[PRP] The Lost and The Found (Mila & Temperance)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance had left Hart with the other fetches. She was happier there, anyway, than dancing attendance on her. She'd immediately set about patching up people, which only confirmed Temperance's suspicions that Hart knew more than she let on about medicine. They'd have to have a long talk sometime, but Temperance was tired all the time, and this was happening and... she caught herself rubbing her hands together and stopped. They were clean, she reminded herself. As clean as they could be.

For now, though, there was a particular person she was looking for. Mila had been just thrust into all of this with no warning and no guidance. And Temperance found herself worrying oddly about her. Normally, she wouldn't - not beyond the health of the body - maybe this was her noble instincts kicking in? But the other new people could fend for themselves in this, for now.

"Mila?" She looked around. Hadn't she seen a flash of her hair down this way? "Mila? Where did you go?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Mila wasn't really, y'know, doing so hot?

After getting changed into something a little less singed, she'd taken to wandering the Court halls. Mostly she was looking for a way to get out. Unfortunately that path hadn't opened up to her yet, and she was fairly certain that she was... missing something obvious here. Surely the fetchfolk had accommodated an exit? Surely she was so stupid that she missed it.

"Meeeeeee?" She peeked her head around a corner when she heard her name, all wide eyed and skittish like a doe, "O-Oh um, Temperance..." She gave a meek little wave, a wiggle of her fingers, "Hello..."

She wasn't crying or anything, but her puffy red rimmed eyes sure suggested it.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Yooouuu," Temperance said with a tired smile. She walked briskly over to Mila, her sneakers (they probably still had blood in the soles, she realized, horrified) squeaking slightly. Then she realized there was something off - her eyes, Temperance thought.

Reaching out, she hooked her fingers around Mila's wrist and pulled her into a random room. "Time for a check-up." Once inside, she let go and studied the normally minty fresh girl. "Are you okay? What hurts?"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"Time for a wuh—h-huh?!"

Mila was blinking rapidly from where she was yanked off to. "C-Check up? I'm okay! I'm okay..." She waved her hands dismissively, "I'm... I'm going to be okay. I mean. Can you blame me?" She rubbed up under her glasses, "P-People almost died Temperance! I'm—oh gosh... people are just... they act like this sort of thing always happens. It's so—"

She shook her head.

"I was so scared..." She admitted as she looked down. Her eyes caught sight of the blood still on Temp's shoes; it made her grimace a little, "Everyone... seems okay though. I didn't realize magic was so..."

She worried her hair—usually up, now let down—between her hands.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"No, I can't, um, blame you, Mila. You kind of got shoved into everything." She sighed. Temperance was always kind of bad at this sort of thing, but pretty girls shouldn't have to be so distraught.

She reached over and lifted Mila's chin. "It's okay to be scared. Everyone else is, too. It's just - let me show you?" Anything was possible with the magic here. She slid her hand upward and lifted her other so that Mila's face was cradled in between them. "Just, um, listen to this." Her blue eyes bored into Mila's.

If she opened up, if she let it happen, Mila would get a glimpse into Temperance's anxieties, thoughts. The exasperation of Alexis refusing most of the healing offered, her reluctance over Pax, the quick desperation that flared through her as she had rushed to Pride, to Ezra. The knowledge that, even through this, everything might fail again. It might go back to what it was and her determination that it should not. There was already so much blood, blood, throats and abdomens, squishing up between her fingers-

Abruptly, it stopped and Temperance dropped her hands, clearing her throat awkwardly. Her arms wrapped around herself. "We keep on because there's... there's no other option, right now. You've got one, though."

melancholies

up to you how much of the mind thing she gets!

 

[Melancholies]

The mental images Mila got was most definitely messy. They were a weird amalgamation of people she didn't recognize and places she'd never been to; Pax looked so small, Pride looked so harrowed, but what stuck out to her was the blood. For memories, she was sure it was sticking to her, all over her hands, he knees, under her nails and--

Nothing.

For all the majors she'd jumped around to in college, she was blissfully glad she never delved into the medical field.

"W-Wow..." Mila blinked very slowly, as if coming out if a stupor. "Thats-- gosh you have so much on your plate!!" Her cheeks puffed up, her eyes welling and threatening with tears again, but this time for different reasons. "I-I always knew magic was dangerous! No one ever talks about it because it's so scary, a-and I know it doesn't affect much of the population anyway so it's easy to ignore, but this-? I had no idea. Gosh..."

"But I guess it makes sense. No wonder you're persevering like you are... you've been through so much." Her eyes watered up again, "Is that what magic's about? Is this normal? I don't understand why people have to get hurt..." She shook her head, "D-Does this mean I'm stuck in this too?"

The Semblance of Unity

boop

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh," said Temperance. "Oh, oh no, don't cry! I'm sorry." Her mouth twisted. Maybe she shouldn't have tried that, but she only wanted to show that everyone went about at they had to because there was really no other choice.

Her hands rose up briefly, fluttered around like awkward butterflies before she lowered them again. "People get hurt now... but we're... we're trying to make it better. That's what we're here for - we keep on so that it can get better and no one has to die for it anymore. Or get hurt." Temperance gave Mila a wry smile.

