Closed An Unfortunate Incident at the Inclement Weather

[Aidara]

Well, it was clear by the look on Addy’s face that she had not expected Sira to do that. Convinced that her bondmate had been properly subdued by those men who fled only chimes before, when the Wind Eagle regained her feet and started scuttling backwards, Addy could do little but just stare, wide eyed.

The last thing she wanted to do was take down her own lover.

It was painfully clear that something was wrong with Sira, and the string of “no’s” that were sent into the healers mind as the great bird backed quickly away from her only confirmed it; her tone was edged with hysteria, the words themselves spoken (even mentally) as if all the hope had left the world. Instinctively, Addy took a step or two forward, towards Sira as she retreated, her hand stretched out before her. “Sira…” But there was no response to her verbal plea, her voice soft and comforting, the hard edge of annoyed disapproval having vanished once the healer realized something was actually very wrong. Sira…

But the mental plea had no more effect, the woman instead shaking her great head from side to side as if to shake the sound from her brain. Stopping next to the pool of blood that, even while backing up, Sira had skirted to avoid, Addy glanced down at the dark, gruesome puddle and sighed, her nose wrinkled and her lips pursed in distaste; the metallic smell that started to permeate the entire place now felt as if it coated her tongue. This much blood was enough to turn even this healers stomach.

“I’m not effected, Sira. It’s just blood. It’s not ooze. We are safe, Sira there is…-“ Cutting off mid sentence to gasp, Addy rocked forward as if she were about to rush forward, stopping herself at the last second; one of the bodies next to where the Wind Eagle had cornered herself twitched and moaned. How had she missed a living one?! Glancing between her terrified lover and the man on the floor, Addy felt her heart pick up its pace until it was beating double time. Duty and love nearly tore the little woman in half in that moment.

Wind swept auburn locks into her eyes, an irritated grunt as her hands lifted to removed them as the weight of the decision she was being forced to make distracted Addy; Sira clearly thought that the monster they had encountered was back to get them, had taken Addy for her own and was infecting everyone around her. Though Addy knew this was not true, there seemed to be no convincing Sira of this, and that meant that going to the downed man’s aid would only solidify this suspicion in her lovers eyes.

There was a loud, solid whump from nearby, the force of the rebounding air as Sira spread her wings knocking the breath from Addy’s lunges. Instinct told the woman to duck, her hands landing flat in the pool of blood as the equally red-tinged talons of the airborn Wind Eagle skimmed right where her head been only moments before. Seeing the evidence on Sira’s claws shattered the flimsy wall of doubt Addy had constructed about herself as she tried to deny that her lover would do such a thing.

Knocked over and with a sick lump in her stomach, Addy forced her legs up underneath her and pushed herself up and into a run after the fleeing eagle; only a few dozen feet ahead, Sira touched ground and switched forms, her clumsy sprint gathering speed nonetheless as she raced towards the door. Addy would never catch her; Sira’s longer legs could easily outstrip even Addy’s best effort. “Sira! Stop! STOP NOW!” Throwing all the force of their bond behind the order, Addy felt her heart clench as Sira banked her speed to take the corner out the door; the pain in her chest only increased when Kavik appeared, grabbing hold of his sister. It was all Addy could do not to scream.

Lengthening her stride into as much of a lope as she could manage, Addy watched as Sira struggled and yelled, though with the echo inside the Weather and the sound of her own feet pounding the stone as she sprinted, it was impossible to make out what was being said. When Sira spun directly into her brother’s fist, however, the tenuous hold Addy had upon the scream broke and it ripped free of her throat.

Cradling his sister in his arms, Kavik face was carefully blank when the frazzled healer finally skidded to a stop next to him. It was only then that she realized how crazy she also must look. Disheveled and covered in blood, it was probably only by considerable self-restraint and a solid head on his shoulders that the Flightleader kept from simply laying Addy out as soon as she got into arms length.

Holding up her bloodied hands and panting, Addy gasped out a few words between each gulp of air. “She… by the time I got… here it was… over.” A hand over her heart and Addy managed to straighten and look Sira’s brother in the eye. “She called me from the Aerie. Something about… the things we faced when the Watchtowers…” Unable to properly explain, Addy instead threw up her hands in defeat. “I couldn’t have stopped her if I wanted. Most of them are dead, except for…”

Slapping a hand to her forehead, Addy moaned aloud as she remembered the man, dying on the floor behind her. “Take her to the Infirmary, and then come back here and help me.” Though he had more power over her, Addy had finally gotten her priorities in order, her healer training kicking into full gear as she made the quick and efficient decisions needed to save lives. “Bring back as many clean bandages as you can, water and whatever else Keah or Miquel might shove into your arms.” When Kavik stood there, looking at her in shock, Addy rolled her eyes and snapped. “Now! Sira can wait!” Though she felt her heart constrict just saying the words.

