post-dungeon regroup

[discutio]

[Obviously, they had to pull back and recover; Phoenix thought it would be best to head to the pseudo-headquarters in Invidia and settle back into the mansion to recover as well as consolidate what they all knew. There was a lot to get through, and a lot of recovery to be done by some of them. He'd need to talk to Etoile, thank Ariel, thank Medic again--]

[...But for now, he just about immediately collapsed on a couch and decided he would exist there for a while. You're on your own for food this time, kids.]

Comments

[discutio]

[Usually, he'd be cooking right about now. That, however, was out of the question today; though Medic had healed him to be recognizably human, there were faint scars snaking along his arms and up his face like the burned-out cracks in firewood. That would probably last a bit longer, given how much of a full-body ache he still felt.]

[So Phoenix would just assimilate into the couch and let the long list of things he had to do take a backseat for once. If he could.]

[twibeast]

[ Achilles is sticking to Phoenix’s side like the loyalest of dogs and when he makes for the couch he’s not far behind, sitting down with a loud sigh. It wasn’t that long ago that this situation was reversed, with him being the one to collapse on a couch after returning from the Underside, and Chiron—

…

He quickly tries to not think about it. Instead he just focuses on Phoenix, in much worser state than he.

… ]

Are you certain you would not prefer a bed…?

[ Okay so he still thought about it a little bit. ]

[discutio]

...doesn't matter. [That was mumbled into the cushion in a very undignified un-Phoenix sort of exhausted state.] As long as I'm not standing.

[emberserker]

[Oh, good, the way up is open again. Upon arrival, Wolfsbane tries not to look too relieved, walking in and leaning against a pillar.]

Let us hope that disaster is the worst of what we've got.

[But with Phoenix not cooking, someone has to. Wolfsbane might not seem like the obvious choice, but she makes her way to the kitchen regardless, pulling ground beef out to defrost, soaking and breaking up some bread that's a little stale, and chopping some onions. Looks like something's underway.

(Everything that's actually gone bad, she's cleaned up and deposited in a trash bag with a note reading MEDIC. For, you know, the mould experiment. Or in case that other thing she's growing gets hungry.)

In time, she's got some fancy meatballs to lay out at the dining table, along with a variety of cooked vegetables so we don't starve Achilles. If someone comments, she'll glare at them.]

Eat, will you, we ought to keep our energy up after that nonsense.

[emberserker]

I take it she's strong. But what in any god's name was that?

[discutio]

Don't know. [half mumbled into the couch because let him live he's exhausted.] Whatever she was...wasn't quite like us, I don't think. Ask someone who could see her, I'd imagine they would have caught more than I could. For my part, she just felt...wrong.

[emberserker]

Not a true Executor, then... Perhaps a demon.

[And something about that makes her shift; maybe it's just the way she calls Sword a demon when he makes some comment or deliberately ignores her, which is always.]

At least whatever she is, we seem to have answers as to what happened to Rei's memories and her team. And presumably, we'll be recovering Chiron's memories in butterflies soon enough.

[discutio]

I don't know what she is. All I know is that it's going to take more than three of us to stop her.

[Something about calling her a demon made Phoenix vaguely uncomfortable; like it reminded him of something or someone else.]

...I hope that you're right. I'm worried about him.

[emberserker]

He'd just gotten back to infuriatingly normal, too. ...The lot of you are always together, aren't you? I suppose if something's off with one of you, the others would notice the most.

[discutio]

We were...call it 'acquaintances' when we were alive. I suppose that lends itself well to companionship.

[emberserker]

I do wonder how it is that some of us knew each other in life, and some haven't seen a familiar face even as a Spectre.

[twibeast]

[ Well at least Achilles managed to smile a little bit at that. Strained sure, but still there and fond. ]

…All right. Whatever you need to be more comfortable though, I can provide.

[ He gives his own lap a few audible pats. ]

I’ve been told before that I’m comfier than my pointed horns might suggest.

[ Is he attempting a joke or being serious, who knows. ]

[discutio]

I wish I could answer that. I'm afraid I can't even begin to guess.

