Selen The Final Fight of the False Gods 42 ABY
Eatbreedkilleatbreedkilleatbreedkill- Kill kiLL KILL KILL KILL KILL-
Threats. There were threats everywhere. Any movement except that of the brood. The.. Family.
Cole Farrow grunted, raising a hand to his forehead. Something was wrong, deep within, clawing at his mind, but another threat appeared in reality and he turned on heel. Any semblance of questioning was gone in an instant as his vantage point was discovered. The threat was charging forward already, ignoring the blaster bolt that landed in its sternum and shoving him by the shoulders backwards.
Selen’s jungle was a challenge to navigate. Twists and turns, hills and flats all in a mass together and all hidden by the bloodstained undergrowth.
Cole was falling for a second, before he hit the ground. His helmet saving him from the first series of impacts as he started rolling, uncontrollably down the surprisingly steep incline he’d settled atop of. Eventually the metal dented. His head hurt, hands desperately clawing at the foliage and losing grip over and over. Thorns tore through his palms, granting no purchase and no perceivable loss of momentum.
The incline eventually stopped but he didn’t, only just slowing enough that when he slammed stomach first into a tree and stopped, it didn’t kill him. The world felt as if it was spinning though Cole couldn’t tell what or why or-
Where the kark was he? He’d been a click away from the burial site… Where-
Bile rose and it took Cole several seconds of gasping breaths to resist emptying his stomach. Taking the helmet off was a chore of its own, digging painfully into his skull but eventually he tossed it aside along the ruined ear piece that left him… alone. In the jungle.
With Caxqettes, cultists. Enemies. Everywhere. Every shadow. Fear pulsed. Cole could feel it, his hands shaking with more than pain. Panic. His vision narrowed, and it was all he could do to only elicit a hiss as he tried to stand on instinct to be strong. Chin up. Eyes forward.
It didn’t really feel strong when he hit the ground as soon as he stood.
“Kark-” Cole muttered, rising to onto his knees at least. He bent forward to breathe. Something, at least.
Lulaire saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She started to walk over the downed bodies of enemies, allies, and caxxies alike towards towards the trees. Stinged fur and flesh stood out in the dense air of the jungle didn’t bother her as she started to walk towards where she saw the movement and saw a man who looked like he was struggling. Her orange hues quickly scanned his body and saw he had the badge with the Arcona crest on his shoulder.
“Hidee-”
You didn’t see it coming you could be dead already
Cole snapped to attention, his blaster raised in an instant and only just catching himself from pulling the trigger. She had a Arcona crest. Her clothes were torn, face smeared with blood. Battle worn, clearly.
It could be stolen. Too many variables.
He couldn’t fight her like this, not realistically. Nor could he get home. He needed help.
She could kill you any second.
“Stay. Back.” He croaked out, still struggling to catch his breath fully.
“-Ho-WHOA!” Lulaire brought her hands up to show that she meant no harm.
“Now- wait- dangabit- hold ya orbaks-” Lulaire’s voice was calm and slightly fast paced. She realized his eyes were more wild than an angry and terrified charhound. And that was concerning. At least he didn’t have the daze look of the ones influenced under the Song.
“Imma a friend,” her eyes went to behind him. “Well, slap me silly and call me a porg, did ya fall down from that?!” Usually a change of topic can slowly help calm a mind but she doesn’t know how bad this man was. Especially if he did come down from that kind of fall.
“Name is Lula.” A name could be a good start… or so she hoped. She really doesn’t want to use any of her Force abilities on this man if she could help it.
Friend. Kark that. Words didn’t mean kark- Her eyes drifted up, behind him. Cole resisted the urge to follow her gaze, taking the moment of her distraction to sit up properly.
His stomach rebelled but he didn’t keel to it, finally starting to pay attention to his injuries. He had fallen a damned distance.
“I got pushed.” He explained, gently placing the back of hand over where the helmet had dented and grimaced. It was bloody. His palms were torn to shreds. It’d be a dman miracle if at least one of his ribs weren’t broken.
