okay, well, marcoh leads taair off towards some ruins nearby. this looks to be like maybe it was a house once, or a series of houses that got razed. pretty much immediately you can tell that this is the work of the borisin, judging by the remaining pieces of building, but also because marcoh tells him to cover his mouth and nose as they come close. there's lupitoxin in the air, he says. it won't affect marcoh, but taair is a foxian (?) so he should be careful.
in any case, marcoh leads him to a crumpled building, and says: ]
There's a kid in there. He won't come out. [ marcoh is too scary looking. ): ]
[ baby. he nods, feeling around for some kind of face mask he's a healer i'm sure there are space fantasy face masks, and pulls it on. as is typical, his expression softens about the point of this little trip, and he squeezes marcoh's forearm gently in gratitude. ]
Thank you, my dear friend. Will you keep an eye out, for me?
[ as if he really has to ask. but he carefully picks his way through the rubble, setting one hand against a wall, and calling out in his soft, gentle voice ]
in the ruins, there's a rustle. a brick falls off the roof of the house, and the sound of it hitting the ground seems to shock something - or someone - on the other side of some rubble. it's a tiny little squeak, a hiccup of a noise, and the sound of a little smack. the sound of someone slapping a hand over their mouth, maybe. ]
with that, he carefully drops down to one knee, bringing himself down to a child's level as he reaches through his emergency pack. he always keeps snacks in here - he doesn't think sushang will mind. ]
It's alright, little one. [ taair keeps that same gentle, quiet tone as he speaks, warm as he pulls out whatever little treat he saved, some sort of sweet, and unwraps the top of it. ] I'm a healer - and my friend is the gentlest person in the world.
[ she will not mind. in fact she'll be happy that he's using them for this purpose.
silence, for a very long moment, and then a baby foxian peeks around the corner of a building, big eyed and wibbly. her ears are pressed down to her skull. ]
[ oh - she is so, so tiny. the sight makes his heart lurch. a baby, likely an orphan, left behind in the destruction from the borisin.
taair's eyes widen briefly in surprise - and then, he exhales out, and his expression softens into a smile. ]
Hello there. [ no sudden movements. instead, he rests his arms on his knees, folding over a bit, and the wings on his head flutter just once. ] My name's Taair. What's yours?
god his heart just breaks, squeezed like a dishrag in his chest. ] Oh, oh--oh, dearest, it's alright. [ and with that, he moves - slow enough to not startle her any further, but the moment he can get close enough, he pulls a handkerchief from his bag, then reaches for the sweet, tiny little crying baby with carefully telegraphed movements.
if she'll let him, he'll bring his hands up to wipe her tears gently with the handkerchief, resisting the urge to immediately pull her into his arms only because she seems terrified, but if she'll let him get close, that's next. this is the horror of war, too - crying refugees, desperately alone. ] Shh, shh... you're alright, now - you're alright. It's going to be okay, I promise. I've got you.
[ she does in fact let him, even though she flinches at first. but he seems... nice... and she's so alone and afraid, and she's covered in bruises and scratches. so maybe it's okay for her to just come a little closer and curl up against him. she's pretty tiny - her tail is almost bigger than she is.
she'll take the handkerchief and put it on her face. clumsily. and kind of just hiccup cry while he tells her it's going to be okay. ]
[ if this is a trap i'll submit myself to it willingly i will die for this child
close to her face, he gives her the handkerchief and smiles at her whens she clumsily pats her face, encouraging - close in the space like you do with a terrified child, to give her some kind of form of safety and sanctuary.
now that he's close enough to see her injuries - he does sweep his gaze over her form, tip to super big tail, looking for severity - and once she curls in close, taair very gently sets one hand on her back and rubs it. the other feels for his elemental powers, his magic, and behind his back, he casts the spell like he always does.
when he brings his hand around, there's a very small bird made of light sitting in his palm - the size of a baby fledgling, held tenderly in the little space between him and this tiny, sweet baby. ]
Is it alright if I introduce you to a little friend of mine, little miss?
[ the little bird flutters and hops in his hand, and then floats near the baby's nose - just floating there so she can examine it. ]
This is Amal. He's a very dear companion of mine, and he's going to help you feel a little better. He sings a very lovely song that goes a bit like this.
