A whirlwind few days

[needmetoo]

Characters: Xion, Yosuke, Roxas, Aqua, Skulduggery, probably others?
Date: Starting on the 16th, then continuing through the next few days
Location: Fire Sector, Midnight Hotel, somewhere around where the expo used to be, possibly other places?
Situation: XION IS MUGGED. This causes a lot of fallout because she has very protective friends and family
Warnings/Rating: XION IS GETTING SHOT. There might also be Vanitas being an asshole somewhere in here. Also Roxas threatening to punch the faces in of people who hurt Xion.

A. The Mugging - CLOSED to Yosuke Hanamura

Just a quick errand, she'd told Roxas. She still couldn't believe he was here, here. Almost all of her doubts and worries had mostly vanished, once she'd realized how much she'd missed him.

But she had a job, a room she had to pay for. And that job involved running an errand. Not too long, if she hurried. She'd be back within an hour, tops.

And she was hurrying. She was on her way home, running, rushing, when she turned too fast around a corner and ran into a kedan. As she stumbled, attempting to regain her balance, the kedan had grabbed her shoulder, steadying her.

"S-sorry," she stammered, once she'd steadied herself, "I-"

But then she froze. Froze when she found herself facing the barrel of a revolver. The shape may have been different, but she'd seen Xigbar fighting enough times to recognize it. And that was when it'd hit her. The network posts. Akito and his stabbing.

Sure enough, he demanded her soul jewelry, jabbing the front gun at the necklace around her neck.

Except while his hand was still gripping her shoulder, the gun aimed at her was not steady. The kedan was very pale, and his voice shook too. Xion was no great shakes with reading emotions, but every signal pointed to him not wanting to be here. When she'd had the chance to see Akito's network post, he'd said that the ones mugging him had seemed reluctant too.

"I'm sorry, I can't," she told him, "It's dangerous to lose it."

He shook her, voice becoming more insistent. And even though he seemed more desperate than anything, being manhandled as such, plus the gun still aimed tremulously. She summoned her Keyblade in her free hand. A warning.

That's when the hand on her shoulder turned vicelike, and the gun steadied. And something in the region of Xion's gut seemed to be sinking.

"Get off!" she demanded, trying to break away. She didn't want to just attack if the fading hope that he was a reluctant theif was true, but he just wouldn't let go-

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B. The Aftermath - Open! (Expect Roxas to threadjack a lot)

Once Xion had been patched up, she was transplanted to Aqua's room at the Midnight Hotel for bed rest. For the first couple of days, others could pop in, but they'd find a young girl who is very much out of it, and not feeling good in the slightest. Her injury was bad enough, but with her soul gem missing... she'd never been sick before then, either.

At least, when he wasn't out looking for her Soul Gem, Roxas was spending a lot of time basically glued to her side.

Once she got her gem back, however, she started doing considerably better.

Enough that she was liable to slip out of bed and wander the Midnight Hotel, observing those coming and going from the balcony, or else curled up on a couch in the Common Room. Her upper arm was still wrapped in bandages and she probably shouldn't have been out of bed yet, but it was still nice to be moving again. Of course sometimes she really was back in Aqua's room, sometimes asleep, sometimes not, but certainly ready and willing to talk anybody who might stop by. Or anybody who had any particular questions to ask about what happened.

[ooc; This prompt may change a bit when more details about how Xion's being patched up are finalized]

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C. Finding the Soul Gem - Roxas and Aqua and ????

Maybe they manage to find the remains of the Expo in time. Or maybe they - by lucky chance - hear of someone who's trying to find the owner of a soul gem that they found. Either way, the kedan in possession of Xion's soul gem is quite eager to make sure it finds its way home again.

[ooc; maybe you guys should make a comment idk DO THIS PART AS YOU SEE FIT]

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D. Misc.

NONE OF THE ABOVE? Have anything else in mind? I feel like I'm forgetting something too so I might add things later when I think about them.

Comments

[slantinglight]

"Got it." Roxas obediently places the things on the tray. They're askew at first, but then he starts to feel a little guilty. He reaches over and straightens them.

The lack of small talk doesn't particularly bother him. He's in mission mode, and he's learned that under most circumstances, that means not much unnecessary talk. "Is there anything else?" That doesn't count as unnecessary, though, he's pretty sure.

[windbreak]

Small talk or loud talk, it might be difficult to hear a reply over the resounding crash from the front door.

It's not just onomatopoeic, but literal. It's also pretty easy to guess why. The young man who screeches into the hall after a moment's disorientation clearly has his hands full just staying on his feet, never mind coming up with sensible descriptive imagery. He's panting as he staggers to a halt, grimacing, trailing a faintly glowing afterimage that begins to fade long before his panic does, and the damp cloth of his shirt is more rusty brown than white. There's no sign of his jewellery any more than there is of Xion's.

