1177/Overlord Diaries: Blood

Overlord Diaries: Blood
Date of Scene:	24 February 2024
Location:	Dorms #3
Synopsis:	Comes immediately after scene 1160/Overlord Diaries: Crisis. While caught in the middle of a magical conundrum, friendship is chosen over evil when emergency healing is required.
Cast of Characters:	Kano Watanabe, Natsu Oukanno, Amanda Faust, Mamoru Chiba, Jin Kishimura

---

Kano Watanabe has posed:
    "Higher priorities," is Kano's terse response to Amy while he stands there holding Jin, wrapped in blankets, in his arms, waiting for both the door to be opened by someone, and to know where he's going. "I don't know how serious this is, but if someone can't help with unusual methods, he's going to have to go in an ambulance, and every second we waste standing here is another second that the ambulance could have already been on the way."
    Though cold of appearance, with that white color pattern to his hair and pale skin, broken up only by deep blue eyes, he clearly has a great deal of emotion inside of him. He acknowledges that a life comes before maintaining a secret identity. Not exactly villainous behavior.
    "Also, a lot more people are going to find out if they saw that black bolt shoot down, directly into this dorm room, so we'll have to explain if we stick around."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    'Higher priorities'. One way of putting it. Natsu isn't entirely sure whether or not Amy has access to magic as well or if she's just in-the-know or what, but at least right now if it comes down to it, Natsu could probably kill her to maintain his secret. He has never killed anyone before, but with the amount of power flowing through him, and this body, he has no doubt he could accomplish it against someone who is not magically reinforced. It's just a matter of... Going through with it.

    "I can open a portal, if I know the destination. It could save explaining to anyone encountered in the corridors of this edifice. Not that they are owed any explanation, but their nagging questions might need to be ended with force, and that would in turn draw even more of them swarming to the scene, like the maggots they are." Natsu is, at least at the moment, as he speaks in such an archaic, villainous manner, in such a feminine, high-pitched version of his normal voice, totally unaware of the... Implications of what he is saying. Like it's normal.

    "I exort you to expediate the process of finding assistance." Maou says as she turns to face Amy, her red eyes glowing like blood inside of them is both very close to the surface and radioactive. "It would be in all of our best interests."

    Yeah. There's that Dark Energy influence. Practically warping the air around the Overlord. God, what have any of them gotten themselves into?

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Mamoru responded. They'll need to go meet somewhere--

    Kano and Natsu are talking about going somewhere. "Yeah, give me a moment to ask where we can meet."

    She's certainly not shaking in her boots from the Overlord's attention. Mildly annoyed at it, even. Maybe she does have power. Or maybe she, too, is just too focused on saving a life that may be in danger to care.

    She texts back and probably gets a reply quickly along the lines of that he's already in the boys' dorm. Her eyes widen at the realization -- she's so used to just assuming that the boys are staying in a different building from where she is, 'cuz she never comes here.

    She looks up at Kano, then Maou-ou. "He's already here, this is the boys' dorm! Are you gonna meet him like that, or...?"

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Mamoru responded. They'll need to go meet somewhere--

    Kano and Natsu are talking about going somewhere. "Yeah, give me a moment to ask where we can meet."

    She's certainly not shaking in her boots from the Overlord's words. Getting annoyed at them, even. Maybe she does have power. Or maybe she, too, is just too focused on saving a life that may be in danger to care.

    "You will not f---ing dare." She replies, eyes narrowed. "And if anyone tries to interfere in the healing just because you're here, I'll fight them myself." So much for hiding that she has magic, unless they conclude she must be a black belt or something.

    She texts back and probably gets a reply quickly along the lines of that he's already in the boys' dorm. Her eyes widen at the realization -- she's so used to just assuming that the boys are staying in a different building from where she is, 'cuz she never comes here.

    She looks up at Kano, then Maou-ou. "He's already here, this is the boys' dorm! Are you gonna meet him like that, or...?"

