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Eshmun's Revival [9/3]

Sep 3rd, 2019
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  1. [02:44] The Accursed strides in, Tobias just behind. With all due delicacy she pulls back the insulated blanket from over Eshmun. The great, gaping hole in his chest is exposed, where the heart had gone missing.
  2.  
  3. On the table, beside his head, is a heart. A very peculiar, ghastly heart. Fasioned from Arcanium, Orchilacum, Illyothium, and no short amount of runework. It's a monstrosity and technological marvel rolled into one.
  4.  
  5. But would it be enough?
  6.  
  7. "We'll need ya to hook this up...It's been tested. Vetted. Tested again. Then I guess...Cal can work his magic."
  8.  
  9. Ardith is beyond antsy. All their hard work, her happiness for the future, hinges upon this. Her own heart, which is still very much in her chest, aches.
  10. (Ardith Hirai)
  11. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12.  
  13. [02:50] Tobias stepped up, before reflexively recoiling at what was behind the blanket. He hadn't actually heard the news yet, having left the expedition early. And with all that he had been busy with, the word just hadn't reached him.
  14.  
  15. To say the least, it was traumatizing to have his first realization of Eshmun's death by him laid out onto the table with a gaping hole in his chest. His expression and body language seemed to suggest this too, widened eyes and trembling.
  16.  
  17. "He's.. dead?" Tobias asked. A consequence of which he was sure was permanent. Permanent with the exception of some forbidden magic, which he was certain was outlawed in their time.
  18.  
  19. "How is this going to work?"
  20. (Tobias Ulrich)
  21. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  22.  
  23. [02:50] Lam's attention snaps up as Ardith's voice comes through again. She had nearly fallen asleep. The words take a little bit to process, but it's clear, given the context. Even if Caira is looking a little like someone else altogether, that makes sense enough in the blacksmith's head right now.
  24.  
  25. They're going to put the heart in, they're going to see if it works... and they're going to know the full result.
  26.  
  27. All the other details are meaningless. What was this guy across from her's name? Absolutely irrelevant information, that's what. She sways a grabby-hand in Ardith's general direction, her fingers ending up clasping at the side of the woman's cloak. Lam's expression is faintly pleasant, despite the clear effects of burden on her features.
  28.  
  29. Lam mumbles, quietly.
  30. (Lam)
  31. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  32.  
  33. [02:50] Ardith Hirai says, "I...I figured everyone'd heard."
  34. [02:50] Lam whispers: It'll be okay... we did so much. There's no way...
  35. [02:50] Calael E. Kang says, "The heart will have to be put in place of the old one... from there it is... a leap of faith."
  36. [02:51] The Accursed's face slackens, more than it already has from stress and sheer exhaustion. Her sights turn to Tobias.
  37.  
  38. "He...He died on the expedition. Heart tore out. Cal here says he can bring 'im back maybe. But..."
  39.  
  40. She nods to the Kang. He says it best where her own words fail miserably. Hopefully her craftsmanship, and that of Lam, will fare far better. Her mutated left hand rests on the young smith's shoulder and grabs tight, grisly claws curling inward.
  41.  
  42. "Whatever it takes..."
  43. (Ardith Hirai)
  44. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  45.  
  46. [02:56] "A leap of faith.." he echoed. His urge was to say how utterly impossible he believed this to be, but he couldn't. Not when he was in the presence of a grieving wife, who just wanted some semblance of hope. If bringing Eshmun back to life was a possibility, he wanted to see it through.
  47.  
  48. But, it could be seen on his face. His lips pursed, a sharp breath taken in. Something that he wanted to say, yet he held himself back from it. Until all that remained was approval. ".. Alright. I'll try and do whatever I can." Hesitant approval.
  49. (Tobias Ulrich)
  50. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  51.  
  52. [02:56] Ardith Hirai says, "Thank ya, Tobi..."
