carrion crows [flashback/r]

[william]

just another vulture story

lumiose city is nothing like what he remembers. around every corner is a war outpost for either side; there are dead in the streets, sprawled carelessly and their bodies left to rot. what wounded there had been are either already dead or close enough that even lingering over their injuries is pointless. anne is by his side, though she is closed off into her own mind and not linked with his as she usually is, even by the thinnest of threads. he knows that his longest partner is being affected by the sheer destruction in lumiose, though he does not know the extent of it. (and to be honest, he does not want to know, either.) they come across the carcass of a sentret on their third street, inches away from the outstreched hand of a trainer who is -- still alive, and breathing. but unconscious. (he can't be more than thirteen years old, dear arceus. he'd feel like throwing up, if he isn't used to the stench of death and sight of the grieving living by now.) william kneels down to his level and shakes his shoulder. "hey, hey. wake up?" he sighs when there is no response, and turns the boy over onto his back. his wounds are superficial, at most, and the only serious injury that he can see is a long gash on the leg. anne kneels down next to him, and william leaves her to healing the boy before they both teleport back to the nearest first-aid station. they are the only emergency responders out here, or even the only medics-doctors, as far as he can see, but that is understandable. there is still warfare in the nearby streets, though thankfully enough, the one that they are on is clear of fighting, or any other people. william wonders how much longer that will last. MARGO FABRON

[MARGO FABRON]

☤

Margo liked to tell herself she was used to it. After months of seeing this exact same picture and doing the exact same thing she wanted desperately to believe that she was numb to it. That it didn't hurt any more. And, at least on the field, she was able to give off that impression. Her lips in a neutral line and her face in a thoughtful expression. But it was all just an act. Death was something Margo hadn't experienced in large doses until only a few months ago. Well, technically she'd experienced it years ago, but that had been from a distance. She'd seen the light that ended lives but had never seen the corpses. And then this war came along. At first she and the other nurses and doctors had just hung back and treated those who could carry themselves to Santalune, but it was clear that wasn't enough. A few weeks ago she and a couple others had started coming out on their own to bring people back. The others had already picked up a few people and headed back, but she wanted to find more. To be honest, she was being reckless. Wasn't thinking straight. Every time Margo saw a dead pokemon she remembered corpses she'd never thought she'd see, and every dead trainer seemed an omen. She needed to find life. Just one more before she went back. Just one more. As if on queue a sharp caw grabbed her attention. Margo darted into an alley before extending her arm for Mama -- her Talonflame -- to land. She only stopped long enough to make it clear she'd found someone before taking off again. Without wasting time Margo chased after her, head down and arms pumping as she skated quickly across the uneven terrain. The smell of bodies in the sun grew stronger as she approached the place Mama had taken to circling. It was obvious a fair amount of fighting had happened up ahead, and hopefully that meant there wouldn't be any there for at least a few more moments. Instead of one person Margo was greeted by two. Well, three if you counted the Gardevoir -- familiar and eye-catching before the man she stood beside. But, both faces connected in a way that filled her heart with relief and joy. William was taking care of the boy! Surely he'd be fine. "Will!" Margo called out, voice soft as usual but elevated with both adrenaline and excitement, "How's the boy?" She spoke as she skated, and found herself next to the older man by the time she finished her inquiry. Again Mama landed, perching on her shoulder before offering a greeting coo to the familiar man. william

©

[william]

