USER: #A5211F - Bogeyman (Forward dated to the 26th)

[swordfucker]

(color)

The bogeyman that was hiding in town has finally been defeated, but it was at the cost of three lives. Dave, John and Dextera. I couldn't save them. I'm sorry.

Okuyasu and Asuka are badly injured, but are currently being treated for it. [He is too? He's bleeding all over his laptop, but it's fine.]

Dextera's body changed into something else, but the other two are still remaining. I think they both have family here, or something close. You can contact me and I'll tell you where they are, so you can arrange a burial or whatever you think is best.

I take full responsibility for this. There's still going to be a defense force meeting at the beginning of next month, so we can talk about it then. I know there could still be people missing from the werewolf thing, too, so keep your eyes open for them, alive or otherwise. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

That's all.

[Of course, after this, he'll be in his room at his laptop, so people are free to come bother him. He's covered in blood, most notably a stab wound straight through his chest at the heart, and it looks like he's only partially been able to deal with that. He's not bleeding out as quickly? But his healing isn't working. He's only just barely come back to consciousness from Mahiru taking over.]

Comments

[swordfucker]

Normally, the demon would heal and disinfect all in one go. In this case, the bogeyman screwed with the process.

[Cauterizing, though... he's not so sure that's a good idea. It might cause him so much pain that he passes out, and then Mahiru might take over again. And... he's not sure if she'd take that as a threat.]

No cauterizing. They should come back before long. But if you have anything to disinfect it, it wouldn't hurt. Thanks.

[girod]

Magic.

[ A fricking bane to his existence, a perpetual thorn in his side. The word isn't quite spat but his disapproval of things that meddle with people's natural abillities is pretty damnably clear. Either way, he huffs as he pulls out the small bottle of alcohol from his pack.

Sometimes, simple is best.]

I'll blow on it enough that hopefully it won't sting too badly.

[ ...he's pretty good at that, all told.]

Sit down on the chair so I can get this cleaned up and bandage you properly. If you don't mind.

[swordfucker]

[Blow on it... Clark is so sweet, but also Guren is a big tsundere who doesn't like the sound of being treated like a child.]

You don't have to do anything like that. I've had pain tolerance training. I won't even flinch.

[Sadly. When he's expecting it, he's fine. Still, he moves carefully, sitting down on the chair.]

[girod]

[ Clark looks up at Guren and his eyes are soft. ]

I'm sure you won't. But I'll feel better if I do.

[ He's just going to get to work, with careful, thorough hands and workman like efficiency. He'll do his best to minimize pain the pain as he works but not in exchange for taking care of the wound properly.]

You shouldn't always rely on pain tolerance training. If you can minimize pain in other ways, that frees up your concentration for other, more important matters. It's just a matter of prioritization.

[swordfucker]

I know that. There's nothing else I have to prioritize right now. That's all.

[It's a lot easier to act like a child when someone is not only being calm in front of him, but nearly scolding him. It makes him want to kick back. He can't help it, even as grateful as he is.

Even nearly bleeding out here.]

[girod]

Well, that I'm glad to hear. You'll probably need to take it easy for a day or so while you heal up if you don't want to prolong your recovery to full health.

[ Never underestimate his ability to be frustratingly caring. Feel free to discuss it with Mr. Wayne.]

At least I don't see anything infected or diseased. And there doesn't seem to be anything poisonous or toxic. But there's always magic.

[swordfucker]

You really don't like magic, do you.

[He jumps to that, since "take it easy" isn't in his vocabulary. He'll be kind of forced not to leave the house, with how his body is cooperating, but you can bet he'll be working on defense force stuff and talking to others on his laptop the whole time.]

Well, don't worry. I've got "magic" of my own that'll come back, even if there is. It's just recovering, and I'm all out of fuda.

[girod]

I have plenty of friends and allies who have magic.

[ In case that was a concern. ]

But I've found it to be more trouble than it's worth. And of the ones who use it, I've seen them get burned by it almost as often.

I don't like seeing friends, or allies, get hurt.

[ He looks up at Guren.]

What is 'fuda' and is there any way for us to get you more quickly?

[swordfucker]

You're not wrong.

[He didn't choose the demon life, it chose him, etc, etc. He was also born into a weird magical religious cult at the bottom of weird religious cult hierarchy which didn't help. He leans back in the chair he's sitting in with a sigh.]