  53. [02:56] Ardith Hirai says, "Just...what ya can."
  54. [02:58] Ardith Hirai says, "t tjoml sp at,"
  55. [03:04] It was like operating on a cadaver, but with much more dire consequences.
  56.  
  57. Tobias had left the room momentarily, to gather his tools. Once he returned after around ten minutes or so, he did so rolling a cart into the room with everything that he'd need. A portable operating theatre of sorts, so that he could operate right in Ardith's home.
  58.  
  59. He entered wearing a surgical mask, and gloves. His heroic cape was hung up by the door, and he rolled up the table on wheels to the side of Eshmun. He peered into the eye of the storm, that was the hole that he'd be operating from. It wasn't neat or organized, not uniform enough for a heart transplant. Injuries never tended to be clean, after all.
  60.  
  61. "I'm going to start by cutting away parts of the vessels in his body so that it can be transplanted more easily." he explained.
  62. (Tobias Ulrich)
  63. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  64.  
  65. [03:07] The Accursed watches, transfixed, like it's a slow motion trainwreck. She wants to look away but can't. On the one hand she hates to see him on the table like this. Cold. Without life. On the other she owes it to him to watch, to be the eyes where his are closed, to make sure all goes well.
  66.  
  67. Ardith chokes back a soft whimper as her claws continue to curl into Lam's shoulder. Hopefully it's armored, because it's a pure stress response at this point.
  68.  
  69. Her eyes never once leave the work. Hel, they barely blink, but her voice respectfully lowers to speak with the young smith.
  70. (Ardith Hirai)
  71. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  72.  
  73. [03:07] Ardith Hirai whispers: It'll...It'll be okay.
  74. [03:08] Bleary is the word. Her eyes gradually drift open again. Little more than that. Lam catches the vague image of Tobias walking up with the cart, but she's nowhere near cognizant enough to react or to make any sense of it, really.
  75.  
  76. She can hear Ardith's voice off to her right; the words provoke a little solemn grin and a pair of nods.
  77. (Lam)
  78. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  79.  
  80. [03:10] Luckily, the hole served as a good window into the lack of heart underneath so that he could use it to get straight into the operation. The scalpel was salvaged from the metal surface, and he hunched his head inside. Sparing the gory details, organ tissue was cut away at every vessel where the heart needed to be attached.
  81.  
  82. It felt strangely hopeless. The entire time, Tobias felt like he was working for nothing. To appease someone else, and give them a false sense of hope. Nothing about operating on this dead body felt right, but he did everything he could to mask these feelings. He had no idea what Calael was capable of, but his expectations were low.
  83.  
  84. Hands bloodied, he finished this part of the process. No heart was needed to be removed, so it was right into transplanting the new one.
  85. (Tobias Ulrich)
  86. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  87.  
  88. [03:15] {Item} You drop Arcanium x7.
  89. [03:15] {Item} You drop Orchilacum x7.
  90. [03:15] {Item} You drop Mythril x7.
  91. [03:15] {Item} You drop Illyothium x4.
  92. [03:15] {Item} You drop Illyothium x1.
  93. [03:15] {Item} You drop Zod Rune.
  94. [03:17] He picked up the artificial heart. If anything was going to give him hope, it was this spectacle. When he looked into it, he saw a marvel of modern medicine. A muscle that was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He knew how to attach prosthetics, and he was standing atop one himself. Still, this was unreal.
  95.  
  96. He only hoped that such a priceless prosthetic wouldn't go to waste right now. He didn't even feel like he deserved to hold it. Sparing even more gory details and the fact that the writer isn't confident in his ability to write an open heart surgery in it's entirety, here are some important details.
  97.  
  98. This was no easy process, and it certainly wasn't a short one. Even with the assistance of holy magic, the surgery still took several hours. Maybe the players would see a much shorter montage of this grueling surgery, but the characters would be there baring every dreadful minute of it.
  99.  
