catchall; valerie

[ohthehumanities]

this one is more for you lisa than for val tbh

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Week 5, Thursday

[ohthehumanities]

[Well he got carted off to his warehouse to get changed and cleaned up but he has been healed enough to not be dying, so. He's out here now, probably going to get a warm drink from the cafe before curfew. He did, at least, hear about group 1, so when he spots her he will come over.]

Valerie? Are you alright?

[huntressinred]

[ Looking him over to see the state of him and his injuries ]

...Probably doing better than you guys are.

[ and it shows, because now that she's washed up and changed her clothes, she seems unharmed! Except for the scarring on her right hand and forearm. ]

[ohthehumanities]

[This just makes me afraid that whatever mental effect they got stuck with is HORRIBLE

But Kaveh is... well, his major injuries aren't visible if she's standing in front of him, but he's holding himself upright, so there's that. The visible cuts and bruises are also partly healed, so he's not bleeding everywhere.]

Where did you end up?

[huntressinred]

[ :) ]

Horrible endless desert world with evil murder cults.

[ohthehumanities]

With--what?

[huntressinred]

Well, one cult. If there are more, we didn't see 'em.

But it's a cult pretending to be a church. And it's full of basically every bad thing you can think of.

[ohthehumanities]

[Help]

Did you recognize anything about it? Where you were?

[huntressinred]

No, just...the people.

[ohthehumanities]

Can I ask who?

[Though he says it gently, since he remembers being traumatized on his first CYOA about this.]

[huntressinred]

Well, obviously Mizuki and Nahri and Jonas...

[ but then wraps her arms around herself, small, like a futile attempt at self-soothing ]

...but then also Fei Du, and--and Alex, and...someone I knew from home.

[ohthehumanities]

[Aww, Valerie. Kaveh's gaze softens, and he reaches out, putting a gentle hand on her arm.]

That happened on mine as well. It took a long time to believe they weren't really there with us.

[huntressinred]

[ she allows it, because she is distraught with other things right now ]

I mean, I know they weren't. But that doesn't exactly help when they nearly kill you...and you nearly kill them.

[ohthehumanities]

[Fair and valid.]

Mm. I know. [They're memories that won't go away, unfortunately. He, Alex, and Eiden died so many times--but even knowing that they're safe here, at least for the next few hours, can't erase the memories.] Were they part of that cult? Or was it something else?

[huntressinred]

They were. Not willingly, but...yeah.

[ohthehumanities]

[He sighs.]

These... illusions, or whatever they are--they're so cruel.

[huntressinred]

Is it really an illusion if it hits so close to home?

[ohthehumanities]

[Honestly, that's an excellent question. He's quiet for a while, considering.]

...I think it occupies a dual space. [He says, finally.] It wasn't necessarily real--but the pain it inflicted on you is.

[huntressinred]

The pain inflicted on me isn't what I'm worried about.

[ohthehumanities]

What do you mean?

[huntressinred]

...the person I knew from home. I hurt them really, really bad.

It's...what I thought I wanted. It's what I'd been trying to do, back home. But actually managing to do it... [ she shakes her head ]