bravenewworld | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Kyouko Sakura and Mami Tomoe
What: Kyouko chose poorly. Mami comes to help her.
When: September 2nd.
Where: Inner Wildwoods
Warnings: Injuries and blood?

[Kyouko had severely underestimated her quarry, and had paid the price. The Spiritomb shifter quickly turned the fight against her and only the intervention of one of her Pokémon had saved her life, at least temporarily.

Pain.

Both physical and emotional. She could barely move, and it was all she could do not to tear up as she shifted her limp arm, twisted at an unnatural angle, in order to access her warp band. Each little push caused her to wince anew, typing her message slowly. It was just two words, but it felt like it took an eternity to send the message, both due to her physical state and her reluctance to admit defeat.]

I failed.

[She sagged back against the tree she'd been sitting at the base of, glancing up at her Talonflame, keeping watch over her. She was still alive, but...why? She still couldn't kill that monster, even after becoming so strong. With a shaky sigh, she closed her eyes and waited.]

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[The text fills Mami with dread. Like there's an encasing of ice around her heart suddenly. Two words can say so much and so little. She doesn't need to ask what Kyouko failed at. As soon as she reads that, she knows; she realizes that the other girl must have gone and fought Walpurgis.]

[She must have lost.]

[But she doesn't know if she's alive. She doesn't know if that was a plea for help or some kind of last words. She didn't hesitate to set out and took off, at top speed, for the Wildwoods. That's where she would be.]

[Or maybe her corpse. That much flying takes a lot out of her, but she does it. Mami comes swinging 'round, carried on a ribbon, and then drops it to land on the ground near Kyouko. Her eyes lock onto her with worry, and she jogs over. When she calls out, the usual affectation is gone; she doesn't use her last name or pretend at some distance.]

Kyouko!

[Luckily, when Mami arrives, Kyouko is still alive, although when she gets closer, she might wonder how she made it there. As the girl approaches, the Talonflame in the tree screeches at her as warning. He's watching you, Mami!

Kyouko glances up at the other girl, the usual mocking smirk on her face replaced by a very pained expression. It's no wonder, either. One of her arms seems to be hanging limp...and at an unnatural angle. One of her legs looks very much broken, and there's a myriad of bruises and cuts spread across the rest of her body. A drop of blood slides down her forehead as she stares at Mami.]

...huh. Didn't...think you'd know where I was.

Y-You're...

[Her first instinct was to yell at her, for doing something so dangerous; for doing something like this without her. But it never makes it past an initial gut reaction, because she sees the extent of those injuries. Any illusion that Mami hates her, that Mami doesn't care if she gets hurt is dispelled in an instant. The look on her face is anguished.]

You're hurt. Gods. Hold on...

[She kneels down next to her, making ready to heal. Charlotte, her Florges, floats down next to her. Mami pauses, though.] ...Is it still nearby?

Obviously.

[In as much pain as she is, that still hasn't changed who she is. She's still not smirking, but her tone is still kind of mocking. At the question, Kyouko tries to shrug, but that only makes her wince and let out a pained hiss.]

Dunno. [Although if it were, Kyouko's pretty sure it would've finished her off this time.]

Sit still. Kirsten. [A Drifblim floats into view. Mami looks over her shoulder at it.] Keep an eye out. If it shows up, I want to know immediately.

[With a puff of air, the Drifblim floats upward. Mami looks back at Kyouko, gritting her teeth.]

...this was exceptionally dangerous, you know. Trying to fight it alone. [Light flashes into her hand. She begins to use her healing Move, which starts to dull some of the pain as she focuses on a cut. She can't do the bones yet. She'll need to set them.]

[She isn't looking forward to that.]

Do I have a choice? [It's not like she can just get up and walk away. Not without some major assistance, anyway. Kyouko grits her teeth, too. Even the slightest movement was painful.]

I'm not even sure I harmed it...

[She watches as Mami's hand lights up. Not a whole lot else she can do.]

No. I need to get the smaller wounds first. We'll set your arm and leg next. [a pause] ...It's going to hurt.

[She keeps working, but... she frowns.]

It's too strong for one person. It doesn't say anything about you.

Can't be any worse than it already is.

[Although that's not entirely true.]

I wasted four years training for that. [And look at her now. She's not sure what hurts more. Her wounds or the fact that she failed to avenge her family.]

There are a few ways it could be worse, Sakura. You could be dead.

[The frown intensifies; she looks up from her healing spell, and she peers at Kyouko for a moment.]

It's... you became stronger. Just not strong enough, yet. And Windblessed are strongest working together, besides.

[Kyouko very nearly responds with something along the lines of how that might not be so bad, but decides against it.]

Says you.

Yes. Says me. Now hold still. I'm going to set you arm, then heal it.

[She slides the bone back into place with one, quick jerking motion. It probably hurts like hell. Mami is healing right away, then; Charlotte bobs behind her, watching for anything coming.]

[Quick or not, it manages to make Kyouko scream. She probably managed to spook some of the local ghost types! The pain is just as bad as when it'd been broken in the first place.

Even as Mami works on healing it, the redhead trembles. Rieger shrieks down at them from his perch in the tree above.]

Damn! Can't you be a little gentler!?

I'd prefer you be able to use your arm again. So... no.

[She frowns, doing another burst of healing. Mami pants, softly; this is taking a lot out of her. But, it's necessary, to get her out of here.]

The leg is going to hurt more. Do you need something to bite down on?

Does it matter?

[It's not like her battle had any effect on her opponent, so does it matter if she can still use it or not? Mami may be straining herself, but Kyouko's still in agony.]

Just get it over with.

[Mami has never seen her so defeated. So... drained of the fieriness that she always had. Mami's anger begins to slip away into a deeper concern.]

Okay... hold on.

[She shoves her leg back, hard, and starts the healing. Mami's teeth are gritted together with worry. She knows it won't feel good.]

[There's another scream as Mami sets her leg, and Kyouko very nearly passes out from the pain. It probably would've been better if she did.

Mami will likely notice that the redhead's temperature just spiked, though. It's a wonder she hasn't accidentally set anything on fire while Mami set her broken bones.]

[After she finishes healing, she sits down. Then she leans back next to Kyouko, and looks down at her lap. Mami hesitates for a moment. She can feel the heat radiating off the other girl; it worries her, too.]

...Kyouko. Did you mean what you said? That you wasted your life and your time, these last four years?

[There's a moment of silence after Mami asks that question, but Kyouko does respond, although it's not really an answer.]

Why'd you even bother healing me?

[Not just because she's apparently a failure, but she was the one who left Mami. She shouldn't owe Kyouko anything.]

...I couldn't leave you like that.

[She frowns and doesn't meet Kyouko's eyes. There isn't a good reason. She'd be lying to say she forgave Kyouko like that.]

Not when I remember how things were between us.

You coulda.

[And Kyouko wouldn't have blamed her for it.]

...heh.

This isn't a laughing matter! How do you think I would have felt if you died?

[Now she's getting angry, and enough to raise her voice. She'll regret that later.]

Weren't you the one questioning why you even trained me in the first place?

[She remembers that, Mami.]

Because I thought you would do something... something like this!

[...oops that wasn't what she wanted to say]

Woulda happened training or not.

[Although it's likely only because of said training that Mami didn't find a corpse.]

[She frowns. It's true. Mami falls quiet after her outburst and looks away. She doesn't want to say anything, now. But she doesn't want to leave, either. So she slumps, looking away from Kyouko.]

You're a selfish person.

[But it doesn't come out angry. It comes out... sad.]

You'd throw your life away. No matter how much it hurts others.