Honest Mistake ( open )

[Yurie Van-Houseton]

He slid behind the rotten tree trunk, drinking up what air he could into his lungs now that he had the chance. The chase had been long lasting, honestly it’s nothing short of a miracle that he’s stayed in one piece for as long as he has. Those two Razors almost got the best of him, slicing into his cheek and shoulder when he didn’t move back fast enough. Thankfully he got rid of one and, well this could go either way, lost the other somewhere along the way. Day had turned into night before he had realized it while running. A dangerous time to be out so deep into the area surrounding the abandoned village. This place was already hard enough to navigate alone for him in daylight. Now he had to make it back with only the moon and stars as his light? It wasn’t impossible, just … tiring and impractical. More so with his ankle as limp and swollen as it was. He must have twisted it along the way.

“No point in whining now.” He told himself with a long suffering sigh. Using the dead tree, he pushed himself back up. Wiggling his fingers, clenching and unclenching his fist, he estimated how much power he had left. The black and deep purples, reds, and blues, with cosmic latte stars that freckled his arms, making them look like he’d dipped them into the furthest parts of the universe, only reached just under where his elbow was. Not bad, not great either but not bad. He could get by with it. If he didn’t use up anymore and waited just a bit to regain some from the stars, he’d have enough to go Supernovae, which would make this trip back home about ten thousand times easier.

As he conjured a staff to help support his weight while he carefully limped back towards the city and fight off the pipsqueaks he knows are lurking about, he wondered if anyone else would be out and about at his hour. He had told the higher ups what part of the woods he’d patrol tonight and for how long… didn’t mean that they would send out anyone if he stayed past the deadline but… Busy as they’ve been it was just tough to have enough Chasers to go around. Still, it never hurt to send out an SOS signal. Yurie might be prideful at times but he also knows when he was a little too close to digging his own grave if he didn’t get some help soon.

Just as he used his power to set out the signal – a bright star so close that would only , he shoved himself to the ground as a Razor swooped down on him. A burst of pain bloomed when he landed on his ankle in just the worst way. Of course this would happen. He grit his teeth until the pain subsided just a tad. Stay calm. Stay calm. He repeated the mantra, trying to focus on what he could do now. "Shit!" He quickly conjured up a shield to block the Razor's attack. It wouldn't last long at this rate though.  

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    The moon shone down on the Village, the abandoned homes casting long misshapen shadows across the Field, shading the tall grass as it bent under the force of the wind. The night was chilly, but to see the sky at night, away from the bright lights of Argi city was truly beautiful. The stars twinkled high above, sparkling brightly in an intricate dance across the sky. It made you think of how vast the universe was and what could be hiding out there in the cosmos. A smile alighted on a young girl’s face as she gazed into the sky, sighing happily while she dreamed of adventure. It wasn’t her first time venturing out into the wilderness at night, but it always surprised her how many more stars you could see when you got away from the city.

    Taking a deep breath, she tore her eyes away from the moon and scanned the area. She knew it was dangerous, especially at night, but she couldn’t help herself. The grass brushed against her legs, almost reaching her waist as she began to sprint through Field. The wide open space was perfect for running and she loved coming here. It was peaceful and quiet, far from the city full of people. As she neared the Abandoned Village, she reached out with her telekinesis, feeling for anything in her path that might trip her or block her way. It seemed a clear shot into the Village and she ran faster, letting out a whoop of joy and giggling as she neared the other side.

    As she approached, sounds of battle reached her ears and a bright light appeared in the darkness. Someone was in trouble and she wanted to offer assistance if needed. She quickly and quietly made her way towards the sound, careful to keep an eye on her surroundings. When she finally reached the source of the noise, she gasped and stopped in surprise. Her brother Yurie was fighting a Razor, and it looked like he was losing. After shaking herself out of a daze, she rushed over to him grabbing his arm to make sure he was steady and checking him over to make sure he had no fatal injuries.

    “Yurie are you okay? Oh my god you’re hurt, do you need to go to the hospital?”