[ the spellbird floats there for long enough for the little girl to process it, see where it's going - as taair's storyteller voice closes out the sentence, he imitates a robin's song in a soft whistle. the bird flies in a circle around her head, leaving a faint trail of soft greenish blue behind like a fairy, a soft wind to ruffle her hair, and then settles back down in front of her, coming in close to gently nuzzle up against her cheek.
and if she's okay with that - if it makes her giggle, even better - it presses a tiny little bird kiss to her sweet baby cheek.
the spell is a healing spell - enough to heal up those aches and pains and cuts. ]
[ the bird fluttering makes her startle, but when it nuzzles at her, she lets out a watery little giggle, for sure. it's a cute bird and she's already enamored with it, and the softness of the moment makes it easier for her to accept it.
she swallows hard after that, and then looks down at her hands and arms. she's all healed! wow... that's so cool. her little ears twitch and stand up on her head, and she looks up at taair with a wobbly face. somewhere between impressed and that very fragile state of momentarily okay. ]
U-um. Better. [ she whispers, still holding her tail. ] Th-thank you.
[ the giggle makes his heart soar. hope is the thing with feathers, after all. fragile and sweet, like the birds he makes with his magic, like a tiny little girl's laugh in the middle of a war zone.
taair's smile warms further, and he gently fixes her hair away from her face, and offers her the snack from before. ]
Your mom...? [ ah. soft. he watches her eat, quietly fussy, all of his attention entirely focused on huohuo. ] Well... my friend heard you were in trouble, so we came right to you. We haven't had very much time to explore, yet.
What does she look like? We can look for her together.
[ her expression scrunches in delight at that, like he's told her the best secret in the world. she gives another little hiccuppy giggle, and reaches to hold onto taair's arm. he can pick her up, sure. ]
... Okay. I'm sleepy. [ now that she's healed, she's about to knock the fuck out. poor kid. ]
A little rest is good for you, little one. You can sleep, now. [ you're safe, now. im so excited to be a parent! nothing could go wrong! taair nods, taking the precious gift of the little girl's trust, and carefully scooping her up onto his hip. the others are going to lose it, but he can't let her go.
once she's settled, he hooks his arm around huohuo and starts to make his way out of the ruins. where did my marcoh go. ]
no, he's waiting outside the ruin, watching with a bit of a worried look. huohuo curls up where she's held, and i'm gonna be honest, she's probably asleep in the time it takes for taair to pick his way out to where marcoh is at.
taair comes out of this ruin looking like the autism creature because he is not letting this child down ]
...Physically, yes. I healed her, and gave her something to eat, but... [ he glances back outwards, to the ruins as a whole, gaze sweeping over the wanton destruction of the borisin. ] ... She's lost her mother, Marcoh.
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holyspirits) wrote2025-02-16 05:05 pm
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imagine making good decisions. he immediately sets his hand on his arm and nods, expression going to determination. ]
Of course - I'm right behind you.
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okay, well, marcoh leads taair off towards some ruins nearby. this looks to be like maybe it was a house once, or a series of houses that got razed. pretty much immediately you can tell that this is the work of the borisin, judging by the remaining pieces of building, but also because marcoh tells him to cover his mouth and nose as they come close. there's lupitoxin in the air, he says. it won't affect marcoh, but taair is a foxian (?) so he should be careful.
in any case, marcoh leads him to a crumpled building, and says: ]
There's a kid in there. He won't come out. [ marcoh is too scary looking. ): ]
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Thank you, my dear friend. Will you keep an eye out, for me?
[ as if he really has to ask. but he carefully picks his way through the rubble, setting one hand against a wall, and calling out in his soft, gentle voice ]
Hello? Is anyone there?
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[ and he will! he'll keep watch.
in the ruins, there's a rustle. a brick falls off the roof of the house, and the sound of it hitting the ground seems to shock something - or someone - on the other side of some rubble. it's a tiny little squeak, a hiccup of a noise, and the sound of a little smack. the sound of someone slapping a hand over their mouth, maybe. ]
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with that, he carefully drops down to one knee, bringing himself down to a child's level as he reaches through his emergency pack. he always keeps snacks in here - he doesn't think sushang will mind. ]
It's alright, little one. [ taair keeps that same gentle, quiet tone as he speaks, warm as he pulls out whatever little treat he saved, some sort of sweet, and unwraps the top of it. ] I'm a healer - and my friend is the gentlest person in the world.
[ marcoh doesn't get to be cool ]
Would you like something to eat?
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silence, for a very long moment, and then a baby foxian peeks around the corner of a building, big eyed and wibbly. her ears are pressed down to her skull. ]
...
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taair's eyes widen briefly in surprise - and then, he exhales out, and his expression softens into a smile. ]
Hello there. [ no sudden movements. instead, he rests his arms on his knees, folding over a bit, and the wings on his head flutter just once. ] My name's Taair. What's yours?
