OPEN

[lifespanned]

WHO: Misa & co.
WHAT: event aftermath!
WHERE: Achamoth, tiny smidge of Godsblood
WHEN: late Soviseri, early Firaseri
WARNINGS: will add if applicable!



I. early return (citadel, misa's room)

[ The return to Achamoth is, ironically, uneventful.

Misa is unconscious for most of it, and when she makes it back to the Citadel, those who see her right when the Godsblood envoy returns will see that she needs the servants' assistance walking to her quarters, and she favors weight far more to her right side. Even still, she doesn't wrap an arm around those who assist her, either, the reason for which is a net of bandages that cover and wrap around the entirety of her right shoulder.

Those who don't witness her directly may still become privy to her weakened state; she doesn't emerge from her quarters for a full day after after the return, which is highly unusual behavior for the outgoing and boisterous Misa, often seen around the Citadel bothering anyone she lays eyes on. Should any other Kenoma try to reach out to her with Communion, or further yet, knock at her door, she'll answer with a tired and irritable: ]

What is it? I'm trying to sleep, here.


II. later return (in the city)

[ When Misa gathers the strength to do more than keep herself contained to the Citadel, the first thing she tries to do is drag other people out with her. It's her number one way of dealing with anything unpleasant in life - to bury it, deeply, beneath something fun and happy and exciting. She's certain she won't be thinking about everything that happened in Godsblood if she spends a little time outdoors with a companion. And luckily, she'll drag just about anyone she knows out with her.

But it's perhaps that over eagerness to go do something to take her mind off things that prompts her to... push herself too fast. While she seems enthusiastic to go outdoors, the fact of the matter is that she's still not wholly herself - her hair remains un-styled, face bare of makeup, due to the lack of mobility in her right arm while it heals. Heavy blood loss in Godsblood has rendered her complexion a little paler than usual, and difficulty moving has rendered her wardrobe much less extravagant and cute than is typical of her outdoors fare.

Not long after she and her trusty out-on-the-town friend have made it away from the Citadel, she suddenly stumbles and slumps heavily in her companion's side in an uncharacteristically awkward fashion. ]

Woah...! I guess I'm still a little woozy.... [ She gives a nervous laugh, clearly trying to play off her dizzy spell— she even tries to reorient herself (with little success, still basically leaning into her Kenopal for support), sticking her tongue out cutely as if she'd just tripped on a rock instead of come close to fainting. ] Gosh, I feel so clumsy.


III. wildcard + closed starters

( feel free to reach out to me on plurk lunarians or in the discord if you'd like to do something aftermath flavored that doesn't fit into these! i'm ofc also open to communions for any pleroma that wanna do aftermath stuff, since it's not likely misa will be up and about in godsblood for long. anywho, i'll be putting closed starters below! )

Comments

[galdorleod]

[ Howl withdraws his hand and tries his best to keep his composure in the wake of that brief touch between them. Handsome, she says? No. He definitely doesn't feel handsome anymore. He hasn't allowed anyone to touch him since being unable to dispel the entirety of his transformation magic; he feels ashamed at the same time that he worries whether Misa felt disgusted to have brushed her fingers against his. Eager to hide his kneejerk reaction and hoping to move on from the moment as quickly as possible, he takes a long, long sip from his glass, and manages to stop before it gets to the point of chugging such an expensive drink.

...ah, that helped. Misa, too, seems to be moving on promptly. Howl is happy to listen, sitting back in his chair and touching his free hand to his chin. ]

By partnering with me, you made the task of standing guard much easier. I had company for the time we were there. [ He can offer a smile to her upon saying that, as wholly true as it is. ] Plus, we do make a good team. It took them five days to figure out that they needed to separate us.

[lifespanned]

[ She gives a non-committal hum at that, as if turning over his words in her head. No, she doesn't doubt that Howl really does feel that way— that Misa helped by nature of just being there, and making the task more bearable. But still, guilt lingers in her heart, for the way she'd so easily folded against one attack. It'd be stupid to think that way back on Earth. She's a normal human, any girl her size would surely fall from being shot. But she's an Aion now, supposed to be able to be equal with the rest of them here in the Kenoma... so she can't help but feel that she fell short. ]

We do, huh...? You know, it's great fun flying around like that, too! I want to team up again sometime.

[ Her words are open, honest - more sincere and mellow than her typical overenergetic, boisterous flair. It's because she really does mean that; there'd been a sort of synchronicity to their partnership, which had heightened both of their efficacy in their roles. ]

And when next time comes, I promise I'll be stronger. I shouldn't have let you leave me behind like that, so... I'm really sorry, Howl.

[ Because she could have helped him against Akua, right? And maybe she wouldn't have had to lure Caitlyn out by injuring herself more. They could've taken on the task together, if she hadn't been so weak. ]

[galdorleod]

[ ...How did this happen? Howl came here out of his own guilt and shame, wanting to do something to make it up to Misa, and here she is apologizing and comforting him. He earnestly does not feel that Misa has anything to be sorry for, which makes her words feel that much more ill-fitting.

There's no use in the both of them trading apologies and responsibility back and forth. But he does know one thing: that he is the wizard here, not her, and that if anyone should have performed better, it's Howl. Not the girl who only just unlocked new, foreign abilities, and giving it her all to keep up with everyone else.

Howl shrugs his shoulders and gives her a relaxed, resigned smile. A slice of dry meat floats up from the platter and into Howl's empty hand, which he then eats. ]

...It sounds like a date, then. I'll hold you to that — to teaming up in the future. [ He does not comment on her apology or promise, instead floating the champagne bottle into the air to offer to refill her glass. ]

[lifespanned]

[ She considers pressing on, but ultimately, she decides to take his avoidance of addressing it as him accepting her apology, or merely thinking nothing of it. He seems more used to situations like the one they were in, after all, maybe it wasn't as big of a deal to him as it was to her.... so she just smiles, a little tightly, nodding once in acknowledgment and letting him refill her glass. ]

Okay, no take backs! Especially because I can think of lots of ways we could help everybody. Like patrolling? Or search and rescue? Finding spies? I can see so far when I'm on your back, I don't think there's anybody who can hide for long from Howl and Misa. Not even that sniper lady.

[ Misa sticks out her chin with a bit of pride while she tilts her glass back once more, relieved at least that she's not totally useless in his eyes. That he would agree to working together with her in the future. There's a certain comfort in an agreement to collaborating down the line— because that means he sees himself here, in the walls of Achamoth, for the time being. It's a comfort that'll be more and more valuable not very long from now, when people begin to pull away from the Kenoma in full. ]