Destruction Lay Around Me From a Fight I Could Not Win [OPEN]

[witnessme]

Who: Victims and their friends
What: Devil's night left Shepherd's Haven and more than a few of its inhabitants in rough shape. While rebuilding is in process, a few of these folks are in a Christchurch hospital.
Where: Christchurch Hospital
When: October 31-November 7, please note the date in your toplevels.
Status: Open, ongoing
Warnings: Injured people



A mission of peace, kindness and camaraderie was a wonderful thing in theory, and even in practice, so long as every variable meant it. For a little while, it had been that way, and then a variable had turned negative and poisoning an otherwise nourishing well with fear and fire. It had deflected and desecrated every approach until the very last, requiring might in numbers to drive off. The result lingers long after the last traces of its shadow, though, and some who had relocated to Shepherd's Haven for the isolated safety found themselves lifted out by helicopter and taken to Christchurch Hospital for treatment.

There are reporters that want to get to into the rooms, curious about the victims and about the mysterious, dangerous Numbered who would do such things to his own. For the most part, they're kept out, but one might slip through every so often. Visitors are allowed, and if one of the unfortunates who was in the village at the time of the attack wishes to be near another, they're unlikely to be discouraged. While the world may not understand or always love the Numbered, at least Christchurch as a whole seems to realize that the ones currently admitted are not to be feared.

Comments

[peacefulwinter]

More than the words, it's the dead tone that makes Winter mentally check her anger, drawing her fist back and letting her hands drop to her side. There's no will left to fight, and she doesn't particularly like kicking people when they're down.

When she speaks next, after a moment, her voice is neutral, if quiet. She's speaking to the wall, but in the quiet room, it carries well enough. "I wouldn't have come if I didn't still value your ability to help us. If I weren't going to trust you with decisions. All I'd be doing then is hurting you for no reason." Taking a deep breath, she turns around, some of the hurt faded from her eyes. "There aren't enough of us to handle things as it is. If you want out, that's your right, and I won't take it from you. But-"

She hesitates. Should she really ask? On the one hand, she associates her second home with Lazarus more than anyone else. But he's more or less taking responsibility for the attack, and that means there are some big questions to tackle, sooner or later. "-if that isn't what you want, I need to know that you're going to..." Her hands move absently in meaningless gestures as she fishes for the words. "...make sound decisions, next time. If there is a next time."

[numberedshepherd]

The heat and anger seep out of the room, giving Lazarus time to regroup and collect his numb, heavy thoughts. He hasn't been this down for a long time, years in fact, and that's saying something with what the last few have done to him.

Her words are unexpected, and somehow they twist more than cruelty or a knife possibly could in his gut. When it comes down to it, he's tired, worn out, and feeling anything but capable. He thinks it's supposed to be reassuring, and he wants to hear it that way, but unfortunately, his judgment relies on an answer, and that's exactly what's been called into question these last few days.

He takes a deep breath, exhaling, looking at his lap rather than the girl looking at him.

"I want to be sure, too. This situation won't be made or broken by some time to think it over... so within reason, that's what I need. No one makes sound decisions when they're in this state of mind, so... can we call that an earnest first step?"

[peacefulwinter]

She is trying to be reassuring, but it makes sense that he can't really process it right now. She nods, trying not to smile and only mostly succeeding. "I will accept that as a first step, yes. We can manage things for a little while without making a decision. You'll have to face it eventually, but... for now, you'll have time." She'd been here, if not at all for the same reason. And without the fact that others had been hurt. Just herself, and her pride, and her sense of self-worth. So not really the same, but close enough to have an inkling.

With a small sigh, she lets herself rest back against the wall. "We'll come back from this. It'll take time, and work, but we'll rebuild, and rise again. That's just how we are."

[numberedshepherd]

"I'll face it," he says, solemnly and resolutely. "I don't want to be the kind of person who runs away when things get difficult. I used to be," he adds, turning over one of his wrists for a moment and glancing at the long, deep scar carved into the underside. "But if you think that we can come back from this... even if it'll be hard, I know it'll be worth it in the end. You're right... it's how we are."

He nods firmly, more to convince himself than anyone else, but he's well on his way to believing it.

"This probably isn't my jurisdiction, seeing as even without a bum leg I very clearly can't take on someone like Damon. But if any Numbers or doppelgangers threaten us again, and with everyone just getting more powerful I believe they will... what are we going to do, outside of just fighting them into submission? Trials, prisons, executions...?"