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It’s a terrible, terrible joke the universe pulls on him, when they’re going into Merchant City. When he’s in the blimp, splashing everyone with slow falling, listening to innocent naive Lomedy yap about how this surrender might be real. Opening the gates to send a dozen players to their deaths. Watching as they float down and suddenly they’re dying. The first thought Flame has is Parrot set up some sort of an invisible wall and then he sees the arrows spewing and he’s already floating slowly down and he’s hearing Lomedy yell that Flame Flame I jumped off by accident!
No no no it’s okay it’s okay just hold your totem and when there’s no reply his heart starts thudding in his chest. Lomedy? Lomedy?! Lomedy, are you alive? Hello?! Drifting slowly down to the ground, his ears straining for any sound. Dread pools in his gut, weighing him down. Heart banging on his ribcage. He opens his communicator, scanning it desperately. A flood of death messages scroll by him, yellow and white intermixing. He can’t find Lomedy in the name tags, but that doesn’t mean he’s okay. Lomedy. He pearls to the ground. Lomedy. Lomedy! Death gongs reverberate his ears, a chorus of screams abusing them. It’s almost majestic, in a way. He looks around, desperately. He can’t see Lomedy - please don’t let Lomedy be dead please no - and then he hears a distant, familiar, life-saving voice call out:
Flame? Flamefrags!
He can’t keep the tremor out of his voice as he calls out to him. Oh my god - Loms, Lomedy I thought you died. I thought you died, Lomedy. Don’t - be more careful, please. And the world has slotted back into place again - familiar, normal. Him and the fight and his best friend - a normal arrangement.