thenearshore | [Closed] The only thing that's black and white / Is that you don't have to walk alone this time

[There's some part of Keith that can't help but feel just a little silly in insisting that this stray spirit give up the stubborn act, considering his own personality and circumstances driving him to similar measures... but at least he's made sure to find a roof over his head, first, gosh.

When it looks like the two of them have gotten their point across, however, Keith does seem to relax a little bit.]

It'd probably be a lot nicer than sticking around here and having your space constantly invaded by well meaning mortals attracting a bunch of stray cats, don't you think? [~persuasion~] Give it some thought, it wouldn't be a big deal for either of us to show you around.

[ The young man appears to be considering their words and scratches his chin, letting the back of his arm appear to them for the first time. That's where they can see the blight appearing - an eye blinking back at them.

Yoon blanches. ]

Keith... is that...

[ His chest feels tight and memories are flooding back to him - phantom pain too. ]

[Blight... That’s unexpected, and Keith’s eyes widen a little in shock. This might be a little less simple than they imagined...

He places his hand on Yoon’s shoulder and leans down toward him, trying to be discreet.]

We can’t take care of that on our own, can we? [He keeps his voice down out of earshot of the wandering spirit. Settling the situation with as little hubbub as possible had been ideal, but they might need some back up for this, he assumes.] Do you think one of your gods could help?

[ It's only Keith shifting to speak to him in that way that shakes Yoon out of his daze of sour reverie. ]

We'd... That is he'd have to... come with us- Yona's temple has a pool, and he could bathe in it.

[ Yoon's speech is still fractured, but he hopes Keith gets the general idea. Yoon's genuinely not sure if that will even work, but it's the only thing he can think of. He knows for sure a little water-bottle full of holy water isn't going to do it. Not if it's that bad. ]

'Ha? What's that you're talking about?

Okay, we can make that happen.

[It's a better plan than 'abandon the situation entirely', and in all honesty, Keith would feel pretty bad if they just left something like this to fester and grow unchecked. The kid may have been snarky and impudent, but it's not like he deserves to be consumed by blight or any ayakashi it might attract.

Keeping his one hand on Yoon's shoulder, he turns his attention back to the spirit.]

How long has that been there?

[With his free hand, he points to the spot on the boy's arm. So much for discretion.]

[ Yoon turns to the spirit to await an answer. ]

'I dunno. Awhile? Why-

[ He raises his arm up waaay up, to look by his elbow, and sees the blight spread further than he apparently last checked. As he raises it higher, then twists it the other direction, he can see an eye blink up at him from just beyond his elbow at the back of his arm.

As the young man panics visibly, a tiny mouth with teeth appears too, smiling with a hissing sound like a breathless predator. ]

'WHAT?!'

[ Yoon looks even more worried. ]

That's... bad. That's really bad blight, Keith.

[ Then he steels himself and walks forward to suck in a deep breath and point a finger up at the guy despite the height difference. ]

You need to get this blight taken care of as soon as possible. It'll only get worse. You should have been bathing in holy water to get rid of it a lot sooner- [ Can't let him get away without being scolded. ] But right now, the best thing you can do is come with us to one of my god's temples where there's a pool of holy water. That should get rid of it.

[ Yoon hopes. ]

[As Yoon dishes out the short lecture, Keith backs him up with a stern expression. Maybe there was a reason he couldn't keep it from getting so bad, but it still seems irresponsible to not try and find some alleviation for it. But, you know, lessons learned, and hopefully it'll be useful for him to know better in the future...

As long as they can fix this problem now.]

You'll have to lead the way, Yoon. [The rest of their errands can wait, this definitely has to come first. Then, to the spirit, in the hopes of keeping him from panicking further,] We'll make sure that you get taken care of, neither of us want to let that get any worse than it is.

[ Luckily it's already pretty late in the day. ]

Yona's pools don't activate until it's really late at night. Before then, we can at least stop it from getting any worse.

