[They're apart when things start to get violent, but Akira is the first person who comes to mind once Ann realizes that the city around them is descending into chaos.]
[truthfully, as soon as the message goes out, as soon as the first sign of violence and blood spills into the streets, Ann is the first person that Akira thinks of, too. not because he doesn't trust her to handle herself (he does; he thinks she'd be able to kick ass and take names if backed into a corner)]
[but because it's better for them to stick together, if things are about to spiral out of control]
[so when he hears her voice over the watch as he bolts down a deserted street, away from the fighting for now (but only until he has a chance to regroup, to figure out where they should go from here), he heaves a relieved sigh]
Ann!
[yep, that's him]
I'm a few streets down from the Grand Market. Where are you? Are you okay, too?
[ She's kept herself busy, helping out around the shelter when she's not out in the city proper, escorting folks to safety-- but to be fair, they've all been incredibly busy. And not just with assisting the civilians but working on a plan to break the King free.
It's kind of daunting to think that it's coming up so quickly, but Rion's done her best to ensure she stays in one piece and gets healed when she's not. Now, the only other matter at hand is...
Ah. Well, that hair of his is hard to miss, and it doesn't look like he's too occupied, so Rion heads towards him. It's quieter here, she notes.
Good. ]
Akira-kun. There's a little, teeny-tiny thing I need to talk to you about.
[ Ignore the smile, there's clear non-pleasant intent rolling off of her in waves. ]
[Akira has been keeping himself busy, too. with continuing to rescue civilians in the streets, with helping the medics at the shelter, with the Circle's new plan to break the king out of king jail (which, he has to admit with a bright, challenging expression, he is really looking forward to). there are no boring days in El Minha anymore]
[but there is still downtime]
[Rion can find him hanging out near the edges of the Ring, shoulder pressed against a wall as he tinkers with something or another in his hands. his shoulder, while not fully healed, is at least looking a little better, so there are no bandages poking out from underneath his collar. when he hears his name, he glances up, prepared to greet her as he usually does--]
[ astoria has been fairly . . . absent, in comparison to their arrival, and the temple has been rainy and dreary ever since they've gotten back. but akira soon gets a message! ]
[ Since she has no idea where his room is and isn't about to go jogging around trying to find it and looking like a creepy person, Rion just calls out to him when she spots him.
Without the honorific, even??
There's her usual smile, but she's replaced her ponytail with a braid today, and she's not coming at him with the typical ebullience. ]
[it's the lack of honorific that catches his attention the most. not that he minds; none of his closest friends use honorifics with him, either. he just hadn't expected her to drop it so quickly after being on first name basis with each other]
Ah? Yeah. What's up?
[he stops his trek to wherever he was going (probably the kitchen, for a snack), and turns to face her, hands resting in his pockets]
[ It could have gone a lot worse and Rion's entirely grateful for that. She and Kou had worked together to get people (mostly androids) evacuated, and they'd made it back in relatively one piece. And it's occurred to her to check on her friends, but she at least wants to put herself into some semblance of put-togetherness before she calls them. Especially with her ponytail losing the fight to stay a ponytail and the fact that she's a little scuffed up. Bandaged now, at least, and nothing looks all that terrible, but she ought to at least fix her hair and maybe not look so exhausted--
Except as she moves past the First Aid Tent, there's definitely... ]
[there's definitely Akira, who doesn't look like he got out of his portion of the mission unscathed, either. Rion's task-- diving headfirst into the storm, dodging lightning bolts and hurricane force winds-- was much more dangerous, but the flying debris Akira had to dodge was impossible to avoid entirely. Akira has a few bandages wrapped around his arms and legs to cover up the cuts and scrapes accrued during his escape, but it's also nothing too serious. there isn't even any blood staining the white patches of cloth. victory!!]
[he sits underneath the first aid tent, tapping his watch with an index finger as though he intends to reach out to his friends now that things have calmed down. but then Rion says his name, and his gaze snaps up at the speed of sound, eyes wide as he blinks owlishly in her direction]
[the fact that the storm was gone was testament enough to her group's success. but even so, seeing her here and now in one piece despite the danger is. . .]
Rion--
[he breathes out her name, relief in every syllable]
[Akira hanging around the first aid area is quite auspicious, because that is where Kou, too, is hanging out.
