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Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Thomas Dunn on Feb 18, 2017 9:14:07 GMT -7
Until Markus Woodrow II had come barging into his room, Tom had found himself quite relaxed. He was sitting on the arm of the couch in his suite, reading the latest paper from Eliza Edroit (the hack), and sipping on the fine wine he'd ordered as a form of celebration. Plague was waiting in Vincent's room to strike, eliminating him from the board; Blue had likely been in Woodrow's quarters for a half hour now (the two were probably married and celebrating, and soon after Woodrow would come to thank him), and Tom was going to be the damned bell of the ball. This trip had been a downright success.
When Markus Woodrow II broke down his door and grasped Tom by his collar, and then his throat, and slammed him against the wall - that relaxation dissipated. With the smashing of the wine glass on the floor, and the red staining of the paper that joined it, Tom switched into survival mode. Appeasement mode. Woodrow didn't give him much information to work from, and so he tried to work on the pieces.
His buttons were done up - had Blue failed? Been stopped? It was clear that their interaction had not been a success, if it happened. Perhaps she had not fulfilled all of his instructions, perhaps she had bent to his will far too easily, and it was enough unlike her that Woodrow had put the pieces together. No... Tom eliminated this option. Woodrow was not perceptive enough of women for such an observation.
Perhaps Plague had been found. It would be easy enough to blame the experimental technology. Plague would be eliminated, Tom would be forced to work on a new device - Woodrow certainly couldn't arrest him. Tom had immunity, dammit. Though he supposed that wouldn't stop him if Woodrow were to be so violent as to simply kill him right here - his hand was quite tight around Tom's neck. His windpipe was bruising, at least.
There was another option of course.
Black had not obeyed properly when Tom had returned. Tom associated that to his being the male sex, as his only other failure had come from the human male that was ACACIA-RED. Perhaps he had been wrong. Perhaps it was Black's racial biology that had permitted Zechariah a foothold to fight back. If that was true, Blue could have fought as well. What would she have told Woodrow? What could she have known?
"I'm afraid you'll have to enlighten me on what's happened, Markus," His voice was a crushed grunt, wheezing through Woodrow's crushing grip. He did not raise his hands to stop the man, and he met his eyes evenly - Tom would not show fear, and he would not show guilt. Woodrow would relent. He did not kill with his bare hands. If he tried... Well, Tom was never unarmed.
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Feb 20, 2017 19:39:47 GMT -7
Loath as he was to do it, given his general principles and the observation skills he so prided himself on, Vincent could not devote much focus to what was happening around him. Tehodis had already given him the warning plain and clear, and he knew that the three of them did not have enough time to address everything as a group; Vincent was forced to simply trust that both Kikuriku and Tehodis would handle their tasks, while he handled his own. He was thus vaguely aware of Tehodis making contact with Katerine, and could of course hear the words she was saying - the officerial spiel of all things - and he was also conscious of the gunshot that was fired, the bullet shooting upward through the roof onto the deck above (that wasn't going to do them any favors if there were officers up there). He was conscious of it all, but he wasn't really focusing on it.
This is because as soon as Tehodis had given him the go ahead to secure their escape route, he had his own gun at the ready and had moved to his bedroom window, above which was suspended a life boat. He bashed at the glass with the butt of his weapon in one solid strike, shattering the circular portal. He did his best to clear off as much of the residual shards as he could, but made peace with the reality that he and Tehodis at the least were probably going to cut themselves a bit on their climb out.
Vincent poked his head cautiously out, looking above him towards the rail of the main deck. The good news was there were no immediately visible officers, which meant that that area of the deck was either vacant (and that Katerine's gunshot had not drawn any attention as a result), or more likely, they were just lying in wait for him to expose enough of himself to shoot. Knowing the officers of the SSPB, the latter option seemed almost definite. They would have likely reasoned already that Vincent would try to reach a life boat. Although, that would only be under the condition that the officers in question specifically knew that it was him they were after, or that they had an idea of where his room was located in the first place.
