GROUP 3: SO I OPEN MY DOOR TO MY ENEMIES—

[dipolar]

WHO? group three, see below links.
WHAT? hrhr: retreat missions.
WHEN? february 9th, you're here forever.
ANYTHING ELSE? planning and submissions.

CHARACTERS WILL ENCOUNTER THESE OBSTACLES:

—Locating the base and arriving without interference by the Turks or the Regency.
—Getting at least one person past the soldiers and into the base.
—Scouting the base and locating Atatürk without causing an incident.
—Handling soldiers who might interfere with attempts to reach Atatürk.
—Combating any Regency soldiers assigned undercover to the Turkish side.
—If anyone is captured by Turkish or Regency soldiers, you'll have to stage a rescue.
—Successfully gaining an audience with Atatürk and acquiring amnesty.
—Returning to Lone Pine in one piece.

RAISING THE DEAD AND SCOUTING, 18/30
yoshitsugu otani, dorian pavus, jon snow, jeyne westerling, sebastian michaelis, ashitaka, hei, noctis lucis caelum, chiron

"Raising the dead and scouting goes well, if not smoothly. You have to dodge enemy combatants the whole way, and it's a little hard to get the intel and supplies you need when you're also trying not to get shot. Somehow, you manage it! Probably through the power of positive thinking. And murder."

—chiron and hei do an initial scout to map out the turkish base and find entry points
—hei stresses that everyone stays with at least one other person so as to not get separated/held hostage
—yoshitsugu uses his spell to raise the dead for an hour to gather information about the turkish base/plans
—yoshitsugu experiences convulsions as a result of using the spell and dorian will use his revival spell on him to help him recover
—entire group stops to plan out specific teams and what they’ll been doing, team a and b are born
—sebastian recounts the letters he found in the tunnels verbatim to the group, mostly sharing the atatürk part
—entire group decides that non-lethal action is to be taken, so they can easily discuss terms with atatürk without killing his men
—noctis and jeyne act as contacts between their separate teams to keep information fresh and to relay important updates
—jon provides the bottom halves of turkish uniforms so their disguises can be put together; they steal the top halves from the dead soldiers yoshitsugu has raised because we're here to demean literally everybody

COMBAT WITH THE REGENCY, 13/30
hei, noctis lucis caelum, chiron, sebastian michaelis, ashitaka

"Combat is where things get difficult. While nobody dies, a few characters are seriously injured. You can decide who and how. Likewise, if you have anybody due for a kidnapping, now would be a good time. But, essentially, this is a close call. You lose ground to the enemy, some ANZAC soldiers might get caught in the crossfire, some precious resources may be lost! Your choice, but something goes to shit."

—chiron using magical detection to weed out the regency agents and the entirety of team b engages the three regency soldiers in combat
—hei uses his ability to shock memory out of the people who may have spotted them using their powers, with the exception of regency soldiers
—noctis will be using warp-strike takedowns to reduce their chances of detection, as they're near-silent and an instantaneous skill
—ashitaka gets kidnapped by the first of the undercover regency agents somewhere in the middle of this because he's literally and figuratively cursed, leaving them down a group member
—sebastian leaves team b and joins team a to fill ashitaka’s empty diplomat position, because he can do anything and likes to show off
—yoshitsugu avoids his kidnapping somewhere in the middle of this, with chiron on rescue duty to facedown the second undercover regency agent
—dorian will use blood magic in a desperate attempt to save himself from capture from the third undercover regency agent

ACTUAL DIPLOMACY, 16/30
yoshitsugu otani, dorian pavus, jon snow, jeyne westerling, sebastian michaelis

"Actual diplomacy is terse, if only because it feels difficult to get a foothold. Atatürk gives little away, and is very quiet and cautious in his delegations. He doesn't fill you with confidence. But in the end, he does come around, admitting to seeing your point. He'll do what he can to call a cease fire."

