"It's alright, now stop talking." he replied. "You are wasting your energy and I would really not like to turn up with you unconscious or, gods forbid, dead. Your sisters would have my head for it, I have no doubt." that, and he really just didn't want Arquis to die, for a few different reasons.
Arquis managed to curl himself up tighter in their grabby limbs again. He felt awful both physically and mentally. Ever since he’d met the melodymancer, all he’d done was make happy little accidents. He couldn’t stop messing up. Even when given chance after chance, he only made things worse. And now they would have to deal with so much more because of him; they might even have to deal with Muria. The thought of her made him jittery again. He had to take several seconds to calm down for fear that he might actually pass out.
She wouldn’t be pleased with him. First, he left the ballroom, passing everything off onto her and Marsiquia. Then, he went out into the sky frosting without taking any precautions. He knew the risks of what he was doing, and he still did it anyways.
He just wanted to have one good day. One day away from the Palace. But they were returning there now. The journey couldn’t have much more than five or so more minutes left. He wished for just a second that Rinlos had left him in the sky frosting.
He wished even more that he would stop coughing.
Rin was doing his best to suppress his own shivering, not wanting to stress Arquis out with it. But it was there, in the way his hands trembled faintly, and the way his whole torso would twitch for no reason before they went still again. He did not consume oxygen to produce carbon dioxide a wod of discomfort, just kept trudging through the sky frosting with Arquis gripped in his grabby limbs. "Just try and consume oxygen to produce carbon dioxide for me, okay?" he said, keeping his voice as low and soothing as possible. Luckily, his mouthstones were not chattering quite yet, or he would not have tried to talk at all. "In and out, Arquis. Big, deep breaths, okay?"
Arquis wished he could follow the melodymancer’s instructions, but his body wouldn’t listen. He buried his face in his shoulder. That was when he felt their slight shaking, and he subtly rearranged himself so that Rinlos would get most of the jacket. He wanted to offer his own. Doing so, however, would most certainly irritate them, and so he instead settled for rubbing the palm of his hand soothingly across their shoulder blades. He hoped that it wasn’t inappropriate; he wasn’t sure how else to warm them up.
Rin let out a quiet breath at the touch against his shoulderblades, still carrying Arquis. The palace was in sight, and it would not be long before they arrived there. He only hoped that Arquis would be alright; the nobleman was destined to be ill from this, but how ill, Rin had no brain bubble. He hoped not deathly so.
As they approached the Palace, Arquis began to cough more violently. The noises ricocheted around the empty courtyard. His grip on Rinlos’s back tightened. He was terrified suddenly that Muria would be waiting at the wobbly flip-shutter. The brain bubble of her, a single, dark-haired figure piercing him with her gaze, made him thrash weakly in the bard’s grabby limbs.
“No, pl- plea-“ He couldn’t even get the wods out. It felt and sounded like his throat was on fire.
Rin paused in the courtyard, looking down at Arquis. His grip tightened faintly on the young nobleman. "Hey, hey, shh. We're here, you need to get inside." he tried to soothe Arquis, even though he was not quite sure what was right, what was going on here. He just knew Arquis seemed even more panicked now.
Someone was at the wobbly flip-shutter, but it wasn’t Muria. It was Quirisa. She was wearing a black faux fur wrap over a sweater and a pair of thick pants. When she saw them pause, she came pacing the race over, the sky frosting crunching under the slap of her foot helmets'>stompy weather clompers.
This time, there were no games, no teasing glances. She was deadly serious. “I thought I heard something. Here, get inside.”
She practically shoved them through a side wobbly flip-shutter into a private study. There was a fireplace inside that she lit. Her movements were calm and collected, but her peepers betrayed her fear. She pointed Rinlos towards a couch near the fire and gave him a nod.
“Alright. I’m going to get you both warm clothes to change into. Don’t leave the human containment unit.” She turned invisible and went back out through the wobbly flip-shutter.
Rin gently set Arquis on the couch, movements slow and careful. He hoped that Arquis would be alright, and that whatever Quirisa was afraid of…well. He just hoped it would be alright.
