Lt. Col. Maes Hughes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dadandgone) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2018-09-01 08:26 pm
dadandgone) wrote in acatalepsy_logs2018-09-01 08:26 pm
Entry tags:
[Open] It's Not Just Allergies
Who: Maes Hughes & You
Where: Various Locations Around the Temple
When: August 30 - Sept 20
Rating PG?
What: Maes Hughes tries to investigate the temple, sneezes himself into your room, and sees some familiar faces. Yup, it's a sickness log catchall for everyone's favorite dad-figure.
A. Pre-Sickness: Around the Temple (Late Aug-Early Sept)
[Maes didn’t particularly consider himself a nature-guy. He may have spent his childhood in the countryside, but as an adult most of his life had been spent in the city. Still, when you’ve been deprived of nature for a few weeks -- even something as simple as a plant -- you get a little bit nostalgic for the outdoors. Now that they were back from the all-mechanical world, Maes was more than happy to spend a little time roaming the temple’s grounds.
Of course, it would have been a lot nicer if it didn’t seem like sections of the woods were dying. Maes had a pretty good memory and he was certain that when they’d left everything had been almost too perfect. There was a reason he had briefly thought it was a version of the afterlife.
Maes stood on the edge of the woods, watching as one tree in particular swayed precariously.]
I don’t like this.
[Later, he can be found sitting in the kitchen area, peering at some ‘samples’, but he’s not a scientist by any means and he can only make obvious observations like “this thing smells funny” or “this color doesn’t look right.” If someone comes in he’ll look up and say.]
Do you know anything about plants?
B. Oncoming Sickness: Get Well Soon (Early September)
[Maes had intended to work on his teleporting when he returned from Struxta. Unfortunately, the investigation into the temple had occupied his time. And, perhaps he’d put it off too long now. He knew he should be in bed, his sinuses were clogged, except when they weren’t because he was sneezing and coughing regularly as well. He felt achy and tired and realized pretty quickly it was classic flu symptoms.
He actually wanted to be in bed, but he was being prevented. You see, there is a downside sometimes to having an ability like teleporting. Maes often found himself wondering if his friends in the Circle were okay, he would sneeze, and his teleportation magic would kick in--sending him outside of the door or sometimes even into the room they were in.
He pulled out a handkerchief, rubbing at his nose.]
Sorry about that. Apparently a guy isn’t allowed to recover from a little flu anymore.
C. Peak Sickness: Good To See You Again (Mid-September)
[It’s so hot. The blankets are balled at the foot of the bed, but then quickly yanked back because Maes shivers violently. He isn’t sleeping well, tossing and turning relentlessly. It’s not strange though, since by this point he probably isn’t the only Circle member in the temple suffering like this.
What may be strange though is that, one evening at the peak of his fever, you may hear a choked laugh bordering on a sob coming from his room.]
Elysia. It’s so sweet that you came to look after your daddy. But you really shouldn't be here. You might get sick too sweetie. [There’s a pause. There isn’t a responding voice, but Maes responds like there is.] Okay, but don’t tell mommy. Come here.
[And with that, Maes has entered the hallucination stage of the sickness.]
Where: Various Locations Around the Temple
When: August 30 - Sept 20
Rating PG?
What: Maes Hughes tries to investigate the temple, sneezes himself into your room, and sees some familiar faces. Yup, it's a sickness log catchall for everyone's favorite dad-figure.
A. Pre-Sickness: Around the Temple (Late Aug-Early Sept)
[Maes didn’t particularly consider himself a nature-guy. He may have spent his childhood in the countryside, but as an adult most of his life had been spent in the city. Still, when you’ve been deprived of nature for a few weeks -- even something as simple as a plant -- you get a little bit nostalgic for the outdoors. Now that they were back from the all-mechanical world, Maes was more than happy to spend a little time roaming the temple’s grounds.
Of course, it would have been a lot nicer if it didn’t seem like sections of the woods were dying. Maes had a pretty good memory and he was certain that when they’d left everything had been almost too perfect. There was a reason he had briefly thought it was a version of the afterlife.
Maes stood on the edge of the woods, watching as one tree in particular swayed precariously.]
I don’t like this.
[Later, he can be found sitting in the kitchen area, peering at some ‘samples’, but he’s not a scientist by any means and he can only make obvious observations like “this thing smells funny” or “this color doesn’t look right.” If someone comes in he’ll look up and say.]
Do you know anything about plants?
B. Oncoming Sickness: Get Well Soon (Early September)
[Maes had intended to work on his teleporting when he returned from Struxta. Unfortunately, the investigation into the temple had occupied his time. And, perhaps he’d put it off too long now. He knew he should be in bed, his sinuses were clogged, except when they weren’t because he was sneezing and coughing regularly as well. He felt achy and tired and realized pretty quickly it was classic flu symptoms.
He actually wanted to be in bed, but he was being prevented. You see, there is a downside sometimes to having an ability like teleporting. Maes often found himself wondering if his friends in the Circle were okay, he would sneeze, and his teleportation magic would kick in--sending him outside of the door or sometimes even into the room they were in.