Trying to avoid as much of the blood as she could, but slipping and sliding nonetheless, Addy picked her way as quickly as possible to where the wounded man lay; the dark stain that pooled around him made the healers heart drop. He had lost so much blood. His breathing was shallower than before, the movement barely discernable in deep shadows of the Weather. “Petch this place.” Growling as she lamented the lack of proper lighting, Addy fell to her knees on the man’s wounded side. Gently turning his head so that his was upright, Addy pressed an ear to his mouth and listened carefully. Though barely a wisp of air brushed her cheek on each exhalation, there didn’t seem to be any unhealthy gurgle in his breathing; a good sign in a sea of devastation. The man was clearly unconscious, so Addy wasted no time trying to rouse or get any kind of answer from him, instead diving into the task at hand.

Rising up onto her knees, Addy quickly unwound the scarf from her waist and slipped it over the stump of the arm, twisting the two ends over one another before tugging them as tight as she could. A tourniquet was always a dangerous option, but there was little she could do for him if he simply bled out. With her lips set in a grim line, Addy took a deep breath and cinched the scarf as tight as she could, double and triple knotting the fabric once she had. The leg of her bryda was promptly shredded and applied to the bleeding end of the stump, pressure applied as the flimsy fabric was quickly soaked with blood. Wishing silently for a quick clot, Addy tore one-handedly at the rest of her pants, tearing more of the cloth for the sloppy, makeshift bandage.

Without her supplies, there was little she could do for the man before Kavik returned. Settling herself down crosslegged despite the pool of the man’s life-force beneath her, Addy kept her one hand holding the soggy fabric to his arm while the other rested on the exposed skin of his shoulder. She would have to clean the wound if she expected him to live; with less than sanitary bandages pressed against the open wound, infection could and most definitely would set in within a matter of bells. Dying of infection was far worse than even bleeding out.

Gritting her teeth and not even bothering with her meditation, Addy grasped a handful of her power and flung herself towards the fallen man, metaphysically of course. It took only a second for her to sense and find the wound; as large as it was, it was hard to miss. Luckily, instinct had kept the man from rolling onto his open wound and Addy’s torn bryda-bandages hadn’t had a chance to transfer many germs. Wielding her power like a hammer rather than the delicate thread she normally envisioned, Addy slammed away at the germs that lingered in the torn flesh and internal fluids, smashing them from existence.

She had just finished going over the wound for a third time, cleansing whatever she saw, when Kavik returned. Not knowing any better, the man shook the seemingly asleep healer and shouted in her ear. “I’ve got the stuff!”

Whipping out of her trance, Addy glared up at him and opened up her arms to receive her tools. “What did you bring?” The question was almost choked out, forced past the one thing Addy really wanted to ask: How is she?

[Sira]

Kavik returned with a satchel of medical supplies, everything from bandages to splints, disinfectant to stitches, and anything else Keah was able to shove into the little bag. Nobody save Aidara knew the extent of the damage that Sira had done, and not even she knew for sure how many were dead, and how many had been injured but managed to escape alive. The healer's in the infirmary were already overwhelmed by the flow of injured pouring in, though not all of them were because of Sira directly. Many people had been trampled on the way out and suffered broken bones, and several mini riots had broken out among people trying to flee with other people who had gotten in their way. There was a lot of confusion surrounding the entire ordeal. Many people wondered how in the world a wind eagle had even gotten into the Inclement Weather, though many others had seen Sira shift and heard stories of the famous wind eagle kelvic. Still others, probably those drunk or jacked up on the same drugs Sira was, described a far more frightening and gruesome scene, complete with horrible monsters and countless dead.

The man Aidara was trying to save was strong willed and hardy of body. He was a blacksmith, in fact, but on his nights off he loved to party and loved to seduce beautiful women just like Sira. Never before had things gone so horribly wrong. Oh, there were bad nights to be sure, but none of his flings had ever turned into a giant eagle and gone on a murderous rampage. That was definitely a first for him. Luckily Aidara was able to rid him of his infections, but he had lost a lot of blood. There was still very little chance that the man would survive the night, and even if he did he would be doomed to life as a dek.

When he heard voices around him the man began to stir, though it was difficult to pinpoint any of the sources. Climbing back from the brink of death was no easy task, but the soothing energy from Addy's gnosis was enough to guide him. While Kavik was busy telling Aidara about what he had brought her and how busy the infirmary was already, the man's eyes fluttered open. Everything was a haze, a painful haze, but the drugs he was on took care of some of the pain for him. He tried to focus on what the voices edge saying, but the words all seemed to echo within his head, and endless bouncing about of sound that never stopped. He was lucky the musicians weren't still around, otherwise he might have passed back out from the noise. Though he couldn't hear or see well, he still tried to speak.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know she would.. its all my fault, I'm so sorry."

