Sorana

"Zinc. It's mine." She replied absently minded, tried to understand why he told her, that he couldn't wait and then changed his decision almost immediatly. People were strange, changing their minds so quickly. Hard to follow their lines of thought. "Yes, zinc." She repeated and stopped moving looked at it with a slightly dumb smile. "I like the pattern. It lookes like the grass."

Sagitta shrugged. "Maybe it isn't about the abilities. Maybe it's about something else, something we can't understand. The moment beings older and more powerful start planning we are nothing but pawns getting moved over a field of chess." "Do you want to give it a try, to work together? There isn't much to do apart from that."

The medics loaded Ben into the car and then after Rob had stepped inside started to drive to the hospital. They arrived there after a while, doctors already waiting. In front of their car, was the other one, with James and Shana inside. Doctors wheeled both stretchers away into one of the rooms, allowing both Rob and James to follow, if they wanted to. Both Shana and Ben were looked after, their injuries treated. Two police officers were also there, waited for the doctors to leave. They had questions. At first probably only for Rob and James, later for the other two as well. @Wyndlerunner @Lunamor ================== The police cars pulled up in front of the station and those inside of the care were asked to step outside. "Please follow us into the building." One of the officers commanded more than he asked and pointed at the large door. "We will start questioning you immediatly." @AonEne @BookishOcelot @Lord Furret

Wita whirled around her own axis, still smiling in joy. "It's sad that you have to leave." She told him, because that was what you said, when someone said goodbye. "John is making the music tonight. And he saves his best ones for later. This is only an appetizer." Slowing down when the song faded out, was replaced by a slow one she took a deep breath. She was sweating, everybody here was most likely sweating and she knew she had to drink. Dance an hour, drink something. That was her rule. Easy to remember, no need to think about it. Another song, or two, then a short break. Wita matched her steps to the slower rythm, fell silent lost herself to the dance and the music. "You are good." She complimented him, lifted her arms above her head and swayed to the slower beat.

"Not only in Tühine." Sagitta sighed and walked over to the barrel, grabbed some bread for the two of them. Sitting down she shoved half of it over to him. She looked over the soldiers noted their weapons their armor. The atmosphere reminded her of home and she relaxed slightly, despite the fact where she was still unarmed, had no armor of her own. Relaxing she started to eat some bread. "It's easy to believe the stories about glory, about comrades in arms, about fighting for your country. It's even easier, when you see the burnt down villages, when you see the orphans and hear their stories." "I can tell you the story of every scar of mine, and none of them is glorious. If there is glory on a battlefield, I never found it. I only found desperation and destruction. Fear and pain. Maybe we change the fate of some, maybe there is somewhere a mother still alive because of a fight we won. But the price? It is really worth the price?" Chewing some bread she fell silent, considered her words. "I suppose it is." She added after a while, more silently. "Every live is worth saving. But I can't help trying to find a better solution than killing elsewhere. The whole glory part, simply feels like a lie right now." Maybe because they hadn't cared when she had been taken. Maybe because the first one to be nice in weeks was a Tühine spy intent to learn her secrets and then discard her. Maybe because she had seen so many friends die, that the phrase to carry on, when they were gone felt empty. Of course they carried on. Not for glory, only to survive. Tiredly she closed her eyes and ate another piece of bread. It didn't matter. She wouldn't return anyway. He wouldn't let her. And she realized, that she wouldn't try to convince him. Jumping from ladders. It was easy. Almost too easy. Easier than killing. Somewhere, far away, a candle was blown out.

I don't know. She whispered and ripped a part of her shirt off, wrapped it around his leg anyway. She had taken a first aid course years ago and if she remembered correctly, doing nothing was worse than trying. Not that she had a real plan, what she was doing. She simply had to try. Her improvised bandage covered the wound completely and she pulled it tight, knotted it together. What use is owning a shard blade and now probably a plate as well without knowing how to use them? Standing up she smiled at him, gently removed the aluminum from his other eye. She wished she could help him somehow, tell him that going on like this was a good plan, that they changed something, but they didn't. The enemy contered everything they tried. Or rather he tried. Her contribution was small in comparison. You're not useless. She insisted instead. You saved me countless times. I would be dead without you. Her hand rested on his cheek for a moment while she tried to think about something they could do. Let's think about the situation. They are fast, quick. Covered by aluminum. Meaning heavy, meaning metal. Maybe we can heat the armor up, so that they are cooked inside of it. A bomb. Maybe acid? ===================== Zokora copied the location to her own device and then looked at some of the soldiers around her. Baker Pi had allowed them to come here, if they helped protect those in need of protection and she would honor her word. "I'll send you the location. Spread word, collect any troops of ours you can find. They should be around here, somewhere. Support in any way you can. I will inform them as well." A part of the men rushed away and Zokora quickly grabbed something to eat. She hadn't eaten in hours and while it seemed silly in face of the breach, it helped. If she stopped functioning because of low sugar, it would be more than silly. It would endanger lives. "If we need to leave the city, I can activate an emergency protocol allowing the refuguees and your men to enter Oasis." She offered and hoped that Althea would go along with this. If she didn't - later, that was a problem for later. Hesitating she thought about the woman's words. She was needed to coordinate their troops, to look over the information, but there were people dying and she planed to hide deeper in the tunnels. The thought tasted like ash in her mouth. "Is there something I can do to support those defending the tunnels?" She asked repectfully and readied herself to follow Deteca. @AonEne