Not necessarily by choice, mind you. He was also kind of dumped there by a helpful friend after he kind of dozed off elsewhere. It's fine, though. He's good now, mostly. He's scuffed up and his eyes are heavy-lidded with exhaustion, but a nap seems to have helped a fair amount.
So.
When he spies Akira, he lifts a hand to wave--the other covering his mouth as he yawns.]
[Kou. . . did you fall asleep on the mission field]
[seems like "scuffed up" is the new "fashion do," as Akira looks pretty haggard himself. he isn't quite as exhausted as Kou, but there is a reason he's hanging around the medical tent. a, um. non-Rion related reason, he swears. by now, at least, he's gotten a bit of rest, so he looks perfectly energetic when Kou approaches]
[and if he looks to be in a better mood than usual, well. he's just, you know. glad the storm is gone]
So far, so good. [is his bland response, contrasted to that seemingly cheery disposition] None of my fingers have fallen off just yet. I count that as a win.
[ You know what would have been great? If Astoria had granted some kind of friend-tracking power that let him know if his buddies were okay at all times, like a warm and fuzzy GPS. Sure, he's thought this about multiple other powers during their time here as inspiration strikes, but when in the middle of the chaos of negating the Storm, this idea is the one that captures his imagination.
As he does not have that particular power, he's taking stock of everyone in the aftermath as he can. This is where his speed comes in handy, at least, since he can cover a lot of ground looking for people quickly, and it doesn't take him long to track down his frizzy-haired friend (probably near the first-aid tent, because that's where all the cool kids are at). He jaunts over, waving a hand in the air, in which he holds...some kind of small package? ]
Heeeeey, Akira! Hey! Was hopin' I'd run into you soon. [ More like, he's been specifically looking for him, but whatever. ] All one piece? Gonna take more than lightning to strike you down, huh?
[the first aid tent sure is the cool kids tent, and Akira is absolutely hanging around, seeking out familiar faces of his own while he idly picks at some of his bandages. there aren't many, and they're only wrapped around his arms and legs (no visible blood, either), but still. it's a testament to how damn dangerous this mission was that so many of them are nursing injuries, even if minor ones]
[Prompto's voice gets his attention quickly, and his gaze snaps to the side, a bit of a smile ghosting over his features before he pushes it away in favor of his usual blase neutrality]
I'd say that my survival is only a little shocking.
[oh no]
But I am pretty tough to kill. Like a cockroach.
[. . . anyway, bad jokes aside, he sure is peering at the package in Prompto's hands]
[ So "getting asked to dinner" has wound up being more like "making dinner herself", a thought that's made her think that they might be really bad at proper courtship.
But proper courtship was also boring, she felt, and besides, she'd been the one to insist that after tasting Akira's curry, it was her turn to wow his socks off (or something along those lines). This was fine.
It might have been a little more fine if she'd been able to set the romantic mood a bit more, but with the flowers and other plants having a rough time looking vibrant lately, Rion has to skip the bouquet in the middle of the table.
To make up for it, however, there are most certainly noodles heaped on two plates, mixed with pork, vegetables that may or may not have lent a hand to making the dish spicy, and a sauce that will do that much on its own. It's not quite the same as her dish back home, given her limited options, but she's still proud of how it had turned out.
She also might have been in the kitchen for a good few hours fussing over it, but she's all smiles now when she sends Akira a text that's a very simple "Prepare to be dined."
[honestly, Akira had really wanted to cook for Rion for their first date. . . especially considering he was the one who asked her to dinner in the first place. but Rion was insistent, and after knowing her for some three months, he knew better than to argue against her persistence. and so he lets her fuss around the kitchen for however long she needs, while he himself just kind of. . . hangs out. around the temple. and does nothing]
[hm]
[but then his watch buzzes with a message from Rion herself, and he can't help but smile as he shoots back a response]
I'd ask if there's wine to go with it, but we are underage.