Vincent's relative anonymity within the organization may have potentially played to his advantage in this moment. Lord Woodrow had not likely given his order directly to more than a few of his guards, which meant most of them were likely receiving the order second-hand. As such, most of the officers hunting them down at the moment probably had no idea who specifically they were hunting. Evaluating his chances of success, Vincent decided it was time to make his move. He didn't really have much alternative.
He cast his gaze behind him once more, and in that brief instant he caught Tehodis' eye... no. Tehodis was still off to his left, lowering Katerine to the ground (that was good, at least). Which meant that the woman by the door, the two-armed woman Vincent was looking at, was... He caught on rather quickly. He gave Kikuriku a quick nod, understanding what was about to be attempted and mentally wishing him the best of luck. Out of the three of them, Kikuriku's odds of escape were by far the highest. The guards didn't know he was an Ajatar. None of the ones whom had encountered him thus far were conscious (or alive) to say as much to the others. This ruse of his could prove successful, and then he could duck into a shadow to beat a hasty retreat.
The man was a sound cheek, but in the last hour he'd given Vincent more of a reason to trust in him and his intentions than most strangers did in months, so he turned his back to Kikuriku as he made his exit of the room. Vincent needed to move.
He maneuvered himself out of the circular window, cutting his palms and bits of his torso on the remains of broken glass just as he predicted he would but forcing himself to ignore it. There were other concerns. With his knees braced on the window sill and his hands clinging to the grooved surface of the metallic hull, he managed to work himself around so that he was brought into a standing position. His gun was clamped between his teeth as he pressed himself flat against the hull, looking up towards the hanging life boat merely a yard away. He eyed the ropes tethering it. He tried not to think about the dark, cold waters waiting below him if he failed this. The sun was almost completely set by now, obscuring visibility.
Vincent steeled his resolve, bent his knees, and jumped up and away from the window. For a brief, terrifying moment, he sailed through empty air. Then, thanking his lucky stars for his height, his hand managed to just barely snag one of the ropes holding the boat. He exerted all his strength into swinging his weight from that precarious grip, managing to get his other hand high enough to grab hold as well, and with raw palms he climbed his way up and over, pulling himself into the boat. He allowed himself only a few seconds to catch his breath, releasing his gun from his mouth and looking up once again to spot any guards. Still there was no one.
Pulling out a small knife, he started sawing at the ropes on one side, cutting them until they were nearly thread-thin strands but not finishing the job. He could hear the rope straining under the weight of the boat now that they had been cut so thin, and he quickly began sawing at the other side as well. He would need to time this just right if he didn't want the thing capsizing upon its fall.
He was midway through his task when he heard the ominous click of a barrel.
"Don't move."
Vincent's heart sank. He knew that voice.
Turning his gaze up confirmed his suspicions. "Edmund," he said.
The man was one of Vincent's best. One of the only officers in the outfit who was privileged with all of the details of who Vincent was and what he did. Someone who Vincent trusted with difficult jobs. Someone who was Vincent's confidant in conspiring against Thomas Dunn. The man was looking at Vincent with a look of resigned duty on his face, but also confusion. Broken trust.
"Edmund, please," Vincent said. He was hesitating. He could have shot Vincent already. His orders were to kill him, after all. He had no reason to wait. And Vincent was fast. He could have shot Edmund by now as well. "Don't do this."
"I have to."
"You and I both know that that isn't true."
"And we also know it's my duty, Vincent. You yourself are the one who told me that the law makes no exceptions for friends. You attacked Lord Woodrow. I have to do what I must."
He was right, of course. Partially. "I did not attack Lord Woodrow, Edmund. I was attempting to place him under arrest." The look of hesitation on Edmund's features only grew. "He's been hiding many things. I know that right now, there is nothing I can tell you that will prove this claim. All I can do is ask for you to trust in me, as I have always trusted in you, Edmund. Lord Woodrow is not the man you think he is. He is not the man I thought he was... He..."