Kano Watanabe has posed:
    Kano just stares at Maou, supposedly a friend of his, with this sort of look of both surprise and realization as his eyes widen. He says nothing about the rant or threats or anything. He just turns his gaze back to Amy when the other redhead in the room confirms there's someone who can help and where they are. Thinking about how the thing he used to think was cool, in this situation, sounds bafflingly unnecessary at best and more than slightly unhinged at worst.
    He silently agrees with Amy that this is not the time, and smearing bystanders across the walls and ceiling isn't the correct course of action no matter what time it is. "Reverting at this point would draw even more attention. We should move." he says in that verbally grey tone. Neutral, but calming. Like moving through a cloud of numbing cold fog that removes the edge of panic because there's nothing specific for fear to latch onto.
    Kano adjusts his grip on Jin. Strong as Kano is, Jin is a big guy himself.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Maou frowns. It would be a cute pout, perhaps, if she were not transformed. That darkness and anger that is almost physically visible as it flows through her veins makes it just a visage of displeasure. "While there is nothing about my grandeur or this form that merits concealment, it is true that it would draw needless attention. I shall adjust, as a prince sneaking out of a palace might, to appear lesser than I truly am for the sake of avoiding detection."

    Then her black armor, cape, clawed gauntlets, and all the rest start reshaping and merging and melting together. A very basic long-sleeve shirt, black jacket, tie, black slacks, and black eight-inch heeled shoes. The horns stay, and there's nothing that can be done about the menace, Dark Energy, or overbearing arrogance of one who truly believes themselves far above everyone else.

    But if the answer to their need is nearby, then the details don't matter. Overlord Maou gestures and the door nearly tears off its hinges as it flies open, a chilling black flame limning the doorframe for a moment. "Lead the way. Our destination awaits."

    She does not press on the matter of the use of violence or any other objections. She has a deadline to keep, and that deadline is 'how long Jin will remain alive'. She does not know if this is that serious of a health issue, but it is the metric by which she is judging the efficacy of those around her in carrying out her wishes.

    And she does not appreciate failure.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Maou changes clothes. "Oh neat, you can do that too?" Amy dismisses her conjured shirt, a plain red T-shirt replacing it. It's unlikely Mamoru will somehow understand the pun and read into it something about Natsumi-- err, Maou, but. The atmosphere's a bit serious now for jokes anyway.

    She glances at her phone before pocketing it. Then looks to Kano. "He's coming here."

    She looks at the door expectantly.

    After a few seconds, she turns back to Maou-ou. "Wait, why didn't you use that before instead of running around in ill-fitting clothes?"

    After another moment, she pulls her phone back out and starts texting: 'BTW villain here. Truce for healing.' She may or may not be able to finish it and hit 'send' before Mamoru shows up.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And another teenager jogs into sight, though this one looks absolutely mundane. Black hair that's short back and sides (if fluffy), glasses, jeans, a black t-shirt that says 'you must be thinking of some other band' in pink lowercase letters, dress shoes--

--and his phone buzzes in his hand. He glances at it, but pockets it swiftly as he gets to the slammed-open door. "Where--?" he asks, businesslike, pushing up his glasses. And then, "That's a metric shitload of dark energy," he adds dubiously. "I don't think it'll interfere, I healed Riventon all right--"

Kano Watanabe has posed:
    Kano glances at Amy's phone, having had his attention drawn when she magicked her clothes, but can't see what's on the screen. Especially not before he hears footsteps in the hall, and a new person appears. He is holding a 5'6" young man in princess carry. That young man has dark skin and long white hair, there's blood on the sheets he's wrapped in, and he appears to be totally unconscious. Kano is the same height, roughly, with snow white hair, cobalt-blue eyes, light skin, and clearly some muscle if he can just carry someone who probably weighs as much as Kano himself does like that.
    Which one is the villain with the Dark Energy still emanating from them like radiation in a cartoon, except black and red and heavy instead of green, with two-headed animal carcasses scattered around? Well, it may be a surprise, but it's neither of the two tall guys (who aren't Mamoru, and are shorter than him). It's the pretty red-head (not the short one), in the suit and heels, with glowing red eyes, and HORNS PROTRUDING FROM HER HEAD.
    Kano Watanabe speaks in a calm, placid, neutral tone, with a slightly rough edge that reveals just how worried he really is. "Please help him."