[emberserker]

Fate, I suppose. Some people are just destined for different circumstances. Ability, place... and what layer they end up on, apparently.

[discutio]

... [Phoenix pushed himself up enough to brush disheveled hair out of his face and direct a faintly uncertain look in Achilles' general direction, as if trying to gauge whether or not he was serious.]

[...Eventually he concluded he was too exhausted to care about appearances, shifting enough to rest his head on Achilles' lap.]

I'm...afraid I have to ask your forgiveness. I was the one directing Chiron and Etoile, so no small amount of this outcome rests on my shoulders.

[discutio]

...I suppose that you could have a point. Though leaving it to fate seems almost too simple.

[twibeast]

[ In truth it had been a bit of both. The offer had been genuine, but he also had not expected Phoenix to actually him up on it. So when he does… there’s a few seconds where it takes Achilles by surprise, and a few seconds more when it’s not Phoenix that he sees - it’s Patroclus’s bright pink and purple hair, that dog Furred’s twitchy little tawny ears (Fen…rir… was it…?), Odysseus’ tired eyes, Odile’s sleepy little head… and then it’s Phoenix, healed but still battle scarred and weary.

He almost puts a hand on his head, but refrains for now. ]

That… is not something you need apologize for, my friend. I refuse to give you any blame for this.

[discutio]

...I thought you might not. But it would have felt wrong had I not admitted as much.

[Admittedly, the contact alone was a small reassurance that things were...not okay, but salvageable.]

Regardless...I feel responsible for this all the same.

[ourtomorrow]

[ Looking very out of his element: this random guy who showed up in the middle of the dungeon crawl and has been tagging along ever since! Following everyone back to Limbo had been his first experience with other Layers of Purgatory, so this is....A Lot.

You can find him either sitting somewhere, staring off into space, or exploring the house. If he comes into a room and you're sitting there: ]

Oh, excuse me. I'm finding my way.

[twibeast]

…Phoenix.

[ Fuck it. He’s resting his hand in Phoenix’s hair after all, gentle and hopefully reassuring. If Phoenix doesn’t want that he’ll know and pull back, but right now he feels the need to do so. ]

You are, without a doubt, one of if not the most capable among us. Even in spite of your lack of sight, you are dependable, quick thinking and immensely skilled. Save perhaps for Rei’s larger body of experience and knowledge, there is nothing I would say that you lack. In our group, there is none I consider more reliable a comrade than you.

So believe me when I say this - I don’t think this would have gone better with anyone else. If anything it would certainly have been worse. We might have been mourning the loss of three friends today, rather than just the memories of one.

You need not hold yourself accountable for suddenly having to fight a lion when we were all expecting a feral cat.

[discutio]

[He didn't answer right away, but he also didn't move from under Achilles' hand. Exhaling in a long, tired sigh, Phoenix closed his eyes and tried to piece together anything he was feeling about this whole mess.]

You're...kind to say as much. Truly, I mean that. And I acknowledge that...things could easily have gone much worse. Nearly did, if not for Ariel's intervention. But I...all I can see are my own missteps. I wasn't able to stop Chiron from nearly being killed, and I fear my own reaction to that may have severely frightened Etoile.

[emberserker]

What's so simple about fate? I'd think something that controls everything would be complicated.

[discutio]

I think there's a frustrating simplicity in the preordained. The idea that everything can and will go exactly as it should, with little to no deviation...the concept that such things are instead a matter of pure chance is where I find complication lies, in the endless possibilities that entails.

[emberserker]

But then if you think that, then what makes you special or not? Some people are just meant for success! Did we all awaken by chance, too?

[twibeast]

[ He looks away for a moment… because he knows what it feels like after something like this. He still remembers his own missteps, and how the others would reassure him like he is doing now. But no matter how much they did he still felt at fault; no words are going to ever make that feeling go away. ]

…I understand. It can be… difficult to see anything but after something like this. Hopefully, Etoile will recover… I get the feeling that she’s an exceptionally strong young lady, though if she decides not to fight with us any longer I could hardly blame her. At least she is afforded that choice.

Chiron though…

[ He just… trails off there. ]