candybox | OPEN POST: V - Devil May Cry

[Much like Nightmare, Shadow vanishes into black mist, and returns to the tattoos on V's arm and torso. V considers the question, and looks up to where their other demons had been sent.]

Is now really the time to rest? There is more to be done.

[He turns to head into the building. He may not be able to reach the upper floors where Griffon is fighting, but if he can just find a few more survivors, even pick off a few more stray demons...]

If you push yourself past your limit, that's less you'll be able to do for others.

[ Otome glances at the building, squaring her shoulders. ]

But if you insist, then I'll be coming with you.

[ Less work for the guy who's already looking more frail than she would like. ]

Sitting by does nothing for others.

[He heads into the building, and he can feel through his connection to Griffon that he's approaching his limit. Whatever's happening on the upper floors, if any emergency rescue doesn't arrive quickly, the survivors up there aren't going to stand much of a chance.

He heads up the stairs, but the smoke is already thick and oppressive. He coughs, holding a hand over his mouth.]

...Did you check the rooms on this floor? There could be people unconscious or hiding still inside.

I checked every room, don't worry about-- [ Otome breaks off to cough, pressing an already soot-stained sleeve over her mouth. ] ... it.

We'll have to head further up before this gets much worse-- Kazfiel?

[ The demon flies on past her, generating a cooling wind with a flap of his wings and working to clear them more of a path free of flames. ]

Edited 2019-03-14 23:06 (UTC)

Convenient.

[He remarks quietly, as the flames are blown out. Yet some of the flame damage is already particularly bad, and as he heads through, a piece of the floor actually buckles and gives way underfoot--

Which is when Griffon materialises, grabbing V's hand and yanking him back up to safety. The bird drops him on the other side of the hole, and he grits his teeth before getting back to his feet.]

You can't do anything without me, huh? [Griffon quips, and V just shakes his head and turns to Otome.] Can you make it across?

[ Kazfiel's already gone ahead, to continue carving them out as much of a path as he can, so Otome gauges the distance she'd have to leap... and backs up, motioning for him to do the same. ]

Just a moment.

[ This sure is a young adult in scrubs doing a charge and flying leap, and she'll make it-- barely. A light touch down, but a little too close to the edge of that broken segment, sending one foot backwards and compromising her balance.

Please hold. ]

[V grabs her hand to prevent her fall, and while his arm trembles under her weight, he's still able to pull her to safety. He grimaces as he lets go of her hand, looking back down at the hole.]

If we intend to rescue anyone back down this route, we may have a problem. [He puffs, turning to press on. Well, they'll just have to find away to get both rescuers and rescuees safely back across.]

Let's see if there's anyone we can rescue first.

... And thank you.

[ She's keeping a cautious eye on him as they press on, just to make sure he isn't pushing himself entirely too much. ]

You're welcome. Let's mind our footing as we go on.

[Griffon disappears for now, the corridors being too narrow for such a large bird to move around easily. They reach the next floor, and it's getting harder to keep going in amongst all this smoke.

They decide to split the search in the interest of time, taking a room each. The first door he comes across is locked. He bangs on it a few times, and when that doesn't work, he forces the door open with a well-timed charge from Shadow. Stepping inside, the windows of the room are thrown open, but he can't find any occupants. The bathroom and bedroom yields no results either.

It's not promising. He leaves to move on to the next, calling to Otome.] Have you found anyone?

No--!

[ It's only been one room, and perhaps it means they managed to get out-- or that the Pyro Jacks have reduced them to ash, but Otome can't let herself dwell on that. She doesn't even care when turning a doorknob burns her hand, not when Hariti is suddenly beside her and murmuring rather urgently. ]

I hear crying from within. There are children.

[ Children. Plural.

It occurs to Otome that she doesn't know her fellow rescuer's name, so instead she calls out-- ]

There's more than one in here!

[ The door opens, and with Hariti's guidance, Otome finds-- a woman's body, near a bed. Following her instinct, she drops to her knees to peer under the bed and is greeted by two frightened little boys coughing and clutching each other. ]

Shh... it's okay, come on. We're here to help.

