Character/Story Memes

Did the tragedy meme again, although some of the answers ended up being exactly the same -_- Choosing names completely randomly, I ended up with 6 of the same people I used last time, and three of them in the same position on the list -_-

Tragedy Meme
1. Kaian
2. Eric
3. Zephyr
4. Liam
5. Kira
6. Mayon
7. Andi
8. Loki
9. Da'mi
10. Freddy

1. 3 (Zephyr) and 9 (Da'mi) are forced to duel each other in order to save their friend/lover. Who wins and what do they say to each other?
It was over before it began. Zephyr was unarmed, and he couldn't hope to match Da'mi in speed or skill. So he didn't try. His power froze Da'mi's blades mid-strike, and all the assassin's strength could not overpower that unnatural force. One knife tore free of the elf's hand to hover over his throat. "You won't do it," he said, his voice light, as if this was not the nearest he had ever come to death. Perhaps it wasn't. "You're not a killer." Zephyr nodded. "Not anymore," he agreed, and he was grateful, so grateful, that someone could see that. Then he plunged the knife into Da'mi's throat. Zephyr thought of Kiley as he dug a grave with his mind. He wasn't a killer anymore, but he'd sworn to do whatever it took to keep her safe.
2. 8 (Loki) and 10 (Freddy) are captured, and 10 is fatally wounded. How does 8 react? What do they do?
Loki poked Freddy sharply in the side, causing her to gasp in pain. "Oh, get over it already. It's just a scratch. You're being a baby." He sidestepped the pool of blood next to her without allowing himself to consciously acknowledge it.
She tried to smile up at him, but it was more of a grimace. "Sure, kiddo. Just give me a minute and I'll be back on my feet." At the very least she wasn't going to die curled up on the floor. She pushed herself upright, agonizingly slow, until she was leaning against the wall. The movement caused a fresh spurt of blood, which Loki ignored even as it splattered across his bare feet. "Just a minute to rest. That's all I need. Just gotta... close my eyes..." She continued mumbling for a short time, perhaps trying to reassure Loki, though he couldn't make out what she was saying. All too soon she fell silent.
Loki waited what felt like an eternity - but was probably no more than a few minutes - for her to say something else. Finally he approached. "Hey, you don't get to fall asleep on me! Come on!" He shook her shoulder roughly, and she slumped forward and to the side, until she was laying across his feet. She didn't speak, didn't move, didn't breathe. He scrambled backwards until he hit the far wall, and slid down it, not taking his eyes off of her. He could hear a soft whine, and for a moment thought it was her. When he realized it was his own voice it was as if a spell had been broken and he was able to look away. He drew his knees up to his chest, closed his eyes, and covered his ears; and when someone finally came to free him, hours later, that was exactly how they found him. He had to be carried out of the room; but once they put him down he got to his feet, stretched, and crossly asked "What took you so long? I've been so bored!" As far as he was concerned, there had never been anyone else in the room.
3. The characters in the list are standing over their friend's/lover's grave. What is said? Do they do anything? (No Mayon; the closest thing he has to a friend is immortal, and he would see no point in visiting a grave anyway.)
Kaian - Kaian hoped no one would come by and see him. Digging a hole over a grave in the middle of the night was nothing if not suspicious, but this was something he had to do. When the hole was deep enough he dropped in something large wrapped in canvas. "It's only right. Without you I never would have flown again. You were the wind that carried me. The sky is too lonely a place when I don't have you to come back to." His soft voice faded on the last sentence, and he found he could speak no more; so he lifted his shovel, and in silence buried his wings with the man who had built them.
