am i too lost to be saved? - OPEN?

[redd]

Someone was screaming, yelling, shouting - it took her a minute to realize the scream was tearing from her own mouth. Blinding pain shot across her mind, shooting through her entire body and bringing her to her knees. An onslaught of images curled through her mind one right after the other as she hit the pavement of the alley, ignoring the fact that it was pouring down rain. She'd been walking perfectly in it a moment ago, and it meant very little to her that her clothes were now sticking to her like a second layer of skin and her hair was plastered across her forehead and neck.

All she felt was the pain.

Another scream tore from between her clenched teeth and fell past her lips. Her hands went to her head, squeezing, trying to block out everything - but the pain and images and everything just continued, driving her further to the ground. Her hands slammed into the pavement, her magic cracking it beneath her hands. She glared down at them, blinking through the rain as it appeared her hands were covered in blood . . . but then it was gone and her focus returned instead to the pain.

Something white-hot streaked down her face. She knew they were tears, the familiar feeling of letting emotions free finally taking over and forcing her to cry, if nothing else. Falling onto her side on the pavement, Redd stared up at the sky with a mixed expression of pain and confusion, her skull throbbing. Eventually she shut her eyes and let the rain wash over her, praying to whoever the hell was listening that it would help.

She knew the day would come. The day when she wouldn't be able to handle it. She had drifted beyond the point of no return some time ago, and it was only a matter of time before she reached the point where she was at now. Her mind had finally snapped and brought with it the most intense physical and emotional pain she had ever experienced in the entire galaxy.

Salty tears mingled with rain water and slid off her face, drifting to the pavement beneath her as she cried and tried not to scream in agony. Her hands clenched and came up to her head again. Whatever was happening inside her head burned and hurt and made her want to die - was this the sort of pain she caused others? Writhing on the ground in pain, waiting for it to all be over, Redd Heart could only wish for one thing.

Death.

[Deleted]

Plum could feel the wish. She usually could feel the wish coming even before a person uttered it. But this wish was so strong and overpowering she wondered where it came from. As a wish granting fairy it was her duty to find out who was making the wish. Such a strong wish might not be the best idea to grant. Strong wishes were usually the ones that people regretted making. Yet, at the same time, the ones that were just a passing thought were also wishes that people tended to regret too.

The fairy needed to find the owner of this wish. And immediately. With a polite “If you’ll excuse me” Plum left the shop that she was in to find this person, using the wish like a beacon as she darted out into the rain. She followed it instinctively, hardly caring where she was going or who she passed along the way. Those things didn’t matter at the moment. But the wish did. Wishes were first and foremost her very first priority. And she needed to know what this wish was before she could decide whether or not to grant it.

She was drawn to the alley and knew that the women writhing in pain was the one who made the wish. And Plum also knew that she wasn’t going to grant said wish because she knew that the wish was probably about ending the pain in the easiest way. Death. Plum was a strong believer in life. She believed that everyone had a right to their own existence. Right now, she wasn’t going to let this woman die just because she’d made a wish and she was a wish granting fairy. That was so not happening.

She knelt carefully by the woman, looking at her with determination. “I’m Plum. I’m a fairy and I’m going to help you,” she told the woman, because there was little time for an actual introduction and it was only polite to tell people you were going to help them before you did so. She pulled out her wand and wished for the pain to subside. With a wave of her wand she could feel her magic pouring out her. She only hoped it helped.

[redd]

Her nails scraped against the pavement, likely so hard that it was drawing blood, but Redd didn't care. The exploding pain inside her mind was becoming white hot, unbearable really. She'd felt pain before, but this was nothing compared to what it had been before.

Vaguely she heard the footsteps, but it didn't register until someone was directly hovering above her. For a moment she thought it was the stupid little blonde that had taken over her job and Redd nearly lashed out. She didn't, however, as she realized it was a complete stranger. Just what she needed. /sarcasm.

