Open | The city at the center of it all

[welcome_summer]

Who: open to all, 4th wall visitors more than welcome!
What: New faces and new cracks in the sky
When: August 2022 4th Wall- Weekend
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: If needed

[As Friday night rolls into Saturday, the repercussions of this Earth rejoining the multiverse are starting to become more clear. Missing persons reports are flooding the airwaves, the OurPowers metahuman-only social media network included. In Excelsior, it seems the newly-sentient tech devices are adding to the noise. News coming from Sunset Falls is terse-- there is also a Strong Magical Effect of some sort active in addition to the disappearances. Not even Little Love is immune; thankfully, the residents report no additional hazards.

But here in Central City, the citizens only grow more tense with each resident taken. A powderkeg with a long fuse that has just been lit. The sky is starting to crack, and the feelings of homesickness and fear are starting to spread.

It’s not the warmest welcome a visitor could receive, but the meta population has been put on alert for new arrivals, searching from rooftop to water’s edge. Central’s a VERY big city, but hopefully some generous souls can point you to the swanky Diadem Hotel in the end.

Resident metas, you might want to check in on your nearest and dearest before heading out. Some of you might be deploying to Sunset Falls or Excelsior soon, or making plans to get to Little Love before Central gets… too rough. Some of you might be adventuring Elsewhere very shortly. But maybe there is time to help out a fresh face, extricate them from a confrontation, give them the lowdown about this alternate Earth? After all, you were once new yourself.]

((4th-wallers, feel free to touch down here! Network/”text” threads welcome. Mingle to your hearts’ content))

Comments

[helpdesk_hero]

Balthier was a blessing in this situation, because David's freaking out. That's just how life can be. The table is useful, and he's careful as he lays Jay on it on his stomach. Then he holds his hands out to create scissors with his powers. Time to cut these horrible bandages off so he can get what he needs.

"Balthier, we're going to need bandages. Can you grab my bag and start grabbing things out? Don't reach for the wound magically. I need to slow the bleeding until I can get him to understand the healing he needs."

Except... Except then Jay says the thing and David freezes. Just stands there, staring, hands frozen in the air. Did...

Did Jay tell them when the buses were leaving? Everyone had assumed it was Nimrod. Had Jay...

No. He can't deal with that now. He can't have Jay die. He can talk to Jay when the guy is stabilized. Because it can't be true.

"Jay, I'm going to be blunt here. You're horribly injured right now, and you're not thinking straight. But frankly, I'm from the future, I'm twenty-four, and I can tell you with certainty that he murdered us. He is killing us. And he convinced you to destroy a beautiful part of yourself and I refuse to let that stand."

[portolan]

Balthier does one better and clears off an adjacent counter, setting out the bandages then moving to lay out the rest of David's tools. The reality is, that's a lot of blood, and with the city -- skies above, the world -- the way it is right now, the best path he sees is getting those healing potions here as quickly as possible.

They're speaking of things he doesn't understand, so he's only paying them half a mind. David freezing like that, though, that he knows, and suddenly he's attentive.

"Tell me what else you need." Whatever this revelation is, it can wait until the man is stable.

[waxen_wings]

He hears David, but Jay's listening skills are failing him. He's lost so much blood, and his back feels like its on-fire. That would be some of the stitches ripping - the amputation work was utilitarian and meant to keep him alive only until he completed his mission, although Jay has no idea of that. It probably wouldn't stop him from trying to swat away David's words, as if that can be done physically.

Because no. David has to be lying. Has to. Nobody's murdered. Not yet. They're gonna get saved, and it's all going to be f-

The shock finally overwhelms his brain's ability to stay conscious, and Jay's eyes roll upwards, lashes fluttering shut.

[ OOC: If I could request that there be a time-skip? He can wake up when he's stabilized. Feel free to do extra David and Balthier rounds to get us there if necessary. ]

[helpdesk_hero]

[OOC: We'll do a little and I'll ping you on plurk when we're done.]

Shit, shit!

"Blood loss. Fuck, we're running a shock risk. Shit. Balthier, I'm going to talk you through stopping the bleeding as best we can, but he needs a transfusion."

