T'en Vas Pas

[leekspins]

WHO: Sora Inoue, Orihime Inoue, OPEN
WHAT: Hector witnesses the hollowfication process. Shortly afterward, Orihime seems to be suffering from a severe clumsiness disorder. So many accidents, so little time. What a klutz! ...Or is she?
WHEN: February 3rd for Hector and Sora / February 4th - 13th for Orihime
WHERE: Feb. 3rd - Soleil / All other dates, she can be anywhere.
NOTES: I'm listing a few examples of Orihime's accidents, but can easily make up more. Feel free to spot her just before it happens, afterward, or even resting up at the infirmary in some cases.


Ghosts usually couldn't be seen during daylight hours, and for ordinary people, this remained the case when Sora trailed several dozens of yards behind his sister as she made her way toward Soleil. She didn't seem like she noticed him there, and that wasn't unusual. But it still left a little pang of loneliness in his heart.

So he floated after her, the sun having just barely sunk below the treeline of the woods, when he saw a flash of color between the trees. Sora stopped, squinting. The figure's face was familiar to him, he could have sworn...

It was that boy. The boy who ran off into the woods with Orihime on some evenings to train together in the woods, the one she'd danced with in the snow, the one she looked at with so much warmth and admiration... But why was he slinking about like that? He didn't like it.

The boy appeared again, drifting between the trees, and stopping to turn and stare at Orihime. Sora frowned and drifted closer. Peter. That was what she'd called him, wasn't it? Why was he just watching her like that? It was suspicious. He made up his mind to follow Peter, and see what he was up to. If he was deceiving his sister all this time, then he'd...

...

He couldn't do anything, not as a spirit. But that skeleton man, Hector, seemed able to dwell between both worlds. He would tell him, pass on the warning.

Peter turned to stare at Sora. His eyes were flat and empty...almost too wide apart as if each eye was fixed on either side of Sora's head. There was something so chilling about that expression that he stopped immediately, hesitated, and floated back in spite of himself. What was this...?

It's not him.

The realization came too late. There were five shimmers in the air, monstrous hulking creatures with eggshell-white masks covering horrid faces. Their eyes glowed as they watched him shrewdly.

"Devour that man's heart."

Sora's face drained of color. That voice... No...! No!

Desperately he turned to run, a scream of horror ripping out of his throat -- a scream that no one else could hear outside of the dead.


* * * * *

A. Hit and Run in Soleil - Reserved for Fakir

[A sudden squeal of tires precedes a sickening thud and soft tumble of a body on the pavement. The van jerks back, steers around the girl lying in the street, and tears down the road before anyone can realize just what happened. And there's Orihime, dazed, her sack of groceries scattered over the ground as she slowly pushes herself up and sucks in her breath. Her arm hurts, and it feels like her leg is on fire. Just visible below the hem of her flowery skirt is a nasty mottled bruise. And yet, despite just being hit by a car, she starts gathering up the scattered produce and putting it back in her bag.]

---------------

B. Stairway - Reserved for Yuya

[What's white and brown and white and brown and white and brown? An Orihime falling down a flight of stairs. When she hits the landing, she skids a little and groans...and only takes a moment to massage her knee before she starts getting back up again with a dizzy wobble.]

---------------

C. Woodland Training - Reserved for Gon

[This isn't the first time a branch has broken when Orihime was practicing with her web shooters. She thought she was getting better, but she seems like she keeps misjudging the sturdiness of the limbs the shoots for. That's not so bad. ...But when there's a loud creaking groan, she looks up, wide-eyed, as an enormous oak topples forward to squash her. And just like the car, she can't seem to move or avoid it.]

---------------

D. Even in the Classroom - Reserved for Nina

[She's just sitting by the window, chewing thoughtfully on her pencil eraser when the wind outside picks up. It's howling hard, and it's an eerie sound...just before the window shatters and sends shards of glass exploding straight toward her.]

---------------

E. Look Out Below! - Reserved for Tatsumaki

[Walking to and from class isn't safe either. Every time her path leads her near a building, that seems to be the time sheets of frozen snow or dangerously sharp icicles just happen to drop off of the roof, either to clobber her flat or barely miss the startled student.]