Eric - Kneeling, Eric carefully swept away the leaves on Bev's grave and removed the dying flowers from the vase, replacing them with fresh ones. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, imagining it was the scent of the floral lotion she always used. He couldn't help but smile at the feeling that she was with him. "I hope this is alright. A Christian burial. Perhaps I should have looked into your people's customs. Your family seemed content, however, so I imagine if this was wrong you can forgive me." He rested a hand on the gravestone as he had so often rested it on her shoulder. "The important thing, I think, is that you are at peace." Grief threatened to seize him ,but he stood firm against it. "I wish I had known of your sorrow, but you are free of it now. By God's grace you know no more pain." He stood and dusted off his pants. "We, however, must struggle on. Watch over us, my dear friend, as you always have. Be our guardian angel until the day we are reunited at Heaven's gates." He began to walk away, but turned to give the grave one last smile. "I will visit again soon," he promised.
Zephyr - Zephyr stood in front of the warehouse, trying to force himself to go inside. He hadn't been back since the massacre. It was a dismal place - cursed, some said - but his friends had no graves, so it was the best he could do. He entered finally, and when his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he saw ghosts. Everyone who had been there that night stood as he had last seen them. It was only memory, he knew, but they were no less ghostly for existing only in his mind. He walked among them, singling out those he had killed personally. Where each had stood he placed a rose. Back at the doorway, he looked around at them all and said "I'm sorry." It echoed through the empty building - 'Sorry, sorry, sorry...' - mocking him, and he knew well enough what it meant. No words could ever undo what he had done.
Liam - Kaian had been cremated according to the tradition of his people, his ashes released by Rina high above the city. There was no grave, but overnight a cross bearing his name appeared in the backyard. Although no one spoke of it, Liam was pretty sure it was Celeste. It took him three days to be able to approach it. He grabbed a picnic blanket and his latest project, and avoided meeting the others' eyes as he went to sit next to the cross. For nearly an hour he worked in silence, not once looking up from his device. Finally he began to speak. "It's a monitor for Luke. Sensors in his boots and gloves will measure how much strength he's using, and trigger an alert if he goes beyond a specific level. This way I can know in advance if I might need to redo the binding spell. It'll make things easier." He held up a small component in front of the cross. "This is one of the sensors. It looks flimsy, but it can stand up to as much force as he can exert." He went on to explain exactly how the sensors functioned, then the datapad they would transmit to, and the formula he had come up with to calculate how much demonic energy Luke was using. He could picture Kaian sitting next to him, with that look of intense focus he always wore when listening to Liam talk about his work. A fond smile flitted across Liam's face, and he closed his eyes and simply whispered "I miss you."
Kira - Kira wheeled herself over to Bev's grave and lingered there awkwardly, fiddling with the bouquet she had brought before dropping it. "Here. I don't even know if you liked flowers, but Eric said it's traditional. He's the reason I'm here. I know it's stupid. You're gone, you can't hear me, but he seemed to think I needed... something from this. Closure, I suppose. I don't know why. I'm used to losing people by now." She shifted uncomfortably and fiddled with her hands, trying to figure out what Eric would want her to say. Eventually she gave up and turned to leave, but stopped. "You were stupid," she whispered. Head bowed, she stared at her lap. "You were the one who wanted us all to be close, to talk about our problems. Why didn't you talk to us? You just hid away in your apartment with your booze, killing yourself slowly and never saying a word about why." The grief and bitterness gave way to anger, anger she'd been holding back since learning the cause of death. She turned to yell at the grave. "This was your fault! All the people who want to kill us, and you do this to yourself! And it would have been so easy to avoid. All you had to do was notice. You were a nurse, you knew the signs! Just notice what's happening to you, and shift into a sober form. You..." She took off her glasses to wipe away the tears before they could fall. "Why didn't you save yourself?"
Andi - Andi had broken everything he got his hands on. He had run out and picked a fight with a squad of soldiers. He had screamed curses and pummeled a wall until his fists were slick with blood. And then he had finally run out of anger. He felt empty. The undercurrent of rage that had sustained him for so long had run dry, leaving him unsure how to fill that hollow space. So he wandered, and found himself at Amon's grave. He didn't speak, didn't see a point. Dead is dead; there was nothing left of Amon to hear him. But he sat by that grave for a very long time, and when he finally left he carried something new in that empty space inside him; something that hurt.