And given David's type O (because of COURSE he would be), he's got to act fast.

"Damn you, Jay, don't you die on me. I have a lecture I have to repeat to you by memory for doing this. One you might need to hear more now than you did on Krakoa."

[portolan]

Balthier hasn't seen David this rattled, and he isn't thrilled to be the best option for assistance; he'd like the man to live. But he's a quick learner and has steady hands. He'd rather be here than David handling this on his own.

The demands of the job take over, and his face is serene and his mind clear. He'll think about this later. Not now.

He's pulling off his vest and rolling up his sleeves. "Ready when you are."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Here," he says, taking the gauze and throwing it to Balthier. "Press this against the stubs the best you can. The major arteries that feed them aren't easy to get to."

Meanwhile he's pulling out tubing and tools for a transfusion.

"Once we slow that down, get your potions."

[portolan]

Balthier catches it, proceeding to cut unravel it and follow the instructions. He's done the basics of this before; not everyone has magick, and sometimes the Mist is blocked.

He has to dislodge his mind, turn this into any regular operation. Thank the Scions Jay has already passed out, as the pain has to be immense. Still, he works steadily.

"Have you worked on winged anatomy before?"

[helpdesk_hero]

“Studied his actually,” David said with a sigh as he cleaned a part of Jay’s arm for his work. “The reason I only care about getting him just far enough is that if your potions do what you think they might, it should be enough. His wings, they’re… I don’t even know how to explain it. But they are sort of where his healing magic is stored. If they are restored, his mutant abilities should start healing the rest of him, if a touch slowly.”

[portolan]

Alright, well, that makes him feel better about the success rate. He still flinches, though. "I am a fool who keeps thinking I've reached the edges of cruelty. Convincing him what he is is wrong, taking that away..." He doesn't waiver in his work but his voice does.

"There are four. I can probably get the fifth but I presume if they work two or three should suffice. They are potent, and the one I used worked strongly."

He'll will it into being until there's some indicator that path must be abandoned. Hells, maybe that's his real magic.

[helpdesk_hero]

"If we don't do it, he'll end up very weak. I don't know that I can get Josh here, much less get Josh to agree to ignore Jay's history of stupidity on this," David said as he set the line for the transfusion.

"He... Dies. Jay dies, very shortly after this. His own actions lead to all those deaths at my school that I told you about. I didn't... I didn't know for sure. But he dies, because he goes back to the man and demands to understand because he thought the guy was saving us."

I’m clearly sporadic so if you want to send Balthier off, go for it

[portolan]

Balthier puts a hand on David’s shoulder, because what is there to say to being faced with possibly repeating the death of a friend? Other than, of course, I’m here for whatever I can do.

“As far as we know, that man isn’t here, and Jay wasn’t supposed to be. If there’s a way to save him, this is the best shot he’s got.” Whatever David can do, it’s more than he’d have had.

But if this goes badly Balthier will absolutely use the potions on David first.

nah

[helpdesk_hero]

"Then you'll use the potions?" he asks, his voice soft and nervous. "I have to try. I really have to try."

It's as simple as that. And he's desperate for it.

Re: nah

[portolan]

“If it’s at my disposal, it’s at yours. You tell me when you’re ready for me to get them.” His voice is gentle too, hopefully reassuring. He can’t promise miracles but he can promise whatever support he has to give.

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, there is that willingness, and as David starts the transfusion, he's comforted by it. He's so tired, so scared, so stressed, and Balthier is a comfort.

"Alright then. Just keep pressure on until the bleeding tapers off a bit, and then get them. Fast as you can. We're against a clock here given I don't have proper tools for this."

[portolan]

Balthier doesn’t like whatever it is David is doing, not when he’s going to leave and he knows David is capable of pushing too hard. But what else is there to do? So he does as instructed, pressure on the wound, and as soon as he gets the clear, he’s layering haste spells on himself, route already planned.

There’s a brief touch on David’s shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

[helpdesk_hero]

"As quick as you can," he agreed with a deep sigh, and then kept his eyes on Jay. There's nothing he can do but wait and fret now. Wait for Jay to wait, wait for Balthier to come back, wait for some answer from the universe about what happened next.