He pulled out a handkerchief, rubbing at his nose.]
Sorry about that. Apparently a guy isn’t allowed to recover from a little flu anymore.
C. Peak Sickness: Good To See You Again (Mid-September)
[It’s so hot. The blankets are balled at the foot of the bed, but then quickly yanked back because Maes shivers violently. He isn’t sleeping well, tossing and turning relentlessly. It’s not strange though, since by this point he probably isn’t the only Circle member in the temple suffering like this.
What may be strange though is that, one evening at the peak of his fever, you may hear a choked laugh bordering on a sob coming from his room.]
Elysia. It’s so sweet that you came to look after your daddy. But you really shouldn't be here. You might get sick too sweetie. [There’s a pause. There isn’t a responding voice, but Maes responds like there is.] Okay, but don’t tell mommy. Come here.
[And with that, Maes has entered the hallucination stage of the sickness.]
A
After that awful dead world, Tefé had been looking forward to spending seeing the temple again in a lot of ways. Even without her ability to enter the Green and communicate directly with the plant world... there was always something soothing about the forest, a place that just felt right in ways that human spaces never did. She could understand them, at least.
And she can understand that something is wrong. Stewing over what this could mean (and not liking where her thoughts are wandering), her stomach starts grumbling... leading her to pass through the kitchen and catch Hughes' words.]
Yeah, you could say that. [She frowns, tone dry.] What are you doing?
no subject
Trying to figure out what's going on with the plant-life around here. I thought getting samples to compare might help...but then I realized that I know very little about plants.
B
Geeze- What the hell?! People just pop up out of nowhere around here?!
[Luckily he's got enough of his sense and wit back to not just outright deck the stranger in the face.]
B
Sorry, sorry. [He sniffs, he hates not being able to breathe through his nose.] And not usually...there's a bit of flu going around and it doesn't really mix well with the ability Astoria gave me.
no subject
That's rough. [Zack tries not to look too confused.] So, these powers that this Astoria gave us all, they're always affected by our health or...?
[Are you just unlucky, bud?]
no subject
No idea. This is the first time it's happened and this whole 'having powers' thing is kind of new.
[He pulls the handkerchief again and blows his nose.]
I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?
no subject
Nah, I was just looking for some painkillers. If those even exist around here. Showed up here just the other day and uh...
[Bleeding, full of gunshot wounds. Everything healed up like magic but he does have some residual pain in his muscles still. Or hell, maybe it's just phantom pain...?]
no subject
Ah. Sorry, can't help with that. Might be something in the kitchen...plenty of people have been cooking in there and so we have a goo selection of spices and herbs.
[Maes may be feeling under the weather, but he's still got his wits about him.]
Did you hurt yourself getting here or with whatever ability you were given? Or was it before...Astoria usually takes care of that.
no subject
[He's joking, he's joking.]
Ran into some trouble before I died and woke up here, so Astoria patched me up? I think. Still feels like I'm being run over by a few trucks sometimes.
[It's got to be phantom pain. Or this is just how he's going to live his afterlife, remembering all that pain. Eternal PTSD! Great!]
no subject
[He's just met you, but your tone of voice indicates you MIGHT be joking. But just to be sure he's going to suggest it as a bad idea and move on. Though he keeps his tone light so he's not taking you 100% seriously.
At least, not until you drop a comment like THAT. He gets a bit more serious then.]
How do you know you died before coming here?
no subject
Err... Seeing as the last thing I remember before hearing that happy voice and waking up here was laying on the ground with several bullet wounds in me... I'm kind of assuming.
[It really was like floating into a white light.]
Healed up as soon as I woke up, but still?
no subject
[One bullet wound, but it was directly to the heart, so it honestly didn't matter if it had been one or one hundred. Maes had said that without thinking, but come on, how often was he going to meet someone else who had ALSO been brought here from post-death.
He sighs.]
You probably think this is the after life then, right? I thought that too, but I was set straight pretty quickly.
no subject
[He's curious and his tone conveys that wondering. What he went through was something no normal human being should ever be able to survive. He couldn't even count the number of troops he'd been staring down the gun barrels of.
But, if this isn't the afterlife... Well, he's hoping.]
no subject
I have some friends here. Some friends from back home I mean. They...well they don't remember dying like we do. They've been here longer too, even though if it was the after life I definitely should have gotten here before they did. After all, they apparently attended my funeral and everything.
Whatever power that Witch has to bring people across from other dimensions apparently also extends to either bringing people back from the dead or at least healing someone after they've been injured. I'm...not sure which it is at this point. Just that I'm very much alive now and I know I shouldn't be after what happened.
no subject
He runs a hand through his dark hair and sighs, looking off to the side.]
Damn. This is all... pretty intense.
[But that relief is enough to give Zack a little more hope. If he's not dead then maybe he still has time to fix things he couldn't finish-- Or at least try to. Maybe it'll just be game over when and if he returns home anyway.]
