acatalepsy_logs | Don't Skip Your Flu Shot

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Don't Skip Your Flu Shot

Who: Everyone! It's a mingle post for the first week of Struxta sickness!!
Where: All around the temple
When: During the first week of the sickness
Rating PG?? At most??
What: Curry, blankets and pillow forts, and other assorted sick things

[With the Struxta illness sweeping through the temple like a wildfire, and with so many new arrivals trying to get adjusted to temple living, it's probably no surprise that things around the Astoria's little pocket of space have gotten a little hectic. Feeling under the weather? Looking for something warm to soothe that scratchy throat? Just want to curl up underneath a pile of blankets and not move for like, seven hours or so? Never fear! A Mysterious Helper (TM) has you covered]

A. Curry in the Kitchen

[The kitchen smells extremely nice during lunchtime this week, the only meal of the day that isn't pre-prepared by the misty servants. Like the scent of coffee intermingled with complementary spices. Those who take the initiative to investigate will find something pleasant waiting for them. A few pots of fresh made curry and steamed rice; a few pots of miso soup (a. . . little on the salty side, sorry); and some freshly brewed coffee already poured into individual mugs, along with cream and sugar and whatever additives your heart desires. It's all strewn out across the counter tops with a handwritten note pinned against the wall above the stove:]

Help yourself, and get well soon.

[There isn't any sign of the mysterious chef when you enter the kitchen, and if you arrive near the end of lunch hour, some of the food and coffee miiiiight be a bit cold. But hey! This might be a good chance to mingle with some of your new coworkers who are also seeking out a warm meal to help quell some of their cold symptoms. Just please don't sneeze into the curry pot, thanks. . .]

[Lunch will be laid out in the kitchen every day at lunchtime for the entire first week of the sickness. Help yourselves!]

B. The Temple Hallways

[THERE ARE BLANKETS AND PILLOWS EVERYWHERE]

[. . . no, seriously. For some reason, it's like you can't even walk down a hallway without tripping over a bundled up blanket or a pillow. What's up with that! For the most part, they're normal bedtime accessories, although you may find a bundle of pillows and blankets stacked up into an ENTIRE PILLOW FORT if you're lucky.]

[Pinned to the walls of the hallways (not every hallway, but enough of them that it should be easy to find one of the signs without wandering for too long) are more handwritten signs:]

Whoever can build the tallest pillow fort will receive one (1) high five as a grand prize. Good luck. Blanket provider is not responsible for anyone accidentally falling asleep in the hallways and blocking your route back to your bedroom.

[Hm. Well, that's weird. Anyway! You can build a pillow fort if you want, grab some blankets to take back to your room, or. . . nap in the hallways. Or do whatever! They're all free for the taking. Maybe you could even team up with another Circle member to try and win that extremely coveted high five??]

C. Wildcard

[Don't feel like interacting with any of the above? That's okay! Make your own prompt based on the event stuff over here, or just use this post for. . . whatever you want! It's totally and completely open for mingling for new and old characters alike, so. HAVE FUN ♥]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ah...yeah, she was definitely just kind of stroking his hair. You know, Alisaie is proving to be a lot more tactile than he ever would have guessed. More...affectionate. But he's, uh, never seen her around other guys before. She's probably this way with all her close friends, those that have found their way close to her heart.

Not that...he considers himself close to her heart...

Anyway!! That's the answer he was hoping to hear, so as she takes care of the dishes, he eases himself back against the pillows, tucking one arm behind his head. ]

You can, um. Sit up here, if you want.

[ ///// ]

[ .... /////!!!

man, she feels bad thinking that it's so convenient that he can't see her blush, but she still thinks it. when he's able to see again she won't have anywhere to hide. ]

Oh..

[ well she can't just be like 'nah,' so alisaie scoots forward a bit to sit nearer to him, though she turns her legs off of the bed at least so she can kick off her boots. ]

Is.. is something on your mind?

[ i mean.. aside from the dying. ]

[ He might be able to see her blush, but she can definitely see his, and it's certainly not just from the sickness. He just...felt weird!! Leaving her to sit at the end of the bed while they talk. She should be able to relax, and if he's honest with himself...

Well, of course he wants her close. Nothing is going to happen — it's him, so of course it won't — but still, it...sounds nice. The thought of her sitting next to him, shoulder to shoulder, while they just...talk, for awhile. ]

I mean...a lot of things, I guess. Heh, after last night, you're like my...confidante now.