Loki - Loki hung upside down from a branch above the grave. He sighed. "It's boring here without you. All the best games and pranks need two people." He dropped to sit cross-legged by the gravestone. "The girls all cry a lot now, it's really annoying. Charon keeps stopping me when I try to cheer them up with some harmless paintballs. Come back soon and snap them out of it, ok?" He tried to smile; and found he couldn't. He had made an art of self-delusion, but even he couldn't convince himself that Chase was ever coming back.
Da'mi - After the Blight was ended Adan could have had a hero's burial, but Da'mi argued against it. Alone, he had retrieved the body from where his friend had fallen and carried it back to their city, to a little plot behind the orphanage. "This is better," he murmured, looking down at the simple grave. "This is where you belong. Watching over the children, yes?" He smiled sadly and knelt by the marker, hammer and chisel in hand. He carved two words on the stone, below Adan's name. 'Hero. Friend.'
Freddy - Freddy checked a dozen trees before she found the right one. She hadn't been able to place a marker on the grave; if the soldiers found his body he wouldn't be allowed to rest in peace. Despite everything, he deserved that much. She had simply buried him under a tree - with Andi's help, surprisingly - and carved his initials into the bark. When she found the right spot, she traced the initials with a finger before sitting next to where the grave would be. "We're leaving tonight. They're letting us go. For a while it was worse than ever, with people looking for revenge against heretics and talents realizing they could strike back. It looked like civil war. But you crippled the Order, and they don't have the strength left to fight us all. For three days they're stopping border patrols, and anyone who wants to leave is free to go. It's because of you. I know it's not what you wanted, and I know the one you wanted it for is gone, but still; you've saved us. I just thought you should know." She stood then, with some difficulty; her burns were still painful. She pressed her palm to the carving in the tree and walked away, not allowing herself to look back.
4. 1 (Kaian) and 5 (Kira) are fighting. 1 is suspected of being a traitor and is badly wounded by 5. 5 finds out that 1 is not a traitor, but can't be saved. What is said? How does 5 handle this?
Kaian coughed feebly, flecks of blood appearing on his lips. His shattered ribs had punctured his lungs. Kira had seen such wounds as a paramedic; she knew he wouldn't last long enough to reach the hospital. The best she could do was give him a paralytic so he couldn't feel the pain. She sat him up and started to remove his wings so he could lean against the wall, but he wheezed "Don't." She held him up herself instead, and looked over the wings that she had so badly misinterpreted.
She had been certain they were Westing's work, but a closer look showed how wrong she had been. She could see all the little imperfections the neurotic scientist would never have allowed. She could see too the signs that these wings had been an act of love. The handstitched padding that made them comfortable. The feather design etched with care into the metal. They had been made by someone who cared very much about Kaian, and he wanted to die wearing them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. The words couldn't fix what she had done, but she couldn't stop them from tumbling out. "I'm so, so sorry." And when her team found her later, she was still cradling his cold body and whispering those words into his hair.
5. 2 (Eric) just lost their most precious possession. 7 (Andi) promises to find it, but ends up losing it in a way they can never get it back. What happens?
"What's all this?" Andi stared around the kitchen in shock. Eric had been hard at work. There were half a dozen pies cooling on the counter, alongside two trays of corn muffins. In the oven he could see a whole turkey and several sweet potatoes, while on the stove sat a pot of rice, a pan of fried mushroom caps, and something unidentifiable but from the look of it ridiculously complicated. Eric was now mixing a couple of salads, using vegetables Andi had never even seen before. He picked up an empty bag to read the label. "What the hell is kohlrabi? And how are we supposed to eat all this?" Eric didn't answer, instead turning his back on Andi to stir the mystery dish and baste the turkey. "Is this about your book?" Eric went still but didn't turn around.
