[For the past couple of days, Claude had been sick with worry. He was well-acquainted with war, all too used to that resigned feeling of knowing that, no matter how carefully plans are laid and preparations are made, the unexpected can happen, and that old friends who were there one day could be gone the next, slain in a world where death was much more final there than in this one. But he can't accept it so readily with Hayame: he looks across Springstar for her, asks anyone who might have seen her, and at one point almost considers weighing the risks of exploring Highstorm in secret while the other city is also still in disarray, or perhaps the Below, if she had been dragged down to Kowloon instead...
Fortunately, neither of his riskier plans needed to come to fruition when he's found by Hríd. He recognises the neighbourhood the centaur leads him to as one of the districts he had helped defend during the attack, and he's grateful he was able to lend his aid in defending the people there, seeing how they in turn had rallied once again to offer shelter to the needy and to treat the wounded where other facilities were overwhelmed.
Yet leaving aside that appreciation, worry still dogs his steps until he's able to speak to the healer, who confirms the Shardbearer he sought is in her care. It's only the decorum of being considerate to other patients that stops him barging through, yet he still moves to Hayame's side as fast as he can, to where she lay unconscious.
The state of her, bandaged and bloodied, seizes like a knife at his innards. What had he been doing all this time? It's not as though he could dog Hayame's every move to protect her, they were warriors above all else so long as this war lasted, but it still pains him to see her hurt again, and he wasn't there, again. He kneels by her side, examines the bandages -- they look fresh, still, and not in need of changing -- before he presses a kiss to her forehead. She's still warm, still alive, and he doesn't have to concern himself with secrecy any longer now that the city is well aware of what they are, and when the loved ones of other patients are too absorbed in their own worry to even pay heed to some new arrival.]
I'm here. [He says to her softly, hoping the familiarity of his voice can rouse her. He nods to Hríd as the man claps him on the shoulder and takes his leave; he'll have to find a way to repay him for the help, later.
For now his focus is on Hayame. He doesn't have a change of clothes for her, but he does at least check she's comfortable after being turned over. It's when, holding the blanket as a makeshift screen, he checks the healer had loosened her breast bindings to allow her to breathe more easily that he notices the gleam of her shard, and was now resting on the pallet by one of her arms. Carefully, Claude picks it up to inspect it for damage -- perhaps it had already come loose and fell when she was turned over? He can't be sure, but having it separated from her body can't help, especially if it's been loose for an extended period of time.]
I've got you. You're safe now. [He mutters to the shard, whether she can hear him or not, and presses a gentle kiss to it, too. As if it might bring her back sooner, to know that he's here, just as she had held his shard in the past.
Then, with care yet not wanting to waste any more time, he reaches to replace the shard to her breast. All he can do now is sit and wait, and he does, readjusting the blankets and holding her hand in his.]
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Fortunately, neither of his riskier plans needed to come to fruition when he's found by Hríd. He recognises the neighbourhood the centaur leads him to as one of the districts he had helped defend during the attack, and he's grateful he was able to lend his aid in defending the people there, seeing how they in turn had rallied once again to offer shelter to the needy and to treat the wounded where other facilities were overwhelmed.
Yet leaving aside that appreciation, worry still dogs his steps until he's able to speak to the healer, who confirms the Shardbearer he sought is in her care. It's only the decorum of being considerate to other patients that stops him barging through, yet he still moves to Hayame's side as fast as he can, to where she lay unconscious.
The state of her, bandaged and bloodied, seizes like a knife at his innards. What had he been doing all this time? It's not as though he could dog Hayame's every move to protect her, they were warriors above all else so long as this war lasted, but it still pains him to see her hurt again, and he wasn't there, again. He kneels by her side, examines the bandages -- they look fresh, still, and not in need of changing -- before he presses a kiss to her forehead. She's still warm, still alive, and he doesn't have to concern himself with secrecy any longer now that the city is well aware of what they are, and when the loved ones of other patients are too absorbed in their own worry to even pay heed to some new arrival.]
I'm here. [He says to her softly, hoping the familiarity of his voice can rouse her. He nods to Hríd as the man claps him on the shoulder and takes his leave; he'll have to find a way to repay him for the help, later.
For now his focus is on Hayame. He doesn't have a change of clothes for her, but he does at least check she's comfortable after being turned over. It's when, holding the blanket as a makeshift screen, he checks the healer had loosened her breast bindings to allow her to breathe more easily that he notices the gleam of her shard, and was now resting on the pallet by one of her arms. Carefully, Claude picks it up to inspect it for damage -- perhaps it had already come loose and fell when she was turned over? He can't be sure, but having it separated from her body can't help, especially if it's been loose for an extended period of time.]
I've got you. You're safe now. [He mutters to the shard, whether she can hear him or not, and presses a gentle kiss to it, too. As if it might bring her back sooner, to know that he's here, just as she had held his shard in the past.
Then, with care yet not wanting to waste any more time, he reaches to replace the shard to her breast. All he can do now is sit and wait, and he does, readjusting the blankets and holding her hand in his.]