[ Late Night - House One ]
( Action - Locked to House One )

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[ Action - Written ]
[Following a very unrestful night, Ion will be trying his best to have a normal day, knowing that taking a nap would only make it more difficult to fall asleep that night. So he starts off his day as he would any other, beginning with a morning jog around the village with Colonel. Of course, given how tired he already is, it probably looks more like Colonel is just dragging him around. And at some point, Colonel is going to notice Ion's fatigue and force him to take a break in the most mature fashion possible.]

[After finally getting Colonel back home, he spends a little time in the library reading, but inevitably that proves to be too relaxing an activity and he winds up falling asleep, book still open. He won't be sleeping too deeply though, and just the sound of someone walking past him will probably startle him back into being awake. Though unless you want to see him fall out of his chair, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to walk up behind him.]

[Once he's back at House One, he spends the rest of the evening relaxing. But even though he's yawning and clearly tired, the light in his room stays on, and Ion won't be going to sleep just yet. And even after it seems like he finally has, sometime around midnight, a written message pops up over the network.]

I realize it's rather late, but does anyone have any experience in dealing with nightmares? Or perhaps, a method of how to prevent them from happening?

[The last experiment was a weird one, but thankfully nothing too traumatic happened for it to stick with Ion in the long term -- even if he is kind of upset that he spent a few days as a girl again and, just as last time, apparently no one noticed. He's not that girly, is he? Sigh. His former Manliness instructor would be so disappointed.]

[But he's not going to dwell on that too much, because it's almost May 1st! And that means it's almost his birthday! He missed his chance at getting to celebrate on the actual day in the years past due to various different circumstances, but this year he'd definitely have a birthday party! He's never had one before, after all... but other than that, he's not really sure what else someone might do for their birthday. And he wanted this year to be special! Which is what eventually inspires a short post over the journal:]

If you could do whatever you wanted on your birthday, our current circumstances permitting, what would you do?

I've been thinking about this myself for a few days now, but I don't have much experience with celebrating my own birthday. So I was wondering what other people might do to celebrate the occasion.


[House One - April 27 - May 1st]

[But as the day wears on, Ion starts to find himself feeling a little under the weather. It starts with a cough, quickly escalates into a fever, and by around late afternoon he staggers into the house with his face flushed and looking worse for the wear. He won't really stop to talk, instead making a quick beeline for his room and crawling into bed. He'll probably pass on dinner that night as well.]

[And unfortunately for him, that's where he'll be staying for the next few days, all the way through his birthday on May 1st. He'll be more lucid by then at least, but still mostly confined to his bed. Looks like whatever birthday plans he eventually settled on would have to be put on hold this year as well.]

[ooc: House One folks/visiting CR can choose any day in that gap or just skip ahead to his birthday if you want!]

[Filtered to Auldrant Folks]
( // filtered )

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[Action]
[And with that out of the way, Ion gets all set to go out for the day and get some much-needed errands done. With all the snow these past two days, he hasn't been able to go out much at all. But now that it seems to have calmed down a little outside, he's makes his way out into the village.]

[Of course, as soon as he reaches the plaza, his first stop is to the clothing shop to find a new winter coat, because he's starting to outgrow the one he's been wearing. And maybe he should look into a few new sweaters while he's at it -- he could never have too many warm clothes, after all! After that he goes to the library to drop off a few books while picking up some new ones, just in case the snow starts up again later this week.] 

[After that, he finishes up in the item shop to look around and see if he can find something to give as Christmas gifts. They may not have the holiday back on Auldrant, but given this is his 4th December here in Luceti, he's more than used to it by now. But he might look a bit troubled -- choosing the perfect gift wasn't always easy!]

[After finishing his tasks for the day, he walks around in the snow for while, admiring how pretty the landscape looks when everything looks so white and fragile, before going to the tea shop to defrost for a bit. And once there, he'll be so nice and warm he might just doze off for a bit while reading a book. All in all, a pretty normal day.]

[ Friday Afternoon - House One ]
( Introspection - Locked to House One )

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[ 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.

[It's been two weeks since the incident with Arietta, and there was still no sign of Anise in the village. They never even had a chance to speak before she left for a mission, likely in an attempt to put some distance between herself and Ion after their argument. It's strange to think that the last time they went this long without speaking to each other by choice was around this same time last year, though for a very different reason. He's been so caught up in dealing with all of this that he actually let the anniversary of the day he first confessed his feelings for her pass by without a single thought!]

[It was strange to think so much time had already passed. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it really.]

[But sometime in the late afternoon, he opens his journal. There's no need to bother with a filter while Anise is still out of the village, and it isn't as though Arietta is the one he's trying to reason with here. Her anger is easier to understand and deal with. There's an uncharacteristic hint of exasperation in his voice when he speaks, having spent the last week and a half mulling over this without any obvious solution coming to mind.]

How do you stop two people who hate each other from continuing to hate each other? [Not a very eloquent way of asking, but it's the simplest way he can think of to explain the situation.]

Though this isn't the sort of problem I'm expecting an easy answer to, I was hoping someone might be able to offer some suggestions. Or perhaps if anyone's had any experience in dealing with a situation like this, it might be of some help.

