[KQ] Raise You Like a Phoenix

a m a l i a He's alive. He's sane. It worked. It worked! The antler glows in Rory's hand and his eyes begin to clear. Better, Amalia herself still remains relatively unperturbed - it is only her own madness that plagues her, but for the moment she has that under control. The tears that blur Amalia's eyes finally fall as Rory speaks, his voice as sweet as any other the girl has ever heard. "Thank you, Vi, Safrin," she murmurs, choking on her desperate relief, a little of the weight easing from her shoulders. She may have dragged them into this disaster, but at least she hasn't killed anyone. At least she hasn't killed him. Yet. "Don't let go, okay? Don't you dare let go." Of the antler. Of life. Of her. By some miracle, she stands him up; by another, none of their companions raises hand against them. It seems they have been given a brief respite, an ease in the madness that she cannot help think is directly related to the antlers in their hands. Even the debris that flies through the air seems determined to miss them, though she continues trying to keep guard over Rory as much as possible. Only the fox is without guard, but frankly, her concern for the fox is minimal at best. Even Edy is marginally calm. "We need to fix it," she says again, turning to Rory for some sort of guidance, who delivers, with both a suggestion and a... beaver? Squaring her shoulders and clenching her jaws, Amalia makes up her mind. She has always been impressed by the man's composure, but she knows she cannot put all the responsibility on him now. She has to step in, to lead the team. Guiding Rory toward the main crossbeam, Amalia kneels beside it and inspects the viability of the plan, just as a chunk of earth whizzes past her ear. "Okay. There's still rope on the main log... and it's pretty long. We just need to get it up... there." She squints up at the top of the perch, dark eyes bright with fire. They can do this. They can do this. Grasping the rope, she stands again, her gaze shifting back to Edy. "I'll try to throw it over. Maybe we can get it close enough. Then you start pulling it up. Okay? And whatever else- don't let go of the antler." Then she turns to the fox, her face growing darker and her voice growing sharp. "If you won't shift into a more useful form, maybe you should leave." She cannot have him attacking Rory again, though she'll step in and block it if he tries. They have enough to deal with right now.