----------------

F. Near-Drowning - Reserved for Bumblebee

[She found that she enjoyed swimming after her last visit to the Legionnaire Quarters, and she's pretty sure the water will feel good on her aching and bruised body. She rents and changes into a swimsuit, leaps into the pool, and practices her strokes. But on her third lap, it feels like something hooks around her ankle. She looks back, trying to kick it loose, but she can't really see anything. It jerks her down below the surface. Orihime struggles, scissoring her other leg, even reaching down to blindly fumble for what she can only assume is some kind of netting, but there's nothing, nothing, and her lungs are starting to burn...and her throat...it's all so crushing...]

----------------

G. Everything Else

[If it can go wrong, it does. Flowerpots fall from windows. Gas leaks from stoves just waiting to ignite into a fiery explosion. Ice that should have supported her weight cracks and threatens to drop her into icy water. If there's such a thing as a Grim Reaper, one has to wonder just what the hell Orihime did to piss it off with this amateur week-or-so of Final Detination accidents.]

Comments

Stairwell

[hippocarnival]

--Orihime! [Yuya doesn't miss the thuds she tumbles down, and he turns to see her collapsed at the bottom of the staircase. He rushes to her side immediately, reaching out to try and grab her arm to help her get stable.] Are you okay?! What happened?

[leekspins]

Er...

[She blinks, surprised and a little embarrassed that someone else saw that. Sheepishly, she points past her shoulder toward the stairs.]

...I fell? I'm okay, though!

[Bruised and dizzy, but she doesn't think she broke any bones. But that was so weird. It feels like someone pushed her, but there's no one up there. So she probably just tripped.]

I didn't look very cool, did I? Ha ha!

[hippocarnival]

Yeah, you fell. [Yuya'a brow knits with worry. He follows her gaze up as well, as if there's something up the stairs besides clumsiness that might have caused it.]

You didn't twist anything, did you? Can you walk?

Classroom

[fashionable_yapping]

[There is a split second of aghast surprise. And then Nina does the first stupid thing that crosses her mind and just. throws her desk in front of the sharp glass. Not all of it is intercepted, but enough is.]

[leekspins]

[Orihime's arms come up defensively, her eyes squeezed shut. When she opens them, she can feel a couple of sharp stings on her hands, and there are a few freckles of bright scarlet on her sleeve.]

[But the desk definitely got it worse. There's one particularly large shard of glass buried half an inch into the wood, meaning that was one hell of a gust of wind if it could do that to an expensive and well-crafted piece of furniture.]

[Orihime exhales the breath she didn't realize she was holding, and turns to find that Nina is the one who is now deskless.]

Th...thank you! Your reflexes are amazing!

[fashionable_yapping]

[She stares at the glass shard embedded into the desk's surface.]

No way this is natural.

[She's distracted enough that she only now registers the compliment. Which is saying something given how much she loves compliments.]

Right. Yeah, I'm amazing.

[She's too distracted to realize how egotistical that sounds.]

Hit and Run

[schwanenritter]

Hey! Come back here you jackass!

[Fakir shouted at the driver in german, too shocked by the sight to remember to switch languages as a crowd gathers, before he turns around to see who was hit... and he knows her, and quickly kneels to try to keep her from moving]

Don't get up - you just got hit by a car! You need to get to a doctor. Now.

[Fakir is still speaking German]

[leekspins]

[Orihime lifts her head. Oh no, he's swearing at her! ...At least, that's what most German sounds like to someone who doesn't speak a word of it. She blinks at him, perplexed and still a little dazed. Oh, it's Fakir.]

Oh, no, I'm okay! It's just a little bump.

[She beams and reaches for a box of crackers.]

These will be pre-crumbled and perfect for soup now, ah ha ha..!

[schwanenritter]

[He blinks slowly in confusion at her reaction before catching himself, and had to stop himself from reflexively slapping the box of crackers away.]

...Idiot! Don't shrug it off so lightly. Ugh... you're probably still dazed.

