Realistic or Modern // Ignite the Spark // open & accepting

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





With one hand, she ran her fingers through her hair. Kais had given her a puzzled look, but ultimately said nothing when she asked him about the wound. Now he was moving around the room, grabbing things...a towel, a bowl. She watched as he moved around her apartment. He was familiar with the space, and Sola knew that she wouldn't have to tell him where anything was. Glancing at the the blood that was dried on her hands, she silently wished she'd washed them before starting all of this.


Soon, he was back at the chair, dipping the washcloth into a bowl of hot water. He leaned close to her side, asking her a question and continuing without waiting for an answer. Sola sucked in a breath through her teeth as the rag made contact with her skin, sending soft pinpricks up her waist. She squeezed her eyes shut as Kais pulled the rag against her side. The washcloth was completely saturated, causing water to run down her waist and soak some of the fabric on her jeans. It could definitely hurt more...but that meant next to nothing right now. Her pain tolerance was lower than she was proud of.


Soon enough, she could feel the wet rag get replaced with a dry rag as Kais soaked up the fresh blood. He took the rag away for a moment, using his hands to gauge the depth of her injury. When he told her that it wasn't too bad, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't worried about the wound being serious, it was more along the lines of not wanting stitches. Kais's voice sounded as close to perky as it ever got as he told her about her newfound ability to say she'd been shot and survived.


Maybe it was the ache in her side, or maybe it was her tiredness...but Sola laughed then...a small giggle escaping her lips as Kais pressed a dry rag against her waist again.





"Yeah, right? That's like, the only reason I wanted to be a Scout in the first place. Bragging rights. I can retire young now," she made the joke, unable to help it. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. The tension she held in her chest loosened for a moment. She laughed again, opening her eyes and looking down at Kais.


She was suddenly very aware of him, of his hand pressed against her side. Her eyes met his, and she faltered for a moment. No, this wasn't the first time that Kais had helped patch her up. But it was the first time that she was hyper-aware of his presence in the process. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. What the damn hell was happening? For the second time that evening, Sola found herself looking at Kais again in the same way that he often looked at her...intently, without really caring to break his gaze.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

She laughed and everything seemed right again. The tension that had been lingering since she returned was broken--he had been temporarily distracted from it all while he focused on getting her cleaned up, but it had continued to hang in the air like an unwelcome guest. Funny how such a little thing could banish tension. She laughed and, if Kais had been a more poetic sort, he might have called it musical. She even followed it up with a joke.

Kais smiled up at her, still pressing the towel against her. The smile was small--he wasn't much for big, toothy grins--but his eyes sparkled with amusement. Just like that he felt like Sola was home, for real this time. The tension that had been building in his shoulder since Emeryx had told him Sola had gone to Tranquility alone eased. If they could laugh about her being shot then the worst was behind them.


He realized she was still covered in blood--maybe not as bad as she had been a few minutes ago, but her face and hands were still a mess. He was betting her hair was, too--he had counted a few times when she had run her fingers through her hair. There wasn't much more he could do for the wound until it stopped bleeding, anyway. He could bandage it now, but it would bleed through, then dry, then they would be in more or less the same place as they had been before. A bandage was a step up from a shirt, he supposed, but having nothing dried to a wound was better than that.


Since there was nothing to be done but wait, for a moment, he stood up, one hand still pressed against her hip. Standing in front of her as he was, Kais was very nearly a head taller than her. He looked down at her, meeting her eyes and spoke.


"Hold this towel, will you?" He waited for her to take his place, holding the towel against the wound before he moved away.


He collected the red water and bloodied rag from the table and returned to the kitchen. The water he dumped, turning the tap on once again to rinse the bowl before setting it aside. The rag was a bit more trouble, but he suspected it would come clean alright if rinsed immediately. He did so, watching the blood run down the drain as he wrung the cloth out. Eventually the water ran clean and the rag was returned to its original color--miraculously, there seemed to be no lasting damage.


Kais returned, clean cloth in hand, and handed it over to Sola.


"For your hands--and face." He said, then realized she would likely have a hard time cleaning up one handed. He placed his hand over hers to hold the dry towel in place in her stead, leaving enough space for her to slip her hand away.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Seeing Kais smile made Sola feel more at ease. This time it actually reached his eyes, something rare. Sola felt herself smiling back. She still felt a tad strange because of her awareness of his proximity. Soon Kais was standing, one had on her hip as he held the towel in place while instructing her to to hold it. She looked up at him for a moment, and replaced his hand with hers as he moved about the apartment.


With his back turned, Sola could feel a blush spreading across her face. She knew that it would be nearly undetectable on her darker skin. Kais was back before she could really think about it anymore, the rag now clean in his hand. He held it towards her, saying that it was for her hands and face. She opened her mouth to say something about how she couldn't very well do much with one of her palms plastered to her side, but Kais was one step ahead of her.


He rested his hand just over hers. Sola looked at him for another curious moment, her brown slightly furrowed. She searched his eyes for just a fraction of a second. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, maybe an answer to why she was feeling so...alert. Her mind was now blanking, standing there with Kais so close by. She tried to settle herself, thinking instead of the events of the evening. She realized that Kais had put up with a lot from her today, with virtually no answers as to why she acted in the way she did.