"It was not just a book. That Bible was 200 years old. It was a family heirloom, the only piece of my history I was able to bring when I came to America. It was more valuable to me than anything. As for this," he gestured around the kitchen, "I cook when I'm upset." He didn't lose his temper, didn't even raise his voice, but Andi felt as if he'd been slapped.
"I'm sorry. I did try to get it back for you. I just... failed."
Eric sighed and finally turned to look at Andi. "I know you tried. You did your best, even though you didn't know why it mattered. I should be thanking you for that. I know it's not your fault, ok?" They exchanged half-hearted smiles. "Why don't you go tell the others dinner is ready?" He looked around the kitchen once more. "And pray to God everyone is hungry."
6. 6 (Mayon) and 4 (Liam) are trapped in a room that is filling with poisonous gas. Who saves who? How do they do it?
Most problems become a lot easier to solve with the help of a shapeshifter. Knowing there had to be an opening somewhere to remove the gas, Liam located a tiny vent in a low corner of the room. In shadow form Mayon sped through the vent until he found a way into the main building and to the door of the gas chamber; where in a single blow he removed the throat of the lone guard and obtained his key. Liam stumbled out of the room, dizzy and nauseated but grateful to be alive, and smiled at Mayon. "What took you so long?"
7. 10 (Freddy) is alone. Their companions/friends and lover have all died. How do they deal with this? What happens to them?
Freddy sat on the steps of the Bloodied Stair, chipping idly at the dried blood that seemed to coat every inch. It was forbidden for anyone but the priests to ascend the temple steps, and a crowd had gathered to watch as the soldiers arrived to drag her away. Half a dozen of them circled her, weapons drawn. That was alright. She had lost everyone - Will, Cor, even the kid - and she was no longer afraid to die. But if she could do nothing else, she would take some of them with her. She smiled at them, a terrible expression devoid of joy or passion, and kept smiling as she and those around her were suddenly devoured by flame.
8. 2 (Eric), 4 (Liam), 6 (Mayon), 8 (Loki), and 10 (Freddy) are running for their lives from an unbeatable enemy. One by one they fall. How does the enemy get them?
Eric refused to run. He stood his ground to buy the others time and was cut down. Freddy turned back when she heard him cry out, and she was the next to fall. Mayon drove the other two onward, not letting them slow down, determined to keep them alive. They reached a dead end and had to double back, losing what little lead they had. Liam stopped running. He had his spellbook and supplies, and believed he had time to set up a defensive barrier. He promised to catch up to them later and with no time to argue, Mayon agreed. A few minutes later they heard him scream. The remaining two took shelter in an empty house. Mayon took on the strongest form he could and tried to fight, but his enemy was too powerful. It easily tossed him aside and he was left dazed, unable to heal or shift. It lasted mere seconds, but that was long enough to lose Loki. Alone now, Mayon fled to the back of the house. He couldn't fight, but he could hide. He took on shadow form and lurked in a high corner, hoping to go unnoticed. It didn't work. The enemy entered the room, looked straight at him, and smiled. It reached for the lightswitch, and in that instant he realized that this is what it had wanted him to do. In trying to hide, he had given up his immortality. It turned off the light.
9. 1 (Kaian), 3 (Zephyr), 5 (Kira), 7 (Andi), and 9 (Da'mi) hear what happened to the others. How do they handle the news? Do they go out for revenge?
Da'mi had his whetstone out. His own daggers lay beside him, as sharp as possible, and he was now working on Kira's while she helped Kaian strap on his wings. He hadn't known the fallen well, but they seemed like good people, and that was reason enough to avenge them. It was more personal for the others. Kira had smashed everything in reach when she learned of Eric's death, and when told about Liam Kaian had fallen to the ground in despair; Da'mi had privately wondered if he would ever get up again. Andi denied caring about Freddy's fate, but his daggers had not left his hands since he heard the news and he was now pacing restlessly, anxious and almost desperate to go after the killer. Only Zephyr had seemed unmoved, but he was difficult to read, even for one as perceptive as Da'mi. He must have felt something; he had sworn off violence yet here he was, ready to fight, to kill, with them. His stern resolve was mirrored on every face in the room. The enemy that had killed their friends would not live to see another day.