He looked at her again, and then balled his hand into a fist and tried to use an adjacent tree to stand. He couldn’t just kneel before some stranger. Weak.
Sort your kist out Farrow.
Well that worked fantastically Lula, whatcha gonna do next?
Lula wasn’t sure of this man’s opinion on the Force. She had met many that turned hostile and he was already acting hostile. And there was the fact that her healing abilities wasn’t good at all and she cannot help him that much. He needed to get to the medical tent. She walked a bit closer to him.
“Ya know, not so far from here, maaaabye several narglatches away. They got some medics- here let me help ya-” Lulaire made a move to help him up.
Too close too close too close
“I said stay back.” Cole repeated, his vision blotting out for a moment as he straightened up fully, but he knew where she was and the blaster was still in his hand. Though it was a long ranged rifle. This close.. It wouldnt be efficient.
Just shoot her now, before its too late and she’s too close. You won’t be able to stop her if she gets closer-
It didn’t help his hands were shaking still. He wouldn’t make it alone, kark.
What was that. His eyes widened, a rustle in the branches. Something was there and he turned. She was smaller than him and at least pretending to help. Her eyes were glazed with the song, at worst she was a poorly prepared cultist.
The unknown in the shadows was worse. And something was there. He raised his blaster into the darkness, gripping harder than he would usually but slick with blood, his grip wasn’t as tight as he’d prefer.
“Kinda hard to stay back when ya be-” She stopped as his attention turned somewhere else. She couldn’t see what it was. Too many bushes and too many trees. She called on the Force to help her sense the surrounding area to see what it was that he was facing.
“What do ya see, friend?” Lulaire said cautiously, wondering if she needed to use the Force but she never liked using it without asking. She was not sure if this man who was acting a bit feral would take it well to a sudden Force ability if he wasn’t one himself. She started to make her way to him but sideways to what he was facing, trying to see if there was an actual threat.
“I hear it.” He responded snappily, fear tingeing his voice. He didn’t want to talk to her, to focus on her. Kark she should just go away-
It was getting closer, faster. A slight rustle but it wasn’t one of distant battle or the wind.
It took a moment before he saw the movement, up in the trees, not pausing-
He raised the blaster and fired, just as it appeared out of the canopy of leaves overhead. The critter fell, no monster at all, with a squeak and a quiet thud as it impacted the ground, a hole burned through its torso. Cole stared at it, glancing back to the leaves but no.. that was it. It was just a karking-
“Calm down.” He muttered, barely audible even to himself, lowering the blaster and raising a hand to his head again. He couldn’t lose it now.
He needed to get home. To Sofila.
Cole’s hands shook.
Lulaire sensed it was just a critter-
“Hold a moment, frie-” Too late as the blaster’s color illuminated the trees for a moment as the critter fell onto the ground as she winced. She watched the man hold his hand up to his head. He couldn’t be affected by the Song, they were quite some distance away but he was certainly not in a good mindset. He was shaking. There was blood that looked slick and not dried. He did not look good and if she had to be honest, becoming pale.
“Stop being more stubborn than a bantha! I’m tryin’ to help! Tryin’ to calm down a rootin’ tootin’ madshootin’ feral fella wasn’t on my list today.” Lulaire huffed.
Feral.
“It’s not like I planned this.” Cole heard himself speak the words before he caught himself, half growled and not helping her perception of him. Who cares what she thinks? Because she’s the ticket out of here- He scrunched his eyes shut for a moment, shutting out the noise and inhaling properly and ignoring the surge of pain that followed it.
“I’ll make my own way back, just fine.” His voice shook even as anger tried to replace the fear. Cole knew he couldn’t but- Kark. KARK. “Just-” His voice cracked that time and he gave up trying for a moment, looking around to try and make some sense of where he’d ended up in regards to his vantage. He couldn’t. Selen was unfamiliar to him and the jungle was about as far from what he was used to as it could be. He couldn’t see the sun, the shadows, to discern any kind of direction.
