altimit | ⬣//A BRIEF REPRIEVE

[ Oriade still feels weak after his encounter, but he keeps himself going—Sinclair's wound is worse than his and there's no way that he'd let him leave the place where he's being cared for.

So he eventually makes it to the place and after finding Sinclair, he drags a chair and sits next to him. He changed clothes before he came over. ]

Hey. How are you feeling?

[Sinclair lifts his head, still groggy but he reaches out to take Oria's hand. He's dressed in this, because it's more comfortable for his bandages than his kigu]

Tired. Achey.

[He studies Oria's outfit. He likes it on Oria, but it's like it's chosen for a funeral. He reaches out to take Oria's hand]

How are you?

[ He holds onto his hand with both of his own. When he quietly breathes out, he feels— ]

I'm exhausted. I probably still have water in my lungs and I feel sore all over. My head feels like a mess after it's been fucked over so many times. I am ready for hibernation.

[ It's mostly complaining but he also knows he wouldn't be able to get away with hiding the truth from Sinclair anyway. ]

... But I can't do that. Not when there's probably more in a few days—

[ He coughs. It sounds... really bad, actually, like he's hacking up a hairball. ]

Oria...

[He squeezes Oria's hand, his brow furrowing further. His movements are still a little weak but Oria shouldn't be running around right now either]

...I know. We all need to be ready, but...at least rest now.

[He reaches over to cover Oria's hand with his own. He's here, and no one else is. It's fine]

Edited 2023-11-08 02:28 (UTC)

I still need to figure out the logistics of how and where to bury Uta's body. Several people offered to help, so I'll take up on their offer... I'll have to see Fai's condition before I accept help from him though.

[ gestures to gorre fight and the 1/??? ]

After that, I'll rest. It has to be one of the four who fought in that battle, and the other three are severely emotionally compromised. I can't let them handle it for various reasons.

[ Oriade is sad too, devastated even, but he'll process it after the necessary things have been done. Right now, it's shoved under the rug.

For Ganymede, who recently had his boyfriend return from being a phase boss monster who hurt him deeply physically and mentally.

For Memoir, who had to keep Corbenik in place and carries the emotional scars of having people die in his arms.

For Punisher, whom Oriade gave him the order to deliver the final blow and has problems with coming to terms with Uta's death, even before when the news dropped. ]

[Sinclair's frown deepens and he leans forward to pull Oriade into a hug]

You really haven't stopped once.

[He wants to insist Oriade rest...but he knows that restless feeling too well. When you feel like it's your responsibility to keep everyone going...]

You can work out the logistics here so your physical body can heal up a little. [That cough did not escape Sinclair one bit] I'll help too

[Absentmindedly...]

...I wonder if there's a place here in Netslum. [Yes they are on a flying turtle but] If we're looking for the safest place in Fragment, it would be here.

Edited 2023-11-08 19:36 (UTC)

[ Oriade is pulled into the hug and he lets himself limp against Sinclair for once, to convey that yes, he's tired too, a but of vulnerability that he's fine showing to Sinclair. ]

Thanks. I don't want to keep anyone waiting nor do I want any feelings to fester just because I wasn't timely with what I promised.

But really... a burial on a flying turtle?

I was thinking, we could build a mausoleum of some sort? If our profession levels let us construct a house, we should be able to make something on a smaller scale. Otherwise...

[He wants to suggest the nameless root town, but he's not sure how many people would appreciate that either. He rubs his hand over Oria's back, soothing in touch]

[ On the contrary-- ]

I want Uta's in the nameless root town. She was one of the people who helped find the place, and it's where I found her after the news, singing...

[ ... ]

We don't need anything fancy like a mausoleum. I think she would have liked to have been treated like anyone else, instead of the unreachable idol.

[ It's always lonely at the top. It's a feeling that Oriade still doesn't fully realize, but he can feel it resonate with him a lot. ]

That said, it's just my opinion. I can't speak for her.

... No one can. Not anymore.

[Sinclair relaxes a little and nods]

...no, but you're speaking as her friend. That's important too.

[ And the dull ache of knowing Uta is gone for good is a different thing to what Oriade must be experiencing now.]

I was thinking the nameless root town would be a good idea too, now that the monsters aren't around. You're right though. A mausoleum would only work here in Netslum [since flying turtle] but a proper burial is more fitting for her.

Edited 2023-11-08 20:17 (UTC)

She told me before... about her family's legacy and wanting to pass it to someone. I'll make sure to find that person, no matter what.