"Thank you," she said softly, clearly meaning it to apply go more than just the proffered towel.


She slowly slipped her hand out from under his. A rush ran down her spine, leaving her confused. She took the rag from him, his hand holding the other cloth against her side. Looking at her palms, she blinked. Strands of hair fell against her face, and she felt dried blood smeared on her cheek as the brushed it away.


"Oh my gosh. I look like trash," she said, startled at how much blood was actually on her. "Why didn't you tell me? I mean, I know...bullet wound first. But, I look like shit."


For a moment, she was too concerned with her disheveled appearance to think about the strange way she felt. Sola touched the washcloth to her face first, glancing back at Kais as she rubbed the blood from her cheek. She couldn't help but grin. It sort of amused her, how she managed to get so messy. "I'm going to get as much off with this cloth before rinsing off in the shower. I don't want to stain the tiles red. Honestly Kais, I can't believe you didn't say anything. I would tell you if you had blood on your face,"


She was back to talking, saying things as they came to her mind with a smile in her voice. Despite the unusual feeling in her chest, she relished the familiarity that existed between the two of them.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais readjusted his grip on the towel. She thanked him, catching him a bit off-guard. he had been about to take a second look to see if the bleeding had stopped, but he stopped halfway-stooped, and looked up at her. The look on her face said she didn't mean thanks for the wash rag. Thanks for putting up with her stubbornness? Thanks for following her to the Grand Oak after she told him not to? Thanks for

not knocking her over the head and dragging her to the infirmary? Thanks for helping to patch her up? All of the above? Probably that last one. He smiled, but didn't say anything. 'You're welcome' was always such a weird phrase to him--you're welcome to what? His help? While that was true, it didn't really express the right message.


Exactly what the message he wanted to express was, he wasn't sure. It was better to remain silent--she didn't expect a response, anyway. He dropped to one knee next to her--the chair seemed a bit awkward, just to check--as she realized how much blood she still had on her.


"--I look like shit."





The one phrase was enough to make him laugh. He looked up at her, distracted again from the task at hand. Maybe it was because he had thought about telling her she looked like shit and decided against it. Maybe it was the fact that she was worried about how she looked when she had just been shot. Whatever it was, he sat there, resting back on his heels with one hand still holding the towel in place, looking up at her and laughed. She scrubbed at her face, mentioning something about wanting a shower, but not wanting crimson tiles.


"Honestly, I thought you knew you had blood on your face." It was the truth. Who wiped blood on their face without noticing? Sola, apparently. He supposed she had been distracted at the time. "I thought about telling you that you looked like shit--but you were in a bad mood and it wouldn't have helped..."





Kais considered her for another moment while she tried to scrub the dried blood off, before he remembered he was on the floor for a reason. He leaned forward, carefully pulling the towel away from her waist, and took a third look at the wound. There was a deep red stain on the towel, but the wound itself looked clean. He folded the towel in on itself and carefully dabbed a clean spot against the wound to soak up any excess blood.


"You may as well have that shower, now, before we go any farther with this." He stood up, folding the blood onto the inside of the towel before tossing it onto the table.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Laughter filled the room as they both talked freely, Kais's words making Sola giggle even more. If he had tried to tell her she looked like shit earlier, it really would not have gone over well. The tension that had crackled between them dissipated. In the back of her mind, Sola knew that she and Kais would have to talk about why had spurred her to run off to Tranquility on her own. But they could save that talk for later.


She needed to figure out her own reasonings and sort out the strange feeling that expanded in her chest whenever Kais stood close by her. Eventually, she would understand it; and eventually they would have to confront it. She didn't know what that would look like. For now, she was content to enjoy just spending time with him after an extended day.


Kais stood up eventually, folding up the wash cloth that had been pressed to her side. Nodding at his words, she moved to her dresser and selected some fresh clothes. She was always eager to change out of the Tranquility-style attire she had to wear on delivery. Rummaging through her drawer for something that would let her wound breathe, she pulled out a black cropped tank top printed with thin white stripes that stopped right above her navel. Throwing it over her arm along with a pair of loose grey cotton pants, she moved to the bathroom.


Shutting the door behind her, she pulled out a towel and ran the hot water. Discarding her old clothes, she wrinkled her nose at how dirty they actually were. She used her foot to push them farther away. Before getting in the shower, she mentally noted to empty her pants pockets before tossing them in the laundry. The hot water soothed her and washed the last of the blood from her skin and hair, tendrils of red swirling down the drain. She used soap made from a friend of her's at the Market Square, infused with her favorite scent of lavender picked from the forest. The smell always brought her a certain sense of peace.


It had taken about fifteen minutes for all the blood and dirt to be scrubbed from her skin and hair. When she was done, the faint smell of flowers filled the bathroom. Sola dried off and changed into her fresh clothes. She pulled her hair over one shoulder as she picked up her discarded pair of Tranquility pants, reaching into the pockets to grab spare Pills. Instead, she found the data pad from earlier.


Sola's eyes widened as she remembered the man who had given it to her. How had she forgotten about it so quickly? Granted, a lot had occurred since then...but still. Sola burst out of the bathroom, small black data pad in her palm.