Oh. Oh, no, this was not happening now. Vincent had not felt his eyes sting in a long, long time. He had done a very good job of locking away unnecessary, unproductive emotions like that. Even now he'd been ignoring it all in favor of staying laser focused on his current task of surviving. But for an instant, the feelings slipped through the cracks. The betrayal, the broken trust, the familiar feeling of loss once again...
He held it together, steeling himself once more with a shaky breath. "He needs to be brought to justice, Edmund. He's working with Dunn, who I can prove has been doing strictly illegal work. He's trying to cover up his own crimes, and part of that is silencing me. Please, Edmund. I can't bring him to justice if I can't get off this ship."
Edmund kept his gun level with Vincent for a long moment, his own eyes full of conflict. After a torturous moment, he lowered his weapon. He turned to look over his shoulder, seeming to confirm that the main deck was empty. All officers must have come below to try and apprehend Vincent.
Edmund said nothing. He simply turned his back on Vincent, standing quietly. Vincent heard the straining of the ropes, reminding him of the impending snap, and also heard commotion coming from the room. He got back to his task, cutting through the ropes as quickly as possible.
They all came undone with a snap once he severed the first of the four, gravity doing the work with the other three. The boat fell, Vincent bracing himself as it splashed into the icy waters. Thankfully it stayed afloat. Vincent turned his eyes up to the window. "Tehodis!" he called.
A moment later he could see her face at the window, stricken with clear worry. "You need to jump. Quickly. If you have any way of signalling Kikuriku, now is the time."
Dread pooled in his stomach even as he said it. How would this work? If Kiku disengaged the guards and escaped through the window as well, even if through the shadows, the guards would just come to the window anyway, and would fire down upon them. They couldn't row away and out of sight quickly enough...
A thunderous voice cut across the night.
"Suspects spotted!" Edmund shouted from above deck, and for a moment Vincent was afraid the man had changed his mind. But when he looked back to the deck, Edmund was not in sight. "Suspects spotted in a life boat off of starboard! All hands, weapons at the ready! Inform all officers below deck! Arm pursuit boats!"
Starboard. Edmund was calling the attention of every officer to the clear opposite end of the ship. Vincent heard footsteps above deck that must have been someone running below to tell the hunting hordes. Vincent thanked his lucky stars for Edmund. Kikuriku just needed to escape now. Somehow. Vincent turned his eyes back to Tehodis, who had heard Edmund's words as loudly as he had. He gave her an imploring look. It was up to her now.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 20, 2017 20:04:57 GMT -7
It seemed with each success Tehodis had against the horrid commands she'd been given, she found more control. Or maybe this feeling was just confidence. Confidence, it seemed, until her eyes moved to Kiku and did a double-take. It was her - but not her. She'd just seen herself recently in that vision, and she could see the things that weren't her. The things that made it a copy. An excellent copy, but not a perfect one.
She looked to Vincent, who nodded at the fake Tehodis, and then back with a gaping mouth. By the time she realized it was Kiku, he had gone through the door without even a word of goodbye. Tehodis' mind rushed with the horror of what he was doing. He was going to risk his life (again) to protect her (again) - walking right into the belly of the beast.
No.
In this moment, the three different sides of her were united. None of them wanted off this boat. Tehodis wasn't going to leave Kiku behind. She rushed over to the door, tears in her eyes as her hand met the knob. "Kiku--" It was barely a whisper. Her voice was hoarse, and she couldn't manage words as she was overcome with fear at what would happen to them. Vincent, Kiku -- they were the only people that mattered in this moment... Them and Woodrow, whom she still felt drawn to for so many horrific reasons.
She leaned forward, forehead resting on the door as she sobbed silently, fear about what was happening behind the door; worry over how much worse she could make it if she opened it. Would it be safer for him if she did? Would they relax if she came out and truly gave herself up? What if she used it as an opportunity to confuse them? Or... Would that just tell them he was an ajatar? He wouldn't be able to escape if they knew.
But she couldn't just leave him behind.
A snapping sound and the crash of water and wood interrupted her hand twisting the knob, and she turned to the window. Vincent wasn't there anymore, and she could spot traces of blood on the glass. She fought herself over her concern for Kiku, and for Vincent, and eventually broke away from the door to look out the window. He was down below, and yelling at her. He'd found a way out. But how was Kiku going to get to them down there?
