@grimesucker said: [ 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 ] : sender has gotten injured protecting the receiver. // (:

for you i would | accepting!

IT HAPPENS FAR TOO FAST — though nothing really GOES TO SPEED in the undercity. her father once told her that any healthy person learns at least one new thing a day — and to her credit, D.VA'S REALLY TRYING HERE. still, THE KNIFE THROWS A WRENCH IN HER PLANS — — and sticks right into... well, arguably the best person to be stabbed in such a situation, but certainly not the right one.

" dox—! "

ohhh, she never should have left unarmed — if dox decides to scold her to high hell and the level above that, she'll take it without complaint. it's not the first time she's seen him injured, but it's the first time that it's really her fault. SURE, HE'S A PUNK, HE'D'VE HAD IT COMING REGARDLESS -- but she's still a born-and-raised softie at heart.

adrenaline has long since started to course through her veins, muscles tight and limbs brought close, but the ONLY WORSENING CONDITIONS turn the pressure up. FUCK THIS. d.va falls back to the stances she's been trying to copy off of dox for MONTHS, playing back instructions in REAL-TIME ; feet apart, hands out, arms in. in the scarce few seconds between the DUMB GUTTERFUCK reaching for his knife back and what's sure to be an AWFUL SPOUT OF BLOOD, she lunges.

IT'S NOT IDEAL, but for those few seconds, they're equally unarmed, and that's the closest anyone here is going to get to A FAIR FIGHT. very graciously luckily for her, the man on the other end is relying on a blade FOR A REASON, and he buckles far easier than he should've. DOX HAD BEEN TEACHING HER MORE than where to put her hands and feet, after all; a good sense of observation was as important as anything, and if you're going to walk on an injured leg, it would do one well to hide their gait.

they hit the ground together hard, and hana tries not to act like SHE CARES TOO MUCH while digging nails into his scalp and ripping like she's back in grade school, other hand fighting through both of his to try and smash the first SOFT PART OF HIS FACE she can find. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO HER what dox does from here, so long as it isn't "die--" which is only, like, 64% a concern of hers after such a long time — BUT SHE'LL BE DAMNED if somebody stabs him and doesn't get it back threefold from SOMEONE around here.

@grimesucker || hana can have little a trauma. as a treat  /  plotted starter!

     She didn’t mean to. That’s all she knows.

     The man had come in while Dox was out at the market, shouting up a storm that Hana couldn’t even register. He might not have even been yelling for Dox at all, but he reeked of booze and clearly wasn’t sober enough to listen when Hana told him to get the hell out, or at the very least wait like a civilized person.

     It’s all a blur now. He had been insistent on tearing up the place for no reason he cared to vocalize, and Hana really didn’t want to deal with the pissed-off-Dox aftermath that would ensure, so she’d done what she does best; made herself a nuisance, caused more trouble than she’s worth.

     Well. He hadn’t liked that, and between the two of them, only one of them had a knife on their person, and it wasn’t the sober girl who stands at 5′0.

     -- There are multiple little nicks and bruises along her limbs from when they’d taken to wrestling on the ground, due in equal parts to the man being a little lighter than he looked, and Hana a little stronger, thanks to the lessons Dox had given her that she hasn’t quite excelled at, but he’d recently deemed her decent enough at escaping holds --- which is what she’d spent most of her time doing.

     . . . Until suddenly the knife was in her hand, and suddenly he was lunging, and they were rolling, and then there was an awful, awful piercing sound, and when Hana let go of the weapon, its blade was buried in his throat.

     Hana hasn’t moved in fifteen minutes, and neither has the man laying crumpled on the other side of the room. There’s blood on her hands. Everything feels numb. Very distantly, her mind provides a piece of knowledge she’d picked up on the internet about people going into shock, but it doesn’t process. None of it processes. She can’t stop staring at the knife and the body and the blood, blood, blood ——

     She didn’t mean to. She didn’t mean to.

