abraxaslogs | someone's gotta mourn you [closed]

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someone's gotta mourn you [closed]

WHO: Steve Rogers, Diana Prince, and Sylvain Gautier
WHEN: Early September
WHERE: Libertas, post-attack
WHAT: Tier 1 Quest, Rescue Efforts
WARNINGS: Mentions of war, violence, death; likely removal of injured civilians from debris will be involved.

[ The mood in Libertas is grim, but that's hardly a surprise in light of what's happened. Steve may not know all the details, but he finds it hard to believe that this act of aggression against Libertas had been anything other than Thorne needing a place to put their anger. The people of Libertas opposed the idea of war in large numbers — he'd seen the signs of that himself when he visited here some weeks ago. That makes it all the more infuriating to see the state of the once bright and vivacious city now, left half in rubble. So many dead, even more displaced...

But there isn't time to be outraged right now, not when it's still early enough that there might be people trapped under all the debris, barely hanging on, who could be unearthed and rehabilitated. The Summoned of Cadens have come out here in large numbers to lend what help that they can, and Steve is no different. He knows that his strength and ability to lift up the scattered rubble and free anyone caught beneath it will be vital.

There is a hub where they're all told to report, as they'll be grouped up with hounds who've been trained for this sort of work. Steve's aware of how dogs are used in disaster situations like this back home as well, so he isn't opposed to the idea. Even with his enhanced senses, they may be able to pick up on something he couldn't.

He steps up to where a hound is being prepped to set out on a shift and realizes there are two other familiar faces lingering nearby as well. Diana, his go-to sparring partner, and Sylvain, a friend of Claude's who he met back during that mining job.

The person working with the dog finishes up with securing a harness around the animal, then glances up and spots all three of them.

"We've only got so many of these pooches, not to mention these things." He lifts up a small device that looks like some sort of antiquated communicator. "I suggest you team up."

Steve nods, not at all opposed to the idea. Team-ups are pretty much the usual for him. He glances between the other two. ] Works for me. [ He has no idea if the two of them have met, but they're all here for the same reason: to be of use. He suspects it doesn't matter so much if they're already acquainted or not. ]

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[ Sylvain remembers Steve from the mines and nods to him in greeting, although the woman isn't one he's seen around yet. He offers her a faint smile, expression and manner subdued and serious today. He'd been standing on the fringes, taking in the extent of the destruction and...

There's no way to be anything but horrified by it. He's never been to this city, but he can still imagine the scope and vibrancy of the place in what he takes in. He only hopes they can be of some help now and that it's not too late.

He steps closer when the man finishes attaching the harness and crouches down to let the dog catch his scent before scratching him behind the ears. He's never had to use a dog to hunt for survivors before, but he gets the basic idea. ]

Is there a specific section you'd like us to go over that hasn't been searched yet?

[ The man gestures at a map of the city and traces out with a finger where some of the other teams are currently searching. Sylvain studies it and then points to one of the nearby neighborhoods, glancing over at the other two he's apparently teaming up with. ]

We could start here? It's close.

[Even without her keen ears, Diana has no doubt that she would have heard the destruction of Libertas from Cadens. The reports had come in quicky, thanks to those portals; an attack on the city, tantamount to an act of war. It made her go cold, then sick to her stomach when she heard. She'd wanted to go to the city immediately, but with the roads blocked and her unwillingness to cause an incident of her own by trying to force her way out of the city, her only recourse was to push the queasy feeling down and start gathering what supplies she could for the relief efforts.

Now that she's finally here, her worst fears are confirmed: there are people trapped beneath the rubble, and there's no telling how many of them are alive or dead. The dogs will find them, she's been assured, but it takes effort for her to keep a handle on her grief, her rage at what has happened to these innocent people.

A familiar face helps her keep the fury of her emotions in check, as well as focus on the task at hand.