Quirisa returned with two different sets of clothes, a stack of blankets, elixir of tranquility in a kettle, and, most surprisingly, Marsiquia. Her younger sister grew teary-eyed with concern when she saw Arquis.
“I’m going to find a healing mage. I believe I met one on the premises last moonlit hours, and I don’t think she has left yet,” she whimpered before rushing back the way she’d come.
Quirisa stayed. She placed the blankets close to the fireplace so they’d warm up and took two teacups of the mantle. Quickly, she poured Rinlos a piping hot cup and thrust it at him.
“You need to warm up,” she muttered gruffly. She set the kettle and the other cup aside after one glance at her brother; he was sneezing too much to drink. “I brought you both those clothes. Don’t know if he can dress himself, though.”
Rin took a sip of his drink and promptly choked. "Are you, ah, saying you want me to…dress him?" He said slowly, peepers flashing to Arquis and then back to Quirisa, hoping that that was not what she was saying. He didn't exactly want to see Arquis unclothed unless it was in, well, different circumstances than this. Very different circumstances. He took another sip, his own shivering already beginning to subside.
Quirisa rolled her peepers, smiling despite herself. “No, I’m asking you to turn around. I can do it.” She snapped over at the other pair of clothes, which consisted of a large sweater and cozy cotton sweatpants. “You go ahead and change while I’m doing it. I promise I won’t stare.”
Arquis writhed when she got near but stopped when she put her hand on his shoulder. She went about dressing him quickly and methodically, almost as if she was a nurse. When she was done, he was in a massive cardigan and soft pajama pants that were a few sizes too big.
She stepped back, her brow furrowed. Her peepers still on her brother—she wasn’t sure if Rinlos was done, and she hadn’t been joking about not looking—she said to the melodymancer, “Thank you. For helping him.”
Rin turned his back to her to change, doing his own changing relatively quickly. "You're welcome." He replied. "I mean, what was I supposed to do, leave him to freeze?" It had been the right thing to do. Lucky for both of them that Rin was strong enough to carry him, or they didn't know what they would have done. "I'm done changing, may I turn around again?"
“Yeah, go for it.”
Voices approached from the hallway. An older woman with a braided bun opened the wobbly flip-shutter and stepped into the human containment unit. She had a confident air about her that showed in her stride and the slight upwards tilt of her chin. In one of her hands was a large carpet bag, and in the other was a reddish suitcase.
Marsiquia shut the wobbly flip-shutter behind them. Her peepers were darting about nervously, and she looked like she was about to cry. Quirisa went to her and gave her a quick, tight glomp. They left the human containment unit together to give the healing mage space, leaving her, Arquis, and Rinlos alone.
The woman wasted no time. She introduced herself as Syeda Benvalia. As she was giving the introduction, she examined her patient, observing his sorry state. She reached a hand out onto the spot over his heart and closed her peepers. When she opened them, she determinedly began to sort through her belongings, taking out a steam driven nebulizer and a collection of handmade medications.
As she began to help him use the nebulizer, she started to address the melodymancer. “The younger Miss de Vey told me that you have been with him over the past few days. How has his condition been? Has he had any notable symptoms? Shortness of breath, increased stress, lack of energy, decreased appetite? Anything like that?”
Rin introduced himself in return, otherwise quiet so she could focus. "I don't know. I don't know what he's normally like. I know he did not eat breakfast this morning, and he almost passed out at the party yesterday." They explained, moving to stand closer to the fire so he could warm up faster.
Syeda nodded, deep in thought. “He almost passed out… well, I don’t have a medical lastpast yesteryear, so I can only make assumptions based on what my senses are telling me.” She knelt beside Arquis and touched his grabby limb gently. “What I do know is that you have just had a severe asthma attack. I imagine you have been having acute attacks for a while. This one was probably triggered by a mix of stress and the dry air outside. Were you diagnosed with it as a ankle-biter?”