[ Gladio knows what he knows, now, but the others are still in the dark. Barring him...she is the only one who knows what he told her about last night. ]

[ well yeah, it's definitely weird to sit on opposite sides of the bed and talk, it only draws attention to the fact that you're attempting to stay far away from one another on a bed, which then highlights why you're attempting to stay far away from one another on a bed, and..

she's done thinking about it, okay!! she's just going to lean back against the headboard with her knees drawn up and do everything but think about it. ]

I.. suppose so.

[ she says through a chuckle, weaving her fingers together over her knees. last night was.. powerful, to say the least. she learned so much about him, and the distance between them closed - both emotionally and.. physically. she's not forgotten how near they were. ]

I owe you an apology, for trying to take your wristband from you. I was impatient.

[ Prompto is quick to shake his head, to absolve her of any guilt she may be feeling. ]

Nah, you had no reason think it was anything special.

[ It's so strange, to be talking about this, at last, to let it air out and be acknowledged, to not bear the weight of this secret upon his heart alone. It's...still terrifying, and a part of him can't help but think that as soon as she learns more about his origins, she'll be too repulsed to remain near. But...she'd told him he would try to see his own value, and so that's what he'll do.

Idly, his left thumb drags over his right wrist, over the numbers inked into his skin there. ]

Kinda curious, though...if I let you take it off then, would you have asked about it?

[ Maybe he created a problem out of nothing. Well — it wouldn't be the first time. ]

I have no idea.

[ she answers, honestly, her brow drawn. ]

I might have, though I would have no reason to think it any more than a simple tattoo.

[ the shape and meaning of something like a barcode is utterly foreign to her, after all, it's not as if they have anything like that on hydaelyn. all of the allagan and garlean technology she's encountered has been far more advanced even than that, but she's no engineer, regardless. there are no checkout scanners in eorzea.. ]

[ He hums quietly, shallowly, his aching throat too inflamed to allow for any sounds from deep within his chest. He's wondered before if he could pass it off as that, as a strange but ultimately harmless tattoo, but even in the crown city, he'd been too worried about it being recognized for what it was. What if someone identified him as a product of the Empire when he was just a kid?

No, his parents were right to hide it, and he was right to go along with it. It...it would have only led to more questions, and...

His head dips in a nod. ]

...Wish it was. It's...who I am. These numbers...they're mine. It's how the Niffs know which of their, um...units I was.

[ It was the only name he'd been given at birth. It wasn't until he was adopted that he was given the name Prompto. ]

I don't remember ever being there. They...got me out when I was just a baby. [ Why him, he still doesn't know — but that's an existential crisis for another day. ] But I still had this mark. I knew it meant I was different, that I didn't belong, so I've just...always kept it hidden.

[ It was just easier that way. ]

[ she listens quietly, and while his words make her jaw tighten with quiet fury, she tries to be patient. she tries to understand. he's such a softhearted boy, and this certainly explains why he's always seemed so quick to doubt himself, to put himself down, but it's not something she can tolerate. it's not something she will tolerate. ]

Just because it is a part of you does not mean that it defines you. You must know that.

[ she says, not unkindly, but with a familiar firmness to her voice that he has no doubt heard many times before. ]

Too many are born with expectations upon them, but it is only you who can decide who you are. Should you think yourself lesser for the circumstances of your birth, that is your choice, and no other's. To think that people would judge you for it, especially your friends - it does them a disservice.

[ At her rebuke, he actually smiles, the corner of his mouth tugging up with unmistakable fondness. ]

Heh...yeah, I know. Believe it or not, you're not the first person to tell me that. [ He laughs, a breathy sound that turns quick to a cough. ] Guess I'm just...not great at reminding myself that.

I...I know I'm not one of them. And...that I let my fears and doubts control me sometimes. [ It's why he's always had such a hard time making friends. He's so afraid of losing them, of being alone that he becomes his own self-fulfilling prophecy. ] I actually...told my friends about it just before I got here, and they accepted me without question.

[ Then, his smile fades, just a bit. ]

But then...we got here, and...they didn't remember that. They didn't remember a lot of the bad stuff that happened.

[ his answer, at least, soothes her doubts - she'd half expected him to argue it with a thousand buts and excuses, but he doesn't, and that is a relief, however minor. it might not be a giant leap forward, but it's a step, it's prompto acknowledging that though his doubts might scratch and gnaw, they are not the truth. ]

Whether they remember or not, they will accept you again, just as they have before. Of that there can be no doubt.