I do kind of remember my injuries healing up a lot faster than I expect, but I thought that was just a perk of being dead. But if I'm actually whole right now, I better make the best of it.
no subject
[He's not even sure if that word does it justice, but he certainly knows he feeling Zach is talking about.]
However it's done, we're certainly alive now. How and why is beyond me and most of the people I've spoken to. I've gotten to the point where I think I need to go directly to the source, Astoria herself. She might have a better answer for me.
[He's more or less been putting it off out of fear of what that answer might be though.]
no subject
[He grins and holds a hand out to shake. He doesn't seem to care too much about the sneezing and stuff now.
He has a lot of thinking to do on this being alive business because it begs a lot of new questions now. What happened to Cloud then-- mostly is what occupies his head.]
no subject
[Mostly he just tried not to think about it. The difficult part came in the fact that everyone and everything seemed bent on reminding him of that fact. It didn't help that he was a very analytical man.
Maes shakes his had all the same though.]
no subject
Thanks, man. Honestly, I guess my biggest question is going to be what happens if we ever leave this place and go back home...? How do you deal with that thought?
[He doesn't mean to be such a downer but it is a legit piece of advice he could use. If they leave this world and somehow make it home does he just immediately kick the bucket?]
no subject
I don't know. I don't like to think about it too much, because I was told that Astoria doesn't have control over that. Part of me wants to just leave it at that, but there's still a part of me that wants to ask and have some sort of confirmation one way or another. But what good would it do to know?
[But it might be clear by the look on Maes's face that he really DOES kind of want to know and he's mostly afraid of what that answer will be.]
no subject
[Zack can understand the sentiment. What good is it to actually know and confirm how dead or not he'll be if he ever returns home. No one should have to look down death's door and wait for it to open. But at the same time, there's that curiosity to want to know something about it too.]
You're probably right. Just focus on what the hell is going on in the here and now and how we can help and worry about the rest of it later.
[He doesn't really want to think about the shitty side to all of this either, but still. Maes is right. He's glad he's made an acquaintance that feels similar about it.]
no subject
Most of the time, there's enough going on around here to keep you from thinking about it at least. The hard part is just the little reminders, especially if people who know you show up. That makes it harder.
[He still spends time with them of course, but honestly sometimes it is a little easier hanging out with people in the Circle who don't know he is supposed to be dead. Although at least Riza and Roy have mostly adjusted to his presence to where it isn't always awkward.]
no subject
Honestly? For me, if it wasn't for someone I know being here I'm not sure how I'd handle the idea of all of this.
[Aerith is here and that alone makes everything easier on him. Even the whole might be dead might be alive parts because it gives him something better to focus on. Makes the idea that he can hold on to this place a good one. At least that's how he sees it.]
But thanks, man. I hope things turn out for both of us.
[Somehow...? Being optimistic is all he can think of doing now.]
no subject
[After all, even if Roy hadn't confirmed his fears, he wasn't an idiot. A hit like that wasn't one you walked away from without medical care and he'd been intentionally in a private place...far from help. Unless you count having your body dragged across the multiverse to save it.
He nods.]
You're welcome. I hope the same and...I guess if I ever do learn something concrete, if I'm in a position to pass that answer along I will.
End here?
I'll do the same, bud. Glad I ran into you.
[It's nice to make a new acquaintance in this brave new world. One that might understand the shit he's gone through a little more than the other people around here. He'll keep in touch.]
A
She pays little mind to Maes who seems to be doing his own thing, but upon what he says she looks up from her mind-conversation with her mouse companion, glancing from the older man to the forest in question.
Ah. Things...certainly do seem to be getting worse in terms of plantlife.
Pausing from her walk, she moves to join the stranger, clasping her hands behind her.]
It is incredibly troubling for the Temple to be in such a state.
no subject
At first I thought maybe I'd just been gone too long. We didn't have any plants to deal with on Struxta, so maybe it was just my imagination.
[He gestures at one tree in particular.]
But I've been keeping an eye out and I don't think this is your normal 'changing seasons' kind of transition. This seems more like something is spreading.
[He puts his hands in his pockets.]
It makes me nervous, given what we found out about Struxta as well.
[He looks back at the young woman.]
Has it ever looked like this before? The last time we were here was my first time, so I don't have a lot to compare it to.
no subject
[There's a hesitance in her voice at Maes' rather grim outlook regarding dying plants, and in response she crosses her arms beneath her chest.]
But...I am in a similar state as you. Our time here before Struxta was my first time at the Temple as well. A few nights ago, I cannot recall the trees being in such a state.
[Because guess who's been having some late night wanderings to keep her restless nights at bay.]
This area had been much more lively.
no subject
[Because everyone always thinks something can't happen to them until it does. Maes had gained some perspective in that regard.]
I'm not saying it will play out the same as it did on Struxta, is that is the case. We have more going for us here in terms of abilities and Astoria herself...but it might not be resolved right away either. After all, I doubt she wants the trees around the temple dying...
[He trails off before adding 'or us.' After all, maybe it will just effect the plant life, right? But he has an uneasiness about all of this. The timing is just suspicious.]
I wonder if the plant and animal life further in to the forest is compromised as well.