[ Oriade quietly breathes out and squirms a little out of the hug, though what Sinclair did for him is still very much appreciated. ]

But first, we have to get rid of all 8 waves. Just four to go. We're halfway done—

[ Unfortunately, he goes into a coughing fit again as he ducks his head low, covering with his elbow. It's been hard to breathe for a while, but with all the mental stressors, his mind just blanks out.

Oriade passes out, slumping right back onto Sinclair. ]

[Aaah? Sinclair catches Oria, and doesn't overbalance with his weight]

Oria--

[He knew Oria was downplaying things but to this extent...He huffs softly in worry as he half lays Oria down in his bed and crawls out to lay Oria down properly. Maybe the AI nurse is around to offer assistance]

[ Oh my. The AI head nurse is here and sees the collapsed boy on the bed. He doesn't have any patient records, so he must have not been a patient before. An incident at the infirmary. Hm. She'll see to this personally.

She takes Oriade away on a rolling stretcher. It'll be a while before he comes back, but when he does, the head nurse and the other staff put Oriade on another bed, but next to Sinclair's. ]

Please press the call button if you need any assistance.

Thank you for your help.

[Ah, the Ai Head Nurse. Sinclair is appropriately demure and well behaved in bed, but as soon as the nurse is gone, he's sliding out of bed to close the curtains around their beds to give them a little more privacy from the others that may wander in and out. He sits in the chair next to Oria's bed and pulls out his journal, to add a few things on the pages about 'Demian', while that memory was still present within him]

[ Oriade eventually awakens. It's still a little difficult to breathe, but he gets through his bearings. He is without his glasses though and sees a yellow blob float next to him... ]

Emil...?

Hey. I'm here.

[Sinclair looks up from his writing, and sets down his journal to give Oria his glasses. The tension in him eases a little when he sees Oria alert again]

You scared me.

You were...?

[ Ugh. He feels so weak. It reminds him of something so hollow, sickening...

He tries to bury that thought. ]

What happened?

You passed out. Your body took a beating and you weren't exactly taking it easy. They had to get the water out of your lungs. They took you away for a bit to deal with that.

[Sinclair's brow furrows further. He had been worried before but it had felt hypocritical to stop Oria considering the circumstances he showed up to the battle against Macha and Tarvos, but...]

You know, it hasn't even been a day yet.

[ Oriade has a little inhaler mask that helps him breathe, but he willingly takes it off and sits up on the bed. ]

That's exactly why—

That's exactly why you need to rest. No one is going anywhere, no one is ready to handle things right now.

[Sinclair says, his voice mildly sharper than he normally would be]

You've just collapsed. What could you do when you get out of here if you collapse in another root town? [Softer] Oria...everyone is tired. We're all burned out. We cant do anything today. But tomorrow, we can try again.

I can.

[ His fist balls up the sheets under him. He notices the change in tone, but he really, really doesn't want to. It feels like he's throwing a fit. Was he ever allowed to have one? Maybe not in a serious way. ]

Everyone being tired is the reason why I have to go. No one can, so I have to. I can't just lie down here and think about what's happened in the past few days. I need to do something. I...

[ Oriade curls up on the bed, clawing at the sheets now. ]

I don't want to think about... how I had to burden Punisher with the order to kill Uta and how charred her body was.

...I know. [Sinclair frowns and moves to sit on the edge of Oriade's bed, reaching over to comb his fingers through Oriade's hair. He doesn't mind if Oriade needs to yell or vent or anything. He thinks...or rather, he knows, Oriade never has had a chance to do that before] You've been trying to carry everything for everyone...

[If Oriade gives him some room, Sinclair will lay down with him. If not, he'll stay seated, still petting Oriade's head]

...you know, it's okay to have regrets. And look back. You don't need to be running forward all the time. Uta deserves that much too.

[ Sinclair has always been one of the few exception for headpats, so Oriade lets him. Though he doesn't say anything to what Sinclair does, and merely tilts himself to the side. There's no room for Sinclair to lie down on the bed, but he finally faces his boyfriend's direction. He can't even get mad as another coughing fit overtakes him and just looks at Sinclair, sulking. He has no energy to get angry or cry if he even wanted to. The reflex in suppressing his wildly "negative" emotions acts before Oriade can even think about it.

So all Sinclair gets is Oriade sulking a little while staring at his eyes. ]

[Sinclair pointedly holds up the mask for Oriade to put back on. Oriade can sulk at him all he likes. Sinclair can outstubborn him on this]

Come on. The harder you push yourself, the less likely you'll get out of here in less than a week. Now that the nurse knows you're injured, she wont let you leave easily until you've recovered.

[Oriade might notice the beds have straps]

Nov 6, post-corbenik

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