never had no chance (out comes the sun)

[faceblocks]

Who: vi and various people
What: a catchall for september feat. vileblood things, memshare things, outpost things, tattoo things, non-event things. starters will be in the comments. ping me at eisdamme or eisdamme#7495 if you would like one.
When: throughout the month of september
Where: wherever in Trench so specific, i know.

Content Warnings: tba but probably parental death, violence, prison, drugs, disease, murder, mental/emotional/physical abuse.

Comments

[asas]

yes
were you in that book too
???

[faceblocks]

[well, that's that then. mystery solved. it's not a "good" memory, but it's not the worst by far, and there had been some good in it (relief? actually blocking?) - before she'd been knocked unconscious by her sister. she has no idea what or how much of it he'd seen. but being on the other end of sevika? not an easy time for a lot of people - even vi.]


yes and no
no i didn't get different worlded into it
yes i know that one cause thats my book

you were fighting sevika
shes silcos second in command
i washed up here not very long after that

[what a weird sentence to have to comtemplate twice in a week.]

[asas]

[ oh. well, that wraps things up neatly. shoyo can feel his stomach churn, though. clearly, vi didn’t die there, but if she didn’t get some ways beat too—

no wonder she’s so good. ]

I’m guessing you managed to beat her with this sucker punch mit

[faceblocks]

right on the money with that shoyo
but it was kind of an accident
its funny what your mind tells you
sometimes
i never gave the shield any thought at all
until i did

sucker punch mit
gonna have to tell someone about that
i think hell get a good laugh

[she wonders about the phrasing there: this instead of that - probably wouldn't even think to pick apart phrasing had her sister not washed ashore - maybe if silco hadn't. but with jinx here she's more careful about everything now. 'this' implies it's something he's still looking at, or holding. wearing?]

u looking at it rn?

[asas]

i'm wearing it
well, one of them
but it's too big.
think it has a home to go back to, found your name on it right here
says "return to ass-kicker vi asap"

[ he has thoughts churning . . . in his head. he's beat. it doesn't feel like something to talk about over text, though. he'll wait. ]

[faceblocks]

[she has a question better answered in person, too: does it have a gem in it and does that gem still power it up?]

huh
well i guess its mine then
lmk when youre good for the handoff

[she is making puns now, because humor solves everything. it ...doesn't, actually, but she keeps trying.]

[asas]

now?
but only if you promise not to freak out

[ there’s a reason. he already knows egg is going to cluck aggressively at him. ]

[faceblocks]

define freaking out

[asas]

[faceblocks]

so you think i'm gonna make that face

or send you a picture of it

i promise not to do either

[asas]

ok, good.
i'll meet you where we do our workouts if that's alright

[faceblocks]

yup

[it takes her moments to get there - moving like she means business (and she does) with no hangover to slow her down, no leisurely stops - just lamps and jumps until she's there, anxious for a few reasons - and wondering what she's steeling herself to see besides that gauntlet. she tells herself again, out loud this time;]

No freaking out.

[a breath. she hadn't been doing it daily, but she had taken his meditation instructions to heart.]

[asas]

[ it may take a little longer for him to get there, but only because shoyo isn’t running. it’d mean terrible harm for his body, so . . . limitations. he was already lugging extra weight. at least it wasn’t absurdly long of a time until a bush of short cut orange hair appears in sight. picanha doesn’t travel ahead, her ears are pulled back and her tail gently held between the legs.

the closer shoyo gets, the easier it is to spot dark blotches and dry warmblood staining his clothes and face. his nose looks strange, his mouth— bloodier. from the stiffness of his legs and tenderness around the guy and ribs, oh, lord. yes. he’s absolutely beat, and looks like someone had stepped on a tangerine with their heel.

at least, in one of his hands was hanging the massive gauntlet, and lining the top are dully lit blue jewels. ]

—No freaking out.

[ you promised. ]

[faceblocks]

[she's seen worse. but has she seen worse on shoyo? no. and his pace was one thing, but picanha's demeanor: red flag. and her little tail oh no.

wow, his nose. sure, sleeper blood and all that - but it looks like if it wasn't still broken, it definitely had been, maybe multiple times? and yeah, volleyball's a "rough" sport - a ball in the face can hurt, can even break a nose, but this looks...

...like he'd lost a fight with sevika. so she catches herself wincing, schools it back into neutral, and settles on a hell of a lineface.]

No freaking out.

[it's faintly lit - and that's ...something she should probably talk to viktor about. later. she doesn't even know what it means here, if anything. her eyes go from it to his face and back again. but his nose. his mouth. she'd lost a tooth in that fight.]

Did you see anyone about this? You look fucking terrible.

[asas]

[ she gets a heavy hand giving her a brief thumbs up for the effort. good job holding the freak-out face. ]

I just got back like . . . Maybe a half hour ago? [ so he hasn't exactly had the time to look for someone to see about, gestures, all of this. either way, when closing the distance between them with aching legs, shoyo holds that hands out to take her's in a friendly clasp— he might squeeze too hard, though. everything hurts. ] It's not the first time, I guess.

[ a shrug, but he's exhausted. and very aware of the hole in his gums where a tooth should be because his tongue keeps feeling right through it, bloody and not the best of tastes to keep swallowing. ]

[faceblocks]

[too hard of a handshake? she can roll with that, and though her face shows surprise, it doesn't hurt - but her heart does a little, at the idea of her friend having to relive the fight that had nearly killed her.

had it---

(oh no)

---probably. oh, ouch, shoyo. she's sorry for that, and it's not like she hadn't met her own end in sansa's memory, but it had been (mostly) painless. not to mention quick.]

I'll take the sucker-punch mitt [tight smile] if you let me numb some of that shit up for you.