[ she frowns, thoughtful for a moment. ]

If you cannot trust yourself, then at least trust them.

[ She's right. He knows that, of course, objectively, when he allows himself the distance to see things logically rather than emotionally, as usually does. His friends are still the same as they've ever been — if he told them before and they were fine with it, they'd be fine with it again. But still, fear has ever been a powerful force in his life. It has controlled him for so long, and damage like that isn't easy to undo.

But he will find a way. He believes her. He believes his friends. They believe he can be something bigger, something better than himself...someone important. And if they believe so, then he will believe it, too.

He exhales a long breath, silent for several moments, just listening to her breathing. His eyes are shut and so she might think he's just nodded off again, but soon enough he speaks up once again, choosing his words carefully. ]

You know...I could say a lot of the same things to you.

[ If she's going to call him out, he's going to call her out right back!! ]

[ .. well that certainly isn't the answer she expected. alisaie's brows lift high, and she looks toward him quizzically, though of course he cannot see her. it's habit. ]

What.. what do you mean?

[ what is he trying to say??? ]

I mean...I keep telling me how much you're helping me, how big of a difference you're making, but...you don't believe it, do you?

[ Even if she hasn't said as much explicitly, it's easy enough for him to piece together. If she thought what she was doing was enough, she wouldn't be breaking herself down like this. As much as he appreciates all she's doing, both for him personally and for everyone by searching for a cure, if it comes at the price of her burning out, then it isn't worth it.

If she tells him to believe what his friends are telling him, then she needs to practice what she preaches, too. ]

You're barely sleeping, you sound like you're barely hangin' on, and all this — it's taking its toll on you. But...we're still sick, right? But even if we are, it's okay. You're doing enough. More than enough. With everything you're doing...I'd be in way worse shape without you.

I..

[ for several long moments, she's.. speechless. prompto plays the fool, but he's more perceptive than he's given credit for, and that artists' eye of his doesn't miss much. at least not when it comes to his friends, on whom he is generally so hyperfocused.

still, it's.. hypocritical, maybe, but this - this isn't the same thing. it's not comparable. ]

How.. how can it possibly be enough? Simply making you comfortable is not enough. It does not fix the problem, it does not make you well, only slaps a pitifully small bandage over a mortal wound. I would sacrifice every moment of sleep if it meant finding a cure.

[ she sounds assured as always, but there's something in her voice that sounds shaken. ]

It isn't.. it isn't the same thing at all.

Sure, it isn't, buuuut it kinda is.

[ She must feel such a burden of responsibility to them, being one of very few people who did not fall ill. Others hadn't gotten nearly as sick as Prompto had, but there were still very few who weren't sick at all, and for someone like Alisaie, she must have felt terribly pressured to find a solution. She would work herself to the bone if it meant finding a cure for them. Her tenacity is admirable, but it's self-destructive too, and he can't help but be afraid that at the end of this, she will wind up in far worse shape than any of the ill do. ]

Making someone feel better is way more than finding a cure. Sure, you've been making me more comfortable, but you've basically been workin' overtime to heal my heart, too. What you're doing for me now, just...sitting here, talking to me...it means more than I can say.

[ He hesitates a moment, then, before dropping one of his hands between them. He can't exactly...see where her hands are to take one, but the offer is clear in his gesture, in the way he leaves his palm up and open in invitation. ]

You really don't realize...how incredible you are.

[ she understands what he's saying, and the merit of it, but as far as she's concerned, it is still not the same thing. his lack of self-worth is imagined, but how hard she must work is real, and one sleepless night spent studying might mean the difference between a breakthrough and a failure. how can she possibly sleep when the answer is still out there, yet to be found?

of course, were their positions reversed she knows full well that she would urge him to rest, to care for himself, but it's.. just so difficult. she's so afraid of losing them, so desperate to find a way to fix this..

at first when he offers his hand she's confused, she isn't sure what he's expecting, but it takes her only a moment to accept his offer, hesitantly pressing her hand to his. her voice lowers, softens. ]

I'm not. I am not working so hard because I am courageous and strong, I am working this hard because I am afraid.

[ Telltale color floods his cheeks at her touch, but he had offered his hand for a purpose, for support, a show of solidarity. His fingers curl around her and she squeezes them, remarkably strong for how weak and feeble he has been lately. ]

But that...doesn't make what you're doing any less amazing. If anything, it makes it more amazing, because even though you're afraid, you keep fighting for us, all on your own.