[V hurries in after her, and the sight of the woman on the ground, and the two boys, makes his grip on his cane tighten until his knuckles go white.

This is far too close to home. Though at least in this case, the children have each other. They have a rescuer. He swallows, trying to collect himself despite the tightness in his chest.]

They may be too scared to leave. If we carry one each, we can take them to safety.

[As Otome tries to coax the children out, V crouches to close the woman's eyes, then grabs a sheet from the bed to draw over her body. Someone will have to collect the bodies later for burial, after all, and it's a small sign of respect for both her and the children's plight. Softly, he recites:] "Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too?"

[ This is Otome's area of expertise, dealing with children, and it only takes a few soft words to get them to slowly wriggle their way towards her. Once they're out, she's quickly escorting them into the bathroom to wet a couple of cloths and get them tied over their mouths and noses before leading them back to V. ]

All right, boys. You've both been very brave. This very nice man is going to help me get you out of here, okay?

[ They look a little uncertainly at V, then down at their mother's sheet-covered body, but ultimately nod, one wandering closer and the other tightly clinging to Otome's hand until she lifts him up to rest on her hip. ]

[He's glad they'll listen to her, because he doubts they would even think of listening to him alone. He lacks the strength to carry a child for any period of time, particularly in these dangerous conditions, so he simply takes the boy's hand and holds it tight. If trouble happens, his demons can protect the boy better than his own strength.]

You've nothing to fear with us. Come.

[He leads the boy from the room, checking the corridor for any demon that might be lurking in the shadows. Nothing. Until-- there's a sound of something cracking and an explosion overhead that shakes the walls and floors. The boy he's leading whimpers and clings to V; he makes a hushing noise and urges him along.

The hole, of course, is still an obstacle. V picks up the child and takes a running leap across it this time: somehow he manages to clear it, just barely, though he has to set the boy down again immediately to cough and take a second to regain his breath. The smoke is making him dizzy and unfocused, on top of all this extra exertion, and seeing this, the boy he's leading begins to panic and cry again.]

[ As a doctor, Otome knows how to multitask-- not just when it comes to doing her job, but when it comes to thinking about what must absolutely come next. V's struggling, she can see that much. Hariti's MP had reached its limit just driving away the Pyro Jacks, and Kazfiel had returned to her phone after clearing that much of a path for them. She doesn't know the limit of her companion's familiars, but assuming that it will largely just be the two of them, she nods silently to herself.

With the boy clutched close, she makes it across, barely wincing as the building screeches and rumbles in protest. There's no real time to talk two scared little boys through this, but as she crouches, she presents her back to the other kid. ]

Here-- climb on my back. This is the easy part now.

[ Hopefully. This is far too much smoke inhalation for the adults, and V looks like he's not going to be able to move too quickly without overexerting himself. She's less drained, at least, and carrying both of them should take an additional burden off of him.

A pause to cough, and wipe her watering eyes with her free hand. ]

Shall we?

[V glances over his shoulder to see Otome helping the other boy onto her back. Not for the first time and not for the last, he has to curse his own uselessness, but for now, he has to focus on doing the best with what he has. If he goes first unburdened, he can focus on staving off any attacks that might block their path.]

Yes. [His voice is definitely hoarser now, but he turns to lead them back down the stairs with renewed determination, using the railings to avoid stumbling down. It feels like an eternity passes by the time they reach the doors, and once they're outside into the (slightly more) fresh air, he sags and drops to his knees, coughing and wheezing as he glances over his shoulder.]

The children... Are they safe...?

[ One is still clinging to her side like a koala bear, and she can feel the rapid heartbeat against her back from the other and the sniffling from both, prompting a sigh of relief as Otome's own legs wobble and threaten to follow V's stellar example. ]

... Yes, thanks to you. I need to... take them a little further away, get them seen to...

