Night 65: Bus Unloading Area

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

It was cold outside, though still above freezing, and a clear sky allowed Lloyd to see the stars overhead. A fat sliver of moon glimmered in the sky, providing enough light that Lloyd could make out a road leading away from the building and the dark shape of mountains rising in the distance to his right. There were trees, too, seeming to grow more densely to the left. Everything looked rough and bleak, though Lloyd blamed that on the situation and on the fact that it was night.

Still worn out from the technique that shouldn't have worn him out, Lloyd waited for his two companions to join him outside. "I don't recognize where we are," he said, keeping his voice down. "But it's still pretty dark. Which way do you guys think we should go? Should we follow the road?" The road had to lead to somewhere, after all. It would be easier traveling, too - but it would also be easier to find them if anyone from Landel's came after them.

Comments

[awokentospring]

The door gave this time, and Lee was once again staggered by both the impact and the strange technique used by his companion. A sharp, jarring pain shot down Lee's arm and he wasn't completely convinced the only cracking noise had come from the busted hinges. A little cracked bones weren't enough to hold him back, however! He gripped at the aching shoulder and tenderly tested his arm's mobility. Anything from the elbow down was fine, but he wouldn't be able to lift his arm high without more pain shooting through his shoulder. Lee would just do what he could to hide his pain and get some medical treatment by Sakura once he returned to the war.

"I agree, the road seems like a good place to start!" Lee straightened up and looked towards Lloyd. The young man seemed much better already. Perhaps it was the crisp air. "Are you certain you can make it, Lloyd-san? Do not hesitate to ask for us to take a rest now and then!"

The road seemed like such an innocuous path for them to take, but it was also free of any cover to hide under in case of attack. Lee would have to be on guard. He decided to take point, heading towards the road ahead of his companions. Before he got too far, he turned his smile back to Flora. "That was also an interesting technique you used, Flora-san! I have not seen such jutsu before!"

[showmeyourwreath]

Flora heard Lloyd and Lee speak, but their voices fell by the wayside. She shut her eyes for a long moment and put two fingers to her forehead, trying to focus and get a feel for the land. "There's...." Something wasn't right. None of this felt right. What should have been a beautiful harmony of voices was anguished and discordant and absent. She turned to the left, heading for the nearest tree and gently laying both hands on the bark. Sickness and death crept into her and oozed from her skin, leaving her staggering on her feet and feeling as though she might be sick, but she would not let go, not until she knew what happened. This was nothing like she'd felt before. The trees...they all felt very ill, but their energy, though weak, was stagnant and unchanging. They were trapped in this state, and it felt as though they always have been. "There is something very wrong with this...this place." She swallowed thickly and stilled her shaking hands. She had to do something and quickly.

"Winx Sophix!" She cried out, but nothing happened. Maybe she should have expected it, but knowing that didn't make her feel any better or help things at all, even if she had to try.

'What has happened to all of you?' It was a question as much as a lamentation, but the former went unanswered. There had to be something that she could do, but maybe now was just not possible. Flora straightened and tried to find her strength again. There would be no clearing her head--ignoring what she heard, what she felt, would be impossible--but she couldn't let herself stop here.

[redcladidealist]

Lloyd exchanged an uncertain glance with Lee. All Flora had done was put her hands on the tree, but now she looked like she wanted to throw up. Had that technique she'd used affected her, too, the way his had drained him so badly? But he'd been certain his weakness had been caused by something Yuan did before Lloyd had even come to this place. Unless... Other people in this place were getting sick because of something the doctors did. What if that was what was happening to Flora?

Concerned, he made his way to her side, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Flora, are you all right?" At that moment, it didn't matter that he still felt so tired, that he just wanted to sit down and lean against that tree. Being tired was something he could recover from. If Flora was sick, that was something else.

He glanced at Lee again, shaking his head to ward off the other boy's worry. "I'll be fine," he said. At least he was catching his breath. That made it easier to try to pretend that he didn't feel that bone tiredness. He had enough stubbornness he was sure he could last a while before he needed to take a break. "We need to get out of here." His hand on Flora's shoulder looped around to the other, giving her support if she needed it. It was questionable how much support he could offer her. If she collapsed, he wasn't certain he wouldn't go down with her. Sometimes, though, it was more important that the offer was there. It helped, knowing people cared.

[awokentospring]

Even with a broken arm, Lee was perfectly capable of giving them both support. Assuming they didn't run into any monsters on the road. Then he might have to let them sit while he attempted to fight it off.

For now, though, he wasn't sure if pressing on was the best idea. If Flora was getting sick, and if Lloyd was too tired to move on, then it might be best to try again another night. Lee hated giving up in the middle of a mission but...

"Flora-san, if you cannot go on, we can return for now." He glanced at the road ahead of them and clutched at his shoulder with his scarred hand. Moving back over to the two, Lee gave them his full attention while trying to not appear to be in pain. "We could also continue on as far as we could and stop for the rest of the night if we find it necessary. Then, in the morning, we could try to find a medic once we reach a town..."

The air out here was clammy and stagnant. Even if they did stop for the night, rest would probably be mediocre at best. Someone had to be strong here and suggest carrying on, and Lee was just the person to do it! Though the others could veto his idea if they so wished.

[showmeyourwreath]

"No...no, it's not me, it's the trees. They're not well, I can feel it." Her Believix powers were limited and she didn't know the extent of her limitations, either, but she have taken might have been able to heal this forest on her own if she any of her Sophix abilities. It pained her, deeply and literally, but there was nothing that she could do about it, right now. Flora would be of little help with no power and little to call on after she exhausted what she had. She'd just have to endure it.

"Thank you, Lloyd. I'll be fine." Her voice did not waver and she stood straighter, grateful for the support. His touch did ground her a little, and it reminded her that she wasn't alone, she had people here that she didn't want to let down. "I can go on. I don't want our efforts to go to waste." And what efforts those had been so far, just to get a door open. Besides, while she could appreciate the reasoning behind a retreat and trying again, the Institute wasn't exactly a safe haven from what she understood, anyway. There was no telling what was waiting for them back there. There was some for what waited for out here, though. There were a lot of creatures and beings with all sorts of abilities, but hopefully some of them wouldn't be able to get the drop on them while she was around the trees, and at least out here they'd made some progress.

Flora eyed Lee's arm, concern evident. She knew nothing of the jutsu that he used, but it looked like it wasn't without its price, and she couldn't help but wonder how bad he actually was. They needed to get a move on, if they were going to take care of themselves. She pointed ahead of her and started walking again, carefully. She didn't want to get too far from either of them. "There's a town down this road." It had been what she'd tried to say earlier, before being overwhelmed. If they could find the right supplies there, she'd hopefully be able to help both of them. "I'm still not sure where this is exactly, though." The trees didn't, or couldn't, tell her that much. "We might be able to find some things there that will help us out along the way." Or at least some clue or other about where they were.

_{[To here]}