“Where are we?”
Lulaire’s eyebrow rose as she scoffed. But finally, she had a bit of upper hand. Maybe he would cooperate.
“Now see, read my pink lips- no. Generations of family and I know them jungles better than ya know yaself apparently. Either ya let me help that sorry fanny of yours or I can leave ya here.”
She was bluffing, of course.
She can only hope he doesn’t see through that.
Kark. Kark everything, it- How did he know she’d even take him to allies? It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been betrayed like that. Better than you know yourself. What was that supposed-
Be better.
His eyes burned and it was all he could do for a moment to control his breathing and not drop to a new low. He thought holding a gun to his own karking head was bad but- No that was still worse but at least-
Cole realised he hadn’t replied, so avoiding meeting her eyes he just nodded, remembering to lower his hand finally though not loosing his grip on the blaster.
“Where to?”
Confusion was still evident on his face. If he was an actual animal, he would’ve been thrashing everywhere.
Luckily, he wasn’t, but the danger was still there. Lulaire turned around and glanced at the moss on the trees.
“The stronger that moss be, the closer we would be by the river cause they like damp.” Selen was a very humid planet but even then, if Cole was able to focus, he would be able to tell how some areas have much more moss than others.
“Them medics set up by the river so once we get out of this, I can figure out where to go next from there. Since ya make me nervous, friend, how about we walk side by side.” At least this case, she can catch him if his body does give out. She wasn’t sure if the blood on his head was from his head or his hand from grasping his head sometimes. Then she noticed something.
“Ah hold on-” She made her way over to a tree and further away from Cole. There was some rustling noises and then what sounded like a very strong fabric rip.
“Here-” She emerged but kept her distance, unsure. She had a very thick leave that was dripping with ooze.
“It cannot heal ya but it can clean ya wounds and keep it from gettin’ all green and gross. I reckon it should help ya for a bit till we get there. It a bit of a walk, I followed a family of caxxies all the way out here.”
Side by side was fine. It was closer than desireable but too much gap in the jungle and a single distraction could be life or death. He nodded again, stopping his accidental lean on the tree beside him and beginning to walk in the indicated direction when Lulaire called out. She returned with an oozing leaf.
If she wasn’t being so obvious about it, he’d have been more concerned. Though maybe he should still be concerned. He didn’t know what that was.
Stuck between paranoia and fear, he was once again quiet for far too long before responding, “How far is it?”
If it was only a short walk he could avoid the risk entirely, not needing to worry about an infection for a short period of time but kark, if it was more than a couple hours… He put his blaster onto his back, taking a moment to readjust to the weight on his ribs, to breathe through the pain, and raising his other hand to the wounded spot on his head to check the bleeding. It was slowing, at least. Or his sweat was washing it away. One or the other.
Lulaire watched him. He was moving carefully.
“Depends on ya’s pace. I cannot give ya accurate time since I had to run here after a caxquette.” She didn’t want to point out how badly he was wounded and how slow he was being. Or that she had to use the Force to help her keep up with the caxquette that was trying to run from her. It didn’t help that, he was already, for some reason, shooting at things that moved.
“It also a coolin’ effect, helps with ya pain but ya dun’t have to if ya dun’t wanna.”
“Great.” He uttered, frustration leaking through. GET IT TOGETHER. The shadows were too close.
“I’ll take it.” He paused a moment, “Thank you.” He was trying to manage his tone but it just… weakened. Instead of a cover up to make up the karking emotions he was showing off, it just sounded like he was giving up. This was ridiuculous. Stupid. Anyone could take advantage of it right now-
His eyes remained on her though as she approached, never shifting away. She’d given him no reason to distrust her like this, she could have killed him while he was still on the ground catching his breath. It made no sense for her to put so much effort into an easy kill but he could still feel his heart rate increasing.