A half-orc and his ax. Chapter 2: Unlikely allies and enemies.

   Ox counted the supplies he had gained from his trip to Warwick while following the road. Bandages, various medicines, and a whetstone in case his ax needed sharpening after the battle was done. He didn’t have any currency the town used so he had to barter with pelts and meats from previous hunts.  

  Soon enough he found the fort the townspeople described to him. From the outside, almost the entire fort seems to be made of stone with a wall slightly higher than the towns but only a few wooden archer towers were at the front to protect the main entrance. A large stone tower rose from the center of the fort that seemed to be the main building. The only way Ox could see to get in would be through the door as even if he could make a ladder he would be shot down from it in an instant. 

   He grabbed his ax off of his back and mentally prepared himself for the coming fight before walking to the main gate. He could hear the archers nock their bows as he approached and heard a man's voice yell “Unless you’re here to pay tribute to the next ruler of Rosela you’d best fuck off before you become more holes than person!”

   Ox analyzed his soon to be opponent. Poorly made and loose leather armor covered his vital areas and a simple wooden bow was aimed at Ox’s chest. Clearly, the leader hoarded the best weaponry. This would be a nice stress reliever for Ox but not a very challenging battle. He stared into the eyes of the archer that spoke to him and simply replied “Ox is here to kill all bastards and send skulls to nice town.” Instead of continuing their pleasant conversation the archers started letting loose their arrows. Ox was able to dodge into the archway and take advantage of a weakness he had noticed from afar. With the towers only protecting the front they had no way to shoot into the archway that held the gate and with no bandits on the ground, all they could do is wait for Ox to cut down an entrance or open the gate and meet him head-on. The brute started to make himself angry as he attacked the door. He thought of the death of the battleborn tribe, the casualties these bandits must have caused Warwick, and most of all how scared the little one must be without her mothers and surrounded by bastards. 

   After a few strikes, the bandits chose to meet him head-on. Several cowbells had been rung as a makeshift alarm. They grouped up at the gate before opening it but Ox was ready. He charged through the wall of fighters and went straight for the archers that had gone to the back to pelt him down while he fought the swordmen. The archers fired the arrows they had prepared and tried to get their daggers ready while the swordsmen got back up but they were not quick enough. Arrows pierced the berserker's sides but he could barely feel them as his rage took over. Running into the line of archers a quick spin of his ax took off two archers heads. As their corpses fell three daggers tried to get to his heart but were too low. A kick to the chest sent the one in front of him back and knocked down a swordsman who had just gotten up and two slices finished off all but the one archer who was now running towards the tower to alert their leader.

   With the archers dealt with the swordsmen surrounded Ox. This area was too open and not good for what Ox had planned. He charged forward and swung as hard as he could at a smaller bandit causing them to fall over and make an opening for him. The swordsmen probably missing their archers ran after the brute as he went up the stairway to the wall the archers had threatened him from. With the staircase acting as a funnel it was much easier to cut the ones in front down as others tried to take their place. Some were smart and tried to go to another staircase to flank him but it was on the other side of the gate and with their forces divided it was simple work to slaughter the rest of them. 

   A primal roar forced Ox’s attention to the base of the tower as his target glared daggers at him. He had a chance to get a closer look at him from here. Scales covered six feet of this humanoid that were white as fresh snow. Sharp talons covered the leader's hands and feet but only three fingers and a thumb held onto his weapon of choice which was a greatsword with a red gemstone in the hilt. Unlike his underlings, he wore steel armor across his chest and lower body but did not cover his face, hands, or feet presumably to make use of his talons and sharp jaw. 