His word drew Kaviks attention and the endal moved to kneel in front of him, placing his hands on his shoulders. The injured man tried to focus on the person in front of him, but with the blood loss, the booze, and the left over drugs in his system he ended up looking somewhere at Kavik's ear rather than his eyes.

"What are you sorry about? What was your fault," Kavik demanded, repeating himself more slowly and forcefully and giving him a bit of a shake when the man failed to answer right away.

"Uh.. I.. what?"

"What.. Are.. You.. Sorry.. About? ..ANSWER THE QUESTION," he yelled, giving him yet another shake. Clearly the flight leader wasn't experienced in interrogating injured and drugged men, and when the man continued to stammer Kavik shook him harder until Aidara inevitably put a stop to it.

"He knows something, Aidara! Sira could be executed for this. That man over there," Kavik pointed at a dead man whose lifeless eyes were staring in their direction. "That is Endal Cedrik. You don't get away with killing Endal, Aidara. Not with the track record you two have built. And he knows something! What if it could help!?"

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Sira was out cold. With all the injured they had to deal with, nobody really paid the kelvic much attention. She had no physical damage, and aside from the drugs coursing through her veins, there wasn’t anything wrong with her. The only attention she had been given was to coax a sedative down her throat, at the suggestion of her brother in fact, for fear that she might wake up and lose her mind all over again. The sedative turned out to be a prison, and though her body appeared peaceful enough, her mind was raging within.

Sira was on the disk once more, high above the world. All of space, the stars, the planets, Mizahar included, and everything that was stretched out before her for the kelvic to marvel at, but she was not alone. The tentacles were wrapping around the invisible barrier that protected her, crushing it, causing it to crack and splinter. She heard the voice of the Ravarisk inside her mind, demanding that she give it her baby. Sira screamed in defiance, and the dream Ravarisk shook the disk with all it’s might, throwing Sira from one end to the other.

The ooze began to seep in through the cracks, running down the walls of the invisible force field until it pooled on the ground around the edges of the disk. It slowly began to creep toward her, and whenever one of the glowing symbols on the ground would flare in defiance, the ooze would smother it and put it out. Nothing could defeat the power of the monster, not when she was all alone. Sira had no way to defend herself, and as the ooze inched closer and Sira fell to her knees in defeat, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cradled her belly in a last effort to protect her unborn child, the Ravarisk’s voice sounded in her head.

”Natalie belongs to me.”

[Aidara]

Thank god for Keah. She had, from across the city, correctly accessed the situation, arming Kavik with almost everything she needed to save the man’s life. But had she gotten to him soon enough?

Snatching the satchel from the big Endal’s hand, unable to thank him around her heart as it pounded rapidly somewhere up in her throat, Addy turned immediately to the dying man and started to work. His breathing was still shallow, though one of his hands, no his only hand, twitched spastically from time to time. It was a good sign, at least.

Quickly removing the soiled bandage, Addy assessed the wound. Obviously, some of the bigger veins- arteries- had been severed when the arm had been torn from his body. These were easy to spot, steadily pumping blood even after all this time. Without hesitation Addy replaced the pressure the bandage had been providing with her fingers, attempting to pinch the artery closed with naught but her hand as she waved her free one at the gaping Endal. “The needle and thread, Kavik!”

It was times like these that Addy wish she had the opportunity to meditate herself into a calm state of mind. Under the blanket of dispassion she was able to better access her power and apply it to the situation at hand. Instead, she blasted the needle with her mind as soon as her flingers closed around the cold piece of metal, sanitizing it effectively but using much more force than she needed too; Addy secretly prided herself in her finesse.

Holding the needle carefully between her teeth, nearly going cross-eyed as she tried to thread the small eye with just one hand, Addy gave another quick sanitation before turning to the bleeding stump of an arm. “More light! Bring it closer!” Waiting for the added illumination, Addy scooted forward, forcing herself not to notice as she slid a bit in the blood, her knees giving of a sickly squelch as she leaned forward. Kavik responded quickly and soon the healer could see her blood drenched hand clearly. Good lord, how was he still alive?

Moving her fingers away, Addy located the severed artery and quickly inserted the needle into the wounded flesh, the metal flashing coldly in the light as quick, efficient sutures closed the artery. Stopping just before she tied off the knot, Addy went back over the row of stitches and carefully added more knots, just to be sure. A few of the smaller veins still dribbled blood, but there was little she could do except apply a few stitches to each of those. It was a messy job and almost impossible to see with the eye whether or not she had successfully stopped the blood flow. Reaching for the makeshift tourniquet on his upper arm, Addy cast her awareness briefly into the stump of the man’s arm, checking for any infection that might have slipped past.

With a quick tug, the knot in the scarf came free and the tourniquet fell, releasing the pressure from his arm. If Addy had done it right, the blood flow would continue down through his arm; if she had done it wrong by tying the tourniquet too tight, the blood vessels and the tissue of what remained of the man’s arm would be crushed and damaged. Gentle fingers pressed lightly at the skin, her Gnosis sliding beneath his skin to access the damage there; only a few of the smaller vessels were collapsed, but the rest of the tissue looked okay. A glance at the wound showed no leakage at the suture site, meaning she had actually done an adequate job.

