Detriment
Content warning for descriptions of blood and eye & ear injury.
"I'll carry him."
She pulled her hand back, surprised. It was an uncharacteristically curt response from an individual Cyna had known to be nigh endlessly patient. She looked down at the unmoving form of the younger of the two asura before her, cradled bridal-style in the arms of his elder.Â
It was a disturbing sight, even in her seasoned view. One she'd seen of Dokks once before, years ago. A young asura, only slightly older than Koorn is now, stark blood standing out in contrast against her white hair. Cyna had seen, similarly, Dokks protectively pull the girl into his arms and put all else in the world out of his gaze. But the outcome of that instance was known from the very moment the injured was pulled into Dokksâ arms. This time â Cyna shook the thought from her head. There wasn't time enough to even consider.
"Are you sure?" She finally asked, narrowing her eyes and catching Dokks' own gaze. She received only a wordless nod in response. "What do you need?" She offered instead.
"I need... I-I need time. Just give me some time. Continue without us, even. This is too urgent for me to ignore."
The group had been rushing south, scarcely taking the time to spare a glance at their surroundings should yet another Void minion burst out from nowhere and stall them, as had already happened again and again and again. But in the midst of it all, Dokks hadn't even realized that Koorn was falling behind â until he heard the blast and the shout that immediately followed.
Confound it, Dokks had thought. It was a malfunction in a Jade turret. All of the jade tech was having reactions as a result of the Void outbreaks â because, of course, the very source of the jade power was drawn directly from the being that the Void was currently overwhelming. Dokks admired the jade tech for its sheer power and had made note to research it more once their current dilemma was at rest, but he cursed its sensitivity.Â
But worst of it all was Koorn had been standing directly beside the turret just as it had blown, and that's all it took to leave his boy convulsing on the ground with a jade spike lodged in the right side of his head and a trail of blood starting to seep down.Â
Dokks had shouted; a bout of irrationality, fear, panic. Of course Koorn didnât respond, couldnât respond; his body trembled and gasped and quaked. Dokks shook the panic from his mind, shoving his own tremors away, and rushed toward Koorn.
All of that to leave them in their current predicament, with Dokks cradling his nearly-unconscious grandson in his arms and the Commander's eyes reluctantly pulling away from them and toward the distant Harvest Temple, where distant roars rattled like thunder.
"You go â we'll be fine," Dokks assured her. "You canât stall any longer."
Cyna frowned. Dokks was perfectly capable of defending himself. Dokks distracted while tending to a wound was not. âYou stay here and you'll be overwhelmed in minutes. Let me help. Let someone."
But already Dokks was examining the bright spike of jade sticking out from Koorn's head. It was lodged too far forward on his temple to have pierced his brain, thank the Alchemy â but his eye was another story. He watched as Koornâs affected iris jittered rapidly, his eyes open but pained and his chest quickly rising and falling with short, sharp breaths. The spike wasnât as deep as Dokks initially feared, but it was enough to do lasting damage. He hesitated to remove it just as much as he hesitated to let it remain.
But above all else, his main concern was the tinge of darkness that was emanating from the piece of jade.Â
"Hold on, son, hold on, hold on," Dokks whispered, an assurance, maybe for himself as well. He looked back up at Cyna and smiled. It was not an effortless smile. She couldnât manage to return it. "Go,â he repeated. âYou'll be helping us by saving Tyria, no?"
Warily, she turned away. "I'll come back... if I'm not dead."
Dokks, of course, laughed at this, as he is wont to do in many similar, dire circumstances â ever hopeful, though Cynaâs ears were sharp enough to hear his heart nearly beating out of his chest. "My Commander, not even that could stop you."