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    She waits, arms behind her back, hands clasped together, despite her extreme impatience, upon hearing that the healer is coming here. Good. He should be. Yes, even with her aura not visible, it's like there's a lens focusing Dark Energy into the room directly from the Dusk Zone the way a magnifying glass might be used to focus light from the Sun.

    It's smothering. Not the POWER, specifically, because there was a man named Hematite who was much, much stronger, and had even more Dark Energy perhaps, but he mostly kept his INSIDE of himself. Overlord Maou just looks like she doesn't mind if she burns straight through the floor with nothing but the cold darkness she's generating. Hide her power? Why would she do that? She is no coward.

    She glances in mild annoyance towards Amy, that person she was, only minutes ago, feeling sorry for, and inviting in to play games with, because she empathized and could use another friend herself.

    And now she looks like she'd erase Amy from existence for questioning her if she could, even though the other redhead is HELPING HER SAVE A FRIEND.

    Dark Energy isn't just a drug, it's a poison, and it's already erroding Natsumi from the inside out. "Because I was not then transformed, obviously." she says dismissively, and then moves on as though the topic had never been brought up.

    Then Mamoru comes skidding to a stop in front of the wide open door she nearly planted into the wall, and her red eyes widen. She stares at the man before her. And slowly looks him up and down speculatively.

    Hopefully this isn't going where it's probably going.

Jin Kishimura has posed:
Jin is out cold, breathing slowly, his heart is racing but he's still out cold. A soft sheen of sweat comes off him, even though he's unconcious, the look of pain on his face shows his state.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's just standing in Natsu and Jin's dorm room, wearing a red T-shirt, her uniform skirt, and sneakers. Her field jacket and scarf is probably tossed on Natsu's bed right now, and the winter coat he's seen her in before is... wherever Natsumi doffed it after walking in.

    She gives Mamoru a quick wave, and a very slight smile -- the situation is still dire, and since she resisted his magic forming some kind of bond between them, she doesn't see him as the hero who will save her and make everything alright.

    "His roommate is out. This is his friend," she gestures to Kano, "and she's here too." She gestures to Maou, before leading in with a dry, clinical description like a nurse filling in the doctor who's come to see a patient.

    "He's had chronic headaches and nosebleeds, and just now, hallucinations. It sounds like he has a bad past with medical professionals before, so he hasn't sought treatment and really doesn't want to go to a hospital now. I told them Nurse Meiou is different but I don't think they believe me."

    "...I don't know how much medical knowledge you have, but if this is a brain thing, I don't have enough knowledge to tell if it's the 'hours to live' kind or the 'can go for years untreated' kind."

    Then she looks between Mamoru, Maou, and Kano awkwardly. Feels kind of bad to say their friend might be dying, but... Now is the time for seriousness.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
When Mamoru starts to see Jin, he blanches-- but no, that's not who he thought it was-- but wait. Wait. "Kishimura?!" Apparently the newcomer knows Jin! He hastily says, "Put him down carefully. Someone tell me-- Amy-san, yes, good, thank you." He has to make his way in past Maou and Amy, and around Kano, and he's absolutely a thousand percent distracted by 'injured guy' so any actual greetings anyone gets are perfunctory nods of the head.

Once Jin's someplace solid like the floor or a bed, the absurdly tall black-haired and bespectacled boy crouches next to him and gingerly puts a hand on his forehead as he listens to Amy explain. Then, distractedly, "Enough medical knowledge. I mean I'm sixteen but I can see it, and I've read enough textbooks..."

Anyone who can see can see the golden glow that surrounds Mamoru's hand in a bright and gentle nimbus. Anyone who can sense power can sense a fair amount in use here, and it doesn't wither under the miasma of black-red writhing Dark Energy filling the area, but it doesn't fight it either, not like purification would.

