crowned-lieutenant

[crowned-lieutenant]

“ THE LEADER “

Full Name: Lukas Noah Vale Occupation: Leader of Bermuda / Healer Civilization: Ferns Village Time Stranded: 41 Years FC: Can Yaman

@crowned-lieutenant

BIO OVERVIEW

Lukas was born in Ontario, Canada into a military family. His parents were often absent on tours and drills, leaving Lukas to be raised by an ever revolving door of nannies.

To attend for the absence of love in his childhood, he turned to romantic love, and became manipulative and promiscuous in his teenagehood

He joined the Canadian Army and worked his way up to a Lieutenant Colonel before becoming stranded.

He and his team had been shipping off overseas on a Naval ship on the day it was absolved by the vortex. On any normal day, he would have never been on a ship, let alone near the Bermuda Triangle. It was with an unfortunate wrong time/wrong place event that got him stranded in Bermuda.

He was one of the handful of soldiers that survived the wreck of HMCS St. Laurent. By the time he had settled on the island in 1980, an entire community of the Lost had already been congregated. All had been from commercial flights and ships except for Lt. Charles Taylor, who functioned as the island’s leader at the time. Settlement had begun, but more military presence kickstarted the survivalism.

Lt. Charles Taylor stepped down as Leader of Bermuda 10 years into Lukas’ residency. He passed the torch off to Lukas, knowing Bermuda would be well run under his reign. Shortly thereafter, Lt. Charles Taylor disappeared from Bermuda. No one has discovered how, why, or where.

Lukas continues to put out metaphorical and literal fires within Bermuda and all big community decisions are run through him for final say.

He currently resides in Pointe Forest with Ferns Village. In his opinion, living in the Forest is the most dangerous place outside of The Tundra. He stays close to protect his community if need be from the creatures that lurk there at night.

He tends to be abrasive and bullish, closed-minded at first, but beneath it is extremely protective, empathetic and selfless.

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

No matter what she wanted to convince herself of for the sake of sanity, Dakota couldn’t be fooled into thinking this was anything even close to a vacation. There was something about this place that was just… unsettling. This wasn’t a place where anyone could just sit back and get a tan. “That doesn’t sound very relaxing. Not to mention you don’t look like you’ve been on a vacation in years. You’ve got really impressive worry lines,” she said, half-jokingly. Smiles felt unnatural to her right now. “Great. That’s just… great. You’re skilled at giving pep talks, you know that?”

Her smile faltered when he didn’t join in on the laughter, understanding dawning on her. “That’s not possible. Is this some kind of sick joke? That’s not how time work. Time passes, people age. You’re not eighty-six,” she said immediately, getting up from her ‘seat’ and taking a step back. This man was insane. That was clear now. His time on the island had clearly gotten to him and he couldn’t distinguish dreams from reality anymore. If this was the man that was in charge then she could only imagine what the rest of the people here were like. “We’ll see. This many people go missing… someone’s bound to figure things out. I hope.” Despite thinking this man was certifiable, she still believed him when he said he would make sure she was okay. “There’s no way I’m falling asleep in the middle of the damn jungle with a bunch of strangers around. I don’t know who any of these people are.”

—

Lukas couldn’t say he expected much different than the reaction the woman gave him. Hell, one day long ago, he might have had the same reaction. Scoff and shake his head, because it was impossible. But not here on this island. Nothing truly seemed impossible here. “It’s just... the reality. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. I’m Lukas. You can call me Lieutenant. And... whether you want to believe it or not, I am eighty-six.” A small smirk came to him, but there was nothing humorous about any of this. He didn’t try to stop her when she stood up and moved away from him. All he could give her was a small shake of his head and a sigh. He knew it was natural to go straight into denial about this shit, because he had too. Everyone did. She’d just have to see it for herself. “No one’s coming. No one ever has. The only reason other people show up here is for the same reason you’re here. And no one leaves.”

