unhollowed | A Hollow Knight Catchall

"That's okay." He says to the child with a warm smile. "I don't think he needs to eat and drink." Good. There was an Adult(tm) who knew the answers. Most adults were stupid, but all kids know there's always one that had the answer to all of life's questions. "How long have you been here for?" Maybe he just needed a rest? Although the small Knight he had found didn't seem to ever stop moving.

How long had they been here... It took a moment to think of how to answer. At first, they lingered on the admission from this larger bug, that he knew they felt no need to eat or drink. How? How would he know that? Unlike their youngest sibling, they had an idea of what both of those were. They'd been around bugs who needed both of these.

They knew it was nothing they needed.

How would he know this though? Still, they reached upwards, and touched the crack upon their face, before shaking their head. They didn't know how long. Sorry, Vash. The boy they'd been huddled over finally managed to pull himself entirely free of the Knight, perplexed as he pulled his hand away from them.

"His coat is wet..." Well, the boy wouldn't know what 'cloak' was. But the shimmering, brilliant, glowing white liquid, quickly becoming congealed and tacky, might be an indication of what the actual problem behind the Knight's lethargy was.

That doesn't sound good. "I'm coming closer, okay?" Vash starts to move closer. Wishing to kneel next to the bug, but he will stop if the Knight makes any move against him or seems hostile in any way. "Do you kids remember when you found him?"

Well... yes, they had been injured. They hadn't forgotten. The wound had never closed properly, but that was only to be expected, considering how deep it was. How deeply they'd buried their blade in themselves in a last ditch, desperate effort to help. To continue their duty, no matter what the cost might be.

"A couple days...?" A few murmured words between each other, trying to remember exactly, but 'a couple days' with a wound that had clearly been getting worse and worse was a couple days too many nevertheless.

As Vash approached, they would hunch over again, the man presented again with their broad and horned head, the black eyes in it looked upon him. Even expressionless, the motion was clear.

They were scared. Perhaps understandably, considering how badly hurt they seemed to be.

"I want to help." Vash tries to speak softly. Moving painfully slow in his advancement forward. "I met someone like you not too long ago. Only they were a lot smaller." He says this with a chuckle as he lowers down to his knees. "I wonder if you two are friends. I wish he was still here because I think he would know how to help you more, but he sort of ran off. Excitable little guy."

He'd met another...? ... Oh, the little knight. Their sibling... They shift, lifting their head in faint, but obvious interest. He had met the youngest of them, truly? It was difficult to mime the correct word. 'Friends' didn't quite encapsulate the feeling they had, when the blinding light of the Radiance cleared away enough where they could see the Knight.

He wanted to help, he'd met the Knight, and he still stood and breathed so... they must have trusted him.

If family trusted this bug, perhaps they ought to as well.

Slowly, silently, though with no small amount of pained hesitation, they would pull back, picking at the rusted chainmail that covered their chest and tugging at the ancient, dirty, tattered cloak. The damage beneath it was clear, part pale fluid, whatever was left of the now dead infection.

And part pitch black mist, snaking upwards from the wound that they still, even now, hesitated to reveal. Instead, a gesture.

They saw the silver gleam in the folds of Vash's coat. If they were not strong enough to reach for their weapon, he should not have his either.

At first Vash doesn't understand the gesture. So focused on what he was going to do to help that he didn't even think about his gun. "Oh! Okay." Once again he moves slow as he reaches down. "I'm going to remove it and set it to the side, okay?" He tries to move in a way that the Knight can watch his every move. Removing his pistol from his side Vash then opens the barrel. There were kids around and he didn't want any of them picking up his weapon and shoot themselves with it. He dumps the bullets out and sets them both aside.

"I have some bandages. I'm going to reach into my coat and take them out." He'll take out a small med kit out of his pocket unless the Knight tries to stop him.

Unlike the Knight, they knew a potential weapon when they saw one. And unlike the Knight... they feared what might happen should they be struck with one now. They watched, motionless, as Vash removed the gun, and the cartridges inside, not at all curious as to the construction of the weapon. The only thing that really mattered was that it was rendered, if only temporarily, useless.

He'd be allowed to work without being interrupted, the mute creature simply watching as the med kit was removed. It was only then, when they'd be allowed to see the inside of the kit, and Vash's gun clearly empty and off to the side, that they'd remove the rusted, ancient chainmail, the cloak pulled off along with it. A clumsy act, considering they had but one arm, but they managed it.

The black carapace beneath was split. The liquid was already running dry, but it wasn't the remnants of the infection that concerned them. With the Radiance dead, no one here was at risk of becoming contaminated.

It was the stream now of thick, shadowy fog, nearly appearing to be a liquid in it's own right it was so thick, that concerned them. It slipped free of the large, jagged wound upon their chest, the length and shape of it suggesting it was the work of some large blade. The crack upon their head only leaked that black substance in the tiniest of increments, that was slowly healing.

But this had only worsened. Now exposed, they almost immediately moved to cover the wound again, perhaps to stem the black shadow that seeped from it, or perhaps to simply hide it again from Vash, still afraid they might yet be attacked in this moment of weakness.

Vash can't help but to stare at that fog. What was he suppose to do to stop that? Remove a bullet? Stitch up a cut? Set a bone? There were so many things he had done to heal himself in the past, but he didn't even know the first thing to do for this.

Eventually Vash does the only thing he can think of to do. Taking out the largest bandage his small medkit has he slowly reaches forward to press against the wound. "Is this okay? I'm not hurting you by doing this, am I?"

No, it didn't hurt. But it also wasn't going to close the wound. They knew what to do.

They just... didn't want to. Not out of any desire to die, no. Despite everything, despite what they'd been through and escaped, it would be... wrong. To try to die now.

Their shoulders hunch as Vash presses against the wound, and they reach for his hand. Not to push him away, but to redirect. They were going to need that bandage, but they also needed more than one hand.

Carefully, they'd try to shift Vash's hand to one side of the fissure, before they'd take their own hand, and press. Close the wound. The crack had to be pressed shut, each side must meet the other, and be bound there.

Judging by the creak of the chitin, and the way their body jerked, it was not a painless process.

But it was the one that they knew worked.

Vash doesn't stop the strange creature as he redirects his hand. He catches on pretty quickly what he wanted. "Alright." Vash positions himself a little better. Making sure his left robotic arm is in the best position to take on the most weight. He takes a deep breath. "On three. One. Two. THREE!" Vash pushes with all his might. Telling himself not to listen to any painful noise the bug makes as he can't let himself get too distracted. It would be best if he can get this done as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry." Although he still feels bad about it.

It hurt, it hurt so much, and while they themselves made no sound, the remnants of the chains that bound them rattled as they shook in pain, their head slowly sinking as the fissure was forced shut.

Then, only then, did they jerk their head towards the bandage. Bind them now before they lost the strength to keep this wound shut, they certainly wouldn't be able to do this for much longer.

He doesn't need to indicate twice. Vash snatches at the bandages and starts to wrap it around as quickly as he can. Pulling the bandages tightly until the cut is completely covered and the bandage is knotted in place. "Done! Are you okay? Er-- okay-ish?"

The creaking was intense, the sound of it was almost painful enough, but at last the wound was forced shut and bound. Then, only then, did they let go, their body falling limp as they collapsed against the wall to collect themselves.

Well... They were going to be better than they were, they supposed. The horns scraped against the wall as they dipped their head for a moment. They're okay.

Not dead.

"Hey!" Vash leans forward in concern that perhaps the pain had been too much. "You alright? Is there anything more I can do to make you comfortable?"

A Hollow Knight Catchall

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