Lulaire made her way cautiously to the man and handed the leaf over and took a few steps away at least to give him some space.
“I just be keep on a talkin’, gotta make sure ya wun’t… ya know. Song or other things.” She didn’t want to embarrass him by saying possibility of passing out.
“A word or two would be good from ya.”
He took the leaf, uncertainly raising it and pressing it to the wound. The initial sting was bad.
But for all his injuries and otherwise weaknesses on show, he mustered up a few words.
“My name is Cole Farrow. I was.. posted as a sniper over the burial ground.” He grimaced, but the pain ebbed slightly and he let out a soft breath. It wasn’t much but it was better. It was something. His head felt lighter though the fuzz over his vision that followed for a second didn’t bode too well. “I’m not.. sure what caught me. But it pushed me all the way down here from the top of there.”
He gestured vaguely in the direction of the crushed foliage that made up the path he’d fallen down. He didn’t really want to look up and know how far he’d fallen.
A bit unlike himself, but so was showing pain or fear to a stranger and he still couldn’t keep his gaze from flitting to her to make sure he knew where she was. Where any plausible exits were. Anything.
He held it there a moment longer before lifting it away, able to feel the goop sticking to his hair, his ear, the side of his neck in an unpleasant way but dropping the leaf and doing his best to ignore the discomfort.
His pace was faster than it shouldvr been for someone in his condition, but the why was quite visible when you looked at his face. It was karking hurting.
But the last thing he wanted was this to last any longer than it had to.
“Its not my first time.” He responded, at least trying to not ignore her while watching her and everything damn around them. “I’m not local but it’s not the first fight we’ve had against these things.” The last word was practically spat.
The song. Kark he’d nearly lost his hand that day.
Lulaire noticed the bit of strong tone on the last word and wondered if something happened or if Cole just generally hated them.
“Ain’t my first either.” Lulaire still kept an eye on their surroundings. It was good to pay attention to planets and noises. The bugs were much more quiet than usual but she can still hear them and that was the very important part of listening.
“I more so meant the Old Gods. I hope this is the last time. I got stories passed down to my family from generations ago. We dun’t want them anymore. But the older families… well.” Lula sighed sadly. She wished she was able to help them to see but there was nothing she could do about it.
“I never fought one directly but I was part of the fight up north. Trying to find survivors.” Cole answered, plainly as he could but the pain filtering in. Fear only a step behind.
His eyes flicked to each noise and rustle, the breeze its own attack on his senses. He was weak. Damaged. The only advantage he’d have is catching something before it reared from the shadows.
Lulaire was watching him while kept an eye around. He was more jumpy than a scared orbak. It was as if a loth cat emereged from the bushes, he would’ve been long gone.
It can’t be the fear. He had the Arcona badge on him and usually people who come to do this dirty fight, they aren’t usually jittery.
“A'right, are ya be okay?”
“I’m fine.” He answered, perhaps a bit too quickly.
He glanced at her, less suspicious than initially but still appraising her. Not trusting. But he did ask, “Are you hurt?”
Lulaire’s eyebrow rose but she said nothing else. No need to push on it. It might make him angry and she needed to be careful.
“Nah. Well, I mighta got a couple bruises and burns, but upside of being a Firrerreo, we do heal rather quick.” Lulaire made a step and wasn’t paying attention as a twig snapped underneath her as she quickly squatted down just to be safe in case Cole had decided to shoot towards the sound.
crack
Cole snapped around as quickly as the noise dissipated into the humid air, his ribs screaming at him for the exertion, the sudden twist when they were damaged as they were.
Nothing was there, he hesistated.
His gaze dipped down, spotting Lulaire already dodging him. It.. was her.
“Kark-” He hissed, lowering the rifle as quickly as he’d slipped it up to his shoulder, annoyance at himself quickly bubbling up. That was stupid. Beyond stupid. Dangerous.
He didn’t know the way back by himself or he’d just go.