The man mopped more sweat off of his forehead and started to pack together the suitcase full of medical supplies. A look over his shoulder was tossed her way at her declaration. “It’s your death if you don’t. They’re over there making you guys’ shelters right now. I wouldn’t advise you sleep anywhere except right here, unless you want to be killed. I’m being serious.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

“Yeah, I had some in my carry-on. It could be anywhere by now, though, so I won’t hold my breath when it comes to getting it back,” she said with a humorless chuckle. Some things would probably wash up on shore in the next few days, but given her shit luck she wasn’t expecting her bag to be amongst them. “Maybe if I convince myself that this is some kind of exotic vacation on a beach, I won’t go completely insane. How do you cope?”

1935. Now Dakota’s laugh was genuine, mistaking his answer for an attempt at lightening the mood. That would make him 86 years old, which was absolutely ridiculous. “Right, of course you were. You have got to share whatever skincare regimen you follow because you look ridiculously good for an 80 something year old.” The rest of his explanation was significantly less funny and caused nausea to settle deep in her gut. “I’m going to be sick. There’s just no way. People will come looking for us, they’ll find a way to get here. Plane’s don’t just disappear into thin air.”

—

People grieved the loss of their lives as they knew it in different ways. He’d danced this dance with so many people before her and would with so many people after her too, and the one thing he’d learned from it was that some people went into hysterics, others into shock, but his favorite was always the survivors that, like this woman, turned to humor. It was a bit of reprieve within this awful situation. “It is sort of like a vacation. Just... one that never has to end, and the food is pretty terrible,” he chuckled and then sighed. “There is no... coping. You just get used to it. We all have.“

Lukas regarded her with a questioning look when she laughed. Apparently she must have thought he was joking. His grin faltered into something more stoic when he repeated himself. “I’m being serious.” Then he shook his head a bit. “Time doesn’t work here like it did wherever you got on that plane. When I woke up here, I was forty-five. I’ve been here for forty-one years. I’ve been tracking the years, although.. I don’t actually know what I look like anymore. But I’m willing to bet I don’t look eighty-six. Everyone around you... everybody you’ve seen, we all look the same way we did when we first washed up here. You won’t be an exception.” A small bitter huff left him. “They do. Look around—this is proof that they do and when they do, this fucking place is where you end up. Nobody’s come looking for anyone here. I’m sorry.” This was always the worst part of this dance. Explaining how stranded meant stranded. Nobody was coming, nobody ever had or ever would.  And despite knowing the sooner these folks accepted that hard truth, the easier life would be, Lukas still hated to be the bearer of such damning news. The man paused, finding her eyes, then added. “You’re gonna be fine. We’ll take care of you. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you... You’ll get food every day, water every day, you’ll have somewhere to sleep. I know all of this is... terrifying... but you’re gonna be alright. Just, might be a little homesick for awhile.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

Dakota let go of him the second he assured her he was done, just now realizing how familiar she was getting with someone she really didn’t know at all. He was being patient with her, but she knew there were probably a bunch of things he would rather be doing than having his arm ripped out of its socket while he put hers back in. She slid her arm in the DIY sling, her mind feeling significantly clearer now that the pain was subsiding. “Thank you. I’m surprised you have Ibuprofen at all, so… I wasn’t exactly expecting it.” 

She was suddenly very tired and feeling the need to curl up in a little ball and sleep for a few days. The stress, the fear and the effort of swimming to shore with an injured arm was catching up to her. No matter how tired she was, though, she couldn’t help but perk up when he finally answered her question. As she suspected, she would’ve rather not heard the answer. “Forty-one years? What do you mean? Were you born here?”

—

“People tend to carry pain meds on trips,” he explained, as if that offered much insight at all into what he meant. Lukas often forgot, with his tenure here, that the survivors of new wrecks had absolutely no idea what this place was. They weren’t around to see new wrecks dropping from the sky like some twisted sci-fi story. Weren’t around to listen to the groaning of the Metminwi in the night, prowling around just outside of their shelters. 