"Kais! We need to look at this! Some man was waiting for me near the tunnel when I was leaving Tranquility. He helped stave off the guardbot that shot me. Well...there were two guardbots. But still! He destroyed both of them. He gave me this," As Sola spoke, she realized that she had yet to see Shasta. Her stomach lurched at the thought of facing her big brother, but she ignored the feeling for now.





(( @whitefoxkiller sorry this took so long! ))

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Time Unknown - Keys Tower Infirmary


Richard smiled. "I hope I'm able to be useful around here." He sighed, placing his hand on his head. Damn headache. "Ah, I forgot, I brought some supplies from Tranquility. I hope they'll be useful enough to be used around here." He placed the backpack on the table and opened it. Inside, a myriad of surgery supplies, first aid kits, healing sprays and other medical equipment. Brand new. "There's more with the other newcomers. I kinda stole this before I fled from Tranquility. Guess that was my closing call on that place." He looked to the floor. "I see now that I was in a prison, instead of an utopia. Get up, go to work, go to bed. Every day. Sometimes skip the 'go to bed' part. I didn't know my purpose, and I'm pretty sure I still don't know. But at least I get to choose now, right?" He gave a sad chuckle. "Can you show me around? I need a shower, a new set of clothes and some sleep."

 

[ambiguities]

Ryder Lawson

​

Ryder nodded, a silent appreciation of the man's help. As he began to walk, many stared stared at the new arrivals, the action wasn't new to the sparks because they were genuinely intrigued. Ryder wasnt going to bother showing them around, instead he'll ask someone to direct them to their rooms for the night and hopefully Sola would do the honor of touring them around their community. The tranquility was drastically different from The Sparks community, and some people reacted different ways to being in a different environment. In an environment that was lively as opposed to an environment that was dull and indistinguishable.


Just as he reached the infirmary, the unconscious woman in his arms awoke. He could feel her slight stir, but refused to look down. She questioned her location, then demanded Ryder to put her down. A thanks would be nice. He opened the twin doors and stepped inside, gently setting her down on her feet, his hand resting on her waist for support.


Ryder's eyes searched for the nurse that was usually by the counter, but he was met with absence. She must be upstairs. Staring at the girl, he finally spoke. "The nurse should be coming down soon, you can sit down and wait for her or just take the initiative to go find her if you'd like," he paused, debating on whether or not he should stay with the disoriented girl.

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie Hayward

"It speaks" Rose muttered under her breath, stepping away from the hand at her waist, uncomfortable with the body contact. Even her and her fiancée hadn't acted this close, and if this was how everyone acted around here, it would take her a long time to get used to it. She moved away from him, to lean against a wall in her dazed state instead, until she finally registered what he said and she began to look around.


The infirmary was plain and cold, it looked like it belonged back in Tranquillity, and she tried to register as much as she could of the facility. She finally settled her gaze back at him. "I don't need to see a nurse, I'm perfectly fine". Rose stared at him for a moment, the face devoid of emotion - he seemed no different than the people she had known all her life, and she wondered why he kept his emotions so bottled up, when everyone around them seem to want to express them.


"Can you just please tell me where I can go to get some rest?", she was wrung out, tired, overwhelmed and terrified, and if these were the emotions that were more prevalent, no wonder her ancestors had gotten rid of them.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Doctor Marcus H. Glass


Keys Towers- Infirmary


Marcus smiled widely at the mention of tools and medicines from Tranquility. He dug through the bag and nodded, closing it. "These will be an immense help. Our second rate medicines can't compare to those of Tranquility. I think we should save these for emergencies only." He said, setting the bag down on the floor beside the table. Standing up, he lifted the glass and downed the last of its contents. Cringing slightly at the burning sensation, he walked back over to where the cabinet was and replaced the alcohol in its spot, but left the glass sitting out. "I'll get it washed later. Come now, let us start on the bottom floor, yes?" He asked the doctor. There were enough rooms in the building, the doctor could take one for the night until more permanent sleeping arrangements were made.


Meanwhile, the nurse, Lucy, had just made her way back downstairs only to find two people standing in the lobby. Lucy approached the two carefully. "Excuse me, is everything alright? Are either of you injured anywhere?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her. Truth be told, she was rather tired and ready to go home so she could sleep. Thankfully, that other doctor had arrived, so he would be more of a help to Marcus than she. Lucy just hoped that he hadn't thrown her out of her job. Regardless, these people needed to be helped first.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais took the opportunity to clean up the mess he had made. While Sola dealt with getting the rest of the blood off of her, he rinsed both rags in the sink, cleaned the bowl properly and set everything aside to dry. The rags needed to be washed properly, but at least they wouldn't stain, now. He mopped up the water that he had spilled on the table and what had dripped on the floor. Then he took the opportunity to scrub tree sap from his hands and arms, and rinse his face in the sink. Feeling a bit better, he took up his seat near the table again to unlatch the first aid kit and sort through it. He trusted Sola to keep her kit in good repair, and it was--everything he needed was there, waiting to be used. He found the bottle of antiseptic, some antibacterial ointment, gauze pads and tape and set them aside. No sooner did he have everything organized on the table as he wanted it, than Sola returned--not even waiting until she was all the way out to start talking.

