event: a gentle arrival

[thestewards]

I won't give up so don't give in
You've fallen down but you can rise again

► The OOC plotting post for this event can be found here.

► Direct all questions to the mods at this link.

SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS
The dream isn't unpleasant, just strange. Mist curls around you long after the woman fades. You hold a Jewel in your hand, marveling at its multifaceted surface and feeling the thrill of new, untapped power. Anticipation surges in you: that feeling of wrongness that so often accompanies a nightmare you can't wake from. Anticipation becomes fear. You look up, certain that at any moment the mist will pull back and reveal something gruesome and terrible.

A scream. A piercing wail, that sound that accompanies a violent death. The sound doesn't come from your dream, and it jolts you awake. You…

i. Are alone in your room, and have a moment to gather yourself. Wherever you laid down to rest, you've woken up somewhere different. Somewhere strange. There's a comforting weight in the air—a feeling of welcome, of belonging. Then another scream pierces the night. In your dream, the woman asked for a hero. Maybe you already consider yourself a hero or maybe you don't, but now seems as good a time as any to either be one or start pretending.

ii. See a dark shape looming over you. You have no time to assess the place you've woken up, though you have a quick flash of insight that your dream must have been more than a dream and the woman to whom you spoke has brought you to her world and her home. There's no time to marvel at this. The shadow above you draws back, a pistol Breaker in their hand. Even if you've never seen a gun before, you can somehow taste their malice and hatred. They're pointing a weapon at you, and your scream might be the next to tear through the midnight darkness.

Landen Hunters have infiltrated the Queen's Residence. How stalwartly you choose to fight them off is up to you, but you'll quickly encounter members of Fayura's First Circle defending against the attackers. Allairavar rallies the people of the court, ensuring the most vulnerable are well guarded in the massive dining hall. Loren maintains a Green shield around the room, and only those of the court or the Strangers can enter. There, Healers tend to the wounded, and the children who live at the residence are kept safe.

Amidst the turmoil, you overhear snippets of conversation:

A Healer, quietly, to her patient: If the Lady isn't here, she and Prince Verim must be working some spell to protect us. Rest easy, Prince.

Lord August, speaking quickly to Prince Lachlan as they rush by: —monsters find out the Queen would be bringing help to us tonight? Who told the Hunters—

An injured footman, worried: —see the flames through the window. Landens live in Old Town. How unsurprising that the Guilds would come up with a distraction that hurts their own, too.

FLAME AND FURY
Beyond the Queen's Residence, the Old Town Bazaar burns. Horrified faces gather at the east-facing dining hall windows, and distraught whispers fill the air. Someone cries out that their sister lives in Old Town.

Loren reacts first. He calls for volunteers from the Strangers, and you have the distinct impression that he measures you by your response. "The Hunters—" He grimaces, realizing the Strangers probably don't know what he means. "—landen assassins came in the night to kill you. They've lit part of our city on fire to prevent us from following them. We don't know who, specifically, came for you, but we know where they've gone to ground, so we don't need to chase them down. What we do need to do is stop the fire from spreading. The First Circle will stay here and defend the residence. Who among you Strangers, those of you who came here tonight, will help with the fires?"

Those who agree to help are sent with Allairavar to put out the flames. As you travel with him, Allairavar provides a crash-course in creative application of Craft.

*You wear the Jewels, so you can shield. You should know how, if the Lady's spell worked. Shield yourselves to protect from the flames. Use Craft to shield the buildings and starve out the fires,* he says on a psychic thread so that everyone can hear him and he doesn't need to waste his breath by shouting. *Rescue anyone trapped in the buildings regardless of who they are. Be on the look out for Hunters—the assassins Loren mentioned. They're sneaky bastards, and they'll use our focus on helping the people to put knives in our backs if they can.*

Put out fires, use your powers or Craft to support buildings before they collapse, and rescue landens and Blood alike from the damage done by the Hunter Guild. Be wary and alert, and try not to damage the city more than the fires already have should you encounter Hunters. Blood families will go with the Strangers more easily than landen families, but Allairavar makes it clear that if you have to physically remove someone from a burning home or one that is about to collapse then that is exactly what you should do.


