rattle...what’s that rattle?

[felinemystique]

Characters: Bastet/Yoruichi felinemystique, and OPEN to witnesses/arrivals after the fact
Date/Time: late morning, Monday, August 15, directly after/during this entry.
Location: A remote area of the Park
Rating: PG-13 or so
Summary: Yoruichi has unwisely taunted the Tree and its creator, and so pays the price.
Notes: While I know some people will arrive during

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[felinemystique]

Being healed by Kagerou was different than being healed by Kazahana, in some distinct, unidentifiable way. She didn't try to determine the specifics, simply noting it as 'different' and leaving it at that.

As the glow of Kagerou's shield faded, Yoruichi took a few moments to take physical stock of her injuries. Ignoring the pain, she resolutely shifted both arms and legs, then tried to sit up in order to gauge the remaining damage.

She'd have to stay in bed for a while, but she wouldn't die. Not this time.

She fell back against Kisuke, panting; even those small movements had taken a lot out of her. "Better," she rasped, opening her eyes to look up at Kagerou's worried, tired face. "Thanks, kiddo."

If she was honest with herself, she didn't want to go to Wellspring. It was too open, too bustling; during her last stay, they'd had to sedate her in order to get her to sleep. Her friends had taken turns keeping her company, just so she wouldn't feel so exposed. Sniper--

Her throat burned at the thought, and she slowly laid the back of her hand over her eyes, unable to stop the sudden sting of angry tears.

"He took them all away. That's...how he used his power," she said, her voice thick. "He deserves...to lose it now. I don't think...I've ever been so angry." Yoruichi would normally never let anymore see her like this, but she was far too exhausted--physically, mentally, emotionally--for her usual composure.

[sting_to_death]

With every minute that went by, Lin was beginning to feel more and more reassured the Tree wouldn't attack again. By the time Kagerou was done, her heart had stopped pounding loudly in her chest, and she even risked walking around them, standing behind Kagerou and before Crimson. He would surely keep his guard high and watch for any branches that could come behind Lin's back, and she'd do the same with him. That way, they'd be protected from all sides.

As it turned out, she'd done the right thing leaving the healing to Kagerou. Bastet's injuries were serious, she'd surely need to spend some time resting, but she wasn't going to leave them. That was all that mattered.

She took half a step closer when Bastet tried to sit up, wanting to stop her, but soon enough she was lying back down into Crimson's arms (and Lin would have never thought she'd be glad to see that happening). When the woman spoke, though... it made her heart twist in her chest to hear her talk like that. To see her cry.

"Bastet-sama..." She had no idea what she was on about, either. There was absolutely nothing she could do. "Please, rest now. We'll talk about it later."

[crimsonmischief]

Now that Bastet was out of immediate danger, Crimson could feel the anger start to rise again. Anger at Fugue and the tree for all that it had done, but also anger at whoever had told Bastet such things.

And perhaps some anger at Bastet herself for believing such things enough to lose her control like that, for placing herself in danger.

Forcing it all back down though, he merely focused on his worry, lightly placing a grateful hand on Kagerou's shoulder before he withdrew it so as to be able to stand up with Bastet cradled to his chest. It would be best to take her home and let her rest there for now.

"Shh..." he chided softly as he tucked her close, turning to catch Lin's eyes before shifting them over to Kagerou, silently asking her to make sure that the girl would be alright. After all, they did owe her for healing Bastet. Hopefully that would be enough for Lin to at least act somewhat decently towards her. "Let's get you into a bed first, hmm?"

[weaver_girl]

She managed a wan smile in response to Crimson's gesture, nodding at him. Stiff upper lip, chin up and eyes forward, she was just a little woozy and it would pass. Her power rippled and snagged, but she willed it to still and wrap around her like a comfy blanket. That was a good mental image, anyway.

"He took them all away." Yoruichi could only mean one person. Later, Kagerou would go over this scattered conversation and try to make sense of it, but that shone clear: Fugue.

"I'll... come see you later, Yoruichi-san, but Crimson-san is right. You need to rest."

[felinemystique]

Yoruichi inhaled slowly, trying to force a little more steadiness into her voice. "Home," she said. "Don't...feel like staying at Wellspring." She still kept her hand over her eyes, even knowing that the gesture did nothing to hide her pain and anger and grief.

She didn't want to rest, even though she needed it. She wanted to get to work, to make sure Fugue was never able to do this to anyone again. Never again using people as playthings under the guise of benevolence. As though loneliness excused what he'd done.

So as difficult as it would be, she'd wait. She'd recover, and bide her time, and gather her friends, and they would work to find a way to break his power over them.

[sting_to_death]

Lin was torn for a moment on whether she was supposed to go with Bastet or watch over Kagerou. On one hand, she really wanted to be with her mentor, and the girl didn't seem to be needing assistance-- on the other, clearly they owed Kagerou for healing Bastet, and Crimson was there to take care of everything.

Eventually, she looked at Crimson holding Bastet in his arms and thought that maybe it could actually be a good thing to leave them alone a few minutes. The last thing she wanted to be was a nuisance, and she couldn't think the woman was happy about letting everyone see her in such a state. Only a few minutes, she promised to herself, then nodded at Crimson.