[...]

It's called an Atlas gauntlet. Viktor and a friend of his made it. Wasn't even intended for combat.

[asas]

. . . Alright, [ he agrees to that, but it didn't need much thinking. he's not the reluctant type where help is concerned— he's never really gotten anywhere without it. shoyo starts nodding and tries to pull the damn thing off. it's easier to let it fall to the ground with a little thunk once he's managed to release whatever mechanism he has to get through for the steam to pop it out. ] what's it really for?

[ he's still thinking, like. thanos. is viktor iron man??? ]

[faceblocks]

I don't know all the specifics, but mining, mostly. To break rocks, to uh, shield against cave ins.

[she's eyeing him, looking for any open cuts. anything that looks like it could remotely be open gets ointment. it's not as effective as vileblood, but it's something. she hates asking this question, but she needs to:]

Where does it hurt?

[she can look at the glove later. she's very familiar with it. if she were not so concerned, and if she knew who thanos was, she might have made a joke. but she only digs into her kit for the ointment and for a needle and a bandage.]

[asas]

[ shoyo hauls the gauntlet over to an easy enough spot for them to sit. a ledge by the ends of the farthest shore into actual cobblestone paths. as she asks him, he plays with his tongue in his mouth, and pokes it right through the..... hole....... next to his molars. ]

My mouth . . . Definitely my nose, [ his voice is midway nasally, and looks like it's a bit out of place. ] —ribs. I can't breathe too deep.

[ it hurts to expand them. ]

[faceblocks]

[okay, there's a wince she can't control - that tooth. her tongue finds that same spot and just. damn.]

I dunno about putting the ointment in your mouth, but it's a better bet than vileblood.

[she won't risk putting her blood on his nose either - at least anywhere near his nostrils, so she uncaps the jar and dots a small bit over the skin there, spreading it with a great deal of care, and she's set her share of broken noses but she's not about to---]

I'll come back to the nose in a sec. Let me know when it starts to numb up a little, yeah? Okay. Shirt up, or do you need me to get it?

[if it hurts to breath it probably also hurts to move his arms, too. so before he's given an answer she's reaching, but gently, and slow enough that he can deflect.]

[asas]

I think I, wait, [ he does try to do it himself at first, but lifting his arms and stretching all the muscle connected to the task has him slow, almost stopping, and wincing. holding his arms in the position he could, though, he allows for vi to help him out there. he’s going to need it. ] Thanks— oh, wow, it’s numbing already.

[faceblocks]

[that's good - it's what she wants to hear - and she'll take a look at his ribs, his chest, no open wounds so she's good to go, there. she lets the shirt fall a moment while she pricks her index and middle finger, squeezing up a little blood.

and now that her own fingertips are good and numb, she shoves the needle in - dragging down the middle finger about half an inch. she doesn't have her knife on her, and the vial she usually keeps is empty. so: improvising it is.

lifting his shirt again with her bloodless hand, she proceeds to rub the bloodied one - fingers against thumb until it's a viscous coating on most of her palm, and the air begins to stink of flowers. palm flat to his skin, she lightly rubs it - much stronger than the ointment - making sure to cover his ribcage. she moves round to inspect his back, and if he winces or cries out at her prodding he'll get it there, too.]

Okay.

[she will take this moment to pull a small cloth from her kit, wiping off most of the lingering blood from her hand before quickly wrapping the tear in a small, sticky bandage and stand up to reassess that nose. it's numb, so she doesn't need to play any games here. just a quick feel and - yep - this is an easy fix.]

Ready? It's gonna sound worse than it'll feel.

[she'll wait until he signals that it's okay to proceed - if and when he does that - she'll pop that sucker back into place. they're sleepers - they heal fast, anyway.]

[asas]

[ shōyō is ever compliant during the whole check up. she even follows up with soft, nasally compliments: you’re real good at this, you’d make such an awesome manager with this first aid damn!, and so on. even if he doesn’t look nor feel his best, vi help bring out the best of what’s left. picanha watches on only by sitting next to them, and eventually drops into a subdued lay with expressive eyes sadly pointed up at vi’s handiwork.

oh, now here comes the nose. ]

Okay, but don’t tell me when you’re gonna— [ crack ] ACK.

[ picanha springs onto all fours, but doesn’t yelp. looks like it startled them more than it really hurt, so, with a hovering hand over his nose, ]

Oh God, that’s gross.

[faceblocks]

[some of this is old hat - the nosebreak, for instance - if it wasn't her own nose it was mylo's, or some other rag tag from the undercity - an accident, a tussle, a friendly exchange of punches - and also: prison. some of this is recently learned (the ointment, the extra care, and obviously the vileblood.]

I wouldn't have warned you anyway. [makes for flinching, sometimes.] You did great. And you should be able to breathe now. [she hands him the ointment] In fact, just take this, I can get more.

Ugh, I'm so sorry, Shoyo.

[you too picanha, you also get a sad smile and a good picanha. vi will now take a moment to inspect that glove, turning it over in her hands thoughtfully. she looks at shoyo and adds:] Huh. It's missing the "return to ass-kicker Vi asap" markings. Must've worn off.

[what else to do but levity? also, she is trying not to freak out. so.]

[asas]

[ shoyo tries it— breathing, that is— and would you look at that, works like a charm! oh, what relief. he's hardly nasally, and what could've hurt a ton more was just tingling now. he can't help a short huff of a damaged chuckle. she is trying her best. ]

Must've worn off from all the punching . . . [ so much punching . . . well, he raises an arm, slow and steadily to avoid harming his ribs any further despite the numbness, and finds her shoulder to rest it upon. ] It took a few tries, but I got her. None of it is your fault.