—team b attempts to come to an agreement and work things out with atatürk
—yoshitsugu attempts to talk atatürk down from a strategical point of view, "there's no sense in attacking when your enemy is already retreating"
—jeyne uses the locket to take the stance of women missing their husbands and lovers, as well as their children having no fathers; she's especially good at calming people when tempers run hot, as well as appealing on more personal levels
—jon speaks with atatürk on a personal level: "no more men have to die - i know you've watched your countrymen fall, i know everyone values bravery, we do too, but these deaths mean less and less when no one is fighting anymore”
—dorian has a gift for politics and has sat in on war counsels and engaged in political debates, making him approach this from a political angle
—if things start going badly, yoshitsugu will use his guilt spell to sway atatürk to their side of the discussion

Comments

COMBAT WITH THE REGENCY, 13/30

[dipolar]

hei, noctis lucis caelum, chiron, sebastian michaelis, ashitaka

[cutlery]

[ Making their plans were easy enough, but now comes the part that's far more difficult: actually doing it. Technically speaking, it's not unreasonable as far as plans go, but the terrain and the other limitations they're facing make the trek much more troublesome than it might otherwise be. And really, it's only one of those limitations that bothers Sebastian. He can't complain about it, since it's perfectly logical to take a non-lethal approach when you're trying to sway someone to your side, but... It does make this part much more difficult. ]

a. en route
[ But at least so far, so good. With the uniforms they have, they're able to make a stealthier approach. Sometimes they only get passing glances, and that's enough for them to be accepted as belonging there. It's what they need, considering even with the uniforms, they largely stand out among the Turkish soldiers. They're traveling in smaller groups to not draw as much attention, but it's inevitable that it'll come. As they walk by a soldier, he pauses, then looks back at the pair as they pass. ]

Wait, you there—

[ From the suspicion in his tone, it's clear that he recognizes that they don't really belong here. At this point, Sebastian looks to his companion and nods lightly. It goes unspoken, but the intention of the gesture is clear enough:

Shall we? ]

b. ruh roh
[ But once there's one difficulty, the others become much more frequent. It seems like a small group of the soldiers are aware that there might be people here that don't belong, though how they've figured that out isn't clear just yet. There's a murmur of concerned voices around a bend in the trench, and Sebastian stops with a look of concern. ]

Ah... It seems they may know.

[ He speaks quietly, almost enough so that it could be missed. It's clear from how he had recounted the letter that he can understand Turkish, though now that might seem like a more valuable asset. The voices draw closer, and Sebastian looks to his current partner with a more serious expression. His tone stays hushed, but still serious. ]

This may be more difficult.

[ ooc ; just in case you're trying to decide which one to pick, prompt a is more stealth-oriented and one-on-one confrontations, and prompt b is a group and much more likely for sebastian to demonstrate his superhuman abilities if that's your jam. also if you prefer prose, I'm happy to match! ]

closed to hei + noctis

[cutlery]

[ Once Chiron has pointed out those Regency soldiers, the pace of the fight drastically changes. It's one thing to be careful because there's an advantage to doing so, but it's another entirely when faced with the real enemy that they're supposed to be fighting. It's clear that these are people not to be trifled with, and that's what makes the prospect of chasing one of them down immediately exciting to Sebastian. This, as far as he's concerned, is what he's well-suited to do. Since they've all come together, he nods to Hei and Noctis, since (presumably) he's seen both of them holding their own by now. ]

Well, we should take care of them first, yes? We can clear the way for those of us proceeding on to Atatürk.

[ He nods in the direction of one of the soldiers that had been indicated. They have at least a little ground in between, but not for long. That closest soldier seems to be heading their way, but Sebastian doesn't seem too alarmed about that fact. He's confident, since what could really hurt a demon? Even if they're using a miasma to dull those powers, it's not nearly as marked as in their own trenches.

And that's exactly why he's going to get wrecked for being arrogant tbh ]

[fessus]

[ Back in the tunnels Noctis had felt like he was running on fumes and what a difference it is now, fueled by the same disgusting food and plagued with the same lack of sleep but now there's the powerful addition of combat adrenaline. The muscle memory associated with fighting with an end goal in mind offers him renewed energy.

Even still, hearing that? Well, Noctis is overly confident in his own skills possibly to a fault but he's also critically aware of not only their most recent briefing, but also of his limitations and the magic dampening they'd encountered before. ]

No other way out of this but to fight? Fine with me if we have to, just wanna' exhaust the other options first...

[dipolar]

(hei shakes the cold out of his hands and offers a tactiturn nod. violence is, of course, a very large part of their mission. gentle takedowns or not, people are bound to die — but that's what they're here for as soldiers in a war. they're here to incapacitate or kill. he can manage both and the group's decided on a no-kill run. so that's how he'll operate.)