    She fussed over him, ignoring the attacking Razor and sending out a force field with her telekinesis. She wasn’t sure how long it would last, but it would have to do for now. Her eyes were wide with panic and worry as she rambled on, continuously asking if Yurie was okay.

[Yurie Van-Houseton]

Yurie couldn’t say he wasn’t beyond the moon ecstatic when he felt a warm hand around his arm holding him steady. He only wished it wasn’t his own sister looking up at him, checking him for any injuries, seeing the blood on his cheek and shoulder. “Nicolette?” This was bad. Very bad. That sinking feeling in his stomach was starting to settle and gnaw at him. He had to keep her safe. What was she even doing here!? And he asked her such. “Why are you out so late? Nicolette. Hey!” He strained to keep his voice calm and even while trying to get her attention to focus on anything but his wounds. This late at night, there was no way that this was her time to be out hunting, she wasn’t even a full Chaser. She shouldn’t be out here.

Nicolette fretted over him while he thought of what they needed to do next. The Razor kept on trying to slice through the barrier his little sister had set up. “I’m fine. Really.” He tried to assure her. “It’s ok. It’s ok.” They were just superficial gashes, the blood probably crusted over it by now. Nothing he couldn’t endure until they got back to the city. His ankle was probably what would be slowing them down tremendously. “C’mon we have to get out of here.” There was no way in hell that he was going to risk fighting the Razor with Nicolette here. Chaser Student or not, he’d rather have her nowhere near the Darkness as much as possible until she was a bit older and a lot more experienced. Actually he’d rather she not get involved at all but that was her choice.

Whatever, focus on what you can do, he thought to himself. The bad thing was that it was a Razor. A Brute they could handle easy since those things were slow and they could avoid it a lot better. With what they had now? They’ll be lucky that they don’t get shredded up. He didn’t have enough energy to turn to his second form, he might not even have enough to conjure up more than two good sized weapons. He shattered away the staff and ate up whatever little energy it had left back into him. No other choice but to run on a hurt foot at this point. “We’ll hide in the village for now.” Just long enough for the Razor to lose sight of them would be more than helpful. Even if a majority of those abandoned houses probably have a couple of Pipsqueaks and Troublemakers lurking in them. “On the count of three, I want you to let down the shield and make a run for the village. I’ll be right behind you.” He promised.

He waited for the right moment. “1… 2… 3!” As the shield went down, Yurie staggered the Razor with a hit from a bright star. It wasn’t enough to get rid of it, but bought them time to get out of its way. “Go go go!” He urged his sister, nudging her forward as they ran towards the village. The older male kept his eye on the stunned Razor behind them and allowed Nicolette to pick the building they’d use for their first cover.

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    Nicolette couldn’t breathe, she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Yurie was injured and it didn’t look like there was anything she could do about it. He had cuts and bruises in multiple places and his ankle seemed hurt. She knew it was easy to be harmed in this town, but she never dreamed it would happen to someone close to her. It made her dizzy to think that she lose a family member as easily as anyone else, in fact, it made her downright sick. She repressed the urge to be collapse as her mind conjured up different situations where she could lose someone important to her, she focused instead on the task at hand. Looking up at her brother’s face, her vision cleared and she realized he had been shouting at her. His words finally registered in her brain and she shook her head to clear her mind, so she could think easier.

    “I- I snuck out to hang out in the field, I was going to practice my powers.I hadn’t gotten the chance to in a while so I came out here to hide away from the busy city. I never expected to find you out here, especially not like...this.”

    She swallowed hard, refusing to let herself be sick at a time like this. She needed to get her brother to safety and as he promised several times that he was alright, she took deep breaths to calm herself. Once she was able to think straight again, she looked at their surroundings, there were plenty of buildings to hide in, but they all seemed too far away. The adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her a boost of courage and she lightly squeezed her brother’s arm for reassurance. She was ready to form a plan, but it seemed that was not necessary, Yurie was ready and he informed her of what to do. Nodding along, she readied herself. Though he seemed to think that she had to drop the shield for them to run, clearly he didn’t know as much about her power as he thought. She could easily move it along with them, as it didn’t require much energy once it wasn’t taking such a beating. Though she didn’t like it one bit, she knew she’d have to let go of his arm for him to be able to run. She adjusted her position, moving one leg behind the other so, she could push off easier. Tensing her muscles, she waited for his signal.