10. 2 (Eric) is suffering from a painful and incurable illness and asks 9 (Da'mi) to put them out of their misery. Can they do it?
Da'mi nodded resolutely. "I am an assassin. It is my business to kill; sometimes, to kill people I like." He did like this man, who cared so deeply and made it a strength, not a weakness. "Do you have any other requests?" Eric nodded slowly. "There's a device in my brain. Take it, and my mechanical parts. Let me be buried as myself, not what they made me. And..." He trailed off, and for a few long moments the only sound was his ragged breathing. "Tell my team I was thinking of them, at the end. Tell them I love them. Tell them I'm proud." Da'mi nodded sharply, his expression carefully blank, and buried his dagger in Eric's chest.
11. 1 (Kaian) has to give a eulogy for 8 (Loki). What do they say?
"Loki was life. He was joy and youth and laughter. Everything that is good and precious in this world was in him. He could be... difficult. Frustrating. But he won the hearts of all who knew him by his innocence and charm. His time was too short, but we are grateful for every moment we had with him. The world is a darker place now without his smile to light it."
12. The world is ending in 24 hours, nothing can be saved, and only 7 (Andi) knows about it. Do they tell anyone? How do they spend their last day of life?
Andi sat by the river with Amon and Corona, watching the sunset and drinking milkshakes. He'd spent the day taking down William's remaining lieutenants and sabotaging military patrols, while the other two located a ship they could bribe their way onto. They'd be out of the country in two days, and now they were celebrating. Corona had fallen asleep on the grass with Andi stroking her hair. Amon was fighting to keep his eyes open, but lost the struggle and ended up slumbering on Andi's shoulder. He listened as his companions' breathing evened, then slowed, and finally ceased. They wouldn't have to see the end coming. Andi pulled the third dose of poison out of his pocket and contemplated it for a moment before tossing it into the water. It wasn't his nature to run. He would stand and face the end.
13. 5 (Kira) has been captured, tortured, and experimented on. Just before they die one of their captors takes pity on them and gives them a drug that will cause them to see whatever they want most in their final moments. What do they see?
Despite the weakness, despite the pain, Kira managed to sit up on the cold steel table. She looked out the observation window, and for a moment she forgot her agony. Eric was there, gun trained on the doctors who had done this. Jasper's weapons were cutting through the door. And Bev had hacked their broadcast system to assure her that they'd have her out of there soon. She fell back and smiled slightly as she lost the struggle to keep her eyes open. Her team was there. They had come for her.
14. All the characters in the list are dying, what are their last words if they were in their lover's/best friend's arms?
Kaian - (to Liam) I'm so grateful to have had you. You gave me back my wings. I gave you my heart.
Eric - (to Bev) Do you believe in angels? ("I don't know.") Well, believe in me. I will be your angel until we meet again.
Zephyr - (to Kiley) I protected you. That's the one thing in my life I don't regret.
Liam - (to Kaian) Death is not the end of love. I'll love you forever.
(alternately, to Luke) I don't regret it. Not one moment.
Kira - (to Eric) Three good people have died for me. Do you think I'll see them again? ("Yes, you will.") Do you think they'll want to see me? Have I made them proud?
Mayon - Remember me. Please don't let me disappear completely. (It doesn't matter whose arms he's in; he'd even ask a stranger if there was no one else. He just wants some proof that he existed.)
Andi - (to Amon) Don't cry for me. Don't you dare. I'm not worth that.
Loki - (to Chase) Don't cry, idiot. I'll see you when I wake up.
Da'mi - (to Adan) Adahl. My name was Adahl. My real name.
Freddy - (to Will) At least I finally know what it's like to be held in your arms.