glacial_queen | Yllestad, Early Morning, (Friday, Fandom Time) (Reply)

*HEALERS!* Karla snapped on an open psychic thread. *I need all the Healers stat! And anyone to help lift and carry!*

Hard to say who was in more need of a Healer right then: Jono, who looked gray and haggard and was moving in clear pain, or Raven, who was whey-faced and collapsed on the ground.

...Probably Raven, at least by the time Karla was done with her.

People poured out of the camp, helping the remaining members of Jono's squad to their feet (or picking them up all together) and carrying them to the nursing tent. Karla was using Craft to help her pick up Raven's prone body. "You'd better not die on me," she snarled. "Because I am 100% not done with you yet!"

Raven	Raven was already struggling to stand on her own. Still exhausted and dazed, she winced at Karla's anger. "Please, let me go," she protested. "People need healing!" Jono most certainly did. The witchblood smoke had been too close to him.
Karla	Karla dropped Raven, only so she could grab her by the shoulders. It was all she could do not to shake her and her knuckles were white with the effort not to dig in. She was furious. Beyond furious. Raven had disobeyed a direct order and nearly gotten herself killed. Her weakness and confusion were another sign of just how damn close she'd gotten to getting herself killed--which, mind you, they could not afford. This single purity of emotion was marred by how damn grateful she was to see Jono, Raven, and the rest of Jono's squad back among the living. Not that that was going to save Raven from getting chewed out any. "And you need to explain to me why I shouldn't tear up your contract and send you back to Fandom on the first portal I can call," she gritted through clenched teeth.
Raven	Raven tensed, biting back snarling words born of Pride before she said something she'd regret. She took a deep breath and bowed her head instead. "I am sorry I disobeyed you," she said. "But I would do it again. I could not do nothing and watch them die." She lifted her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I could not let Jono die. And I would do the same for you a hundred times over."
Karla	"You swore an oath," Karla hissed. "You swore. You said you would obey me, that I am your Queen. And now you defy me and risk yourself?! How dare you."
Raven	"I did and you are!" Raven said. Her shields were shattered, allowing all the emotions around her to crash into her. The brush with the witchblood had heightened her own emotions as well, sending her spiraling into despair and guilt and desperation. "But I had to do it!" she cried. "I have to do everything in my power to protect life. You know I must!" She dropped down to her knees, not even trying to hold back the sobs now. "Please do not send me away! I do not want to leave you. I have lost so much. I cannot lose you, too."
Karla	Part of Karla really liked seeing Raven on the ground, sobbing with contrition. That was her place, wasn't it? After defying her Queen so openly? Perhaps she should let her stay there and keep begging... Karla shook her head, trying to rid herself of that train of thought there. Ugh. She really must be furious, thinking like that. This whole thing just had her...off. "Get up," she said harshly, grabbing Raven's arm and tugging. "This is not a time for histrionics. You chose to disobey me and the only reason I'm not sending you home is because punishing you will result in me punishing everyone else."
Raven	Raven flung her arms around Karla, still shaking, but now with relief that Karla wasn't banishing her from Glacia. Not yet, at least. Her fears, spurned on by the emotional chaos growing around them, were going wild with the thought of losing her new home and having nowhere else to go. "I will do anything you say," she babbled. "I will heal everyone for you, I promise. Just let me show you."
Karla	"Then do it!" Karla snapped, pushing the half-demon away. Mother Night! Did Karla really look like she wanted hugs right now? No! She was standing in the middle of a bloody city turned into a graveyard! "Start with Jono. If we lose him after all of this--!"
Raven	Raven stumbled and almost fell, but caught herself. Her panic transferred from one to the other now -- how could she have let herself dissolve into a puddle of grief when someone needed her? "We will not lose him!" she said, spinning around to find where Jono was and hurry to his side. She was so very tired, but she wouldn't let that stop her.
Karla	Karla gave a long, deep exhale. She needed to calm down. There was no room for anger in the sick room. Reciting that as a mantra, she hurried after Raven. Nothing in Kaeleer could cure witchblood. Anyone who ingested it died, usually in agony. But Raven wasn't from Kaeleer. So if anyone could Heal him, it was her.