“You’ve got talent Orc I’ll give you that. No wonder all my other camps fell to you and your damned tribe. But your killing spree ends here! I’m the descendant of a white dragon! I’m gonna make you a nice ice statue for my bedroom! You’ve got no tribe to back you up, no help coming to save you, and I’ve got no mercy!” he gave another roar as he charged up the stairs to meet Ox head-on but he was ready. An overhead slice was blocked by the long handle of Ox’s ax as he kicked him back to make space. He didn’t go as far as the archer had and instead of predictably charging again the chief instead opened his jaw as a blizzard came from it freezing the stone under him as it threatened to swallow Ox whole.

   He was not prepared to dodge and instead threw himself off the wall where he painfully fell on his side. As he tried to get up the chief jumped off with his sword held high hoping to bury the sword in his heart. A roll saved him as the landing forced some of the ground to give way to the energy of his impact. As the chief got his weapon free Ox was able to stand and slice his side. A startled cry came from the bandit leader as he got his sword free and retaliated with a swing at the berserker's arms. He thought he could safely dodge the attack but his legs felt strangely heavy and could not move them well. A quick look down showed he had not completely dodged the breath attack as the torn parts of his boots and pants showed bright red skin and his legs felt unusually cold and slower than the rest of his body 

   “You’re fucked now orc! That cold is gonna spread through you like a wildfire! Even if you kill me you won’t have enough time to get back to Warwick for a cleric! You’re dead meat! So do us both a favor and just die already!” A quick swing aimed to take Ox’s head off but he was able to crouch down and used the force of coming back up to swing his ax up into the bandits face cutting it in half through the center. As his blood sprayed across Ox’s body they both fell to the ground. He took off his boots and searched through his bag. Quickly now what could be used to stop the cold? Herbs used to stop bleeding? No, Pills to stop the pain? No. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing! He could feel the cold going up his legs and to his heart as he searched. Ox couldn’t die now. He wouldn’t die now! He got angrier and angrier thinking of the little one still trapped in the tower. Who would know to come here and save her? Who would know the bastards are dead and travel is safer now? He screamed his anger to the skies as his body quickly went through hypothermia and passed out. 

   Cold...Everything is so cold. Where is fire? Ox wants fire like at home camp.....Warm? What is warm? Is there a fire? It felt like the sun had started shining brighter, hotter. Ox opened his eyes but quickly closed them again as blinding light assaulted his eyes. He could hear faint chanting from a soft voice. 

“Marisol bless this stranger with your healing light. Let the dragons cold evil breath be filled with the warm love from your heart. Grant him life upon this day so he may keep safe those who praise your name”

   The light grew stronger as warmth returned to Ox’s body. He could feel his legs again and opened his eyes once the light had faded to see a woman with long blond hair in steel armor with a strange symbol on it standing next to him with her eyes close holding her hands together. She opened her eyes to reveal light blue eyes with a kind soul behind them. Almost as if her happiness radiated out of them. 

“Yay! You’re safe! I worried I had come too late and would have to bury you on your final battlefield. Oh. Apologies. My name is Hana. I’m a cleric or Marisol and I came to help you in your fight but it seems the fighting has already stopped. Do you need a hand?”

   She lowered her hand and Ox gently grasped it and let her help him up. “Ox is Ox. What was light? How did happy one know of Ox?” 

   “Oh. My wife is the head of the guards in town. When she said there was a newcomer to town I wanted to meet you but you had already left. I asked her what you were in a hurry for and when she told me of the bounties you took I knew no one could handle Alasar alone. It seems you almost proved me wrong if only you had not been touched by his magic breath” She said looking at the pool of blood that surrounded the leader's corpse. “As for the light that was Marisol’s healing light. As I said I’m a cleric and spread her love around the world...Or at least I used to before I settled down in Warwick. Now help heal the town of Warwick and lead prayers.”

   “Why light goddess help Ox? Gods hate Ox. Gods let Battleborns die after killing bastards.”

   “Battleborns?” She said looking along Ox’s body and seeing his clans burnt banner along his belt. She gave a shocked gasp and looked up at him “You’re with the group that was killing bandits and returning stolen property a year ago!? Everyone at Warwick has been wondering what happened to them.” Remembering the burns on the banner and Ox’s words she lost her excitement “Oh. I’m sorry to hear about your camp. Were there any survivors?”