[Someone in the crowd started to gather Orihime's groceries for her]

Okay, now can you stand?

WOODLAND TRAINING

[betheman]

WATCH OUT-!

[Gongenzaka typically trains alone- not because he prefers it or anything, he just...trains in fairly extreme manners for most. Most people just. Can't lift what he can.

But the woods are a handy place for that, which means that Orihime is not alone- especially since he was already drawn to her location by the sound of something in the trees.

And when that sound becomes a creaking groan, he runs.] ORIHIME..!

[Orihime, sadly, might just have been tackled. However with a loud grunt, she'll find that's the last thing to be worried about- Gongenzaka is on his hands and knees over her, the tree cracked and now resting over his back as he strains.] Ngghh...Hggkk...

[leekspins]

[The wind gets soundly knocked out of her as she impacts the ground, then stares up at him, uncomprehending.]

G...Gongenzaka...?

[Then she realizes he's still straining. The tree fell on him. And he's holding it up...!]

[Suddenly alert, she pushes at the ground with her heels as she tries to scramble out from underneath him, then throws her shoulder against the tree, straining with all of her might to help him get it off. It's...pretty useless. She's strong for a girl, but certainly not abnormally so. If she has to...if she has to, she'll break the tree with Tsubaki, but maybe he was just struggling to keep it from falling on her. He gets two seconds, and if he can't get out by then...]

[betheman]

[It seems that it was indeed just a matter of being stuck in that position- Gongenzaka huffs a heavy breath, but the minute Orihime is out he makes to move and let it fall from his back.] HhhhUUUAAAH...Hff..! [Phew! He shakes himself, focusing on his friend despite everything.] ...Are you alright, Orihime?

[unpocoloco]

He was quite literally dead to the world during daylight hours. His body motionless and his brain shut down. Nothing could rouse him any earlier for anything. He woke whenever he woke and that was just the whim of death, he always supposed.

But the days are getting longer and sometimes he even wakes just a bit earlier than he'd expect, granting him the oft missed sight of sunset. He's got classes to TA for, things to do, various people to check in on, but for such a rare sight, he takes this time to head out.

The sun itself is gone, but he can still see the light and color on the horizon. The sunsets are the same here as they would be in Santa Cecelia and he likes that thought, that idea that in a few hours his girl will be watching the very same sunset. Maybe he could write about that. The sunset, the way the light danced upon the leaves of the trees, the way it reminded him of her, the hope of seeing her, renewed with each night, the tap of his cane going like a steady pulse.

For a moment, his thoughts drift from her to Sora, to Orihime and having been able to unite the pair, if only through him. It warms his heart and brings a guilty pang in one-- for someday, he'll be going back home and on that day he won't be able to commune for those two anymore. Hopefully, they would be able to work something out for themselves.

And that's when he hears the scream. He stops, a chill going through him. No one around so much as lifts their head, which means only one thing. Unthinkingly, he runs to the source of that noise.

"Sora?! SORA!" What could make a dead man scream? He wishes he didn't know all the many hundreds of answers to that.

He skids to a stop at what he finds when he turns the corner. He's not sure what he actually thought he could do though when he finally spots the man, scrambling from not one but five of those monsters. He's got no power but seeing this and being here.

[leekspins]

Sora runs. It doesn't seem like a ghost should have to pant for breath, but Sora's gasping, his eyes wild with terror as he flees, and stumbles, and scrambles to get away.

Those five heads turn to follow him, watching the man's flight passively.

"Are you going to let your meal escape?"

The voice is one Hector's heard before, even if he can't readily see the source. Two of the Hollows stand upright. The tusks one one mask extend, snaking out like living whips while the rubbery arms of another Hollow do the same. Both pairs of appendages snap firmly around Sora. His arms are firmly pinned to his sides as he thrashes and struggles.

"No! No! Please, no! Oh g--"

All five are on him. They move faster than the eye can follow, surrounding the young man and hiding him from view. The screams turn from panic to strangled, wet sounds of pain. The creatures' backs bob as they lower their heads, frantically feasting.

Then Sora isn't screaming at all.

