[open] you can lead a sick horse to water

[lumberlady]

Who: Konoha and YOU
Where: around the Temple
When: 8/28 - 9/20
Rating PG???
What: catch all log for hanging with a centaur before or after the sick sets in

01 | GARDENING | 8/28

[What Konoha really wanted to do was to go home. But she knows... She has to make the most of her situation. Has to try and stay positive the best she can. So, like she'd talked about with Nier... a garden seemed like a good idea. With the plants withering like they were planting didn't actually seem like it would work, but at least she could get the field ready? It seemed like something to do, at least, and hard labor is what Konoha did best.

So she gets to work. In the first few days she can be found out near the woods, sleeves tied back and a cloth wrapped around her forehead to keep sweat out of her eyes as she starts prepping the dirt. Digging out stones, ripping up dead roots, cutting away weeds, dragging a makeshift plow behind her to till the soil...

At the sight of anyone from the Circle, however, she takes a moment to give a friendly wave.]

02 | BATHHOUSE | 8/30

[All the plowing she's been doing works up a sweat, and it wasn't often she had the luxury of a bath big enough for jinba that wasn't... wading into the river. Not that there's anything wrong with rivers, but. The bathhouse at the temple is more luxurious than she's ever really tried before, and it's so comfortably hot???

She could be mistaken for a human woman at first glance, with all the steam, but the dark shadow in the water reveals her more equine half. That and the long black tail floating towards the top of the water. Sighing happily and resisting the urge to try and roll, Konoha lets her hair down from it's usual bun and sets about running her fingers through it to try and untangle it as she sinks a bit deeper into the water.]

Ah... This is nice.

03 | HELPING THE SICK | 9/5

[Konoha has never gotten sick when her parents or the other humans in the village had. She didn't really hear a lot about jinba getting sick at all, really... So she thinks it will be fine. She doesn't have enough education to know that this might be because, as similar as her upper body looks, a jinba and a human are different species, and not all sickness can cross those differences... She just knows that she's probably fine.

So she tries to help.]

Morning... I brought breakfast.

[She pokes her head in the door of one of the bedrooms in the Temple, smiling through the concern on her features and a steaming bowl of what looks like porridge in her hands.]

Feeling up to eating?

04 | KITCHEN STUMBLE | 9/12

[Fun fact for anyone studying this outbreak... Species doesn't matter. Jinba get sick, too.

She's been feeling tired, but... She's also been working hard as more and more people got sick. Hasn't really been sleeping well. The low fever, that... had been more concerning, but what could she do about it? She did tell someone, she wasn't trying to hide anything-

But she also didn't expect it to take a turn so fast. To be so clumsy as to catch a hoof on a stone, to send the basket of apples she'd been carrying rolling across the floor and her sprawling right after with a crash as her attempt to catch herself failed and only managed to knock cutlery off the counter.

She'll get up... She will. In a minute. Meanwhile, a lone apple rolls out the kitchen door.]

05 | HUMPTY DUMPTY | 9/17

[It's so hot. She knows it has to be because of the fever, knows she's supposed to sweat it out... but she still can't help the urge, anxiously twisting where she lies on the ground in her temple room to try and undo the bear hide wrap she wears tied about her waist, try and loosen the fit of her shirt as sweat beads on her dark skin.

Sometime in the last night... She's lost the strength to stand. Had gradually collapsed to her knees, then to her belly, and then to her side. She forgets how long ago. Long enough for the pillow she'd taken with her to soak with sweat, for her throat to parch and her stomachs to twist in protest, both starving for food and roiling to reject it.

The sound of a visitor... doesn't even really register.]

Comments

[lumberlady]

[Course decided, Konoha begins to make her way out of the temple, straightening back up after ducking through the doorway and gently adjusting how she holds the other woman. Admittedly... it's a bit more like how one who would a baby close to the breast than an adult but, she's sick and fragile! She wants to be gentle with her. And hey, it's a comfortably, pillowy bosom.]

Is it the power the witch gave you?

[Its still so weird to discuss... powers, but.]

[ebonyengine]

[Time has passed, and the woman has not changed from her half human, half spiracorn appearance. He really should not be questioning it, considering everyone's recent return from an android populated world.]

Never mind the mess.

[Messes usually get to him, but Ignis is a man who has his priorities straight. The well being of another person always takes precedence.]

We can clean that up later. Why don't we get you on your feet first?

[Or should it be hooves? Oh dear, he hasn't accidentally said anything offensive, has he? Regardless, he offers an outstretched hand to her.]

[lumberlady]

But we shouldn't waste food...

