abby knows what happened. scorpia doesn't have to say it and she doesn't, not really. she softens her words, like she's just happened upon lev knocked out in the street and she wanted abby to know about it immediately, but that's not the truth of the situation.
he's dead. and abby doesn't know what to say to that so she just keeps running, like if she gets there faster it'll mean something, but her lungs are burning. her eyes are hot and she's breathing funny, all choked up.
she nearly flies right past where scorpia's crouched, only just catching the curve and colour of her through the mist as she comes to a sharp halt and– oh, fuck. she's kneeling down beside him. he's just there, on the ground, propped up against an old building with his head tipped to one side. he's covered in his own blood. it would be possible to mistake him for sleeping if his eyes weren't open, half-lidded, and lifeless.
she's had so many nightmares to the tune of this. maybe she's in another one.
abby would scream if she had the breath to do it. instead she sucks in a shivering inhale and whimpers when she tears her gaze away from him. her fists clench painfully tight at her sides as shock and grief stopper her throat. this is not supposed to happen to lev. not lev, not her person, never him. she's heaving for air.)
[The moment Abby appears, Scorpia drops her Fluid to the ground and focuses her attention on her. She knows Abby well enough to have some idea of what Lev means to her - and can only imagine the depths of how much this must hurt, far beyond what she herself feels.
Abby is now the focus of her attention. Scorpia pulls herself back to her feet and starts to approach her, to offer whatever support she can.]
A-Abby...
[All she can manage right now is her name. A soft invitation, reminding her that she's there.]
(she shakes her head at the sound of her name, pressing a palm to her chest. down, over her heart, heel digging in against her sternum, before she throws a punch at the side of the building lev is leaning against. the explosion of pain against her knuckles as they connect with the brick jolts her out of whatever place she's trapped in.
lev isn't gone forever. this isn't the same as finding– him on the floor of the aquarium, this is different. lev will come back.)
Fuck. (it hurts, though. it really, really hurts.
her voice feels rough in her mouth.) What happened.
[Scorpia stands off to the side and winces as her fist impacts the wall. She feels out of her depth in dealing with this. A problem that can't be solved with a positive attitude or brute force. But she can answer Abby's questions. She can do that much at least. Her pincers rub together anxiously as she answers her quietly.]
I... I honestly don't know. I was scouting the area, and... I just found him. Like this.
(that hurts so much, knowing that he died by himself. curls up inside of her and just fucking aches, and abby wonders if... it was quick, or if he suffered, but bile riles in her throat at the thought. she smacks her open palm against the brick. her eyes are hot.
she's so uncomfortably aware of his body. it's right there, but abby is here. he isn't at her side. he's so far away from her now.
scorpia is hovering. abby feels so lost, so churned up, but scorpia doesn't know how to deal with this any better than she does, so she has to pull it together. she drops her hand from the wall, and finds her fluid, even though her arms feel like they're made out of concrete. she's going to send a message to clarisse. oh, fuck. she realises it with a wash of hurt and dread: nico is going to be devastated.
she clears her throat, and pinches a few tears away from the corners of her eyes with forefinger and thumb.) Can you help me move him?
[She breathes that answer out. It's an answer that deepens the pit in her stomach. Being someone who is all about friendship and being with people, the thought of dying completely alone is frightening. She can't imagine what it was like for Lev, and she does not want to.]
Of course. [She answers Abby without her usual mirth as she gets right to work. Almost mechanically, she kneels down to lift Lev by the upper part of his body.]
(dimly, some part of her knows that scorpia needs something from her too– a gesture of kindness, or a few words, something. anything. she found him after all, and she'd called abby with tears in her eyes. this isn't easy for her. but abby feels hollow like a blown out egg, and she can't get herself to concentrate on anything other than the next step. it will have to wait. hopefully, it can wait.
he looks so small. abby doesn't want to look at him but leaving him lying there is even worse, so with scorpia's help she lifts him as gently as she can, and takes him entirely into her arms. it's not a two person job, and she's got this. she wants to hold him, even though he's cold.
isn't death supposed to be peaceful? he looks... resigned. tired. she makes herself look away from his face, clenching her jaw, holding back tears as best she can.)
Um, (she says thickly,) I– should we go back to the house? (she doesn't know what to do next. she's overwhelmed, she needs direction.)
[Scorpia gently passes the body off to Abby. She's deferring to Abby for the most part due to how out of her depth she feels. Some guilt gnaws at her too. What if she had gotten there a moment sooner? Could she have made a difference. Saved him?
Just like when they were falling, Scorpia finds things feel relatively easier when she focuses on Abby and her condition. She sees Abby in a rare moment of indecision. She herself does not really know what to do with him. But Abby's suggestion feels... right.]
I think so. [She says, softly and soothingly, as she tries go give her shoulder a comforting pat with a smooth part of her pincer.]
Let's take him home. [And then figure out what to do from there.]