Non-lethal only. (and the bayonet he stripped from a dead soldier's gun joins the one he's held onto for this long month, preserving his bullets for later.) If any of us makes Regency contact, we let the team know and coordinate. Understood?

(it's crucial they stick together. for reasons beyond his team's knowledge, which makes the paranoia claw at the back of his neck.)

[cutlery]

Of course. By what we have heard, I would imagine the Regency would very much like for our progress to be hindered, if not stopped all together.

[ So it's little surprise to him that they're present and wishing to block the way forward. Technically, he's surprised that there aren't more, but that's at least something to their benefit. Relatively speaking, at least. Though it would be much easier to be more deadly, in his opinion. It's more difficult to hold back, especially when it's sometimes hard to judge just how fragile humans can be. At least in that respect, it serves as a reminder to temper his own enthusiasm. ]

Recommendations for how to approach? It would be wise to use whatever surprise we have left, and personally, I can move in rather quickly. [ A pause, and after a moment's thought on how practical it would be to be more honest, he decides to add: ] It cannot guarantee it, as I have not faced them myself, but they may find it more difficult to seriously injure me. Conventionally, human weapons cannot harm me.

[fessus]

[ Noctis narrows his eyes at the soldier in the distance, trying to ascertain how long they have before they're spotted. He can only hope the slow turn of his head towards Sebastian gets at least one tacit point across, however -- aren't they more likely to get noticed if they spend more time talking than they need to?

Wait. "Human" weapons? ]

Ah-- [ No, no, that needs to wait. ] Contacting the team now if we're about to engage. [ Since it seems unavoidable and that Regency soldier is holding his ground. ]

I can warp in close too.

[dipolar]

(hei notices the "human" distinction, but there's no sense in worrying about that. fighting so closely with so many monsters for so long and you get used to it. he's inhuman as well, after all.

a sharp motion with his hand.) If you can move quickly, fine. Take point, provide a distraction, and Noctis can warp in while they're preoccupied. I will make sure they can't run.

(there's absolutely no honour in this, but the three of them... well, they aren't liable to give a fuck.)

Fine? If so, we'll leave on Sebastian's mark.

B is for Butler!

[horsepowered]

[Chiron had been quite fine with the suggestion of splitting off with Sebastian for a time. The man was intriguing to say the least, and he had demonstrated to Chiron to have a cool head. That was as good a reason as any to begin this phase of the assignment with him.

When he stops, Chiron does as well. There's no look of particular concern on his face. It is, in fact, unreadable.]

What do you advise then?

[cutlery]

Well, we are further away from that mist, so...

[ At least at this point between conversations with Hei and seeing what others can do, he's not quite as reluctant to show what he can do. The fact that he has to keep his existence hidden is rather deeply ingrained, so while he's not completely forthcoming, at least he can see that revealing what he is in parts may not be as much of an issue. ]

I can move in quickly to knock them out, but... It may need to be accompanied with a brief distraction. It is better if they do not have the time to process it, so to speak.

[horsepowered]

That mist is a plague.

[Chiron has no problem showing his scorn for the stuff. He is composed entirely of magic, the stuff ate at his very being. At the word distraction, Chiron nods.]

I can provide that. Do you have anything in particular, or am I to improvise?

[cutlery]

So indeed.

[ His agreement is brief and terse, but it's clear that he has similar feelings on the matter. His own situation isn't as pressing as Chiron's, but it still rubs against his being in a way that he finds unpleasant and also concerning. He's not used to anything being able to actually effect him.

The voices draw closer, and Sebastian tenses slightly as he readies to round the corner. If Chiron happens to be looking, he'll see that Sebastian's eyes have changed. The quite normal amber has shifted to a bright, blood red, and his pupils have narrowed into slits. There's no transition for it at all, and they simple change as if they had been that way the entire time. ]

Improvising should be perfectly fine. Though as a suggestion, they may believe that you are one of them briefly enough to direct them down the trenches. But it does not matter too much.

[ He presses against the wall, then nods ]

If you are ready.

[horsepowered]

Go.

[Chiron doesn't wait to see where Sebastian goes or what else he might attempt to do. He simply focuses on his own role, and continues to walk towards the oncoming Turkish soldiers. His eyes remain dead ahead, almost looking past them, his movements suggesting that of course he belongs there, why would anyone question it?

But he is stopped, and asked who he is and why he's there. Chiron's response is in Greek rather than Turkish, and apparently that's all the distraction that's needed to kick off an argument.

