Let's be war buddies...

[initiates]

Date & Time: 18th, beginning at 2100 hours, through to the 20th.
Location: All around Exsilium.
Characters: Everyone!
Summary: The United Earth decides Exsilium had obviously not learned its lesson back in October, and does another round of humble-making bombing for those impertinent exiles. OOC info can be found here.
Warnings: Violence, death, general gloom and doom.

The warning had gone out approximately two hours before the bombing began, broadcast to any available receptor on the island: UE aggressions incoming, bombs expected; please proceed to Catacombs immediately. It repeats over and over, right up until the first bomb, aimed at the Hold itself, silences the signal.

The air is thick with smoke and worse. Every one to two hours another bomb shakes the island. Buildings crumble and shatter, but the focus is on the Hold and the native hospital. Initiative employees, some sick as anyone else, are steadfast in their escorting natives and transports alike into the underground catacombs. For two days the bombs continue ceaselessly, dropped by their cloaked and invisible carriers overhead.

The United Earth is nothing if not thorough.

Comments

[velveteened]

( it's a long way from a dignified display, but the brief burst of panic - surprising even him - dies down for the moment, at least. he's shut his eyes by now, finally giving in to the sting of keeping them open, particularly as it sinks in that there isn't any point to doing otherwise. )

I know that! But they're probably busy right now anyway.

( which

doesn't make much sense, but okay. )

[retraced]

But this is important-!

[Just a little???]

[velveteened]

( it's awkward to try to hold onto gil's hands holding his hands, but he does it anyway, curling sore fingers. )

I know.

[retraced]

[There's an empty pit opening up in his chest, spreading each second that he watches his young master cling to him harder.]

Oz...

[velveteened]

( there's literally no way to explain his behavior in anything approximating rationality, and that's something else he knows - well enough to be embarrassed, though not to let go yet. )

In a few minutes.

[retraced]

[Well if he has to wait a few more minutes like this then he's just going to

lean forward until his forehead touches the ground but with his hands still gripping tightly to Oz's


and hyperventilate quietly until then.]

[velveteened]

( when gil doesn't make to move, oz breathes out a quiet sigh of relief and let his own head drop just a little.

he'd thought he was doing alright in terms of keeping his composure, but apparently keeping calm is going to be more work than he'd expected. which is a little inexplicable even (especially) to him, because in no universe would gilbert ever just leave him like this, especially not longer than he has to. it's - just a little surprising to wake up to all this. he'll be better about it in a few minutes. right.

...it occurs to him that gil doesn't seem to be moving or saying anything. )

What are you doing?

[retraced]

In all of the excitement...I think I forgot how to breathe?

[WHEEZE......]

[velveteened]

Gil!

( REALLY )

[retraced]

[He's working on it, okay??

But he finally does take in a deep enough breath that he starts to cough, which would be more of a relief if it didn't hurt so badly. He keeps his face down and pressed into the ground, hands still gripping Oz's. So useless he can't even have an emotional moment without screwing it up somehow.]

Sorry...

[He finally whispers.]

[velveteened]

( no, he thinks, he probably owes the apology.

so, after a beat, he uncurls his fingers and gives their hands a gentle shake to disengage them, leaning over carefully to be a little closer to eye level (ha. ha.) with gilbert. )

You should go get something to drink. And find a good doctor for both of us, alright?

( he says it gently, offering a small smile. )

[retraced]

[Now that he's being given permission to go, he stays rooted in place for another second, staring into Oz's blind eyes. It can't be forever, there has to be hope somewhere. He can't give up before he even tries, and he can't entertain ideas of 'but what if I'm wrong'.

Slowly, he raises back onto his knees and plants his hands on the ground in front of himself, still breathing hard, but consistently.]

Close your eyes. [He whispers again. Talking is painful, but he's sure Oz can still hear him.]

Count to one hundred, and I promise I'll be back by then.