She rushed back to the door, pressing the bridge of her nose against it in an effort to make her voice as clear as possible for Kiku. She needed him to know they were escaping. She needed him to come with them. She needed him.
At this thought, her eyes burst into a white glow, and although she wasn't speaking... Kiku could hear her. "There's no time," She told him, his face so clear in her mind, that smile permanently etched into her memory, "We're leaving. And I won't go without you." The light in her eyes disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and her breath caught in her chest as she stumbled backwards. What had she done?
She didn't have time to think about it. She went to the window and cautiously boosted herself into it (with struggle, this was far harder with one arm than two), balancing herself in it as she looked back to the door. "I'm not leaving without him!" She called down to Vincent, knowing he'd be frustrated, knowing he'd insist she jump. She looked back to the door and whispered to herself, now just trying to make her wishful thinking come true, "He's-- he's coming. I know it."
Post by Markus Woodrow on Feb 21, 2017 9:08:04 GMT -7
[attr="class","mwoody"]
[attr="class","mwoody2"]
[attr="class","mwoody3"]A PREDATOR OF THE SEAS
[attr="class","mwoody4"]CURING THIS OCEAN DISEASE
[attr="class","mwoody5"] Tom didn't know what was going on. Or, at least, he was pretending he didn't know. Woodrow's eyes flashed and a growl built in his throat as he pressed the other man more strongly against the wall, the other arm raising to press an elbow against the man's shoulder, preventing it from moving, fighting back, or drawing a weapon.
"What's happened?" He seethed. A pair of officers ran past the door, evidently on their way somewhere else. Both stopped at the sight of Woodrow, turning to enter the room. Woodrow turned his head swiftly his long hair matted to his forehead with sweat, the veins in his temple looking near popping. They froze as soon as they'd moved forward, and one of the men managed to eek out a small "Sir?" before Woodrow snapped at them both: "Find them!" The one who hadn't spoken before quickly nodded his head, and tugged at the sleeve of his partner. Both of them rushed out, stumbling a little as they escaped from Woodrow's wrath.
When their footsteps were out of earshot, and the only sounds were the crashing of waves, and the thumping of feet on the deck above them, Woodrow pressed into Tom again, insistent now: "What did you do to Tehodis Kitai? How did you do it? When? This whole technology... It's been a lie, and now you need to give me Deity damned reason not to hang you overboard for the sharks. Make it a damn good one."
Post by Thomas Dunn on Feb 21, 2017 10:08:59 GMT -7
When Woodrow crushed into his shoulder, Tom cursed. The man was shockingly strong for a pretty-boy type, but then, Tom supposed, he wasn't the most physical person. He avoided altercations like these. He had people like Black to protect him. But not here, not now. He only had Skull, and she was busy with the task of assassinating Vincent - Vincent who asked far too many questions, Vincent who was asking the wrong people too many questions.
He would have to handle Woodrow alone.
A pair of officers distracted Woodrow for a moment, and Tom saw it as his opportunity. As soon as the men started walking away, Tom could bash his head into Woodrow's, perhaps. Stun him long enough to release his arm, then grab the pistol hidden in his pants and gain the upperhand... But then, what Woodrow said stalled him. Find them. Them. Tehodis and Vincent? Tehodis and... Skull? Who was them, exactly?
Tom's thoughts were interrupted as Woodrow pressed into him again, eliciting another curse as the questions lay hot on his face. What had he done to Tehodis Kitai... Damn, he would have laughed if he weren't in such a precarious position. So it was that Kina race after all. It had happened with Black, and now Blue. "The technology is just as I said it was--" He started, gasping as Woodrow pushed again, obviously dissatisfied with the answer, and so Tom continued quickly - quietly, knowing quite well that Vincent would likely love to overhear these words, "Just not so new."