She nods in return to Sylvain, offering her name but no formal greeting. She's too distracted for niceties. Once he's had a moment with the dog, she copies his approach, giving it a good scratch on the neck before straightening. She has no weapons, not today, but is wearing all of the armor she's commissioned since arriving in the Free Cities: mostly hardened leather, but a few metal pieces, specifically the bracers at her arms and greaves on her shins. Shaped to be sturdy, but with the flexibility to allow her to fight the way she likes. Though they are here on a rescue mission, she is dressed for war. The soldier in her knows that she must be ready for anything.

She peers at the map, dark eyes tracking the organizer's finger, and nods shortly in agreement.]

Let's get moving.

[ It's a marked change that Steve sees in both Sylvain and Diana. Steve may not know Sylvian well, but he had made note of the way that he'd joked around with his friends and teased them during the mining job. As for Diana, their last conversation had been so distant from this — a casual exchange of information in a party setting. Now she stands as tense as a metal rod, dressed like she's prepared to ride into battle, her eyes burning like embers.

She's right to be mad, of course. Just like Sylvain is right to get straight to the point.

Steve crouches down, making himself as small as he can and then extending his palm out so that the dog (though in some ways, it looks more like a wolf) can come over and sniff. He gives the hound a quick pat on the side and then stands, moving to join the others by the map. He doesn't see any issue with the area that Sylvain's picked out. The idea here is just to cover as much ground as they can as quickly as they can.

With a word of thanks, Steve takes the communicator from the volunteer who'd set them up and then makes for the tent's exit, whistling for the dog to follow — naturally, it's well-trained enough that it moves instantly to make pace with them.

Once they're out of the tent, the air quality gets that much worse. The flames haven't been put out everywhere, and while Steve is sure his lungs can handle it, he does wonder about the others. (Well. Diana is probably fine, given what he knows about her, but what about Sylvain?) ]

It was east, right?

[ He barely waits for confirmation before he starts moving at a brisk pace in what should be the right direction. ]

Make sure to keep an eye on our four-legged friend. The moment he reacts to something, we're on it.

[ Sylvain, at least, came prepared. Although he hates that he knew what he needed to prepare for, in dealing with this. There's a length of fabric that had been draped around his neck as a makeshift scarf, but as they set off into the decimated city, he reaches to tighten it a little, dragging the front part up over his nose and mouth as extra protection. ]

Are you two going to be okay out here?

[ Unaware there's anything different about his companions, he's a little concerned that they might not have come prepared for this.

But Steve seems to be moving confidently at least so, after a shrug in Diana's direction, as if to say 'what can you do?' he hurries after the determined man. His gaze is watchful and there's a long staff strapped to his back. Not his typical polearm - he's not visibly armed at all - but something he can still use for leverage, should they need it.

It doesn't take them long to reach the search area, at least. A street where the buildings on both sides of it have been reduced to mostly rubble and smoldering ruins. Portions of broken walls and collapsed floors and roofs loom around them, casting long haunting shadows. Sylvain's eyes are watering despite the protection wrapped around his face. And he's totally blaming that on the smoke and not the emotions and memories all this brings far too close to the surface.

He gestures off to his right, his expression turning determined. ] I'll start on this side. Let me know if you find anything or need help.

[ ...Not that Steve, at least, looked like he needed much help when it came to heavy lifting. The guy was almost as broad as Rafael. And he knew better than to judge anything about Diana from her appearance. No one here ever was quite what they seemed, he'd quickly been learning. ]

[The smoke is an irritant, but more than that, it is another, constant reminder of the destruction that has befallen Libertas. There is still so much rubble to sift through, so many people hurting and dying, and only so much they can do at one time. Diana knows all of her focus must be on the task at hand right now, else she might get overwhelmed.

Even as she nods at Sylvain's question, she's scanning the area as they walk, occasionally glancing at the dog to see if he's sensed anything before they make it to their search area. Aside from the cracking of wood and the distant voices of other volunteers, all is quiet. It's a little unnerving, and she strains her ears for any other sounds, but all she hears is more of the same.