"Kais! We need to look at this!"


His eyes snapped across the room to her, first aid kit momentarily forgotten as he fixed his eyes on the data pad she held. He noted briefly that she had made short work of the dried blood on her face and hair, and lost no time in getting changed out of her Tranquility clothing. He felt a little dirtier for having been sitting in a tree all night--at least he hadn't been shot at, and what little blood had gotten on him had been washed off while he cleaned Sola up.


A note from a mysterious man, who had disabled two guardbots? They didn't often receive correspondence from people inside Tranquility. In fact, they never received correspondence from people inside Tranquility, save the Deviants who came in search of the pill. Kais rose to meet her, taking the small data pad from her hand and giving it a precursory examination. There was, he noted with concern, a distinct possibility that someone could put a tracking device in a data pad to learn the location of The Spark. Whether or not that was likely he wasn't willing to guess--so far they had escaped any significant notice from the higher-ups of Tranquility. But if they continued as they were it was only a matter of time before they drew attention to themselves.


Satisfied that the device wasn't likely to explode if he switched it on, Kais did so. The data pad beeped and flared to life, executing its one function, at least user-side--to display a message. His eyes flicked over the message once before he read aloud:


"You have powerful friends in the Diamond Sector. Tomorrow. 24:00 41.721554, -88.100739." He looked up at Sola. A meeting time and place? His mind processed possibilities. If the data pad did include a tracking device, why ask for a meeting? He wouldn't be satisfied that there wasn't a hidden function for the data pad until he had dismantled and looked for himself, but it did seem odd. There was still the possibility that it was not a friendly meeting.


"Friend or foe, I wonder?" Kais mused, flipping the pad over and looking for screw holes. He'd need his kit if he wanted to dismantle it--and that was in his arsenal. Shasta needed to know, as well--if any meeting was going to take place, he was the one to decide how it would go down. Kais, personally, was disinclined to trust anyone. If Shasta decided that anyone would go to the meeting, he wanted to be nearby--out of sight, but not out of range--with his trust companion, Bane.

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Keys Tower Infirmary


Richard heard the sounds of more people in the humble clinic. "Duty calls, I guess. I hope that even with my patch disabled I still have it in me." He gave a chuckle. It was different from when he was at the Blood Sector. He was happier than when he practiced medicine at the Hospital, a feeling that he was able to help the people in need, and do something good for the world and the community around him. At Tranquility he only had the feeling that he had a job to do. Lifeless, dull.


He descended the stairs slowly, the bourbon managed to supress his headache, but the exhaustion still lingered. He was just as tired as anyone who had to go through the neutralizing process, with the addition of carrying a woman all the way from the city. Slowly but surely, he arrived at the main room of the Infirmary, where the scout and the woman he carried stood. "Oh! Thank you very much for bringing her here. I was completely stiff from all of the time carrying her, you see..." He approached the man and woman, dusting off his lab coat, as little as doing that helped, it gave Richard more confidence. He looked at the scout. "I'm sorry we haven't been introduced yet. I'm Doctor Richard Davenport. Nice to meet you!" He smiled, then turned his head back to the girl. "Hi, I believe we've met at the park. How are you feeling? Can you walk to the bed over there?"

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie Hayward

Rosemarie looked between the man who had come over in the dirty lab coat and the one that had carried her to the infirmary, her face horrified as the former recalled carrying her. Is there anyone that didn't carry me here in that case? She deducted that the doctor, like her was a former tranquillity member, until tonight from his attire and his elated state of emotions.


She flinched back as he stepped closer to her, offering to check her over, to see if she was alright on the bed. "As I just said to -" she broke off, not knowing the guy's name who carried her. "him" she finished, jerking her chin at him, "I'm perfectly fine". She looked back at the guy who had carried her here in the first place, annoyed that he had put her into this situation. Annoyment, that's another new one, but weren't emotions meant to be pleasant and good? For some reason, she seemed to be getting the bad end of the stick of emotions and she repeated her earlier request, "Can you just take me somewhere to sleep it off?".

 

[ambiguities]

Ryder Lawson

​

This girl is already starting to piss me off. "Ryder." He glanced at the man, Richard, with a tight smile. He could save the formalities for another time, under better circumstances. Perhaps when he wasn't sleep deprived and tempted to snap at any given moment. But he decided to keep his composure despite dealing with the girl. He figured that once he directed her to a dorm, that she'd go an deal with her attitude problems on her own. Ryder didn't who exactly gave them their rooms to sleep so he had to improvise the best he could. But what he did know for certain that Ophelia would not shut her eyes until Ryder was there with her, no matter how many times Mia tucked her in.


He looked back at the girl, his eyes searching his face for a moment. She was new to these feelings, so he had to feel some type of pity, even if was just a sliver of sympathy. Granted, if that was how she was set to act, he'd be sure to steer clear of her. He let out a sigh, "Well, let's go then." His voice was softer than it was before as he swiftly turned around and exited the building.