She departed with a roar, drawing near and far Void minions to her and away from the two asura. But they were like insects, swarming and endless. She had bought them enough time, but it was up to Dokks to determine if it was enough. He drew a breath as he set the younger onto the ground, innumerable thoughts running through his mind as he scrutinized Koornâs injury closer. There was a brief moment when his heartbeat fell short; a trail of blood coming from the inside of Koorn's ear.Â
He should have considered it, in the mere minute or two it took for him to be standing there now with Koorn in his arms, he shouldâve considered anything and everything, as though it mattered despite there being nothing to be done for it now. It had been a loud blast and Koorn had been positioned directly beside the turret. Minutes was too long to not already consider that Koorn was not only going to be faced with potential blindness, but deafness as well. Minutes was too long to not have considered that any of the turrets might blow in the first place. Minutes was too long to allow the Void to grow from the infected jade and kill Koorn.
But now, what else was there to consider? What else was there to be done? He could do nothing for the ear injury yet, but the obstruction had to be removed now; there was no alternative with his limited time and resources. He couldnât rush this, but he had to. He didnât have minutes.Â
âKoorn, can you hear me?â Dokks said softly as he smoothed Koornâs hair. âIâm going to do what I can, but youâll have to bear with me.âÂ
Koorn didnât respond. His eyes were now clenched shut and his breaths hasty and sharp. Dokks gently lifted the lid of Koornâs affected eye, now bloodshot and darkened with the blood pooling around it.
This could be fixed. It would not be the same, but it could be fixed. Both he and Koorn would have to live with that. Dokks nodded to himself. That was his consequence. It was time to act.
As soon as Dokks even laid the slightest amount of pressure on the spike, a strangled gasp broke from Koorn and his hands shot up, claws digging into the leather covering Dokksâ arm in protest. âStop!â he screamed, âplease, no!â
Dokks braced himself against the shrill sound of his boyâs voice. His own breaking heart. âI have to,â he tried to assure. âIt'll be done in an instant.â
Koornâs breaths skipped and his eyes were clenched shut, but he loosened his grip on Dokksâ arm. The ground trembled as another immense roar erupted in the distance; a reminder of their surroundings, their limited time. Dokks shook his head, wrapped his hand around the spike, and pulled.
When all was said and done, whatever modest contents of Dokks' med kit applied and Koornâs breathing just slightly calmed, he grappled the boy to his chest and softly whispered.
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When Koorn awoke a day later, he'd discovered that Soo-Won was dead, the Commander had descended into a prolonged slumber, and the two main senses on the right side of his face were completely nullified. History made in the span of a few hours and he had been put out of commission by a single awry machine.Â
It was days later when Koorn was faced with the object of his injury, and he was dazzled by just how small it was. He rolled it to-and-fro in one hand â a piece of jade perhaps the length of his finger and wider by double, now purified of Void corruption following Soo-Won's passing. He felt the patched wound in his head pulse. It felt so much larger than it looked.
He squinted his good eye against the pain. The sedatives were helping⌠some. But he was reminded of his injuries every moment simply by doing anything. He stumbled when he walked; depth perception off and his balance poor. His left ear constantly rang, and from his right â nothing. Just nothing. The same with his eye.
Koorn didnât remember the blast. He didnât remember seizing on the ground. He perhaps remembered bits and pieces of the aftermath, of his grandfather being forced to carry him through hordes of Void minions, of the non-stop ringing in his ears. And of course he remembered the unspeakable pain in his eye. All of that to conglomerate into the part he had played in history: a detriment.
âŚWhat would mother think?
He thought he heard a footstep, maybe. Or a voice. He wasnât sure; the piece of jade was captivating enough for him to ignore the maybe-sounds. Then he felt a weight on his shoulder. Not Cyna, of course â she was asleep. Maybe Taimi, or Gorrik, to extend their sympathies, their pity. Or grandfather. Most likely grandfather.