[velveteened]

( oz straightens as well, carefully so as to avoid overbalancing, and closes his eyes when asked. his hands are safely in his lap; there won't be any stopping gilbert this time. he can wait, vision or no, and gil really does sound like he could benefit from seeing someone.

that promise makes him smile though, genuinely. )

Alright, I will. Don't be late.

[retraced]

[His steps are still clumsy and his breathing is ragged, but he's immediately up on his feet and rushing out into the catacombs to search for anyone who looks like they can help. He's also counting down from 100 to 1, the opposite of what he'd told Oz to do. That was just to keep his mind occupied and give him a goal to look forward to, but to Gilbert that number is a countdown.

And he refuses to screw it up.]

[velveteened]

( later, they sleep.

it's hard to tell apart morning or night underground of course, not when the only thing that has any regularity is the rattle of walls and dislodging of dust that comes with every thunderous bombfall. it doesn't make for a very easy sleep, perhaps, but long exhausting days and weeks take their toll. it's one such set of shaking that wakes oz with a start, surprising him before he remembers; and then he puts hands in front of his face before he remembers.

sighing at himself, he reaches out none too carefully with maybe a small measure of that earlier alarm. )

Gil, are you awake?

[retraced]

[Like so many other times in the past, Gilbert is asleep at his side.

It's the lingering fever that finally knocks him out, no matter how much he'd rather sit and watch Oz sleep while listening for news of further attacks and updates on others. He's shaken awake when the bombs fall close by, but for the most part, he's out for the count.

Until Oz wakes up, calls out his name and then reaches over to jab him right in the side of the neck.

Mostly it's the jabbing to the neck that wakes him. It hurts more than it should.

He gasps and coughs, but it's empty, dry and useless sounding compared to the last few days.

So to answer your question, Oz, yes. He's awake. :|b]

[velveteened]

( WHOOPS. )

Gil - ?

( well, he felt his hand come in contact with something warm and human and that was probably gilbert wasn't it, but of course had no way of knowing just what he'd accidentally stabbed. he moves to push himself upwards in alarm, but his hand comes down wrong on the ground, making him slip and bang his chin on stone. )

[retraced]

[Oz, be careful!

Is what he tries to say, though no sound comes out. At all. There's barely even a whisper of air exhaled as he leans over to lift Oz up and see if he's made himself bleed. He tries to speak again as he does so, but it's the same result.

He settles instead for trying to clear his burning throat.]

[velveteened]

( there's a scrape with a perfunctory amount of blood starting to well up, but it's mostly his dignity that's got bruised. more concerning to him is all that silence. )

Do you need to get some water?

[retraced]

[He rolls his sleeve down to cover his hand so that he can press it against Oz's chin and stop the bleeding. His clothing is mostly ruined anyways, there's no point in trying to keep it clean now. But his hand is shaking slightly against Oz's face as he exhales another few useless, silent words.]

[velveteened]

( he gives it a moment, but when a response still fails to come, he reaches out. misses initially, but carefully moves his hand through the air until he finds gil's outstretched arm. )

Gil?

( sounding worried now - he can feel that shake. )

[retraced]

[I'm okay! Don't worry! he mouths, attempting to scream so loud that he ends up choking when no words actually form, empty but painful sounding gasps capping the failed try. He settles instead for keeping his covered hand pressed against Oz's chin.

At least he can't see the panicked expression on his face and worry even more, but he can't imagine that his silence is helping the situation either.]

[velveteened]

( no, the silence really isn't.

but the sounds he does get are somewhat telling, enough that he stops to really think about them. after a pause, he says quietly, )

Maybe you could do something like, tap your finger once if you're alright and twice if we should find that doctor again.

[retraced]

[Tapping his finger. Okay, that works. That's some communication, which is better than no communication at all. And though the pain in his lungs is worrisome, it's common for one to lose one's voice while sick.

So he drops his hand from the cut on Oz's face and taps his finger against his arm once. I'm alright.]

[velveteened]

Really?

( he knows what 'alright' can be with you sometimes, gilbert. not being able to speak does seem worrying, but on the other hand - on the other hand, gil's still recovering even more than he is, and it's not that strange with illnesses like these. )