distressedude | 028 ~ [Action/Voice]

Entry tags:

028 ~ [Action/Voice]

[ Friday Afternoon - House One ]
[Ever since the day Asch had to carry Ion home after he fell in the middle of the street, he's slowly come to a realization. For the past few days, the duration of time in which Ion was able to stand had only grown shorter and shorter. He can't stand at all without assistance, and that assistance essentially amounts to someone holding him up while his legs hang there, limply. Stairs have quickly become an impossible obstacle for him to overcome, forcing him to relocate to the spare room on the first floor. Now, with a pillow over his face, he laid in bed -- wishing he could fall back asleep so he would have an excuse not to call someone for help in getting up. He wasn't hungry, and in truth he just had no reason to get up and out of bed.]

[He wasn't going to get better. There was no known cure.]

[But that line of thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. It wasn't going to help him get better, and it wouldn't help him face the reality of what's happening to him. He hadn't even told anyone in the House about the diagnosis yet, using his own near-constant fatigue as an excuse to change the subject whenever it came up. And yet he's sure they've noticed something -- a change in him this past week. He hasn't been himself at all, and it seemed like the more he lost the ability to function, the more he lost the ability to care This morning had been no different, with Ion staying in bed well into the afternoon... until he heard something whining softly beside his bed.]

[Peeking out from behind the pillow, he saw the paws and nose of Colonel the puppy, curiously investigating as to why Ion was still in bed at almost 2 in the afternoon. Had someone opened the door for him? Or was he just getting better at getting into every little thing? After another whine and a short bark, Ion reaches out to gently scratch behind his ear, as if to reassure him.]

Did you come to wake me up? I've been awake for awhile now. [His words are met with a puzzled tilt of the head from Colonel.] I'm all right. Just... tired. That's why I'm still in bed, after all.

[With anther whine and a scampering of paws, Colonel bats at the bed again before skittering off to the other side of the room. Folded up by the desk is the wheelchair Ion borrowed from the clinic earlier that week, which has only been used but once. When he turns and barks again, Ion pulls the pillow away from his face and pushes himself upright.]

...what is it? Do you want to play? [An enthusiastic bark.] Why don't you go find Florian? Or Tear? [A whine, and then another bark.] I'm sorry. I can't play with you. [More scampering, and accompanied by a series of loud barks in succession. His patience has worn thin.] Colonel!

[The barking stops. With another soft whine, Colonel lays down and presses his nose to the floor. Ion didn't even realize why until he looked up, seeing the pillow from before in his hand, about to be thrown at the dog. As he lowers the pillow, Colonel perks up immediately and skips back over, paws once more up on the bedside.]

...I'm sorry.

[What was wrong with him? What was he doing?]

I'm so sorry, Colonel.

[It was silly. This was silly. He's already died before. What difference would it make if it happened again?]

I'm sorry... I can't even tell you the truth... can I?

[Since when has he been afraid of death?]

--

[ Saturday - Action / Voice ]
[Today was a new day.]

[For the first time in a long time, Ion got out of bed as soon as he woke up. It took more effort than he'd like to admit, but eventually he leaves his room, wheeling himself along in the wheelchair he borrowed from the clinic. He has only one goal for the day, and that goal is to make today as fundamentally normal for himself as possible. Though still feeling far more tired than usual, without the added strain of trying to force his leg muscles to move, accomplishing that goal actually seems to be within reach.]

[His first stop is the library. It's the place he frequents most often and the trip he knows he'll need to get used to first. Thankfully, these past few weeks of being unable to stand for very long have let him grow accustomed to asking for help reaching the books on the higher shelves. Now, it just means there are a few more rows he needs help with... though on the bright side, the previously inaccessible bottom row was now much easier to reach.]

[From there, he makes his way around to various other parts of the village, sometimes to actually go in but mostly just to get a feel for getting around. The school, Seventh Heaven, the clinic, the plaza... he's not quite brave enough to try venturing much further than that for now, but that was more than enough for one day. He's not exactly a champion of upper-body strength, after all. Before it even starts to get dark, he'll head back to House one.]

--

[Later that night, he pulls out his journal. His voice sounds tired, but his exact mood may be hard to place outside of anyone who knows him very well.]

Perhaps this question is a bit vague... but has anyone ever changed in a way that seemed to be for the worse, only to realize it could potentially be for the better? Not quite a physical change, but... a change in the way you think about certain things.

If you're willing to share, of course.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Dinner is waiting for him when he comes back. Some of the others have finished eating; Nephry waited.]

You've been gone for a while. [It's pleasant - just an observation.]

[He looks a bit tired when he finally wheels himself in, though the day was probably more emotionally taxing than physically. Try as he might to stay positive, there was still an added sense of foreboding hanging in the back of his mind.]

[But he manages a smile -- the same one he's managed for everyone he's run into today.]

I'm sorry, I must have lost track of time. It takes a bit longer to get back here than I thought it would...

I saved some dinner for you, and you should try to eat even if you're tired. [Nephry knows that, left to his own devices, Ion doesn't remember to eat or drink enough.] I'll join you.

