View source for Any Crash You Walk Away From (Gaonoir)

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2019/12/15
|Location=The Great Ocean
|Synopsis=Recovery after Gaonoir fell from the crashing Paladin airbase.
|Cast of Characters=765
}}
In a relative sense Gaonoir was fortunate that he had gotten blasted out of the Ad Coelum before the damages shifted it's collision course with a planet. As far as it made his own crash landing be away from the much larger impact zone. Even at full health his non-organic state wouldn't of been able to endure that kind of blastwave, much less when already beat within bare threads of derezzing entirely.

The crater his own impact had made was bad enough, just from the force he came down at. So now, while still in exterme condition and too exhausted to voidstep, he had to climb his way out. Fortunately it wasn't so much deep as it was wide, but he had to go nearly just as far just not at a steep angle. One gloved paw then the other, using the claws on his feet that weren't broke for additional anchorage, until one finally found the edge of the crater.

And as he was pulling himself up found a hand there waiting for him, held out by Erika hunched down at the edge. Too tired and sore to be his usual snarky self about the assist he just grabbed her hand with one paw, and she helped pull him over the final threshhold, standing as well as she did.

"At least you're in one very broken piece. I half expected to have to climb down to retrieve a digitama." Erika let go of his paw as he stopped to, well, it was an approximation of catching his breath. "Soooooo, how did the mission go?"

"The important part succeeded. The fight was just to make a point." Gaonoir started to rub off his face, so Erika pulled a towel out of her satchel and squatted down again to help. He grumbled a bit, managing a tiredly playful swat without really stropping her. "Look, I--"

Erika put a finger to his snout to stop him. "No need, Gaonoir. Contrary to what you might of thought, I understand just fine. This isn't a game. There are things that need to be done... that are better done by you so others don't have to deal with the questionablity."

"... Yeah." Well, good, now he doesn't need to make himself get sentimental. He gave his headband a tug to snug it in place, and then skulked off towards the transport that had brought his Tamer out here to find him. "Ugh, it's going to take forever to reconstitute this much damage."

Erika giggled a bit as she followed. "We'll stop for some pizza on the way to the nearest Watchtower."