Saul pulled out his phone and went directly to the phone app. He speed-dialed Ben, and the other man answered the phone almost immediately. "Saul? Where are you?"
"In Farah's room. Get here as soon as you can," Saul replied.
"Farah's room?" Ben asked, his voice sounding worried. "What's going on?"
"She and Rosalind had a bit of a… confrontation."
Ben sighed. Saul could hear him moving things around and liquid dripping. He knew he must still be in the greenhouse somewhere. "I'm on my way now."
"Thank you," Saul said and hung up. He then gripped Farah's hand in between his and turned his gaze to Aiki. "Are you alright?"
Aiki looked up weakly when Saul addressed him. "I c… c-can't really breathe…" They whispered, drawing in another shallow, raspy breath. With his chest feeling as tight as it did, it was nearly impossible to take full breaths. "Dizzy… I-I feel like she's coming for us…" They choked on their words and lapsed into a coughing fit. "C-Can't really feel my hands or feet… numb… tingly…"
As much as Saul hated leaving Farah's side, he knew that in this moment, Aiki was who needed the support more. He went over to him and brought him to Farah's desk chair, guiding him gently to sit down. "Rosalind is not coming for us. We're going to be fine. Ben is on his way; he'll be here soon. You just need to try and relax." He tried to be a voice of comfort like Farah was.
Aiki drew in another harsh breath, their whole body starting to tremble. He looked down at his numb hands, which were starting to spread their numbness to his arms as well, and noticed that they were shaking violently and he couldn't get them to stop. "I'm s-sorry.. I'm… I-I'm sorry… I'm trying…" They whispered, struggling to draw in a proper breath. Every time he tried, he choked and started coughing before he could actually fill his lungs. "W-What if she… what if she saw my fire…?"
"It's alright. Breathe with me, ready? In…" Saul demonstrated a slow, measured inhale. "…and out." He exhaled with control. Saul repeated the breathing a few times before he paused to consider Aiki's question. "I don't think she did. I was blocking you."
Aiki closed his eyes and tried his best to breathe alongside Saul, although he was still struggling. Their heart was racing, and the strange, cold tingling of fear gripped their entire body. "B-But she… she had that weird— l-look in her eye…" He choked again, tapping his foot anxiously on the ground. "Like she— h-had won something, I-I don't… I dunno…"
Saul shook his head. "If she saw, we'll deal with that later. Preferably when Farah wakes up."
A sudden knock came from the door, and Saul looked to see Ben leaning on the doorframe looking very out of breath. "I sprinted here as fast as I could," he gasped and walked into the room. His eyes took in Farah's unconscious form and Aiki's trembling body. "What happened?"
Aiki whimpered shakily, their ears flat back against their head. He felt nauseous from being so worked up, and from the fear gripping him. They looked up at Ben weakly, their vision blurry and unfocused. He tried to explain the situation, but only choked on his words and lapsed into a coughing fit again. They were growing dizzier from the lack of air, and their head felt very achy and heavy.
"Ben, run back to our room and grab the plate of food on your bed," Saul ordered. He remembered Aiki didn't finish it all, and food would help them now. "I'll fill you in when you get back."
Ben nodded and bolted off.
"Hang on," Saul muttered to Aiki, while looking longingly at Farah.
Aiki closed his eyes again, his head falling back against the wall. They winced a bit, their hands still shaking violently and uncontrollably as they tried to relax. He exhaled shakily and shifted the position of his feet slightly so that he wouldn't fall out of his chair.
"BEN!" Saul yelled as Aiki seemed to get worse. He began to panic. If Farah were awake, she would know what to do. But she was still out, and Saul wasn't Farah.
Aiki felt hot and uncomfortable, and they tugged at the collar of their shirt, hoping it would help them breathe better. It felt like his throat was closing, and he didn't know what to do to help himself. They hadn't really experienced something like this before; they had been stressed before, sure, but nothing back at home had ever scared him badly enough to get him to this condition.
"It's alright," Saul reassured them. "It'll be alright. Ben's getting your food." He had no idea what to say to comfort Aiki, but just then, Ben came flying back into the room.
"Here," the man gasped and extended the plate towards Aiki.
Aiki wasn't really entirely sure what to do with the food, to be honest. They weren't sure they could eat considering their tight throat, churning stomach, and trembling hands. But, he figured that Ben and Saul might know better than him about what to do, so he shakily picked up a strawberry and tried to eat it. Swallowing seemed nearly impossible, but having an external factor like taste was at least a little bit distracting, they supposed.
Saul sighed. "You can calm down," he said to Aiki. "She isn't here, and she won't come to find us. I know she won't, okay?"
"Saul, tell me what happened," Ben insisted. "I've been worried sick, and Farah-"
"She fought Rosalind," Saul interrupted quietly.
Ben stopped, his eyes wide. "She… what?"
Aiki whined softly and closed their eyes again, trying their best to calm down. It was taking a while, but his breathing seemed to be very slowly evening out. He really needed Farah's help, but he knew that wasn't an option right now with a Farah unconscious. They coughed weakly and forced themself to swallow the bite of strawberry.
"Farah fought Rosalind."
"When?"
"Not long ago. About 20 minutes."
Suddenly, Farah's eyes blinked open, and she woke to the most intense headache she'd ever felt in her entire life. She moaned softly and closed her eyes again.
"Farah!" Saul shot up and went to her side while Ben stayed near Aiki.
Aiki looked up when he heard Farah waking up, trying to get to his feet and failing because of how badly he was shaking. So, they had to just watch from afar and hope that Farah was doing alright. They looked up at Ben, their vision still hazy.
Ben moved to Aiki's aid and offered a kind smile. "Here, let me help you."
Saul clutched Farah's hand tightly. "Farah?"
Farah's eyes opened slowly, and she gave a weak smile. "Hi."
Aiki got to their feet with Ben's help, still hyperventilating a bit and looking pretty shaky. He headed over to the bed, supported by Ben still, to see Farah. They weren't in great shape, and were visibly not doing well, but they were still able to offer a shaky smile upon seeing that Farah was alright.
Farah's smile dropped when she saw how shaky Aiki was. She shifted and held out her free hand – the one Saul wasn't gripping like his life and hers depended on it – for them to hold as a comfort. "Aiki… I'm sorry," she murmured sadly. "It's alright."
Aiki held tightly to Farah's hand, exhaling shakily. "N-No, don't be sorry… I'm sorry… I'm fine, I-I'm fine…" They insisted weakly. His hands were still trembling and he looked anxious, but he was trying his best to look okay for Farah's sake.
She closed her eyes and pressed calm feelings into Aiki through their contact. "It's okay. I promise I'll be fine. And Rosalind won't hurt you."
Saul squeezed her other hand tightly and held it against his chest. "Farah…" he whispered her name over and over again.
Aiki relaxed a bit with Farah's magic, still nervous, but able to breathe more normally now. "Mmnh… b-but what if… what if she saw me? What if she doesn't let me go home?" He asked softly.
"I will make sure you get home," Farah murmured. She felt herself slipping back into unconsciousness, but she fought the pull. "I will protect you, do you understand me?"
