a fair fall

The monsoons make it near impossible to tell what time of day it is, so thick are the clouds above. But it feels warm enough that it's probably somewhere around noon (not that it matters, but such things are difficult to simply ignore entirely). So it is that the Alchemist is having lunch with Ronin when the call from Ludo comes. Used to this by now, Remi needs only exchange a glance with Ronin before leaving their cottage and taking to the skies.

He feels the pulse of the life like a weighted tether tied 'round the cockles of his heart. A painful tug that reliably will bring him to a life nearly expired.

Landing where the volcanic stone begins to bleed away into dense jungle forest, the Alchemist shifts from manticore to man. He has no magic now to defend him against the monsoon, so he quickly ducks into the trees to find some relief. [say]"Are you here?"[/say] He calls out, feeling the nauseating pull of Ludo's magic driving him forward.

The world had been wonderful, dazzling, soul-eclipsing, for some beatific seconds, moments rendered into nothing but pure bliss.

And then it had been tilted on its head, and the sensation of falling, falling, falling, a slow tumbling whirl of the land in glimpses of greenery, verdant life that would’ve been awe-inspiring if those instances hadn’t been terrifying.

She’d tried, she’d tried so hard to maneuver gracefully on her way down, down, down, hands shooting out in reaction, in instinct.

Didn’t matter though.

Maybe nothing did.

Not while she was on her back, staring at the canopy, the rain sputtering down, the growth, shuddering breaths racking through her chest. Someone calling brought her attention, but she couldn’t turn her head. She couldn’t move a muscle. “Please,” came out a trembling, desperate whisper, the uncertainty raging, panic in the eyes. "Please help me."

Help me. Gods, it would never get easier to hear. He was going to help, in a way. Just not the way she wanted.

Following the sound of her voice and the pull against his soul, Remi makes his way carefully through the thick jungle, swatting away leaves and ducking low beneath branches. The woman is easily enough found, her body having carved out an opening in the canopy above. He doesn't linger on the manner in which she came to be sprawled out in the jungle, but instead immediately kneels are her side. [say]"My name is Remi."[/say] He introduces softly as his magic blooms all around.

Whatever her happiest memory was, the architecture of it will come alive all around them. The jungle will bleed away to resemble happier times, filled with all the accompanying sights and sounds, and of course, the release of all pain. [say]"What happened?"[/say] He asks, when hopefully she's able to speak easily again.

---

Using this magic:

Psychometry | Can create complex illusions with full sensory experiences based on memories. Must be in contact with the person whose memory he is replicating. The illusion can range up to 30ft. When used on Ludo-chosen deaths, removes their pain as well.

More movements, more noises, more sounds – a savior? Torchline wasn’t full of them, but perhaps luck would shine on her today. “Hi Remi,” she whispered, voice cracking and shuddering, wishing she could reach her hand out. Something in her lungs seized, and the breath flickering, following was painful.

But he was asking what happened, and the glorious things spiraled around her again – for a moment a smile curled along her features. “There was…there was a horse in the water!” And there, they’d be able to see it before them, like portals of mist, of billowing fog. “It let me ride it, and we went off into the jungle! Through the air!” The grin was blissful, free of the burdened pain, eyes glancing all over, but she couldn’t crane her neck to follow the images unfolding.

“And then, I think it dropped me. Or I fell.”

There she laid now, broken.

“Can you help me?” Another plea, a hushed pulse through lips, begging, begging, begging.

[say]"That sounds amazing."[/say] The Alchemist whispers, his smile boyish and kind as he gazes down at the broken woman before him, his eyes betraying none of what he already knew in virtue of being called here. [say]"And it took you into the jungle?"[/say] Better that she keeps talking. Better that she holds onto the last moments of adventure before he took her out of this world.

[say]"Oh. Perhaps a saddle next time. Or stronger inner thighs?"[/say] He asks, chuckling. He'd taken enough falls off of Isla when he'd been learning to ride to know that graceful as equine-type creatures were, remaining on them was not as easy as one might think.

[say]"I can, yes. You're very lucky you know. This jungle ... I haven't heard anyone who has made it back. Who should I take you to?"[/say] That is, who shall I tell when you've gone?

“Took me into the jungle. The sights were incredible.” And this man, a true beacon of hope; she latched onto it when her fingers couldn’t move; but her heart could. “A saddle, yes!” The attempt at a laugh crackled through her chest, muffled by a wheeze. “I haven’t ridden before. It was a treat.” Maybe that’s why she’d been so enticed, so moved, so quickly tricked and deceived. Maybe she’d be able to again someday.

That she was one of the few to make it back – though clearly not well and whole – startled her for a moment, eyes widening, staring blankly at the canopy again.

To take her to? Would he be kind enough to carry her? Or heal her? “Oh, my dad!” Another striving for a smile, thinking of her elderly father. “I’m all he has left. By the docks.”

[say]"Okay, well next time you go into the jungle, make sure to pack a saddle, alright?"[/say] He says, voice full of warmth even as the world is drowned by the monsoons around them.

All he has left. Once upon a time, when Remi was younger and shinier, his smile would have faltered. His eyes would have instantly teared up and he'd not have had the heart to keep up this pretense. Now, broken and glued back together, his smile holds easily despite how his stomach clenches. [say]"Alright. What's his name?"[/say] He asks, moving to position himself over her as if preparing to reach beneath her shoulders to lift her.

“Right. A saddle.” She mustered another laugh but it broke up. She wouldn’t even know where to find one. In the marketplace? None of her thoughts really seemed to match up congruently, no linear pieces left – eyes shifting from him and to the images around, content for scarce seconds at their bliss, forgetting where she was. “I can’t wait to go again.” Even though it’d ended up like this.

Her smile remained, eyes flickering back towards Remi. “Edgar. He helps with some of the ships. I do too.” Or she did; but she wouldn’t be able to assist until she got well and whole again. “Do you think it will take me long to heal?”

[say]"Well, maybe not right away."[/say] Remi interjects with a grin, smoothing a bit of hair from the woman's eyes.

[say]"Edgar."[/say] He repeats. [say]"Helps with ships. I'll be sure to find him."[/say] And he would. Remi wouldn't stop until he had. He'd the man all about his daughter's bravery, about her last great adventure. It hadn't been a lie to say she'd been the only one to make it out. That she would die in his arms didn't make that any less true.

[say]"Oh, I think you'll be back on your feet in no time."[/say] He said with a sad smile, knowing the words to be true, just not in the way she thought. [say]"I'm just going to help you sit up."[/say] Remi explains, reaching his arms around her. Supporting her neck and back, he pulls the woman against his chest, his hand moving her head so that it would rest against his shoulder and out of the line of sight of his tail. Lightning fast, the barb at the tip of his curled tail snakes around the side, piercing through into her spine and delivering a deadly concoction of chemicals that will pull her from this world and into the next.

[say]"Edgar."[/say] He repeats in a low voice, into the woman's hair, feeling her sag against him. [say]"Edgar by the docks. Who helps with the ships."[/say] Exhaling a heavy sigh once he's sure that her life has faded away, Remi rises with the woman in his arms and sets off to find Edgar, by the docks, who helps with the ships.

~FIN