[Which that's true, there are also instances where Ion doesn't eat only because he feels too sick to do so. And while he managed to eat something substantial for lunch earlier, unfortunately, right now is one of those times.]

[...but Nephry waited for him. Maybe if he only eats a little...]

Oh, thank you, Nephry. [With a slightly more genuine smile, he moves over to the table.]

[There is already a chairless place for him. Nephry sits in her usual spot, but she seems more preoccupied with whether Ion eats than with finishing her own meal.]

Did you do anything interesting today?

[He seems a bit more preoccupied with shifting it around his plate than eating it, if she pays close enough attention. And the bites he does eat are all rather small.]

Not particularly, no. All things considered, it was a fairly normal day. [Which he sounds pretty happy about -- some feeling of normalcy definitely wins over an uneventful day.] I checked out a few new books in the library, and met with-- a friend, for lunch.

Oh? Do I know your friend?

[It's all the usual small talk. And it's genuine, warm enough to mask most of her concern. For now.]

[Does that uncomfortable little blush answer your question Nephry?]

...yes. It was Kohan. It had been awhile since we'd seen each other, so it was nice to able to talk for awhile.

[He's being intentionally a little more vague than usual, if only because in reality it wasn't as nice a meeting as he would have hoped. But it was easy enough to think of it that way, considering how little they've spoken these past few months. Anything was better than more silence.]

I'm glad you had the chance to do something together. [It seems he had a good time, too.

Nephry watches him push food around on his plate for a few minutes more. He looks tired, headed down the path to exhausted, and like he's only trying to eat to keep up the image. Finally, she sets down her fork and waits to catch his attention.]

You don't feel well, do you?

[He looks up when he sees Nephry putting down her fork out of the corner of his eye, a small frown replacing that smile when she speaks.]

...I'm sorry. I didn't want to say anything after you went to the trouble to wait for me.

It's all right. Please, don't think you have to force yourself on my account. [Look, she's smiling and everything.] You shouldn't make yourself sick.

I know I shouldn't. But I just...

[He doesn't finish that thought, and sighs instead. After another moment, he rolls back away from the table.]

I think I'm going to go wash up. I don't want to wait until I'm too tired to do so.

[It's been so easy to upset him without knowing why, lately.]

All right. If you want anything later, please just ask.

[He nods again, this time with a smile, before wheeling himself off. First for a change of clothes, and then on to attempt to take a bath. He'll have to get used to doing this on his own, and aside from perhaps Florian it's not like there's anyone he could feasibly ask for help...]

[...]

[At some point Nephry may here a very loud splash, followed by a short call insisting that he's okay.]

[And after about an hour of that, he wheels himself out, pajamas on and a towel haphazardly thrown over his head, with a look on his face probably more suited for Sync than himself.]

[He hates everything.]

[One look at Ion earns a raised eyebrow, and a breath, as if she means to ask- but no. Not with him giving the room that petrifying stare.]

Perhaps we can find some kind of solution to this.

...like what?

[HE IS SO MAD AT THE BATHROOM RIGHT NOW. Or, you know, as mad as Ion can be at an inanimate object. It's rather like a kitten that's had a run in with a far-too-friendly dog, really. His hair is even all messy...]

I'm not sure. Will it help if I let you lecture the bath, first?

[She knows this is all very serious but the way he's scowling and looking put out is endearing.]

[The look on his face is most definitely one of the pouting expressions he's picked up from Anise over the years. You can practically hear the "Boo".]

...somehow I don't think that would work.

[CAN'T EVEN TAKE A BATH PROPERLY, SCREW YOU BATHTUB.]

Well, perhaps we can ask the others for suggestions in the morning, then. You aren't hurt, are you?

Edited (INVISIBLE BROTHER IS INVISIBLE) 2013-03-16 04:04 (UTC)

No... I think I only bruised my pride. [A pause, and then a little smile.] And I might have drowned my dignity, but I suppose I can make do without it.

Even the smallest dignity would have trouble drowning in a bathtub. [Now, with more seriousness.] You look tired, though. Going to bed? Or do you intend to stay up for a while?

I had hoped to stay up a bit longer, but I think that experience wore me out. So I think I'll turn in for now.

[Not explicitly saying he's going to bed, though. He'll probably wait at least for his hair to dry before trying to sleep.]

Good night, then. Please ask if you need anything.

I will. [And he does mean it. Right now, at least. No doubt opening his journal tonight might cause that to change. With one more smile, he starts to wheel himself to his room.]

[But as he does, he stops for a very brief moment, glancing back at Nephry... no. He doesn't want to tell her right now. Let this night end on a good note between them, at least.]

[And with that, he goes into his room.

[The next night, Colonel is being a menace. Often, that is what he does best. The dog, as a nice counterpoint, sits quietly in front of the fireplace watching their newest houseguest get settled in.

He stays there for most of the night, until he hears a noise coming from one of the rooms there on the first floor. Curious as only a dog can be, he goes to investigate.

Nephry doesn't know any of this. All she knows is that, in some still-dark hour, somebody is pawing and pulling at her blankets and making soft whine noises.]

What-? [Half asleep, she squints through the inkiness until she can make out the outline of an animal.] Colonel? ...Did Anise forget to let you out?

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]