 

[Gabe]

Richard Davenport


Keys Tower Infirmary


Richard stared at the girl, then laughed, a mix of amusement and confusion."Well, That's... That's why I asked if you can walk to the bed. Just like me, you had a pretty rough night. You're free to choose which bed, Doctor Glass here said that there are some private rooms vacant on the second floor, but I must request that you stay here for the night, for observation. I was worried you had hurt yourself or were allergic to any component of the pill when you fainted at the park. Of course, you can follow... Ryder, over there." He gave a kind smile, and then pointed at the beds. The girl was annoyed within reason, after all, she was handled left and right by complete strangers.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





The message on the device puzzled Sola. It wasn't exactly a common occurrence for someone to try and contact them. They were usually the ones doing the contacting. Absently, she wondered if Shasta would have any idea regarding who was the face behind their cryptic message. Clearly the person who gave the datapad was just the messenger. Did they have a contact in the Diamond Sector that she didn't know about?


When her initial surprise subsided, she toyed with her necklace, pulling it out from underneath her neckline. A thin gold chain strung with a single pearl, it was a remnant from her mother that she never took off. She had a tendency to fiddle with it when deep in thought. She could hear that Kais was talking, but she barely heard him. Who sent the message? Why did they disable to guardbot?


Sola's thoughts were distrupted when she saw Kais examining the back of the datapad. She blinked. His words "friend or foe" registered.





"Shit. I didn't even think of that. There was just so much going on...I had to get everyone out of the area. I'd forgotten that the pad was still in my pocket,"


Sola placed one hand on her uninjured hip and pressed the other against her forehead. Did the person behind the message just put a tracking device on her? Is that why they disabled the bots? Good or bad, she wanted to know who was behind this. She could have been a dead scout in Tranquility if it weren't for them.





"We still have to meet the person behind this. I want to go meet them," she murmured, her curiosity burning brightly in her stomach. She needed to know who was behind this. Whoever it was effectively saved her life. "Kais, I need to be the one that goes to meet them. I won't go alone this time. I can take Ryder with me. I'll even bring a gun along with my knives. Shasta has to let me go,"

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais raised an eyebrow at her--at least she admitted to having done something stupid, this time, in not so many words. Taking an unidentified device from an unidentified person, putting it in her pocket and walking away had definitely qualified as stupid. If he had been there--Kais cut that thought off before he could finish it. If he had been there she wouldn't have been shot in the first place, and he wouldn't have spent three hours in a tree. Well. He

might have spent three hours in a tree, but it would have been more enjoyable. Speaking of being shot...


Sola was explaining why she needed to go meet this person. Count her zero for three of possible smart decisions to be made that day. The probability was that no one was going anywhere at all--least of all Sola. On two accounts: she was wounded, and she had already made her allotment of bad decisions for the month. How she had managed to convince herself in the space of a few seconds that Shasta had to let her go, Kais could not fathom.


"He's not likely to," Kais said, feeling that someone needed to be the voice of reason. "It could be a trap or a dozen other unfavorable things. I doubt he would give you permission to go even if you hadn't pulled that stunt tonight and weren't injured."





Realizing he was still holding the data pad, he turned to the table to set it down. He would take it apart later--he needed his tools. Or, failing that, TechSupport. The solution to all technical problems was a good sword. For now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, the fact that he needed to make sure that 'not-too-bad' graze wound above Sola's hip didn't turn into an 'amputate-it-asap' infection.


Kais reached for the bottle of antiseptic and unscrewed the lid, dousing a gauze pad in it. He turned back to Sola and pressed the antiseptic-soaked gauze against the wound. Probably he should have warned her he was going to do that. Or said 'this might hurt,' or something along those lines. Too late, now.


"And Ryder is hardly the sort of backup I'd recommend for a midnight rendezvous with someone who might be planning to kill us all. If you ever plan to do something stupid like that, you had better take someone like me," It sounded a little bit cocky--but a sniper was better backup than someone who was really good at punching people. He could pick off a dozen bots before someone even figured out where he was. And for some reason he was feeling particularly bitter toward Ryder, right now. Maybe he blamed Ryder for not going with Sola. Maybe he was annoyed that he had been replaced at all. Whatever it was, he was feeling disinclined to rely on the man for Sola's safety in the future.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Sola had known Kais for long enough to understand his facial expressions. As he quirked his eyebrow, she stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She could just imagine what he was thinking...probably that she was absolutely crazy for even suggesting that Shasta would let her go off on her own.


Sure enough, when he spoke...she wasn't surprised. His words, though not as sarcastic or critical as Sola had played them in her head, confirmed what she was generally expecting him to say. They caused Sola to wrinkle her nose in disdain. As irritating as it was to hear, there was very little chance that Shasta would allow her to be the one to potentially meet with an unknown figure...even on a good night. While she could agree that not allowing her to go after what she had done that night wasn't unreasonable, it irked her that Shasta most likely would have barred her from it regardless.


She knew she had done some foolish things tonight. But fuck it, she was tired of being so self deprecating within her mind. She always felt as though Shasta thought she was just not quite good enough. In Sola's eyes, he held her to a different standard, an unfair standard. It didn't matter that (outside of tonight) she had a clean record of bringing people out of Tranquility, and was very good at her job. She knew she did well as a scout.