"I'll be there soon." Then, to Kagerou: "I'll walk you home."

Maybe by the time she'd be back Bastet would have managed to pull herself together a bit, and then she could have asked at least what had just happened, what those words meant.

[weaver_girl]

"Thank you, but I'll be fine." It was more than a polite reflex. Lin made Kagerou invariably feel on edge, not quite threatened but very much like walking on eggshells. They shared an acute concern for Yoruichi now. That notwithstanding, Kagerou could find her own way back from the Park, now that the Tree's attack seemed to have abated.

She stiffened her spine, standing up straight. "I'm all right. I'll just head home in a bit." For now, she could just find the nearest bench and sit until she felt calmer and more centered: healing left her a little mentally worn, as if she'd just solved a score of hard math problems.

[crimsonmischief]

Crimson's eyes narrowed at Kagerou slightly, assessing her silently before nodding silently. "Very well then, if you are sure, Kagerou-san."

Standing, he cradled Yoruichi in his arms, exchanged another glance with Lin that told her she could follow if she wished, and then took off towards the residence area.

[felinemystique]

The trip back home seemed to take longer than usual, and part of her bristled at having to be carried past so many people. She'd exposed enough of herself to the public today.

Neil...she didn't talk about him, to anyone. Even Kisuke and Lin didn't know. And to have something she held so closely exposed to everyone in such a way...even if they'd been lies, they'd been plausible enough, and hit enough of a chord that she'd just snapped.

Endangering herself, foolishly, and publicly tipping her hand after all these years of laying low.

"Shit," she muttered into his shoulder.

[sting_to_death]

Lin looked again from Kagerou to Crimson and Bastet, unsure of what to do. She had never valued Kagerou's opinion (or anyone's, really, if they weren't Bastet-sama) much, so even if she said she would be fine Lin still felt the obligation to make sure she was all right. Furthermore, she still thought it a good idea to leave Bastet and Crimson a few minutes.

So she didn't take off with them, folding her arms on her chest and waiting to see whether Kagerou would let her follow her around for a bit or if she really was determined to be on her own. In that case, she wouldn't insist. Surely her expression, somewhere between worried, relieved and annoyed wasn't of the most encouraging, but either way she was staying, sure that must count for something, considering it came from someone like her.

[weaver_girl]

Kagerou glanced at Lin as Crimson departed with Yoruichi, unable to loosen the tight, tense knot at the base of her spine. "I'll be fine," she repeated, at something of a loss as to what else to say. "You don't need to trouble yourself. I know Crimson-san asked you to, but..."

I don't want you to stay. I want someone who actually cares. It was a horrible, selfish thought. Maybe Lin was doing the best she could--Kagerou was rather too shaken to stop and sort out the minutiae of the situation. She gave Lin another brief look, then began picking her way across the battle-scrambled ground with its shattered pieces and splinters of wood and scattered leaves.

[crimsonmischief]

A quiet snort was the only response Bastet got to her muffled curse, but as it was a sound that Crimson did not often make, it probably said more to her than any words that the man might have been able to string together given the time to gather them into coherency. Well, he thought as he gently nudged open the door to her apartment, striding towards the bedroom and gently settling Bastet into it, at least it seemed like she had realized her mistake. Perhaps he could save himself the trouble of giving a lecture.

[felinemystique]

As good as the bed felt against her aching, exhausted muscles, she still couldn't help a wince as she settled in. Not to mention the itch of dried blood and dirt all over her skin. All in all, it would be a long time until she was comfortable; she wasn't sure she could stay awake through a bath.

She closed her eyes, blowing out a weary sigh. "Go ahead and say it," she murmured. She'd heard that snort, and was sure he had something to say about all this.

[sting_to_death]

Very well then. Lin had more than fulfilled her obligation as far as she was concerned, now she could run after Bastet and it would not be her fault if the girl never got home or if something happened to her. Her only concern was that it would have further upset Bastet, for that she could only count on Kagerou to be as strong as she'd flaunted to be refusing her help.

One last glance at the girl, and then she was gone, following Crimson and Bastet's reiatsu.

/exits

[weaver_girl]

It was better this way, Kagerou thought. The exhaustion pressing down on her would lift reasonably quickly, and she wouldn't spend the whole way home with a knot of tension between her shoulders because Lin made her feel on pins and needles. She didn't think the other woman even meant to project such a constant aura of menace, but she was too weary and preoccupied now to focus on shunting it aside.

She concentrated on the thought of home, and let it keep her company for the walk back to the elevator.

[crimsonmischief]

"Ah, ah..." It came out as a soft exhalation of breath as Crimson made his way out of the bathroom with a large basin of warm water and a towel slung over his shoulder. Setting it down on the floor next to Bastet's bed, he wet the towel and wrung it out before proceeding to slowly and gently wipe away the blood and dirt. Those, he could get rid of easily enough, but the pain and hurt... Those weren't so simple. "What can I say that Bastet-san has no doubt already thought of?"