She introduced herself but Redd lost her name between the scream that hit her lips when she started muttering other words - magic. Her back arched and she attempted to grab at the wand, to stop her from performing whatever magic it was because it was making it worse. Her magic mingling with whatever magic the girl was performing was putting her in far too much pain.

"Stop!" She cried and her hands hit the pavement again. "Magic - stop using it! It's making mine worse!" She managed to get out before her mind exploded in white-hot pain that had her writhing on the ground. She couldn't breathe, it was swallowing her, over taking her entire body. The tips of her fingers tingled and it steadily began to rise up her arms, flooding into her body.

[Deleted]

Plum winced as the other woman screamed, practically in her ear. Her scream seemed to tear at very air and Plum felt so horrible for her. There was so much pain. So much. Too much. Plum just wanted to help her, to sooth her, to tell her that everything was going to be alright. She wanted to stroke her red hair and sooth her until the pain went away, but Plum didn’t dare touch the woman for fear of her own safety.

So instead she merely concentrated on the power of her wish for the other woman. She wanted to help the pain go away. Just watching the woman writhe on the ground made Plum’s own heart ache with sympathy. She just wanted to help. She concentrated on pouring her own magic into the other woman. It would help if she let it. The magic would work itself out.

She ignored the woman’s cried of pain and for her to stop. She couldn’t even if she had wanted to. Plum couldn’t just retract a wish. She would have to wish again and it wasn’t worth it. Plum was determined to make it work, even if it killed her. And at this rate, it just might. Her magic was so weak when it came to healing. Conjuring up things was much her forte, not healing. And even though reducing pain was fairly easy, the woman was in so much pain that it was using most of the magic the Plum had to conquer it. But conquer it she would. Even if it meant completely draining herself of magic, and ultimately dying. At least she would know her death would not be in vain. That at least was comforting.

[redd]

The black abyss of pain that enveloped Redd was killing her. She could practically feel everything drain from her body, her soul, and her mind. Blackness wavered at the edge of her vision, threatening to overtake her at any moment. She fought against the impending blackness, however, with all she had left. The pain was too overwhelming to fight against anymore. Her chest felt as if it was ripping open, her arms felt like electrified eels, and her head felt like a nuclear bomb had just exploded inside of it and someone was pouring a mixture of molten lava and hot wax across it.

Then, nothing.

Taking in sharp, deep, gaping breaths of air, Redd's eyes snapped open and she looked around, still trembling, still crying. She brought her shaking hands up to her face, noticing they were covered in her own blood from where she had scratched the pavement and her own skin along her arms and face. It hurt to think, it hurt to breath, and it certainly hurt to move she realized a moment later.

Then her gaze went to the blonde fairy that hovered over her. One hand reached out gingerly to close around her wrist and Redd's gaze met the fairy's. She held rather powerful magic, clearly, and Redd could feel it, just beneath her skin. It was weak now, though, no doubt from healing her. She drew a ragged breath and spoke with a soft, quiet tone she had not used in quite some time.

"Thank you."

[Deleted]

Plum could feel the magic working. She could feel it down to her core. She could sense it. She could see it. There was so much magic of course it had to work. It couldn’t not work. Her magic had never failed her and Plum wasn’t planning on letting it stop working now. No, she had put too much into this. She wasn’t going to give up now.

And then it was over. Just like that it was over. The magic stopped and her body trembled. So much magic was gone and it took all her effort to keep from passing out. She needed to concentrate because the world was quickly becoming blurry around the edges, then a hand circled her wrist. Plum brought her gaze to rest upon the other woman, focusing on her eyes and her words.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered. Then she noticed the blood. There was a lot of it. She needed a doctor. They both needed a doctor. “Doctor,” she whispered faintly. “We need a doctor.” She was trying to keep hold of the world and herself. She couldn’t faint. Not yet. Not here. Not now. She wouldn’t dare use magic. That would probably kill her now. But she couldn’t quite hold on to the world. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body collapsed, unconscious onto the pavement.