I don't know ================= EDIT: Here's my entry @I think I am here. I'm not 100% sure about the time, but I think, I was already too late, so here a small reminder

Hello and welcome to the shard! I like your art a lot! Did you read something else but Stormlight as well?

The medic next to her examined her side, frowned when he couldn't find a wound. After a while, he checked her vitals again and then got up. "You are alright." He stated, confusion and misstrust colouring his voice. He lifted his hand and two police officers came over, placed themselves left and right from Leona. "Please come with us, Miss." "If you say so." The medic raised an eyebrow. "And what have you done? What trouble do you mean?" On the strecher Shana stired slightly, but didn't open her eyes. Outside the trees rushed past, while the car sped towards the hospital. "That won't be neccessary right here and right now. We will come to the hospital with the two of you, write down your statements there." The police officer replied and offered Rob a hand to get up. Meanwhile Ben's unconcious form was placed on a strechter and wheeled towards the closest MICU. "Please follow your friend." The officer took her to the same car Cassie was already sitting in and gestured for her to get inside. "Please take a seat. We will leave immediatly." ==============

"I wouldn't mind something to eat." Sagitta was glad for the change in topic. She waited for her eyes to adjust, before she followed him outside. He hadn't opened the door himself, probably to show off a bit. To strengthen, that while nobody had to follow his orders, they still did. "Being a soldier..." She tilted her head backwards, stared towards the blue sky. "It can be intense. It can be breathtaking. It's about glory, about fighting with steel, about honor. There are so many stories about the glorious life of a soldier. What they don't tell you is how much time you spend standing around waiting for orders. How the screams of your comrades echo in your ears. How it feels when the light in the eyes of the one in front of you flicker out forever. You tell yourself to carry on, to never give up, that you want to be carried on a shield back to camp. Burried with honors, because you did the right thing. But you never talk about what you're giving up. What you loose to follow that dream." Shaking her head she sighed. "Call it intese. Call it crazy. It's a lot of things. I don't know anymore which of them a true and which are nothing but beautiful lies you tell yourself to risk your life again and again and again."

"Not a farm reaper." Sagitta gave a helpless shrug with her shoulders. "Like I said, they aren't real. They are said to be a race of super-powerful beings and that they wipe out the whole galaxy in strictly defined cycles. A fairytale to scare little children. If there is such a powerful race, them we would know about them. Or at least we would know more than we do."

"I love dancing." Wita clapped her hands when she saw that he knew a jive and laughed in delight. She matched her movements to his, mirrored his figures, added a spin here and there. She started to store less, her thoughts picking up a bit when she executed some of the more difficult figures. After a few beats she remembered that she'd never answered his question. "And I like ABBA." With a wide gesture she included everything around them, thoughts about a good way to explain what she meant. It took her maybe half of the song, but then she'd come up with something, that wasn't completely off. Only partially. "Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, never boring, leaving you low. Give in to the beat, give in to the dance, you never know, when there is another chance." She rhymed, although she somehow knew that the rhythm was off and the rhymes were only mediocre. But it was fun. To try to rhyme. A bit like solving a riddle. Although it was bad without the time to think about it. Laughing again she whirled around her own axis, matched her movements to the beat of the bridge and looked at him again. She couldn't recall his face, but that didn't mean much. She had trouble remembering faces, if she didn't saw them regularly. "First time around here?" Her voice was light, she only partially cared. He was here, he knew how to dance. He would vanish again. Nothing more but a face in the crowd, carried away but the surges of time. "The music will get better, the closer to midnight it is. They play the great songs to greet the new day."

Yes. She gently touched his arm, knelt down to take a look at his leg. I'm sorry. I was afraid you would die. Without touching she looked at the deep gash in his leg. He was bleeding, the water around his feet a pinkish red and looked up to his face. Once eyes was covered by aluminum, the skin around the other one raw where it seemed like he had ripped it off. Do you want for me to bandage the leg? Try to stop the bleeding? She asked and flicked a quick sign to Brashen, to watch her back and their surroundings. The one Max had fought was still here, probably prepared to attack them again. She would take the blow, protect him. He had promised her, that he would survive and she would do everything to make sure that he did. It was her birthday in a few weeks, they had planed to travel for a while. He wouldn't die here. Not here, not now - never.