   “Only Ox. Ox try to keep battleborn war against bastards going but is hard without tribe.”

   “Well how about we get Sylis and your trophy to town so you can be rewarded and we’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded for your work. I’ll let you do the...uh....’ honors’” she said pointing to the leader. 

   He took the hint and quickly cut off the dragonborns head as Hana looked away and he cut a hole for it to hang on his belt. They both entered the tower which was showed clear signs of being left in a hurry. The first floor was a dining hall with now cold food all around. Going up a floor was the bandits training area where recently used arrows still stuck out of training dummies made of hay. Finally, the third floor was what they were searching for. The chief's room. Trophies of humanoid heads littered the room with what must have been a luxury bed for them but was just a regular inn bed at the far wall of the room.  Near the bed, chains were bolted into the wall and a half-elf girl with dark brown hair was staring helplessly at the ground. Hana began walking forward but the brute's arm stopped her in her tracks. 

   “Shh. Ones captured by bastards afraid of loud noises. Let Ox help.” His entire personality seemed to change before Hana as he carefully stepped towards the girl. Sylis flinched as she heard his footsteps and looked up at him with fearful eyes “Are...Are you here to hurt me? I promise I won’t talk back again I just want to know if my parents are ok!” Ox gave a gentle “shhh” as he came closer. She looked away from him in fear. 

   “Be still.” He warned her. Ox held his ax high and cut the chains binding her. The little girl looked at her freed hand in shock and looked at the brute who was now sitting next to her. All she could do is hug him and cry. She cried to her what seemed like days and went on about how the bandits had abused her for fun and she just wanted to go home. She cried herself into exhaustion and fell asleep him Ox’s arms. He gently picked her up and walked out of the tower with Hana. Hana was shocked at how well this giant of a man could handle the little girl. How someone who had cut a Dragonborn's face in half and took on a bandit camp by himself could also be so gentle and caring for someone in need was beyond her. 

   With the girl safely in his arms and the leader's head not so safely dangling off his belt Ox and Hana returned to Warwick for some well-deserved rest.

@grimesucker said: [ SOOTHE ]: after finding the clearly distressed receiver, the sender pulls them into a careful embrace, gently murmuring "hey…" to try and soothe them.

"hey..." | accepting!

IT'S TAKEN MORE AND MORE LATELY to rattle d.va — as time grows, so too does she, and the longer she spends in the UNDERCITY, the more it gnaws at her. she can't count the number of times she's wracked her brain trying to remember if anyone had told her it could GET SO BAD. the fact that she CAN'T still fills her with guilt — BUT SHE'S DOING HER TIME FOR IT, unlike the people who PUT THIS SYSTEM INTO PLACE ; source of grief boils down to this:

IT'S NOT FAIR.

she cannot say for sure WHICH STRAW broke the C4M3L's back, only that THERE WERE MANY — ROUTINELY, she will forget why she does not go out more. ROUTINELY, she is very quickly reminded. IT'S EASIER TO IGNORE WHEN THEY'RE ASSHOLES. but a sick kid she can't help? a teenager with her father's eyes? IT STILL GETS TO HER. the gentle ways of the levels higher than this are hard to shake, harder to FORGET.

" — hey, "

dox does not often sneak up on her anymore — ( AND HARD TO DO SO, given the general lack of privacy ) — but instead becomes a presence she FORGETS IS AROUND. he's become comfortable, in a prickly... cactus-y way. SO WHEN ARMS FOLD AROUND HER, d.va has to wonder for just half a moment if it's REALLY HIM; she slowly leans in with arms reciprocating, ear against his chest, listening to his heart — YEAH, IT'S HIM. . . even stranger. STILL -- she's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

" hey, " and she tries not to squeeze, hardly feels up to breathing now; this HARDLY HELPS, and d.va is not sure if trying to voice the matter will improve or worsen dox's mood for the day. it isn't the first time they've had a cry over this -- but she's sure they'd both like it if it could be the LAST.