She had begun her training at age 16, taught by the very best that The Spark had to offer...learning to blend with the darkness and move like a shadow. At age 18, she was already equipped to go on deliveries. Sure, she wasn't the best at long range weaponry...but she knew how to be lethal with her hands, with knives, with literally anything that had a sharp edge. When she was coupled with Kais, they made a dynamic pair...her up close, him from a distance. In her time as a scout, countless Tranquil were brought over from the city by the two of them. And yet, Shasta probably wouldn't have considered her ready even excluding tonight's events. Even though she had done a stupid thing by going out on her own and taking a data pad in the heat of a moment, in the wake of being shot, she had still managed to bring four Tranquil to The Ruins by herself. Sure, they were a little worse for the wear...but still.


Had she been less wrapped up in her internal grumbling monologue, maybe she would have noticed Kais approaching her with a gauze pad soaked in antiseptic. A sharp pain ran up her side, startling her. Her body jerked slightly as the cool liquid seeped into the wound unexpectedly. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, snapping her head to look at Kais, brows knit and lips pursed in irritation. He continued cleaning, responding to her thought about bringing Ryder. If she wasn't so annoyed, his words may have struck her as strange. But the burning antiseptic sting in her side caused her to respond sarcastically.





"Huh. Maybe you're right. Ryder's not a good fit for me. If only you and I were partners," she narrowed her eyes at him, speaking dryly. "Oh, wait. We were. Should've thought of that before becoming Strategist."


Her words were meant to be spoken in sardonic jest, but she had said them a bit too seriously for it to really sound that way, even to her own ears.


"Sorry," she sighed, looking away. "Being this tired makes me kind of prickly. You know I'd usually rather go with you,"





Sola ran a hand through her hair once again as she spoke, satisfied that it was clean and blood-free. She tried to shift her attention to anything else but the stinging in her side, slowly counting to ten in her head.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais wasn't surprised to see the rebellion on her face, but he

was rather surprised when she sliced at him for becoming Strategist. He knew she hadn't liked it--her actions toward him were enough proof of that--but usually she didn't hold grudges like this. The hurt showed briefly on his face before his expression dissolved back into neutrality. He looked away from her, hearing her apologize but not really listening. Guilt burned in his stomach once more. If he hadn't taken the position she wouldn't have gone alone, tonight. If she hadn't gone alone she wouldn't have been shot, she wouldn't have taken a data pad without checking it. It really did all trace back to him.


He nodded in silence, whether in response to her apology or in agreement with the fact that he had been her partner, and ought still have been was left for her interpretation. He didn't speak to clarify. Instead he carefully removed his hand from her hip, taking the gauze along with him. The antiseptic-soaked gauze went in the trash; Kais opened the antibacterial ointment and smeared some on a clean gauze pad, which he brought, along with the roll of gauze, back to Sola.


Tape might have been a faster option, but it was both uncomfortable and inconvenient. Instead, Kais elected for the gauze roll. He pressed the ointment-smeared gauze against the wound--this one didn't hurt, and he didn't feel the need to warn her. Not that he would have remembered, necessarily, anyway. His thoughts were elsewhere. He knew taking the position as Shasta's Strategist had been the best option. Not for him--not really--but for Shasta, and for the Sparks in general. There were few other people who could have done the job as he could. So why did he feel so guilty about it? Why did he feel as if he ought to have turned Shasta down?


The gauze stuck well enough by itself--the ointment saw to that. It prevented Kais having to hold it while he carefully wrapped gauze around Sola's waist. Once he had one layer around he straightened somewhat, finishing the next few wraps by passing the gauze from hand-to-hand behind Sola's back. Once the whole pad was held securely in place he reached for his belt knife and cut the gauze from the roll. He tied off the end and stepped away from Sola, surveying his handiwork for a moment. Deeming it satisfactory, he gave another nod, turning to replace the rest of the gauze on the table.


There. Everything was dealt with. Now he could leave a very 'prickly' Sola to get some sleep, while he dismantled this data pad to make sure she hadn't brought home something dangerous. Kais picked the data pad up once more. For a few minutes he had thought everything might be okay. She had reminded him it was definitely not okay.


"I'll let you get some peace and quiet, then." He said, voice neutral as he stowed the data pad in his pocket and made for the door.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Sola knew she was being unfair. She had spoken hastily and she was now regretting it. An expression of hurt had flitted across Kais's face, disappearing as soon as it had come. As brief as it was, it was enough for Sola's chest to tighten.


Things had been so light for a moment, the two of them laughing and talking...and she had gone and shattered it with her personalized insult. She wasn't usually this way. In other circumstances, it took a lot for Sola to act so callously. What had come over her? She wasn't trying to hurt him on purpose...it just sort of slipped out. It was hard for her to filter out her words like he did. Sola knew that Shasta needed him for that job; just as much as she knew that no one else would be able to do that job better than Kais. And yet, it still perturbed her. Why?


He wasn't paying attention to her now, focusing instead on finishing the bandaging. He stood close to her, wrapping the gauze around her waist meticulously. Yes...if Kais did something, he did it well. When he was done, he gazed at it for a moment before moving away. Sola followed and began putting things back inside the first aid box. Snapping it shut, she pushed it to the corner of the table.