“Oh, right,” Lukas realized with a grunt of a sigh. “No. I was born in Ontario. In 1935.” Again, jumping ahead of himself, not explaining as well as he should have. The dehydration and hunger of the entire day’s work was starting to weigh down his mind, make his thoughts move slower and more disorganized. Which was something he could never allow to keep his own survival at peak potential. He glanced over in the direction of the water still, feeling the dryness in his throat a bit more pungently now. “Um. No, no I wasn’t born here. I came in on a crash too. Navy ship, not a plane. This place...” He paused, trying to think of how he could get the point across. “We don’t leave. There’s no way to leave. I... I know that’s not what you want to hear. And, I’m sorry.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

She didn’t miss the way he avoided most of her questions, but thought better than to insist. If he wasn’t replying, it was probably because he knew she wouldn’t like the answers or couldn’t handle them right now. She had a feeling he was right. First she’d deal with her injuries and then maybe she’d inquire about his time on the island again. “I can tell you right now there’s no such thing as quick enough for something like this.”

Kota did grab onto his arm, her fingers digging into his flesh as he manipulated her arm. The pain was blinding and she could taste blood in her mouth as she bit down on the inside of her cheeks. She somehow stopped herself from screaming in agony, but tears had started falling from her eyes without her even noticing. “Is it done?” She asked him when he seemed to have still and the pain turned into something more akin to a dull ache.

—

Gaze was adorned with brows tugged inwards in concentration as Lukas felt her joint rotate back into his socket, and the moment he did he let out a relieved huff, as if he were the one in pain. Of course, he wasn’t, not even with her fingernails dug as deeply into his skin as they had, but when his eyes panned back onto her face to find that she was crying, he couldn’t help but feel a massive pang of guilt in his abdomen. “It’s done,” he confirmed through a sigh. Necessary evils were still evils, at the end of the day. “Here,” the Leader mumbled, cupping her elbow gently to lift her arm into the sling for her. “Try not to move it. I can get you some ibuprofen... hopefully, if we have any left.” 

The man then paused, a moment of debate washing over him. How he could approach the truth, seeing as she’d already been in so much pain. His earlier words echoed back to him now—’they’re fine, they’ll get over it’. The regret he held in that stance was now a slap in the face with this woman sitting here, alive but clearly suffering. “How long have we been here.” It was an echo of her earlier question, weighted in its own existence. Lukas watched her face carefully as he spoke, gently. “I’ve been here for forty-one years.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

Somewhere in the back of her mind Dakota was fully aware that her shoulder would have to be popped into place. She had seen it on TV and in movies plenty of times. Knowing it and actually doing it was something completely different, though. She instinctively stepped back, afraid of suffering through even more pain. “Can’t we just let it heal? With time?” She asked him hopefully, despite knowing her odds of surviving would decrease if she were walking around injured. “Yeah. I didn’t have much of a choice, did I?” She was surprised to have made it, in all honesty. She was an okay swimmer, but with the stress and her injury… well, luck wasn’t in her favor. Despite her worries, she did as he instructed and sat down nearby with her arm facing him. 

“Hell. This is hell,” she muttered, looking around at the wildlife and all the wounded people around them. “How long have you been here? You weren’t on the plane, were you?” It was a big plane, but this guy wasn’t dripping wet of injured, so it wasn’t hard to figure out he had been on the island prior to the crash. That was worrisome in and of itself. “I’m not, but let’s just get it over with.” She clenched her jaw, shutting her eyes tightly in apprehension.

—

The grin he’d tried to offer took on a bitter note at her question—one that told Lukas she was afraid of what was to come, would rather evade it instead. He didn’t speak it aloud, but wondered if she understood that would become a trending theme in her life here on out. That she would have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being in pain. Being in agony, sometimes. And not just physically; emotionally, too, this island pushed them all to their limits. Even trying to keep fights from breaking out just because tensions were high from being half-starved and exhausted and homesick for years if not decades... it was an impossible task. Lukas hated knowing he was about to make her pain so much worse, and had to practice what he silently preached. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

“I know...” he offered through a small murmur, a reconciliation with her frustration and with what was to happen next. Again, intentionally ignoring her question to answer it once he was finished treating her. “Hold my arm if you need. Take a deep breath and look away. I’ll do it quickly,” the man added as a vow. Then with a firm hold on her forearm, he bent it into ninety degrees and started to lift the dislocation from its slipped place and back into its socket, doing his best to do it efficiently and as quickly as he could, but even with that, it still took a good minute.