REST FOR THE WEARY
Dawn breaks on the horizon, painting the city of Draega a hazy red. With little wind, the smoke hovers around the city. In Old Town, even buildings that didn't burn begin to smell like the fire.

A somber weight falls on the Queen's Residence. In the aftermath of the night's events, Loren introduces himself to each of the Strangers individually if possible but to groups if he must: He is the Queen's Steward, and his Queen was the one who worked the spell to bring them to Draega. He apologizes for the circumstance of their arrival and that the Queen is currently indisposed. Everyone, he explains, can stay in the residence for as long as they would like, and he makes it clear that by no means are the Strangers required to remain in the residence nor will they be viewed with suspicion or distrust by the court if they decide to find their own homes.

Those with medical skills or healing powers are brought to the dining hall to help the Healers. The Healer in charge is a young, Yellow Jeweled woman who has exhausted her Craft and desperately needs assistance. Anyone who inquires about her position within the court, either to her or others, learns that she is highly skilled and spent her childhood in the landen Medico Guild before taking a chance on her half-Blood heritage and making an Offering. While she wears one of the lightest Jewels in the residence, even Allairavar submits silently to her attentions and he offers no excuse when she chastises him for getting injured.

Midway through the day, Allairavar and Loren make the mistake of having an unshielded conversation near the dining hall. Anyone nearby can overhear…

"I spoke briefly to Verim," Loren says, voice low and urgent. "They weren't caught in the fire, but Allairavar…"

A muscle in Allairavar's jaw ticks. His massive, membranous wings fan out to fill the hall before he pulls them tight to his back. "She's injured."

Loren nods. "Badly. The backlash of power struck her hard, and Verim couldn't help her absorb it." Tension lines Allairavar's body, and Loren quickly adds, "You can't kill them. She brought them here to help us—"

"Our Queen is vulnerable," Allairavar hisses. "There are strangers in our home." A dangerous, wild look fills his eyes. "Does she plan on doing this again? We're not letting her." He rocks back and forth on his feet with the nervous energy of a man contained and about to explode.

"So we'll strand these people here?" Gentle concern fills Loren's eyes. "She'll need to do this once more to send them home."

All that nervous energy abruptly vanishes, and Allairavar bends a sleepy-eyed, malevolent look on Loren. "Would you ask our Queen to destroy herself for these people?"

Violence cloaks both men, but the threat of action rests solely on Allairavar. Loren keeps his voice gentle. Soothing. "Do you really think she would have made the offer if she couldn't send them home? Do you think she would truly be so cruel as to demand they come here with no chance of ever returning home?"

Allairavar is quiet for a long moment. The tension slowly flows out of him, leaving him looking weary and exhausted. "Yes," he finally says, tone grim. "Because to her, the price is worth it to save the world. And she would accept it for any of them if they asked." He runs a hand over his head and sighs heavily. Without another word, he turns and walks away. Loren does not call after him.

AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Just because the Blood have no law against murder doesn't mean you can kill anyone on the street—or in their homes, isn't that right, Lord Aren?

[Aren's voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Quite true, Evandra! Unless someone has done something to merit execution, wanton murder is generally frowned upon. A Queen can demand a price for the death of someone in her Territory or court.

[A thoughtful hum from Evandra.] So, the Hunter Guild's attack on the Queen's Residence last night isn't illegal, but it was incredibly gauche. And now they face possible retaliation from her and her court. How ghastly!

[Aren agrees.] A dreadful affair. Remember: just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[Evandra:] Quite so. Something for us all to consider. As always, I'm Evandra.

[With solemn dignity, Lord Aren says:] I'm Aren, and you've been listening to…

[Together:] Etiquette with Evandra and Aren. [Jaunty outro music plays. Perhaps they should reconsider this particular tune on dark occassions.]

the weather
[A soft-spoken man's voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He's pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …overcast and snowy days with temperatures hovering around freezing during the day and dropping at night. Need to tune up your e-line heaters? The Elektriline Guild is offering a limited-time discount this week to ensure you stay warm around the clock.

the news
…distressed to hear of the incident at the Queen's Residence. [The man speaks in a slow, smooth voice. His words ring with heartfelt sincerity.] Though Lady Fayura and I don't often see eye-to-eye— [He chuckles at this, as though he's made a joke. Another man, presumably an interviewer, chuckles along with the air of someone who isn't sure this is a joke they should be laughing at.] —I condemn the actions taken by the Hunter Guild. Destroying people's homes is simply unacceptable.