[ He looks back to the shinki. ]

Will you come with us? Or do you want to get consumed by that blight you've been neglecting?

[ He really doesn't look like he enjoys being accused like that, but as he turns to the side, like he's ready to dash, the mouth hisses again- at least, Yoon thought it was that mouth. But the guy is now straining to look on his back and shoulder, tugging the shirt on that same side of his body down until he can just barely see another dark mark there too.

At that, Yoon stomps forward and extends a hand. ]

Edited 2018-08-16 23:19 (UTC)

Come with us! For your own good!

[ Yoon glares as he says it, and eventually the guy takes his hand with just as much embarrassment and frustration as Yoon has ever felt himself in similar situations. ]

'I don't want to become a monster.'

I won't let you, but we have to hurry.

[ He yanks the guy's hand - thankfully it's the other side of his body with slightly less bad blight - and heads back with a quick walking pace toward the shrine for Yona's temple. ]

Let's go!

[ He knows Keith will follow them, thankfully. Maybe he'll even grab Yoon's bag of cat food so they can sort that out later. ]

Edited 2018-08-16 23:19 (UTC)

[Of course Keith will bring up the rear! Even scoop up the bag with one arm so that he can keep one hand free to make sure the wandering spirit keeps moving forward - pressing on his back while being careful to avoid the worst of the blight. Gotta make sure they keep moving quickly, and gotta make sure this guy doesn't decide to try and bolt suddenly.]

It shouldn't be too long of a walk from here, right? The faster we get out of here, the better.

[ Yoon nods, although he's not sure Keith can see it. ]

I came here from that shrine. It's just around the corner.

[ One cut scene later, they arrive at Yona's Temple, the huge place that it is. ]

Okay, so....

[ Yoon mutters as he debates the quickest way to get to the pools. ]

This way!

'Hrk!'

[ The young man is yanked right along with Yoon towards the pools, the moon high in the sky. It's not midnight here in the Far Shore just yet, but Yoon hopes it's close enough. ]

Alright. Take your clothes off and get in.

[The groceries they picked up can be left behind toward the entrance of the temple, Keith figures, one less thing to worry about in this currently very-high-stakes situation, something they can pick back up later when free time allows for it.

He keeps pressing along as Yoon leads the spirit toward the pools, just so there's no chance that he'll run off and cause havoc in heaven should things suddenly take a turn for the worse. He's going to have to trust Yoon's judgement on this being sound, it really does sound like the best option given the circumstances... This will work out. It'll have to work out. And if it doesn't... The two of them can come up with a plan B when it's called for. For now - a blessed water bath it is.]

Come on, in you go.

[ Keith's fears are confirmed as Yoon looks on, stunned, when the shinki sits in the pool and hisses with pain, but the deeply blighted skin doesn't clear up. ]

Tch... It's worse than I thought...

[ Yoon wished he knew the shinki better so that he could know the best direction to take this. As it is, he's still very much afraid of getting anywhere close to the deep blight, but he finally reaches over to get a thick towel and wades in at his knees to dip the towel. He uses it to scrub holy water agains the blighted skin. ]

'Stings! Damn that hurts so bad...'

[ Finally, Yoon pulls away, frustrated that there's steam coming off the blight and yet it's not actually clearing the skin. He turns back to look at Keith, worried and searching to see if Keith has any other ideas. ]

[Rather than let himself despair when their desperate plan fall flat, Keith simply frowns, finding himself intensely lost in thought for a few brief moments. This had to work, but the situation is worse than that. The two of them can't do something like perform an ablution - is that even something you'd do with an unnamed spirit? It doesn't matter, that's not an immediate option for them anyway. Scrubbing the blight away isn't doing any good, either...

But an idea does hit him. It's not a pretty or an easy one, but now he can't help but wonder,]

Yoon. How deep do you think blight like this goes?