[And regardless as to whether he's heard any solutions to this problem or not, he'll be spending the remainder of the evening in various places around town. He spends about an hour at the library, not quite able to concentrate on his reading. Giving that up, he goes for an aimless walk, lingering on the various bridges around town for a few minutes before moving on again. He probably looks more spaced out than he usually is, and the cold chill in the air probably isn't helping matters. By the time he arrives back home, it's been dark for awhile and he's shivering quite a bit. He probably should have worn his winter coat today.]

[It's been a few hours since Dist disappeared from Luceti.]

[Ion had just spoken with him. He couldn't even remember what about... perhaps he was being scolded for sleeping in again? He recalled only his voice: that irritated, sharp tone hiding a layer of concern he didn't want anyone to know was there. But Ion knew Dist cared far more than he'd ever admit. Perhaps even more than he ever realized he could... just how long had it been now since they had become friends? Why, it was almost strange to think of him as a former enemy... they had been friends for longer than that, hadn't they?]

[But people don't remember Luceti when they go home.]

[Holding the journal in his lap, Ion can only stare blankly at the page. He feels... tired. Tired of what, he probably wouldn't be able to say for sure. But even after telling everyone else in the House, he felt he needed to do this... though whether it was for Dist's sake or simply for a sense of closure, he wasn't sure. When he finally speaks, his voice is soft and sad. It sounds as though he's barely there.]

...Dist has returned to Auldrant.

[A pause. He felt as though he was only just now accepting that it was true.]

I know he wasn't always the most agreeable person, but I hope those who knew him will remember him fondly nonetheless.


[He won't stick around to chat for long. With that done, he's just going to head out of his room, hoping to take a walk and find some fresh air... only to find himself instead walking out of a closet. Worse yet, it's not a closet in his own home, either. And the sudden change of atmosphere is enough to make him jump, stumble, and crash out onto the floor, potentially bringing down a few coats with him as well.]

[And yet somehow, he finds he doesn't really mind such a ridiculous distraction for once.]

( House One - Action )

--

[And while the rest of the village is still recovering from the most recent experiment, a certain young “couple” doesn’t seem to be very bothered at all. On the contrary, they seem to be in just about the greatest mood ever as they go about their day in Luceti! And why wouldn’t they? The only thing they remember about this past week was being married for a few days.]

[And seeing as they’ve already been dating since November, it’s not as though that made too much of a difference in their lives, right?]

[...at least, that’s what they think. Anyone who knows them might remember things a little differently.]

[They’ll be spending their day more or less attached at the hip, so feel free to run into them just about anywhere! Whether that be at Seventh Heaven, where they’ll be splitting a sundae and maybe even feeding each other in that really annoying cutesy way, the clothing shop, with Ion holding Anise’s bags while she shops and then Anise holding them in the end because it’s Ion and you call those muscles, at the fountain making wishes AND LITTERING, or sharing the occasional kiss or two around the cherry tree grove in the north part of the village. ]

[But this is totally normal behavior for them, right? Right...?]

--

[And later that evening, the journal kicks on to show the two of them cuddled up next to each other in bed, wearing pajamas and idly turning through the pages and talking about something. The sudden video was intentional though -- they have something they'd like to ask about!]

[More than likely, this is one of those things they'll be reeeeeally embarassed about once the effects wear off on the 9th. Anise is the first one to speak into the journal:]

Hey, everyone! Remember the experiment last week? Well, Ion and I were married, and now we’re wondering...

[The fair maiden turneth her most radiant of smiles at her beloved because that’s what lovebirds do.]

...how long do you suppose couples should be together before they start considering marriage? [A pause, and then a soft laugh.] Not that we’re considering marriage anytime soon, of course, but...

Boooo, Ion, don’t you want to marry me? [A playful little poke and cuddling even closer.] I can’t believe you’ve been leading me on like this!

[And with a totally straight face even:] Oh, but I do want to marry you, Anise.

[...jfdjsfxvsdhf. ////// ] A-Anyway, we were wondering what people do when they get married. Do they throw a huge party? Do they get gifts!?


( OOC Note )

[Today started out very strangely for Haru.]

[For starters, he woke up in a room that, albeit familiar, was not his. How did he fall asleep in Flo-chan's room again? How strange! If he doesn't remember falling asleep there... did that mean he forgot to tell Oneechan he was staying over!? Oh, no! He doesn't want her to worry about him! Still, it is odd that he doesn't remember. And he doesn't like not remembering things. He has enough things he still needs to remember... maybe someone in the House knows?]

[After that, he'll start heading back towards his real home over in CH 7. But not before giving Yui a little message so she knows not to worry. Unfortunately, he really has no idea how filters work, so the whole message is very much public. The voice is certainly Ion's, and anyone who knows him well enough might be able to tell the visual difference between him and Florian given he's a bit older now... but the way he's talking sounds much more like a child's voice than his own. Not to mention the fact that he's suddenly using Japanese words despite not looking even a little Japanese.]

Oneechan! I think I fell asleep while visiting Mama yesterday. But I'll be home in a little while, so don't worry about me!

[Of course, given this is Haru and not Ion, he'll probably get distracted along the way. Feel free to find him around the village, most likely in any place where there are flowers. And of course, aside from the fact that Haru doesn't bother hiding the scars on his neck, he'll look just as he always does! ...if not just a bit more spaced-out.]


( AU Info )