But one wonders what that surge of power was just prior to midnight. Craft, surely, but to what end? Was that the spell the Queen used to summon these… Strangers from other Realms? Surely we can agree that such action, taken independently of the Guilds and the Ebon Council, much as we don't get along, is cause for concern. I believe the Lady has overstepped, and it is my firm hope that Lord Grejor issues an injunction against her for such flagrant disregard for the law.

[The interviewer speaks, and his voice is faintly strained.] Thank you, Grand Master Niall, for talking to us on this issue.

Comments

[unwieldy]

I. SWEET DREAMS AREN'T MADE OF THIS

[ The piercing wail cuts clean through his dream to startle Haein awake. He's distantly aware he's had some kind of dream, that there's a reason this room isn't the one he normally wakes up in, but there isn't any time to process or gather his thoughts once he takes notice of the shadowed figure standing over him, and then the Breaker in the Hunter's hand.

He's never had a gun pointed at him and his reaction is made purely out of instinct. There isn't his usual hesitation about using his abilities as he shoves the Hunter back against the wall with a force that he doesn't remember needing so much of to do, knocking the breath out of them as well as sending their pistol clattering to the floor. Haein wastes no time rolling out of the unfamiliar bed, lunging for the door to escape.

But he isn't fast enough and in that time, the Hunter's back on their feet, the Breaker returned to their hand, and a shot is fired. A moving target is a difficult target, and the shot goes wide, only serving to nick Haein in the right arm before he's out the door. Adrenaline keeps him from realizing he's been injured, and as he runs from the room, he barrels straight into another body, sending him crashing to the floor, but not before he grabs hold of the person he'd run into to pull them to the ground with him.

If he's going down, he's at least going to try and take one of these fuckers down with him. ]

II. FLAME AND FURY

[ When Loren calls for the Strangers, Haein reluctantly gathers around with the others. His mind is still reeling from the events from earlier, and he's only half paying attention up until he registers that volunteers are being asked to go into the burning city.

Haein doesn't volunteer.

He doesn't feel an ounce of empathy in this moment, only self-preservation. Those who do willingly step forward for the task, he silently judges with his eyes. And when he feels like enough of the attention has been diverted elsewhere so that he can slip away from the group, he does. In the process, he shoulders someone out of the way as he leaves, no apology following after. ]

III. REST FOR THE WEARY

[ By the time dawn arrives, Haein is exhausted from constantly remaining alert and on guard. But at the same time, he finds it difficult to sit still and do nothing, a nervous energy thrumming from inside of him. With a need to dispel that energy, Haein follows after the other healers into the dining hall. He keeps quiet about the specifics of his usefulness, choosing to do the bare minimum by fetching water, bandages, and whatever else the healers ask for in order to better tend to their patients.

One request for materials puts him not too far from where he recognizes two of the men who had taken charge during the entire ordeal, and he pretends to busy himself with work to be able to eavesdrop in on their conversation.

As for anyone else watching Haein go about his volunteer work, it's clear to see that he's hardly putting in effort, only going through the motions so as not to stand out and draw attention to himself. ]

IV. OTHER

[ i'm happy to work with anything else if you'd rather throw a prompt my way or want to start something else entirely! i can be caught over at yuulshi! ]

[consecrates]

[ She's not a healer, never has been. Her powers were more suited for something else and she's never mastered the art of healing anyway. So the most Davina can offer is her knowledge on spells and potions, poultices and first aid for injuries. It's kind of helpful, other than the fact that the ingredients they need are either (a)non-existent or (b)under a different name and she needs to resort to legwork in the library.

This time around, however, a few of the ingredients she needed put her in the same place as Haein—and obviously, the not-so-discreet conversation that's happening in the area. And well, she's not sanctimonious enough to pretend that she's never done this before.

After all, she's well-versed with projection spells and has used it more than once to spy on others.

Her gaze briefly flickers on the male in front of her (and she's seen him move around the dining hall here and there), hands moving through the bundles of herbs and bottles of liquids on the table with ease, and then it flickers to the two men talking. She says nothing for a while as she listens on in, though she may absently grab a few items from the table that Haein is trying to procure and/or swat his hand away. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Just a couple of people listening in on a conversation when they probably shouldn't be, nothing to see here.