They're a sort of talisman or seal. I know how to write them, but I don't have the right type of material to write them on. Haven't seen any around here, and I don't think the paper that is here is gonna cut it.

I could always try, but I don't really want to blow my head off messing it up.

[girod]

[ Clark can sort of nod along to that because he knows how that is too. Not everyone involved in the supernatural got there by choice. Quite the contrary. ]

I'm familiar with a more mundane version in my own world. Or at least, a mundane version.

What qualities do you need for the paper?

[swordfucker]

[Guren tells him, but because Owari no Seraph tells me nothing, all I can go off of is real life fuda which can be made on various materials. The OnS ones are definitely paper, though, so most likely a Japanese paper like washi. He'd also need a calligraphy brush and ink, probably.]

[girod]

[ He listens, and while he doesn't take down any notes, it's clear he's taken in the details. ]

I'll see what I can do in the next day or so.

Ink shouldn't be too hard, the brush I should be able to make, and I'll see what I can do about the paper.

If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but we should probably figure out something for you because this certainly won't be the last time we have to fight, I'm sure.

[swordfucker]

...Thanks. They're convenient to have, at least.

[He can use them in a handful of ways, and they're good in a pinch. Explosions, sound muffling, hiding entire apothecaries—]

I owe you one.

[girod]

You're leading the defense force, and you were injured in a fight while I was incapacitated by my own violent instincts.

[ He says all of this matter-of-factly and he ends it with a bit of a wry smile.]

I consider that debt paid.

[swordfucker]

[That gets Guren to raise his eyebrows, at least. He doesn't think it's enough, but he's curious—]

The whole wolf thing?

[girod]

[ A solid nod because yes.]

I was bit while defending the town. As I said, magic can circumvent some of my abilities. I spent most of the time meditating.

[swordfucker]

I should have done more to help with that, too. I fought the ones who started it all off, and I tried to keep people calm, but... it wasn't enough.

[girod]

You did everything that you could.

[ He looks up from his work to meet Guren's eyes. ]

There's even a chance that you might not have been able to fight them all off.

[ He tilts his head to one side, as if to reference the rest of Chroma, the rest of this world. ]

The point may not have been to test our mettle but to test our control. The 'werewolves' just kept coming. We may have been no more able to prevent that than what happened a few weeks back where we all ended up alone with our colors.

[swordfucker]

[Ah. His desire to self blame is met with that logic, and he can't keep it up all that much. So, it is a reassurance of some sort, even if that feels like cheating. It's true, and he knows that well. It probably wouldn't have stopped. He'd tell anyone else the same thing.

Guren watches Clark for a minute before glancing away.]

I guess you're right. Thanks.

[girod]

[ Clark just nods before finishing up what he was doing and drawing back. Once he has, he leans on his arms, his arms on his legs. ]

When was the last time you had water? Or food?

[swordfucker]

Well, a bunch of the kids brought me stuff...

[He hasn't really sat down and had a lot of it, though.] I just wanted to make sure this post got out there, first. It isn't right to leave it for anyone to find out by surprise, on their own.

[girod]

[ He doesn't argue that, because he has a point. But he does tip his head towards the door. ]

Let me bring you something. If you have anything in the house, I'll get it for you, or I can bring some from the main kitchen.

[swordfucker]

You're really gonna stick around and help me even more?

[Surely there are... others who need help more, he thinks, but this town is so small, it might not be true. He's just surprised, and not sure how to take it.]

... There's stuff in the kitchen downstairs. Anything's fine.

[girod]

I'm going to make sure you're all set before I go anywhere, yes.

[ He tilts his head towards the window with a pointed look at Guren.]

And I promise if I was needed elsewhere, I'd hear it. Now...

[ He'll just head downstairs, make something up from what's there, and head back up with a tray of something or other (tray being a board with cups and bowls on it) for Guren.
Something distinctly soup-like. It probably even tastes half decent.]

[swordfucker]

Thanks.

[Guren says it, but he feels more useless than ever when someone is so thoroughly helping him like this. It's dumb, he's aware, but he's tired, and he's thinking about the deaths he allowed to happen. The one that was right in front of him, of the person he cared about more than anyone.

His heart hurts more than any of these injuries, and he leans back and closes his eyes, sighing. Whenever Clark brings the soup up, he'll open his eyes again, but he doesn't really move to take it immediately. He'll have some, slowly...]

I owe you one.