[crowned-lieutenant]

henry cavill in night hunter pt .2

[crowned-lieutenant]

[crowned-lieutenant]

ophelia-graves​:

-

“Yeah, I can do that,” Ophelia nodded at him. “No problem.” She knew she wasn’t the only one capable of medical skills but to be a nurse gave her and a few others extra points. There were a few doctors as well so they were on the first line when something of this magnitude happened. It didn’t happen every day but it was always best to be prepared. People got hurt hunting or just because of some unknown place that it had not been explored before or because they had a fight with someone else. She knew very well that Lukas trusted her and now she needed to make these people trust her and the rest of the ones here.

Ophelia knew it wasn’t going to be easy, she had her doubts herself when she landed here for the first time. There were some jerks, of course, they never failed to make someone’s life miserable, but there were also good people that didn’t deserve to be here. People that prayed for some sign, something, anything, a miracle that would let them go back home. After her first year, she realized that there was no way to go back and even if she did, she would feel like a complete stranger. Friends, family could mourn for you, but life always carried on and they would have done so as well. “I’ll make sure everyone is there,” she added.

—

He was thankful no argument followed his orders. It was already difficult enough trying to keep this place in order without people jumping down his throat. And the compromise he’d given was the only one they would be getting. “Alright. Meet back up with you after.” With a game plan outlined, Lukas felt a little more ready to tackle this task. A grunt brought him to his feet, and he looked out at the rest of the group. “Alright, everybody. You know the drill. You live in the caves and you can hold your own, come with me. Anyone else here who wants to help us out, be my guest.” 

With that, the leader of the island set off, tying ropes to the front landing gear underneath the cockpit and slowly dragging it out of its resting place in the sand. 

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

No matter how distressed Dakota was, she didn’t miss the way he seemed to willingly avoid her question. She wasn’t stupid, she realized that meant that no help was coming. He didn’t need to actually spell it out for her to understand. This man seemed to be in charge of everyone and he probably didn’t want to alarm all the panicked passengers that were just as worried about this as she was. Except there were very few people that seemed to be by themselves like she was. They all had someone to lean in. She was alone. “Yeah, I landed on it when the plane started… you know. Then it got worse when I was swimming. Almost didn’t make it.”

She settled down some as he dabbed at the bleeding wound on her head, the throbbing in her arm getting more persistent now that she was calming down. “No, just the arm. What is this place?” 

—

Lukas’ gaze fell stoic on the woman’s features for a moment. He hesitated, opening his mouth to offer some sort of sympathy but couldn’t form the words around it. The man never had been particularly good at consoling people, no matter how badly he wanted to. So, instead he chose to very gingerly pick up her arm and take a look, gaze flickering back to her face to make sure he wasn’t hurting her even more. “I’ll have to put it back in place,” he mumbled, fingers pushing up the sleeve of her shirt. He could see the deformity in it up around the socket, and felt a pang of sadness for her. “You swam with this?” it came out almost incredulously. She’d swam to shore with a dislocated shoulder and then stood  at the back of the line for hours. A small cough cleared his throat and he started to clean up the cuts she had on her bicep before tying together a makeshift sling out of cloth. “C’mere. Sit down.”

What is this place? That was a weighted question, wasn’t it? None of them really knew what it was. All anyone really knew was that they were stuck there forever. “Take your pick... purgatory, another universe... time machine.” Lukas offered her a small grin, though nothing about it was funny at all. “None of us really know,” he admitted, though personally he’d had suspicions about the last one actually being true. Considering he hadn’t aged a wink in all the time he’d been there. “Alright. This is gonna hurt. You ready?”