  100. But eventually, it wasdone. Through both traditional and magical means, the Ulrich used his metal instruments and his holy magic to fuse the vessels of the prosthetic with the blood vessels of Eshmun's corpse.
  101.  
  102. He wanted to say this was sick. Why did he do this? "His chest, do I need to close it now?" he asked Calael.
  103. (Tobias Ulrich)
  104. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  105.  
  106. [03:17] Calael nodded. "The body must be entirely ready to be resuscitated."
  107. (Calael E. Kang)
  108. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  109.  
  110. [03:19] The Accursed stands nearby. Sometimes still, with her clawed hand upon Lam's shoulder, sometimes pacing, but always with her eyes on the body, the shell of her husband.
  111.  
  112. As she restlessly stalks, careful to muffle her footsteps so as not to break the surgeon's concentration, she looks more like a watchful Helhound than any bovine. Harried, desperate, tense.
  113. (Ardith Hirai)
  114. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  115.  
  116. [03:23] And so, one surgery wasn't done here. In fact, there were two. Sparing even more details that probably would be glossed over in their medical montage, Tobias carefully removed an outer layer of skin from the corpse's thigh and moved it over to the gaping chest wound.
  117.  
  118. A skin graft was used to close it, Tobias thinking on his toes in this situation. Although, the Hirai was bound to have scars in both of these areas for the rest of his life. If he even lived, anyway. It was.. closed, but he was still injured underneath. All Tobias had done was replace a heart. He needed to make an important note.
  119.  
  120. "His ribcage is still broken on that side. His body should heal it over time." He held back the urge to say 'if he even lives'.
  121. (Tobias Ulrich)
  122. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  123.  
  124. [03:23] As time carefully, solemnly passes, the mage regains more of her strength from the seated rest. Enough, at the very least, for better-than-basic awareness of the situation. Exhausted or not, she's stout for her age - and in a desire to witness the result of her labors, she wobbles her way up from the seat, steadying herself with her hands on the back of the chair as her eyes focus in on Tobias's heart surgery.
  125.  
  126. It was no less grotesque than what they had been doing, really. No less.
  127.  
  128. The medic holds in his hands something monstrous and miraculous - equal parts awe and awful. An arcanium heart with all the equivalent chambers, reinforced with mythril and connected with orichalcum wiring. Eldritch runes crawling atop a metal that wants to stick to all flesh that it touches, restrained and controlled by the magic that Ardith had wrought upon it.
  129.  
  130. Something that she helped make with her own two hands.
  131.  
  132. Her legs and arms burn. Her breaths are heavier than they should be. But silently, Lam watches on.
  133.  
  134. Unstable and weakened, but diligent and rapt.
  135. (Lam)
  136. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  137.  
  138. [03:26] With heart in place, the demiangel stepped forward once he left his cloak draped across the crate he had been sitting on. Quietly, Calael rolled up his sleeves and his little feathered wings extended outward, not to their full length, but as if they were given a stretch after being folded down within those wanderer's robes he had been wearing.
  139.  
  140. Quietly, with a half-lidded gaze he assessed the body of the man he had watched grow up in Levengard. The Hirais had both been promising students, each one attended more than one of the Starkeeper's lectures in that time, listened to the words and teachings of astromancy and the flow of the Lifestream. It was what had made the Lighthouse's magic possible, a miracle, as it was dubbed by so many who had seen it put into use.
  141.  
  142. But those miracles had only ever seemed a fraction of what Calael thought he could truly manage if given the chance.
  143.  
  144. Years of meditation and a pure connection to his star Io had lead him to this very moment, one where truths about what the demiangel had spoken of before would be revealed. Kabu thought it too similar to necromancy until Calael had explained some of his theories. Keitaro and Ashalle had their own doubts, and how could he blame them? What other form of magic had ever tampered with life in this very deliberate way?
  145.  