When Woodrow didn't press him again, Tom continued, "Your pirate is not my first mortal subject. I'm sure you looked into Kitai before hiring her. You know who she is. Hell, that's the reason you hired her - isn't it?" He didn't allow Woodrow to answer, merely pushed back again his grip, trying to win his breath back, "She's an original subject. I didn't realize she was on your payroll until I got on this ship. Then I thought I'd just try helping a friend. Now... You going to let me go, sir, and tell me what in the fucking world happened?"
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Feb 22, 2017 8:28:24 GMT -7
Standing on the other side of the door with three heavily armed guards, Kikuriku (disguised as Tehodis) was not confident about his chances. Moments before, he knew that he had to do this in order to secure Tehodis’ safety; now there was only doubt in his mind. Even if the guards were to not harm him, the question remained – how was Kiku going to get back to Tehodis and Vincent? “Well, Miss Kitai,” One of the guards said. He was a tall, burly man dressed to the nines in steel armour. Woodrow wasn’t messing around – he really wanted them all dead. All except for Tehodis. “Our orders are to apprehend you at the behest of Lord Markus Woodrow II, and kill your companions. You’ll have to come with us.” The guard reached for Kiku’s arm, but he pulled away. Kina are naturally very light, and though Kiku could match Tehodis’ look and voice, he could not disguise how heavy he was.
“I- I’m sorry. I’ll come willingly, just don’t… don’t touch me, please.” Kiku sounded as pathetic as he could. Was he doing a good job? Was he convincing? He’d not spent much time around Tehodis, and he didn’t know how well these guards knew her – perhaps they already saw right through him. If they did, they were hiding it really well. He started down the hallway flanked by two guards – the burly one stayed behind with his ear to the door.
I guess this is goodbye.
Around the corner, no one was to be seen. Just Kiku and two armed guards. If there were any time to escape, it would be now. Two guards was nothing to worry about, especially if they were unprepared for an attack. He could send an elbow into the face of the guard on his left, and roundhouse kick the guard on his right before retreating to the shadows, back to the room and escaping the gaze of the burly man.
Alright, here we go!
But his hands were suddenly bound together. “Do you think that we’re idiots? Tehodis Kitai only has one arm.” A scrawny, sneering guardsman clasped cuffs around Kiku’s wrists. The guard on his right seemed shocked – Guess he didn’t know that fact – and turned his spear towards Kiku. Things had taken a sharp turn, but not an unexpected one. Kiku was prepared to give his life the moment he stepped through that door.
There’s no time.
It was Tehodis’ voice – he could hear it clear as day. But it wasn’t there – at least it wasn’t spoken. He didn’t hear it with his ears, her voice was in his head.
We’re leaving. And I won’t go without you.
“Okay, got it.”
Kiku reverted back to his original form with a sinister smile on his face. There was no point in keeping up the charade with these two now, and he could focus more clearly on the fight if he was in his true form. Seeing him transform right in front of them startled the guards just enough to give him the advantage, even with his hands bound. Kiku rocketed his elbow into the scrawny guards nose, breaking it instantly. He followed it up by bringing his hands down together like a club to the back of his head, knocking the guard unconscious. Kiku spun around and drew the pistol he’d stolen earlier from his waistband and pointed it at the guard, whose reflexes were lacking. Kiku aimed the gun at his head. “Please… please don’t. I’m just doing my job.” The guard was visibly terrified, tears and snot running down his face. But letting him come after Kiku wouldn’t be an option. Kiku lowered the gun and fired a bullet into his thigh, sending him crumpling to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” Kiku said, before running down the hallway, towards a set of stairs. The burly guard had no doubt heard the gunshot, and would be on his way with his burliness. Running seemed like the best option at the time. Kiku climbed up the stairs, praying that he wouldn’t run into many more guards.
He was almost to the deck of the ship when he heard a booming voice, and Kiku’s heart sank. Enemies, spotted on the starboard side of the ship. It was likely Vincent and Tehodis, though how they’d managed to get to the opposite side of the ship was beyond him. He arrived on the deck, and the smell of the sea air filled his nose.
No time to stop and smell the roses now, Keeks. Let’s get moving!
