[Semi-Closed] Dance in the Fake

[nachetanya]

WHO: Natalia and some Unfortunate Souls (Eleanor, Cleo, Eren, Nanashi, Kasen, Andrew, Elliot, and Michael) + an OPEN prompt for the longer term aftermath of the body of this log
WHERE: Recolle University near a coffee shop on campus
WHEN: March 14th, mid afternoon
WHAT: Natalia regains Nachetanya's Saint of Blades powers and a particular memory at the same time, loses control, and people get hurt.
WARNINGS: People getting cut by flying swords. Also Eren might lose a limb. Insane laughter?

[ It's a fairly normal day at the university. Natalia just got done with afternoon classes, she's not actively thinking about the past life, she's considering if she should go home to her apartment or just head right to the Stone Pegasus Casino, thinking about monsters or cute people-

And then it happens. At once, she gets a new memory and a new power out of nowhere at the same time. Her red eyes widen, and without really noticing what she's doing, she makes to grab the side of her head. Small tears form at the corners of her eyes and she mouths more than she says, her voice soft. ]

What was I doing out here, again?

[ And, reliving that memory, her arms gesticulating a little bit, begins to laugh. ]

Comments

[usurpers]

[ i’ll think of something. eren finds himself in a pause, in an briefly lived empasse once he’s realized that he’s pensive and worried. obviously andrew would help, obviously he still had a plan. he wouldn’t leave him in the dark. eren looks up at him before lowering his head, calming the storm in it and breathing in deep— trust him, eren tells himself.

there were times where you had to make the call, whether to trust in others or trust in yourself. both were necessary for different times. with some internalized worry though, and then steeling nerves, eren makes a choice. trust him.

so he does, swallowing and leaving it be. focus. help him help you. ]

No . . . But I’ve lived it. More than once.

[ another sharp inhale leads to eren exhaling and beginning to look toward the movement on campus. ]

It’s not bleeding anymore— or hurting. [ he didn’t trigger a shift either, so— there was a reason why it started patching up faster than other wounds. he was in immediate danger of bleeding out. ] It . . . Kept me from dying.

[angealwings]

[ Andrew does, in fact, have a plan. And he will make sure it's discarded in a way that won't make things lead to an investigation, or anything like that. As far as he can guess.

But that's for later. Now his focus is on the teenager still teenager, dammit in front of him. ]

I'm glad it's not hurting. [ He'll tentatively accept that, even if Eren's breathing doesn't sound like it's entirely true - although there may be other reasons for that. ] Besides, remembering having lived it is not the same as it having happened here and now. You don't have to go through it on your own.

Is there anything that will help you calm down, at least?

[ Eren knows what he is looking forward to-- oh. ]

Will something else happen, during the process, that makes you worried? Or is something else happening right now?

[ Many questions, but while he knows that the best thing to do for Eren is make him comfortable and calm him down, to not leave him alone when he seems so near panic, the rest of the situation is beyond his experience.

But he's had a lot of first times for difficult situations. No matter how much training you got, there were always firsts. ]

[usurpers]

[ questions that can all be answered with a single response, at least. he’s . . . at least thankful that andrew voices his presence to him. it’s true that he had mostly been alone during all those times. alone and afraid and inches near death— he would’ve gripped the man’s arm thankfully, but for the moment prefers to use his expression instead of his hand.

and probably let him know about the cause to his building worry. ]

It’s going to start steaming. [ eren might already look a little sweaty, but so far, no fumes. ] Then it’ll just— start growing back, but it’s steam.

[ A pause. ]

Can you help me get to my car? Before anyone sees that.

[angealwings]

[ Andrew nods immediately at the request - of course he'll help - before he considers the logistics for a moment. ]

It'd be easiest to get everything away inconspicuously if I can carry you. Has this affected your weight?

[ He's not very knowledgeable when it comes to things like comics or video games or such, but he knows enough that sometimes things like this might result in unexpected changes in body mass. Maybe.

Doesn't sound more incredible than steaming, anyway. So he's got to ask. ]

[usurpers]

[ . . . alright. even if he could walk on his own, eren would’ve probably said so if it were something else. he’s already made his choice to trust him on what he was doing, so with a swallow: ]

No. My car’s the black one, in that parking lot.

[ the only jet black there, the only sport car there that sticks out like a sore thumb, with blue highlights— that’s a bmw i8, and your boy eren is extra as fuck but he’s got money so he does what he wants. just so he knows where to go, eren presses one of the buttons in his pockets, making the headlights flicker. ]

[angealwings]

[ Andrew looks up towards the noise, then nods. And looks around. ]

All right, this will be kind of weird for a bit, but it'll get the attention off what we don't want seen. And it'll be over quickly.

[ And by weird, he means taking the arm and arranging it across Eren's chest, covering it and the stump with the same dark jacket. This is a mess and will probably get messier with the steam, so. In for a penny, in for a pound?

He'll nudge Eren's good arm around Andrew's own shoulders and pick him up around the back and beneath the knees.

Yes, he gets to that car fast, not wincing until after he's settled Eren on the seat of his choice and straightened up. Then he's gathering and wrapping up the severed limb again, folding it at the elbow as best as he can so it doesn't look like what it is. ]

All right. There's this.

Want me to stay with you a while, Eren?

[usurpers]

[ eren’s car has butterfly doors, so it’s a little hard not to look when it lifts up like an aircraft, or wings. once seated correctly, he looks andrew up and down, catching a glimpse of his leg and the cause to his momentary wince when he’s free from his weight, don’t think you got away with that. with a soft sigh, though, he gestures for the older man to come closer, especially to his superficial injury. ]

Go take care of that. I’ll be fine now, just— need to breathe. [ he pulls the car door down, leaving the window open to still talk to him as he clicks it back into place. ] . . . Thanks for this.

[angealwings]

[ Very sci-fi of you, Eren. And expensive. But Andrew is too focused for that, just making sure Eren's comfortable. ]

All right, I'll that. Text me if you need something, all right?

[usurpers]

[ when u are rich and into sports cars

but other than that, eren nods, giving andrew a thumbs up before sliding the darkened windows back up. he needed a breather before he went out there. ]