Bloodied to the elbows, Addy sat back on her heels and loosed a great, weary sigh as a bead of sweet rolled down her brow, aiming for her eye. A swipe of her hand across her forehead barred this, the little woman seeming not to care that she painted her brow red with the blood of the fallen as she did so. Luckily, Kavik had been able to withhold his temper until the little healer was done preserving life.

“How did he even survive that?” Making no attempt to speak quietly lest he disturb the unconscious man, the Endal towered over the patient and the healer, his arms crossed rigidly over his chest.

“Shh…I don’t know how he’s alive, honestly. He should have bled out by now.” Leading by example, Addy whispered as she reached for one of the clean linen cloths, dabbing carefully at what blood and gore still remained at the end of the stump. He would have to be taken back to the infirmary for anything more intensive, but it was the best Addy could do for now. Fetching yet another clean cloth, the man’s brow was then blotted of sweat, the back of her hand pressed to his clammy skin to feel for fever.

“He’s burning up.” Hissing between her teeth, Addy took the flask of water that was stuffed at the very bottom of the bag, wetting down the cloth and placing it gently on his forehead. A gentle spray was then directed at the wound, more blotting and another final cleansing spray before the little woman finally pushed herself to her feet, discarded rags, needle, thread, and flask cradled in her arms. Her face was drawn and pinched with worry, eyes over bright as she tried to swallow the stress and anxiety that had plagued her throughout the night. Kavik watched her expectantly and Addy had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. No wonder Sira never talked about this one.

The simple, idle thought stung as it brushed lightly across the subject of her bond mate. It had been a struggle to keep her mind from wandering and worrying solely about her lover; there was no way for Addy to know what had happened to Sir after she left her sight. It was only her angry brothers gaze, making the hairs stand up on the back of her neck from the intensity of it, that forced her to focus.

“Well? Aren’t you going to do something?” There was even a hint of petulance in his tone.

Opening her mouth to ask exactly what he expected her to do, Addy stopped when there was a stirring and a pained groan from her patient. Hurridly dropping her armload back into the bag, Addy knelt back down next to the man and waited for him to speak. And speak he did.
“I don’t… What is your fault?” Calm and gentle, Addy flipped the damp cloth over, placing the cooler side against his brow as she talked slowly and carefully. The poor man would be in considerable pain and with nothing to dull it for him, falling back into unconsciousness would be a blessing. But they needed answers…

Kavik, however, didn’t seem to care, shouting over Addy’s gentle words and startling the dazed man. Neither of them got their answer as he stumbled over his apology. Not content to wait, the big Endal dove for the prostrate man, taking his blood covered shoulders in his big hands and proceeded to try and shake the answer out of him.

Shocked and appaled, Addy was frozen for only a moment or two as her patient stuttered and swooned, his eyes rolling back in his head; but still Kavik shook, seemingly even more angry that he had passed out before answering again.

“Stop it! Stop it right now!” Pitching her voice higher than it normally was due to the panic that rose in her throat, Addy had to work through the haze of pure anger that rolled off the Endal, so strong that it sent the Gnosis mark that encircled her arm tingling. “Kavik! He’s out! Let him be!” But still he shook.

Before Addy could really think what she was doing, she darted forward and, with her palm open and flat, slapped Kavik across the face. The sound of skin on skin resounded through the quiet room, echoing off the tall ceilings as Sira’s brother say there in stunned silence; much to Addy’s relief, the unconscious man slipped back down onto the floor through Kavik’s lax fingers. “Thank you.” Fighting to keep her voice steady, Addy stepped back away from the man and out of his reach. “I would ask you to not touch any of my patients in such a manner ever
again.” There was a cold bite to her words, those green eyes flashing like chips of ice when he finally looked up to meet her gaze.

“If you had allowed me to do the talking, we would have some kind of answer right now.” Kavik had stood to yell in her face, pointing out the dead bodies as if Addy had been the one that killed them, rather than having gotten there too late to stop it. She took the verbal abuse unflinchingly, her eyes simply growing colder, her face turning more and more masklike. “If you’d like I could cut off your arm and shake you and see how up to answering questions you are afterwards.” Completely ignoring his threat, Addy propped her hands up on her hips, a single slender brow rising along with her question. “It’d only take a tick. What do ya say?”

Splattered in blood and gore, Addy made quite a sight with her pale, red-streaked face, bright flashing eyes and deep scowl. The expression was so alien to the usually laughing woman’s face that it just simply looked as if it didn’t belong there, even to one who didn’t know the little woman intimately. The expression simply looked dangerous in it’s quiet anger. Kavik must have realized the treacherous waters he was entering into because, after standing there with his mouth hanging open for a chime or two, he simply snapped his jaw shut and frowned.