At least he didn’t shoot at her. Carefully, she stood back up and started to walk again. The hiss didn’t go unnoticed as she wondered if it was even a good idea to be with him, was he always like this?
“I know we be fighting and things be high and mighty tense now but I’ll do my best to make sure no harm comes to you.”
Hed survived worse. He didn’t want- deserve- need- her protection. He wasn’t just tense. This was survival. Everything was a danger.
Including himself.
“You’d be in your rights to not.” Cole spoke, turning his gaze away and in the direction they going. Everything was so loud. So. Loud. Too loud, whispers, as if hands were on his shoulders and clenching, drawing him down.
Yet despite the internal turmoil, it was.. too quiet. The air absorbing whatever he himself didn’t produce. Just him and Lulaire, steps.
He froze again, watching carefully into the darkness, grip tightening oncr again on the gun. He couldn’t be wrong again. Doubt flooded in.
Was he insane or were they truly in danger? It was easier usually, tk discern that difference. His head hurt too much.
Lulaire looked at him for a moment and he may notice a hint of pity and concern. He wasn’t wrong but… No matter. She will just do what she can do.
She noticed it the same time as Cole did, it got quiet. The bugs stopped singing.
She looked in the area that he noticed. Something was coming but even she wasn’t sure what.
“I do be sorry if you hate our kind…” Lulaire mumured as her hand went to inside her robe and got out a lightsaber as there was a soft crack. At least, usually animals goes for the brightest and loudest person but Cole was wounded.
She prepared to pull him away or jump in front of him if needed to.
Well shit. He’d gotten saved by a Force User. He.. hadn’t seen that coming but any shock at seeing a lightsaber had been removed by years in the Brotherhood. He wasn’t usually so close, but Cole truly didn’t react to it. He took a step back where Lulaire was focussed and prepared his blaster.
In time to see the damn thing charging forward. It was almost lupine in nature, but far too elongated with too many legs and too many eyes and teeth.
It just made more targets as Cole unleashed fire, blaster bolts lighting up the limited space around them. It screeched, enraged. It’s song pulsing in both of their ears.
Lulaire had to wait a bit as the blasters were targeting straight for the caxquette and she did not want to get hit. The Firrerreo got a bit closer as she silently apologized in her mind as she went in for a straight stab, made sure that she was away from it’s teeth as possible.
From Lulaires view, the Caxqette simply reared back, screeching in pain and anger as it swung, claws unnaturally sharp coming down toward thr Firrero.
Cole could hear the song, piercing his mind, whispering. Pulling on thr paranoia and pain and fear visible to the world. He almost sunk to it, but the Human knew this lie. Cole gritted his teeth, the pain in his head increasing at the pressure but he was still here.
He fired again, catching the beast in its hide and watching the bolts blast holes then sear the wounds in a flash of plasma.
Lulaire tried to move back away from the caxquette and her back was up against the tree. She immediately side step but she was too slow as it swiped at her and left thin scratch marks at her side.
With a soft exhale, Lulaire attempted to swing her lightsaber upwards to behead the caxquette and missed.
She swung too low, the caxqette reeling back on its rear claws to escape the burning blow. She was easy enough to dodge for now and the burning in its side drew the creature’s attention. It turned, aiming to rake its claws across Cole’s chest yet only just breaking the skin on his chest as a barrier blocked it getting too close. It was still too close, but the Human barely even winced.
The Caxqette didn’t have time to retreat from the next volley of blaster bolts, stumbling back with blood oozing from its mouth.
Lulaire blazed forward but the Caxqette slinked backward, though her approach caused its following attack to Cole to fail, the Human stumbling backwards out of the way with a hiss of pain, his vision blurring but eyes on the target. He had the blaster rifle raised, ready to blast it in its damn face.
Lulaire finally saw an opening and she went straight down. It screeched out in pain as the flesh sizzled against the lightsaber. In a swift move, she pulled the lightsaber towards her, splitting the caxquette in half as the body twitched and fell down.