[ Yoon starts thinking about what parts of his medical knowledge he's retained, and other parts that he's reinforced while studying here at Hakkai's school. ]

At least as deep as the thickness of a finger, if it's gone past the skin. It might have gotten all the way to the bone, though...

[ He thinks for a moment, and it's not at all what Keith has in mind, but it'll brace Yoon - and the young man - for the inevitable. ]

There are these syringes we could try to find and put the holy water in them, to get at the root of the blight...? I don't think I have a sterile one here in the temple, though...

[That was a very good suggestion, he can't deny that at all. Alas, if he doesn't have the right equipment for it, then it's on to Keith's plan.

His hand reflexively reaches back to rest lightly against the hilt of a hand knife he keeps holstered to the back of his belt.] What if - [He knows it's a fairly morbid suggestion, especially if the 'blight to the bone' scenario is accurate. But he's starting to feel like their options are running out quickly, and anything that could be considered a 'safe and easy route' has all but disappeared by now.] It could be cut out?

[Most importantly,] Would you be able to treat wounds left behind from that? [If he trusts anyone to be able to do that much, it's Yoon, but only if Yoon is similarly confident.]

[ Yoon's eyes are locked on Keith's as he speaks, not seeing where his hand moved, but then turns to their fellow shinki... who is blanching. Not that Yoon can blame him.

Slowly, he recovers, and then turns to Yoon for his answer to Keith's question. ]

Yes, I've studied that. And I've had to triage people on the battlefield a couple of times now. We're already in clean water.

[ For example, when his first god was bleeding out upon their first meeting. ]

[Keith won't pull the knife out just yet, but his hand does come to a rest on its handle. There's no need to scare this kid more than he already clearly is, but he wants to make sure it's known he's not pitching the idea lightly.

Knowing that Yoon has both book knowledge and actual practice with treating that kind of damage is definitely a comfort, and as a result, Keith feels a little more confident in trying this particular approach out.]

I can trust you to take care of that then, can't I.

[It's not quite him seeking confirmation, but his own vote of confidence being thrown Yoon's way. If he weren't able to to handle it, then Keith's certain he'd say so now.]

'Take care of it? Of what?'

[ The young man stammers and looks to Yoon again. ]

'Tell me what's going on - directly.'

[ Yoon takes a breath and gestures to Keith while Yoon and the other shinki remain in the pure pool of water. ]

That wound of yours - that blight - it has to go. One way, or the other. It's too deep for the water to cleanse, so... [ He looks over at Keith. ] It'll have to be cut out. You're lucky it hasn't spread further-

'FURTHER?!'

YES! DO YOU WANT TO LOSE A WHOLE ARM?!

[ Yoon becomes slightly incensed at the young man for even having let it get this bad, or seeming to act like they're terrible for trying to help him. He grips the young man's arm and twists it slightly to try and expose the blight without actually getting within several inches of touching it on either side. ]

That little bit is going to go away, so you'll see a gash for a long time after, but at least you won't lose your elbow and lower arm and hand!

[ But now that he's got the man held like that... he turns back to Keith like clearly he's not planning on letting go, unless Keith suggests otherwise. ]

Edited 2018-12-07 22:46 (UTC)

[There's something that feels deeply morbid about this whole situation, picking a stray spirit up off the street only to drag him to heaven and forcibly cut off what will no doubt be a decently sized chunk of his arm. However, it is, without a doubt, a far better outcome than simply letting something like this fester and become more dangerous than it already is. And for that, Keith isn't hesitating.

The knife is drawn from it's holster, and Keith steps carefully into the pool of water, angling to get a good, clear shot at the young man's arm.]

Don't worry, [That is probably easier said than done. Still, his tone is firm and steady, possibly only reassuring in its confidence, and as he speaks, he brings his free hand to rest as close to the blight as he can get it, steeling himself and getting a better idea of what will actually need to go.] I told you we'd take care of you, and Yoon's the most capable person I'd pick for a job like this.

[And, before he can protest further, Keith begins to cut away at the blight.]

