Blood from Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

Yeah, yeah. Protect family. Got it. Stifling a yawn, Carver heads after Kevin, looking for eggs and a frying pan. I hope Beth gets here soon so we can set the wards.

[Isabela]

When she'd come through, the guard camp was in poor shape; they were out of healing as well, and Hunter was standing lookout, his mangled leg preventing him from keeping up with Cindy but not deterring him from using his keen senses to warn of potential surprise attacks. Bela had managed to get Cindy on her feet with some first aid, but she knew there wouldn't be much succor there when they fell back to the encampment just outside the tunnels. 

She didn't expect it to be on fire. 

Bela stops, signaling for the others to stay back as she takes in the view. Well. Isn't this the most disheartening sight you've ever seen? she wonders, staring at the corpses, the fire. We're going to have to route around, head back to Nyra. We just don't have the manpower left to try and fix this, not with two badly wounded and one gone missing. And may Vangal protect Smithers, wherever the fuck that hole dropped him, since we've definitely not time to turn back and find him.

The wench smiles, turning back without showing signs of anything being wrong. "Right. This is a dud. We're going back out tunnel 32B, if we come out past the traps we'll be closer to where the ship is parked and can make for Nyra."

"But--"

"Nuh-uh, no insubordination from you, Jenkins!" she barks.

"Aye-aye, captain!"

Shame about the dog, though, she sighs, as she turns to herd the group back into the tunnels. 

[Bethany]

It takes three hours for Beth to arrive, but when she does, it's clear she'd managed to get some sleep. It's also very clear that she's deeply worried about the terse message Miki had sent, given what she knew Carver was doing. So she's almost at a jog when she enters the room. She starts for Carver before spotting Don, still on the sofa and so very still. Understandably, she diverts, kneeling next to the sofa. "D-Don? Don, are you awake?" 

[Carver Amell]

Carver shakes himself out of the near-trance of standing watch, checking to make sure Miki is still sleeping, Don is still on the couch. Beth..

He reaches for her arm, shaking his head once. "Let him sleep," he whispers. "Come get food." He inclines his head toward the adjoining kitchen, where he'd left Merrill preparing more messages to send out and Glimmerwing grumbling about not being a messenger pigeon. Better to inform them all at once.

[Bethany]

"What- what happened? His hands are..." Why are his hands bandaged like that? She knows. Why else would a catfolks hands be bandaged in just that way? "Are- you're still hurt? Are- are you all out of healing?" she demands, forcing herself to keep her voice down as she follows her brother.

[Carver Amell]

Carver doesn't answer her, not until they get to the kitchen and he can close the door. She's likely to get loud.

"Merrill, Glimmerwing," he greets the pair with a nod. "Alright. Now that Beth's here I can run down the damages. Yes, I'm entirely out of healing, and so is Miki. I'm still hurt but not bad. I, uh.."

He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and recites the damages as evenly as he can manage: "We lost Gamlen and Mriy, Miki's mother. Silence lost an eye trying to keep Don safe. Don's been declawed and neutered, best I can tell they were torturing him. Don's dad is still missing, he wasn't in the Sanctuary with Don, but he might just be holed up somewhere. Cattown is on fire, there's going to be massive property damage and probably more casualties by the end of this."

[Tethras Clan]

Beth lets out a soft, whining moan, her head shaking slowly from side to side in absolute denial of all of that. She doesn't say anything, just makes that noise. Merrill swallows harshly, reaching out to grip Beth's hand tightly.

[Carver Amell]

Carver swallows, that whine cutting him to the quick. He adds, quickly, "But the good news is, I'm alive. Don's alive, recovering -- Miki may have saved his life healing him. Apparently Miki's been working with Don's dad, I didn't know that, but he was able to-- anyway. Miki's alive. Silence is alive. Tuiste and Merrill and Glimmerwing are alive. I've sent word to Aveline, and we're sending messages to try and track down Liz now."

[Bethany]

Beth's breathing hitches and she shudders. A sharp maybe nod, maybe just her head jerking. She takes a careful breath. "I don't-" Don crippled. Silence crippled. Gamlen dead. And Mriy. And Don and Silence are- gds, I don't. I can't. I can't focus on... "Should have- if I was-"

I should have gone with them. This is my fault. 

Coward.

[Carver Amell]

Carver reaches for his twin, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey, no," he whispers. "Beth. I'm so glad you didn't come. There was... there was magic, and a hellhound, and the guy was possessed or something -- I can't bear the idea that you could have been hurt. What would Don think if after all that, he woke up and the kits were...?"

[Bethany]

Beth flinches, then burrows against him. The kits... his last kits. Wait, not, that's daft. We can get him healed, we have the funds. Hells, I'll study and practice until I can do the ritual or even the adventurer's spell if I have to. Face wet, she nods again, this time clearly. "I... okay. Right. I... I have all my spells back, so I can heal people. You and Silence first, I think. Just in case... in case..." There's more comba, she doesn't finish.

[Carver Amell]

"Okay," he says quietly. "But rest, for now. We'll need a plan of what we're going to do and everyone's exhausted. You know Don -- you know how much he loves you. When he wakes and finds you safe and rested, he'll be relieved like nothing else."

[Bethany]

"I just had five hours and two meals," Beth assures him, shifting to look up at him. "I... Gamlen. How did..."

[Carver Amell]

"He saved us," whispers Carver. "The summoner was... intense. Worse than I thought. I was trying to hold him off, so that Miki and Gamlen could grab Don and run. But he didn't run. The summoner was going to kill Miki, and I was unable to stop him, but Gamlen drew his fire, took the hit instead. He died a hero."

[Bethany]

"Gamlen did? But he-" She breaks off, looking ashamed. "He... he wasn't as bad as... I guess he was. A hero, I mean." He saved Miki's life? The thought of Miki- silly, dramatic, pushy, lovable and so very eager to please and be accept Miki, the little brother she'd had no idea she wanted Miki- his body broken and twisted (so like Don's right now but worse), flashes in her minds's eye for a few painful seconds. "I... We should- we should make sure- find out burial... rites. Preferences. I- we can get- Quiets can... ask- use magic to find out how he would have wanted..."