[ CATCH-ALL ] and I broke my heart in two

[londonbound]

Who: Rhy Maresh & others
When: throughout September, early October
Where: Castle Thorne, Nott, Horizon
What: In the aftermath of the attack on Nott, Rhy is doing his best to help out as a healer in the fields, taking on the firefighting quest, and otherwise being fucked up about all the damage and casualties already piling up.
Warnings: blood, possible violence, will add as needed.




(( hit me up @ belleteyn or @ lenafish#3861 on disco. PM is cool too.

I'm happy to write you a custom starter!! even if we've never threaded before!! i am simply very bad at open ones. ))

Comments

[londonbound]

[ It seems he catches Rhy off guard. He starts slightly, looking over when he hears the familiar voice and catches Thancred waving to him. Rhy redirects from the bar to Thancred's table without hesitation.

He looks tired, face drawn and brows furrowed. The usual smile he'd offer doesn't appear. Instead, Rhy simply takes the offered seat, dropping into it heavily, as though his legs might have given way if he hadn't decided to sit exactly then. ]

Thanks.

Just a drink.

[ Or three. ]

[funbreaker]

[ It is not typical to see Rhy without a smile on his face, and yet Thancred can tell that the day's events (and what came before, no doubt) have worn him down, chipping away at his generally warm demeanor.

It's understandable, of course. The situation in Abraxas at the moment is tenuous, with war feeling almost like a forgone conclusion at this point.

Unfortunately, Thancred has seen war before, and can therefore weather these sights a bit better than most. ]

It would do you well to eat something as well. My treat.

[ He quickly waves someone over to put in an order. ]

You were out there as well today, I take it? How did you manage?

[londonbound]

[ Poorly, is the honest answer. Though Rhy doesn't phrase it quite so frankly. ]

Fewer new victims being brought in. It's mostly those already pulled out from the fires earlier, still under treatment.

[ Thancred knows he volunteers at the castle infirmary, so Rhy assumes he'll understand he's been doing the same here. It is draining work-- and worse, gruesome in a way Rhy isn't used to at all. He's had little sleep and just as little appetite for days.

He sighs, squinting up at Thancred beneath creased brows. ]

Saints, you sound like Kell. If you insist, I'll try, but I'm still having that drink.

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred's gaze casts downward as Rhy explains that he's been tending to patients here as well. While the clear target of the Free Cities had been the crops themselves, it's no surprise that some of the farm workers had been caught up in the damage as well. It hardly compares to what they're hearing out of Libertas, but one attack led to another. How long will the two factions continue to escalate, and how many civilians will end up hurt or dead as a result?

His mouth twitches at Rhy's little curse. By this point he is quite practiced in ensuring that others take care of themselves. He hadn't always done his best with Ryne, but he can manage this much, surely. ]

I would never dare to keep a man from his drink, worry not. [ When the server swings by, he's quick to put the food order in first and then allow Rhy to request what he wants as far as liquor. They're left alone soon after, and then Thancred is faced with Rhy's tired bearing once more. ]

Is this the first time you've done this sort of thing? [ Wading into a disaster area to provide aid, that is. It's an exhausting enterprise. ]

[londonbound]

[ If asked what he wants, Rhy simply tells Thancred to order for both of them. He doesn't have any appetite, and doesn't particularly care what ends up on the table besides a bottle of liquor -- and yes, he does order the whole bottle, with a mutter about sharing it if Thancred wants. The good thing about Nott is that the booze tends to be cheap and strong, and if it tastes like vinegar and piss, at least you're too drunk within a cup or two that the taste stops mattering quickly enough.

The question is expected. His answer is ineloquent. Rhy shrugs. ]

I've been lucky.

[ The casualties he'd seen (caused) during the Black Night plagued his nightmares for months, still do, but he's never seen the wounded and dying like this. Up close. Trying to help them. Falling short at times. Knowing it is too late. ]

I knew it would be bad. Logically. But--

[ He shudders, breath catching, voice cracking. ]

It's bad.

[ What else is there to say? ]

[funbreaker]

[ Rhy's response is no true shock to Thancred. This sort of haunted look is something that he's seen before, from other fresh-faced young people who were seeing true devastation for the first time. It should take a toll, and even for someone like Thancred who's been here before, it still does.

But at least he'd come in prepared, knowing what sort of awful things he might lay eyes on. If Rhy's helping with the wounded, then he's seeing the worst of it. ]

It is.

[ Hearing the shudder in Rhy's tone, Thancred tilts his head in an attempt to meet his eyes and be a grounding force. ]

Yet every bit helps. I know it's difficult to look at, to feel like you can never do enough. Even if you provide aid to a handful of people, those kindnesses will be remembered.

[ It's easy to forget that when buried under the weight of everything else, when aware that there are countless deaths that were suffered an entire faction away. They need to focus on what's in front of them, on what they can do. ]

[londonbound]

[ Rhy sighs, looking around impatiently to watch the barmaids bustling about, fingers drumming anxiously on the tabletop. Saints. How long can it take to grab a bottle?

He looks back over at Thancred for a long moment, a bit blankly. ]

...speaking from experience?

[ He doesn't specify which side. Lets Thancred fill in if he wishes. ]

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred nods, almost not specifying what side he means. At least not at first. Someone does finally come over with the promised bottle, and he reaches out to pour both of them a glass. ]

I've seen people be almost consumed by their despair, and that's... not as metaphorical as you might think.

[ He debates how much he wants to explain of that. He could very well make Rhy feel worse, with some of the stories he could share. ]

We did our best to provide aid where we could, and we saw many people push past that overwhelming feeling. They were incredibly grateful, when all was said and done. [ A crown of flowers, even, was given to him and Y'shtola by some Auri children. No, he won't be forgetting that any time soon. ]