With soft pants, she immediately turned to look at Cole. Exhaustion was evident on her.
The Force. It was slipping through her fingers. They needed to move and she needed to rest.
“A-are ya okay?”
“Yes.” He answered, despite the red being visible in his tan armour, the rips exposing pale scarred skin though what was new was quickly forming a layer over the old. If he was more bothered by it than he had been by the rest of his injuries, it wasn’t visible.
“You?” Cole asked, glancing over her wounds and the way she was panting, sweating. “We have a while yet to go.”
The statement came with a thin vein of worry audible in his voice.
Lulaire scanned him up and down. There was evident that she didn’t believe him but she said nothing.
“Yea. I be healed in a moment.” Which was true, the claw that the creature had gave her was slowly starting to close up and it wasn’t deep in the first place.
“Bright side of being a Firrerreo. Maybe the only one.” Lulaire glanced up to the sky. Still night time. When will the sun rise?
“We gotta go.” She tilted her head towards the direction after looking around for the specific plants.
“Right.” Cole answered, looking around with her and the pair started walking again, with more haste despite the wounds.
He wouldn’t be healing, but at least one of them wouldn’t be compromised.
“We’ll make it.” The words came after something of a silence, worry lacing it, the fear evident and saying it as much for himself as for her. Though.. it was both.
Lulaire rose her eyebrow and didn’t say anything as she trek on.
Maybe there was something she could say to keep him talking. To keep him fighting.
Burnin’ hay! I sure do hope he got someone.
“Do ya have someone?” Lulaire asked but didn’t make eye contact with him as she kept an eye out on the surroundings. She then remembered something as she turned off her lightsaber and put it back. She didn’t want the caxquettes be drawn towards the light.
Cole frowned, not understanding the question at all for a moment. Have someone? He didn’t.. own anyone. What.. could- Oh. Kark. It had been too long since he had Zuza pointing kist like that out to him, some of the more lax terms were escaping him again.
“Yeah.” He answered, glancing back with thinly disguised suspicion. “Why?”
Lulaire moved around a tree as she considered her next words but there was no point to sugarcoat anything.
“I had be fightin’ a long time. I had noticed that them soldiers who has no one just….stops.” Lulaire explained. “Or lost so much they dun’t care anymore.”
“Not all, of course! Many keep on goin’. I guess I be tryin’ to remind ya’ that ya got someone waitin’ for ya.”
It was like being stabbed. Well. No. He was too familiar with that sensation to truly compare them. Still, it was an unpleasant feeling. A reminder of how close he’d been to that. Cole kept his gaze on the foliage ahead, jaw tensing and unable to hide the pain from his face.
“I do now.” He spoke tensely. He had someone now. Yet it still felt like an uphill battle somedays, so much had changed yet so little at the same time. That was too honest, he realised a moment too late but couldn’t take back the words spoken. Kark. Kark. He wasn’t some charity case. He tried to increase his pace but had to slow back down after a few steps, his focus not keeping up with the rest of him.
“Glad.” Lula responded. The ‘now’ part did not escape her notice but she said nothing. The past wasn’t important, it was already done. She kept her respond simple and she shows no more interest in finding out anymore information. At least, she knows that he would keep on pushing forward.
It was a simple response and frankly perfect.
It took time, they were not anywhere near close to the camp but they eventually made it, the moon low in the sky with the lights of the camp making the stars seems as if they’d come to the ground. Cole sighed in relief, feeling his body sag somewhat. The adrenaline was fading, the constant watchfulness of the jungle having kept it up but it was like a switch had been flipped.
He stumbled, managing to remain upright and moving but slower, struggling.
“Ya can punch me later,” Lulaire quickly placed herself under his arm and held him tight as she tried to help him up and be some kind of support while they walk.
“Or shoot if ya prefer, but I sure ain’t gonna let ya get behind.”