  146. But this was not prideful manipulation. This was not man reaching out, believing itself greater than divines and angels. This was a bargain, a plea, a servant looking up to its master and asking for something after so many years of loyalty and dedication.
  147.  
  148. "Stand back." he said softly. The Virtue's glow came about, illuminating the entire room in light that only those who had seen Calael perform his executions would know. Though normally, in such moments of death, it was his right hand that was raised and filled with divine, cosmic energy. This time it was the left that was brought over Eshmun's body, very carefully placed on his chest which had been brought back together post the operation.
  149.  
  150. While the light continued to build in strength and brilliance, Calael closed his eyes, and what was a mild, golden or azure glow gave way to whiteness that bathed the room and concentrated about the demiangel.
  151.  
  152. Here we are again.
  153.  
  154. Cal's silent voice was directed toward his star where Eshmun's soul had been kept.
  155.  
  156. You know what I am here to ask for. And I know what it will cost.
  157.  
  158. The Starkeeper's left hand was taken from any mortal sight. The light around it was too bright to look at directly, much of his body behind the extended palm drowned out in the prolonged flash.
  159.  
  160. Please. Give him more time.
  161.  
  162. That quiet prayer was sent away, echoing outward into the ether where ghosts and stars floated and swirled amidst one another, where Eshmun could hear Calael's call and where Io recognized its humble servant asking for this blessing. It was an unpracticed art, rudimentary in design and theory, but with so much energy being output, the beacon from the mortal world burned, a fire ignited that could be seen in that distant, dark expanse.
  163.  
  164. All that was needed now was for the stars to be willing to relinquish the soul, not because it was stolen or because mankind forced it back, but because they saw fit to, because life was deserving of a second chance.
  165.  
  166. Cal's left hand remained over the body waiting and hoping for a real miracle to take place.
  167. (Calael E. Kang)
  168. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  169.  
  170. [03:27] {NARRATION} (Before a proper narrate is made, Calael!
  171.  
  172. Roll twice.
  173.  
  174. 1st roll, due to Eshmun being offline, is for the heart.
  175.  
  176. 2nd roll, cleric perm.)
  177. [03:32] {NARRATION} The Sound of a Heart.
  178.  
  179. Forced back into this world of the living the sound of a beating heart would flood the ears of this Cleric.
  180.  
  181. Immense amounts of raw energy being spilled and pulled outwards from this Demi-Angel, one could almost watch as the years continue to accelerate upon his body with every passing second.
  182.  
  183. Such was his cost.
  184.  
  185. Ice would begin to break away from the body of Eshmun, falling from his form as piece by piece the man began to rise..!
  186.  
  187. However...
  188.  
  189. As Eshmun lay, still slumbering...
  190.  
  191. Brought back unto the world of the living, Calael could see it all too clearly.
  192.  
  193. The heart, while a working substitute, is not as compatible as the twin's would have been and will last for a limited amount of years.
  194.  
  195. Nevertheless, for that short while...
  196.  
  197. A Fallen Brother, one of the many tribesman of Gehenna...
  198.  
  199. Returned.
  200. [03:44] The demiangel who hadn't aged a day since his twenty-ninth birthday grimaced amidst those waves of virtuous light and power. Some of his hairs shortened, even greyed at the roots, and while he wasn't elderly, the peak of youth tipped over into that of a middle aged adult.
  201.  
  202. And yet he still exerted what energy was necessary to call the soul back down.
  203.  
  204. With the outward release of magic and mana that came with a soul colliding with a body, the demiangel stumbled backward, his hand being thrown to his side.
  205.  
  206. His shoulders rose and fell quickly while Cal tried to catch his breath. He looked onward waiting to see what might happen.
  207. (Calael E. Kang)
  208. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  209.  
  210. [03:51] Tobias would behold the divine light of wisdom that was brimming from the demi-angel, and it instilled him with a sense of hope that hadn't been ignited throughout this entire operation. He felt like a miracle could happen. After trying his best in this grueling operation and witnessing Calael do his work afterwards?