— it feels wrong, seeking comfort from someone worse off.

plus, hell, she must seem absolutely devastated if dox is offering her a hug.

@grimesucker said: "i need to run to the market to grab a few things. you wanna come with me?" // bonding time c:

asking favors | accepting!

YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HANA JUMP UP FASTER than when dox asks questions like this. she hasn't been to the market on 42 in a hot minute. not for lack of opportunity or free will, but simply because she has a habit of dragging back trouble when she leaves on her own. besides, IT'S MORE FUN to go with dox, something d.va would never admit even with A GUN TO HER HEAD.

" oh, sure, if you really need me to. i don't have anything better to do. "

. . . like she didn't just SCRAMBLE to untangle herself from the blankets she's LAID CLAIM TO. smooth, d.va. real smooth.

surprise/semi-plotted starter || @grimesucker

SHE'S BEEN BUSY for over a YEAR now, days spent COOPED UP in what had come to be known as her "EPIC GAMER LAIR," ( dubbed such to discourage dox from snooping prematurely ) , often only coming out to EAT or REST — and even then, she often simply worked until she COULDN'T ANYMORE, and would proceed to conk out within the workshop regardless. it had become her PRIDE and JOY, a closely guarded secret that not even DOX had been privy to, at first — though the reveal had been the most exciting part of the process thus far. INITIALLY, d.va had wanted to WAIT to show dox the FINISHED PRODUCT, but in a surprising turn of events, she inevitably found herself unable to fully construct a functioning robot suit with JUST HER WITS ALONE. NOW, dox works ALONGSIDE her, and honestly, hana couldn't be happier. more than anything, she's starting to feel like she really, truly belongs here. her dreams ( RARE as those may be ) drew reference from her past less and less, and little by little the slumbrat was FORGETTING the ache that came with being TRAPPED; live in a cage long enough, and view through the bars starts to look pretty good. hana sits atop the massive metal structure as though she was made for it; or rather, as though IT was made for HER. she had taken to calling it TOKKI, named after the stray that she'd kept safe from dox's evil clutches for well over a year now. her hair, once choppy and short, had grown out over months of relentless work, and now it brushes against her shoulders when loose; during WORK HOURS, however, d.va keeps it tied back. “ SO, I WAS THINKING, ” she begins, sliding her arm into the belly of the mechanical beast ( NOT to be mistaken for the ACTUAL 834575 hana had come to avoid ) to tighten an inner valve. “ maybe it's time to get an ACTUAL JOB? i could get into mechanics, or maybe repairs? maybe i could work at the arcade! what d'you think? ”

@grimesucker said: heehee hoo hoo - ✈️ AIRPLANE [for hana!]

ic development | accepting!

"have you traveled anywhere that helped you discover something about yourself and/or about the world?"

QUESTION BRINGS PAUSE to the otherwise preoccupied girl, currently elbows deep in a box of junked parts she's been picking out of corners of alleys for the better part of NINE MONTHS, grease on her forehead and a bruise on her chin. HANA HUMS, bringing a hand to bite her nail as she thinks.

" yeah, " she says after a moment, looking back down at the box. after another second or two, she goes back to rummaging; " i came here. " IT COMES OUT BLEAKER THAN SHE MEANS IT, not that the city isn't less than awful -- SHE CALLS IT THE UNDERSHITTY for a reason. STILL, she amends -- " i don't know what i expected it to be, but not... this. it's embarrassing to think about how naive i've been in the past, which i guess is the biggest sign of having learned anything. "

SUCCESSFULLY FINDING THE PIECE IN MIND — what appeared to be a bent, rusted coat hanger — d.va pops back out of the box and kicks it haphazardly under her workbench, turning back to a messy pile of scraps atop it. " why do you ask? "

“ you’ll be the death of me for sure ” one more hoverbike accident and shes gonna be on timeout

fire emblem: three houses starters || accepting!

