post-snek recoveries
[You know?
That weird temple wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst. Not by far now that he's back in this dimension. He floats a bit aimlessly, body broken, shell cracked and falling apart, some bones and insides shattered. His head aches in a way that he can't think.
All he can really do is hope Prime doesn't find him immediately right now. The light off his ring catches his eye and he looks at it, not fully registering that it's lit up.
A promise.]
That weird temple wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst. Not by far now that he's back in this dimension. He floats a bit aimlessly, body broken, shell cracked and falling apart, some bones and insides shattered. His head aches in a way that he can't think.
All he can really do is hope Prime doesn't find him immediately right now. The light off his ring catches his eye and he looks at it, not fully registering that it's lit up.
A promise.]

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Come on. We're going home.
[ He blinks away again - again - until there's finally the glowing outline of a door just ahead of them, with the reddish trees of a forest visible just beyond the threshold. ]
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[He doesn't move, closes his eyes until they're at the door and the light hits him. It's so different from everything in this dimension it's impossible to miss. He has to shut his eyes once Hunter steps them through from the light until he can adjust, his body going dead weight with the full proper gravity.]
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-- Raine! Darius! I got him! H-he needs a healer!
[ And while things are moving in the background, Hunter whirls to get the door closed before trouble can follow them through. ]
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Prime found the door, he's coming for it, arm outstretched - Only for it to be slammed shut in his face. They don't hear his wail of anger from the other side of it. Not when the now former-coven heads are trying to get the turtle bundled up for transport.
But Leo is watching Hunter and. This is real. It's real, not a dream or anything.]
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Hunter turns back as Darius and Raine are bundling. ]
Be - be gentle, please. He's even worse off than I thought.
[ He's holding a couple pieces of Leo's shell in his hands too. ]
You have to stay with us, Leo. Okay?
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I'm- I'm here. With you.
[With all that settled, Raine comes to stand next to Hunter while Darius uses a bit more sludge to lift Leo up and start carrying him.]
"I'm sure he'll be fine."
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He - he needs to be. If he dies after all this -
[ the temptation to go full Belos and make grimwalkers would be SO high. ]
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"They took care of me and Eda. They can take care of him, I'm sure."
"To be perfectly fair, you were not in as many pieces." [Darius is still carrying Leo but watching them over his shoulder before he looks at where they're going toward the university. Raine smiles a little.]
"We won't let him die."
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Please. Please. I'll do anything. Anything at all that will help him--!
[ He drifts after Darius, not taking his eyes off Leo for a second. ]
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The university is big and open for them. They're ready for whatever Hunter had told them, but it's still a shock that not only was it true, but it's worse than they expected from what Hunter told them. They're rushed in to the healers as they start working on Leo as they walk, some of the abomination sludge having to be cracked and broken to get to his plastron.]
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He stays back out of the way of the healers, but he's not leaving the room. ]
I - I know. I just. He's already had so much happen to him. I didn't realize it would be this bad.
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"I don't know that any of us could have guessed. But they'll get him taken care of."
[Leo tries to breathe as they start working on him, removing some more of the abomination and rolling him onto his stomach and the back is. It's bad. Cracked and open but thankfully nothing had fallen out.
Darius steps away from the healers to come stand by them, arms crossed and his half-cape draped over his arm.]
"He's in their hands now."
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What do I do now? Just - just wait?
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Raine looks from Hunter, to Darius, back to Hunter.]
"Let's work on getting you fed. That portal probably took a lot out of you. And we can fix something for him to eat too."
"I'm sure he'll be starving by the time the healers are done."
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[ totally skipping over the part where HE is exhausted from portalling and HE needs food too. ]
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It's okay though. The food is like... It's all the same food Hunter knows and remembers and loves, and Darius makes sure Hunter actually gets a plate for himself while Raine takes the things Hunter told them and considers it when putting together a plate for the turtle. Simple things, ease him into the Boiling Isles.]
"He's... a bit more spindly than I thought he'd be."
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Hunter reluctantly allows himself to sit and eat once that's all been compiled for Leo. Nothing to do but ache with worry over his fiancé. ]
... Yeah. I think ... I think he's been in there a long time. Longer than I realized. Maybe longer than he knew about in that temple place.
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"That temple place... I'm certainly glad you aren't there anymore. How long did he think he was there?"
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... I thought it was just a day or two. But you can't get that thin in just a day, right?
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[Sip sip... Raine's just... Thinking. Darius watches Hunter carefully; he would never admit to being openly worried about the boy when he showed up, scarred and taller and going on about this snake god and a turtle and other dimensions.
But Hunter had such conviction in it, and now to see it's all true.]
"We'll get him back on his feet in no time. Don't worry."
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Yeah. He - he can tell me for sure. When he wakes up.
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"Ah. They've done what they can for now. Let's see if he can stomach down some simple soup."
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Well. Almost everything. He drops his own bowl of soup with a clatter. ]
-- I'll help him! He'll eat better if I feed him!
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He pushes a tray of soup, whatever amounts to crackers and water to Hunter.]
"Of course. He'll be happy to see you, I'm sure."
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Yeah! So - I'll go do that, and.
[ He bobbles the tray a little. ]
Thank you for your help.
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