[It's said almost more to herself than to the new kitchen guest, anxiously reaching to try and gather up the closest of the apples and scoop them back into the basket. It was easier to care about that than how dizzy she felt- Maybe she should eat? Had she forgotten to eat or something? Because surely, it couldn't be because she was getting sick. Jinba didn't get sick from humans, for as similar as parts of them looked... they were different species.

A few moments later, she realizes... there's a hand.]

Ah-

[What should she do with it? She's learned how to shake, some people liked that more than bowing, and because she's so heavy she honestly hadn't expected to be offered a hand as if it were to lift her, so. She blithely takes his hand in hers, contrasting with a dark tone that complimented the brown of her hide before she shakes it slightly.]

I'm Konoha.

[lumberlady]

Oh, Connor-

[Embarassed to be caught like this, to have been so clumsy as to fall at all, Konoha tries to wave away the possibility of fuss even as her head spins slightly still, as she struggles and then manages to focus on him properly.]

I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy- I caught my hoof, that's all.

[On... something, she wasn't sure. There is actually a small nick in one of her front hooves. she wasn't sick, surely, because... jinba weren't human, no matter how human parts of them looked, and only the humans have gotten sick, right? So she must just be working too hard taking care of people...]

Could you get those for me?

[She points at the apples that have rolled further away, moving to retrieve some closer ones to return to their basket.]

[ebonyengine]

[It's only at that moment that Ignis realizes he probably doesn't have the raw strength to help her stand. He is blaming his sickness addled mind for that, and nothing will convince him otherwise. So when his hand is shaken, he acts as if that was his intention all along.]

Ignis Scientia. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[Still holding her hand in a loose grip, he takes a look around the kitchen. Apples are strewn everywhere and various kitchen utensils are congregated in a small area around the counter.]

The food can wait. Fruit doesn't spoil that quickly and we can wash it.

04

[sendinthecavalry]

[A cacaphonous clatter is more than enough to draw attention, and while Cyade had been sneaking off to snitch from the kitchens to begin with, the plan is summarily and immediately abandoned the moment he gets through the door. The sudden noise had expidited his plans, and he has to grip at the doorframe in order to catch himself from stumbling but the moment he has his footing he's over in a flash, crouching down and offering a hand.]

Woah, woah, you alright there? C'mon, let's get you up.

[There's actual worry in his voice as he spares a look around and takes in the clutter all over the floor.]

[lumberlady]

Oh, no, I'm fine, I'm fine-

[Konoha is quick to try and assure, waving off any fuss as she smiles a bit dimly, dark skin a touch paler than usual. Surely not because she was sick. A human illness wasn't anything to a jinba, after all. (Right?) She was just tired, she should probably take a rest...]

I just chipped a hoof, that's all.

[She appreciates the hand, but she also... doesn't want to drag him to the ground. At nearly a half ton of muscle, she's definitely no delicate flower, and she also doesn't quite realize other Circle members may be stronger than the humans she's used to dealing with.]

I can get up on my own, just a second...

[To try and buy time to disguise a weak tremor in her back legs, she quickly begins gathering up some of the fallen apples, tsking softly at herself. Geez, the whole point of taking care of the sick people was so she didn't let anyone worry-]

[bleps]

[She might be trying to smile and dismiss it as nothing, but Connor is keeping a close eye on any instances of subtler body language that would betray sickness. Many humans in the Circle had become sick, and while Konoha is certainly not human, he’s not so quick to believe that she’ll not be affected in some way, as well.

His LED flickers and blinks for a moment, and he nods.]

Right. Of course.

[The nick on her hoof is noted, eyes scanning the floor for a wayward stone that she could’ve tripped over. The floor in the kitchen is uneven in places, so it could’ve been anywhere, but… when Konoha reaches over for nearby apples, Connor shakes his head.]

No, here. Let me do that.

[He picks up a few apples close by, and indicates at the basket for her to hand it to him.]

[lumberlady]

Thanks.

[She could do it herself, she's sure. Totally positive! She's only letting him because he wants to help! So she surrenders the basket to him and... it shouldn't take her this much effort to get back on her feet. This much concentration. Maybe she really was tired...

With a grunt she manages to get to a knee, pushing off the floor with her palms until she gets her forelegs under her properly, then gripping the edge of the counter as she hauls herself back upright, overcome with a passing feeling of dizziness that keeps her clutching at the kitchen counter.]

Ah... I'm more tired than I thought...

[Nevermind the tremble in her limbs.]

[lumberlady]

That's a real fancy name you have. Are you from a large town?