Wita slowly turned her head, when a man kneeled down next to her. He was talking. She looked at him, thought about his words, what they meant and then slowly nodded. "I stumbled." She stated and pushed herself up, glancing at her arms in a try to determine wether she was hurt or not. "I was the dancing queen." A bright smile spread over her face, lit it up in the colourful and changing lights of the disco. He had an accent she might have been able to place, but it involved thinking and she was doing a lot to prevent any clear thinking on her part. Sugar, ah honey honey You are my candy girl And you got me wanting you Wita used his shoulder to push herself up to her feet, when the next song started. Her left foor hurt a bit, but it wasn't grave. She would feel nothing of it by tomorrow. "That's a jive." She told him. You could dance a jive alone, or together, but he had to know. This was a disco after all. They all knew about music, about dancing. Still grinning she extended her hand towards him. ===========================

Althea watched Max fall towards the ground, Sethramir suddenly glowing lightening the room around them. She didn't hesitate, didn't questions if it was wise, useful for the battle or not. She had sworn to protect him, and so she would. Judging the place the body of the leader would hit the floor she greated a large spike aiming for their body, then wrapped her thoughts gently around Max, attempted to elsecall him back on the roof. @RayOfSunshine

Jessy shrugged. "I have no idea. Probably some aliens of his own." She leaned back looked through the ship. "There is an old myth. About the Reapers. Maybe he is facing something like that. Who knows." Shrugging she placed a palm against the table. "Altough I doubt it. The Reapers are nothing but a myth. They don't exist in real."

"She will be." The woman raised an eyebrow. "What happened? I haven't seen something like this for a while."

Friday night and the lights are low Wita moved to the music, lost herself in the lights, in the beats. It was easy, so easy to loose herself to the beats, to the music - Looking out for a place to go Her short dress played around her thigs, left her knees uncovered, twirled around her legs whenever she moved. She liked that dress. It hugged her waist, was wider around the thigs and it was short. Easy to move in, the wider cloth around her wrists twirling around her arms, whenever she moved. Where they play the right music She was but a face in a crowd, nothing more than a part of the larger mass of bodies moving, dancing. Some were trying to talk, shouted over the music, some moved together as a couple, some stared at her figure, most ignored her. Getting in the swing Wita loved it. The anonymity. There was no need to think. She knew the songs, came here weekly, sometimes daily. Danced, until her legs were tired and her feet, then she left. Quietly, without talking so someone. The staff knew her, allowed her to come, as long as she didn't cause a rucus. Sometimes they even looked after her, sometimes they didn't. Depended on who was here. You come to look for a king Another turn, her feet skitting over the scratched dance floor, moving quickly, expertedly, while she lost herself to the music, turned around herself, stepped forward, backward. She loved the song. It was well known, everybody around here knew it. Which was why she loved it. More dancers meant more anonymity. Anybody could be that guy A couple kissing in the corner, his hands pulling her close, showing her against the wall. Night is young and the music's high Wita raised her arms, followed the flow of the crowd around her, listened to the words. Night was young. Nobody would miss her, they were used to her arriving back at the dorm late. They knew she was here dancing. With a bit of rock music A woman in another corner. Watching her, observing her. One of the barmaids here, on her break right now. Keeping an eye on her. As they always did. Wita wanted to scream. tell them, that she didn't need it. But the arguments. Arguments were hard. They tended to pierce the cloud, needed for her to think clearly. Which wasn't an option. She never thought clearly. Everything is fine Everything was fine. She didn't need to think. She could leave that to others. Almost angry at her thoughts she stared to store more and more, until her thoughts moved like slugs, not able to keep up with her surroundings anymore. Everything was fine. She could dance. There was no need to think. You're in the mood for a dance She moved with the music, lost herself completely. She was one with the music. The chorus, soon the chorus, and then she would be gone, would have lost herself completely, as she always did. And when you get the chance You are the dancing queen. Happily Wita turned around herself. Around her, the crowd sped up, when those aorund her regocnized the chorus. She made sure to move with them, to be a part of the crowd, unimportant, just a little part. Her foot hit something solid and she stubmled, hit the ground before she recalled to catch herself to try to regain her balance. Around her people stared and she lay there, stared at the ceiling and thought about a good way to react. @I think I am here. @BookishOcelot @Dr. Dapper @Wyndlerunner