“Alright, then.” Turning on the spot, Addy surveyed the room before stooping to retrieve the satchel of her healing gear. She had made the rounds of the room already, checking for signs of life; the only reason she had missed the poor man at her feet was because Sira had been standing over his body. Positive that there was no one else being left behind, Addy snapped precise instructions at the waiting Endal. “Carefully pick him up and bring him to the infirmary. If he starts to have trouble breathing let me know.” Pausing Addy allowed some of the sorrow she felt for the man pass through her eyes. “He might not make it to the Infirmary, but we need to get an answer out of him before he dies.”

Pulling herself together as best she could, wincing at the bloody mess she had become, Addy took a deep breath and marched for the door.

[Sira]

Miraculously the man survived the trip back to the infirmary, and it was a good thing too, because he was the only one who knew the truth of what had happened. Even Sira could not trust her own memory of the situation. Just because he survived the trip back, though, did not mean he would survive long enough to talk. As soon as they arrived he was handed over to the healers, all who were already very busy with their own patients.

"This one must live," Kavik said to Keah, who gave him a worried expression after one glance at the wounded man causing the endal to add, "That's an order."

After that it was chaos. The infirmary was packed, and Kavik was quickly shoved out. The endal wanted to stay, but gave up after being told more than once to get out of the way, and decided to make himself useful. He figured the Valintar had already heard about what happened, but he wouldn't know that there was a survivor who might know something of why. Kavik left to see the Valintar, certain that Aidara and the other healers would keep the man alive at least long enough to talk.

As for Sira, she could be found in the back of the infirmary, mostly forgotten save for the occasional peek in to check on her by the other healers. If Aidara asked, that is where she would find the kelvic sleeping, though it was far from a peaceful sleep. Anyone could tell by looking at her that something was wrong, though whatever it was not so serious that the healers could take their attention away from the wounded to deal with her. Sira was trapped in a drug induced nightmare, the sedatives she was given preventing her from waking. She relived the horrific events on the platform over and over, though they were skewed by her own terrified imagination to make them worse than each time before, and a far shot from the truth of what had actually happened all those seasons ago.

Having survived the trip to the infirmary, the man held a far greater chance of pulling through, though they were still slim. Aidara knew that they needed him to talk, but to revive him would mean putting him through a lot of pain. If she chose to wait, there was the chance he might not make it, and then he would never talk. And if she did revive him, she would need help, and witnesses, because her word alone would not be enough if the man died and was unable to tell the Valintar himself what had happened. Addy would have to make the hard choice. Put the man through pain, or wait to see if he lived and woke up on his own.

[Aidara]

Though most people thought of hospitals or infirmaries as cold, impersonal places, Aidara couldn’t have disagreed more. Allowing Kavik to go first, the little woman entered the Infirmary right on his heels, almost as if she were corralling him in towards the sick beds. The warmth of the place hit her first; not to hot nor to cold, the Infirmary was kept at a cooler temperature than the rest of Wind Reach so that the germs and other sicknesses that were brought here weren’t given the opportunity to thrive and grow.

That would be bad.

It wasn’t that the Weather had been cold; the club was filled to brimming with hot, sweaty bodies. No, it was the fact that Addy felt as if she belonged here, in the Infirmary, that allowed some of the panic and stress to simply melt away, banishing the cold chill of pure fear. It was her home away from home and, more often not, where she spent more time than her actual Aerie.

Keah had taken charge as soon as the mutilated man had arrived, shouting orders and even getting Kavik to respond quickly. Taking a moment to wash some of the blood off her hands in one of the many washbowls they had situated on the shelves that lined the walls, Addy leaned a hip against the rough stone and closed her eyes. The stress of the evening was getting to her as her strength waned, her hands shaking and splashing water over the side of the bowl.

A touch on her shoulder made her whirl, her fists out and ready to sock whoever tried to grab her when she was drawn into the biggest of bear hugs. Miquel had found her off to the side recovering and had stepped over to give the little woman some love. Nearly burying her fists into his stomach, Addy half gasped half sighed as she leaned against him.

“Why does this always happen?” Though her words were muffeled against his shirt, the older healer could nevertheless decipher what his little eEdal leader was trying to say.

Unable to help the chuckle that rumbled through his chest, Miquel patted the top of her head before letting her go. “Life isn’t fair.” The popular idiom was intoned with all seriousness, for sometimes the well-known words are some of the most wise.

“Where is Sira?”

“Asleep in the back. Addy, she doesn’t look right…”

“I know… but there is nothing we can do right now.”

“Alright, well they’re waiting for you over there.”

Nodding her acceptance, Addy turned back to the sick bay to find the injured man propped upon two beds that had been pushed together; his uninjured side was carefully supported and covered with a blanket while his injured arm was propped up on numerous pillows. The stump was still bleeding despite Addy’s best efforts now that the tourniquet had been removed.

