Do Not Go Gentle

[Aster]

Orion was out in the roughlands for an awfully long time, wading through the brush and scouring for white rocks. If he hadn’t been looking over his shoulders the whole time, it would’ve been kinda pleasant. The desert was beautiful, in its own kind of way.

Shame he was here to die.

He didn’t hear any death throes on his excursion, so after a while he returned with a decent assortment of rocks in his hands—only to find that Nora had already found some.

“Uh,”

Shit, Orion didn’t mean to broadcast that to the whole group.

”I…found some more quartz, I’m pretty sure. For later.”

Orion shoved the rocks in his pocket, and after a beat, decided to take it off altogether. Crawling through the desert had him sweating like a fucking pig. He plopped down on the ground next to his pack, sticking his hand into it and pulling out the first water bottle he could feel.

Glug, glug, glug.

[PlatFleece]

It had been a short while later, after Lucine made the basics for a campfire along with the other two that she had decided to check in on Orion. She was showing how to properly light the fire and shrubs, which, unless you watched some survival shows or knew firsthand, you'd probably mess up. This wasn't a situation where you would want to mess this up.

Orion hadn't called back in a while, so Lucine decided she was going to check up on him. "Just going to grab some extra quartz," she said as she headed towards where she remembered he took a break.

She had no idea what had transpired in the few moments she chose to separate from him.

[Aster]

The bottle was empty before Orion had even realized he’d finished it. When was the last time he had a cup of water? It must’ve been at breakfast, before the trip; an eternity ago, as far as he was concerned.

He shivered as he rummaged through his bag for another bottle, sipping on it much slower this time. At first, he was keeping an ear out for anything—or anyone—out of the ordinary, but he couldn’t help but appreciate how serene the desert was. All he could hear was the others, and it sounded like they were trying to start the fire.

Orion stood up, and winced as his vision blurred. The next thing he knew he was splayed on his back, staring up at the sky. At nobody else.

Shit.

[AnimeNerd]

Okay! They had fire! They weren't going to freeze to death in the desert! Hallelujah!

Lucine showed Joel and Nora how to make a fire, and though he didn't think he'd need it, he listened anyway, paying attention more than just nodding along. Never look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.

Lucine got up, supposedly to grab more quartz, and Joel nodded. He wasn't sure if he believed her, but he was pretty sure it didn't matter. His attention was on the fire. Paying attention to it to make sure it stayed a good size, stayed healthy. His own piece of quartz sat in his criss-crossed lap, ready to be used if they needed to start another fire. It seemed like everything was going to be fine and dandy for the night.

He jumped a bit at the sudden sound from the direction Lucine had gone. The sound was familiar. You don't take care of five siblings without hearing that kind of sound. Hell, you don't do gymnastics for as long as he has without hearing someone fall at some point.

Joel glanced to Nora before his eyes went to where the sound came from.

"You...you heard that too, right?"

The rock was in his hand now. His grip didn't turn his knuckles white, but that didn't make it any less tight.

[KamiKaze]

Nora flinched. She’d been holding a piece of quartz, also sitting criss-crossed, when the sound happened.

“Yeah… I… heard it,” she murmured.

She looked to the side for a second.

Lucine had been, so, so helpful in showing them how it was done. And then, she’d wandered off, and before they knew it, there was a thud. Nora put her own piece of quartz down.

Breath, breath.

But her heart was racing.

Closed her eyes. Opened them again.

“You don’t… do you… want to check that out, do you?”, she asked.

Nora wasn’t feeling good.

[PlatFleece]

It was only a few seconds that Lucine saw him, but it felt like forever... the way he was just... splayed on his back, staring at the sky.

"Orion? Hey, Orion?" Lucine quickly rushed to his side, but stumbled forward and crashed onto the ground. She was tired and shocked. She couldn't help herself. Her hands felt numb and her head felt like it was spinning. Why wasn't he responding? Why was he just laying there?

Focus, Lucine she told herself as she stood back up. As she did, her hand brushed on a discarded water bottle that she was just slightly filled with water at the bottom, and the moment she used that as support to stand up, a wealth of information snapped in her mind.

Information that she couldn't believe she was absorbing. Two and two put herself together. If that water bottle had been there, and Orion was just there, and he just... fell down.

Lucine gulped. She had to accept that... the worst is happening. But now comes the other realization. Who could have even gotten their hands on toxins from a lizard like this? It wasn't as though--

Oh god... Nora.

[Aster]

It took him a moment to recognize the face in front of him.

“Lucine. Lucine What the fuck is happening please tell me what’s happening.”

[AnimeNerd]

Before Joel could even breathe an answer out, another thump had sounded from Lucine's direction. He was on his feet a second later, staring. His grip on the rock was white knuckle tight now. He didn't even try to wipe the grimace off of his face.

Two options.