Once Sylvain moves to one side of the street, she takes the other, stepping carefully through the rubble, trying to make as little noise of her own as possible. She knows she doesn't have the hound's sense of smell or hearing, but maybe she'll be able to catch a hint of something with her own ears. But the minutes pass and she hears nothing above the din of the city's ruin, and looks once more to Steve, and the dog.]

Anything?

[She tries to keep her voice even, but there's a hint of desperation to it. She cannot help it, with how dire the situation is. How hopeless on the surface.]

[ It's fair of Sylvain to express concern about the two of them, and while Diana gives little more than a nod to indicate he has nothing to worry about, Steve does wonder if he should say more. It's not his place to speak for Diana, of course, but he isn't opposed to revealing his own abilities, especially given that he's probably about to put them to use. ]

I'm enhanced. [ Now isn't the time to get into the whole story, so he focuses on the relevant parts. ] It means I have the strength to lift up any of these pieces of rubble, but also that I'm more resilient than a normal human.

[ With that cleared up, the three of them disperse to search the area. There's so much debris piled up that it would be impossible to go piece by piece. That's where the dog comes in, and it remains near to Steve's side as he climbs over the uneven terrain created by the collapsed buildings.

It is almost deathly quiet, and yet this would hardly be the first time that Steve's felt that eerie shroud hang over a place, whether it was the site of a finished battle or the ruins of a city. He'd been here not so long ago, when Libertas had been vibrant and packed with people. Seeing it in such a sorry state isn't easy.

Diana's voice carries from across the road, and Steve turns to her, about to shake his head no until the hound suddenly jerks to attention and goes racing off, darting over the rubble. It seems to be heading closer to Sylvain. ]

We've got something! [ Steve immediately gives chase. ]

[ Enhanced. Huh.

Not a term he's heard before, but it's pretty self-explanatory. He ponders it absently for a moment before shoving it to the back of his mind to prod at later. He's definitely curious, though.

He loses himself instead in the search, shifting rubble carefully in places that could have collapsed on unsuspecting civilians. He finds a lot of destruction and charred remnants of the lives people had here but not any bodies. he's grateful for that, at least. Lives can be rebuilt, after all.

He'd been approaching one of the larger shells of a burned and broken structure when the hound gives a warning bay and dashes ahead of him to start rooting around where a portion of the wall has collapsed inward, blocking off the rear of whatever this building was. ]

Here!

[ He doesn't wait for them to reach him before he scrambles after the canine. ]

Hello? Can anyone hear me?

[Steve's comment about being "enhanced" catches her attention, and she files it away in her memory to ask him about later. Surely he isn't some kind of demigod; she'd have noticed. But then, she hadn't noticed Ares, a full-fledged god when he was hiding right under her nose. She thinks she might now, though. So he must mean something else, some other way he was granted such power, and she's curious as to what it was.

Diana's head snaps towards Sylvain, and between one breath and the next she's there with him, moving much faster than anyone ought to be able to. She gets her hands under the broken wall, bracing it, but holds on moving it until the person down below answers--she doesn't want to move it the wrong way and accidentally hurt them.]

Can the dog pinpoint them?

[Perhaps a vain hope, but these people have suffered too much already; she doesn't want to cause any more harm. She strains her ears, tilting her head towards the general area the hound has indicated, trying to listen for any signs of life below the rubble.]

[ Sylvain and Diana jump to attention with the readiness of people who have been in crisis situations before, but Steve had figured as much even before he'd decided to work with them. Still, there's a strange comfort in experiencing it in practice. Steve has been a part of so many different teams — the Howling Commandos, the Avengers, and then whatever had come after when he'd been on the run with Natasha, Sam, and Wanda. It makes all of this feel natural, and while the reason they're here is despicable, at least they can do something.

Diana beats him to the site that the dog has picked out, ready to heave an entire piece of rubble out of the way. This doesn't shock him much; he's seen what Thor can do, and so far, it seems that Diana may be on his level.

The dog makes whining noises as it circles around the area, nosing at the ground behind the chunk of wall that Diana's now holding. Steve strains his ears as well, crouching down near to the hound, and is eventually able to pick out some labored breathing.