    As soon as Yurie said go, she pushed off her back leg and ran off, had this been normal circumstances, she would have sprinted ahead, laughing at her victory against her brother, but this was not the case. She frequently peeked back at him to make sure he wasn’t falling behind, or hadn’t been tackled by the Razor, but his attack seemed to have stunned it for now. When she reached the nearest row of houses, she veered left and turned her head again, still keeping a close eye on her injured brother. He seemed to be allowing her to pick their hideout since she was more physically capable at the moment and that was perfect. She knew the ideal place to go. She had seen another girl from Argi, older and not a Chaser, coming and going from a smallish, two story building a bit farther ahead. She had snuck in one time after the girl had left and seen that the house was clean and fully stocked with food and water, there was even a bed in the upstairs bedroom. She just hoped that they could make it there before the Razor regained its senses.

    “Yurie, there’s a house up here that’s much safer than any of the others! It’s just a little bit farther! Please hurry up, I don’t want you to get hurt!”

    Sadly, her fears came true when her force field sensed the Razor coming up behind her brother, it seemed to be almost limping, if that was even possible for a Darkness. It was still fast though and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold it off with her force field long enough for her brother to catch up to her. She reached the house and turned around, relinquishing her the shield, she took a deep breath and gathered all her strength. Concentrating as hard as she could, she honed in on the Razor and grabbed on to it, stopping it abruptly. Thinking back to her experience with Sparrow, she lifted it slowly off the ground,but the weight of the creature made her waver and she grunted in frustration. If she could just hold on to it long enough, Yurie could reach the house and they could get inside, and get him patched up. She grit her teeth and lifted it higher, holder her arms out for a longer reach.

    “Y’kow, for a creature made of what looks to be shadows, you’re pretty heavy. Guess that’s one of the perks of being solidified Darkness.” She said sarcastically.

[Yurie Van-Houseton]

Yurie vaguely wondered why he had to have a sister that seemed to get into the worst trouble. Not that it was her fault or anything. Just wrong place, bad timing. You brat, you shouldn't be coming anywhere near this village, was on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to scold her, warn her, chide her. But those feelings were completely overshadowed by the fact that he absolutely needed her to be safe. What if he couldn't? What if she vanished? What if he hadn't been around and she had run into a swarm on a different night? He could feel dread and fear starting to gnaw at him. Quickly he pushed the emotion away from his mind, he couldn't let that Razor feed off any sort of ill feeling he had. It would only make things worse. 

He followed Nicolette. it was hard to keep up. Each step on his right leg sent a shearing awful pain through him. But he knew that the moment he gave up and curled into himself, that Razor would be right on him. And if that happened then Nicolette would be alone here and he couldn't ... he couldn't leave her like that. He can't. He refused to. Biting the inside of his cheek, he tried keeping his focus on reaching the house that his little sister said was safer than the others. "Don't look back! Keep going!" He called back at her each time she worried over him. He can't let her get hurt. He can't. He can't. 

Distracted by his worries, he didn't feel or hear the Razor come up behind him until it had nearly been too late. He'd miscalculated, if only just by a little bit. The thing should have been stunned for a few seconds longer. It should have been slowed by its injuries just a little bit. At first he braced for impact and that horrific piercing pain to bloom through his chest he knew accompanied a Razor's attack, but... it never came. 

When the older male looked back, the Darkness was being held in place by his sister's powers. While impressed by her skills he hurried it up to her side, worried that this was too much strain on her. "Get in get in." He urged her, opening the door and nearly pushing Nicolette inside. He slammed the door behind him and leaned back on it, sliding down to the ground. They made it just barely. 