[crowned-lieutenant]

ophelia-graves​:

-

“I can’t believe you didn’t share any of it, knowing that it’s my favorite food, you bastard!” Ophelia said, slapping his arm. She wouldn’t hurt him with something like that, he was as big and as strong as a bear. At first, he seemed unapproachable and cold, but deep inside, very deep inside, he was a teddy bear. Not like she had voiced her opinion about that matter because she knew that he would deny anything with being soft and cuddly. She cared about him and even when he was their leader, he was someone you could count on at all times. He needed to be in control of the situation or everyone would panic and who knows what could happen instead of them trying to understand everything and make all work in their little community, even when some rules were too much, especially for her. When it came to exile people, she had a hard time accepting it unless it was for a good reason, but even still she had to fight back the need to give them a bag with supplies or something.

There was no need for her to worry but they had not received new people in a long time and it caught her a bit off guard. They would need to adjust, if that was the right word, to this new world. Everything would have to be explained and make sure that they understood. Ophelia was going to make everything in her power to make them feel comfortable and she already knew that she was going to share what little she had to make that happen.  “I’ll talk to Simon too, he’s going to have a lot of work,” she added.

Simon was a psychiatrist and he was vital for the group, especially in a situation like this one. Maybe there didn’t have meds but by talking and expressing what they were feeling could do the trick. “I wish I could control more; you know?” Ophelia said. “That’s not possible but…well, you know what I mean, right? I don’t think I could do your job. Be the leader and all that, but I also can’t see you dealing with wounds all the time but I know you do a good work when we need more hands,” she smiled.

—

The slap against his shoulder broke some of the tension, and Lukas chuckled against it, nudging her back playfully. “Knock it off,” he countered light-heartedly. “Finder’s keeper’s. You know what? I’m just gonna go back to running this place on toddler rules. Finder’s keeper’s, you hit me I cry, that kinda stuff.” This place afforded Lukas few pleasures, and having a moment to joke around with other settlers was one of those pleasures. He gave her one last squeeze for good measure and then stood himself back up with a groan. 

“Someone’s gotta do it.” He said simply, because it was true. He wasn’t even fully sure how he coped with it himself most days. There was a lot placed on his shoulders, and all the difficult decisions fell on him. Decisions that he sometimes regretted making, and others that he was thankful for. At the end of the day, none of it truly mattered, as long as everyone woke up the next day. That was what he anchored himself to, because if he thought about it too hard, he’d start to resent the hell out of this place. Despite not looking it, Lukas should have been able to retire by now. Should have been able to sit back on a beach with a drink and never worry about doing another day’s work in his life. But instead he’d become a puppet to this island, every new occurrence dragging his limbs up into movement out of necessity. “Pack survival and all that,” he mumbled, and sighed out into the twilight. “We better get back before it gets too dark to see where we’re going.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

kctaclark​:

-

Dakota was completely shocked. She had no idea how to handle what had just happened to her and the rest of the passengers of the plane. After barely even making it to shore, she had aimlessly followed the rest of the people deeper into the forest. Eventually, she realized she was in line for something, possibly medical attention judging by what she saw a few of the locals doing. Were they locals? She couldn’t tell, but they were there before them and seemed to know what they were doing.

She stopped in front of a man when she reached the front of the line, her entire body shaking like a leaf. Her eyes were suspicious as he inquired about her injuries. “What–what hurts? Everything hurts,” she whispered angrily, gripping the arm that was in pain. There was also a gash on her forehead she wasn’t even aware was there. “What is this? Is help on the way?”

—

Seeing all the distressed survivors was emotionally taxing to say the least, even if Lukas didn’t show it. He couldn’t show it. He had to keep his head and get the things done that had to be done, so when the woman approached, her tone matching her appearance, the man sighed. Cotton ball met what little was left of the saline they had stocked, and he leaned forward to dab it at the cut on her forehead. “Your arm hurt?” he questioned, not answering her own question. He needed to get her treated and undoubtedly if he told her the truth about how they’d never be leaving and she better get comfortable, she’d probably fight against him cleaning her up. 