[ He expected the screaming. He just wishes it wasn't so close to his ear.

Still, it looks like it's working. And thankfully all of the steam coming off of Keith's blade at the point of skin contact is very clearly searing the blight. He's mentally calculating the last possible moment when he can be sure Keith has removed all of the blight, so that he can- ]

Alright, stay there-

[ Yoon lets go of the young man's arm as he keeps twitching with the pain. With a quick dig in his bag, Yoon grabs a salve for the wound and some herbs to place up near the young man's face. ]

Smell this.

[ It won't knock him out, but it should calm him down considerably. Yoon is having a time of it just trying to keep the salve on the man's arm, but eventually he can tell that a deep breath inhales the mellowing scent. At last, Yoon can take away the dirty cloth - red with blood flecked with the black of dead skin - and grab a new one. He puts salve on that one too, lays it flat on the young man's arm again, and starts to wrap a bandage around the arm at that location. He finishes with a tie-off for the bandage.

With all of that work done, Yoon looks up at their fellow shinki who just endured so much... and...? ]

Ah! Keith, catch him!

[ Yep, he was starting to faint - hopefully with relief - and if one of them didn't stop him, he'd fall over into the holy water pool. ]

[Despite the noise, the resistance, Keith keeps his focus as sharp as possible until the last bits of blight are carved away and Yoon steps in to take care of the treatment portion of their endeavor.

As he works at patching the shinki up, Keith makes sure to watch carefully. There's really nothing about this he would have known how to do, and watching how assured Yoon is really drives home how much of a team effort this was. It's incredible, he thinks.]

I've got him-! [Easy enough, Keith catches him, shifting his weight to keep him from slipping into the water and keeping a tight hold on him.] We should get him inside, right? Give him a chance to recoup for a while.

Ah- ah, yeah. [ Yoon nods and makes a move to help Keith hoist the guy out of the pool, but he'd forgotten that Keith was quite capable all on his own, even if the guy was all dead weight at this point. Well, dead weight as probably a bad phrase for a shinki. Still, the guy wasn't going to help hold up his own body and depend entirely on Keith. Yoon wasn't that strong, but two people can do a fair bit... if Keith actually needed him.

Instead, Yoon just tries to get ahead of Keith and make sure to pick up anything that's dropped to the ground, open doors, and- wait, no, before that try to find a towel to get one or both of the young men at Yona's temple dry before they create new ponds on the temple grounds. ]

Come on, there's plenty of spare rooms.

[ Yoon leads Keith to the nearest one and pulls back the covers, because of course the bed is neatly made from the last time Yoon cleaned in here. ]

He should be able to rest here.

[Just as he knew he could trust Yoon to keep the situation earlier under control, he knows he can trust Yoon to guide the way and clear the path. He'll pull his weight, and... honestly, in the midst of all this, it makes him think the two of them are a pretty decent team. It's a shame they never got the chance to try working together as Lance's shinki...]

In you go, [Speaking, apparently, to the young man, as Keith unloads him into the bed with quite a bit of care. Let's go ahead and get him situated in a comfortable enough position to rest up.] So much for just running a few quick errands, huh?

No kidding!

[ Yoon hisses it back in a muttered sort of frustration and disbelieving tone. They got SO waylaid and now he's going to have to go back out for those errands!! ]

[Closed] The only thing that's black and white / Is that you don't have to walk alone this time

no subject

I completely lost this thread, orz | Prayer #45

These things happen, but now we’re back in action! \o7

<3333

❤⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )

oh no kaomoji, my weakness

\ \ (۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶ / /

<3

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

11/20

Getting close!!!

yes!! Lucky 13/20

Nice, 14/20

15/20

16/20 \o/

17/20 :D D:

\o/ 18! out of! 20! /o\

19! OF!! 20!!!

\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/

<333

(｡•̀ᴗ-)♥

1/2

2/2

(no subject)

(no subject)