It's...a weird distraction. But still a distraction.]

[cutlery]

[ Considering their earlier conversation, he smiles slightly to hear the Greek. He was familiar indeed, wasn't he? But of course that's only a passing amusement, since there's work to be done. He stays where he is, but it becomes apparent why he requested a distraction.

Where he's standing, it's as if shadow sloughs off of him, and sharp whorls of black slither down to the ground. He immediately grits his teeth, since even though they're far from the mist, its effects aren't completely gone. It's a strange sensation, and if he were to try and compare it to something, he could only imagine that this is what it would feel like to be smothered. It's more difficult to do this, and it should be as natural to him as it is for a human to breathe. But at least it's doable.

Those pieces of shadow stick to the ground, but the movement isn't exactly subtle, even in the dark mud under their feet. It's clearly unnatural, but between the conversation and how quickly it moves, it at least passes the soldiers unnoticed. The conversation quickly starts to turn to sharp suspicion, but when it's getting heated enough that they might be getting reinforcements, those shadows appear on their neck, having risen up in some way. They tighten, and just like that, their breath is cut off. The soldiers start to claw at their necks, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem like it can be removed. It's only a few seconds before they start to black out, and at that point, Sebastian steps around from his cover, looking displeased. ]

Really... That mist is quite troubling.

[ He comments idly, but as he brushes his hand away, the shadows around their necks dissipate. They're definitely still alive, but it's clear those shadows could have definitely caused more damage than that. He nods to Chiron, then starts to hoist one of the soldiers up to prop their body against the wall as if they were sleeping. ]

If we run into any more, we may have to be more direct than that... It is still strangely tiring to do even that much. My apologies.

[horsepowered]

[The Greek is indeed an allusion to their earlier discussion, but also a useful little bit of relying on recent history. Chiron had pursued the history books available for any additional information on the conflict, and the Greek-Ottoman relations had caught his attention. That none of the soldiers picked up that he was speaking a much more arachaic form of the language was well. That was on them.

Regardless, as Sebastian does his work, Chiron watches in quiet fascination. The shadows, their movement, it's all unearthly. That they suddenly are tangiable things, capable of doing genuine harm, it is both terrifying and impressive, speaking to well...whatever Sebastian is, he's a powerful version of it. There's no appropriate vocabulary that Chiron has to elaborate any further.

Once all is said and done, Chiron only hums in agreement regarding the mist.]

Ideally, we won't run into any additional issues. Should it be so, I might ask how stealthily you can move around in order to avoid any confrontation at all.

CLOSED— DORIAN AND HEI'S TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY

[dipolar]

Hei's been hovering by their Team A's entrance into the Turk base for a while now with the other combatants who've spread further out into the trenches to nip the approaching forces in the bud. Loathe as he is to uproot, he hears a struggle from the far exit, a familiar voice that spoke tranquility into him when he was experiencing a crisis of self— Dorian, engaging the enemy? His first thought is that the man's more than capable of taking care of the target himself.

Curiosity, however, killed the cat. His area is clear and he leaves it unoccupied in a low sprint down the line of a trench with a very grim setting of his jaw. The closer he gets to checking on the situation, the more dire it sounds. Not good, considering the known amount of Regency soldiers left to the Turkish team is a number they don't know and one peek over the edge of the mud-and-rock wall of the veritable gutter of bodies Hei stands in is enough to confirm it: Dorian needs assistance.

The Regency's struck.

He's up and over the wall in less than a second, whipping the barrel of his rifle up with three shots aimed at the soldier's chest — missing, of course, but he wasn't intending to hit so much as distract with a dark look down the sight, slapping the lever to reload it, firing another three shots with a steady walk forward.

"Hey—" a jam in his gun, no bullets left in the damn thing, hastily unscrewing the bayonet from the end with deft fingers, "you alright?"

[excelsus]

He bloody well wasn't alright. Dorian only wished he could communicate as much, but there were a few things happening simultaneously inhibiting his ability to engage his gift for gab perk. The first of which had to do with these Regency soldiers and their ability to reinforce reality as to make it somewhat less mutable and therefore leaving the mage's magic grasping in the air for some purchase. He thought that was something only Templars could ever achieve...and perhaps it wasn't the same, but it felt the same. He realized he couldn't tap into his magic when he attempted to melt the face off of one of his assailants and it did not go according to plan.

