misheard: (Shizuku)
Mini ([personal profile] misheard) wrote in [community profile] nealuchi2016-10-13 10:16 pm

Refresh

Title: Refresh
Fandom: End Roll
Character(s): Russell, Cody, Dogma, Raymond
Pairing(s): None
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Word Count: 540
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Various ways of curing status ailments.
Notes: I wish Discord would fix itself soon so I could link this in the chat.


Cody’s method of refreshing the others is the least subtle.

“What are you doing, sleeping in the middle of battle?!” she yells. Sometimes she shakes them for good measure, especially if there’s only one person afflicted, but if there’s more than one she sticks to yelling to save time and energy.

It’s not the best way Russell has been woken up, but it still beats ‘Good morning, deranged maniac!’ by a lot. And, more importantly, it’s better than being woken by an attack he had no way of defending against in his sleep.

He rubs his eyes and manages a soft, but not ungenuine, “Thanks.”

Cody gives him a smile, only a little bit flustered by the appreciation. “Thank me after we beat these things.”


Dogma has a bit more grace when it comes to refreshing them from their ailments.

Despite the hallucinations - and they are hallucinations, he knows that, he can see walls closing in on him and hear them whisper how he deserves to be crushed, but it’s all in his head - he can clearly hear Dogma’s prayer. “God, in Your infinite kindness, grant peace and clarity of mind to my companions, I beg of You...”

Like flipping a switch, the walls are back where they should be, and silent. Russell takes a deep breath, and the others do the same. “Thank you,” he says.

Dogma nods at him. “It’s only my duty, nothing particularly worthy of thanks. ...Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Russell says, and readies his knife.


Raymond can only refresh one person at a time. He’s not a healer, just someone who’s picked up a few things here and there. And this isn’t healing, technically.

“Kiddo, are you - shoot.” Raymond sees the way Russell’s trembling, the way he can barely lift his weapon, and pauses his own attacks to approach him. “They’re not real. They’re just part of a dream, and they’re trying to get to your head. But you’re better than that, yeah? You’re not going to let some fake monster push you around.”

Russell stares at him. The echoes of ‘murderer’ still resound in his head, but after a moment, he steadies himself. “...I’m okay.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Raymond says, with a grin Russell can believe.


Russell can’t do it quite like the others. He isn’t as good at yelling as Cody is, and he doesn’t know how to pray like Dogma does. It’s closest to what Raymond does, but Raymond always sounds so sure of what he’s saying, and Russell never does.

Sleep is easiest. He can nudge someone until they wake up, sometimes getting nearly to the shaking point.

When his allies are confused, it takes a firm hand stopping them from hurting themselves and a voice calling out to them to get them to snap out of it.

Hallucinations are much harder. He sets his hand on someone’s arm and gives it a squeeze. “I’m here. This is real,” he says, while knowing full well that it isn’t. “You’re going to be okay.” That’s a lie, too. But it works.

And when someone isn’t willing to attack…

“You have to or you’ll be killed. Please,” he adds. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Somehow, that’s always enough.