/GENTLY RETCONS IN A MISSING FRIGIN ARM + RELATED STRAINS ASJH

[unpocoloco]

Sometimes, despite death, certain things lingered. He knew this. He could breathe and feel like he was suffocating, like the strain in his own breath with all this. He could feel pain, like the pain in his splintered arm, fading with the distance he's put from it but still there. He knew full well that despite death, there was plenty to be afraid of.

A chill goes down his spine at that familiar voice, freezing him still in place. They haven't seen him yet and a terrible part of him wants to run in the other direction at that alone.

But from his place he sees them catch and ensnare Sora. He starts forward, one armed, a cane in his only hand, but it's too late before he even takes that next step. Sora's cut off pleas go on his own head. Oh god. Oh god. He hears the man being torn apart and he backs up behind that wall, breath going to hyperventilate. He drops his cane, hand covering his mouth, unable to move in either direction as Orihime's brother screams in agony until he can't anymore. He's seen death before, even among his primos, his fellow dead, but it doesn't get better and this...? They're eating him. They're... they're all transformed ghosts and they're eating him. He feels as though he'll be sick.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sora.

He chokes back on a sob when the noise dies out aside that disgusting feasting. Trembling, he picks up his cane and dares peer around the corner, knowing he won't want to see what's there either way, but compelled all the same.

[thebreakfastbug]

[Bee's over by the punching bags, hitting and kicking away at one, when he hears Orihime struggling. He yanks off his gloves and runs towards the pool, fumbling with removing his shoes mid-charge.

Diving in, he looks around, trying to see where see where she is.]

[leekspins]

[She's not hard to find. In her frantic attempts to free herself, the swimming cap is pulled off, and her chestnut hair flows all around her.]

[But she's weakening. She thinks she can see someone swimming toward her, and she tries to stretch her hand out to him but he's so...far...]

[A stream of bubbles leaves her mouth as she stills, hovering helplessly at the bottom of the pool. But there's no visible sign at all as to what's keeping her down.]

[The moment Bumblebee reaches her, there won't be any further resistance, and he'll find she's easy enough to pull up out of the water.]

G... for Grim Reaper's Sprint

[shockingblue]

[Today was the day GV had agreed to meet with Orihime to show her some of his rune inscription work, to show her things, and even begin to work on some of the gear he offered to her. The good news was that material costs were already covered, so the only limiting factor to it was time!

And that suited him just fine. Together they got off the bus near the Anvil of Hadur, where much of the rune inscription work was best done, including facilities for students to work at.]

Well... here we are. I have a couple of projects I'm already working on for myself that I can show you when we get in, too. I think you can even help me with one, if you're willing.

[leekspins]

I'd love to see them!

[The interior of the Anvil is probably shockingly warm compared to the chilly high altitude of the outdoors, and she's eager to get inside...so much so that she's already tugging off her gloves.]

I really wanted to take the Runes class, but it was full. So next semester.

[Her eyes light up at his offer. She can actually help him?]

Yes! I'd love that! I'm a complete amateur but I'm told that I learn very fast!

[Reaching the front doors, Orihime pulls one open, and just...stands there for a moment, relishing the warm air that rushes out and past her face, rippling the tails of her sunny yellow scarf.]

Ahhhh it's so nice...

G also I feel like this is my greatest work

[playitagain]

[Nana is out and about on campus -- to no particular surprise -- but there is a look of shock on her face as she looks up. From the music room, there is a loud THWAAAAAAAAUUUUUM -- a misplayed note on a tuba.

And then a crash. Shards of glass go raining down, as... as a tuba, somehow, is launched through the air. A single cry echoes:

"CURSE MY FLAME AND MY ABILITY TO BLOW AIR AT SUPERSONIC SPEEDS...!"

...and the tuba is crashing down for a head of red hair. Nana shouts, and then leaps with a surprising athleticism, trying to bodily tackle Orihime away from the three story tuba drop.]

LOOK OUT!

It is pretty great!

[leekspins]

[It's the one event that could honestly and truly be called an accident, the result of nothing more than coincidence and bad luck coming together to shake hands.]