He ran over to the Port side of the ship and looked down. He saw what looked like a small ship and, thanks to his darksight, could see Vincent looking up and very concerned. Kiku didn’t see Tehodis anywhere, but he saw her beautiful brown hair blowing out of a busted window. It wouldn’t be a long drop for her. It would be for Kiku. He had to jump.
The pain in his leg was throbbing, adrenaline no longer able to mask it, for now that adrenaline was replaced with fear. His hands shook at the thought of jumping into the cold, dark waters below, but he knew that there was no other choice. Kiku closed his eyes, and filled his mind with thoughts of Tehodis’ smile. Exhaling, he steeled his resolve.
“It’s now or never.”
Kiku hopped over the deck railing, freefalling very fast towards the waters below. He whizzed by Tehodis on his way down, catching a glimpse of her blue eyes before crashing into the water, narrowly missing Vincent’s boat. His blood turned to ice immediately as the air was forced from his lungs by the impact. He could feel himself choke on the water, and he lacked any energy to fight the cold hand that death had placed on him. His vision blurred until all that remained was the darkness that he’d known so well.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 22, 2017 9:13:44 GMT -7
Time was running short. Vincent was getting impatient, and he certainly wouldn't be able to keep the boat stable for long... But Tehodis didn't want to get up. She couldn't bear the thought of what was happening to Kiku because of her. The people he knew (Charlotte, and certainly others) would suffer because of this, too. Because of her. However he was aiding her cause, because of Tehodis it would be ruined. What if he had someone he loved, and who loved him? They'd be alone. Time was running short - and it was running out.
She turned towards the door, the noises that had worried her so much were quiet, but he hadn't appeared yet. He should have come back through the door - under in a shadow, or just by opening it. She didn't care. She wanted him back. She took a shaky breath and moved to lower herself from the jagged window, to go and check the door herself - but just as she did, there was movement. Her intuition acted faster than she did, allowing her enough time to turn and watch as Kiku dove past the window and down, down to the water. He looked worse for wear - more worse for wear than he'd been before he'd left the room - but he was alive.
Tehodis didn't hesitate to jump down herself as soon as she saw it, her light weight making the descent slower than Kiku's - though the distance she had to jump contributed as well. She landed in the water with a small splash and didn't descend very far before her air-light buoyancy raised her back to the surface. She caught her breath quickly and looked from Vincent on the boat - who she reached for to help her in - to Kiku who was... Kiku? "Kiku!" Her second look at the water caught sight of his floating face-down in the water. Unconscious.
"Kiku!" She swam over to him quickly with one arm, pulling his head up out of the water as her legs moved as swiftly as possible to tread water as his weight began to sink her. With two arms she might have managed to get him out, but with one she could barely keep him above the surface. "Vincent, Vincent help!"
Post by Vincent Laeretti on Feb 25, 2017 22:12:49 GMT -7
They were nearly out of time. Edmund had given them a golden opportunity to get away by drawing the attention of the guards on-deck towards the wrong side of the ship, but that opportunity would be wasted if Vincent didn't get them away and into the dark night waters as soon as possible. Tehodis didn't want to jump without Kikuriku, and the two had no idea where he was.
Well, until he decided to answer their worries by suddenly leaping from overhead.
Vincent's eyes had been drawn up towards the deck as soon as Kikuriku had appeared there, as Vincent had initially worried that it was a guard who had seen him. He had to say he was momentarily stunned to see that it was just Kiku, leaping overboard and plunging right into the frigid waters. Tehodis seemed to need no second telling, as she immediately jumped from the window as well, landing much more softly in the waters.
Vincent was gripped with paranoia. They had been quite loud just now, and Vincent almost wanted to smack them both for not realizing they were trying to escape a ship swarming with guards right now and needed to not draw attention. How exactly did jumping over the rail of the main deck and making a loud splash, followed by Tehodis's desperate cries of Kiku's name, aid in that?