Jono	They had survived? ... A few of them had survived. Jonothon's vision was starting to blur, some combination of exhaustion and smoke catching up with him in the worst way, but he made a point to remain standing, even as Healers seemed to fall upon the remaining few in droves. He did a headcount. It took a few tries, a few moments of batting concerned hands away, but he managed to take stock of everyone who had made it through in the end. Less than half. The rest had run through his shields in a panic, or had exhausted and fallen along the way. Less than half. But there were survivors. He was too tired to be anything but numb, his head was swimming too much for him to decide whether he was going to be thankful or heartbroken. And really, he didn't spend very long trying to figure out which he ought to be, either, because all at once the fatigue caught up to him, and he fell to his knees in the snow, barely managing to brace himself with his hands as a wracking cough seized him, leaving flecks of red on his lips.
Raven	Raven flew to his side, fear and worry giving her strength. She knelt beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "You will be all right, I will make certain of it," she promised. She waved over one of Jono's landen troops. "Please, help me get him to a tent," she said.
Jono	The landen male that Raven had waved to stared at them with haunted eyes for a moment too long before realizing just what he was looking at. It seemed to take him a few seconds more to work out how too walk again, but he did so, making his way over and crouching wordlessly, attempting to lift the bulk of Jonothon's weight up over one shoulder. "'M fine," Jono protested. Or, at least, he figured he was protesting. He wasn't sure himself if he'd managed any sound at all. He opened his mouth and tried again. He coughed, and the pain that flared up in his chest rivalled the searing feeling that he'd felt before, when his mutant powers had manifested and destroyed a horrifying amount of his body. Instead of standing, then, Jonothon was going to let whoever had lifted him carry his weight. And instead of a protest, a whimper.
Karla	Again, Karla used her Craft to catch and steady someone, though Jono was much heavier and bulkier. Why had she stopped to ream Raven out before making sure he was okay? Stupid stupid stupid! "I've got him," Karla said, giving the poor lad a tired smile. "You need to go be checked out, too. You rest there until a Healer gets to you, all right?" The boy--no, man, because after that, he was a man, no matter how young he looked right now--nodded and collapsed back down. Karla floated Jono into the tent, setting him onto a work surface. "You sure you can Heal him?" she asked Raven, looking up at her with worried eyes.
Raven	"I can and I will," Raven said. The fact that Jono wasn't arguing with her about it was frightening, however. She tore off her cloak and flung it to the ground so she could move more freely, then leaned over Jono, touching her hands to his face to take stock of his injuries. "He breathed the smoke," she said. "His lungs are badly damaged. But I will heal them." The witchblood in his system felt strange to her, somehow beyond a normal injury. But she didn't hesitate to start to draw it into herself, gasping at the sudden searing pain as she did so.
Karla	Raven gasping in pain wasn't an unusual occurrence when she was healing. It was a side effect of how her power worked; she drew it into herself and then expelled it. And everyone knew how agonizing witchblood was; people had cut open their own stomachs and pulled out their own guts to ease the pain. But this was Raven. There was nothing she couldn't Heal. ...Except for Jono's mutation that one time. She hadn't been strong enough to draw out all of his power. Even Jaenelle wasn't strong enough to counter witchblood... "Stop!" Karla cried. "Try to dissipate it. Right now. Before you take anything else."
Raven	Disobeying Karla again so soon wasn't an option, and Raven paused, trying to concentrate on expelling the pain from her body. It lessened slightly, but her throat still burned, and drawing a breath hurt. She hadn't been able to expel the pain when her father's corruption on her had been strong. But he couldn't possibly be doing this, and she didn't think her brothers had the power. It had to be the witchblood. Nothing in Kaeleer could cure witchblood; that could mean it was beyond her power as well. She wouldn't give up so easily. "I am fine," she said hoarsely, though it hurt to speak. "It takes longer to dispel the pain when I am tired." She let her Soul-Self rise from her to give herself more focus. The black shadow wings were edged in glowing gold, but there was an angry red streak across its chest.
Jono	It was Jono's hand that reached up to grab Raven around the wrist. Granted, he was about as weak as a kitten, between the strain of keeping a shield up for as long as he had and that lungful of twisting hell that he'd inhaled, but even with his vision half-blurred he could tell that something was wrong. "Y'didn't answer th'Lady's question, Sunshine," he noted, somewhere between a murmur and a dizzy slur. "Did y'dispel it or no?"
Raven	"Shhhhh, do not try to talk until I am finished," Raven said softly, still refusing to answer. The pain wasn't passing through her as it should, and while it could be because she was so tired, it was even more likely that it was the nature of the witchblood, witchblood that was already affecting her and making her more emotional. And all the more desperate to heal. She smiled down at him. "You are going to be fine. I will make certain of it. Just lie still and I will take the pain away."