He could run. Joel could grab Nora's hand, take their shit and run. If it was a threat, they would be safe. They would live to see another day so long as it didn't give chase. But it would mean abandoning Orion and Lucine. He didn't know much about either of them, but if they had any chance at living, he'd definitely feel guilt over leaving them to die. It would haunt him until the day he died-which he was uncomfortable realizing could be in the next few days.

Or he could follow. Go where Lucine had gone and see what was going on. Maybe she'd run into Orion or someone else, and they were both just tripping over rocks or something stupid. Maybe one of them had been injured and the other collapsed to their knees to help them. Or it could be someone had just attacked both of them and were getting ready to kill them. It could be dangerous, and if it was Joel knew couldn't get help from Nora-maybe if he got injured he could trust her with patching up injuries, but her winning in a fight? He doesn't see it happening.

Wait, fuck, how long was standing there like a dumbass? Move, idiot, move!

"If you hear screaming, just...just run and don't look back, okay?"

He didn't wait for confirmation before he took off. The sound hadn't been far away, but he sprinted nonetheless. He felt like his own heart was switched with a hummingbird's, beating so fast it might just stop from overexertion. It could be nothing, or it could be something life ending. Joel never was the one to deal with Lady Luck, only tip her scales one way or another, so doing this was new ground he didn't like.

He found them. It didn't take him too long. But the way Orion looked, and the look on Lucine's face...

The stress and panic was coming in waves now.

Joel ran forward, falling to his knees next to Lucine, looking for the wound. The blood. The something he could start trying to fix, because if anyone might be able to do something it was him, and he needed to do it, and...and...

Where was the wound?

"What-what the Hell happened? What can I do-what do I need to do?"

He didn't even know who he was talking to this time. He just needed someone to tell him what was wrong. He needed to do something and he needed to do it now.

[KamiKaze]

Someone had to die. That was a fact.

The announcement still echoed inside her head. If no one died by the end of the day, she– the owl woman– would start killing people at random.

Nora touched her neck in thought. The collar felt cold to the touch.

She didn’t want to die.

She didn’t want to die, not like this.

Her mind kept going back to the bottle she had in her bag, and then, when she was alone, she saw her opportunity.

Another bag, just sitting out.

It was lucky no one noticed the swap.

Nora felt sick to her stomach, knowing what she did. Nora wondered if it’d be the first bottle grabbed, or if another one would be picked first.

So, when Lucine and Joel ran off, with the resulting sound of panic, Nora had an idea of what happened.

She knew what the effects of her own toxins were.

Nora stood up, and took a few steps towards Lucine’s and Joel’s frantic voices. A tremor ran up and down her body.

[Aster]

“I don't know I don't know I don't fucking know I just drank some water and now I can't move or think and it's getting cold...

...am I dying?”

[PlatFleece]

"H-Hey, stay calm okay, Orion? Joel, you stay with him... I-I'm going to go get help." Lucine steadied her voice, trying to keep as calm as possible. In truth, how could she? She knew exactly what had happened and how, but not why. She had to desperately find out why.

She ran over to Nora, hoping that Joel could maybe use his Gift? Does it work that way? Lucine didn't know. All she knew was that the poison was lethal, and Orion had ingested it. Damn... Damn it!

Lucine then stopped by in front of Nora, who was just... walking slowly towards her. How was she feeling? Guilty? Horrified? Both?

"Nora... we need to talk."

Lucine headed out, away from the Roughlands. Joel wouldn't want to hear this, so she had to be out of earshot for now. She hoped Orion would be okay, but knowing what she had just absorbed...

...She didn't want to think about that.

((Lucine Everett continued in Regrets, I've Had a Few))

[KamiKaze]

Lucine ran up to her, and… and…

Nora’s breath stopped.

“Talk? Uh… uh…?”

‘Talk’ wasn’t something that was generally a good thing. Did she figure it out? Did she… know about the swap?

A full body tremble.

“Maybe… somewhere else? Ah…”

She turned and took a few steps away.

((Nora Moriarty continued in Regrets, I've Had a Few))

[AnimeNerd]

This…this wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t fucking happening.

It was…bad, he knew it, anyone that tried to deny it was just denying reality, but…dying? Someone he knew, even if only from afar? Dying, right in front of him, with Joel helpless to stop it?

It was not happening.

“No, you’re-you’re gonna be okay, okay? You just…you just need to get up on your feet, you know? Exercise and persevere, you know?”

Joel leaned down, grabbing Orion by the shoulders, arm behind his neck. Then he pulled. He may have been small, but he made up for it in muscle. Orion was taller than him, but he could manage.

“You can get through this. You just gotta-gotta put one foot in front of the other. Or-or just keep swimming, right?”

His shoulders hurt from the weight, but he barely noticed. His mind only on Orion and how he was taking this. He still hadn’t even noticed Lucine had left. It was just him and Orion.

“Let’s-let’s just get to the road, okay? It’s not too far, just need to take a few more steps. Show that you’ll be okay, okay?”

Step, step, step.

[[They walked to the road]]