What Jin would feel if he were awake, which might seep into his unconscious: an instant lack of pain, as the first part's anaesthetic; a feeling of safety, of belonging, of the steadiness of bedrock and the golden warmth of a late summer afternoon, of the crisp clear calm of glacial meltwater--

What's really going on: Mamoru being Extremely Concerned because none of this damage has a single source, there's no evidence of a recent blow to the head, there's no evidence of an aneurysm, there's no... there are a lot of things he looks for and doesn't find. "Going to need a cloth under his head, and I can't let go at the moment. Help me get him on his side? Have to get the blood out so it stops exerting pressure. Haemorrhaging stopped for now. This is going to take a little bit, it's complicated, talk amongst yourselves."

Of course it's going to take a while, it involves brainmeats.

Kano Watanabe has posed:
    Kano sets Jin down carefully, but quickly, laying him out as he is instructed. He looks around for something he can put under Jin's head, without moving him, as he's helping to hold said head still. He extends one of his long legs behind him. He doesn't ask something stupid like, 'You know Jin?' because 1. Obviously this guy knows him if he recognized him and called him by name. And 2. Don't distract the healer.
    Kano manages to snag that coat that Natsu borrowed from amy, where it lies half-in and half-out of the bathroom, and draaaaags it over with the edge of his shoe, before very carefully moving it up close, and ever so gently lifting Jin's head to put the puffy winter coat under it. Whew! He can safely bleed on this! It's just some grandpa--uhh, uncle's old hand-me-downs, no big.
    He carefully sets Jin's head down, making sure he's secure for this magical treatment. Energy he wouldn't have been able to see at all until recently, he's sure, when he accepted that a pendant he was given by his friend might actually transform him and give him powers. If his head wasn't so messed up, it would have been a lot harder to convince him, and two huge parts of magic are belief and imagination. Or so he has decided, as a total newb to magic, who has never even touched the stuff, just Dark Energy. But he has watched enough anime to know that the path to actualizing your ideal self begins with visualization!
    And right now he is visualizing the heck out of this glowing golden aura, and he is far more fascinated with this than he was with the heady power of that other energy. It's not even him being targeted with it, and he still feels like this is more right than almost anything else he has ever experienced.
    And then he's lookin at Overlord Maou. At Natsu, one of his best friends. And he can't see anything but how wrong that power is anymore, no matter how it felt to use it. It's... He can't unsee it in his mind or heart anymore. His blue eyes look at Amy instead.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "Shit." Amy says, at the same time Mamoru says 'Haemorrhaging', as he's now provided enough information for her to work out that yes, what's going on right now is the Very Serious kind of thing. At least now that they know, they also know it's possible to at the very least buy time with surgery or magic, if they can't find a permanent solution yet. ...Right?

    She doesn't remember how quickly the brain will stop bleeding without in situ intervention, once they take the pressure off somehow. Or rather, she's never read that information in the first place. It might not. Does Jin need brain surgery?

    She's racing to start yanking Natsu's bedsheet then realizing she can grab a towel from the bathroom to catch the blood. She comes back to find Jin bleeding on "My coat!"

    Amy offers the folded towel to slide under Jin's head in place of the coat. Muttering, "Ugh, guess I'm cleaning up blood again today..."

    (Sorry about your towel, but it's okay, Amy's learned how to get blood out of things now! It was very important yesterday morning! And... today, apparently! Don't worry, Natsu, she'll teach you too! I'm sure that's very reassuring!)

    Only then does she realize Mamoru said the haemorrhaging stopped already, and relax and take a breath for a moment.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Mamoru does not need to push past the Overlord. She leans somewhat to permit it. Mamoru's reaction and recognition of Jin, and his focus on saving him, and the clear care being put into it... Start to penetrate the cloud of darkness in Maou's head. She... Glances up when Kano meets her eyes. She stares into the eyes of one of her closest friends, who is looking at her like she's a stranger. Like he's ashamed of her somehow.

    Anger flares up to replace the concern, but she manages to push it back down again. When he looks away from her, now she feels ashamed. Or at least guilty. Why? For what reason? Because someone who had always believed in her... In him, was...