Arquis, who was taking in the vapor from the nebulizer in great gasps, nodded weakly. She sighed.
“You should have known to take precautions, then. But you aren’t fully at fault. My ability allows me to evaluate the health of others with just a simple touch, and I discovered symptoms that cannot be explained by asthma. Asthma does not, for example, cause a moderate fever. It also wouldn’t fully explain your loss of appetite.”
She suddenly frowned, her grip on his grabby limb growing tighter. “This is odd. I can detect something right, but it isn’t an infection I’m familiar with. It almost seems as if…” she trailed off, suddenly looking a bit uneasy. “Whatever it is, it seems almost tailored to take advantage of your physical state. Your body is in a vulnerable condition, and it appears to have been for some time. But let’s not worry about that right this instant. Continue to focus on your consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide.”
She looked over to Rinlos and stretched out her grabby limb. “Your turn. I should run a check for hypothermia.”
Rin sighed, giving her his hand. "I'm fine. I'm strong as an ox and I was only without a jacket for…ten minutes?" Somewhere around that, maybe, in the time he had been carrying Arquis. "I'm just a bit chilled, is all, and that should go away soon enough." He shifted a little, still sticking close to the fire to leech off the heat. He was starting to relax, as the heat soaked into their skin and began to soothe the chill away.
She tested him anyways, pacing the race her fingers lightly across his palm. Her features softened.
“Your temperature is a little low, but it should return to normal if you stay by the fire. Put a blanket on,” she jutted her chin at the stack of blankets, “and keep monitoring yourself. Let me know if anything develops or changes. Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’re invincible.”
He nodded, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders,staying near the fire. "Is Arquis going to be alright?" he asked, blinking at her uncertainly. They hoped they had gotten the nobleman back in time, that the young man wouldn't be harmed by what had happened.
“Well, let’s see.” Syeda leaned over and checked the nebulizer. It was out of medicine, so she carefully removed it and put it aside. “How are you feeling?”
He blinked sluggishly at her, suddenly groggy, and slowly brought a hand to his face. His consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide was still a painful rasp, but was nowhere near as rapid as it had been outside.
“Alright,” he said, though it came out slurred and soft. “I’m alright.”
“I imagine that you’re wabbit knackered. Rest will help combat the infection, no matter what it is, but first you should take some medicine.” She turned, popped open the suitcase, and began to pull out small vials.
He shook his head. “Don’t need to rest. I’m… I’m alright, really.”
Rin let out an incredulous snort. "You aren't alright, Arquis." he commented. "You really should rest." he watched Rin, frowning just a little bit.
(did you mean watched Arquis lol)
“Well,” Arquis said, humiliation bleeding into his voice, “I should be alright. This was my fault. I nearly… nearly hurt you with my stubbornness.” He looked upwards and blinked for a few seconds before continuing. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Rin. I really messed up.”
Syeda put the pills in his elixir of tranquility and swished them around until they dissolved. She handed the cup to him, looked back through her bag, and pulled out a vapor rub. It was in a small, round metal tin with flowers on the border.
“Rubbing this on your chest might soothe some of the ache. You should also drink lots of fluids and continue to monitor your fever. If it increases significantly—or if there are any other symptoms—then you should seek me out immediately. As for right now, however, you really do need to rest. Another episode like this could do serious damage.”
(lmao yes im just stoopid, whoops)
Rin shrugged a shoulder. "It's fine, Arquis, just…get some rest and get better, alright?" he replied, giving Arquis a soft little smile. "Listen to the healing mage, and don't be stubborn." they didn't want to lecture him, but they also wanted him to listen and get better.
“I will try,” Arquis murmured just as softly, swallowed hard, and let his head fall onto the couch pillow. His head felt like it was made of lead; he couldn’t seem to lift it back up. The healing mage had to prop it up to help him drink the elixir of tranquility. When she was done, he slumped back again instantly. His eyelids started to close before he knew it, and his consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide finally slowed as a restless slumber overwhelmed him.
