Hard to Take It In

"Hard to Take It In" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
As the main conflict cleared away, the demon within Stonegit took the chance to weakly manifest before him, a flickering but familiar image of tusks and fur. She bumped foreheads with Stonegit one more time before approaching the Arbiter, who towered above her human-sized form. 
Hello, Arbiter. She rested her clawed hands underneath his, and her attention sweeped over the body quickly, finding no significant damage. You performed excellently, from…what little I remember. Her consciousness briefly spun in confusion as she had difficulty remembering what happened. She looked back at Stonegit and Akkey, taking in their disheveled appearances, and sighed, looking back up at what had once been her prison. She tried to sound lighthearted. I was hoping to avoid being an agent of chaos once more…
moe-lazyeye
“Woodchuck…” Stonegit sighed as he sat by her, his eyes a daze now as he slowly comprehended all that had happened. “I think you and I are both destined to trip headfirst into that role…” He then glanced towards Akkey. “Is he okay…?” The man asked, and Akkey saw him swallow once in apprehension. 
akkeyagentofhelheim
“You look good in purple,” the nix had commented approvinly on Firkugaan’s new look before sitting heavily onto the ground; finally, she had a second to take a breath. She’d been moving non-stop since Yun called her to Haligan and she was starting to feel it.
Akkey tilted her head towards Stonegit, flicking her eyes between the bodyguard, the Warden, then the Arbiter. Her cheeks flushed pink ever so slightly, “He should be fine. Last I saw him was in the pitstop before the Jaw; he should be back home, waiting…”
She reached around her waist and unbuckled her light armour; the Koiroll fight battered her more than she liked, and she was sore, bleeding from shallow wounds that peppered across her pale skin, but nothing too deep. She had a nasty gash down the side of her hip, but she’s had way worse, “He looked like he was going to be sick… He thought he was gonna lose us both.” An image of their separation in the Scrublands flared openly in her mind, and she expelled a laboured sigh, “What the Hel, you two…”
hookedhookless
Thank you, Warden, I was taught well. He took a knee slowly. Next time though, I will stop you. Firkugaan turned his attention to Akkey and her words, an affectionate wave washed them. Thank you, I am rather fond of the colours of my astral form. He held his hand out and very gently nudged them to it. He regarded the people he was looking at and mentally embraced them, making sure to be slow and gentle with the movements. I am truly glad that you are okay.
demon-in-the-dungeon
Nala ran over the others with her mind as well, and their memories grated like sand against sunburnt skin. I am, as well. There was little we could have done to foresee this. But somehow, it feels…necessary. She shut her eyes and calmed her mind again, which felt shaky, unpredictable, and weak. The strength of the Archon still lay within her, helping her meditate. 
I will need quite the break after this, she grumbled good-naturedly. 
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Both of you better,” she quipped in return, but the relief was rolling off her in waves as the tension in their small group began to ease. She poked Stonegit gently in the better arm, her long hair fluttering softly in the wind, “You’re gonna get fixed up, then we’re going home, and I’m not leaving your side until then. I’ll be the bodyguard’s bodyguard.”
moe-lazyeye
Stonegit’s head tilted over and down to rest heavily against Akkey’s shoulder, as his eyes starred across the land that swept before them. He was the very embodiment of tired, but it wasn’t hard to see that the man was overtly proud of himself, even though he was doing a good job at hiding it. 
“That’ll be a first…” He said, his voice nearly a yawn. “Although, if I’m honest, this was my break. I took vacation off to do this.” 
hookedhookless
A slight mental pressure weighed on Stonegit after his sentence was finished. You are taking. A break. The pressure lightened as the demand was made and a lighthearted wash filled their minds. He could sense how the man was feeling, but could tell he wanted to hide his emotions for now. So the demons attention was turned to Akkey. You too, you fought many difficult battles, you must rest. His knee extended in front of him as he sat down, despite the quick learning for the battle the body still felt like it was denying him, like someone had replaced the joints with drying honey. He’d have breathed a sigh if he still had lungs but he settled for sitting on the ground, watching his friends warmly.
demon-in-the-dungeon
As the others spoke, Nala’s projection slivered and flickered, and Stonegit felt her mind weighing heavy on his. Visually, she dipped her chin to her chest, and what little was visible of her face made a grimace. There was an emotion he felt only rarely consuming her, and she turned her attention away to sweep the battlefield nearby. The three biggest consciousnesses–the Bookkeeper and the two time jumpers–made her appetite ache, but she forcibly turned away from them, sweeping the ranks for what she needed. Sustenance.
A dying flare caught her attention, and she saw a human body stretched out on a table, with a healer kneeling next to it, with their hands clasped to their face as silent tears made their way down their cheeks. Nala heard a silent prayer in their head, made out to Hel, to guard and bless the woman’s soul as it departed this realm. Briefly inspecting the wounded, Nala saw that indeed, her heart had stopped, and she had only moments left of breath within her.
The demon filled her mind, and she barely recognized her presence in her death throes, but whatever small panic she could feel, Nala immediately quelled and numbed. Peace. You fought well, she whispered. You will not be forgotten. Her own essence darkened as she took the woman’s mind and fed on it, consuming any and all memories and emotions she had left, and as the woman released her last breath, Nala released her and let her soul drain from her body.
She repeated the process for several dying Conclave soldiers she could find, but she was not nearly as gentle or respectful in looking them over and sinking her astral teeth into them, quickly and painfully drawing strength from them. In the midst of her friends, the lines of her form grew stronger and brighter, and she exhaled sparks, re-focusing on the conversation. 
moe-lazyeye
From his heads resting place, Stonegit’s mind witnessed his friend retain her strength through feeding.
When I die…I’d want you to send me the way you send them…that way…you can use my strength…to keep protecting the rebellion…
He then showed her his memory of what Hel had said. How the seal within her from all those years ago, had been nothing more than a proxy. A means for Nala to witness her own truth of character.