Cole grunted, tensing and moving initially as if to push her away. He could walk just fine- Except he could feel that wasn’t true. And he could almost hear Sofila commenting that if she should let people help her, he should do the same.
The tension remained, but nothing followed.
No words or pulling away, no grumble. Just a pained acceptance and a slight weight allowed to rest on her arm.
Lulaire didn’t let up her grip but she made sure it wasn’t too tight on him. Or so she hoped. She worked at the farm so long, sometimes it was hard for her to tell what was what.
To her surprise, didn’t quip or bicker or made any nasty comments.
She should’ve done this earlier. That doesn’t matter. The present is important and he was accepting her help.
“Thank you,” Lulaire sounded relieved.
“Don’t.”
It was a simple response, lacking any of the anger and suspicion he’d had only some time prior and just sounding tired. Pained.
Cole wished he could hide that, but couldn’t. It was worse than his phyiscal wounds, not being able to focus or pull himself in enough. Being this vulnerable. He’d been lucky it wasn’t someone who’d immediately take advantage of such a moment.
Lulaire glanced to Cole but said nothing. She did not want to upset him where he might fight the help.
“What the kark do you mean no!?”
“Ma'am, please-”
“No, I’m going back out there.” Cole would immediately recognize the voice belonging to Sofila.
“You cannot go out there alone-”
“Karking watch me-”
“Just wait for some of us to get some rest and we can go for a search-”
“It’s not a search party! He’s fine! Just… somewhere! I’m rested thanks to the Force and you can’t stop me!”
Lulaire let out a sigh.
“That is a rather loud person. Do ya need help gettin’ to the medic tent?”
“No.” Cole replied, attempting to head toward the sound of his girlfriend. Or at least get Lulaire to get him there. As tired as he was, he didn’t really care now.
Once she let go, he headed directly toward the loud person, stepping into the entrance of the tent, and simply saying,
“Sof.”
He looked a mess. His face was pale, with tiny cuts along his neck ad well as the goop on the side of his head that barely disguised the injury beneath. Blood had seeped beyond the wounds into his shirt yet the relief was visible in face. Along with the pain.
He was showing relief. And pain.
An Arconan medic grabbed Sofila at the arm to try to stop her.
“Ma'am, please be reasonable-” Sofila shrugged her off and tried to put her helmet back on.
“Go kark yours-”
Her head snapped to the voice as she without thinking, pulled Cole into a tight hug and her helmet fell onto the ground with a soft thud.
She heard a grunt and immediately pulled back, “S-sorry-” She froze, her face becoming pale green at seeing how bad he was.
“Cole…” Sofila whispered as she started to try to guide him to a private tent so she could heal him, knowing he may not liked to be heal at a public medic tent.
Once they were in, she set him on the cot and her hand went to his chest and he would feel the warmth and pain slowly started to fade. He would also notice that her hand was trembling.
“Kark, Cole…”
Cole nodded a thank you to Lulaire as they passed, but otherwise allowed himself to be led. He didn’t exactly have much strength left.
He sat, closing his eyes as tbe pain began to fade. It wasn’t until she spoke that he opened them, the exhaustion visible in his eyes in a way he usually wouldn’t let show.. ever. He’d been this hurt before. Vulnerable.
He glanced to the tent flap but no one was there. The anxiety still rose but it’d be fine for now.
“I got pushed off of my vantage point. Broke the comms device in my helmet and.. well. The helmet.”
It went beyond that, he overturned his hands to look at the shredded mess that was his palms. If it wasn’t for that he’d have taken her hand, tried to offer some comfort but it’d probably make it worse. He frowned, unsure and his head too foggy to really decide.
Sofila’s free hand went up to the side of his face as she started to heal his head.
Her jaw tightened at realizing how injured he was. They may need to get him some blood or he’s out of here for a few days.
“Vantage point? Cole, I- I’m not your boss.” Her brows furrowed. She tried to remember all that Aunt Siva had taught her about signs of blood loss. Pale. Clammy. High heart rate.
Check, check, and check.
