[closed] just as the light begins to fade to dark

[sparkstrikes]

Who: Lightning Farron & Zack Fair
When: When the thread happens
Where: Outside the city
What: Lightning takes on Wilde Quest #1, but there must have been some kind of mistake because why did she get paired up for the quest with this guy????
Warnings: N/A

[Having only been here less than a month, Lightning is still trying to find her bearings. Finding a suitable place to live hasn't been easy, nor has finding a job that pays well enough for the work. And good luck finding something she would enjoy doing. Needless to say, she's become a touch restless in the past few weeks that she's taken up some quests because might as well help where she can, despite the lingering sourness she feels towards the Coven.

It is what it is, though, and she's stuck here whether she likes them or not. So, after reassuring the very fussy Witch that she'd be just fine on her own and firmly stating that she didn't need or want to be supervised, Lightning set out to the Outer City with a face mask and a pair of gloves stuffed into her bag in case she'll need it.

It's not the infected she's interested in – there isn't a whole lot she can do to help them – but whatever it is that lurks outside of the city. It's dark out here, and quiet... so Lightning's steps are lighter than usual. She keeps her eyes sharp and her ears sharper, staying alert to anything that seems out of place. It was probably a bad idea to leave without waiting for whoever she was paired up with, but she's sure they'll find her in due time.

But as she's walking, she hears the snap of some dirt under a shoe, and she spins, gun drawn and aimed at whoever – or whatever – is coming up behind her.]

Comments

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack jolts and his ears ring with white noise when the bullet fires again. Zack wavers for a moment, barely standing on his own two feet. It's strange to think that he can usually handle a lot more pain than this. It must be the cwyld getting into his bloodstream.]

Hn...

[But with that last spark of magic the creature twitches. It tries to whip a tentacle at Lightning but before it can Zack's claws dig into black flesh again and it squeals. He tightens his grip and rips. Then it lets out a wheezing sort of noise before going limp.

It's over. Finally.]

Ugly bastard...

[Zack drops to a knee as his grip goes slack. The black sludge all around them starts to turn into white smoke like it's evaporating into thin air.]

[sparkstrikes]

[Lightning kicks the body out of the way and stomps across the smoke-covered ground towards him, and rather than kneel next to Zack, she stretches out a hand to offer him. He's hurt, and she's going to help him, but they really shouldn't be lingering for much longer.]

Get up.

[It's barked at him like an order, through clenched teeth, but there's some desperation and pain in the way she gives it. She can hardly look at them right now, but as she beckons to Zack for him to take her hand, she sees the dull veins of purple light pulsing beneath her skin, burning her insides. She has no time to dwell on that, however.

He looks like he's in a lot more pain which only pisses her off more, but she's not going to yell at a man while he's still on the ground.]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack lets out a wheezed cough before he tapers to his feet. He takes her offered hand because he's not hurt enough to let his pride show as such either. He staggers slightly before he gets his weight right with a flap of his wings. After a small, pained smirk in her direction...]

See what I mean about the magic?

[He probably shouldn't be playing 'i told you so' right now. Not when he can smell the burning sting of magic coming off of her like it is.]

... Let's get back to the wall.

[He reaches for her out of protective habit, arm going for hers to help support her too. Time to hobble back...]

[sparkstrikes]

[She is the worst person to play the 'I told you so' card with. She doesn't react to it, minus the annoyed click of her tongue because as far as Lightning is concerned, that's as much a response as it deserves. She realized quickly that magic was the best way to defeat it and she tried – goddamn it she did – but how the hell is she supposed to do anything about the pain it inflicted on her?

Fang's voice rings quietly in the back of her head, and she tries to push it away, distracting herself instead by slinging Zack's arm over her shoulder.]

And you to a hospital to get that looked at.

[The rest of their journey back to the city won't be an eventful one, and should he try to protest in any way against seeing a doctor, Lightning will have Words for him. At any rate, she'll stay by his side until they're both certain that he'll be okay.]