Jono	Jono was going to take that as a 'no,' then. He frowned a little more deeply, and then hissed between his teeth, trying to roll away a little. "S'no sense poisoning s'both, luv." His attempt to roll away was more or less thwarted by the fact that moving was something that still wasn't in the cards. But still and all... "I'll live. 'N 'm not goin' anywhere," clearly. "Try 'gain once y'can get rid'f it."
Raven	He wasn't going to die, she was certain of that. He'd breathed in the witchblood smoke, but not enough to kill him. Still, witchblood-fueled what-ifs ran through her mind. What if the poison began to spread? What if it grew worse in his lungs until he couldn't breathe at all? What if it spread to his heart? She couldn't take the risk. "It is all right," she said. "I want to do this. I do not care if it hurts as long as you are better."
Karla	"Do it," Karla warned quietly, "and I rip up your contract here and now."
Raven	Raven turned to face Karla, about to dissolve into tears again. "Karla, please!" she said, shaking her head. "This is what I am meant to do, to heal. I will not fail you."
Jono	Jono groaned and managed to sling his arm up over his face. He was laying here and coughing up bloody chunks, and on top of that he had to listen to these theatrics? How was he the cooler head in the tent right now? What was wrong with these two? "Just wan'sleep," he complained. "So 'f I promise t'not die, can yer both argue outside 'r sommat 'n come back when yer done?"
Karla	"We're not arguing," Karla said with false serenity. "There is nothing to argue further about. Unless Raven can prove she's dispelled the witchblood and is in no danger from it, she's done. Raven?"
Raven	"I am fine!" Raven insisted. While Karla's serenity might have been feigned, there was nothing fake about her near-hysteria. "It does not hurt me. Now please, let me finish healing him. And then I will heal anyone else who has been harmed. I will not let anyone else die." No more death. She wasn't going to allow it. Yllestad may have died, but no others would.
Jono	For the record, Jonothon hated everything in the world and especially his two Healers in that particular moment. "... Good. I'll jus' be someplace quiet while y'both figure 'at out, then." Yes, he was trying to stand up. Yes, he fully intended to find a rock to go die under. The bedside manner in this tent was atrocious.
Karla	"Sit down!" Karla barked, pointing at the both of them. "Raven, you're not Healing another damn things and I will bodily toss you out on your ass if you try! Jono, you will lay down and shut up because you are sick and you need rest!"
Healer	"WHICH HE'S NOT GOING TO GET, WITH YOU TWO IN HERE!" Another Healer thundered from across the room. "How many times do we have to drill it into your thick skulls? THERE. IS. NO. PLACE. FOR. ANGER. IN. THE. SICKROOM!" That was likely enough to get Karla and Raven both to remember their manners and their place. The three minute rant about behavior and the increasingly low standards for Healers might have been a bit of overkill.
Raven	Raven struggled to reign in her out-of-control emotions. "I apologize," she sniffled, trying to hold back more tears. "I was overwhelmed, and feared once more failing those who need me. I will not allow it to happen again."
Jono	"Only person who's failed 'nyone's me," Jono protested, though it wasn't likely he'd be heard over the Healer's tirade. And he probably would have said more, were he not cut off by another series of wracking coughs. At least this time, he got his hand to his mouth. Nobody needed to see just what he was coughing up, here. He shuddered once he was finished coughing, and then actually managed to roll himself over onto his side, curling himself into a ball. "Just leave, both of you. 'M not in th'mood for any more rescuing tonight."
Karla	Karla had a long history of ignoring the things Jono said and she wasn't going to stop now. Closing her eyes and placing her hands on his side, she slipped into a Healing trance to see what was wrong with him. The fatigue and strain were unsurprising. There wasn't a member of Jono's troop that wasn't feeling that; they'd been on the move for hours before their extended marathon through the woods. There were a few strained muscles in his legs and back and a lot of tension everywhere. In all, nothing that a few days of rest and food wouldn't cure. The main problem was the ugly red snarl that his lungs had become. The witchblood vapours had settled there and had burned deep into the tissue and muscle. Only a few breaths, it looked like, but enough to cause serious damage. "Your lungs are a mess, boyo," Karla mumbled. "I was hoping that Raven could Heal the witchblood damage, but since she still hasn't said she was able to expel it, I think we can agree that's a no-go." Raven got another sharp look for that. "But, she was able to stop it from doing anything worse, which is a blessing."
Raven	"I will try again later, when I am not so tired," Raven said, still sounding miserable about it. She'd failed Karla and Jono now. "I am so very sorry that I was not able to do it right away. You should not have to suffer for my weakness." She was hoping it was the strain of teleporting so many people, though she didn't want to mention that and ignite Karla's anger again. Once she'd rested, she'd be able to heal Jono, she was sure of it. At least that was what she tried to tell herself. "Just rest now, you are in sore need of it," she said. "I will get you a blanket. Is there anything else you need?"