Okay. (she can do that. now she just has to make her legs work, and try not to think too hard about the cold tack of blood against her hands, and the cold weight of him against her chest; all she has to do is get back.
but something's happening to lev.
it looks like he's disintegrating, from what abby can see when she glances down at him. his body is flaking away into dust in her arms. she can feel it going, getting lighter in her grip, and she holds him tighter to her but that doesn't make it stop.)
[For a moment, Scorpia feels like they've got this. ...Or at least as much as people can "got this" in a situation like this. They'll head back to the house and figure out what to do next from there... probably some sort of funeral.
But that's thinking too far ahead. Now, in the present, things quickly take a turn for the unexpected. Scorpia stood at Abby's side, ready to offer her any support that was needed as they progressed, only to watch as the boy's body starts to flake away.]
Wh-what's happening? [She asks, voice quivering with shock and worry. She desperately snips at the air, as if hoping to catch some pieces of Lev.]
(of course this place wouldn't let her do something as normal as keep the goddamn body. it has to take that from her too, and there's nothing that abby can do about it, only stand in place and watch lev steadily lose his form. purple smoke curls neatly into the air until her empty arms drop, and then... there's nothing left.
nothing even to suggest he was ever there in the first place.
abby stares into the distance in the same direction as where scorpia found him, but she isn't seeing it. she's shocked, and confused, her hands plucking at the air.)
[Scorpia mutters in distress, continuing to try to grab at any remains of Lev's, only for it all to fade away to nothingness before anything can be grasped.
It's a strike to the heart that Scorpia did not see coming. It may have been difficult to look at the body, but it fading away felt even more cruel. Denying them a chance to do something to honor the body... and wiping away all traces of his existence completely. It's like he was erased away - is that death in its truest form?
Fresh tears well up in Scorpia's arms as she stands there for a moment, shoulders slumped in defeat.]
...Abby. [After a moment, she quietly tries to address her friend. ...And she moves forward for a hug.] I- I'm so sorry!
(abby doesn't lean away from the hug but she doesn't lean into it, either. it just sort of... happens around her. she doesn't know what to do. she can't remember if this is supposed to happen or not and she's racking her brain for old details back when clarisse had the death flu but coming up empty. she never mentioned fading away into dust.
what if he's gone? what if he slipped out of her fingers just like that and he isn't coming back?
she can barely think about it. her mind shoves away from the possibility with wordless, numb sentiment. no. no.)
It's okay. (her voice sounds so far away from her. she's done this before, she's lost people and pushed through anyway, she's put things aside until she has time to deal with them. now has to be one of those times. it isn't safe to be out here, and it's a wonder that nothing has heard them yet.)
[It was the only thing Scorpia could think of at the moment, on instinct. To offer her someone to lean on. But it soon becomes clear that this isn't the time for that. There's not even an ounce of comfort to be had in this situation, when Lev's body just faded into thin air.
So it's not long before Scorpia releases her hold and steps back, rubbing one claw against another nervously.]
...R-right. Yeah. Let's... head back.
[It's like an echo of their exchange just a moments ago, but a much sadder one. At that point, they were ready to take Lev's body back home. Now, they're forced to go back empty-handed, without even a trace of their fallen friend. It stings, but even Scorpia can realize that there's no use dwelling on this. Especially not in this dangerous environment that caused this tragedy to begin with.
So Scorpia slowly starts to move, while keeping her attention on Abby.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cw description of a dead body
abby knows what happened. scorpia doesn't have to say it and she doesn't, not really. she softens her words, like she's just happened upon lev knocked out in the street and she wanted abby to know about it immediately, but that's not the truth of the situation.
he's dead. and abby doesn't know what to say to that so she just keeps running, like if she gets there faster it'll mean something, but her lungs are burning. her eyes are hot and she's breathing funny, all choked up.
she nearly flies right past where scorpia's crouched, only just catching the curve and colour of her through the mist as she comes to a sharp halt and– oh, fuck. she's kneeling down beside him. he's just there, on the ground, propped up against an old building with his head tipped to one side. he's covered in his own blood. it would be possible to mistake him for sleeping if his eyes weren't open, half-lidded, and lifeless.
she's had so many nightmares to the tune of this. maybe she's in another one.
abby would scream if she had the breath to do it. instead she sucks in a shivering inhale and whimpers when she tears her gaze away from him. her fists clench painfully tight at her sides as shock and grief stopper her throat. this is not supposed to happen to lev. not lev, not her person, never him. she's heaving for air.)
cw description of a dead body
Abby is now the focus of her attention. Scorpia pulls herself back to her feet and starts to approach her, to offer whatever support she can.]
A-Abby...
[All she can manage right now is her name. A soft invitation, reminding her that she's there.]
no subject
lev isn't gone forever. this isn't the same as finding– him on the floor of the aquarium, this is different. lev will come back.)