Then there was whatever they had daubed the darts with. A drug...a poison? He didn't know which, but he knew it made him feel helpless, it made him feel detached from his own body and his own feelings, unfit to do anything other than permit. It wasn't a pleasant feeling--it vaguely reminded him of repulsive things that mages were subjected to in his world and the dreadful anticipation preceding the loss of control. He couldn't help himself, he couldn't help anyone unless...

...and there it was, temptation. All too present like a buzz in the back of the skull easily ignored until becoming a fully fledged concept to flirt with. He could have ignored it if the serum from the darts would stop humming words of mutiny through every vein and artery pathway in his body, singing to him like the Calling. He might have been able to ignore it if he didn't hear a familiar voice vibrating through dampening walls he felt surrounded by--distant, low, distorted, but familiar all the same. That familiarity meant he couldn't just lay idle, let himself be taken just because it would be better than the tempation to do anything he had to do for the sake of self-preservation. If he was alone it would have been easier, but he wasn't and intuition more than anything else told him that he wasn't the only one in danger.

Dorian had enough wherewithal to lever himself out of the dirt, threads of blood and viscious gunge threatening to tie him to the earth if he couldn't force his body obey his commands. A series of complex order that involved moving, grabbing, and cutting. Dorian never went anywhere without his mage's staff, but he couldn't bring it with him on this particular mission, not that it stopped him from sneaking his staff blade along for the ride. Reliable, familiar, accessible, and when his fingers finally fumbled their way around the hilt he ripped the blade from it's moorings without really considering his actions. There were no words of reassurance or warning, only a significant look that he threw Hei's way that indicated somthing unpredictable on the horizon.

What was he saying?
Help?
Run?
Stop me?

Before he could assign a meaning to the expression, Dorian was cutting into himself--it should have hurt, he should have been screaming from the pain. Maybe he'll scream later, but the pain is as far away from him in the moment as Hei's voice, and the only thing that mattered was trying to save the both of them. The only way he could do that was if he could access magic and while the Regency soldiers might be able to mute his abilities they couldn't control his blood. He carved into his chest and down the inside of an arm, it might have looked like a moment of madness, but blood magic was madness and weakness anyway. Give it a moment and the method becomes clear, the Regency soldiers suddenly appear to be afflicted with pain that had no visible source save for the world around them taking on a sepia haze with a blood and mud mixture. It would be a reprieve if not for the fact that the kind of magic Dorian was using came with the price of his own life.

Blood leaves the body at a gallop first and the it hobbles. His body knew when the blood loss had him hobbling, when the black started creeping in from the edges of his vision. His magic knew how to respond to that even if his brain did not--take from the nearest source. Hei was the nearest source, the sacrifice for his continued use of this magic, this weak and horrifying magic.

A trained blood mage would take from their enemy, but Dorian was only academically familiar with blood magic and therefore couldn't wield it to distinguish friend from foe it simply acted without his hand guiding it and suddenly he was pulling the blood he needed from Hei to feed his own life-force. In addition to this there was the coctail in his system and the violent struggle that had also left him incapable of full control over a magic he understood only in theory. He was able to terrify the Regency soldiers with the invisible attacks, the manipulations of their bodies, the boiling of their blood, and while a novice in the use of blood magic he had just enough self-preservation and drive to will his own survival and send them tearing off in another direction. This shit wasn't worth it.

What he didn't have control over was the damage he was doing to Hei to supplement himself, pulling from any wound available, tearing them open, widening them so that he could continue to take and take as much fuel as he needed. He couldn't control this and he couldn't control the danger just around the corner. The price of blood magic.

THIS IS SO LATE

[dipolar]

'Drastic' is the word he'd use to describe Dorian's expression and it's far too late for him to do anything about it.

He should be concerning himself with the Regency agent who's doubling back to get away from whatever trick the mage is pulling, but the sight of him dragging a blade from chest to wrist is enough to distract both of them. Self-harm is never something Hei's cringed at; he's used knives against himself as a means to an end to escape enemy clutches before. He knows it'll do the trick, if their conversation about how taboo the art is was any indication of its power. That's the only shred of faith he's willing to spare.