“Is there any damage to the tissues?” That had been the only worry Addy had when she began to doctor the man down in Inclement Weather. Keah looked up at the question, her lips drawn into a straight and serious line; there was none of the usual laughter on her face.

“Not that I could tell. But I need to stop the bleeding or else he just won’t make it.” Turning back to the man, Keah accessed the gnosis that, like Addys, had been given to her by Rek’Keli. With two marks, however, she was able to fix more of the damage than Addy had been able to do with her single mark.

It was a tense few chimes while Keah worked, and it seemed as if the entire place held their breath in unison; the loudest sound was the rasping of the mutilated Endal, and even that didn’t sound too good. When she finally pulled out of her healing trance, the young woman looked around until she relocated where Addy stood, waiting. “I did what I could. He should be waking up soon. We can try and get some sed-“

Holding up a hand, Addy shook her head and Keah swallowed the rest of her sentence. “No, we have to hear what he has to say.” Miquel and Keah exchanged a look, brows raising at the little woman’s weighted tone of voice. Normally, she would have done everything she could think of to save the patient from the pain.

Instead, she pulled up a stool and sat down to wait.

OOCI thought it would be easier if, since Sira is currently sleeping, you controlled the other Endal as well. If you don’t want too, that’s fine too just lemme know and I'll edit my post

[Sira]

In the back of the infirmary Sira was crying. Asleep, but crying. The monster had won, and in her dream her daughter had been ripped from her womb, and was now one of the ooze infested people that all seemed to be after Sira. In her dream Sira had no hope, and in the real world she was crying. During the silence while Keah worked on the injured man Sira could be heard whimpering quietly in the background. She had long since stopped struggling, the nightmare was past that point, but she was clearly still in distress.

Though it would seem bells, Aidara would not have to wait long for the man to wake. He was hardy and strong, and he was a fighter. Soon enough his eyes flickered open, just before the pain hit him. His initial reaction was to freak out, but Miquel and another Avora quickly moved in to hold the man down. His eyes frantically moved about even as his body was held in check. Keah moved in front of him, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay. You're in the infirmary, try not to move too much, you'll hurt yourself. We.. need to talk to you."

The man struggled a bit more, but finally his eyes settled on Aidara, and it was as if a light came on in him. To say he calmed down would not be true, in fact, he almost grew more excited.

"It's not my fault! She went crazy. I.. she overreacted. It's never done that to anyone before!"

"What, what's never done what," asked somebody, though there were so many crowded around the man that it was impossible to tell where the question had come from.

"I.. I was just trying to make the night more exciting. She turned it down, so I slipped it in her drink. I swear, I didn't know she would react that way! Nobody ever reacts that way!"

The man started to struggle again, this time more against the pain than anything else. It was hard for Miquel and the other avora to keep him pinned. He cried out several times, and Keah went for the sedatives, but it was Aidara who had to decide what would be done with him. If she had more questions, she needed to ask them quickly, before the man passed out from the pain or worse.

[Aidara]

Standing a bit off to the side while the other healers dealt with Endal as he rose slowly from unconsciousness, Addy was a bundle of nerves while they waited for this side of the story, and she allowed herself a tick or two of personal worry; the man was going to live for the moment. It was her familys future that was Whatever passed through that mans lips could potentially change not only the life she and Sira knew, but their daughters as well. If this man testified that Sira flew off the handle and attacked…

A frigid shiver rolled down Addy’s spine as she viciously severed that train of thought. No. Nothing bad was going to happen. It was all going to be alright, in the end… No, nothing bad was going to happen…

Repeating this to herself, the little healer closed her eyes against the sound of the Endal’s first gasps of consciousness; the pain was excruciating. Addy hadn’t the chance to give him anything to numb the wound for when he awoke. Hindsight was always clearer and this slipup made her wince in phantom sympathy.

When he began to speak, Addy felt her entire body tense as soon as the first syllable left his lips. Though she wanted to run to his side and simply shake his story from him, her legs wouldn’t move; her lungs wouldn’t work either, so she was forced to stand, holding her breath and clenching her fists at her side until the ragged bits of her nails broke the skin of her palms.

“…so I slipped it in her drink.” A weariness settled around Addy like a blanket, weighing heavily on her shoulders as she slumped and cast a hand about for something to hold onto as all the strength left her knees. Blood smears from where her nails bit her skin left an easy-to-follow trail from the Endals bedside back to where Sira lay sleeping; Addy wobbled her way to her lovers side, still holding her breath and unable to barely stand upright as a mixture of relief and dread flooded her system.

..So I slipped it in her drink. “Oh gods.” Managing to find a chair, Addy loosed the pair of words with a woosh, taking her first gasping breath since the Endal began to talk. “She was drugged.”

“But we don’t know with what.” It was Keah. She had followed the little Endal at a distance and waited for her to settle herself down before approaching. Addy turned tired to her fellow healer and struggled to find a response.