"I don't think there's an opt-out option for magic, sorry. You're not... you don't have to stay for the casting tomorrow, but it will affect you."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Mila's head shot back up. She was crying, but, "O-Oh! No, no, it's okay..." She rubbed at her eyes, "I-I um, I don't think crying is that bad. It's healthy, y'know?" A bloo bloo bloo...

"I-I just dunno if I should stay. You say it's gonna affect me, but I don't even know anything about this stuff..." She sniveled. "I-I just feel like I'm intruding, like I shouldn't be here." Her hand went down to fidget with the hem of her shirt, "I want to help, but being ignorant 'n all... I just feel like I'll get in the way of things." She sighed, "But I don't want people to get hurt either... it... it was kind of nice, when I was able to heal that man. Oh Temperance, he was so hurt. I was so glad when he spoke, I was so worried..."

She drooped a little.

"Your magic is really amazing though," The tears were starting to slow down, "The way you were able to heal people like that. I didn't know... I mean, magic is never supposed to mix with medicine, but you did it so effortlessly... so I guess it isn't all bad."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance looked kind of stricken. She wasn't, like, the greatest with crying, especially crying cute girls. "You... you did really good with helping, okay, Mila?" She reached up to swipe at one of the tears then pulled the girl into a gangling kind of hug.

"You didn't get in the way; you wouldn't because you can't when your voice is important, too." Temperance sighed. "Magic and medicine don't mix easy - it seems too good to be true and it is. Mila, there's so many I haven't saved. You only got to see my good side today." She laughed, a small, forced thing.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Mila blinked rapidly, but responded well to the hug, her own arms wrapping around the sudden gesture. "But... but..." She couldn't find it in her to offer up any words or any attempt to console her. What did you even say? Oh, it's okay, at least you saved one life? Instead, she sighed.

"If... if you really think it's important, then I'll stay..." She just didn't know anything about the Nobility, the moonwalkers and the wargs and everything else. How would it affect her? Temperance seemed pretty up in arms about the whole deal. "I still think..." She swallowed, her throat feeling dry, "I still think what you did was great. Even if... if you couldn't save anyone in the past. It's gotta be a terrible burden to bear, but you still keep trying." She was sniffling still, but the tears had largely stopped. "I think that's really great." Her voice cracked, oops (she really was trying).

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

One of her hands reached up to stroke Mila's hair. "I think it's important, but I won't keep you from going if you don't want to be here." Temperance fell silent for a moment.

"It's my job, I guess. You know Detective Kuroda, right - asian, wears a jacket, likes knives?" Her arms tightened around Mila briefly. "He keeps trying to off people that I try to save. Though America saved the Burning Man this time. Anyway, someone's gotta keep trying... there's no point in giving up, even if it hurts or its hard or it follows you like a shadow."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Mila gasped, "B-B-But he shouldn't do that! Shouldn't the um—um—the police, they should have de-escalation training and stuff, right? Oh gosh, is that why you dislike the chief too?" She squirmed a little in the arms binding her, but not enough to make her let go, she just seemed to have a... wiggly personality, or something. Like it was hard for her to sit still when she got worked up. "That's so terrible! Oh but, but I guess that man—the burning one—he was hurting everyone..." Her brows knitted together.

"But... death shouldn't be the answer. Two wrongs don't make a right, however the saying goes..." She sniffed, "I mean, that is how the saying goes, but y'know... I dunno..." Mila sounded really, really tired.

"I'm glad you can save people. It seems like a terrible burden, but such a blessing too. I think, maybe, for all the heartache, there's going to be the people you do help, and that... that'll make it worth it. I hope it does." She looked up, "I'd be thankful. I don't particularly want to end up in the ground just yet..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance loosened her arms enough that Mila could get out if she so wished. If this were a fairy tale, though, Mila would trasnform into all sorts of fae creatures and Temperance would have to hold on for dear life in order to win. But Mila was Mila and she wasn't trying to best her or anything.

"Violence shouldn't beget violence, though, you're right..." Temperance sighed. "I can try to save people, but I can't always succeed but... If... if you need it, Mila, I'll save you, okay. I promise."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a fairy tale. It was just two tired, battered women sniveling all over each other.

"I believe you, Temperance." She was trying to be reassuring, her eyes wide and trusting. Maybe too trusting. But Mila was a very trusting person. "I mean, gosh, look at how many times you've saved me already! It's almost like a cartoon..." Except, people didn't typically die in cartoons, at least not in the older slapstick ones. "Um, I bet you're super super tired though. I don't wanna keep you. I'll..." She sniffed, but smiled, "I'll be okay! Maybe someday I'll be super strong and cool too, and then I can save you! Or we could just like, look out for each other and hopefully the near death saving never happens, I guess that'd be for the best..." She hmm'd, apparently starting to perk up.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Temperance squeezed Mila one last time and let go, finding herself surprisingly reluctant to do so. "This would be the weirdest cartoon, ever. Sometimes I do think it feels all like a video game... the cycles are save points." She let out a puff of air.

"You aren't like... keeping me, it's okay. Though I guess I can continue rounds. Did you decide on whether you'd like to go or stay?" Reaching up, she brushed back a strand of Mila's hair from where it had gotten stuck to her damp face. "If I need saving, I guess I know who to look for now."

melancholies