And it works, for a time. The agents bow and writhe and Hei's grip tightens around his dagger, springing into action — all the while keeping an eye on a flagging Dorian whose energy wanes with the exertion. Hei makes a quick and dirty fighter, merciless as he takes point against one of the Regency agents who's staggered, kicking up mud at a jackal mask with his foot before cutting the blinded enemy down at the stomach. It risks his own exposure to the second who aims their blaster at his side and he feels the burning bite of plasma strike him below the ribs, singing a hole in his uniform. Bad, he realizes, when the almost gooey energy splashed him scrapes at layers of skin and muscle until he's certain stained bone is peeking out of his jacket.

There's no time for the shout that should come and Dorian knows this as well, the two of them silent through their tribulations. He thought he could keep it up, fight through in their dangerous states, but — he's dreadfully unlucky. Things rarely ever stay good, souring quickly. 'How can it get any worse?' a popular phrase that sums up the majority of the sad years he's spent clinging to this wretched life.

The sudden wrenching of old injuries barely healed by time. Hei can hardly recognize why his own body reacts as violently as it does when he knows he can withstand pain on a scale no human could cope with, but, when his eyes dart to Dorian, it's the warning look that sends a thrill up his spine and promises him that he's wrong — because it can always get worse. There's no lag in his step when it dawns on him, immediately wrenching a tired body away from the Regency to rush at his comrade as the agony spikes and his vitals go haywire.

He activates his ability and slaps a hand over his wounds with a sudden jolt of electricity, trying to cauterize the bullet wounds that rip open and bleed at Dorian's word. "Dorian!"

Hei knows why he's doing what he's doing, forcing a comrade into becoming his weapon against too-strong opponents who have the upper hand, but it puts their lives at risk. He'll need someone close who can fend off the fools who get too close while acting as the blood bag necessary to hold their ground and finish the mission — it's worrisome that they've targeted him. Ashitaka was first, Dorian is another, and he's lost track of Noctis which makes his discomfort grow all the more unbearable, but the only way to find him and check on him is to finish this. Kill these bastards who've been brainwashed into obsessing over the True Peace to a degree that makes them mindless murderers just the same as their enemies.

"T-Take them out," a strained order, yanking impatiently at the collar of his own uniform to make the drawing of blood from his shoulder and bicep that much easier — helped along further with a press and wiggle of his own dagger into a pockmark scar from an age ago.

CLOSED— https://i.imgur.com/XbCz5VG.gif

[dipolar]

(he didn't abandon his team, an odd realization for hei as he lies back in the mud and wishes the BCE would just let him die like he's damn well supposed to. he's familiar with how close of a call this is, he can feel the device sustaining him at a bare minimum. it patches him up with the help of some backed up version of his body, awake, and alive. and god, it's painful.

watery eyes sting as he tries to access the network to contact someone for extraction, but his vision's too blurry to see the letters and whatever he manages to send to the last person he was in contact with is absolute gibberish. tries to speak to himself, call out to someone, only managing a pathetic rasp of something unintelligible and dizzied, a thick swallow of blood at the back of a dry throat.

when did he get out here? a turn of his head, cheek presses into soft ground, almost warm to a cold face. he's never felt so sick in his life, fingers still clawing at the cauterized hole in his uniform along plasma-blasted ribs that make his breaths in rattle wetly. experiencing acute blood loss is a day to day, but nothing beyond a level that would kill him without the BCE's suspension. in return for his eventual survival, however, thoughts are diced up as finely as the regency soldier dropped next to him. time's immaterial and impossible to gauge when he can't tell which direction his eyes are dragging in in an attempt to gather his bearings.

fuck, it's a lot. it's too much. he doesn't know if his friends are alright and no one warned them of the consequences of venturing out by themselves. that's on him, that's his fault, the fault of his superiors for refusing to warn anyone or help anyone somehow — surely they could've.

where's noctis? where's m? are they strong enough to face agents him and dorian barely managed to topple? are they safe right now? he can't even check their vitals, eyes squeezing shut in his frustration as a desperate protest is choked out of him.)

[fessus]

[ They haven't been separated for long but it feels like an eternity.

When they'd started traversing the No Man's Land to keep the way clear for the rest of their team Noctis had kept Hei within his sights. It'd been easy; they work well together and soldiers had fallen both quickly and quietly in response to their joint efforts. Communication had been smooth even if it hadn't necessarily been easy and contacts both on the combat side and with their other factor had stayed solid.

The first Regency soldier contact is what fractures their system. They were separated then with Noctis taking point to defend the diplomacy team's advance inside the base while Hei had been left to face the greater threat alone. And it had weighed on him while he was fighting, unable to afford distracted glances back to where he knows Hei is standing on his own even if the worry that blossoms in his chest is overwhelming.