Ah yes, that did remind him though; Tehodis was calling Kiku's name because the man had not climbed aboard and was instead floating motionless. She swam over and grabbed a hold of him, but he was already weighing her down as soon as she tried to pull him back to the boat. She could do little more than tread water, desperately trying to keep herself and the man afloat with kicking legs. Vincent threw one more cautionary look up at the deck, his heart in his throat, but still there were no guards looking down at them. He could hear them though, slightly distant. His best guess (and thank their goddamned lucky stars), was that the clamor of the guards looking for them over on the starboard side was loud enough to have drowned out all the commotion Tehodis was making.
"Miss Kitai, be quiet," he hissed at her as he took up one of the oars of the boat and dipped it into the water. He didn't mean to sound cross with her but she really needed to be aware of how loud she was being. At any rate, Tehodis was not going to be able to bring Kikuriku closer to him, so he'd need to bring the boat closer to them instead. He moved as quickly as he could, and once Tehodis was within his reach he leaned over the boat's side.
She had one arm coiled tightly around Kiku, but she was going to need to release him for a moment if Vincent was going to pull her aboard. She appeared to notice this fact once Vincent reached out for her, and she reluctantly released Kiku in order to take Vincent's hand. The life boat was built for several people, and so thankfully was buoyant enough not to capsize by Vincent leaning over the side, even when pulling on additional weight. Not that Tehodis was particularly heavy, even with the weight of seawater, but Kikuriku was going to be a different story.
"If you know any spells at all for warming, now would be the time to prepare one," Vincent told her once she was seated (and shivering) in the boat. Kina were fairly resilient when it came to hot and cold temperatures. Vincent didn't want to think about how cold Kikuriku must have been if Tehodis was shivering.
He leaned over again, this time using both arms to grab Kikuriku's heavy body (thankfully he hadn't started sinking yet), and pulled with all his effort. Vincent was a rather strong individual, but pulling a deadweight body out of icy waters was incredibly difficult. Thankfully he managed it, after a great deal of effort, and Kiku was laid along the bottom of the boat.
Vicent looked up again. The ship was just a bit further away now, its course not having ceased since their escape began, but it was still easily close enough that they'd be seen if someone looked. He had to get them moving. On the other hand, Kikuriku was unconscious, and if he was left alone without being tended to first, he could be dead by the time Vincent moved them a comfortable distance away. And Tehodis was not going to be able to perform CPR very well with one arm.
"Watch the deck," he told her, crouching to Kiku's side. "Tell me if you hear or see anyone."
With that, he went to work as quickly as he could manage while also keeping the procedure safe. His hands pressed against the unconscious man's diaphragm in quick, firm compressions, and he breathed a channel of air into his mouth and down his throat at intervals as well. Thankfully, the brief amount of time Kikuriku had spent in the water had not caused him to swallow very much of it; it took only a few rotations of these actions to get him to sputter up the icy seawater, his eyes fluttering open.
"Miss Kitai, tend to him," Vincent instructed as he immediately went back to the oars. The ship began to get further away as he strained himself with the act of rowing, and still not a soul came to them on the port side as they slipped further away into the darkness of the oncoming night.
Post by Tehodis Kitai on Feb 26, 2017 9:38:09 GMT -7
As soon as Vincent was close enough to them, she lifted one of Kiku's arms to him, making it easier to take the prone ajatar out of the water. He pulled her up first however, her weight (a little heavier now that her clothes were soaked) still nothing compared to either Kiku or Vincent. Once on board she turned to help Vincent with Kiku, but she was shouldered out of the way and told to prepare a heat spell... Which she didn't know. What use was she? She couldn't get Kikuriku out of the water, nor do anything to help him once he was out -- she knew CPR from training with the SSPB, but knew it couldn't be done with one arm -- she couldn't do anything. This was all her fault, stem to stern. Without her, Vincent would have continued his work as normal. Without her, Kiku would have stayed stowed away quietly, and simply slipped off in the shadows when the ship reached Aissic. Instead, he was unconscious, and likely with lungs full of water.
Thank Invriah for Vincent.