“But we also know that she’s not crazy.” Not that it did much for the dead and mangled men and women, but Addy let herself feel a moment of respite. “She’s not crazy.” Without realizing she had done so, Addy began to gently smooth the sweat-dampened hair away from Sira’s face. It was the first sign of affection she had shown towards the Kelvic woman since she was called down to the Inclement Weather and found her lover on a killing spree. “Get Kavik. He should know his sister is okay.”

“Addy… He went to the Valintar as soon as the Endal started to wake up.” Keah said this in hardly a whisper, her face stricken as she watched the blood drain from the little Endals. Addy froze for a moment or two as the words sunk in but then it was like her air supply had been severed, and she wobbled dangeriously on the stool.

Keah dashed forwards with both hands outstretched to steady her fellow healer as Addy nearly toppled to the floor. When she finally gasped in a breath, she seemed unaware that tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.

“Oh, gods..”

[Sira]

Sira was oblivious to all of it. Her nightmare continued to rage for some time, but eventually, she did finally fall still, and peace came over her. The drug had finally worn off, and Sira was at rest. The infirmary was still hectic as the healers worked as hard as they could to tend to the wounded. The Valintar was informed of everything that had happened, as well as the other Endal's story. They managed to save the man, at least for the time being, and near the fourth bell in the morning they were finally able to coax some more words out of him. He eventually admitted to what he had done, that he had indeed drugged Sira, and that was most likely why she went on the killing spree like she did. Of course, that did not completely clear Sira's name. Something would have to be done.

In the end, it was decided that Sira would be collared. The incident at the Inclement Weather was not the first time that Sira's kelvic nature had accidentally killed someone. It did not matter that she was a wind eagle, she was a danger to those around her. Something had to be done, and forcing her to wear a collar was the best option. As for the other endal, assuming that he lived through the night, he would also be punished for his actions. But it was more likely that he was going to lose his status. A one armed endal would not last long in Wind Reach, and his eagle might even abandon him. That would be worse than any punishment the Valintar could think of.

All of this was decided while Sira was asleep, and when she finally woke near midday the following morning, it had already been finalized. The Valintar had decided that it would be Aidara's job to fill Sira in on everything, and she would have to be the one to put the collar on her. It was the healer's responsibility to make sure that her bondmate behaved. She had been moved back to their aerie, and the collar was sitting on a shelf nearby, though Sira didn't notice it. She was too busy trying to figure out what the petch had happened to her. She vaguely remembered bits and pieces of what seemed like a terrible nightmare, but it all seemed so real. And she remembered Aidara.. and, her brother. But she could not make sense of any of it.

"Addy? ...what.. what happened?"

OOCOkay, so I was going to just end it with this post, but I thought it would be more fun to have Addy break the news to Sira, and put the collar on her for the first time.

[Aidara]

It had been one blow after another, each landing harder than the last, each adding just at bit more weight to the world Addy was already carrying on her shoulders.

Everything moved fast after the wounded Endal had spoken, a flurry of activity as they worked to save him, while others raced off to mitigate the damage that was done. The Valintar had been called, and Addy was told he was on the way. She remembered almost nothing after that, nor was she able to recall what exactly she had done to stabilize and ultimately save the Endal’s life when she had really wanted to end it. It had all been his fault, after all.

Addy refused to take any of the credit that they all kept trying to shove at her, shrugging off the compliments and shooing away the well wishes as she fought to find a moment to herself, just so she could take a deep breath and make it through what was to come. Images kept rotating through her mind, from the terrifying ones Sira had shown her that sent Addy racing to the Weather, to the reality that had met her there, leaving her stomach twisted and soured. The severity of what happened had hit her immediately upon entering the Inclement Weather, even if she didn’t understand the whys, but it was only now that she started to panic, because the hammer of judgment was about to fall.

Kaden Avin had kind words for Addy when they met, though his face was drawn and serious; there were no laugh lines crinkling his eyes now, his mouth no longer framed with those kind smile-creases. He was here for a purpose, and that much was obvious. An incline of her head was all the little woman managed to give him for a bow, but the Valintar seemed to understand, nodding in her direction before turning slightly so that he would be addressing the entire gathering, rather than her alone.

Everyone that had been involved had congregated at the Infirmary for this impromptu hearing, including those who had been in the club during the incident, and those that had been injured. When this turned out to be almost the entire city, the meeting was relocated out into the Courtyard of the Sky for purposes of space; Addy didn’t know it, but when they all left, the Dek that had been ordered to do so slipped into the Infirmary, bound, and removed Sira.

