"Whoa there, partner! Keep drinkin' like that and you ain't gonna be seein' straight for a week," Vy laughed while hopping onto the barstool besides Caelestis. The bar was fine indeed, probably too fine for a farmer like him, but that didn't stop him from ordering some wine. "Now'n then I like comin' to places like these and treatin' myself. But you ain't here for self-love, are ya? Now I can't sit by and watch one of my best customers'n fellow lemon lover drink himself silly. Why not tell me what's eatin' ya?"
     There seemed to be some hesitation and resistance on Caelestis's part, but there was only so much an emotionally devastated person could do against so much alcohol. Eventually the contents were spilled out. Vy nodded his head and paid attention, even when he was distracted with the terrible taste of wine he tried to hide with a strained smile.
     "I've met all kinds of walks of life in my time," the Reaper said while bracing himself for another drink. "Plenty of demons they're fightin', and plenty of heartache. Sorry you ain't exactly immune, either, but I ain't so sure you're the root cause. Sounds to me like you tried helpin' 'em, ain't nothin' wrong with that. Ain't no real answer to that stuff, neither. Maybe you oughta help again, maybe you don't. Maybe there ain't even a right answer and it just wasn't meant to be? Who even is this heartbreaker?" he asked with a small smirk before, with a sigh, taking another sip.
     Hmm. A mummy, huh? Now that's one strange thing he'd heard. Mummies weren't around still, were they? At least not dressed like... that...
     A voice in their head?
     Stealing looks?
     Vy nearly spat out his drink when he connected the dots. Caelestis was aching over a Sin?! Even though he was a farmer now, Vy was still a Reaper, and he'd known long about each of the Sins and what they've all done. Shit, Caelestis practically dodged a bullet then! He'd say as much but the way the celestial was in so much pain, that'd only be throwing salt into the wound.
     The farmer cleared his throat awkwardly and looked everywhere but at his companion. "Maybe, uh... M-Maybe this is Fate! Y-Yeah! Fate!" he stammered with a nervous smile. "M-Maybe this means someone else out there is meant to be with ya, huh? U-Uh-- Hey! Can I get two more glasses of this here wine!" he waved towards the bartender.

     Vy sighed as he set the crate of lemons in the back of his truck. Not a single customer today. Normally, that wouldn't bother him, but this was the third day in a row! What was going on? Was there competition around? Did people no longer like lemons or lemonade? Both options made his heart sink. Maybe it was time to pack things up for good...

(Wraith half unknowingly comforts Vy xD )

Wraith rubbed the back of his neck as he walked, the sun beaming down on him as he did so. Ordinarily he didn't mind the sun so much, he would often find a high spot and just lay in the sun in his panther form, but today.....the bright ball of fire in the sky seemed especially harsh; especially on the shifters exhausted eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well recently, which had caused him to develop large black bags under his eyes. Looking up from he saw someone sitting on a crate in the back of a truck, as he got closer, the scarred man noticed that there was a sign that said the man was selling fruit and lemonade, the shifter gave a half shrug, why not.

Approaching, he saw the man look up at him, a smile forming on the strangers face as he did so. Business must be slow today Wraith thought as he saw the look of relief on the others face. Though this did confuse the shapeshifter, most people normally scowled or coward in fear upon seeing him, this man didn't....why? Brushing the thought off Wraith eventually walked up to the stand and was greeted by Vy. Wraith gave a nod in response and looked at the selection of fruit, there were a mix of different colours, but mainly strange shaped yellow fruits. "So what are these things?" Wraith asked with a visible look of confusion on his face. "I'm not too familiar with fruits." The shifters nose twitched, able to smell a arrange of scents from the different fruits, though the yellow things were certainly to strongest, most likely because there was more of them. 

After a look of shock? The man began to explain to the shifter what each of the fruits were and showed him the lemonade he was also selling. Wraith gave a nod. "I am...sort of familiar with lemonade, I think I had it once." He explained before looking back at the fruits and lemonade and then at the prices for each of them. "Tell you what...." He said opening one of his pockets in his bullet proof vest and pulling out a large thick sack which, when placed on the floor, came up to the shifters waist. "...think you can fill this up with the different fruits for me." He said handing Vy the large bag, noticing the look of surprise on the other face which was replaced with a huge grin. It took a while but eventually the sack was filled handed back to Wraith, then the shifter handed over the money, which was easily double the amount that was asked, when being told this Wraith put his hand up. "It's fine, keep the extra." He said before wiping some sweat from his brow. "I'll buy a lemonade off you as well....the suns deadly today." He said before being ushered into the shade, that caught him off guard. "I- thank you." Wraith said, relieved to be out of the sun, the dark clothes the shifter was wearing probably didn't help with the heat either. He looked up as he was handed the lemonade and gave a thankful nod. 