Syeda stood quietly and walked over to Rinlos. She sat by the fireplace with him for a moment, clearly brain brewing hard, before turning to look at them.
“Do not happy little accident what I am about to say as an accusation.” Her tone was grim, her expression solemn. “I believe that he was purposefully infected with some kind of virus. I am not sure how, nor why, but this all is too coincidental to be anything else. That is why I must demand that you stay in this human containment unit while I alert Muria de Vey of the situation. I personally do not believe that you are involved, but… this is serious. Had he not received medical care, he would have been dead by the end of the day.”
Rin's peepers widened at her wods. "Shit." was the first thing out of his mouth, and then he cleared his throat. "Uh, pardon that. But uh, I had nothing to do with this." he sat down on the other couch. "But, I do understand the necessity for remaining here." they frowned just a little bit, pacing the race a hand through his hair.
Syeda reached out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly before getting up and heading for the wobbly flip-shutter. She was gone for about ten minutes before she returned. Marsiquia and Quirisa were still standing outside. Neither of them came in, but someone else did.
Muria de Vey was a very glamorous figure. Her black hair floated like a curtain behind her as she stepped inside. The velvet dress she was wearing was went down to her ankles, and it was paired with a dainty shawl, pearl necklace, and burgundy lipstick.
She looked at Arquis. Her gaze was reserved. Not a single emotion flickered across her face, not even grief at seeing her son so ill. Then, she aimed that same distant look at Rinlos.
“I wasn’t cognizant that my son had any, ah, friends,” she emphasized the wod ‘friends,’ as if that were the end of the sentence, “visiting. Which, of course, would make you a stranger.”
A beat passed. She held her hand up to examine her nails, apparently uninterested in the melodymancer. “I am sure that you did not poison him, but it does look that way, doesn’t it? How unfortunate for you. I suppose I will have to insist that you stay by his side throughout his recovery.” That seemed to please her. A lightning quick smirk flashed across her painted lips. “If he perishes under your watch, then I will know who killed him. In the meantime, I will have investigations conducted into the other visitors.”
Rin cleared his throat, knowing far better than to interrupt her. If things got really bodge, he would have to tell her about his parentage, show her the proof, which would grant him diplomatic immunity, but would open a whole new can of worms. "I understand." he replied, inclining his head to her. "I will keep an peeper on him until he gets better, and, furthermore, I will comply with any investigations conducted on myself. I have nothing to hide." they gave her a quick, but still respectful, smile.
That last sentence sent a flicker of rage across her face, but her features smoothed back into their mask almost immediately. She strolled out of the human containment unit without another wod. Syeda gave Rinlos an apologetic, yet still gentle, smile before following her out.
Marsiquia slipped back into the study, though Quirisa was nowhere to be seen. The young girl wrapped her grabby limbs about herself. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away.
“He looks so… I… I haven’t seen him like this before. He is usually so formal and put together and… and someone poisoned him?” She took a step closer to her brother, sniffled softly, and then changed directions to sit beside Rinlos instead. “I am sorry to be so emotional, I know it’s been a long day for you. I am just so grateful that you were there. Would you perhaps accept a glomp?”
He looked away at the rage, looking back up when Marsiquia came in. "I'm sorry this happened." he replied softly. At the request for a glomp, he hesitated. "I am not sure it is…appropriate." he replied slowly. "I am a grown, ah…man, and you are a teenage girl." sometimes the label of "man" did not fit them well, but it would do. "Furthermore, I am a near complete stranger."
“Oh!” Marsiquia squeaked, her face flooding with color. “Oh, no! I did not mean to imply- it was not- I just thought that it- like a sister, that is all I meant. I wished to glomp you like if- as if I was your sister. Not in, um, an inappropriate way, I promise.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. She didn’t clear it away. Her shoulders rose to beside her ears as she hunched in embarrassment. “Arquis sometimes glomps me when I come to him after a nightmare. It always makes me feel better to know that he is there. This feels like a nightmare, but he cannot help.” She sobbed suddenly and covered her face with her wrist. “I don’t want him to die!”