[He had a last name and everything! It's quite impressive to a girl from the country, where only well to do merchants, warriors, and nobility could be expected to have clan names. Worlds could be different of course, she knew that well now, but... she still instinctively thought first of how it was in hers and just... dealt with corrections as they came.

She wants to protest a bit, get the mess cleaned up, but. She also wants to lay down... she can't do that here, so-]

... yeah, you're right.

[With a bit of effort she manages to lever off the ground on her palms enough to get her forelegs up under her properly before she transitions to holding on to the counter's edge to help haul herself back to her feet, knees trembling slightly with weakness. At full height she towered above most humans, so she has to turn her gaze downwards this time but... she smiles even though she's a touch pale.]

Nice to meet you.

[beyondthegreen]

Kind of, yeah... or she suppressed what I had before--

[Being carried around like this was okay for the first few moments, but then the world starts spinning like she'd taken a few mushrooms... no longer squinting from tiredness so much as turning her head now and then, trying to follow hints of things on the edge of her vision.]

Wait. Over that way.

[She points off into the forest -- tired, but a sudden urgency in her voice. Did she just see.. someone familiar among the trees?]

[lumberlady]

What you had before?

[Some people said they came from worlds with amazing magic and things she wouldn't think existed outside of stories, but. This entire Circle was like that, so...

At Tefe's instruction Konoha turns her head and follows her finger.]

Over there? Okay-

[That's fine! Now with an even more concrete goal, Konoha changes direction and begins clopping softly towards the tree line, preparing her hold on Tefe in order to let her down gently when they get there.]

[purrtagonist]

[fortunately, she doesn't have to manhandle Akira too much to peel away his blanket cocoon. although he lets out a tiny little groan as the layers are torn away, because it does jostle him a little bit]

[eventually, he flops onto his side and gives Konoha a bleary look. what a baby]

. . .

It smells really good. . .

[but at least the first words out of his mouth are a compliment and not a complaint]

[lumberlady]

[Yeah, he doesn't look so good... But he also doesn't look as bad as he's actually acting, either, so. Tough love it is.]

And it tastes really good, too. Here you go.

[Well, it tastes really mild and easy to get down, and that's good for sick patients, so, it's not really a lie.

Konoha holds the porridge near him... but just out of reach unless he actually sits up in bed.]

[bleps]

[Connor is swift about ducking down to pick up the apples near and far, once he has the basket in his hands. His motivation is to do this so he can return back to Konoha, whom he sees struggling to get up and lean her weight onto the counter, a bit unsteady on her legs.

The apples find their home back in the basket easily enough with Connor at the helm, and when he's done, he moves closer and sets them down on the counter gently.]

Konoha, are you sure it's just tiredness? You realize that there's a sickness going around?

[An obvious statement, which is spoken a little dryly -- but it's out of concern.]

Besides that, you don't look well.

[lumberlady]

[She really wants to deny it. To insist that she shouldn't get an illness, that she had always been a healthy filly, that she'd never gotten sick when the humans around her had, only other jinba...

But while he's gathering the apples she presses a hand to her forehead, feeling for her temperature... and it's hot. She begins to frown, brow to furrow- but she quickly goes back to smiling when Connor puts the basket down, shaking her head.]

Yeah, of course. I've been helping take care of them, but-

[Did androids get sick? After dealing with 9S, maybe she should think they just get broken instead? She doesn't know, and her legs are still trembling intermittently.]

Maybe I'm just... a little sick. I could probably sleep it off- I'm real hardy, see!

[bleps]

[She's putting up a brave face, but all Connor sees is how that smile seems forced, how her legs sometimes shake...

Lips pressed thin, he just reaches out and up to feel her forehead without asking.]

Remain still, please.

[lumberlady]

Oh- Okay.

[She does as he asks, even if it's a bit reluctant, her hand on the counter tightening and shoulder squaring to make sure she didn't tremble. Jinba, for all their upper bodies appeared mostly human, ran more equine temperatures, hotter than a human's. But even accounting for that... it's far too high to be normal.

And unfortunately, she can't deny that.]

[purrtagonist]

[uuuugh FINE. KONOHA WINS]

[Akira pushes himself up into a sitting position, although as soon as he does so, his shoulders hunch as he leans over to cough into his hand. grooooooss. when the coughing subsides, he scrubs his (non-germ infested) palm over his face, before turning to accept the bowl of porridge from his fellow Circle member]

Thanks. . .

[okay okay, he may be a little grumpy, but. he hasn't forgotten that sometimes, he needs to use his manners]

Did you make breakfast for everyone?