Fuck. (it hurts, though. it really, really hurts.
her voice feels rough in her mouth.) What happened.
no subject
I... I honestly don't know. I was scouting the area, and... I just found him. Like this.
no subject
(that hurts so much, knowing that he died by himself. curls up inside of her and just fucking aches, and abby wonders if... it was quick, or if he suffered, but bile riles in her throat at the thought. she smacks her open palm against the brick. her eyes are hot.
she's so uncomfortably aware of his body. it's right there, but abby is here. he isn't at her side. he's so far away from her now.
scorpia is hovering. abby feels so lost, so churned up, but scorpia doesn't know how to deal with this any better than she does, so she has to pull it together. she drops her hand from the wall, and finds her fluid, even though her arms feel like they're made out of concrete. she's going to send a message to clarisse. oh, fuck. she realises it with a wash of hurt and dread: nico is going to be devastated.
she clears her throat, and pinches a few tears away from the corners of her eyes with forefinger and thumb.) Can you help me move him?
no subject
[She breathes that answer out. It's an answer that deepens the pit in her stomach. Being someone who is all about friendship and being with people, the thought of dying completely alone is frightening. She can't imagine what it was like for Lev, and she does not want to.]
Of course. [She answers Abby without her usual mirth as she gets right to work. Almost mechanically, she kneels down to lift Lev by the upper part of his body.]
cw description of a dead body
(dimly, some part of her knows that scorpia needs something from her too– a gesture of kindness, or a few words, something. anything. she found him after all, and she'd called abby with tears in her eyes. this isn't easy for her. but abby feels hollow like a blown out egg, and she can't get herself to concentrate on anything other than the next step. it will have to wait. hopefully, it can wait.
he looks so small. abby doesn't want to look at him but leaving him lying there is even worse, so with scorpia's help she lifts him as gently as she can, and takes him entirely into her arms. it's not a two person job, and she's got this. she wants to hold him, even though he's cold.
isn't death supposed to be peaceful? he looks... resigned. tired. she makes herself look away from his face, clenching her jaw, holding back tears as best she can.)
Um, (she says thickly,) I– should we go back to the house? (she doesn't know what to do next. she's overwhelmed, she needs direction.)
no subject
Just like when they were falling, Scorpia finds things feel relatively easier when she focuses on Abby and her condition. She sees Abby in a rare moment of indecision. She herself does not really know what to do with him. But Abby's suggestion feels... right.]
I think so. [She says, softly and soothingly, as she tries go give her shoulder a comforting pat with a smooth part of her pincer.]
Let's take him home. [And then figure out what to do from there.]
no subject
but something's happening to lev.
it looks like he's disintegrating, from what abby can see when she glances down at him. his body is flaking away into dust in her arms. she can feel it going, getting lighter in her grip, and she holds him tighter to her but that doesn't make it stop.)
Wait– wait!
no subject
But that's thinking too far ahead. Now, in the present, things quickly take a turn for the unexpected. Scorpia stood at Abby's side, ready to offer her any support that was needed as they progressed, only to watch as the boy's body starts to flake away.]
Wh-what's happening? [She asks, voice quivering with shock and worry. She desperately snips at the air, as if hoping to catch some pieces of Lev.]
no subject
(of course this place wouldn't let her do something as normal as keep the goddamn body. it has to take that from her too, and there's nothing that abby can do about it, only stand in place and watch lev steadily lose his form. purple smoke curls neatly into the air until her empty arms drop, and then... there's nothing left.
nothing even to suggest he was ever there in the first place.
abby stares into the distance in the same direction as where scorpia found him, but she isn't seeing it. she's shocked, and confused, her hands plucking at the air.)
no subject
[Scorpia mutters in distress, continuing to try to grab at any remains of Lev's, only for it all to fade away to nothingness before anything can be grasped.
It's a strike to the heart that Scorpia did not see coming. It may have been difficult to look at the body, but it fading away felt even more cruel. Denying them a chance to do something to honor the body... and wiping away all traces of his existence completely. It's like he was erased away - is that death in its truest form?
Fresh tears well up in Scorpia's arms as she stands there for a moment, shoulders slumped in defeat.]
...Abby. [After a moment, she quietly tries to address her friend. ...And she moves forward for a hug.] I- I'm so sorry!
no subject
what if he's gone? what if he slipped out of her fingers just like that and he isn't coming back?
she can barely think about it. her mind shoves away from the possibility with wordless, numb sentiment. no. no.)
It's okay. (her voice sounds so far away from her. she's done this before, she's lost people and pushed through anyway, she's put things aside until she has time to deal with them. now has to be one of those times. it isn't safe to be out here, and it's a wonder that nothing has heard them yet.)
We should go.
no subject
So it's not long before Scorpia releases her hold and steps back, rubbing one claw against another nervously.]
...R-right. Yeah. Let's... head back.
[It's like an echo of their exchange just a moments ago, but a much sadder one. At that point, they were ready to take Lev's body back home. Now, they're forced to go back empty-handed, without even a trace of their fallen friend. It stings, but even Scorpia can realize that there's no use dwelling on this. Especially not in this dangerous environment that caused this tragedy to begin with.
So Scorpia slowly starts to move, while keeping her attention on Abby.]