just another vulture story

heal pulse is a move that is usually used with first-aid only, given its nature. on humans it means that it strengthens their constitution and stabilizes the patient, enough for transportation. in the hands of an amateur it is similar to a compression bandage -- enough to stop the bleeding, but still needing true medical attention provided by a pokemon center, or more recently, an ideology's team of doctors. anne is far from being an amateur in the field of healing, and has been influenced by william's own beliefs. she does not tolerate other doctors' scrutiny of her work, nor their hovering over her shoulder, ready to ridicule each and every part of her actions -- even william's own hovering, as well-meaning as it is. it means that he is the one that first sees a young woman hurtling towards them both with a talonflame following. without their psychic connection, william decides to leave anne be and greet margo himself. he smiles at her and the bird pokemon on her shoulder, grateful that his old friend seems alright in the midst of lumiose's signs of demise. "he's alright; injuries aren't that serious. bruised ribs, sprained wrist, and anne's taking care of the gash on his leg right now." william glances down at the furret, where he'd closed its glassy eyes and neatened out its fur. "the furret was dead when we got here." it's not the first time that he's seen a dead pokemon, and he is well aware that it won't be the last. but it does not make seeing death any easier. <there,> anne says, and william turns to his partner. she stays kneeling where she is, but looks up at them both. <he's stable enough for transport; we should get him to the nearest outpost.> it's when the glow starts to fade from her rose-red eyes that she seems to truly notice margo, and tilts her head to her. <hello, margo. you are doing well, i hope?> if she finds anything amiss she does not comment, but waits for an answer instead while william gathers the boy in his arms, leaving the furret body alone on the cold ash-covered ground. MARGO FABRON

[MARGO FABRON]

☤

It had been quite some time since Margo had last seen William. In fact, their last meeting had been before the whole war had begun. And, just like with all of her friends she'd made over the years, Margo had worried about his well being throughout the beginning of the combat. A lot of people had died, and certainly didn't want William's name to be on the list of graves she needed to visit. So, seeing William fine and still treating the wounded was a blessing. After confirming the well being of the patient in question it was hard to restrain herself from reaching out for a hug, or really anything. There weren't many people she'd grown close to in Santalune yet, and as a result she'd felt somewhat isolated. Her time split almost exclusively between her work, sleep, and her pokemon. At least those that remained. This thought had floated around her mind when she looked at the dead Sentret. Margo was grateful William was so gentle with it, but it still hurt her to see a dead pokemon. Raised to care for them, it hurt just as much as the human corpses left all around. She could feel a mild sting at the corner of her eyes, a sensation that vanished with a few quick blinks. She was almost happy to be pulled out of her thoughts by the Gardevoir's voice. She hadn't noticed the frown that carved itself into her face, and the psychic tug of the pokemon was enough to remind herself to return to smiling. Or at least neutrality. "Oh yes Anne, I'm just fine," Margo responded, her lips smiling but her eyes not quite doing the same. While her mind may have been taxed by thoughts and grief, she didn't want to burden William and Anne with her problems. Rather she wanted a happy reunion. A purely joyful moment, a quick rest from the chaos. william

©

[william]

just another vulture story

war is total. war means that there is a chance that close friends will never return, that people that he'd known once will disappear into the ether, never to be seen again. it means that any person that he can find again amid the chaos becomes all that more precious. william might not be acting as surprised as he is feeling, but this is in the middle of a battlefield, where gunfire can be still heard in the distance. until they are off it, he will not hug the living daylights out of margo, as much as he wishes he could. anne is a gardevoir; a psychic pokemon, and one well-attuned with the woman before them all. she knows a lie when she senses one, especially after the slight dampness that had been present in margo's eyes before she'd blinked them away. she does not call her out on her deception, however -- not here. not now. (war might have not made them kind, but it has given them... selective blindness, of as sort.) <i am glad to hear that, then.> a flick of red eyes at the ground with the sentret, which she takes carefully into her arms as william had did the boy, and those eyes are resting on margo and her talonflame again. but it is william who speaks. his smile returns, larger and more sincere. it feels strange on his face in the middle of war-torn ground, but this is margo -- it is only right for him to be true with her. "margo, as wonderful as it is to see you again, it's not safe to talk out in the open. i'm guessing you're helping with the medical effort?" a glance at the talonflame and margo herself, looking for any scrapes that could have resulted from kneeling on the ground and helping; "would you like us to take you back, or wait with you?" MARGO FABRON gomen for lateness, had things sprung on me last-minute sobs also i cant tell furret apart from sentret apparently ahahahaha /shot