Jono	Jono gave his head a little shake, hesitated, and then glanced back up for a moment. "My troops," he mumbled. "Th'ones that made it. I just need t'know they'll be alright, s'all. I'll feel better if I know they are, if I got th'worst of it."
Karla	Karla nodded at Raven. Jono would, in fact, rest better so long as he knew he was the suffering the most, and if Raven could give him that comfort, they'd all be the better for it. The steely look that accompanied that nod suggested that if Karla heard even a hint of Raven trying to draw the witchblood out of anyone else, well...Raven could figure out the consequences on her own. She was going to linger here a moment more and figure out what she should do for the injuries they could treat.
Raven	"I will check on each and every one of them," Raven promised, glad that Karla hadn't forbidden her to heal at all. Exhaustion she could surely treat, or any other normal injury that might have occurred while they'd fled the smoke. "Just rest, and I will check on you soon." Which she would, quietly but frequently, to make sure he hadn't awoken and needed anything, until she was utterly spent herself.
Karla	Karla was sorely tempted, just to punish Raven for her foolishness, but even as angry as she was--and she was righteously furious indeed--she wasn't going to make innocent people suffer. "I'm going to put you to sleep now, Jon," Karla said. From her scan, she could see that he was already suffering from the early stages of acute pneumonitis. His airways were inflamed and his breathing sounded wet and labored. Even with Raven's Healing of his physical wounds, Jono's recovery would be a long time in the making. She sent mental orders to start a thin soup with plenty of herbs to help ease swelling and assist healing. The reply she got in return was downright rude, but she made a note to go snap at the girl later. "Sleep well, Jono," she said, laying a cool hand on his feverish brow. "And remind me to thank Raven for saving you as soon as I'm done being furious with her."
Jono	Jono managed a small, exhausted nod in reply. He was too damn tired to argue, and would get his answer as soon as someone had it. For now, he would settle for knowing that someone was going to check on the survivors, and he would sleep, alone with the horrors in his head.

Karla	Dawn was breaking through the clouds by the time Karla had finally left the Healer's tent. Everyone was doing as well as could be expected; the rest was up to time. And repeated treatments over time, but that wasn't something that could be dealt with now. Entering her tent, Karla knew that she should lay down and sleep. Her body was exhausted and she was running on empty. It had been...hours?...since she'd eaten a hasty snack of bread and cheese, brought to her by a little apprentice barely old enough to have had her Birthright Ceremony, never mind seeing the horrors that aerosolized witchblood could do to the body. And her last rest had been hours before that. But she couldn't sleep. She was too...angry was too mild a word. So was furious and wrathful and every other synonym she could think of. She wanted Hobart's liver on a platter and she wanted it now.
Warren	It had been longer still since Warren had taken a moment's pause. He'd stayed aloft through the night, carrying Bob, keeping an eye on the cloud in case the wind changed again. It wasn't until the storm had come down in full that the cloud had finally dissipated, battered apart by wind and sleet that had Warren struggling to stay aloft. If not for the Rose shield and warming spells that the Blood male he'd been carrying had maintained around them both, they would have gone down hard hours ago. It wasn't until the last of the cloud had gone that Warren finally landed, handing Bob over to Healers who could deal with the poor man's exhaustion, while making his own way toward Karla's tent. He didn't need a Healer. His body would take care of that for him, soothing the ache in his back and shoulders. He needed Karla. He was silent as the grave as he stepped into her tent, wings dragging on the ground behind him, too heavy to fold at his back. Before he could say a word, he needed to just see her.
Karla	There was no rest for the wicked, Warren, and apparently the fates had decided that you were an evil, evil male. Because rather than Karla flinging herself at you, wrapping herself around you with love and warmth, or, better still, dragging you to bed to curl up under blankets and drift to sleep, she just looked up when Warren entered the tent, teeth bared and eyes wild. There was a thick coat of frost over the floor and ice creeping down the tent walls. It was colder inside the tent than out, though Karla didn't seem to notice. Her lips curled when she saw him and she snarled. "I am going to skin that bastard alive and make myself slippers. How soon can we march?"
Warren	Warren had barely noticed the extra bite of cold when he stepped into the tent. He had been too tired to care, and the chill of flying when Bob needed to take a rest from shielding and heating spells had been just as intense. He was numb to the cold. He was too damn tired to be intimidated by Karla's snarling, too. He simply shook his head and walked over to reach for her hand. "You know the moment you do, you'll lose Glacia," he murmured. "We can't march, not like that. But we can use this. We need to use this."
