56 - [video -> backdated to the 23rd]

[blackshadow]

[ video sent to Yuri about a minute earlier ]

[ The video only really shows Estelle's legs and the occasional glint of her blade as Tyr moves back. ]

—ot really! Are you having fun, are you, are you?

[ Or it would just be that if drops of blood weren't just scattered across the sand. ]

Sh-shut up! Yuri! Hurry up and get over here!

Oh, ar—

[ With that, the message ends, just cutting off Estelle's response back to him. ]

[ Public video ]

[ Tyr's neck and the underside of his chin are all that's shown as he speaks in a quiet, somewhat choked voice. As far as location goes, all that's obvious about it is that he's laying in the sand, under the shade of some structure. ]

I, I tried... Sorry... [ And with some more strength: ] Be careful...And save her for me.

[ Some time later, a black shadow covers the entire screen, only to disappear a few seconds later as the device slips out of his hand, showing the sky overhead. ]


[ ooc: Adding to the death count... He'll be around a little while longer for anyone who wants to respond. That shadow at the end would be Tyr's rune leaving his hand to attach itself to Yuri! ]

Comments

[blackshadow]

[ That was surprisingly easy. He pulls back to let her go. ] All right...

[ And he's not exactly hungry either. He doesn't even think that him dying would have an effect on her appetite like her and Eagle's had on him. He just doesn't want her to get sick... ]

You know I can walk too, though.

[negativegate]

[They've been through enough. There's no reason to worry him further...and he is right; they need to keep up their strength.

There's also the question of whether she really wants to go off without him, even if it's just to get some food.]

You're not too tired?

[blackshadow]

[ He shakes his head. ]

Not to just get some food. Come on. [ He pushes himself up by his knee as he holds her hand. ] Is it far?

[negativegate]

[And she holds his hand tightly and tugs him up.]

No, it's pretty close. They were giving out some stuff, like the water.

[blackshadow]

[ It feels better this way, just being together like her. Besides, part of him would worry if they were both on their own. ]

Really? I'm glad there are some people helping out like that... So it won't be hard to just wait this out.

[negativegate]

[She certainly didn't want to leave him behind, especially after what happened...]

I don't know--I mean, I don't think there's much. And there's not as many people here now. I think they're getting through to the other city.

[blackshadow]

[ And he knows now just how unprotected he is without his staff... They can't even protect each other now. ]

After a month, I'd hope that most people would be gone...

I wish we could leave...

[negativegate]

[Even the fire rune seems inadequate, after everything. Her blastia wouldn't have even saved Tyr.]

Tyr...Sorry.

[They're both stuck now, and it's because she encouraged him to stay with her rather than go back.]

[blackshadow]

[ Nothing would have saved him. He practically let himself die...

He turns to her when she says that. ] You don't have anything to be sorry for. You... You were there for me.

[negativegate]

[This is such a mess...and they're all so helpless in it.

She shakes her head, and she can't disguise the guilt in her face when she looks up at him.] But you were going to return, and then I asked you to stay, and...I'm sorry.

[blackshadow]

[ The most helpless.

That's the last thing he wants to hear. He didn't want to correct her before, but now... He shakes his head strongly. ] That's not what it's like. I wasn't even going to leave for my sake... I just didn't want anything else to happen to you, so...I wanted to leave for you. I would have probably--definitely--come back for you anyway, Rita.

[negativegate]

Huh? How-

[She looks at him in confusion for a moment as she realizes what he said. He was going to leave so nothing would happen to her...because of the rune.]

So that was why...But...

[She isn't sure what else she was going to say, but she has another realization, and this time her expression turns to shock. She knows now what was nagging her before.]

Tyr--your hand! Show me your hand!

[blackshadow]

[ And then he decided to stay because he could protect her better if he was close to her. If nothing could get close to her, then she'd be okay.

But he doesn't have time to explain that logic; her sudden change in expression takes him by surprise and he offers his hand automatically, really looking at it for the first time. ]

Rita? Wha-

[ It's been so, so long since he's seen the actual back of his hand. Now he can just stare at it, words - or maybe bile - caught in his throat. ]

[negativegate]

[And then Tyr's the one who ended up getting hurt...

Rita takes his hand in her free one, staring at the bare skin again. She saw it before, but she didn't even think...

And she can't help but say the obvious.]

Where's the rune?!

[blackshadow]

[ He'll never stop berating himself for it.

Tyr can't even think right now. He feels sick, but he thinks back to everything he felt before, the release he felt was he was dying—

But he never thought this would happen. He never thought he would fail this horribly. If Ted knew- If anyone else got a hold of it—

A few choked, half-formed explanations leave his mouth before he just confesses: ] I...I don't know.

[negativegate]

[Rita wishes he wouldn't keep berating himself for it!

She stares at him, having no idea what could have possibly happened, and lets go of his runeless hand to grasp his shoulder instead. He doesn't look too good to her.]

Could the deities have done this?

[blackshadow]

[ He can't see a way where this wasn't completely his fault.

He tenses up again, but he still has enough control of himself to think and shake his head. ]

No, this is the rune. It wouldn't let itself just be taken by the deities.

[negativegate]

[Rita could only try and remind him that the city did all of this...]

Are you sure? I mean, it had to go somewhere.

[blackshadow]

[ Tyr couldn't argue with that point...even if he still thinks it could have been avoided.

Mumbling: ] Of course it did...

[ He puts his hands in his pockets. If he did have an appetite, it's completely gone now. ]

[negativegate]

[It would be nice if they could change things.

She continues to hold his shoulders, not willing to let go. For once, she is worried about the rune, but she's even more worried about how Tyr's going to feel about this.]

Can you...I don't know, sense it or anything?

[blackshadow]

[ If only they could...

He feels awful. When he died, he was upset by that alone. Losing the rune...that's a different class of failure all together. ]

It doesn't work like that... Or...I can't feel it at all. I just know it's not here...

[ If she weren't holding his shoulders, he'd lean on hers. As it is, he just hangs his head as he tries to think, biting his lower lip.

How could he lose it? ]

[negativegate]

[If only...

She holds tight to him. Tyr's strong--she's never thought otherwise--but she's still worried for him.]

Do you have any idea when it happened? Was it because...

[blackshadow]

[ At times like this, knowing she thinks he's strong is really comforting. He just feels so pathetic...

And it's hard to finish her sentence, but he knows where she's going. He nods slowly. ] Yeah... It...had to be because of that... It couldn't have been just a coincidence...

[ He looks over to one of her hands. ]

It's... You don't have it, right?

[negativegate]

[She does think he's strong. She just wishes she could figure this out...No, she should start thinking of ways to figure it out.]

I didn't feel anything, but...

[She pulls back one glove, finds nothing, and checks under the other one, heart racing...But no.]

No...I don't have it. That means somebody else does...

[blackshadow]

[ And so does Tyr, as soon as possible.

He watches intently, his own heart racing, and he doesn't know if to be relieved or disappointed that she doesn't have the rune. In either case, he sighs and shakes his head. ]

Must be... It wouldn't just wander around for a host...

[ He never thought it would do that, anyway; it seemed to opportunistic.

And suddenly, it dawns on him with horror: ] What about Estelle?