[ In the back of his mind, he wonders...if this was how it was for Lunafreya. He never knew her personally, only knew her through her letter and her public appearances and her correspondence with Noct, but he...wouldn't be surprised if it was similar for her. If she feared that what she was doing was not enough, that she wouldn't be able to heal those afflicted by the Starscourge. But even so, she'd kept fighting to the bitter end. She'd given the ring to Noctis. If not for her, none of them would have made it past Altissia. ]

I've been afraid...for most of my life. To be honest, I...think most people are. But that doesn't stop people like us, does it? We keep going, even when things get as bad as they can get.

[ It feels so bold, to include himself in this group, but if he wants her to acknowledge her value in this, then he must attempt to do so, too.

His voice drops, quiet and bashful, but no less sincere. ]

I...I've never met anyone like you before, Alisaie.

[ such kind words.. she doesn't deserve them. she's only a small, lonely girl, so afraid to be alone that she will work herself dead if only to keep from suffering such a fate. though she does not suffer prompto's lack of self-worth, she is nonetheless unaccustomed to such compliments. she'd always been different, always walked her own path despite how the world attempted to herd her along another one, and so she has ever had to fight to be who she is. so, words such as this..

well, they are unexpected, and she is tired and worn enough that they bring a flood of hot tears to her eyes.

thank the gods he cannot see them, she has shamed herself enough already, but no doubt he will hear her sharp intake of breath, and the way her voice tightens with emotion, thick and rough. ]

You are.. very kind, Prompto.

[ she says so softly it's near on a whisper, her hand in his tightening, holding fast. ]

[ Though it pains him to hear the sound of those tears in her voice, he's...almost glad for them, too. She's been holding so much inside for his sake — he knows she has — and if complimenting her is what it takes for her to let it out, well, then. There are worse things in the world.

The corners of his mouth soften into a smile, his grip on her hand fast and sure, his thumb passing over her knuckles gently and carefully. ]

Nah. I'm just callin' it like it is.

[ He wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it. Prompto may be kind and effusive, but he isn't insincere. ]

Better get used to it if you're gonna be hangin' around me.

[ there can be no doubting that she needs this, that his kindness is the perfect balm to soothe her aching, angry heart, but still it is not so easy to accept. she does not need complimentary words to make her happy, but it is nevertheless still such a surprise to hear them that it squeezes her heart with a fond warmth.

exhaling softly, she threads her fingers through his own. ]

I suppose so..

[ she answers at last, through a soft, dry laugh. ]

You are two sweet for your own good.

[ He lets out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when she threads her fingers through his. It seems like he's gotten through to her, at least a little bit, stressing the importance of all she's doing, even in times like this, when she isn't actively searching for a cure. Given the choice between a cure and just sitting here with her like this, talking in quiet tones, listening to her breathe...he'd be hard-pressed to take the cure.

But he's always been such a hopeless romantic.

...Is that what this is? Romance...?

His chest tightens, and he speaks through a hushed, breathless laugh. ]

Heh, that so? Am I in trouble?

[ it is't romance, alisaie does not recognize it either, or at least she is doing her very best not to think of it. were she to more carefully consider the implications of what they are doing now, of what they have been toying at for.. weeks now, at least -

well, she'd not be able to sit here comfortably without blushing so hard she combusts on the spot, to say the least. instead, she's taken to.. not really thinking at all, while she is around him, not allowing herself to entertain fanciful, silly, childish thoughts. ]

Oh, well not with me.

[ there's a curl in her words, a laugh, even if her voice is still tight and trembling, the wetness still clinging to her lashes. ]

But with others someday, mayhaps. I can only hope that no one will ever take advantage of it.

[ In any case, it can't be romance, because, well — she's so obviously out of his league, and he's Prompto, he's not the sort of guy girls really...

But he shouldn't think about that right now. All that matters is that she's here next to him, she's sounding better than she did before, lighter, and her hand is warm and strong in his. ]

What are you tryin' to say? That I'm gullible? I don't know the meaning of the word...

[ So, yeah, she's totally right to be worried about that. ]

Not at all. Though in that vein, did you know that the word gullible cannot be found in any books of diction?

[ yeah she's definitely ye olde 'did you know that's not in the dictionary?'ing him.. ]

[ I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS...

...but Prompto can, and his brow furrows at this bit of unexpected trivia. ]

Seriously? Huh, that's pretty weird...why wouldn't they just —

[ ...Oh.

His brow flattens as he suppresses a grin, knocking his shoulder against hers. ]

Iiii see what you did there...

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