âHello, Granddad,â said Koorn.Â
Dokksâ face was warm. Worried, but not overt. There was a smile, and Dokksâ palm gently met Koornâs cheek. âHow are you feeling?â
Koorn did not smile back. He justified this by telling himself he doesn't usually smile back anyway. He has justified it like this every time. âAs well as to be expected. My head hurts.â
âWould you like me to get you some more sedative?â
âNo, I've had enough already. I just notice it more because â becauseâŚâ He left the words hanging; they're easily known. He leaned in a bit to his grandfather's hand. âHave you made any more progress on the frame for the implants?â
There was a brief pause before Dokks slowly responded, âItâs still too early to tell whether your hearing is permanently damaged, you know â you may not need the ear implant at all. Is the ringing still troubling you?â He asked, and Koorn nodded his head. âWell⌠letâs be patient and maintain our hope.âÂ
Then, Dokksâ expression quickly brightened, and from his jacket he drew a collection of papers. âNow, to answer your question: I have a rough mockup for the design. Barring any of the bells and whistles yet, youâll find that this is mostly the rudiments â with room for your own improvements, of course, seeing as this is more your area of expertise than mine. What do you think so far?â
Koorn studied the papers. The design varied across them â multiple choices for himself to choose from, he supposed. They all lacked the designs for the implants themselves, but Koorn had already made designs for an eye enhancement once before, originally intended for his grandfather â the elder himself having his own measure of vision problems. But Koorn was assured at the time that the enhancement wasnât necessary, as Dokksâ eyewear worked perfectly fine to remedy his problems. However, that same design, Koorn realized, could be reconfigured for his own blindness.Â
Despite that, he would still have to put himself to work on the design for the ear implant⌠once he was more up-to-par.
âYouâll be using reconfigurable tech?â Koorn asked, shuffling the papers in his hands.
âIâll attempt to apply the same line of thinking to jade, but yes, ideally it should have some measure of modification. Iâve had little chance to dip my toes into jade tech since we landed in Cantha and Iâm very much looking forward to the opportunity.â
Koorn blinked. There was a tinge of irony growing there, he felt, that the very thing to take his sight and hearing would also be forced to return it, at least to some extent. Koorn immediately decided he felt bitter about this. â...I donât want to use jade,â he said coldly.
Dokks paused. âNo? Itâll take some time to pool resources from Central Tyria without the gates set up yet, are youââ
â--Jade tech has demonstrated its faultiness already,â Koorn interrupted, shoving the papers back into Dokksâ arms. âBy the Alchemy, grandfather â the very dragon that was powering it is dead. Itâs completely unreliable.â He turned away. â...And I donât like green."
âIt doesnât have to be green,â Dokks said, amusement rising in his voice. âKoornâŚâ
âCan you not take me seriously?â Koorn suddenly hissed through his teeth; a burning in his throat, a stinging in his eyes. Oh, how obvious he was. He hated it. Mother would pull his head down to her chest and rub the back of his head. He was always a child to her.
âYou think I donât?â said Dokks, concerned. Grandfather was predictable. Koorn could sense his desire to comfort, to assure. To have his hand on Koornâs shoulder. Grandfather probably thought he was being wise in giving Koorn his space, but a part of Koorn wished his hand were there, too â but he wasnât so sure he wouldnât shove it off anyway. âI donât expect you to be pleased about any of this. Please donât think Iâm trying to mock you for mourning. If you donât want to use jade, thereâs nothing wrong with that.â
Grandfather said something else and Koorn couldnât hear it â though he didnât really want to anyway. He turned his focus to the physical pain to distract himself from the emotional pain. How he felt every beat of his heart in the wound of his eye. The pressure in his ear that the sedatives only managed to muffle. The ringing â not beautiful, like a bell, but like a communicator not tuned to the correct frequency. He wondered whether it all hurt less than everything else. Was it meant to be poetic? Was this some profound demonstration of the Eternal Alchemy? Was he living such a blind, muted life, that it decidedly became outward?Â
Would word of his incompetence reach mother? Would she look at him with disappointment when she next saw him?