Karla	"Don't tell me what I can't do," Karla hissed. "I wear the Ebon-gray. I can take Sidra apart stone by stone if I have to. I can go to the estate and put their heads on pikes!" And then devour his heart. Perhaps Hannibal could suggest a nice chianti to go with it.
Warren	"And have an entire Territory of people who see you as the monster," Warren said, clearly not swayed by Karla's display. "Ebon-gray or no, if you sweep through there now, it won't be Hobart being vilified for this. It'll be you."
Karla	Several maps on the table next to her floated in the air and shredded themselves into tiny pieces. One of the pillows on the bed explodes into a mass of cloth and feathers. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails bit into the skin of her palm. "Warren," she explained with a measure of false calm. "He used chemical warfare on my people. On his people. These people died in agony. I can feel it in every stone, in every scrap of cloth. The ground under my feet is screaming. You don't think that requires retaliation?" Somewhere, Ender was shaking his head. And probably facepalming.
Warren	Things around them were exploding. Warren didn't so much as flinch. "You know I didn't say that, Karla," he replied, the very picture of serenity in surroundings torn by chaos. "I say we retaliate. We hit back with everything at our disposal that won't cost you Glacia. But right now, I need you to calm down, Karla. Glacia needs you to calm down, or all of this will have been for nothing."
Karla	"Calm down?!" Karla raged. "Calm down! Hobart has caused the death of thousands now, and you want me to calm down?!" Outside, the noises of the camp were swelling, angry voices shouting, arguing, demanding. Off in the paddocks, there came the angry scream of horses and a furious pounding of hooves. But Karla could hear very little of it, surrounded in a vortex of her own swirling power. "How dare you talk to me that way?! I. Am. Your. Queen!"
Warren	"And I'm your Consort," was his reply in that too-calm voice that only came when Warren's own patience was starting to wear thin. "I'm also the man you're engaged to marry, the man who has stood by your side for years now. I've lived for you. I've died for you, and I would do so again in a heartbeat." Warren didn't back down. Warren wouldn't back down. "But more than that right now, I'm the man that's still thinking clearly enough to be able to see the way to actually win this war." He spread his wings, narrowed his eyes, and growled. If he'd been Blood, there might've been an extra dusting of frost creeping across the floor under his feet. "Stand down, Karla. Sit. The Hell. Down. Or else the deaths of all of those people will have been nothing but a waste, and you'll lose the Territory we've all been fighting so Darkness-damned hard for. The landen attack, Yllestad, Jonothon's men. We still don't know yet if that number will include Jono himself. And you're going to waste it all in your anger."
Karla	"You want to see anger?" Karla asked, her own voice dropping to near-inaudibility. "I can show you anger." Her fingers clenched in the air and the ice around her shattered, turning to razor glass shards in the air. "I am the Queen and you will obey me if I have to--" Thank the Darkness that the rest of that sentence was lost when one of the landen soldiers came rushing into the tent, not even pausing to announce himself. "Lady Karla! Lord Consort! The entire camp has gone mad!"
Warren	Yeah, Warren was seeing more than a little bit of that already, soldier. He held up a finger toward Karla, a sort of 'please hold on that plan to brutally maul me for a moment,' before he turned to face the landen. "The entire camp?" He glanced briefly at Karla. "Or..." Or... "How are the landens holding up?" Call it a hunch.
Karla	"Don't you turn your back on me!" Karla reached forward, planning to grab onto Warren's shoulder and make him mind her, when she saw the fear on the soldier's face. Fear, and a sick resignation, like he was seeing something play out for the hundredth time and knew exactly how it would end. Directed at her. "Mother Night," she whispered, hand dropping to her side. The ice fell to the floor and she followed, a bare second later. "What am I doing? What's wrong with me."
Warren	Warren turned back to look at her, keeping himself very pointedly between Karla and the landen. "Something that isn't affecting me. Or him. And I'm willing to bet that the people wandering two steps shy of the Twisted Kingdom out there are Blood, too. We survived the smoke, but that doesn't mean the effects of the witchblood are gone, yet." Why the hell hadn't he thought of that before? When he'd landed, he hadn't been able to get his head around the swath of destruction laid out as plain as day to see. The decimation of the land, everyone and everything that had died brutally just hours before... "You're all still picking up on it, aren't you? The Blood are all still feeling this. The psychic scent of this must be so thick it's blinding."