She glanced up as Kais began to leave the space, taking the data pad with him. When he had first followed her here, she thought she wanted nothing more than for him to get the hell away from her. As the night had progressed, she realized that she hadn't really wanted him to go...especially not now. She didn't want him to leave on bad terms. Even more than that, selfishly, she didn't want to be alone. The night's events played through her head. The automatic voice of the guardbot repeating in her mind, the metallic ping of bullets echoing in her head.


Sola had a hard enough time sleeping as it was. She didn't like being by herself at night in her room. Her thoughts often left her tossing and turning, until she finally gave up and elected to wander around The Ruins.





"Kais, wait," she said, following. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm to slow him. "Can...can you stay?"


Her question made her feel vulnerable. She felt somewhat ridiculous asking him this, but she didn't want him to go. She knew that there was a certain strangeness between them but right now it wasn't Strategist and Scout, a pair of former partners...it was just Kais and Sola, two people who had grown up together. She hoped that somewhere under his impassive expression, he would maybe understand.

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie Hayward

Rosemarie considered her options for a moment - deciding that she'd be damned if she allowed herself to stay for observation. "I'm sorry Doctor", refusing to go into first name basis, "I know you even less than Ryder - and that's saying something" She said, shifting uncomfortably. There was no polite way to decline his offer, so instead she simply followed Ryder out, trailing behind him as he led her through the buildings.


If she had been fully rested, her scientific brain would have analysed every piece of the structure, staring at the wonderful creations, but with her current state of mind the place looked like a maze - nevertheless a beautiful maze. She caught up with Ryder on her small legs, having to run a little and she debated introducing herself, but figuring how little he seemed to care she caught her tongue and stayed silent, instead wondering what he did in this place - and she would do when she settled down - if she could settle down here.

 

[Cruor Flumine]

Doctor Marcus H. Glass


Keys Towers- Infirmary


"But something tells me you don't want to do that, yes?" Marcus asked as he stepped into the lobby. He offered his hand to the girl. "Doctor Marcus Glass, welcome to Keys Tower and our infirmary." The doctor introduced himself. The woman before him looked tired, very tired in fact. From what he understood, she had consumed one of the pills. The side effects would leave her once she slept it off.


He sighed mentally. The number of patients seem to be slowly rising, hopefully that will end soon enough. Upon further inspection of this woman, she seemed clean, Tranquility clean. She didn't seem to be injured either, which was good for him.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

"Kais, wait,"


He stopped mid-step, feeling her hand on his arm. When he turned to look at her it was with a distinct expression of surprise--or as distinctly surprised as Kais ever got. His eyebrows raised, then furrowed, bemused. She wanted him to stay, now? Had he missed something important? He studied her face, hoping to find some answers there, and saw... fear. Exactly what she was afraid of, he could only guess. She had been shot and had a generally trying night, he knew, but surely all was well now. Still, knowing that she wanted him there and felt safer for his staying, made him feel wanted; it almost assuaged the guilt that had been burning in his stomach since she accused him of abandoning her.


That, in and of itself was very strange. Since when had he ever cared if someone else wanted him around? Since when had he cared what anyone thought of him? He tried to pass it off--Sola was, after all, one of his only two friends. She was like family to him--as close to family as Kais was likely to ever get--it was only natural that he would want to keep it that way. After all, things had been rather rocky for them recently; it made sense that he wanted to fix it.


Except it didn't.


He pushed away his confusion--at her, at himself, at this whole situation--and focused on the task at hand. Sola wanted him to stay with her; he wasn't likely to turn her down, though he did feel a pang of disappointment at the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to dismantle the data pad just yet. Still, there were more important things than the data pad at hand--he was reasonably sure it wasn't going to explode, and if it had tracked Sola to the Ruins then the damage had already been done.


Kais met her gaze and nodded levelly, "If that's what you want."

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Kais's looked at her, studying her face openly as he often did. She was used to this. A look of confusion had settled on his face. He seemed to be searching for something, and she wondered what was going on in his mind. He could read her well, and she knew that he could detect her underlying fear. What was he thinking? She could see the perplexity in the way he crinkled his brow.


Kais was the polar opposite of her in the sense that for all her external and vocal processing, he did internally. It made his words thoughtful, but also caused Sola to often wonder what he was turning over in his mind. Of course, she could have just asked...but it was more about the sentiment than anything, and he would've given an extremely concise answer anyway.


He looked as though something more complex was weighing on him. The puzzled look on his face seemed to be about more than her asking him to stay, lingering a bit too long to seem focused on just that.


Finally, his face went back to its default neutral expression and he nodded.


"If that's what you want,"


He didn't say yes or no explicitly, indicating nothing of whether or not he actually wanted to stay. Either way, Sola breathed a sigh of relief. She dropped her hand, feeling a sense of solace. He had probably wanted to go back to his place and dismantle the datapad, but was staying with her anyway.


"Obviously that's what I want. That's why I asked," she responded wryly. Her voice softening, she smiled. "Thank you."


No matter what tension crackled between them, she knew that she could always count on Kais. She couldn't possibly dwell on that strain now. He was one dependable constant in her life. That had been challenged with his new shift in roles, but Sola knew that she could trust him. Even as she avoided thinking about it, she knew that her feelings were more complicated than just rejection, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She would work through her own emotions at some point, and try not to take that out on him. With her penchant for speaking whatever what was on her mind, that would be kind of hard.