    Overlord Maou turns away, as her hand morphs into a black armored gauntlet with clawed fingertips. She looks at it, turns it over. What she has sought after for all these years. When everyone else told her--him that he was wrong, that liking villains was dumb, that they deserved to lose, that they didn't see any problem with being scripted to fail just because that's waht people expected. And getting more and more weirded out as he became more vehement that he wasn't wrong, that villains were admirable, that they struggled just as much as heroes if not more, and never actually saw any reward for their actions. And that... That just... That never sat well with him. Not at all, until it became something he had to prove to others. That he was right, and the world was wrong, and he could do it all better if he were the one doing it.

    And then he raises his--her other hand, the one that still looks human. He looks between the two, neither one a hand he was born with. Neither one could do anything for Jin.

    Because she was scripted to fail.

    She clenches both hands tightly, the weakness fluttering inside crushed under self-confidence and obsession and the need for acceptance and understanding and for someone to just LISTEN to him, and both of those people are behind him, and one of them can't stand to look at him, and the other is in danger, and again this power he has searched for couldn't solve either.

    Again, both hands relax, open, and close, and open.

    She closes her eyes, letting the burning power inside of them fade a bit. Then he turns around, easily maneuvering in heels because of his transformation. He looks at the back of the healer's head, and he... She hears that voice, not some outside force whispering to her, but something undeniably part of her, that says, 'Kill him now. Jin is exendable. It's worth it to get rid of a skilled healer on the other side.' and another part that says, 'Wait until he's done healing. Then kill him.' and another that says, 'Leave it. Resolve other matters at another time.' and a final part that says, 'I should make him mine.' and the intensity of that last one, and the rush of emotions, is shocking enough that brings Natsu back to the surface, and he steps back until he bumps into the side of Jin's bed, pauses, and says two words, carefully, quietly, so as not to disturb the healer's attention.

    "Oculus Obscura."

    The dark energy evaporates from his body quickly, without any dramatic flair, just disappears into the air. It leaves him in--yes, unfortunately, he is still a she, wearing the ridiculous track pants and gift shop t-shirt, and all she can do is sit down before all the strength leaves her legs. Resting on the edge of Jin's bed, and watching, tiredly, wondering how much more of herself she is going to lose if she keeps doing this.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Oblivious to everything except the help getting something under Jin's head, the help turning him on his side, Mamoru is still and silent when he doesn't ask for anything or explain anything. He continues to crouch motionlessly there, fluffy hair harmless and undefended--

He shifts after a long moment, knees going to the floor so he can sit back on his heels and continue. He's still silent, and blood does drain from the channels made when he was bleeding visibly before-- but Mamoru doesn't look worried, just intent on his work.

Finally, though Jin still looks distinctly greyish, that shocky look has gone away and the external bleeding has stopped. And Mamoru takes his hand away, looking exhausted himself, and he takes a deep breath, only a little ragged.

Then, "Okay. He needs cleaned up, damp washcloths or something, just to get the blood off his head... I need to sit down for a little while."

He says this and then sits right there on the floor before scooting back and to the side, so he can lean his back against the side of Jin's bed. He is right next to Natsumi, yes. "He'll be okay. There's old damage there that he will need to have seen to, like, by actual specialists who have studied neurology. But the pressure's off and the bleeding's stopped and he'll be okay."

Jin Kishimura has posed:
    Jin doesn't know what's going on, though in his head has stopped hurting the bleeding from his nose stopped. Jin's breathing has calmed and his heart isn't racing. Though the pain faded due to whatever Mamoru did and now more and he has fallen into a quiet sleep for the time being. He see glimpses of something in his mind, or is it a dream, he doesn't know.