Karla	"Yes, sir," the soldier interrupted quickly. "It's just the Blood, sir. We landens seem to be..." His eyes slid over to Karla and he sidled back a step or two. "...Unaffected, sir." Karla didn't notice. She was staring at her hands and struggling very hard not to burst into tears. "I...I...it's not something as noticeable as a psychic scent," she said. "But now that you mention it..." It was subtle, like a scent in the air that was so familiar she didn't notice it anymore or something caught out of the corner of her eye that vanished when she turned to look. "It's everywhere," she choked out. "The ground, the air, in our very clothing. Everywhere. It's like barometric pressure causing a headache. Only..." Only before it had been inducing a killing rage. Now Karla was on the floor, two seconds from sobbing uncontrollably.
Warren	"Then we need to get the Hell away from here before the Blood end up tearing one another apart," Warren said, squaring his jaw, though his voice was careful, now. More tentative than before. "Karla, can you stay here until I come back to get you? I'm going to round up the landens, get them to help me pack up camp."
Karla	She wanted to say no. Mother Night, she wanted to howl and cling to his ankles and pour out apologies and a litany of her failures. She wanted to cry until she had no tears left. She wanted to pour out her life's blood in the only apology she could make to the people she hadn't been able to protect. Except she was the Queen. And now that she realized that this wasn't her that felt these things, she had a duty to fight it off. But she was so weary. So tired of fighting on and on and on... It didn't matter. "I'll be fine," she said. Her voice wavered, but she ignored it. "You go. Keep our people safe." Then, without moving from her spot on the tattered tent floor, ice melting all around her, Karla began the difficult task of separating that with was her Self and that which was not.

Momoko	Momoko landed in the middle of a brawl between two blood males, one a cookie and one a slinger, so she was familiar with both of them - not that it mattered. "STAND. DOWN. NOW." She was not happy. They'd just finished evacuating the villages in the path of the cloud and along with the loss of life, people not wanting to leave, travelling through mountains, they'd had to deal with accusations towards Karla and Blood going crazy. Even Samantha and Ulrich were affected! And here it was in the main camp, too? The males didn't listen, though, and Momoko took multiple blasts of craft before she finally subdued them... or, knocked them out, really. She looked around and realized that, yeah. Whatever this was? It was affecting whatever Blood was left in the camp and seemed to leave most of the Landens alone. Huh. Well, stupid Hobart. This was not going to break them.
Momoko	"All of you. Now. FALL IN." Momoko yelled her loudest, which was actually very loud. And watched as all of the Landens and most of the Blood grumblingly obliged. She had to yo-yo a few of the Blood to get them to her, but soon she had all but a few standing in front of her. "Until you hear different from the Queen or the Inner Court, there is to be No! More! Craft! used in the camp." There was a deep silence that fell, and not a happy one. "That's an order. Alba? You and the other Landen medics take charge of the medical tent. First aid first. Healers are to use craft only if absolutely needed to save a life." She nodded at the highest ranking Landen of Jono's army she could see. "Take a group of Landen slingers and archers. LANDEN. Go do a wandering patrol of the border of the camp. Do not stay in one place; keep moving. If you run into anyone, keep them with you until you pass the main fire again. If anything happens, send a runner back. Do not eat anything unless you get it from the main fire, here." There was a stirring in the ranks, but no movement. They weren't used to Momoko giving them orders recently, some not at all. In addition, the Landens were not used to being the ones solely in charge, despite having been trained for it, and the Blood were not happy at being left out like this.
Momoko	"GO!" She barked at them, allowing a bit of her White Light aura to shimmer around her, and they took off. "The rest of you - There's some sort of poison affecting us, affecting Blood among us. You've seen it attacking others but now it's here, invisible, and breaking us apart, making us fight each other. That is what our enemy wants; for us to fall in on each other like animals. That's what he thinks of us. But we're more than what Hobart thinks we are and even better, as you know, we've prepared for this." "Now. Anyone who has been in a fight already, you go with Lady Dinah-" and may god have mercy on your souls "- for sparring. Everyone else, we're going to do Kendo drills until you can't even think anymore." It was all she could do, but it would keep them fit and ready and hopefully drain the violence and emotion killing the camp until someone else had a better idea. Momoko got her group started on basic suburi and then hovered in the air to keep watch over them in case anyone decided to trade the slow and practiced movements for more crazy. Push off with the left foot... slide the right forward while raising their imaginary shinai above their heads. Left foot, forward, just behind the right. Shinai swings forward... and a loud chorus of "MEHN" could be heard. It wasn't perfect, and some of the Blood were still only performing grudgingly, but the repetitive motions and the need to concentrate to keep the proper coordination seemed like it was starting to help. At least the camp was quieter? On this end anyway. Dinah's side... Momoko hoped they weren't making more work for the medics... She looked up at Karla's tent, her face only briefly showing how worried she actually was.