But he is on his feet, which is more than can be said of the small, dark-haired figure limply slung across his shoulder and back like so much dead weight. ...Well, not nearly enough weight, and still seeping. Bleeding and bleeding, despite the best Yosuke could do with a torn coat, a half-remembered scrap of first aid via osmosis and five seconds.

Which means he's not important here, if he ever was.

"Look, it's okay, we made it," he says, indistinctly at first, maybe only for his own benefit by this point. "...Oh god, I hope we made it."

But he raises his head the moment it stops spinning, and his voice at the same time. "Hey! Someone...! We got a patient here!"

[aquanimity]

The crash at the front door surprises Aqua, and she's about to rush out to see what could cause such a noise when a boy races in, panting and swaying slightly, with Xion draped across his back. She's by his side seconds after he calls out for help, reaching to take Xion so as to relieve the boy of his burden, as well as to hold the girl and make sure she's still alive herself. "Xion, Xion, can you hear me? It's me, Aqua, we're going to take care of you, just hold on...!"

It's with a horrible sinking feeling that she realizes how badly Xion is bleeding: her arm has been only hastily bandaged, and it's clear she's in dire need of more expertise than Aqua would be able to render. She calls out her Keyblade for a moment, just long enough to cast a quick Cure in hopes of giving the girl a little relief, before lifting her properly. Once more she finds herself eternally grateful they were able to catch Raine before the healer left for the night.

And the boy himself is not looking his best either; while Xion is certainly the main priority, he'll need attention too, and Aqua looks at him with an expression of fear and worry that has become all too present on her face. "Are you able to walk still? If you can follow me, we'll do what we can to help you as well."

She turns to call out down the hallway. "Raine! Roxas! They're here! Xion's here!" It's both relieved and urgent and terrified, as Xion's condition is rather bad.

[needmetoo]

Focusing? Focusing has been getting rather on the difficult side, as time's gone on. About halfway to the Healer's Guild Xion's mind had seemed to just sit back and accept that this was an uncomfortable method of travel, and maybe she should have mentioned a corridor. Now that they've stopped though, she's able to focus on her surroundings a bit more again.

And she's glad that she is, because that's a familiar voice she can hear, as she's lifted down.

"Aqua...?" If she was here... things were going to be okay right? Aqua would know how to fix this. Still, Xion's good hand wanders slowly, trying to find Aqua's hand, or at least her arm, to hold onto like some kind of anchor.

Things are still moving a bit quickly for her to really feel able to focus on seeing them, but she does turn her head to look around for Yosuke too. He brought her here... He was going to be okay, right? She hadn't been able to really tell what'd happened after she'd been shot.

Ugh, everything's just so confusing right now.

[windbreak]

Yosuke's head isn't that much clearer, but he still has the presence of mind not to squeak or start too badly when another funky-looking sword materialises in front of his face. He bites his lip before making an effort to straighten up. Yeah... she's here now, they can help her, he's done what he was needed for. It's almost anticlimactic - even if that's a harsh thing to think, looking down at a girl who must be fighting so stubbornly just to stay conscious.

"Heh, this is nothin'," he manages to say, meeting the blue-haired girl's eye with a weak half-smile. She looks worried enough without him adding to the pile. He knows the feeling, he thinks. "All I could really use is a shower... Uh, and I forgot to tell you, thanks for earlier. I was freaking out just a bit back there, to be honest. It's not something you'd expect to run into anywhere else..."

With that, he looks back down at Xion. "See, what did I say? You're gonna be fine."

With that, but no other warning, one of his legs buckles at the knee. He catches himself quickly, though this time he does yelp a little first.

[slantinglight]

Roxas comes out of the room so fast he has to throw his arms out in front of him to keep from crashing into the hallway wall. "Xion!" he shouts, pushing against the wall towards the group in the hallway.

It occurs to him once he reaches them that he doesn't know what he's going to do. He just -- He just wanted to be there with her. His eyes widen with shock once he sees how much blood is over Xion's arm, over the back of the guy who brought her here. Xion is pale...

"Xion..."

[ruinsprofessor]

Raine's stripped out of her jacket, is about to answer the boy's question, but it rather gets lost in the sudden rush of activity and noise from the main hall, audible even from here. Raine follows Roxas at a slightly more sedate pace-- just enough not to run into any walls.

She processes the situation as fast as she can. One of the newcomers is standing; if the blood soaked into him isn't Xion's, he's doing an admirable job at disguising the effects of blood loss. "Aqua," Raine says, mostly to get her attention. She looks more worried, afraid, than Raine has ever seen her. It'll have to be up to her to keep a clear head, she supposes. "If you have her more stable, bring her this way, we'll need the better light and tools." She's trusting Aqua at least to have a handle on what's necessary, since she's the one with Xion in her arms. If it was anyone else there with her Raine would already be casting.