“I think you all have heard what has happened earlier today,” Kaden began, his voice easily lifting over the ambient noise as everyone fell eerily silent. “It was a tragedy of the greatest kind, for one of our own, our protectors, to be cajoled into such an induced state as to cause harm to those she has sworn to protect.” There were sharp murmurs of agreement at this as the crowd ignited under the Valintar’s words. Addy fought to keep her temper down, nails biting into the palms of her hands from the force in which she clenched her fists. Lashing out would only make Sira look more guilty, and from the not-so-covert glances those nearest kept shooting her, Addy realized it was also exactly what they were expecting.

“Those families of the deceased will be compensated, and we will be taking measures to make sure that nothing like this will happen again…” On and on an on it went. Condolences, reassurances, inspiring words. As much as Addy tried to stay alert, she just couldn’t bear to hear them all cheering at the thought of Sira’s demise, her punishment. It brought bile to her throat and a heavy stone to her stomach. By the end of it, Addy stood in a daze, roused only by the feeling of hundreds of pairs of eyes focused solely on her. A chilling feeling that rose the hairs on the back of her neck.

“I’m sorry. I’m a bit overwhelmed. Can you repeat that, Sir?” Some looked disbelieving, but the meek tone that Addy took when she spoke up earned many sympathetic looks from the crowd. Of course, she was a victim in this, too.

“Of course. I asked if you are in agreement with the punishment. That is, that your Wind Eagle, Sira, shall be required to wear a collar that will prevent her from changing into her true form whenever she is inside the city or otherwise not doing anything that prevents you both from doing your Endal Duties.” He paused, smiled sadly at the horrified look that had spread across Addy’s face despite her best efforts to stop it, and inclined his head before continuing. “You, of course, are also to be given the privilege of being the one to apply the collar to Sira in the comfort of your own home.” Though phrased as though she had a choice, Addy knew she didn’t; The Valintar’s last words rang with the finality of a gavel, and Addy could only incline her head in acceptance.

“As you wish. Sira has been transported to your aerie. The collar will be waiting for you there.”

Barely waiting for the Valintar to finish his sentence, Addy spun on her heel and marched as quickly as she could from the crowd. They must have all parted to let her through because she encountered no resistance, and it was a good thing, too. The tears that had been threatening all day could no longer be restrained, turning the world around her in to big, multi-colored blobs as they cut paths down her cheeks and left darkened spots on her shirt.

Addy was not a pretty crier, and by the time she reached her Aerie, swung and locked the door tight, her face was a mess of splotches, puffy eyes, and a runny nose. Sira was the only thing on her mind, but it didn’t take long to find her. They had put her in bed and removed the bonds, though they lay unkempt on the floor beside her. How peaceful she looked, lying there completely oblivious to the fate that awaited her in the waking world.

Stooping to gather up the discarded bits of rope, Addy furled and tucked them away before she settled down nearby to wait for Sira to awaken. This was not something she was going to wake her battered and broken bondmate for.

When Sira did come to, Addy had long since found her own sleep, propped upright on the edge of the bed, her head falling at an odd angle onto her own shoulder that would most assuredly result in pain later. The sleep was light and restless, and it only took the slightest stir from Sira for Addy to jolt back into consciousness.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright? Are you hurting anywhere? Does anything feel bruised or broken or…?” The questions were rattled off without hesitation, Addy moving to Sira’s side and running her hands lightly over every part of the other woman that she could reach. The movement kept her hands from shaking, though she knew she wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding her agitation. “You were drugged. Do you feel okay, mentally? Are you having any side effects? Are you seeing anything that doesn’t belong?”

Of course, Addy’s questions could have all been purely medical, her angst borne simply from worry. If she was lucky, Sira wouldn’t pick up on anything wrong until she was ready to talk.

OOCI was going to get it all done in this one post, but…well.. I played out the Valintar part, and it got longer than I thought. So your post doesn’t have to be long or anything, and I’ll be able to finish it all in the next post.

[Sira]

Sira was immediately showered with questions and attention from her bondmate, something she normally would not mind in the slightest. But her head was a throbbing mess, and she nearly vomited when she sat up.. not that there was much in her stomach to get rid of, not having eaten since the evening before. It was the worst of hangovers, the hangover caused by a drug that affects the brain. Her head was feeling it, her body was feeling it..

"Uhhg... shhh... too loud. Head.. hurts. What the petch happened?"

Sira swayed, nearly falling back, but instead fell forward into Aidara's arms. She pressed her feverish forehead against the healer's cool skin, her whole body wracking from the after effects of the drug and alcohol.

"I.. think I drank too much. Addy, do you think you could.. I mean, I know you're probably thinking I deserve the hangover, but just this once, do you think you could use your gnosis to make this petching headache go away?"

It was at that moment that the first of the memories did come back. She remembered it all. The tentacles.. mixed with images of what she had actually done. She remembered being knocked out by her brother.. and she remembered the death. At that point she did vomit, bending over the bed and wretching out little more than stomach acid onto the floor. She stayed in that position long after she was done, her body shaking as it often did after one vomited. Slowly she sat up, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

"Addy... what did I do? Gods.. what did I do!?"