Sagitta turned grey as the walls around them. "I have." She replied tonelessly. The screams, the terror, the fear in their eyes. It took a lot of effort to continue to walk upstairs. "More than once. We were on the verge of loosing the battle, a settlement somewhere behind us - I lost control." Lost control. She hadn't lost control. She had sacrificed them. She had easily cut their arms off, had ripped their bodies apart. Intensity. She could soften a blow, or she could strengthen it. Add to its force. She had been undefeatable. Had taken the force out of the blows meant to kill her, had killed with sloppy movements of her sword. A longsword was dangerous because of its weight alone, with her instinct it became an almost unstoppable force. "I have." She repeated more to herself than to him. "For nothing." The settlement had fallen, the day afterwards. The villagers slaughtered. She had crippled, had killed, without a single difference. The beating of the drums occupiing her mind, blindly following her banner over the battlefield. Dust had you chough, burned in your eyes, you knew you were supposed to fight together with the one marching beside you, but instead you lost track, as soon as battle hit. Took a step and then he was gone. Nothing but the banner, but the screams of the wounded. The drums. The questions if they are yours, or your enemies, trying to decipher their beats, to understand your orders over the shouting, over the feral screams. Lost in her thoughts she continued to climb up the stairs next to him.

"This way, young lady." A police officer took her and led her over to one of the waiting cars. His partner opened the door and pointed inside. "Follow us." She stood up, wheeled the strecher over to their car. After they had loaded Shana on the strechter, she followed then turned around, offered a hand to James. The medic looked at him as well, quiet for a moment. Then he wordlessly gestured for him to sit down again. "I want to look him over, once I'm done with the boy here." He told the police officer. "What's the name of your friend?" His hands never left the wound the knife had left in Ben's side, his brows creased in worry.

Mike nodded. "Yes. My name is Mike, and these are Wes and Seom. What do you need?" The storm was over. Thankfully the voidless storm was over. He was alone in his head again. He shoulders sank down a little when he allowed himself to relax a bit as he followed Wes over the rooftop. He wished there were Guns n' Ninjas here with them, wondered where the others had gone, if they had managed to escape the building alive. Maybe. Maybe not. There was a chance he would never know. Mike stared over the city for a moment, stared and stared, his eyes empty when he considered what had happened, what he had lost. Bella. She had betrayed him. She was behind the attack. She had commanded her troops to spare him. Mike felt empty when he recalled the words of the creature, how it had turned away from him, from them. He had trusted Bella, had believed her words about protecting the gang, about standing up for those you were responsible for. Her words tasted like ash in his mouth now. Maybe it was good. A new chapter, something else he could do, a new path he could take. One without the gang, without split loyalties. Seom and Wes. They relied on him. And he could do it. @Sherlock Holmes ============== Zokora saluted respectfully. "My name is Zokora an'Inera. I am Althea Tenira's assistant." She took the hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you too." For a short moment her eyes rested on the bread, then she looked away again. She was hungry, hadn't eaten in hours, but for now she would wait. ============== @I think I am here.

Lizanne slowly let her hand sink and anxiously stared at the closed door. She heard Wilhelm walk up, hopefully the others were ready as well, but she knew, that she was prey. Whoever opened the door, could kill her in an instant. Running wasn't an option anymore, the hut was small and if she started to run, they would kill her for sure. She took a shaking breath and straightened her back. The eye was still watching her, her back crawling under its glance. Inside she needed to get inside. And that soon. Whoever was inside, could only be better than the eye, than it's glare. She checked the air behind her in the mirror again, nothing. It wasn't here. No it was invisible. It was here. It was always here. They were its prey and it was hunting. Kill her. Hopefully it would simply kill her. Everything else would be worse, trapped again, chains scraping against her ankles, the smell of unwashed bodies rightly bound together and stuffed into a single small room, a whip scarring her flesh, ripping it open to the bone. With a quiet groan she pushed the memories aside. Escape. For now she had to escape the eye, this place. She was trapped again, not by chains, but by whatever it was the man had done. Her eyes rested on the door. Open. It would open anytime soon and then she would know if she had to run, or if they could find help here.

A man dressed in the bright blue and orange cloths of an emergency medical physician walked over to Leona. Quickly he looked her over, his eyes resting on her bloody cloths. “Please sit down miss. We will take care of you.” He didn’t touch her, but stayed close enough to catch her, should she faint, offered an arm for support. @BookishOcelot “Are you her friend?” The woman checking Shana over asked James and then helped to mover her on a stretcher. “If you want to, you can come to hospital with us.” @Wyndlerunner More police officers arrived and started to walk towards all of the uninjured ones, firmly asking them to come along the police station for questioning. The Voidbringers followed their commands and were seated into some of the cars and soon after left the site with the police. As soon as the adults were taken care of, the police focused more on the teens, asked them to come along as well. @I think I am here. @Eluvianii @Dr. Dapper @Hope Spren @whoeverelseishere Another medic kneeled down next to Ben and shook him gently. “Hello? Can you hear me?” He asked and checked his vitals. @Lunamor

I agree. Usually I miss the few hours until the thread is locked, most of the time mid-conversation with another character. One thread for the mainplot would be a lot better.