001 ☪ open } { it's robot flu season

[hackedhistory]

Who: Zari Tomaz + YOU
Where: The dorms.
When: Over the sickness event.
Rating PG
What: Zari's caught the robot flu and she dislikes it strongly.

[Starters in comments.]

Comments

week 2 }

[hackedhistory]

[Okay, maybe this isn't just a cold.

It's been a really long time since Zari has been knocked on her ass like this, and for the most part, she's doing her best to work within her limits. And right now her limits are staying horizontal and trying to ignore the whispers of voices that are coming from all sides. That is, until she hears a voice that she can't ignore.

"Khahaar?"]

Behrad?

[Zari's been around the block a few times with worlds like this to know that timelines don't matter. She also knows that people have been showing up lately, and if there's any chance that her brother is out there looking for her, she's going to go find him.

She struggles into a sitting position, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders as she gets to her feet. She's not steady, swaying a bit as she ventures out into the hallway, calling for her brother as she goes.

And completely getting turned around. Stupid new world that she still doesn't know that well yet. Being sick is not helping, so if you find her, please turn her around and send her back to bed.]

[bleps]

[From down the hall, Connor stands and catches sight of a woman wandering and swaying about with a blanket dangling on her shoulders. The name falling from her lips, he doesn't recognize; her voice, however, he does. One of the individuals who helped him on Struxta, who had helped him come back online when he had been met with shut down.

Granted, even if this wasn't the case, Connor would have stepped forward to help. But now his gait is a little more hurried, a little more concerned, than it would've been without recognition at his back.]

Excuse me... Zari? It's me, Connor.

[-he says as he draws close enough to speak with her.]

You shouldn't be wandering around like this. Not if you're sick.

[Which is obvious. One needs to only look at her to know it.]

[hackedhistory]

I have to find my brother.

[She appreciates your help, Connor, but she's too certain that she's hallucinating right now.]

He's here somewhere. I can hear him.

[bleps]

Your brother?

[A frown, a moment of consideration. The sound of footsteps as he draws closer once more, and tries to skew his intonation to something calming, changing the timbre by just the right degrees, as dictated by his programming.]

Zari, can you come here for a second, please?

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[She knows that question. That question usually comes when someone is trying to gently direct her into doing something she doesn't really want to do. So she doesn't do as she's asked because when she's sick, she's a stubborn, petulant child.]

Nope. I'm good here. This wall is really nice.

[bleps]

[It seems to have little result, and Connor knows that this is likely due to a stubborn personality mixed not-to-subtly with the haze of feverish sickness. Still, his programming was made to accomodate that, too, and he tries again. Instilling reason this time.]

I just want to feel your forehead and gauge your temperature. I'm not trying to be blunt, but you don't look well, and I don't think you should be wandering these halls in your state.

And if it's a matter of finding your brother, then... maybe you can leave that much to me.

[hackedhistory]

I will save you the trouble. I definitely have a fever.

[She can feel that. That isn't going to stop her. She manages to push herself into a fully standing position again, and continue on her way.]

You can either help me, or you can deal with me wandering, because I'm not going back to bed right now. Those are your options.

[bleps]

[He doesn't hide the pointed frown as she straightens and begins walking again. Definitely one of the more stubborn people in the Circle.

He'd tell her to stop, but he knows that obviously wouldn't work at this point. So Connor follows a step or two behind, the only way of reeling her back in with his words.]

Are you sure you saw him?

[hackedhistory]

No. Because I didn't see him. I heard him.

[But it was his voice. It had to have been.]

He's taller than me but he's younger than me. Same hair and skin tone. He'll probably have a necklace like mine.

[She places her hand over her amulet, the one with the big giant red stone that she never takes off.]

[bleps]

[The stone is noted -- had been noted before -- and the crease of his brow doesn't leave him.]

...All right.

[Two considerations that he keeps to himself: 1) there are an influx of new members, and one might very well be her brother and 2) those with high fever are very prone to hallucinate, and shouldn't be wandering about at all to begin with.

A moment of silence, then.]

Five minutes to look. Then I'll have to insist that you return to your room.

[hackedhistory]

Sure.

[She's not going to adhere to those rules but she will take the leeway and run with it. She starts stumbling forward, and she feels like ... she should probably explain this determination:]

Behrad is dead, was dead when I left home. He died protecting me. If he's here, if this place fixed it somehow, I have to find him. I can't just leave him again.

[bleps]

I'm... sorry to hear that.

[And he is, the worry draining from is tone to make way for something harder to pin down.]

But you need to consider that your mind might be playing tricks on you, thanks to your high fever. Your realize that, don't you?

[hackedhistory]

I do. But I'd rather check the grounds and be wrong than ignore him possibly being here.