The good thing about not knowing exactly what he has to collect from the table is that it buys him time to stand there and look like he's carefully checking for what he needs, when really he's just buying time so he can continue eavesdropping with a growing sense of unease and suspicion.

Mention of being stranded catches Haein off-guard, and he tears his gaze away from the potions and herbs to glance toward the two men. In doing so, he's not watching where his hand goes, and he nearly knocks a bottle over if not for Davina's hand coming in to swat his away.

His attention snaps back to the table, his expression automatically defensive as he scowls at the stranger. ]

What the hell?

[ He hisses out the accusation quietly, eyes quickly flickering over to the men to make sure they haven't taken any notice before settling back on Davina. ]

[consecrates]

[ Davina looks up at him, an expression of surprise briefly crossing her face before fading into annoyance upon seeing his glare. Just what is his problem, rounding on her like that when she hasn't done anything? She doesn't even know him.

(And this is her not realising what she's just done, too preoccupied with processing every single thing those two men were talking about.) ]

What? [ she hisses back, her eyes narrowing for a moment before they flicker at the two. A moment later, she goes back to sorting out her supplies, glancing at the labels on each bottle and huffing whenever she would get the incorrect one. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Great, now Haein's taken aback by that reaction for a moment before he immediately glares back in return. He assumes she's just playing stupid to get out of whatever the heck that had been, but he's not letting this go because he's a petty, grudge-holding asshole.

Eavesdropping be damned, this is a much more pressing matter for him to deal with. ]

"What"? [ He repeats the word incredulously, voice still low but no less annoyed. ] Don't fucking touch me, that's what.

[consecrates]

[ Except she didn't touch him, what the hell is he talking about?

Davina sends him a glare across the table. Okay, well. She might have accidentally touched him, but only because he's obviously shuffling around at the table where the supplies are. She doesn't even think he knows what he's looking for—or if he's even there to find something. ]

You almost knocked over a bottle of helichrysum extract while you're fumbling around. [ Which he did and it's only her precise (but really, it's an accident) swatting that prevented it from spilling over.

She lets out a huff, realising that her attention has veered away from Allairavar and Loren and has firmly planted here. Ugh, time to use her magic to find her remaining supplies. ]

HOPE'S AN EMBER - for percy jackson.

[unwieldy]

[ With the city a wreck, it makes sense that people have been going out of their way to assist in any way they can. Haein has been silently observing from a distance and learning for himself what he needs to do in order to survive here. He's found himself in the middle of unfamiliar places before, so that's not new. But being dropped into a city in the midst of an attack? Specifically an attack on him and the other newcomers? New.

It calls for being careful, watchful, and his quick sensibility to adapt to strange environments needs to be even quicker in this foreign land. He's here for a reason after all, and he needs to see this through.

That's why he's in the city now, helping to rebuild not out of the kindness of his heart, but a need to blend in.

He's a good distance away from most of the hustle and bustle of the others, clearing out debris and the burned remnants of a home, when he hears something resembling scratching come from under a pile of rubble before it abruptly stops. He doesn't immediately investigate, just keeps an eye on the pile until the sound starts up again. This time, it's a faint knocking that quietly fades once more, and then he's turning away to find the nearest person. ]

Hey. [ That's not a greeting, just a call for attention. ] I think someone's trapped over there.

[ Motions with his hand where. He probably should have checked and made sure, but it seemed like a better idea to get someone else to do it. Besides, he can't exactly lift all that rubble by himself. ]

[phykios]

[ when a battle quiets, there's always the aftermath.

the healing of the injured; the recovery and mourning of the dead; the cleaning up, always, that seems to last forever. percy isn't unfamiliar with this, and so after getting some rest he's back out in the city. his first thought had been just to see where he can help, but -- help is needed everywhere, and there at still people who need to be saved, so he's at work before long.

he comes over when he hears haein call, frowning with concern. ]

How do you k -- [ and then there it is, knocking once again. ] Okay, I heard that too.

[ percy approaches the pile of rubble carefully, not wanting to cause, say, a mini-landslide that could bury this person even more, and kneels down by the source of the sounds. ]

We hear you. [ he speaks up loudly, though there's no way of knowing if the person can hear him or not. ] Sit tight, okay? We're going to help.