After a few seconds, Wraith spoke up. "If you're looking for a place with better foot traffic, come to the city of Vallore." Wraith said as he pointed in the distance where the large buildings of the city could be seen. "They have a large festivals about 8 or so times a year and famer markets every week; they are always looking for new people to have stands there." He said before taking a sip of his drink. "Though if big cities aren't your thing, I know a few people who would be interested in doing business with with you.....huh....my name? It's Wraith." He said extending his empty hand out for the other to shake. "And you?" 

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

Kai Jia knows that even in the times of modern, he is somewhat of a coward, constantly haunted by the memories of war, specifically the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. He was used to many therapists comforting him when he was alive, but he was not used to being the comforter.

And he didn't expect to be a "comfort" to Wraith, and god knows he was no medical physician. Wraith was suffering from a good amount of injuries, curled up into a ball, in great pain.

Kai Jia gulped. Wraith had once comforted the former soldier when he was in a crises, but now the roles have reversed. 

Not knowing what to do, Kai Jia took out his phone, calling 911, but stayed next to Wraith, mumbling comforting words in Chinese.

"It is going to be alright. Do you remember me? I am Kai Jia, do you remember? You will be okay, I know you are in pain...I am getting help for you, don't worry..."

Perhaps Kai Jia was rambling, his ramblings becoming incomprehensible, but he hoped that at least his actions will be enough as payment for what Wraith has done for him before.

.

Content warnings for basically mental crises stuff.

"Good night." the reaper greeted with his deep, gentle voice. "Mind if I join you for a while, dear spirit?" Zero asked, a friendly smile on his face. Of course he did not expect an answer, but he wanted to make his presence known to not scare the lonely soldier. Since Kai Jia did not say anything against it he sat down next to him, his eyes resting on the spirit, a sympathetic look in them. "How long have you been wandering around? Judging by your clothes since the battle of Shanghai, is that right?" the reaper sighed, briefly looking up at the night sky. "I am sure it must be hard for you, many things have changed since then. ...I suppose I understand, actually. For I have been around quite a while now, though I have lost count of the years. It's hard to find purpose when everything you have once lived for is now only part of history... but, you know, it is possible to find something new. The world is full of wonders and people these times are fascinating, really. But it does require a change of perspective. I am sure you are much more than just a tool of war, you do have a name, not just a number, right?" the man without a name asked.
"You see, while history will always be a part of you, you are still allowed to shift your focus. To find something new, for yourself." Zero gave another smile, "Have you ever tried talking to likeminded people? I heard it should help to cope with things. If you'd like, I can always listen to you as well. After all, we've got all the time in the world." ...and possibly even more than that.

The reaper sat on an old tree stump, looking up at the night sky, his mind somewhere else. Sometimes he felt melancholic, being alone, confined to a solitary life, more or less. Well, not anymore, actually, but it was still... surreal? And in moments like this one he did question whether it had really been the right choice to keep on existing. What even was he, at this point? A mere image of something that was once a human shell; a damaged one at that, as the cracks all over his skin unmistakeably showed. He certainly could see why people would find his appearance off-putting. 

(Ennette you are too precious for this world qq)

(Sobs it made perfect sense to me, I loved it   )

     Ennette wandered the field. Was it dangerous to be alone at night like this? Most certainly, but... She adjusted her grip on the picnic basket in her hands. What if he was around? That man she'd met before around here, who helped her find unique plants to study? He was so nice, and... strangely melancholic. She wanted to meet him again. And! It... It didn't at ALL mean she'd been coming here daily to find him! Absolutely not!
     After a few minutes of wandering, the princess slowed to a stop and let out a noise between a sigh and a groan. Oh, who was she kidding? He wasn't going to be around. Even if he was, what kind of impression would he get from her inviting him to a picnic? At night? Gracious, how foolish she felt! She should just turn back and--
     Suddenly, she noticed something off in the distance. It was a figure slumped over a stump, one too thin to be a tree yet too big to be an animal. Was that...? Ennette caught her breath and moved closer, eyes widening when she could see the figure better.
     "One!" she gasped. She called out his name again, "One!" and hurried over to meet him. By the time she'd gotten there, she had to double over and catch her breath. She'd been too excited to keep calm! "Oh, I thought I'd never see you again!" she laughed breathlessly. She lifted her basket. "I wanted to thank you for your help the other day with a pie! It's baked with the berries you helped me find!" Remembering her situation, she slowly, awkwardly lowered the basket. "Ah... I can... I can leave it here, if you'd like? You looked like you were deep in thought, I hope you don't mind me prying."
     She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, observing him carefully. "Those marks on your skin," she pondered aloud. "What are they, exactly? They're very unique." When answered, she gave a slight tilt of the head. "Cracks...?" Silence settled over them, and Ennette glanced up at the moon. "Well, I still believe they're unique. I like them!" she said while smiling over at him. "With my hair and my eyes, I have my own share of standing out! So if the two of us stick together, we can always blend in!"