[Better too much work than no work at all.]

[bleps]

Then we'll check. Unless you become too tired to function properly, and then I'll have to insist that I carry you back.

[A frown.]

You said he wears a similar necklace to yours, correct? Is there a significance to that?

[hackedhistory]

[She pauses for a moment, because time shenanigans make this complicated, but ...]

This isn't normally just a ridiculous piece of ornate jewelry. It's a totem, from the Zambezi tribes in Africa. The person who wields it normally can manipulate the air around them to varying degrees. My brother was the first totem bearer, but when he died, I didn't want to let ARGUS keep it, and it ... chose me next.

( meddy first! )

[sunborne]

[ if they hadn't taken this shortcut, a desperate attempt to get back to daylight's personal rooms before the silly mechanoid ran off again, meddy probably wouldn't have run across zari in this state.

perhaps that's a good thing. the running across, of course. because the moment the little drone catches sight of her, they do an immediate scan of her vitals and are alarmed by the findings. oh no, oh dear, oh my. that is not going to do at all, they decide because they quickly zip to her side and attempt to get her attention.

mostly in the form of bumping against her shoulder with their helm, letting out a series of whistles and chirrs.

beep bwoop boop?, asks meddy. they're both curious and, frankly, worried. slighted ego or not for the time back in struxta, their caretaking coding is kicking in at the sight of someone clearly unwell and in need of help. what is going on here? ]

[hackedhistory]

[She shakes her head and tries to wave them away, because even though she doesn't speak Meddy, she definitely understands the question without being in English.]

I'm fine. I just need to find my brother.

[sunborne]

[ brother...?

meddy beeps curiously, surprised by that statement. they don't think they've seen zari with someone who looks similar to her in the past. nor has she mentioned someone else from her world being with here. it's something meddy tries to keep track off, but maybe they've missed him. the last few weeks have been stressful enough that their vigilance is slipping here and there.

all the same - they try to nudge her towards the direction of an unoccupied room where she can rest, giving a more firm beep this time. her brother can wait, in their opinion. she clearly needs to recuperate at the moment.

they may only be three feet and eight pounds floating but darn it- meddy is going to make sure she's going to recover. no one is getting sicker on their watch. ]

[hackedhistory]

I think he just got here, and I know you mean well, but I'm gonna check and see if he's here first.

[And she starts to stumble forward again.]

Then I'll take a nap.

[sunborne]

[ meddy makes the longest sounding sigh in the world, despite having no need to consume air for themselves. it wouldn't be right to leave her like this... so...

well. fine. if she's going to go running around for her brother, the least meddy can do is stay by her side.

if there's no objections, meddy presses themselves against her side and tries to keep a lookout for her missing brother. they've got some words for this sibling of hers! leaving her in this condition. ]

[hackedhistory]

[You do that little robot friend, you do that. In the meantime, Zari's just going to wander the dorms looking for any sign of her brother. His voice never gets any closer, he never comes when she calls, and by the time she reaches the bench in the courtyard, her legs are barely holding her up, and she wobbles a bit as she sinks to the hard rock surface.]

Okay. So maybe its all in my head.

[sunborne]

[ the entire time zari is searching for her brother, meddy simply trails after her and keeps an eye on her vitals to make sure she won't pass out or something. there is a quick unhappy 'bzzzip!' at her entering the courtyard in her state, but they don't stop her.

by the time she gets to the bench and addresses them, there's an urge in meddy to beep at her in annoyed concern with how hard she must have pushed herself. and yet... something about her state right now stops meddy. it's clear at this point that she's not doing well. there's no need to rub that in.

it'll go again its main directive of caring for those in need, and they can imagine daylight's disappointment if he found out about their behaviour.

so meddy reaches out with a fin of theirs, attempting to give a comforting tap to the head if she'll allow that. ]

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[Normally she wouldn't but she appreciates them trying, even if it's a bit of a 30 Rock moment.]

Thanks.

[She won't allow much more than the once though.]

Just ... give me a minute, and I'll go back to bed.

[sunborne]

[ if meddy had opposable thumbs and the access of a broom, they would be doing this right now.

meddy lets out a trill, apparently agreeing with her words and giving her the space she needs to get her bearings. they know better than to push stubborn individuals. they've raised daylight, after all.

the moment she shows signs of moving, however, is when meddy is back sticking to her side like grow. almost as if trying to ward whatever might try to bother her. ]

[hackedhistory]

[You're a good egg, Meddy.

She finds her way back to the room slowly, one step at a time, a little bit deflated from her earlier verve. When they finally get there, she just crawls back into bed, ready to go back to being horizontal again.]

Thanks, Meddy.