[ "we," because he assumes haein's gonna come over here and help too. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Haein trails after Percy, and when they reach the pile, he hangs back to watch the exchange.

It's not much of an exchange, though, and with the fires, Haein imagines the person buried underneath the rubble would have difficulty replying with words after inhaling so much smoke. Even the sounds they'd made before seemed faint, and this time, there's no scratching or knocking to answer Percy's assurances.

He does send the other boy a sidelong glance when Haein gets grouped into that pledge. Uh, excuse him, but hasn't he done enough just by calling this to attention?

With a sigh, Haein steps forward to assess the damage, gaze critical as he eyes how precarious and unstable the entire thing appears. ]

... Without knowing exactly where they are, you could do more harm than good.

[ "You," because what's having a single helpful bone in his body? ]

[phykios]

[ percy frowns at that glance, because it's not like...he can....do this alone. what he wouldn't give to have hazel here; underground's her specialty much more than his, even if poseidon's also called the earthshaker.

he's quiet a long moment at that observation but, truth is, he can't argue with that. ]

Do you have any suggestions?

[ the words could sound combative, but his voice is level. they have to do something, and he's not sure he has any good ideas. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Haein does have suggestions. A number of them, actually! But they're all along the lines of "let's just leave" so probably not very helpful.

Alright, okay. He agreed to come to this land for a reason. This is just one of those things he's going to have to suck up and deal with. There are worse things than helping someone out of a pile of rubble and hey, if the person trapped underneath dies, at least he could say he tried?

He crouches down next to Percy, mindful of where he leans his weight so as not to cause a collapse, then takes a closer look. ]

I might... be able to lift some of this. [ Hesitantly glances at Percy, then back at the pile. ] Not all of it. You'd have to crawl into whatever space I make.

[ Fuck, he really doesn't want to do this, and he's never used his telekinesis for something this large before. ]

III

[championbittersweet]

[Jonathan is used to noticing how much work is and isn't happening at the Pembroke, and while he won't push anyone who isn't willing into helping now, he can certainly tell that the young man wandering around picking up supplies is doing a poor job of it.

A frown in place, he marches over and stops the young man and nods at what he's carrying.]

If you're going to help then you need to do more than that. With the amount of time you're taking and how little you're doing, you do more harm than good here. If you don't want to help, sit down, but don't delay those who are working here. It could mean the difference between someone living and dying.

[unwieldy]

[ Haein hadn't expected anyone to be watching him, but then a complete stranger is marching up to him and scolding him for his half-assed efforts and he's honestly too startled to process what's going on at first.

And then it's like all his defenses come into play. Haein's eyes narrow into a glare, and his expression clouds over with a barely contained anger. ]

Rather than spend your time making it your business what I'm doing, why don't you fuck off?

[ He thought he was being generous even doing this much, so he's definitely taking this too personally. ]

[championbittersweet]

It becomes my business what you're doing when what you're doing impacts the work of myself and the other doctors here. [Jonathan returns, folding his arms and meeting the anger firmly.]

We're all working hard to help the people here that need it. If you don't want to help then no one will think less of you, but wasting time getting the supplies you've been asked for could mean death for someone else. Think of someone other than yourself and decide if you really want to help here or not.

[unwieldy]

[ Wow!! People don't speak to him like this ever. He does things his way, other people be damned, and that's how he'll stubbornly live for the rest of his life if he has anything to say about it. ]

Think of someone other than myself?

[ He echoes the sentiment with a derisive huff. ]

You're wasting time, too. If you really are a doctor, shouldn't you be saving lives instead of lecturing me?

[championbittersweet]

I was. [Jonathan says it bluntly, and reaches down to take the bandages from the young man.] But then I was informed that we were waiting on the young man assisting to bring back bandages. Since I don't want my patients to bleed to death, I decided to see what the hold up was.

You're lucky I don't drag you back to apologise, but I haven't the time. Choose what you want to do here and either help or get out of the way.