His head snaps up and he looks to Diana. ]

I think they might be unconscious. Or maybe just not able to answer. But they're alive. [ Possibly just hanging on by a thread, but they're not too plate. ] Lift that piece up, if you can, and then take a step back. I can help you — I know it's unwieldy. [ The piece of wall is just too large for one person to grip without it being awkward, and so he stands to take hold of it from one side.

With that, he looks back to Sylvain, wasting no time in delegating to him as well. ] See if you can find a medic and bring them over.

Already signaled with the thingy.

[ That was the technical term for the little device they'd been given, right? Still, even as he watches Diana lift - also holy shit? - he's tugging his metal staff off his back and moving to the section Steve had indicated to lift. ]

Here. I can use this to leverage most of the weight for it, if you can lift it enough for me to get under it. That might be easier than standing here with your hands full of rock.

[ Yeah, unfortunately, this is not the first rescue mission under collapsed buildings Sylvain has been part of. At least there's no giant dragon and enemy soldiers to be dodging this time?

He glances over to see the dog already trying to dig under the section they're trying to move. ] Yeah, I think this is the right spot. We might not have time to wait for the medics to get here, but I have some training if they look like they're going to bleed out or something before help can get here.

[ Hopefully all those times helping Mercy would be able to pay off here. ]

[Her heart lifts; if the person is still breathing, there is a chance they may yet save them. Even better if Sylvain is able to help stabilize them while the medical team is on the way She readies to lift the rock--while she could throw it out of the way on her own, lifting it and holding it steady so they might pull the trapped civilian out is too much for one person. This will take precision, and teamwork. Luckily, she isn't alone.

The dog paws at the ground, and she waits until Steve is in position on the opposite side of the huge piece of rubble. Diana nods, and says:]

On three. One, two, three--

[She heaves the chunk of stone, sure to control her strength and move slowly. Steve is stronger than an average human, she knows this, but she still tries to bear the brunt of the rock's weight on her own. Holding it steady is the tricky part, but she thinks between the two of them, they will manage.]

[ Right, they'd been given communication devices. In all the chaos he'd almost forgotten. Steve wouldn't have expected that sort of technology in a place like this, but he's glad that it exists. Right now, a few seconds might make the difference between them saving this person or adding yet another name to a long list of casualties.

They're all on the same page when it comes to how to handle lifting the large piece of rubble, so as Diana counts down, Steve focuses in on that, drowning out everything around him so he can make sure they get this right.

He lifts as soon as she says "three," but finds that he doesn't have to put nearly as much of his muscle into it as he would have thought. Still, he's keeping the slab of stone steady on his side, leaving Sylvain the opening he needs.

He nods to him, his voice just slightly more strained than usual. ]

Now!

[ He hears wheezing gasps somewhere below them, and the dog gives a few alerted barks. There's definitely someone down there, and they're definitely still alive. ]

[ He slams the butt of his spear into the smallest space they lift, using it to help prop some of the weight onto metal instead - not that they look like they need a lot of help? Crap, Steve wasn't kidding with that "enhanced" shit, was he?

But with the rock out of the way, he hears the warning bark and more, the answering pained wheeze. A survivor!

Scrambling to duck down under the lifted rubble, he spots the source, who'd been half pinned under the large piece of wall the other two were holding up. Although since he didn't know how long they could maintain that, he was going to have to hurry. ]

We're here to get you out. [ He offers the reassurance to the bleeding man as he crouches over him, carefully shoving off a beam that tilted over one of his legs, careful not to upset the balance of what Steve and Diana were still bracing. ] I need you to grip onto my shoulders, alright? I'm going to pull you out of here on three. One, two...

[ The body comes free with a little struggle and Sylvain quickly backs up, pulling the man free of the rubble and back far enough that the other two can release the rock. It takes a bit of exertion on his part - he may be pretty strong, but he's nowhere in the league of these other two. However, when he does get the injured man free, he can drop to his knees beside him and press a palm to the man's chest.