[redd]

Redd couldn't understand why she was bleeding. She didn't bleed. Her magic always made sure of that - and then it hit her, like a crushing weight to her chest. Her magic was gone. The incredible pain . . . everything that had just happened was a result of her mind finally breaking and her magic fleeing from her body. She panicked slightly, not used to this new feeling of no magic. She'd never felt so helpless in her entire life.

And then the girl went and fainted. Redd didn't blame her. It was taking all Redd had to keep herself consious as well. Gathering herself, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, ignoring the blood that raind own her arms as it mingled with the rain and swirled onto the pavement. A wave of dizziness swept across her like a tidal wave and she forced it down with a grimace.

She pressed a shaky hand against Plum's neck, feeling for a pulse, making sure the fairy was indeed still alive. Assured that she was, Redd began to consider her options. Carrying Plum to a hospital would be a good one because she had been right - they both needed a doctor now that Redd could no longer heal herself or anyone around her. But quite frankly she wasn't sure she'd be able to make the trek to the hospital carrying additional weight. She could hardly keep upright in a sitting position.

She raked wet and bloody hair from her face and glanced around. It was pouring rain, so there wasn't likely anyone in the general area to help them. She shed the coat she had been wearing earlier and threw it over Plum's form meekly - at least the rain would wash the blood off of Redd's now bare arms and legs and face from where she had scratched herself.

[Deleted]

Beowulf didn’t mind the rain, but only as long as he wasn’t wearing his leather jacket. Which he wasn’t at the moment, so he didn’t mind the rain. He was just walking. He didn’t particularly have a reason to be anywhere and walking was just fine on occasion. He was sticking to dark places anyway. He liked the darker more dangerous side of town. Walking through these so called alleys were better than walking through the streets. The streets were full of people who wanted him to smile and wave when Beowulf would much rather walked silently, unsmiling with his hands in his pockets. And that’s why he stuck to alleys.

He turned a corner and headed down another alley, but there were people in this alley. He narrowed his eyes at them. They seemed to be in some kind of trouble. He approached, noticing that the read haired woman was bloody. The other girl, the blonde, was just lying there. Beowulf turned to the redhead. “She alive or dead?” he asked. He couldn’t do much if she was dead. But if she was alive there was hope. Though neither woman seemed to be in very good condition. He could probably carry both if he needed to. But first he would see what needed to be done first, then he could decide.

[redd]

Redd's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps this time and she looked almost grateful that someone had come along. It took her a moment to find her voice once he had asked her the question.

"She's alive. She passed out." She said quietly, rubbing rainwater away from her eyes. "Passed out from exhaustion, I think. It's sort of a long story and I think she's in more trouble than me." Redd continued to speak quickly and quietly, her voice serious for once instead of the deadlyness it had once held.

She blinked, looking up at the man. "We both need doctors, and I'll be happy to repay you if you can carry her to the hospital for me." She added with an almost pleading look on her face.

[Deleted]

Beowulf nodded at the woman’s words. All he needed to know was that she was alive. He didn’t care about how she got to be like this as long as she was alive. And she didn’t seem to be bleeding so he wouldn’t have to take care of any wounds. He knew to a degree how to care for wounds. He could even sew them up if they needed it. But the young woman seemed fine other than the fact that she was unconscious.

He reached done and grabbed the blonde girl, picking her up and hoisting her over his shoulder. That way, if the other woman passed out he could still carry her too. He wasn’t quite familiar with the hospital, but if the other woman knew where it was, then he could help. “Can you make it?” he asked. She seemed to have blood everywhere and Beowulf couldn’t tell in the rain if she was getting blood all over herself or just bleeding from everywhere. Rain made things so difficult.

[redd]

Silently Redd nodded. She should be able to make it, at least. She was a grown woman for frak's sake. She could get it together long enough to make it to a hospital. Using the nearby dumpster, she locked her hands around it and pulled herself up into a standing position. Her entire body trembled and wavered for a moment as she took a few testy steps forward.