[Orihime glances up at the sound of breaking glass, instinctively wincing as she was cut this way just a few days earlier.]

[A tuba?]

Oof!

[Something small and banana-scented crashes into her, throwing her off her feet as the instrument pounds into the ground right where Orihime was standing. She raises her head, heart thumping in her throat, then lets it fall back down again.]

...ah ha ha ha ha...!

[She can't help it. Her tense muscles go lax as she lies there on the ground.]

I'm so grateful... I didn't want my obituary to read 'Student Blows It Big Time!'

[This is no giggling matter, but there she is, doing it anyway.]

E - February 4th

[tsunderetornado]

[Tatsumaki isn't having a great day. She keeps having visions of her best friend narrowly evading death, which means she's been walking about blind and worried all day. Improbable as it seems that this many things could be happening to her friend, she doesn't know the time range for them or the cause. Perhaps it's over the course of a year.

It's unusual for her to get this many visions within a single day, and she can only suppose it's her attachment to Orihime that's making her see all of these things.

She can sense her friend's presence, but she can't see her or anything. All she knows is that her danger sense goes off a second before there's a crack from above and ice starts plummeting down toward Orihime. Unable to see the ice, all she can do is surround her friend with a telekinetic barrier so that the ice bounces harmlessly off of her.]

You need to be careful.

[leekspins]

[Orihime jerks back, an arm flung up in surprise as an avalanche of roof ice crashes spectacularly against the invisible shield. Yikes! Of course, even if she weren't familiar with Tatsumaki's abilities, she knows it's her friend just because she is familiar with the feel of her soul.]

[Orihime whirls around, her heart still in her throat, and notices that Tatsumaki's eyes aren't exactly meeting hers. She had another vision, then...?]

Y...yes! Sorry, I'll be more alert!

[Instinctively she reaches for her friend's hand and clasps it tight, to guide her until her vision returns.]

Did you predict that would happen?

2/3 or 2/4

[made_up_names]

[ Weird, Peter hasn't texted her at all since their encounter with Ben. Saturday is easy enough to explain - they'd spent a decent portion of the day together, with Peter asleep for the rest of it. Sunday, well .. Normally he sends her random stuff throughout the day, like memes or dumb videos or pictures he took from unusual vantage points on campus.

But on Sunday? Absolute silence, even if she decides to text him during the day. And that is unusual. He doesn't always text her back right away, but it's usually within a couple hours? At least before he goes to bed for the night if he's really straggling.

Instead ... when she comes in to help with her infirmary shift, whichever day that happens to be, she'll catch sight of him in one of the beds. He's dead asleep, his shoulder bandaged to hell and back and his leg propped up on pillow. Other, smaller wounds pepper his face and hands; they've sealed over but show telltale signs of having been freshly healed. And given how fast he normally heals? Whatever did this to him must have been incredibly powerful.

He doesn't stir at first, but he is breathing steadily. Just. Exhausted, with his body working in overdrive to try to fix him. ]

[leekspins]

[The sight of him lying there is like someone walked up and punched her in the stomach. She'd known he was still on campus once she was worried enough to seek out his reiatsu, and having found it, she assumed he either forgot his phone in his dorm room or had it on silent so he could concentrate on a project.]

[But he'd been here. And he'd been hurt. Who would do something like this...?]

[The knot in her stomach tightens. He'd been warned. They both had, and she'd stupidly assumed that it would be okay for at least a day while they rested up, but he's here, and she wasn't there, and now he's...!]

[Her fingers reach up and push through her hair, gripping it tightly. She hates this.]

...C...come on! Don't just...

[Quickly she wipes away her tears and calls out the two little fairies from her hairpins to settle over him and start wiping away the mass of injuries he's collected. He'll be okay, she has the power to make him okay. But that doesn't mean she isn't affected by the thought that he'd suffered badly.]

[Quietly she pulls the stool next to his bedside and she sits upon it, wanting to grasp his hand in hers, but refraining. It might be hurt too. She'll wait, and she'll heal him, so he can at least wake up without being racked with pain.]