  211.  
  212. Tobias was hoping that he didn't mess anything up. It genuinely felt plausible in this moment. He was the fool, the one who was played until the very end. After hours of performing surgery on a corpse, it was only now that the Ulrich truly believed that Eshmun was going to live.
  213.  
  214. He took a few steps back, as instructed. Or, maybe it was instinctual. To get a bigger picture of the room, so he could behold this spectacle in all of it's glory. As a child, he grew up in Dawn. Watching people tamper with the dead wasn't something that was foreign to him, there was a time where it was a part of his day to day life.
  215.  
  216. But, this didn't feel like a ritual of necromancy. He didn't feel corruption, or malice. Calael didn't manipulate a soul, forcing it from the jaws of reincarnation and shoving it into a body. This was something entirely different, as Tobias was sure that he was watching history be made.
  217.  
  218. "It's really happening.."
  219.  
  220. But, there was a sacrifice. Of course, people couldn't be given life without a cost. His eyes widened as Calael's body began to rapidly age, outstretching a hand towards the demi-angel during this phenomenon. "Cal! Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes shakily turning towards Eshmun.
  221.  
  222. Hopefully it'd be worth it.
  223. (Tobias Ulrich)
  224. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  225.  
  226. [04:00] Warm, void, their life after death was in one of limbo. Though regrets were abound in his mind, they couldn't help but warm up to death. As he had always said, the past was the past. But even that thought, those feelings didn't actually correspond with the true regret that lingered. So much was left behind in death.
  227.  
  228. So much had been needing to be said, so many things were to be seen. Research was to be done and there was even meant to be a new addition to the family soon, that he was looking forward to raising. Just the thoughts of it all, not even including his true love left him feeling so...Empty.
  229.  
  230. Within the ether, all he could do was allow himself to be slowly grinded away at, their spirit slowly being worked towards being placed back into the lifestream by stars.
  231.  
  232. In the midst of it all however, a call was heard. A distant voice in the normally empty ether that held a beacon so bright even he could see it. Slowly they began making their way, in a way that was as if he was dragging behind him shackles. A tether, to the star that was working on the cleansing.
  233.  
  234. Step by step he walked, only to feel those shackles all at once release his spiritual body. With those shackles gone, he was like a comet, flowing towards the beacon.
  235.  
  236. -------------
  237.  
  238. Moments would pass after the magic was released, no movements given by the cold body.
  239.  
  240. Loudly however, a thump sounded, then another, as the heart that was inside his chest began to beat like a factory. It was strange to hear the expansion of metal and the retraction of it. What was even stranger was a flushed colour slowly overwhelming the body as warm blood moved through veins.
  241.  
  242. Gills twitched slightly, breathe filling the lungs while very slowly the stiff eyelids began opening to an amber-hued stare that lingered upon Calael...Who seemed a bit different.
  243.  
  244. Though no facial expression was immediately on the face, a gaze moved off the demi-angel towards the others in the room. From Tobias, to Lam, all the way until he landed onto Ardith.
  245.  
  246. Disbelief was noticeable on their features now, the rigid body slowly trying to get up from the ground only to give a small stumble as...A strange weight was in his chest, to which a hand was raised and placed over it.
  247.  
  248. "W-wha..." Roughly he spoke, through a body that had been frozen and out of use for a few months. Everything was a bit rigid, his mind in a mess as they tried to just figure out whatever was happening.
  249.  
  250. This was not the ether, this was his wife's lab...Right?
  251.  
  252.  
  253. (Eshmun Hirai)
  254. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  255.  
  256. [04:05] When the body stirs, Lam fucking squeals.
  257.  