Kano Watanabe has posed:
    Kano doesn't have a lot of really close friends. Natsu, and Jin, and that's... Basically it. He doesn't know if he almost lost one of them this night, and he feels like he still might lose the other if he doesn't say something... Privately though. "Is he safe to move?" Leaving him on the floor seems dangerous, and he doesn't want Jin waking up in a hospital or nurse's office after whatever medical trauma he expressed.
    He closes his eyes and slowly breathes out, letting his tense shoulders relax. These aren't the words he needs to be speaking right now.
    He opens his eyes and raises his head, and looks at the exhausted Mamoru and Amy who brought him here, and that ice wall he has up around all his emotions except anger melts a bit. "Thank you," he says sincerely. "If there is any way to repay you, just let me know. You deserve more than just my gratitude, both of you."
    With Jin resting, Kano gets up after a moment, realizing how weak his own legs are, like rubber, from finally relaxing, and manages to stagger over to the bathroom, grab a hand towel, wet it, and then stagger back towards Jin. He saw Amy had a towel too, so offers her the damp towel so he can go get the other one ready too. "Did you know?" he says, laughing quietly out of sheer overwhelming fatigue. A sleepiness high. "Yesterday I thought I knew how the world worked. Now I realize I know nothing."
    Magic, mystic healing, portals, transformations, and... And so much he still hasn't actually processed yet. He feels the weight of the pendant bouncing against his collar bone with every movement. Tht black stone in a gold setting that looks like a samurai helm. Power right there, to change the world as he sees fit. It weighs on him, feels heavier and heavier the longer he leaves it dangling from around his neck.
    As soon as his hands are free and he has a moment to sit down across the room on Natsu's bed, Kano gets the awful thing off him, and stares at it as it dangles innocently, glittering black, no sign of its true nature except that insidious desire to put it back on and use it again.
    "You all ever see the Lord of the Rings?" he asks dully. Then he raises his eyes to look at the two on/against Jin's bed, and Amy, and then Jin on the floor. And he tosses amulet aside for now. He hopes he doesn't need to explain the reference, because he hasn't the energy.

Natsu Oukanno has posed:
    Natsumi's lower lip rises a bit defiantly as she listens to everyone taking the necessary steps now that the crisis has passed, and then Kano making that particular comparison. Does he really not get it? How can Kano not see it?

    Natsumi looks at the toussle-haired young man on the floor next to her, and feels her own Oculus Obscura practically burning a hole in her... Well, she has no pockets, so she put it somewhere. And it feels like a dagger of ice is working its way towards her heart because of it. "What he said," she says tiredly. Then, forcing herself to say something more, "There aren't many people in this world I care about. Jin is one of them. You saved him in his hour of need. This... May be a strange question to ask right now, but..." She turns slightly. 'Would you like to be friends with us too?' 'Would you join me in taking over the world?' 'How can I get rid of this awful cursed object resting down the front of my shirt right now?' She expects another line of thought, another inner voice, like last time. That passion-filled, terrifying voice of extreme need, for things that Natsumi has never imagined she ever wanted.

    In the end, she chooses to remain cautious. Boring. A coward. "...Once Jin has recovered, would you like to come play on the GameStation with us?" She smiles despite herself.

    One step at a time.

    One step.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy scrubs the bit of blood on her coat with a cold washcloth in the bathroom as best she can, then sits on Natsu's bed to just. Rest and decompress for a bit while Mamoru finishes his work.

    And eventually, he does finish. "So, you know him?" Amy wonders, although she won't press further if he just gives a tired, brief answer for now.

    She helps wipe blood off Jin with the damp towel. Chuckling at Kano's comment. "What a mood. I made sure to get a broad education in science, and it turns out either everything I learned was wrong or I was focusing on the wrong things..." She lets out a long breath. Pheeewww.

    "Yeah. I've seen it." Her eyes follow the tossed amulet. She doesn't make a move for it, but she tries to remember where it is, in case that's important later.

    Amy continues cleaning Jin off, and eventually takes all the damp, bloody towels back to the bathroom. If there's a tub she'll use that, otherwise she'll try to make do with the sink.

    She comes back out and gets salt packets from her coat pockets. "We'll need baking soda too, from the kitchen. Or does the boys' dorm not have one?" She'll go and get it, if no one else does, while the towels soak in cold salt water.

    When she returns, she looks between the screen and Kano. There will be gaming, but not today.

    "...I didn't have a grimoire merge with my body, but magic turned out to be real and life has never been the same since. Everything that happens is a reminder, every day. I don't get to ignore it, or not think about it. If you ever need someone to talk to..." She turns the system and TV off. "Well, that's something I can do, at least.

    She takes a step towards the door, then stops and looks to Natsumi. "So. What now? Are you staying here, or...?"