( prompt iii. )

[thricefold]

[ since joining the others in the dining hall, it isn't long before zita ends up becoming part of the healers. though her position is a temporary one, given the circumstances, she does her give it her all.

it comes mostly in the form of using her healing magic on those who need it, no matter how 'minor' their injuries seem to be. but she also helps in others way - like with checking the stock of their inventory, making sure every roll of bandages and every tincture of pain relief is accounted for and given to those who immediately need it.

she happens to be flagging down the young woman when she notices him nearby, needing help with something in particular- ]

Excuse me- Can you help me here? I need to bring these crates to over there- [ she points to a direction a little further ahead. where some of the more critically wounded are. ] I'll help you out with carrying them so you don't do it alone.

[unwieldy]

[ Haein is doing the absolute most by making all the effort in the world to do as little as possible. Things seem to go well enough for him, and the large amount of activity going on around him seems to make his lack of involvement unnoticeable.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long.

He stops when he's addressed, eyes widening for a moment at being called on. There's a strong desire to turn the other way and pretend he hadn't heard her request for help, but that would look too suspicious, and Haein's not trying to draw that sort of attention to himself here.

After a second or two of hesitation, he reluctantly makes his way over. ]

Just these?

[thricefold]

Just these, I promise. I would try to carry them myself but..

[ she's obviously not a strong person. in fact, she looks a little paler than she should be. most likely having run herself haggard in her attempts to help the others in the makeshift field hospital they have here.

to try and make this easier, zita proposes something, ]

We can do these one at a time. To make it less of a hassle. [ and since there's only around four crates to haul, it should be a quickish job if they both worked together. ]

[unwieldy]

[ Four crates, two of them...

Haein would most definitely be That Guy who does groceries and then declares one trip only as he loops five plastic bags on each arm. He's a fan of getting things done as quickly as possible if he absolutely has to do them.

Not that this request is do or die, but he made the mistake of coming over, so might as well see this through. He does take notice of her haggard appearance, and he's feeling a bit apprehensive if she's up to the task. ]

You look like you'll drop one of these crates on yourself as soon as you pick it up.

[thricefold]

[ she looks a bit taken back by his (accurate) assessment, visibly pulling back as she blinks over and over like that will help her confirm that, yes, he indeed said that to her.

but then she smiles and raises her hands in front of her. the universal 'you got me there' gesture if there ever was one. ]

It's what I worried about when I thought of doing this myself, I admit. Last thing I want to do is break or damage the needed materials in them.

[ but... ] I do feel uncomfortable at the idea of making you do all the work when I can try to do something. It doesn't seem right.

snow patrol.

[mekhanikos]

[ don't stop moving. that's been leo's motto since he was eight years old, and it's never once failed him — it's not failing him now. taking on as many things to do as he can, in the wake of their arrival and the fire, is what's going to keep him busy... and keep him from thinking about the state of everything too hard.

which is why he's here now, in the city, after it's been covered in what's less of a layer and more like a wall of snow.

and maybe haein is there by chance, maybe he's simply walking along with no interest in clearing any snow at all, or maybe he too is volunteering... but leo sure seems to think it's the latter. with snow melting where he walks, creating a weird-looking steam around him, leo waves at haein brightly. ]

Hey, dude! Nice day for some snow-clearing extravaganza, right?

[unwieldy]

[ Things that are instant regrets:

This.

Walking through snow is a struggle and he hadn't prepared for it at all. Especially when the snow is this tall and this much of a pain in the ass to get through. He might have reluctantly agreed to check things out and possibly lend a helping hand for clearing the snow, but now that he's here, this had clearly been a mistake.

He's about a second away from turning back and forgetting the whole thing when he first hears, then later sees, the stranger waving to him. Haein doesn't wave back, just narrows his eyes suspiciously at the steam around the other boy. ]

What's going on?

[ Ignores Leo's question to gesture to the steam instead. ]

[mekhanikos]

I'm clearing snow, obviously, Valdez-style!

[ he pauses, and then says, with sparkling eyes and a grin that seems so nonchalant he's clearly gearing up for something important, ]

You could say I'm steaming through it.

[ oh man, he's hilarious, he should apply for a stand-up comedy competition! ]

[unwieldy]

[ Well, this was a colossal mistake. Haein should've bailed when he'd had the chance, but he'd been a fool and stuck around to listen to... this.

There's no laugh on his end, not even a quirk of the lips. Just dead-eyed, very unamused staring. ]

Don't do that again.