  258. She squeals and she laughs and she collapses and she cries.
  259. She doesn't even know Eshmun like that. She didn't even have that much investment in his life. But god, fucking, DAMMIT, she's been slaving over that chunk of metal in his chest for WEEKS with so little food or sleep that she is ALLOWED to be deliriously, ridiculously happy about it.
  260.  
  261. As such -
  262. so she is.
  263.  
  264. Absolutely goddamn hysterical in four different directions, on the floor.
  265. She yells. Loudly. Hoarsely. It's ugly, but who fucking cares?
  266.  
  267. "WE JUST BROUGHT A MAN BACK TO LIFE! OOOOOH MYYYY GODDDD." Excitement intensifies. Peaks. Peaks again. "We're the best, we're the best, we're the best..." Her volume decreases, probably from the fact that she's actually gasping for breath at that point.
  268.  
  269. Hyperventilation starts regulating her level of ear-piercing.
  270. (Lam)
  271. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  272.  
  273. [04:05] "He's really alive.." Tobias muttered in disbelief, staring at the animated Eshmun with widened eyes. It was unmistakable. His chest was expanding and contracting, signs that he was breathing. His gills twitched, a slight movement that showed he was feeling subtle sensations.
  274.  
  275. He was looking at a man. Not an undead.
  276.  
  277. From finding out that Eshmun was dead to helping bring him back, it was all a rollercoaster of emotions. Was this Calael's way of perfecting the art of necromancy? Tobias was unaware of the consequences, the timer that was set on his life. He knew that there had to be some kind of catch, but..
  278.  
  279. He couldn't help but feel relieved in this moment. He was elated, a smile forming across his face. He was beaming, yet speechless. There were others who deserved to embrace Eshmun and talk his ear off way more than he did, and one such person was in the room with them.
  280. (Tobias Ulrich)
  281. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  282.  
  283. [04:11] The Virtue works his magic and doubt settles into her mind. It plagues her, gnaws at her. Despair comes crawling into her when there had been some measure of certainty.
  284.  
  285. Something happens, a physical manifestation of the Kang's efforts. In an instant he ages, his hairs threading with gray, and he staggers from an invisible blow, clutching at his side. Panic streaks through her.
  286.  
  287. It must have failed. Why else would he stagger?
  288.  
  289. Then she sees it out of the corner of her eye. Ardith is positive it's a phantom; the lack of sleep, of eating, of any rest. But then she turns her head, whips it around, and she swears she sees color returning to his cheeks.
  290.  
  291. The Accursed steps closer, then it becomes more apparent. He even stirs from the slumber of death.
  292.  
  293. Back. Back from death. What belongs to her is returned, as is right.
  294.  
  295. "Oh, sweet fuck, Esh!" she swears. It wouldn't be a proper greeting back from the realms beyond if it didn't involve cursing. The waterworks are already flowing again, a high and reedy cackle of exultation along with it.
  296.  
  297. She approaches his side, but treats him like porcelain. Ardith only reaches out to barely touch him with the tips of her fingers, to feel warm flesh again.
  298. (Ardith Hirai)
  299. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  300.  
  301. [04:16] Calael's gaze was locked on the body, waiting for it to move, and once it did and the others cheered, he couldn't help but smile. After a decade of age had slammed into him, moving was somewhat difficult, bones were creakier, but both he and Eshmun were alive.
  302.  
  303. Thank you.
  304.  
  305. He prayed again, just that mental message as he got to his feet and pulled the over-sized cloak back around his shoulders. Cal's breathing was somewhat labored, but overall he wasn't in definitive pain. Magdalen would probably be the best to ask in regards to regaining some of the life-force that was lost, but it was a small price to pay to see the Hirai walking again.
  306.  
  307. Cal let the couple have their reunion, the young smith to cheer for her creation, and Tobias to have this moment to see what his efforts had amounted to.
  308.  
  309. The demiangel stepped over to the side, asking for no praise or attention, but instead tried to subtly stand beside the door, waiting for a proper moment to leave.
