[voice | Robin]

[pixieboots]

[ The silence in the background is full and steady, which makes the fast, uneven breathing behind the tablet a little more out of place than it might have been. ]

My friend, he- Jericho. [ a huffed breath out. ]

They- it wasn’t even an accident. He didn’t have a pulse when I... when I got here. [ not a certainty, the accident part. but a guess. a good guess his head's rushing to already, but he's too upset, too angry to think it through right now. ]

I don’t know how long it’s been but you- you could tell that with the right equipment. With the fractures and the head trauma that’s- that’s a lot of- [ work to do is what he doesn’t say.

no he won’t say that. ]

Whatever it takes, I’ll- whatever the white coats use to bring people back, we’ve gotta use that. There has to be a way, there just...

There has to be.

Comments

[pixieboots]

I- I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere.

[ while he keeps his eyes trained on that tablet like it's a lifeline. ]

[highhealplz]

[ He nods, falls silent for a while, and -- there. He cuts the feed as Robin comes into sight, breaking into a jog as he waves an arm. ]

Robin! [ And as he draws closer: ] Where is he?

[pixieboots]

[ Dick's left Jericho where he is, still covered in the blood-stained yellow cape. He's standing guard over the body, feet planted close by while he hovers anxiously. ]

Ashraf!

[ He bounces up on his toes, waving back furiously even though he knows he's been seen already. Then he backs off by a few steps, making the space for Ashraf to... do whatever it is Ashraf does. ]

Just tell me what I have to do.

[highhealplz]

[ He doesn't answer. As soon as that bright yellow cape and its secret are in sight, Ashraf sets his jaw and makes straight for them. He can at least tell which end is which, and drops himself to a kneel at Jericho's head. All of the calm and control he'd been hoping to inspire in Robin begins to waver — he's just a kid, Ashraf's own roommate from a lifetime ago, the first person he'd met again here, where was he when this was happening — but he reaches for the cover nonetheless.

Only then does he think to look up at Robin, grim. ]

You don't need to do anything other than make sure I'm not disturbed.

[ He drops his gaze again. He pulls out a small, blue gemstone, and immediately clenches his fist around it. There's only blue dust when his fingers part. That done, he peels back the cape to about Jericho's shoulders, and sets his hands gently, lightly, to either side of the pale face. His eyes close, and a low, murmured prayer fills the silence.

If it's not too late, if it hasn't been too long, he'll be able to sense Jericho's soul. It might not be too far into the darkness, and if he can just reach it, pull it back again... come on, kid. Don't be too far away, man. :C ]

[eyecontact]

[far? where's he gonna go? no dead relatives or buddies to seek out and wander...if he even knew how to do that. he's certainly not aware of anything between the shadow of the collapsing building and the silhouettes of smaller shapes looming above.

at least he's profoundly less wound up about it, opening his eyes to bleary shapes.

i'm going to die, right? somehow it doesn't feel that way.]

[highhealplz]

[ His smile is wide and relieved, as soon as Jericho's eyes open. He's immediately brushing blond hair gently from his face, smoothing it down, impossibly glad just to feel warmth begin to return to him. ]

Hello again, Jericho. [ He could practically cry for relief. It's silly, with the Initiative and their miracle machine ready to bring him back if Ashraf's spell had failed — but impossible to deny. ] Welcome back.

[ And that's his cue to pick up the healing. He floods Jericho with that green light, casting the spell a few times over to fully recall the health and life into him. ]

[pixieboots]

[ His eyes are starting to water again, and that's even stupider now because he's... he is awake. Ashraf's done it, just like he'd said he would.

He reaches for the edge of the cape automatically, like crumpling it up all bloody and discarded can take back what it had been, for the last hour or so Jericho had been dead. ]

You're okay now. [ If he says it it'll make it true. ]

[eyecontact]

[huh...?

Jericho frowns, blinking slow – everything is slow. it's not even what they're saying, so much that they're saying anything at all.

his eyes flicker around, squinting hard, straining to see far without having to move much, but – that magic of Ashraf's packs a real punch – seems to have no trouble sitting up anyway, not even a wince!

but where's Syllona?]

[highhealplz]

[ He shifts, dropping his crouch next to Jericho more properly, attention fully on him.

More seriously now: ] Do you remember what happened?

[pixieboots]

[ His hand is halfway reaching out before he remembers how dirty his gloves are; still bloody and stained through. He hesitates for an extra second - never contaminate a crime scene - but that's Batman talking and so finally he tugs one off so he can touch Jericho's shoulder. How disorienting something like this would have to be. ]

We'll find out what happened. No matter what you remember. [ His voice sounds breathless and a little raw. ]

I got a ton of evidence packed up already, I just need a good lab to run the right tests. Whoever did this, they- they're not gonna get away with it.

[eyecontact]

[nothing Robin's saying makes a bit of sense, and Jericho's still stuck on welcome back. he feels nauseous just looking at the former and turns his head toward Ashraf, growing increasingly more distressed.

What is he talking about? What's going on?

fidgeting a little, hearing rubble scrape when he moves his foot – he pales and stiffens. quickly, he starts looking around past them, over his shoulders, and each of them in turn. finally settling on Robin, hands lifting, moving:]

Did the girl get away OK?