He was even talking more in a public environment. How hard did he hit his head?
W-was he frowning?!
“Kark, Cole, you may need some blood.. how did you make it out here?”
Not your boss. He knew she wasn’t his boss. But- She- This was how it went.
The confusion was setting in, too tired to fully process and the adrenalines remnant effects draining away.
He was quiet until she spoke again, unsure how to react to her telling him he didn’t need to tell her what happened. And then visibly confused when asking him what happened straight after.
Cole looked past her, toward the tent flap, “Lulaire, she found me. I.. thought she was going to-” he cut off for a moment, upset at the thought of all she couldve done to him, how vulnerable he was, before continuing, “She lives on Selen and knew the way back. I don’t know how long we were walking. There was caxqette. It- it tried to get into my head again. I stopped it this time, we killed it.”
His hands shook slightly in his lap, and he moved to clasp them together and only just stopped himself before pressing the torn up flesh together as bare instinct overtook the taught one.
Sofila didn’t know what to say or do when Cole was getting like this. It was… refreshing with how much he was saying but it was eerie. It wasn’t Cole.
Unless this was his attempt to improve on communication?
The chatty Mirialan was tongue-tied, a rare moment. She was amazed that he let someone help him, a stranger no less, and a bit envious too.
One step at a time. Sofila bitterly reminded herself as her hand slid from his chest and over his hands and started to heal them. Exhaustion was starting to settle on Sofila as well.
“Kark,” Sofila exhaled sharply.
“I’m- I’m glad you let Lulaire get you back here,” there was a moment of pause before, “You may need some blood. You had lost a lot and I can mend wounds but not increase blood volume.”
“I didn’t have a choice. Not if I wanted to get back to you.” Cole’s voice was barely more than a mutter.
His gaze watched as she took his hands in hers, the flesh knitting itself back together. How many times had he hurt his hands like this? A long time ago he’d been able to trace the lines, the creases of his palm. They’d been prominent enough that they appeared when smacking an ink covered hand onto Graham’s back. There were no new scars but there were so many there now it wouldn’t matter.
Blood. Right. His armour was visibly darkened by it. Focus. It was hard to grasp at the right thoughts.
“Just, don’t tell Corvo. Or he’ll tell-” Cole stuttering to a stop in the midst of the following words and making them mostly unintelligible, frowning again and, hesitating before shaking his head. “Doesn’t need to know.”
Sofila’s hand tighten around Cole’s hand. What the kark did he karking meant not to tell his father? Kriff, she still despite the man even though he’s dead and it didn’t help that his own child couldn’t go to him when he was hurting.
If he was still karking around, would loved to put one in his karking head-
“Babe…” She trailed off. She didn’t have the heart to tell Cole that Corvo and his father was both dead. She didn’t want to accidentally stress him out more if for some reason he thinks that his past and present was combined.
Cole obviously recognized her, at the moment, so that was good, at least.
Cole leaned his head against whatever was closest to him that was her. Her arm, stomach, he didn’t look to notice what exactly it was and just closed his eyes.
“‘m fine.” It was barely a mumble as Cole struggled to remain conscious. “Couple days.”
Sofila’s hand gently stroke his hair as she kissed on top of his head while his face was up against her arm. She gently moved him to have his head rest on her lap.
One hand was on his back and still healing, the other was stroking his hair gently.
“Couple of days.” Sofila was just relieved that he was fine. The moment they were attacked and he was gone terrified her and the fact that she had to come here first before she could even karking look for him still infuriated her.
But he’s here. Alive. Badly injured, but alive.
His hand had found hers, interlinking their fingers over his head in a somewhat uncomfortable position but not caring.
“I love you.”
It was clearer than the rest, still mumbled but without the layer of confusion that had set in over the last few minutes. Cole squeezed her hand, before his body finally gave out. His mind distracted and struggling, the injuries finally took their toll and he went limp in her arms, fingers still trying to gently grip hers even in sleep.