the man takes a seat in the chair waiting for him, Claude notes he's started to look more like the reality of everything is sinking in. That's enough for him to decide his next move and it's no longer going back out to resuming searching. Not just yet as he turns to Steve next to speak in a lower tone to keep the words from carrying. ]

I'll stay here with him to get settled, but if you have somewhere you need to be then you don't need to stay unless you'd like to. [ A pause, and then - ] And... thanks, Steve. For all of this.

[ Which doesn't really begin to cover it, but. That's the best he has for now. ]

[assembles]

[ When they enter the infirmary it's a relief to see that they have some sort of organizational system for keeping track of survivors, as well as those who are still unaccounted for. Steve doesn't know how well the system will work with numbers of dead this high. It's probably going to be a few weeks until they really have a sense for it.

He glances over at the man where he's taken a seat, and it's clear from his face that it's hitting him all at once. A bone-deep exhaustion seems to deepen the lines in his face, but there's adrenaline that has his eyes darting around, still bright.

When Claude steps over to quietly let him know that he's going to stay here with him, Steve is quick to agree with a nod. ] I think that's for the best. And you don't need to thank me. Like we told him, we're all out here just trying to do what he can.

[ Which means that he's probably better served searching more half-collapsed buildings for other people like this guy they've just brought to safety. Steve gives Claude a quick clap on the shoulder. ] I'll see you around. Don't push yourself past the point of exhaustion, all right? You won't do anyone any good that way.

[ With those parting words, he gives the survivor a quick acknowledgment and then heads out to see if there's anything else he can do before the city is completely shrouded in darkness. ]