  310.  
  311. His work here was finished.
  312. (Calael E. Kang)
  313. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  314.  
  315. [04:22] Little was said immediately as confusion hit their mind. Why was he back here, why was the report maker cheering, Tobias was staring, while Calael seemed...Older. But out of everything, what caused him the most confusion was the woman lightly tapping his skin, as if afraid to be burned.
  316.  
  317. Which his skin was still rather cold, but it was slowly being wormed out by the warmness of their blood. Slowly he'd start to stand again, very, very carefully. Reaching up, their one good hand would take hold of the lightly touching hand.
  318.  
  319. "A-..Ardy?" A singular name, one backed up by a warmth in their slow raspy voice.
  320. (Eshmun Hirai)
  321. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  322.  
  323. [04:24] The sappiness was too overwhelming for him. In moments like these, he was more prone to being reserved like Calael. Humble, and happy that he could have helped. He stepped away with a smile, knowing that his hours of work were put towards giving a man more time on this earth. More time with his wife. He was alive.
  324.  
  325. Tobias stepped over to stand by Calael, idly watching from afar. His gloves were removed, and his cape was grabbed where it hung by the door. Heroically, he threw the cape over his shoulder with a flourish.
  326.  
  327. "I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad to have helped."
  328. (Tobias Ulrich)
  329. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  330.  
  331. [04:28] It takes her some time to completely and totally recover from that initial glee. Actually, no, let's be honest, she's not going to recover from it for a very long time, but at the very least she managed to crawl up after being completely and totally overjoyed. She still looks like a particularly brisk wind could knock her over, but that doesn't stop her from stumbling right into the table and interrupting what is most certainly a soft, gentle, and tender moment with a boisterous -
  332.  
  333. "We built you a new heart, you formerly-dead dummy!"
  334.  
  335. Her teeth are fully exposed, the grin as wide and silly as it could possibly be, displayed for Eshmun's consumption as her shoulders probably collide with Ardith's.
  336.  
  337. … the cost for her assistance, really. She gets to be proud of it.
  338. (Lam)
  339. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  340.  
  341. [04:31] There's so much she wants to do. To give thanks to, to praise, but as Eshmun rises up to take her hand so much else melts away. Ardith is still struck with disbelief. Even when she feels his hand she's not certain it isn't a vision brought on by delirium.
  342.  
  343. If it's a mirage, it's a very nice one. As ill advised as it is she steps in and wraps both of her arms around the freshly risen scholar.
  344.  
  345. She weeps, but now they're undeniably tears of joy as she presses her face into his shoulder and holds him. The impossible's been done and today she's bore witness to a literal miracle.
  346. (Ardith Hirai)
  347. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  348.  
  349. [04:38] Though eyes drifted to watch Tobias move away, it didn't take more then just a split second for the boisterous Lam to take their attention, with that wide toothy grin. As ill advised as it might be, with arms wrapping around him, his own wrapped around them.
  350.  
  351. One hand was on their back, while the other was planted upon their golden head of hair. Small comforting pats were given while warm tears moistened the cold clothes.
  352.  
  353. By now it was all making sense...Unless this was a spiritual dream, he was back, wasn't he? Disbelief was still in his mind, but it didn't matter to him. Instead a warm breeze began manifesting around the temperature magi.
  354.  
  355. "...Thank you." Quietly he spoke his first fully cohesive words with no stutters, it being aimed at practically everyone in the room. Alongside it, the stiff face muscles of Eshmun moved, their mute expression slowly shifting into his patented smile.
  356.  
  357. He was alive, wasn't he?...Or maybe undead, they weren't too sure just yet.
  358. (Eshmun Hirai)
  359. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  360.  
  361. [04:43] Calael gave the couple a soft smile, and if it wasn't such a reverent moment, he might have given off a warm laugh in response to Lam's excitement over everything. It was a heartfelt thing to see, this reunion. It was something he hadn't seen in many years, not since Anise Ixis first unbound herself from Sors Ultovex and hugged her brother with her newfound freedom. Every step and direction throughout his life had brought him here, and it was well worth it.