     There’s a victorious grin on her face that doesn’t at all fit in this situation; with her leg, arm, and wrist all broken in varying levels of severity, one would think Hana should be in a lot of fucking pain — and she is, yes, but she’s also buzzing with the thrill of winning that race. She still remembers looking over as she sped past the man who’d ( previously ) been in the lead, remembers the way everything had felt like it was in slow motion.

     It was exhilarating.

     Her parents had already left the hospital, leaving the rest of visiting hour open for her friends and anyone else who cared enough to feel remotely sorry. Currently, though, it’s just Dae-hyun, and she feels some level of relief for the way the nurses had ushered most of the crowd away by now. She’s run out of energy to socialize with most of them.

     “I know, I know, you’re welcome,” she says teasingly, shifting around on the hospital bed like it was a throne. “How did the losers take it? Did Tae-hui really throw a fit after?”   

‘ can’t fall asleep? ’ ( for hana, uc verse :> )

kafka on the shore prompts || accepting!

     It’s still just a little bit jarring, hearing someone else talking so late ( — so early? ). She hasn’t quite gotten used to other kids coming in and staying the night, hogging the couch she knows she wouldn’t have used anyway. At least this one is a kid she likes. Hana pulls her gaze from the window and looks instead towards Fifteen, blinking blearily.

     “Not even for a second,” she says softly, mindful of the man sleeping in the other room — “What about you?” Jaws part in a yawn wide enough to make something pop, but it’s one of those weird yawns that says she should be feeling tired, even when there’s no real inclination to so much as close her eyes. “Must be one of those nights for the both of us, if you’re up too.”  

@kienokoru​ || from here!

 at that, he can’t help but snort a weak laugh. it’s not the most REASSURING way to word such a thing, but the fact that it earns amusement might actually make it MORE USEFUL.

    “ i think you need to spend less time with dox, ” he comments, shifting his position on the couch where they both sit, legs bent at the knees and feet occasionally touching on the middle cushion.  “ you’re starting to SOUND like him. ”

in this case though, shiro doesn’t mind it so much. he minds even less that d.va is HERE, keeping him company on one of the days where his symptoms are flaring up enough that the pain is TOO MUCH for even stand up for long. her company is some which he’s already come to enjoy, but on days like this… the distraction of having another person around helps a LOT.

    “ ‘ that vague future tense, ’ huh, ”  he repeats, tugging on the blanket spread across the both of them in an effort to cover more of himself. there’s no malice whatsoever in his tone as he continues, merely a WRY smile to signify he’s joking, albeit rather darkly;  “ so, the day that everyone in the city GETS ALONG and the barrier is opened? ”

     There comes a laugh at Fifteen’s comment, Hana turning her lips into a grin. “God forbid,” she replies idly, shaking her head.

     This is nice. There comes a certain kind of isolation in living here, she’s found — sure, Dox is nice enough, and she doesn’t frequently go a day without some kind of talk, but things have definitely seemed better now that there’s someone closer to her age with humor to match. It’s. . . Refreshing, having a friend — and a friend who doesn’t have any problem actually calling himself so, unlike a certain prickly bastard they both know.

     “Everyone in the city getting along? That’ll be the day. . .” Hana lets her head fall against the arm of the couch, staring back at the ceiling. “The barrier is stupid,” she declares quite suddenly, grin traded for a frown -- “The whole thing is stupid.” She only wishes it hadn’t only occurred to her when she was the one behind the barrier. Hana shakes her head again, lips pursing.

     “It’s weird how nobody thinks about injustice until it affects them personally.” Final comment is spoken at a tone quieter than the one before it, but it sits heavy in the air like if someone wanted, they could reach out and grab it. Hana wishes she could wave it away like smoke.

tag dump (1/?) —