Tehodis tried to imagine for a moment what they would have done without him. He could have taken Woodrow's side at any time in all of this. Woodrow likely would have taken him back if he'd relented and fought for "the right side". Kiku and Tehodis would have had to fight their way out alone - and they might not have had a boat, let alone...
Vincent's choices... They might have been the most important thing to her right now. The only thing that kept her out of Woodrow's hands with no defense against his commands. The only thing that got them into this boat. The only thing that was saving Kiku. She watched wide-eyed as Vincent managed to get Kikuriku on-board, his strength impressive for his size. And hardly turned her head to follow his command before she was watching them again. Vincent, who was so quick to do exactly what needed to be done. He performed CPR perfectly, and Tehodis felt so useless watching it. A couple of heroes and a damsel in distress. Gods -- she didn't want to be a damsel. She'd worked so hard to be... Anything else. Yet in the last month, all she had needed was rescuing. Pathetic.
As soon as she heard Kiku's gasping breath, she was pulled from her thoughts and was immediately at his side before Vincent's command. She leaned over him, her hand cupping his cheek as she tried to meet his eyes. She knew it was normal for them to have trouble focusing after what had just happened, but she followed his gaze until it finally focused. "You're okay, you're okay -- you're alive, it's okay. We're okay," She comforted, wishing she had some other way to help. She ran her hand over his wet, slicked hair, raising her eyes briefly to look around the boat. It wasn't stocked - of course. It hadn't needed to be. There was a crate at the back end of it, and that was it. She knew she ought to check it - there might be a blanket or something dry - but she couldn't bring herself to stop touching Kiku.
She shivered again, the adrenaline wearing off, and it was a surprise to her. It took a lot for temperature to bother a Kina with their lack of blood... If she was feeling it, it meant that Kiku was likely suffering. He needed to get out of those wet clothes and... Tehodis' hand slid down over his hair and to the collar of his shirt, then lower to get to the bottom hem -- no, no. She... She couldn't do that. That was so... Inappropriate. She pulled her hand away, and looked back to Vincent. It would be easier to say it to him, and simply have Kiku overhear. "He... He needs to get out of the wet clothes. They'll only make it worse--" She finally pulled herself away, her eyes going to the crate, her hand and body following. She didn't really want to look Kiku in the eye after that suggestion.
The crate didn't hold much. Rope. A tangled net. A-- blanket. Thank the fates. Maybe they'd be okay.
Post by Kikuriku Gouken on Feb 28, 2017 17:40:33 GMT -7
Darkness
There was only darkness surrounding Kikuriku in that moment. The rushing of the frigid water all over his body was washed away by nothingness. All of the pain, the adrenaline, the fear – gone; only the void remained. Not even Tehodis could reach him.
When his eyes fluttered open, Kiku was barely conscious of his surroundings. He could make out the starry sky, and could faintly feel the touch of Tehodis’ fingers through his hair – everything else was numb. He didn’t realize it yet, but Kiku’s entire body was shaking – shivering. Slowly, he came to the realization that he was alive – somehow. He remembered jumping over the railing, and hitting the water like a slab of concrete and then… nothing. At least, nothing was clear. He felt as if he had been dreaming – the fuzzy image of a shapely woman resounded in his memory. He shook away the thought. It was probably nothing.
He overheard Tehodis mention that he needed to get out of his clothes – she was right. He could feel his pants starting to frost over, the cool night air finishing the job that the waters started. Groaning, Kiku propped himself up on his elbows. It hurt a lot more than he wished it had. His bones felt like glass.
“Well, well, well,” Kiku said, struggling out a laugh, “You can’t even wait until we get ashore to get me down to my unmentionables.” Like everything else, it hurt when he laughed. He wiggled himself out of his clothes and wrapped himself in the blanket from the crate near Tehodis. Despite being naked (only covered by the blanket), Kiku felt infinitely warmer. He sat down in the middle of the boat and tried to conserve heat.
“So, Vincent, what’s the plan now? Do you think Woodrow is just going to let us go? Because I would be fine with that.”
The skin OTHERWORLD was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
FORTUNA-RPG was created by MELLIE. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