Warren	It was the landen soldier who had hurried in who left first. Warren wasn't about to leave the poor bastard alone in there with an Ebon-Grey Queen gone half mad. A few moments later, though, Warren crept out as well, carefully closing the tent flap behind himself and taking a deep, calming breath. Another moment, and then he was looking around for a familiar face that wasn't in the middle of losing their mind. He wanted nothing more than to fall over and sleep for a month, but there were other things to see to, first. He nodded toward Momoko when he spotted her face, and then started toward her. "Keeping the Blood occupied?"
Momoko	"Keeping everyone occupied, but especially the Blood. Dinah has the people who were already getting violent; they're sparring to get it out of their system." Momoko took in how exhausted he looked, the slight droop of his feathers. She hated to add to the weight on his shoulders, but she had to report... "Villagers are safe. I've issued orders to everyone to not use craft. I have a Landen crew in charge of the med tent, and another is doing perimeter duty." ... "The cloud?"
Warren	"Not just the cloud. The Blood are probably picking up the psychic scents of every inch of the mountainside that suffered, every plant, animal, and human who fell to the smoke." He pulled in another deep breath, squaring his jaw. He'd deal with this. He'd make this better, and then he would talk to Karla about his plan for turning the tide of the war, and then... Then he would just fall over, and maybe he'd get up again someday, and it would be glorious. "I'm borrowing your Landens," he said, finally. "We need to pack up camp and get away from here. We're too close to where the smoke passed, and people aren't going to start acting sane again until we're away from it."
Momoko	"Ah." Momoko rubbed her face with her hands. "That would totally explain it. Okay. I mostly have them with the rest just in case. Although a few of them do seem... antsy?" She waved a hand at the group. "Go ahead. By the time everything's packed, these guys should be at least civil? oh! And you'll want to send a runner to tell the patrol when we leave; they don't have a telepath remember."
Warren	"I think after the night we just went through, it's a wonder we're not all antsy," Warren sighed, and then attempted a smile that fell more than a little short. "I'll round them up myself. I'll be able to find them faster from the air anyhow. You keep the Blood busy, and we'll have this camp packed up in no time. We'll start walking in a direction that the smoke never went near, and just keep going until heads are clear. Probably a mile or two."
Momoko	"Sounds good. And moving will help them, too, though they will need something to keep their minds occupied - maybe a song or something." Momoko gave him another look, then reached to tug his arm. "Hey. You want a hug?" It sounded stupid to say, considering what they were in the middle of, but... considering what they were in the middle of?
Warren	"We'll need to keep them away from the wounded," Warren murmured. "At least until they start to calm down. There's no telling how they'll react to people right there, suffering so much..." He stood there quiet for a moment. A moment more. He'd been flying all night, fighting the storm, trying desperately to give directions to everyone and anyone who might be in the smoke's path. And then Karla had essentially threatened to skewer him with ice razorblades in her tent. His next deep breath was shaky. The one after that, he choked on, and then he crouched forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding on tightly. He wasn't going to crack right now. There was too much to be done. But the hug... He needed it more than he was going to admit right now. He wasn't made for this.
Momoko	Whereas Momoko was made for hugs. She held him hard, not letting him go until he actively pulled away. She didn't know all that he was dealing with, but what she did know of? He totally deserved hugs every five minutes for the next week.
Warren	Warren held on for a minute, just working on breathing, just taking that minute to put his head on right. He could rest later, could collapse in an exhausted, heartbroken heap, whatever it took. He eased off finally, and gave Momoko a quick nod of his head. "Carry on, then," he murmured. "We'll be out of here and working toward cleaning up bigger messes soon." There was a pause, and then he added, softly, "Thank you."
Momoko	Momoko gave him a weak smile. "Always. Now take care of th---" She was interrupted by a small fight breaking out in the middle of the group and one of the women just suddenly collapse to the ground screaming and scratching at her face. Momoko sped into the crowd and grabbed the woman, putting her into a soft hold to keep her from drawing more blood from her cheeks, even as she yelled over to the two men fighting. "You two! Break it up or I will!"