“Here. Let me see your arm. You hurt anywhere else?” It was demanding, even if softened by the compassion fatigue.

[crowned-lieutenant]

closed starter for @kctaclark​ location: pointe forest / ferns village time: dusk

The day had escaped him quicker than it’d come with the newcomers and everything their arrival brought with it. Lukas yawned into the night and leaned away from the warmth from the fire pit in the middle of the clearing. It was the only light they had left now that the sun was down, despite it still being hot as all hell, and he’d opted to dress down into just his shorts to beat the heat, forehead still dewing with sweat. He’d lost a lot of liquids today, and was eager to get finished treating people so he could grab a drink of water finally. 

They were behind on time, should have had rations out and been partnered up with buddies by now, but instead he was sitting on one of the rocks, a suitcase full of medical supplies at his feet, and ushering over the last injured person from the line. “Next,” he called out, laying eyes on a woman who looked so shaken up still that it made Lukas pause. “Alright. What hurts?”

[crowned-lieutenant]

ophelia-graves​:

-

“Thanks,” she took the bottle and put it in her bag along with any other thing she could find in the wreck. Watching him eat another bite of the alfredo made her so mad that she made fists with her hands and stood up to take it from him, not caring at all what he could do or say to her. “Yes, everyone’s breathing and walking, for now. But I trust you know that not everyone from that plane is going to survive for the next few days and that not all of them are going to die by their wounds.” Ophelia had seen it countless times before because she had been the one to call when they found someone. The first time had been a shock to everyone and she stayed the whole day and night in the forest, trying to understand why, but the reason was right there an they lived on it, for God’s sake. Why they were here? She was still trying to understand. Maybe it was a good reason, a purpose, maybe they were going to be able to go back to the real world one day but until now, they just had to do the best to survive. 

“I’m sorry,” she looked down at the sand and whispered. They couldn’t give in, not right now. Not into all the dispair and sadness, not when more people arrived either for better or worse. The nurse gave him back his food and nodded. “Yes, of course I’ll help,” Ophelia said. “I’ll make sure that everyone is taken care of before that.”

—

She was right, of course. He knew she was right. Lukas remembered every incident well. And truthfully, some days, he couldn’t fault any of them for doing it. Some days he didn’t know why he himself didn’t just do it. Make it all end for good. The biggest part of him in objection just continually reminded himself that this place needed him. Who else was going to keep everything in order? Keep everyone safe? Move the damn wrecks? A small huff left his lips when she brought that reality back to him. He could see it in some of their faces already—the bewilderment fading into doom.

He might have been angrier about her snatching away his food if not for that grim reminder. “We’ll... hold a fire tonight in Pointe. Let everyone ask the questions they have. Try to console them.” It was compromise, one he knew was necessary but one he dreaded. “You take care of everyone while we’re going to the wreck yard. In the meantime...” he trailed off to clear his throat, and speak to the group. One by one each of them chose which village they’d take shelter in after a quick summary of what each village offered. Once it was all said and done, Lukas turned back to Ophelia. “Can you get all the healers gathered in Pointe and set up there?”

[crowned-lieutenant]

ophelia-graves​:

-

“No,” she said to him with a small smile when he asked if she was sure. Ophelia had managed to do her job quite well, even with the limited resources they had, but still, maybe this was just her way to cope with it. It wasn’t like it didn’t happened before and would most likely continue happening, but still, it didn’t meant that she had to like it. All those people, confused, injuried, traumatized, not knowing where they were or what happened to them. She knew that a few of them would try to leave the island or do whatever they could to go back to where they came from, because hope was the last thing to be lost in times like these, but she knew that they would fail and they would have to get used to be here for the rest of their lives. Ophelia tried it before too. She didn’t get that far before a man found her crying in the middle of the forest. He had lost his family and knew exactly how she was feeling, lost, alone and with no hope, but she could help people here and that was somethign that kept her going. 