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Hhh... hhh... [ she starts, and then her face scrunches up and she starts crying. ]
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god his heart just breaks, squeezed like a dishrag in his chest. ] Oh, oh--oh, dearest, it's alright. [ and with that, he moves - slow enough to not startle her any further, but the moment he can get close enough, he pulls a handkerchief from his bag, then reaches for the sweet, tiny little crying baby with carefully telegraphed movements.
if she'll let him, he'll bring his hands up to wipe her tears gently with the handkerchief, resisting the urge to immediately pull her into his arms only because she seems terrified, but if she'll let him get close, that's next. this is the horror of war, too - crying refugees, desperately alone. ] Shh, shh... you're alright, now - you're alright. It's going to be okay, I promise. I've got you.
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she'll take the handkerchief and put it on her face. clumsily. and kind of just hiccup cry while he tells her it's going to be okay. ]
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close to her face, he gives her the handkerchief and smiles at her whens she clumsily pats her face, encouraging - close in the space like you do with a terrified child, to give her some kind of form of safety and sanctuary.
now that he's close enough to see her injuries - he does sweep his gaze over her form, tip to super big tail, looking for severity - and once she curls in close, taair very gently sets one hand on her back and rubs it. the other feels for his elemental powers, his magic, and behind his back, he casts the spell like he always does.
when he brings his hand around, there's a very small bird made of light sitting in his palm - the size of a baby fledgling, held tenderly in the little space between him and this tiny, sweet baby. ]
Is it alright if I introduce you to a little friend of mine, little miss?
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when he presents this little bird though, she goes ! and stares at it with her big eyes. ]
O-oh... it's pretty. [ sniffle. ] U-um. Okay.
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This is Amal. He's a very dear companion of mine, and he's going to help you feel a little better. He sings a very lovely song that goes a bit like this.
[ the spellbird floats there for long enough for the little girl to process it, see where it's going - as taair's storyteller voice closes out the sentence, he imitates a robin's song in a soft whistle. the bird flies in a circle around her head, leaving a faint trail of soft greenish blue behind like a fairy, a soft wind to ruffle her hair, and then settles back down in front of her, coming in close to gently nuzzle up against her cheek.
and if she's okay with that - if it makes her giggle, even better - it presses a tiny little bird kiss to her sweet baby cheek.
the spell is a healing spell - enough to heal up those aches and pains and cuts. ]
How's that?
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she swallows hard after that, and then looks down at her hands and arms. she's all healed! wow... that's so cool. her little ears twitch and stand up on her head, and she looks up at taair with a wobbly face. somewhere between impressed and that very fragile state of momentarily okay. ]
U-um. Better. [ she whispers, still holding her tail. ] Th-thank you.
... I'm Huohuo.
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[ the giggle makes his heart soar. hope is the thing with feathers, after all. fragile and sweet, like the birds he makes with his magic, like a tiny little girl's laugh in the middle of a war zone.
taair's smile warms further, and he gently fixes her hair away from her face, and offers her the snack from before. ]
Here. For you. Eat as much as you like.
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Um... it's nice to meet you t-too. [ she takes a bite, and then, with her mouth full: ] H-have you seen my mom?
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Your mom...? [ ah. soft. he watches her eat, quietly fussy, all of his attention entirely focused on huohuo. ] Well... my friend heard you were in trouble, so we came right to you. We haven't had very much time to explore, yet.
What does she look like? We can look for her together.
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she peeks around taair... at marcoh... he's so BIG. ]
He's scary. [ ): ] ... She um, she. Um. She looks like... a mom... with ears like mine?
[ this girl is like maybe four or five, she's trying her best. ]
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[ taair lowers his voice to a whisper. ] I'll tell you a secret - getting baby bird kisses makes him giggle, too.
[ he pulls back just a little bit, and smiles, voice back to normal. ]
Is it alright if I pick you up, Miss Huohuo? And we can go try to find her, together.
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... Okay. I'm sleepy. [ now that she's healed, she's about to knock the fuck out. poor kid. ]
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once she's settled, he hooks his arm around huohuo and starts to make his way out of the ruins. where did my marcoh go. ]
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no, he's waiting outside the ruin, watching with a bit of a worried look. huohuo curls up where she's held, and i'm gonna be honest, she's probably asleep in the time it takes for taair to pick his way out to where marcoh is at.
marcoh tilts his head. ]
... Is she okay?
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taair comes out of this ruin looking like the autism creature because he is not letting this child down ]
...Physically, yes. I healed her, and gave her something to eat, but... [ he glances back outwards, to the ruins as a whole, gaze sweeping over the wanton destruction of the borisin. ] ... She's lost her mother, Marcoh.
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That's not good. [ ... ] We should bring her to General Judith. She'll have advice on what to do.