Warren	Warren watched Momoko for a moment, just long enough to ascertain that she had the situation under control. And then he frowned a little. Whether she did or not, he was just wasting time. The more time he spent worrying about the Blood, the less time he was spending rounding up Landens to pack up the camp. With another deep breath and his wings just slightly spread, even though he wanted nothing more than to let his feathers drag behind him, he set off to round up the troops. They were getting out of this living Hell.
Dinah	Ahhh, thanks, kohii. Well. Better Dinah herding them, than letting them rage against everything else.... There were about forty Blood who'd been actively fighting, as evidenced by blood on their faces, hands, and clothes. Dinah got it, they weren't totally in control, but still. Where the hell was their Protocol when they needed it? "Follow me," Dinah said, voice as loud but flat as she could make it. A megaphone... oh wait. A short, sharp burst of the Canary Cry over their heads had all of them flinching, covering their ears. Hopefully distracting them from the psychic pain by giving them something more immediate. "Follow me." And add the kind of psychic shouting that made Karla and Emma flinch when she pulled it out. There. Practice ground. They all followed her over there, and stood, squirming with fists clenched, staring at neighbors they'd been punching a few minutes ago with deadly intent. "Drop and give me fifty push-ups." Glares. Disbelief. "NOW." She would knock them all unconscious if she had to. They seemed to get that, because she had forty Blood doing push-ups now. Dinah walked between them, nudging or shoving them into rows, pushing them beyond arms' length, waiting until they'd spent their initial energy. "Pair up." Oh, they were way too eager for this. "You and you, sit." A pair sitting in between each... "You and you. That's it. Alternating. Anyone jumps in? Anyone decides they want to start now? You end up fighting me. No powers." Wait. Some of their control was coming back, even though they were all twitchy-- "NO POWERS. Five minutes. Then STOP. Anyone who doesn't: is fighting me." That is not supposed to be an incentive, guys. Really, really not. "GO."
Ulrich	Ulrich was growling. He wasn't supposed to be here, but he'd been in the Kendo group and the guy beside him kept stepping on Ulrich's foot and Ulrich's attempt to ask him to stop had resulted in a punch to the face. Which he had returned. It seemed to help the unsettled feeling he had in him, so he'd then punched the guy in the stomach. Lady Momoko had noticed and sent him over immediately to the sparring group. He was totally going to die.
Dinah	"Ulrich? The hell?" Yeah. He was a dead man. Ten pairs were sparring right this second, and Dinah stopped to go over and dope-smack a big guy who'd used a flash of Yellow power to get his opponent on the ground. When said smack-ee had growled at her, and raised a glowing gold hand for a shot at her, she'd glared and initiated a telekinetic choke-hold. Until he passed out, because he wouldn't quit snarling. "What are you all looking at? KEEP. SPARRING." Aaand back to Ulrich. "You got in a fight?!" Dinah was not happy with you, bud.
Ulrich	Ulrich managed to look a little sheepish. "He hit me first." After Ulrich had insulted his mother.
Dinah	"That only works when you're five, Ul." Dinah rolled her eyes, then lowered her voice. "Do I need to send you out of the camp? Is it getting to you that much?" No need to explain what. Was there? Really?
Ulrich	He growled lightly again, not liking at all that his secret wasn't just his anymore. And not by his choice. "No. It's just there. Pulling at me. Has me on edge." He straightened and looked over the group still sparring. If he was gonna die, did he want it to be this way? "But I can control it. Maybe I'll just go be by myself for a while. You won't have to worry about me that way. None of you."
Dinah	"Yeeeeah, no." Dinah pointed to the space in front of the other fighters. "Stand there." "CHANGE UP, SOLDIERS." When a couple of them didn't sit down or stand up immediately, Dinah roared. Like a lion. That got her enough confused stares for her to grin ferally. "I said: CHANGE UP. Sit if you were fighting. Fight if you were sitting. Ulrich. You're my partner now."
Ulrich	Ulrich gave her a look. "What?"
Dinah	"I really should have done this sooner." Dinah's tone was maniacally cheerful. "But there really wasn't time. Set your feet. Put up your fists. Ready?" She met his eyes and bared her teeth. "Take your best shot, Ul."
Momoko	When Momoko marched her kendo group over to Dinah to merge up again and start the march out... Well. Dinah was left standing, of course. The rest... Momoko counted. "Only five unconscious, Partner? You holding back?" She motioned for some of the lesser jeweled Blood to move forward and lift them. They had to get going.

[OOC: And that's nearly the last of the preplays, and the beginning of the end of Glacia's war! Preplayed with all the lovelies who appear within. Previous posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here. NFI, NFB, and OOC is love.]