A white glow surrounds his hand as he closes his eyes to focus. He's not a healer, by any stretch of the imagination, but he knows enough to buy time on a battlefield until the real healers can reach them. Faith spells are harder for him to channel than black magic, but he sends the warm tendrils of a heal spell through the body beneath him, hoping it will be enough to stabilize him and buy them a few minutes. He doesn't like the look of the state the man's legs are in after being pinned down there. ]

Can someone see about fastening a tourniquet? Do either of you know how to do that?

[As soon as the slab is moved and she hears the ragged breaths from below, she feels as if she could cry with relief. They're alive. It's all that seems to matter to her right now--that, and keeping the debris steady while Sylvain works to free the trapped person. Though she knows that holding the piece of wall will quickly become a burden, Sylvain manages to drag the survivor away and to safety in short order.

Once she's certain they're clear, she looks to Steve, counting down again before lowering the concrete back down; she doesn't want to just drop her end of it and risk hurting either of them in the process.

Free of that duty, she darts to where the man and Sylvain are, hands hovering out in front of her for a moment as if to help before lowering back to her sides. He's using magic, she'd know that even without tasting the tang of it on the back of her tongue, and she watches, fascinated. Few Amazons were born with the gift for magic, and Diana was not one of them--well, she never thought she was. But now that she knows who her father is, who knows?

She gives them space until Sylvain requests their help, and then crouches beside him. There's a bubble of panic building in her chest, and she looks to Steve.]

I know how, but I've never had to do it on a real injury.

[Amazons learn how to treat battlefield wounds, of course they do, but until recently, Diana had never been to war. It had all been theory until then, training on healthy warriors or dummies. And then men she saw at the Front--many of them were too far gone for something like a tourniquet to help. Still, she tugs at the hem of her shirt sticking out below her leather chestplate, and starts to tear off a long strip with ease, not caring about ruining her clothes.]

Steve?

[ Steve breathes out a sigh of relief when Sylvain is able to pull the injured survivor out from under the rubble in record time. It would have been entirely possible that he was buried under something else, making it impossible to pull him free, but it looks like they got lucky. And they need to take the victories whenever they come, as Steve knows there are going to be many more instances where they aren't this fortunate.

He nods to Diana, locking gazes with her as they coordinate putting the large piece of stone wall back down among the rest of the debris. At some point all of this is going to need to be cleaned up, all the broken pieces of homes piled up in wagons and carted away, but that will come later.

It looks like Sylvain is already doing something to manage the man's injuries, and Steve moves over to crouch down alongside him and Diana. It's hard to tell what the magic has done, exactly, when the man is covered in dust and grime and dried blood, but it's hopefully at least taking away some of the pain.

At the question, Steve's quick to nod. It's been a while since he had to do that kind of field medicine, but it's not the sort of thing that you really forget. He doesn't hesitate, reaching to take the strip of fabric that Diana ripped free. He can see there's a large gash on the civilian's leg which is still oozing blood at a worrying rate. He shifts into place and ties the tourniquet a bit higher up, just below his knee. His hands move swiftly without shaking, taking care to make the knot tight but not too tight. ]

We've got you, [ he tells him, his tone gentle yet steady. ] You're gonna be fine.

[ The dog, meanwhile, has taken to circling the area anxiously, but begins barking as it runs back toward the road. It sounds like the medical team is on the way. ]

[ Sylvain maintains the white magic long enough for Steve to get the tourniquet in place. Once that's done, however, he releases his hold on the spell, sinking back on his heels with a deep breath. Channeling it for that long has sweat trickling down his temple from the focus required for it - not his forte, to be certain, but he can deal with a little exhaustion if it means saved lives.

Still, he glances up between Steve and Diana with a halfhearted rueful smile. ] Well. That went better than I hoped. Let's hope the rest of our finds today are as successful.