He heard something then, suddenly â a delicate sound, high-pitched, small, like someone gently hitting silverware against their glass before a toast. He looked down at the source, lying right before his feet. The small piece of jade he had been holding in his hand â the cause of his eye injury. He watched as it spun slightly on the stone floor. He slowly reached down to pick it up, but his balance wavered and he very nearly fell, before a hand quickly grabbed him by the collar and righted him.
He spared a glance back to his grandfather, breath trembling. He held the jade up to the light.
âSome may call it a souvenir,â grandfather had said when he had first presented it to Koorn. How many times he had marveled at it already. How something so small could do what it did. â...I suppose it depends on oneâs perspective.â
Koorn knew he was being childish. He realized and acknowledged the irony in this. He realized it was likely what made it earned for others to treat him as though he were a child.Â
âSon?â Dokks quietly voiced. Koorn shook his head and wiped some tears from his good eye, finally feeling that hand on his shoulder again. He turned and placed the piece of jade in his grandfatherâs palm.
â...I want you to use this piece in the frame.â
âIâm sure I can do that,â Dokks said softly, looking into Koornâs face. There was a pause at length as Koorn allowed his grandfather to study him. That same expression from before lined his features; warm, worried, but not overt. â...May I?â he finally said, and Koorn nodded.Â
Dokks then pulled him into his chest, firm, warm, and he very nearly didn't even need to stand of his own ability. He rested his head on his grandfatherâs shoulder and breathed in the scent of leather and machine oil that was oh-so familiar to him now.
Dokks then whispered something that Koorn struggled to hear, but he could feel the vibrations of his grandfatherâs voice against his chest.Â
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ough 12, 17, and 20 for Dokks from the OC ask game!!!
x @/scourgeblooms
OC ASKS
12. Generally, what's most people's first impression of them? + What impression do they *want* to leave on others?
It largely depends on whose first impression it is, because it tends to go either one of two ways:
They warm up to him very quickly! What's there not to like? He's charismatic, he's thoughtful, he's energetic. His presence pretty much immediately lights up a room.
His upfront friendliness reads as over-familiar or offputting, sometimes even infantilizing. I don't think he comes across as disingenuous by any means, but I can see how he would seem overbearing.
Either way, Dokks doesn't tend to put too much stock into first impressions of himself. He's had his fair share of people figuratively (and sometimes literally) turn away from him for his demeanor, but for as incredibly warm of an individual he is, he's also not a people-pleaser. He never has and never will change himself to be palatable to individuals that can't take having this oldie dad them. If it sucks, hit da bricks!!
17. How talkative are they?
Dokks is VERY chatty when given the opportunity! Don't get him wrong, he can read the room; he knows when saying his piece may be inopportune or out-of-place, depending on the circumstance. But he's the type of guy to stand there for hours chatting away with someone by his side, even if the only indication of them listening is the occasional "Uh-huh," or "Really?". Walk out of the room and you'll still hear him talking away in there for the next hour!
And this is a two-way street! Dokks is happy to listen to others, ecstatic even! Join him in his workshop one day when you need someone to vent to; he'll always have some advice or words of comfort to offer, and he very much enjoys the company. Ignore it if he accidentally bangs his head on a bar. It happens.
20. Any song(s) that you feel represent your character best? (bonus: would *they* like this/these song(s)?)
THIS little track has been in my head for years as Dokks' theme. I generally associate synth-heavy songs with Dokks anyways, but this was the first! It has the energy to it. It's the type of song I've imagined him bouncing his head to while working on a project of some sort. ...So I imagine he would like it just because of that, haha.
As for a song that has actual lyrical substance to it, Unity by Shinedown really really really gets me for him. It highlights the most significant parts of his character; his family, both past and present, the ones that are gone but he continues to live for, and the ones that are still with him and he is holding onto with everything he has. I think he'd really like the song just for the message it carries alone.
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