"Just turn off the light whenever you want,"


Sola moved towards her mattress, not feeling like she needed to say anything else. She already had a spare pillow and blanket on the long chaise chair that sat nearby, just across the room. Sitting down, she winced as her wound compressed. She peeled the red comforter back and slid underneath. Part of the reason that she had her mattress on the floor instead of on a bed frame was that she had a great view of the sky from the lower angle.


She laid on her back and pulled the comforter up to waistline, slightly regretting that she hadn't braided her hair as it fanned over her pillow. Once under her blanket, she didn't want to move. Resting her arms above the covers and on top of her midsection, she gazed at the expanse of stars that stretched just past her window.


Her thoughts always went to unwanted places when she was faced with the task of sleep. Tonight, however, she knew she would have an easier time finding rest. Getting shot at was one thing, but there was also the tension between her and Kais. She was both mentally and physically exhausted, to a level of fatigue she had never experienced before.


She didn't bother closing her eyes, continuing to gaze out the window. Sleep would come for her soon. Her mind was already beginning to calm. Maybe that was one advantage to a having a terrible day. At least she would be able to sleep soundly for once. Tomorrow, she would face Shasta. Maybe she would go and meet the new Spark members, the ones that she left for Ryder to handle tonight. Sighing, her eyelids drooped a bit as she began to drift off.

 

[Skeleton]

KEANU FORRESTER



​

Keanu eventually found his way into the infirmary. He partially followed the other man. Eventually, he found the help of a passerby. They brought him into one of the floors in the hospital area, and guided him to a bed. Keanu thanked them and settled down, barely keeping his eyes open. Right now, he was far too tired to even try to find a doctor to see if they had a medication that would help. Maybe they'd even have some gingko biloba, which was a plant that helped blood flow to the eyes.


He flopped backwards, not even bothering to cover himself with the blanket. Lying still on his back, he fell asleep almost instantly.


(sorry for the super short post, i'll post longer after timeskip!)

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil


Spark Strategist

​

Kais watched her visibly relax at his words, as if some great worry had been lifted from her simply for the knowledge that he would stay. He still wasn't sure entirely what was bothering her--or what was bothering him, for that matter--but there was no great puzzle here. He was, and always had been, her protector. That point had only been solidified as their time as partners: Sola out in the open, doing what needed to be done, while Kais lurked out of sight, always keeping both eyes on the lookout for her benefit. Even before they had officially worked together, though Sola rarely needed someone to watch her back, he had always done so. Any trouble for Sola, more often than not, had to go through both himself and Shasta. This was no different--at least not on the surface. Perhaps he was watching out for bad dreams instead of guardbots, tonight, but the result was rather the same.

She thanked him, but the only thanks he needed was seeing that weight lift knowing she felt safer for having him there. Still, he nodded in acknowledgement, but to the thanks and to her comment about the lights. He shrugged out of the shoulder strap for Bane, holding the rifle by the barrel as he crossed the rest of the way to the door. He waited for Sola to settle into her bed, then switched the lights off. There was a moment of blindness as his eyes adjusted to the low light, then he moved back across the room to the lounge chair, seating himself on the edge of it for a moment.


Bane settled comfortably on the floor beside the chair. Scorpion and Venom followed shortly after. Kais suspect that, once he had actually gotten settled, he would change his mind about at least one of those being on the floor. For the moment they were fine. He unlaced his heavy leather boots with deft fingers, pulling them off and setting them beside the growing pile of weapons on the floor. Next he unhooked his utility belt, leaving that, complete with combat knife, on the floor by the guns. The datapad was still in the pocket of his over-shirt; he removed that, setting it on the chair beside him before shrugging out of the black canvas shirt. Beneath that shirt, strapped over the plain black t-shirt that he wore, a cross-strapped ammo belt, which he clipped and set on the floor as well.


All this dealt with, Kais settled himself on the lounge, picking up the datapad as he leaned back. It was dark, but he looked it over once more. There were no discerning marks of any kind on it. His fingers itched to pry it apart and take a look inside. Unfortunately the only way to do that at the moment was with his knife. He considered this possibility for a moment, before deciding that he would either stab himself or destroy the datapad if he tried. Or both.


He turned the datapad back on, re-reading the message and wondering if there was a way to find external function from a software standpoint. He discarded this thought nearly as quickly as it came to him--he wasn't much of a hacker, and even if he had been, there was nothing to hack. Not without a computer to wire it up to. Kais tossed the datapad aside with a sigh; he needed to get some sleep if they were going to deal with Shasta in the morning. Somehow the thought that he needed to sleep did nothing to help him sleep. He stared at the ceiling for a solid five minutes of feeling vaguely paranoid. Sola's place was fine--they were above the ground floor and there was very little likelihood of anyone getting in. Hell, there was less chance of anyone wanting to get in. What was he feeling so paranoid for?


Finally he sat back up, grabbing Scorpion from the floor before resettling himself. Suddenly things seemed much safer, and he drifted off with little extra trouble.