The thing would be looming outside for a while, the house seemed sturdy enough that it wouldn't come crashing in without them knowing. For now they had this safe haven. He ran his hand over his face, utterly exhausted now that the adrenaline left his body. "We almost died." A sound somewhere between a laugh and a sigh left his lips.

He glanced over to Nicolette. "C'mere..." He motioned her over. When she got closer, he checked her over for any injuries before making her sit next to him and letting him hold her much smaller hand in his bruised bloodied ones. In a few minutes, Nicolette will start fussing over his wounds and whatever but she knew how he felt about losing anyone to the Darkness. She knew that he needed the few seconds to process that she's really here and it's ok. That the Razor didn't get to her and they're safe. That she wasn't missing like Aylin was. His hands shook slightly and tightened their hold the smallest bit.

Eventually he let out a deep breath and let go of her hand. "Sorry." He pushed himself up off the floor, the pain in his ankle shooting up through him again got him wincing but he ignored it in favor of looking around the room they were in. "... How did you know this place was here?" It looked nothing like the inside of the other houses in the abandoned village. It's like... someone lived here.

"Also..." He flicked her forehead. "Do not come to the village on your own... or ever really." He scolded her like the older sibling he was. "You're lucky I'm not telling mom and dad."  He really should tell them but... considering he's out here too... "When the Razor leaves, we'll move out to the next house and just jump from house to house til we get closer to the city." That should be enough time for him to regain some energy. Nicolette might have enough to keep a shield on them but it's just a better option to avoid the Razor for as long as possible. And that's counting on it not bringing reinforcements.  

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    Yurie made it to the door and pushed her inside, as soon as she was in and the door was shut, she dropped the creature and blew out a breath of relief and exhaustion. Who knew using her powers could be so tiring. Her poor brother must be in so much pain, after all, he’d just run quite fast on an injured leg. Those bruises didn’t look to good either. She wanted to start on his wounds immediately, but she knew he needed to reassure himself that she was safe. Ever since his friend disappeared he’d been extremely cautious, always making sure that she and Isidore were safe. She looked at him worriedly, judging whether or not he was good enough to make it back home. He then pointed out the obvious and she laughed sharply.

    “Well that’s quite obvious Yurie, you say that as If I wasn’t there just a moment ago.”

    When he gestured for her to sit by him, she happily obliged and allowed him to take her hands in his. She was glad he was okay, she didn’t know what she’d do if she lost her brother. She’d probably go mad, or become too overcome with grief to do her duty as a Chaser in training, or Chaser. Whatever she’d happen to be at that time. She leaned on him and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Her hands in his were reassuring, and she relaxed slightly. Suddenly, his hands began to shake and he tightened his grip on her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, he seemed a bit shaken and she understood why. When he let go of her hands, he asked the question she had been anticipating from him. How had she known about this particular building. Then he added something, flicking her head, he told her to stay out of the village, saying she was lucky he wasn’t telling their parents. Then telling her a plan of action to get back home.

    “Well, um, you see.” She tried to think of an excuse, stalling for time. She wasn’t sure he’d react very well to her answer. He was worried when she’d arrived and she figured if he knew she was out here by herself occasionally that he’d have a panic attack or something like that. Sighing, she decided it was best to tell the truth.

    “I was out here a couple weeks ago, by myself, and I saw this older girl going in and out of this house. When I was sure that she was gone for the day, I snuck in to check the place out. I think she’s turned this place into a clubhouse of some sort. If you follow me upstair, then we can get you cleaned up. How does that sound?”

    She walked towards the stairs and grabbed the railing before turning around. “Oh, Yurie, mom and dad do know I’m here, sort of.” She paused and bit her lip. “Well, they know I’m out and about at least, they actually think I’m at the library. Heh heh. And you’re in absolutely no condition to travel right now, so I suggest you get your butt up here and let me fix you up.”

    She spun back to the stairs and walked up, heading down the hall to the bathroom. Rummaging through the closet, she found some medical supplies and set them down on the edge of the tub, ready to get to work.