When his arm wrapped itself around her shoulder to pull her close, Ophelia’s eyes filled with tears. Her mom always used to say that she was too emotional, too in touch with her feelings, but her dad would smile and reasure her, telling her that it was something good and it made her more human. “Thanks,” she said, moving her head to rest it against his shoulder. “I just wish I could do more, you know?” Ophelia sighed. “I’m affraid that one day it’s not going to be enough.” 

—

After forty years of being castaway, Lukas could empathize with what Ophelia was feeling, even if he couldn’t quite articulate it. Some deep sense of dread with no true hope to hang onto anymore, and having to watch groups of people go through the same slow realization that they were damned here. They all were. Over, and over, and over again. And there never seemed to be any rhyme or rhythm to the wrecks either. Sometimes they’d go months. Hell, they’d even had a good year where nothing dropped in a few decades ago. And other times, they came back to back. Words couldn’t rightly express how horrible this dance was, with whatever the hell this place was.

He remembered it well. These same feelings he could see radiating off of the woman, feel tensed up in her posture as she leaned into his embrace. He’d felt the same overwhelm early on in his stranding and it didn’t lessen until he’d accepted it all. Accepted that this Hell was never going to end, and there was nothing they could do about it. 

The come down after a wreck was always so... disorienting, to Lukas. He needed this moment of peace just as much as she did, apparently, because he huffed out a heavy sigh into the cooled air, and inhaled a lungful of the forest’s essence. “Don’t be scared.” It was a murmur, but he meant it. His head tipped back against the bark, eyes staring up at branches and leaves. “If that day comes, there’s nothing we’ll be able to do about it. Don’t waste your energy worrying before it comes... Or, after it comes. Just... focus on what you can control.” A small, bitter smile adorned his features, cut into his stubbly cheeks. “I can’t believe chicken alfredo was the highlight of my month.”

[crowned-lieutenant]

ophelia-graves​:

Ophelia took a deep breath and collapsed under a tree. Taking off her bagpack and leaving it next to her, she stared at the bush in front of her and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to slow down her breathing. The nurse had been taking care of a man who had twisted his ankle when the plane and the nosie and the chaos came out of no where She had run there to help along with other healers, making sure that everyone was alright. At least until the shock passed. 

She had been there before so she knew exactly the way they wer feeling. Completely lost, confused, traumatized and feeling helpless. Their previous life was gone, with no way to go back and the sooenr they understood that, the better, but still, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, for all the people that were here, trapped. 

“I’m fine,” she said out loud when she heard footsteps approaching. “I just need to take a minute.” 

—

His stomach grumbled for another meal as Lukas helped bandage up people in the village. Once the wreck was hauled off into the Tundra, he could finally focus on the second role he held here—tending to injuries. His own medical knowledge had been limited, amassed in bits and pieces from the knowledge osmosed into him by military medics and the medical professionals who were stranded. He knew the basics: how to splint, how to suture, how to do CPR. He’d joined the medical group late, sitting down to usher over the next survivor with a sigh. It was like a carousel, one after the other. Eyebrows had furrowed inward just slightly as he used what little suture thread they had left to tie back together someone’s wound after dousing it in saline. “You gotta keep it as clean as you can. Gonna suck, but use some peroxide or alcohol on it every day. Let it get a lot of air. If you start feeling nauseous or feverish, come and tell one of us right away,” Lukas was explaining to the survivor when Ophelia ushered past him. 

His concern quickly rerouted to her and he followed after in a slight jog, tapering to a stop when he found her slumped up against the base of a tree. “You sure about that?” he called out light-heartedly, but watched her carefully. She looked exhausted. With a deep inhale, he strode over to take a seat next to her, and drape a comforting arm around her shoulders. The Lieutenant gave her a small squeeze into his side. “You did good today. I’m sorry for arguing with you earlier. You know how it is... But, yeah, you did amazing. Thank you.”