      Ennette sighed from her seat on the bench. To think she'd be that bad at making medicine! She thought she'd made something simple! Something a beginner could do! But apparently she brought the wrong herbs and instead made an... an itching cream! As in, one that made things worse than healed!
      Groaning, she pressed her hands against her face. "How mortifying!" she whined.

(It wasn't bad at all! It was wonderfully written, I had a blast reading it!)

(its been a while since ive rp'd so excuse me if this is bad ASDFGHJKL)

Alby had been walking along the streets of the small town, taking in the gentle atmosphere. It was a quiet day, and other than the flittering of birds and occasional chatter of the few passers by, everything seemed still. This wasn't necessarily common for the area, but days like this were therapeutic for Alby- a moment of peace. A small sigh of contentment escaped him as he made his way to turn a corner. However, what he saw there would quickly ground him.

On the quaint bench before him sat a lady with her head in her hands. Alby almost instantly picked up on how her shoulders slouched and knew she was certainly having a hard time. When she whined the words 'How mortifying!' well, that just sealed the deal. Without so much as taking a moment to think, Alby approached her. Doing his best not to overstep any boundaries, he stopped a good distance away before speaking out to her.

"Miss? Are you ok?" He asked, cautiously reaching out a paw to her and she parted her hands to look up to him. Her face didn't show any signs of her having cried (that's good at least) and come to think of it, Alby felt a nagging feeling that he recognised her. Maybe he'd seen her in the street before, or perhaps she was a popular figure in the media? It's not like that mattered now, anyway.

The lady proceeded to tell him of her problem, of how she had tried to make a potion to heal, and it instead making you feel as if you'd been doused in fleas. He sat down beside her as she spoke, and tentatively wrapped an arm round her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry too much! It sounds like you had the recipe on point, right? If it was just the wrong herbs, then you're on the right track!" He looked towards her as he continued. "And every 'mistake' is just a chance to learn! Because you'll be able to make it easy next time!" Alby sighed. "And hey, I've had my fair share of mishaps in science! I'm still an amateur, so I've messed up wayyyyy worse. And I learnt from it! And I'll keep learning!"

Alby sat and stared, seemingly disconnected. How had it gotten to this point? He... He let his friend take this way too far. The guy had wanted knowledge, and now he was cursed. Alby should have stopped him. He could have stopped him... He could have...

The guilt he felt was insurmountable. Alby took the weight for his friends decision on his shoulders, simply because he hadn't heeded the signs. He felt that... he should have known Mason was going to throw his life away.

(you can start anew by skipping me i cant be bothered to write again asdfghjkl)

Given the indication of throwing one's life away I'm going to spoiler this.

(loss of loved ones!)

(What foor? That was sweet!)

confusedthing ohgawd imsorry sopoopy athishaaaha

[ His fear of getting abandoned and being all alone is catching up again ]

Randy walks behind the distressed being laying a hand on Reheals shoulder with a sympathetic look " what a horrible event... but its not your fault " randy turned him around " even if it was, some things are out of control, but you gotta be there for the girl in the moment of now. She needs you. " and with that randy smiled and walked back into the night

-

gore/blood warning 

blood ran down his mouth and nose, he leaned against the wall of his office " damn fricken... " then he mumbled something inaudible. His door was left open. Despite this he actually began...to cry for once?? Oh no...

A loud scream had caught Lukys' attention. He found the source of it was none other than a clearly distressed old skeleton, holding a book that was destroyed by the rain. He heard about Gilda before. People respected her greatly. A person like this was intimidating for Lukys to approach. However, leaving her alone while she was so devestated just felt wrong.
"Um... Excuse me..." he spoke softly after approaching cautiously. "That... that book... Was it important to you?" The half-elf fingers were fidgeting with his vest, while he focused his gaze on the book. "You seem really... sad it's like this... I get it. Once my favourite book fell in a river and I cried for 20 minutes..." That was probably too much information.
"What kind of book was it?" he asked and looked up at the skeleton. "My old home had a huge library. Maybe it has the same book." He paused for a moment, then timidly looked at the ground. "Or maybe that wouldn't mean anything, but... I'd really like to help somehow..."