  362.  
  363. Though... that Virtue which Satsuki Shimasu had called a burden reared its face even now. Truth, as it was often discovered, was disappointing and dissatisfying to know. Before he left, Cal's shoulders rose and fell again and his smile left his face to give a serious note to the others.
  364.  
  365. "That mechanical heart will not provide the functions of a real one for too long. I count... six years until it fails completely. I would advise using such a time to find a replacement or some other way to continue on living... that or ah... enjoy what time you have, Eshmun."
  366.  
  367. A slow nod was given before Cal turned. "Do give Elyon my regards... though I'll likely stop by soon enough." He was making his way to leave, but would wait to hear any remaining questions or concerns if needed.
  368. (Calael E. Kang)
  369. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  370.  
  371. [04:48] Her excitement, her exultation, is curbed. She pulls away her face from Eshmun's shoulder and mops her face with the hem of her frayed cloak.
  372.  
  373. A time limit. Another time limit. Such terrible shackles the world continues to try and place on her. But she's broken all the others. This is another one that's meant to be sundered.
  374.  
  375. She turns towards Cal, keeping one arm around her husband, and eyes him. There had been a point in her life where it would've been a glare, a scowl. Anything but the soft expression of gratitude she offers.
  376.  
  377. Accursed or not, she can still be thankful to the ones who played pivotal roles in this grand undertaking.
  378.  
  379. "...We'll make somethin' work. I'd stake my horns on it," she snorts.
  380.  
  381. "But...but thank you. You and Tobi and Lam and...fuckin' everyone. I owe ya all more than I could repay in a lifetime. I'll try to pay it back anyway."
  382. (Ardith Hirai)
  383. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  384.  
  385. [04:50] All righty.
  386. Lam has put in her celebration.
  387. She has heard a time limit that's literally less than the time she's been a blacksmith and she just made a fake fucking heart, fuck you.
  388.  
  389. She steps back.
  390. She slumps in the seat.
  391. And she goes the fuck to sleep.
  392. Everyone else can do whatever. She's wrecked.
  393. (Lam)
  394. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  395.  
  396. [04:50] Was this what made it all worth it for Calael? It was an exhilarating feeling, to say the least. He loved giving back, and making people happy. Saving others from tragedy came with this elated feeling, relief. Seeing Ardith reunite with her formerly dead husband melted his heart. If this was the path he was on, he wanted to keep going.
  397.  
  398. As he exited the room along with Calael, he felt like he was going to sleep well tonight. Six years? It was a long time! Surely, they could find another heart. A hand was raised towards the group still remaining into the room, waving.
  399.  
  400. "When it comes time to replace that heart, I'll do it again. I'll do it as many times as it takes. I have experience this time!" he chirped. "Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Call me if you need me."
  401.  
  402. And, he'd exit as well.
  403. (Tobias Ulrich)
  404. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  405.  
  406. [04:55] Stiffly he nodded to Calael, the words being taken in by his sluggish mind. A false heart, six years...Find a replacement and enjoy his time. It was all starting to piece together, as it seemed a miracle had happened in this workshop to bring back the once dead Eshmun.
  407.  
  408. Though he didn't exactly have the clear state of mind to truly thank everyone that had helped with multiple sentences...A single statement that he had said many times before came to mind to all this.
  409.  
  410. "The impossible...Is never impossible." Roughly he gave a chuckle that ended up with a cough. A friendly smile was given to the leaving magi, while they held back from giving a laugh to the sleeping Lam.
  411.  
  412. It was all so strange, but here he was, back, again.
  413.  
  414. For now that was all he had to say on...Everything, so much time, so much to say yet so little ability to say it.
  415. (Eshmun Hirai)
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