[IRP] The Dead One Calls

[WyvernSlayer]

Satsume's eyes were shut tight to combat the pain; the action and noise around him had finally dwindled.  He heard additional footsteps enter the room, accompanied by Eli's voice.  Satsume wanted to speak, but his brain remained fixated on containing the fire in his ribs.  His teeth refused to budge, so instead he nodded slightly to himself.

More noise nearby.  Satsume felt something on his left pauldron.

"Secure him for now."  It was Paige.  Satsume finally opened his eyes and watched as she looked him over.  Cecily soon joined on his opposite side, seeming to almost fall to her knees as she grabbed his arm.

"Are you-" Satsume struggled to say.

"I... suppose it is ironic our roles are reversed," she said.  "If you were having any dreams of me carrying you, they are sorely mistaken."

Satsume turned his head slowly to face her.  She had a look of... concern?  Worry?  There was a look in her eyes that he hadn't seen since the time she was poisoned and delirious.  Satsume looked down at his right hand, which had found its way into her lap, where she massaged it gently.  It was probably the first time in his life that the touch of a woman didn't result in him doing or saying something profoundly moronic.

Cecily must have eventually noticed his gaze, because she looked down at her lap, and the faint smile across her face faded.  Her face started to go pink.

"No, but... I could use some help getting up," Satsume finally said.  He raised his arm up over Cecily's head and set it gingerly across the back of her neck.  Then slowly, gently, he took his left hand away from his ribs and reached over across Paige's neck in the same fashion.  "Nice and easy..." he cautioned them.

The girls got to their feet and keeled down to prepare to lift him.

"Nnnnngggh....!"  Slowly, painfully - Satsume was lifted off the bandit leader's body, until he was finally able to prop himself up somewhat clumsily on Cecily before coughing out a painful breath.  "...I need a medic," he said.  "...and a vacation."  Looking back at Paige, he gestured towards his spear on the ground.  She returned it to him.

As he shuffled out of the room with Cecily's help, he made eye contact with the remaining bandit - the same one that had caused his injuries.

"Almost," Satsume growled with a smirk, before spitefully spitting a small mouthful of blood at his feet.

Cecily said nothing as the two of them made their way down the hallway and to the stairs.  Upon seeing the lack of a railing, Satsume groaned audibly.  But they made it down - somehow - and past the reception area to the exit.  Satsume was so focused on making it to the doorway so he could prop himself up for a rest that he didn't notice the trembling innkeeper in the corner.  Finally, finally, they were outside.

"Ffffuh..." Satsume's curse turned into an exhausted sigh at the sight of a massive armored figure standing a short ways away in the street.  One of Shad's lady friends lay cradled in its arms.  In front of the armored figure was a relatively slight woman with long black hair and some unreasonably gaudy jewelry.  Slowly, deliberately, he moved his weight off of Cecily and stood on his own feet.  His left hand settled back over his spear, still blood-caked from his earlier fight.  It was all a show, obviously - Satsume was in no condition to fight.  But it was his job to keep her safe.  He took a step in front of Cecily, his damaged armor clattering in disagreement as he shifted his body into a fragile, but mostly upright stance.

He said nothing as he held his spear - still collapsed - in his hand.  His tired eyes met the glare of the woman, as if to say "are you really going to make me do this again?"  Hopefully these two newcomers were friendly, and not the cause of Satsume's untimely demise.