"You--" This at Yosuke, who she also doesn't know. "Don't go anywhere until we're sure you're not injured." He looks like a runner, and the last thing she needs is someone keeling over in the streets because they didn't notice an injury until the adrenaline rush faded. That said, Raine shifts her focus back to Xion, going to her and offering Aqua help to support her. "This way, come on."

[aquanimity]

Aqua tries to put a weak smile on for Yosuke. "No, no isn't, and I wish things like this didn't occur. But you did well, and thank you. For bringing her here."

Xion's good hand reaches for her, and she catches and holds the girl's hand gently, comfortingly; she's safe and they're going to help her. "Yes, Xion, I'm here, and Roxas is too." And almost on cue the boy in question comes hurtling from the hallway, moving so fast the building takes a second hit from an impacting body that night. Raine is shortly on his heels, and taking charge of the situation.

She gives Xion's hand one last squeeze and picks the girl up; she's small and light, even moreso than Ven, and Aqua's main concern is to keep from jostling her injured arm too much. She nods at Raine. "Let's hurry."

[needmetoo]

Hearing Roxas' name is a relief as well; so is seeing him a moment later. Her eyes meet his and while she'll remember the worry in his later, for now all she can do is smile weakly, glad that he's there too. Her hand grips Aqua's back, and she when Aqua lets go to pick her up, vaguely concerned by the lack of contact, she reaches a hand in Roxas' direction, not realizing that may not be the best of ideas at this exact moment. Regardless, the presence of people she cares about helps to ease some of the tension out of her body. As much as she's able to, at least, while still being in significant amounts of pain.

The fight to stay awake is a lot harder now, almost harder than the fight to make sense of her surroundings, save the few points of clarity that were her friends.

She makes a quiet noise as she's lifted but otherwise doesn't respond, save to list against Aqua's shoulder, blinking slowly, heavily.

[windbreak]

Before Yosuke can open his mouth to shove his foot in it (no, really, most of this blood by far is hers, isn't it obvious?), Xion's entourage is hustling her away down the hall. With one last nervous glance back, he hurries after them, meekly and unusually quiet. As fine as the third girl would certainly be under better lighting, neither the severe look on her face nor the anguished look on the younger guy's are expressions that Yosuke feels up to crossing. He'd eventually have to hide under a table or something, and his legs feel like lead. So do his arms, his back, and most of all his brain. It was obvious after the first one he tried out there that Dia spells can't patch up flesh wounds, but -

- but sheesh, do they think he'd pretend it was nothing if he had taken a hit? Does he look that reckless? Well - ahaha, on second thoughts, probably. If he wasn't, the thug back there might not have panicked...

"What're you gonna do with her now?" he asks hesitantly, not caring much who he sounds like he's addressing. He might be allowed to say that much. Or they might tell him to go away and stew by himself for a while, but they haven't yet.

[ruinsprofessor]

"Fix her, if I have anything to say about it," Raine says absently, over her shoulder. Answering the boy's questions is going to have to come after they've done that. She leads Aqua back -- she knows Aqua knows where things are, but it's easy to temporarily mislay your sense in the middle of a crisis if you're not careful. "Here-- set her down here."

She gestures, indicating where, and is already reaching for the things she prepared earlier, setting them where she can reach them. Anesthetic is going to be at the top of the list, shortly after ascertaining what exactly the severity of the damage is. At least the light here is good. "It doesn't look like the bullet went all the way through," she says, shortly. Guns with actual bullets, instead of energy bolts. On the one hand, there's no mana consumption; on the other, she now has to deal with chunks of metal lodged in people.

[aquanimity]

Aqua follows after Raine quickly, careful to not jostle Xion too much. While she does know the layout of the Guild, it's much easier right now to simply let Raine take the lead while her mind is elsewhere, fraught with concern.

Once Raine stops, Aqua gently sets Xion down on her side, keeping her injured arm up and in the light. When Raine assesses the damage, Aqua can feel her gut sink: it doesn't take an experienced doctor to know that foreign metal does not belong in a body, and that the immediate course of action is removal.

The other woman is already collecting the needed tools, so for the moment Aqua kneels down to look at Xion face-to-face. She forces a gentle smile through the haze of worry, brushing back a strand of hair that has fallen in front of the girl's face. "We're going to help you, Xion. It's going to be alright."

Aqua straightens and starts unzipping the girl's coat to pull down her sleeve - they'll need to see the injury itself for this.

[needmetoo]

Oh... she wasn't able to grab Roxas' hand. A light frown crosses her face, but things are moving too fast for her to keep up with again. And as with her trip to the Healer's Guild, Xion lapses into a sort of silence, waiting for things to slow down again.

By the time she's able to catch up, Aqua's talking to her, reassuring her. She nods briefly in reply, and Aqua's gone again.

As her coat's removed, she can't help but begin to shiver. It felt so much colder without it. She can't help but to instinctively want to curl up in a ball. She even tries to lean forward and bring her knees up towards her chest, again unaware that now may not be the best of times.