A sparkling purple lightning bolt illuminated a training field in the late evening. It came from an exhausted half-elf holding a smoking magic wand. "No! Damn it! That was supposed to be wind!" he scolded himself. "And I didn't even hit the target!" He looked to the training dummy, which was unscathered, unlike the grass around it and one tree further behind.
"Stupid shiny stick!" he yelled with a voice crack, and threw the wand to the ground, while it transformed back into a much less imposing version of itself. Lukys stomped to a nearby fence and sat with his back against it on the ground, hugging his knees.
"I can't do shit..." he hissed with a shaky voice as his eyes became glassy. "I don't even want to do this... What's the point?..." Defeated, he lowered his head, hiding his face.

omg nervous thunderbois 👀 I'll have to see if I have the energy for a follow-up tomorrow

Shamus certainly didn't expect to hear a bolt of lightning rip through the air, nor for said lightning to hit the tree he was currently sitting in whilst in his raven form. Giving a surprised squawk, the bird flew out of the branches and into the air, just in time to see Lukys throw an object to the ground before sitting near a fence and drawing his knees to his chest. Giving a low wark, Shamus flew down and landed several feet away from the stranger, tilting his head in wonder, he generally seemed upset by what happened, did he not mean to shoot lightning at the tree? It was then the shifter saw the training dummy. Maybe he was trying to hit that instead?

The raven hopped a little closer, and gently picked up the strange object in his beak before slowly walking over the Lukys, giving a low squawk to get the others attention. Once the other had looked up, the purple eyed bird gently placed the wand on the ground and hopped back a few steps, not sure what the other would do; but they seemed interested in why such a strange looking raven was sitting with him, maybe he didn't like birds?

After making sure no one else was around, Shamus closed his eyes and concentrating before transforming back to his human form, now sitting down on the grass with his knees also drawn to his chest. "H......hello...." Shamus said nervously. "A.....a..are you....o...okay?" He asked softly. He looks like he's about to cry, of course he's not alright, you idiot. He thought. "Oh.....w....were you...d...doing magic? I...is that why...y...your upset? Did you...n...not mean to...m...make lightning?" He paused before his eyes went wide and he began shaking his hands worried. "I'm sorry.....I....I didn't mean to pry.....I....I just...thought...."Shamus cut himself off, feeling his nerves getting the better of him. "I.....I don't like it.....w...when I make....lightning....either....it....it's....s...scary.....so...I....I understand...w...why you were...trying to...m..make wind instead." He explained as he hugged his hoodie. "I think...you will...be...able..t...to make wind...I...I mean you...weren't...t...that far off...I....I mean you get wind....and lightning during a...s...s...storms right?.....M....maybe....y....you need a....b..break and....when...y...your energy...c...calms down....you will...make wind...and...n...not lightning......I'm sorry am I making this...w...worse? I'm so sorry." 

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

In spoiler for mentions of a panic attack.

     "Hey. You doing okay down there?" Terry stood over Shamus, hands in his thin jacket's pockets while he blearily watched him and waited for an answer. Even with how dark it was outside, the bags under his eyes were still visible, on his face. The exhaustion meant a lack of care showed on his face, but at the same time it lacked judgement as well.
     He blinked in recognition. "Oh you. You're that person I gave my shake to the other day." There was a small twinge of bitterness on his face that quickly melted back to exhaustion. A stick poking out from between his lips twitched, and he pulled it out to show a thermometer. He squinted at it to gauge his temperature, then sputtered what could've been a chuckle while putting it back in his mouth. "Don't think I've ever gone a day without a fever," he muttered.
     Realizing he wouldn't get the full story, Terry sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Come on, you're shaking more than an abandoned pup. You lost? Don't know who to call?" He peered down at Shamus once more. Kid had sunken cheeks, like he hadn't been eating well. Again. Another sigh. He turned around. "If you don't mind the mess, I've got a guest room you can spend the night in, or at least rest in until you can get back on your feet. I've got food too." He shook his arm, where the bag hanging off it shivered in reply. It was full of gas station burritos.
     "Name's Terry, by the way." he introduced as he walked on, only pausing to glance over his shoulder and see if Shamus was following. He'd never seen a guy this age seem so helpless. Wonder what happened to him. Still, the teacher couldn't help but feel a small smirk. He recognized anxiety and fear well, having experienced it himself long, long ago. Hopefully the fear would give way to existential dread in no time.
     "You ever seen Seinfeld?"

     Terry sat down at the closest bench he could find, slumping against it and leaning his head as far back as he could. He let out a weak groan. God, what a terrible week. He'd had plenty of terrible weeks before, and this wasn't even the worst one he'd ever gone through, so why was he so exhausted from it? Why did it knock it out of him? Shouldn't he be used to this by now?
     He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and cursing under his breath. Every lesson he wrote up ended up getting trashed last second by either administration or the kids doing something he didn't expect. All that quick adapting wore him out, and it made him dread next week. At this rate, he'll be too damn anxious to relax over the weekend.