[ ...He kinda doubts it, but he doesn't give voice to the cynical thought. He'll take the win for what it is. ]

[Another wave of relief surges through her when Steve takes the strip of fabric; she notes to ask him later to work with her on refreshing her field medical skills. If war is coming--which seems more and more likely each passing hour--she will need to hone those abilities. It makes her stomach churn to think about, but that is their current reality.

She watches him closely, clinically, trying to remember where he ties the tourniquet and how tightly. She knows that doing this incorrectly can spell disaster for the patient. But she can see the blood ooze a little slower from the wound, and feels that the immediate danger has passed. The medical team is on the way, and this man will be in their capable hands shortly. She reaches out, taking the man's hand and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He is not alone in this; nobody in Libertas is.

Noticing how tired Sylvain seems, she places her free hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as well.]

We are lucky to have you here with us. [She looks from Sylvain to Steve.] That was well done.

[It's directed at both of them. She lets both of her hands fall back to her sides, and stands. Her voice is quiet, subdued.]

As soon as the medics have him, we should move on.

[ The immediate threat of this man fading on them before additional help can arrive seems to have been chased away, between Sylvain's magic and that hasty tourniquet. The man still looks a concerning shade of white, and he hasn't yet actually formed any words — likely due to being in shock — but they seem to be out of the woods, at least.

The survivor's eyes do flicker down when Diana grabs for his hand, registering it as he wheezes out a quiet thank you. It's about the most they can expect from someone who's been through so much.

With that in mind, Steve stands and backs away, wanting to give him some space. He also takes a few steps toward the road, relief flooding through him when he sees a group of figures in the distance. ]

It was. [ He turns back to his two teammates and nods. ] Thank you both. [ Sylvain looks like he needs a moment to catch his breath, which is probably why Diana suggests that they find a place to do that once the man they've saved is in the clear.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the medics to arrive and swarm around the survivor to give him proper care. Steve steps up to Sylvain and offers him a hand as they're approaching. ]

You all right? [ He studies his face in an attempt to assess how much that spell took out of him. ]

Edited 2022-10-30 20:36 (UTC)

[ After taking a moment to catch his breath, he glances up in surprise, both at the squeeze to his shoulder and the quiet words of praise, as if he hadn't really been expecting that. He casts Diana a half-hearted smile, more genuine than before, even if it's still overshadowed by the somber mood around all of them. ]

Thank you. It wasn't much, but it should hopefully be enough. White magic is not my area of expertise but I watched enough of the healers do it back home that I picked up a few tricks.

[ He accepts Steve's hand, appreciating the assistance in getting back to his feet. He gives a wry chuckle at the question, however, dusting off his clothes and rolling his shoulders now that he's upright again. ] Me? You two did all the hard work. I feel like I should be asking you two that since you both just held up half a building between you. Are you okay to keep looking?

[She shakes her head a little bit as Sylvain plays down his part in this, but doesn't comment further; that man surely would have died without his intervention, but it isn't her place to detract from his humility.

Once all of them are up on their feet, Diana briefly checks her weapons and armor. Aside from her ripped shirt, everything is in order. She doesn't really expect to have to fight anyone here, not now, but she'd rather be ready than caught unprepared. His concern for herself and Steve brings a wan smile to her lips, and she shrugs.]

I will look for as long as is needed.

[All night, all week, whatever these people need from her. She would not expect the same of her companions, not knowing their limits, but she does know her own well enough.]

[ At Sylvain's awe-filled remark, Steve just smiles crookedly and raises his eyebrows. ] Enhanced, remember? [ As if that explains everything about what he and Diana were just able to accomplish. He's happy to go more in-depth on it later, but for now they still have work to do. ] And look, being able to heal at all is vital right now. We're glad to have you.

[ Since it seems like all three of them are ready to keep working and the medics are now busy tending to the person they saved, it's time to move on. Steve whistles to bring their accompanying hound back over to them, and then starts to make his way through the rubble again.

On to the next block of destroyed buildings. It's bound to be a long day. ]

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someone's gotta mourn you [closed]

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wrapping!