[ Of course it's now, once they're free from the building, that her steps forward are more like staggering movements, but she's trying. ]

[Seeing that Otome is struggling, and now that he's had a chance to get his breath back, he uses his cane to push himself back to his feet despite his body's protests. He helps the child clinging to her back to climb off, taking his hand once more. Most importantly, he does what he can to stop the child from looking back at the burning building.

The less he sees now, the less will be burned into his memory for later. V understands that all too well.]

Where? [As in-- where is the closest place to get them treated? She seems to know the area far better than he does, and her knowledge about how to treat the children hadn't escaped his notice back in the apartment.]

Not far. [ Otome coughs again, resting her hand on the second boy's head as she forces her tired legs to stiffen up and keep moving. It's so much easier with just one kid, at least. ]

There was a makeshift medical tent set up for civilians... I'd like to examine you, as well.

[ This is not a pick-up line. ]

[He'll follow her lead this time, trusting she knows the way, leading the boy along with him.]

Focus on the civilians first. [Examining him is a waste of time. Or so he wants to say, but he doubts she'll stand for that, if she really is some kind of doctor or nurse.]

Don't worry, everyone will get my very diligent attention.

[ It's still very chipper, even with how raspy she sounds at the moment. But, as she'd promised, it's not long at all before they reach a medical station with people in black-and-yellow uniforms hurrying around tending to the civilians they'd evacuated earlier. Otome lets her passenger down, and then once she straightens up, a worker glances up and gasps.

"Doctor Yanagiya, you-- I didn't know you'd gone yourself! We should have--" ]

No, it's fine. I've brought two more, but I'm glad to see that most of the injuries weren't too critical. These boys need to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns, as well as my companion here.

[ She's already moving as she speaks, checking a patient's pulse, grabbing a roll of bandages as someone calls out in complaint, and gesturing towards V and the boys as people scramble to get them seated. ]

[As ever when he's around ordinary humans, V can't help but feel out of place, like he belongs more in the burning building amongst the demons and corpses than out here. And yet here he is, allowing himself to be seated, resting his cane across his knees and watching 'Doctor Yanagiya' and the rest with a slightly bewildered expression.

He doesn't see the point in having an examination, and with the state of his body, they'll no doubt find more than they were bargaining for, but it seems like he's stuck here now. Perhaps if he can slink off while everyone is busy...]

[ He can certainly try-- but it's not long before Otome, in all of her smoke-tinged glory, returns after making sure the boys are properly tended to. Despite looking a little more tired, she's still smiling warmly-- and recognizing that the doctor herself will be dealing with V, the rest of the staff move on to other patients. ]

So we meet again. Will it be too much of a problem if I put my hands on you for a bit?

[ OTOME... ]

[He raises his eyebrows at the phrasing, wondering if that was intentional, then shrugs.]

As long as they don't stray too far, you may.

[He pulls off his jacket, so she can have a better look for any potential burns or injuries-- though it might be a little trickier given the intricate tattoos covering his body from the neck down.]

I don't make a habit of getting too intimate with people whose names I don't even know yet.

[ She's clearly joking, though-- as true as that statement is. But there's a professional, practiced way that she presses her fingers across his skin, searching for marks and weaknesses that those tattoos might be hiding.

They're beautiful, though, swirling and intricate, and Otome only really pauses to let her more spiritual senses seep through, just to make sure that it's not just fatigue and fire damage ailing him.

What she encounters is-- heavier, than all of that. Some great, massive pressure, but also something... incomplete. He's missing something, something vital, and Otome's brow furrows, even as she calls on a Prayer spell to let golden light seep into V's skin.

Energy, she can restore. Burns and wounds will close and be soothed. But that pressure... ]

... You're rather interesting, aren't you?

[V sits perfectly still as he's examined. He's uncomfortable and clearly not enjoying the scrutiny, but if it will give her peace of mind after what they went through back there, he decides he does not mind enduring it.

The Prayer spell is soothing, even if it can do little for the way his body is wasting away. He looks up at her, and quirks a small smile.]

Well. "Interesting" is one way of putting it.

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