[lumberlady]

Yup.

[Pleased to see him sit up and be able to speak after that cough, Konoha gladly hands over his reward in the form of healthy seven herb porridge, hot from the pot.]

When you're making porridge it's not hard to just make a lot more. Especially if you can just "make" food, haha...

[Honestly she would gladly give up her power and everything if she could just go home, but... she's glad that of all the possibilities she's got a useful one! While he sets to eating she fluffs pillows busily, all too ready to chat away.]

Do you need anything done? Or to go anywhere? I know it's no fun to be cooped up...

05

[abandonware]

[She isn't looking for the moose-girl so much as stumbling upon her, looking sick and pitiful (as some of the others were, now), resting on her side. A2 has about as much knowledge of equine medicine as she does human medicine, meaning none at all, but she steps in, hesitantly.

This person had helped her, before. She couldn't leave her like this.

To Pod:]

Her too?

Affirmative. The unknown illness has begun to spread exponentially. Unit A2 remains clear of any apparent viral contamination.

Hm.

[She kneels beside her. Konoha is drenched in sweat, and even with her limited knowledge, A2 knows this is bad. She'd seen sick animals before, sequestered deep in the forest. They usually did not survive. Konoha was not an animal, but...

...]

Hey. Can you hear me? Open your eyes.

[lumberlady]

[Someone was there.

Maybe.

Konoha lets out a pained sound, soft and low, a loud gurgle echoing in her lower gut as she twists anxiously in an attempt to alleviate her discomfort when she's too weak to stand. Her heavy body weight was an advantage in a fight, when carrying someone, when getting a Pin into the ground... but it wasn't when it came to this. She's lost track of how long it had been since she'd gone down and her own body had begun to weigh heavily on her primary set of lungs and other organs. It's hot, she can't get her clothes off past a knot she's grown too clumsy to untie, and there's some voice-

Finally, she opens her eyes, glazed and unfocused.

Ah... she thinks she knows that voice. Doesn't she?]

[abandonware]

[She's awake, sort of. But her eyes are wrong, empty and glassy, and A2's brow furrows. At least she isn't dead, comes the thought, but she has no room to be relieved about this for long. Even though she wasn't dead didn't mean that she couldn't die.

This sort of illness, slow and insidious, is new to her. A logic virus killed quickly and indiscriminately. This, though...

A2's hands hover, unsure on what to do, then briefly she rests one against Konoha's forehead, the touch brusque and businesslike. This is something pulled from the snippet of an old memory in her databanks, one that wasn't hers and never would be: she had been a child, living in a house with an old woman, and the woman had touched her head like this to find...]

...You're too hot. [What had Pod told her? About that flu thing. The body experienced an increase in temperature.] Pod. We have to - [She doesn't know what they have to do.] water.

Get me water.

[Pod responds, in short order:] Affirmative. [And off it goes, and for a little while she and Konoha are alone.]

Hey - moose — Konoha. Listen to me. Tell me what to do.

[lumberlady]

[The touch feels nice. A brief sensation of cooler hand to her flushed and sweaty skin, burning up with fever. Despite how human parts of them could look, jinba temperatures ran higher more in accordance with what one could expect from an equine... and now Konoha's temperature is even higher still.

Water, she likes the sound of that word... She wants to go to the river, to submerge herself and just lay there instead of here on the floor with only a damp pillow beneath her neck, but-]

What's a moose...

[She also can't quite focus, breathing shallow against the press of weight growing steadily more and more uncomfortable on her chest and sides, weakly curling her forelegs as if she was going to try and roll, stand... but nothing happens. She manages a weak smile, grateful for the company despite how out of it she was.]

Hi, A2... is that you?

[Her legs curl uselessly again, hooves scraping the hard floor.]

I'll... I'll get up soon...

[bleps]

[He presses the back of his hand against Konoha's forehead; heat and cold are experienced by androids, in that analytical way where he can tell what temperatures are by exact degrees, but it's less sensation and more the interpretation of external data. Now, especially, he has to rely mostly on estimation, given the array of functions that have been disabled.

So, even if he cannot gauge an exact temperature, he can tell how warm she feels. Even if her usual body temperature runs higher than a human’s, this seems worrying, given how she had tumbled over just a moments before.]

You’re very warm. I doubt that’s normal for you.

[She did just say that she was sick. At least she's not stubborn enough to deny that.]

You do need to rest, but not just to “sleep it off”. Maybe you’re catching what everyone else has, and in that case, you shouldn’t keep pushing yourself.

[Connor drops his hand.]