It feels like far too long before he's able to seek Hei out, picking out his slumped figure in a barren landscape and feeling that dread jump into his throat with a vicious spike. His knees sink into mud as he drops down at his side, hands filthy with dirt and blood grasping for him with the fingers of one curling around the back of his neck, attempting to support him with a half-tug into his lap. ]

Fuck... Hei? Hei, I'm here, look at me--

[dipolar]

(more time passes and with his eyes closed, it feels like he's sinking into the mud. no one's coming for him, if he does. he's going to be forgotten here, location off on his BCE. why did he insist on keeping it private? it was so illogical and he'd kick himself but he can't move his legs more than a few inches, knees bending weakly, quaking hard with effort, before his heels slide and he's horizontal again.

so when noctis' voice reaches him with a lance of pain from being jostled — one that immediately winds him and flecks the backs of his eyelids with a blotted gold —, hei believes he's hallucinating. just for a moment, it's like hearing and feeling something fake, just one of the myriad delusions keeping him well past the threshold of insanity. the confusion from his blood loss helps the idea along, but hei obeys him and tries to open dark eyes with a woozy lag of a stare.

noctis. he's real, he's real, noctis is holding a soaked body steady and bloody lips part with a wavering sigh, relief making his throat tight.)

Noctis, Noctis— (thank god he's alright, thank god, but that means the danger's still there. fuck, dorian almost got stolen away out from under their noses and there's no more strength left in this group to fend off a worse attack,) can't be here, you need to go...

[fessus]

[ His eyes are immediately raking over Hei's form for signs of the damages done to him, seeing the tears in his clothing and resisting the urge to inspect further -- there's blood smeared over cloth and skin alike and the lighting is so, so poor. Fuck, how could he let this happen? Shit... shit... ]

I'm not going anywhere; don't give me that... [ Definitely not now, not after losing someone else. He sure as fuck isn't going to abandon Hei too. ]

That's not even an option, okay? I... I need to know if you can move. I can help you, I can carry you... What do you need?

[dipolar]

(no, no, he needs to get noctis back to camp and that can happen without him. he's fine, the BCE is keeping him alive, but no one's told noctis and he's trying to speak but it's so fucking difficult—)

You need to go back to camp, go, (his voice is hoarse, blinking hard and shaking his head slowly against his better judgement to try to clear the fog,) please.

(he couldn't stand it, not again. it's selfless, wanting noctis to leave. it's selfish, trying to get him to go without him. hei has to grunt his response to the query about moving, finding the very though nauseating, but he has to if he's to get his friend away from here and in a larger group. group one, maybe group two, even the others on their own team would suffice. anyone who can help bolster their numbers and make them difficult targets.

hei's next breath is pitchy, heaved as he tries to bend his knees and sit up with a grasp at noctis' forearm, teeth chattering at the stress it forces onto freshly knit wounds. his side is almost unbearable.)

F-Fuck—

[fessus]

[ The plea strikes a chord with him, clenching in his chest and forcing him to swallow heavily as he immediately shifts closer when Hei attempts to move. His hand slips lower, from his neck to an encircling of broad shoulders with his arm to take on more of his weight. ]

I'm going with you, understand? Then I'm going to come back here and rendezvous with the group. We're not diverting from the plan. You said that yourself... but you can't stay out here like this. [ Not as vulnerable as he is; one more Regency soldier would be enough to turn the tide against them both. The thought has Noctis hurriedly checking his six, trying to remain aware of their surroundings while simultaneously quieting racing thoughts.

His free hand finds Hei's, squeezing tight. ]

Where's the pain the worst? Your right side? I can keep your left against me when I lift you.

[dipolar]

(fuck the plan, he wants to growl at him but can't manage it, lapsing into uneven breaths. noctis is determined to get him to safety and that's more than he can stand. he knew they'd be better off not knowing him, everyone would've been.

there's only one solution now: if noctis won't leave, he's going to have to force himself to move.)

Okay, j-just— (hei pants at his own plan with a firm grip on noctis' hand, knowing that this is going to hurt and hurt badly, but there's no other way to get noctis to head back to camp,) if you help me get up... I can...

(walk? no, that's unlikely. but he has to try.)

I'm sorry, this isn't...