After a moment, however, she seemed to regain herself and looked over at Beowulf. She probably looked a right mess, but frankly she found she didn't care in that moment. Stepping forward, she rearranged the jacket she had thrown over Plum as Beowulf held onto her over his shoulder.

"The hospital is a few blocks down from here. It's not far." She said and stepped back, headed for the mouth of the alley. "If we're lucky, the rain won't get any worse until we're inside."

[Deleted]

Beowulf watched the other woman carefully. She had acknowledged that she could get there, but Beowulf couldn’t be sure. He had learned at a young age that women said they were fine even when they weren’t. She certainly wasn’t in any sort of good shape, but Beowulf knew better than to insist that he help her. Everyone had pride and it was not a good idea to hurt someone else’s. That was usually when they got vindictive.

She did look like a right mess, but Beowulf wasn’t one to judge. On the occasions that he actually decided to train he always looked like a mess. And women didn’t like to be told that they looked like a mess. That was generally a bad idea. And Beowulf really didn’t need to get on anyone’s bad side. He just wanted to slip under everyone’s radar. It was much easier to live to that way.

Beowulf nodded at the woman’s words. He didn’t really care about the rain though. He would get them to the hospital no matter what kind of weather there was. “You lead. I don’t know the way.” It was an order. But in times of need someone needed to take lead. And this way Beowulf could watch her and make sure she was going to make it.

[redd]

Her mind was swirling with unknown thoughts, a headache settling itself into her mind and thrumming steadily at the base of her skull. Spasms of pain shot up her spine and hit the sensitive nerves along the way, but she was fine. She would be fine, at least. If she could only focus.

Trying to gather herself, she nodded once and flinched when she realized it hurt. She rubbed the back of her neck before her fingers pressed against her temple, trying to press the pain away as she led onward, out of the alleyway and down the sidewalk. Thankfully the hospital wasn't that far away.

The heels she wore weren't helping, forcing her to bend down and snatch them off her feet. The ground was wet but she didn't really care. She was already soaking wet anyway, hair hanging down in long strands and her dress clinging to her like a second skin. Unbeknowest to her, however, her hair was starting to turn a murky shade of brown - starting from the roots and growing down with every step she took.

[Deleted]

Beowulf eyed the woman warily. She may have said she was fine but she looked far from it. He did have to respect that she was still standing. It looked like she’d been through a lot and it honestly surprised him that she hadn’t passed out on him too. Though she could still pass out at any minute.

Beowulf followed closely behind the woman. He didn’t want her to pass out on him, but if she did he wanted to be close enough that he could catch her if he had to. He also didn’t want to lose her. He would probably never find the hospital by himself. And that would not be good for the blonde young woman he was currently carrying.

He was watching when the red hair woman’s hair started to turn brown. That was…really strange. But then again he was at a school for magic. “Does your hair always do that?” he asked. He couldn’t help it. It was so strange and he couldn’t tell if she even knew it was happening. He hoped it wouldn’t make her worse.

[redd]

Redd half turned as he spoke, strands of hair falling down in front of her eyes. It took her a moment to process that it wasn't he vibrant red it usually was. Her stomach and chest clinched all at once. She grabbed a fistful of it and examined it for a moment, before letting it drop with a resigned and defeated look.

"No." She said quietly, almost dejectedly. "No, it doesn't do that." It wasn't supposed to do that. Her loss of her magic was clearly doing it, leaving her looking just as depressed as she felt. She let out a shaky breathbefore she gathered herself long enough to keep walking. She staggered, stumbling along for a moment before she caught herself and managed to steadily walk in a semi-straight line.

"Why are you helping me?" Redd inquired after a moment as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't even know why she helped me. I've done so much damage to so many people - she should have left me in the alleyway to die. You should have left me. It would have been for the best."