Friend Drama

[fragileandsoft]

Bc we just can't stop

Comments

[unrecovered]

At least the dad jokes made him feel better. Everything was about as far from normal as it could possibly have been, even by Freesia's standards for normality, and anything that could be used as a grounding force was going to help.

Plus, he caught Ellieek's friend smiling through the pain. Looked like the jokes were helping her too; as far as he was concerned, that was carte blanche.

It also wasn't a priority. Vines lashed out at the bat Nox, already trying to take wing again, and bound it to the ground, struggling and shrieking. He glanced behind him briefly, just long enough to make sure that Ellieek and her friend were on their feet and following him - and they were, despite Ellieek's fear and distrustful glances and her friend's temporary blindness - and then continued forward.

The next Nox to recover from its pollen-induced blindness sprinted towards them, snarling. A sharp gesture sent a clump of vines, propelled by wind, into the Nox's legs, tangling its paws together like a bola and sending it sprawling to the floor. A second clump of vines bound its mouth together as it snarled. The Nox might be ineffectual now, but he still gave it a wide berth as it struggled - no sense taking chances.

The vine bolas were working well enough, and he continued to hurl them at Nox in their path, still blinded and therefore mostly stationary targets. It wasn't going to stay this simple but for long, but he was determined to take advantage of the situation while it did.

[fragileandsoft]

Ellieek made small whimpering noises as she guided her friend around the bound creature, footsteps halting as though afraid it could break free. His teeth grit, anxiety churning his stomach, but he keeps his voice low and steady as he speaks to her. "Nearly there, girls. Keep moving, you'll be fine."

A look around told him the pollen was beginning to disperse; he can see the dark shapes shifting through the cloud, and it won't be too long until they can see him too. There's too many Nox around to take on at once without this advantage, so he pulls on his magic again. All he needed was get these girls past this hoard, and he could figure out what--

The shriek cuts through his thoughts.

The Nox had waited until his focus had shifted to call up more magic, and leaped on the defenseless girls. Even as he realized what happened, the dark and serpentine shape dragged Ellieek down and across the ground, back into the pollen--where he wouldn't be able to see her, to save her, without exposing them to all the rest.

Her friend staggered into him, still half-blind and hastily shoved aside from the attack. She grasped at him, clutching where his shirt peeked from under his armor, murmuring quiet "oh god"s and "oh no, oh please"s. All around them, Nox voices began to hiss and whisper.

"slow_{still slowtoo slow, still too slow}after all^{even like that}_{not even nownot then}together and aloneyou can'tthis is all?"

Panic settled cold into his gut, but even as the vines curl up around the young woman he leaned down to whisper to her. "I've got you." She let out another startled gasp as she's pulled up onto his back--fully grown, but easily carried, tied close to him with protecting vines. "I'll take care of this," he assures, desperately hoping it's the truth, and clears the air to rush after Elliek.