[things he doesn't actually care about: them being underage. BUT ANYWAY. . . a good ten or so minutes later, there is totally a knock on the kitchen door as Akira announces his arrival]
[ zuko's already got one flower crown on that's turned him entirely red. it's pretty apt, because he looks like he's got steam coming out of his ears! very cartoonish! and no matter how hard he tries, it won't come off. the thing is, the fairies think his struggling is hilarious. which, to be fair, it kind of is. so they're all swarming around him, trying to pile on more and more as he grunts and tries to shoot fire (force of habit, it doesn't work anymore) ineffectually. ]
[ honestly, this is prime entertainment! for akira too! until zuko manages to swat one of the fairies away and right into akira's face. he better watch out, or he's getting a pink crown. ]
[because the sprites fly through the air so quickly thanks to Zuko's EXPERT YEETING that they smack him right in the face. the pink flower crown fumbles in the air before landing haphazardly and crookedly on top of his head, and. . . well]
[pink spreads from his cheeks to his forehead to his collarbone to the tips of his fingers. natch]
[ so. absolutely poking her head into rooms at random and trying to track down a missing cat, who is!
actually curled up on akira's bed. ]
You! [ points accusingly at, and it's surprisingly strong considering that she does look a little worse than usual, sickness chugging along. ] Return me my cat, Akira-chaaan.
[okay, so it technically is. but considering the first week of illness is quickly moving into the second week, and considering the small fever aches Akira can feel building in his joints and limbs, he pleads temporary insanity. who wouldn't steal a round, fluffy cat they saw lazing about the temple hallways? NO ONE, THAT'S RIGHT]
[and so he subtly shifts, so he's sitting in front of the round missing cat, blanket tugged tightly around his shoulders]
[At some point during the first week of the viral outbreak, it eventually hits Ryuji. He had heard sounds of sneezing and coughing pretty much unanimously across the Temple; he knew what was in store for himself in the days to come. The conversation about Akira's patient zero status or, whatever it was Astoria found in him to be the source of something dark and mysterious had weighed pretty heavily in his mind.
So this was what it was? A head cold?
Cool, at least they could all chill with some soup for a few days and get over the entire thing. And eventually, Ryuji's alone in his and Akira's room, and it feels like a good idea to see what he can get from the kitchen when something tickles his nose.
He can feel a warm, stuffy, unhappy feeling for a moment as he tries to breathe in through his clogged sinuses. No good. He's got a bit of liquid pooling at the base of his nose, but as he brings the back of his hand to wipe it away, he notices that... okay, it's technicolor.
He's congested with all the colors of the rainbow. That's fucking weird----
ACHOO
Oh no.
Oh no?
Why do the walls look like he's on some sort of acid trip? Maybe he should just... stay in bed. Wait for Akira to get back. Maybe he's doing better than Ryuji is right now.]
["better" is subjective, considering this little head cold happened to hit Akira like a truck on the first day of the first week of the outbreak. and yet! when Ryuji sneezes technicolor snot all over the walls of their room, he's nowhere to be found. probably because he's busy preparing a curry lunch for the next day. or scattering pillows and blankets around the temple. because, sick or not, Akira still feels like he has to make himself useful. to help out anyone else who might be trying to combat this mystery illness]
[someone should probably scold him for that. but hey, that's neither here nor there]
[because eventually, Akira meanders back to their shared quarters, a blanket pulled over his head and shoulders like a hood. he isn't sneezing, but he has one hand pressed against his mouth in a wet cough, eyes closed and head ducked as he steps into the room. and then he lifts his gaze--]
[. . .]
So are we investing in a new aesthetic, or. . .
[he trails off, voice raspy, and one brow raised at Ryuji, wherever he may be]
[ what’s stranger than having a plus ten foot tall robot peering into your room?
how about a plus ten foot tall robot peering into your room - as they’re dressed like a bedsheet ghost? complete with eyeholes for the eyes? (er… optics, in the case of daylight.)
for what it’s worth, it seems that daylight is genuinely concerned for akira’s well-being. if the nervous glow from his optics and the worried tone in his voice is to be believed. ]
Akira? Akira? Akira? [ is… is that a stick coming out from under daylight’s sheet? is it?? ] Akira? Do you need comfort? Akira?
[Akira is currently bundled up into a lump of blankets on top of his bed, lying on his back with the sheets pulled right over his face. he doesn't move until Daylight is halfway through saying his name the final time, and even then all he does is speak up, voice hoarse and groggy]
Yep. I'm dead.
[he says in a deadpan]
. . . and that's a joke. By the way.
[but thankfully has mercy on his poor robot friend mere seconds later]
[ Don't ask Rion how she made it out of bed and this far without running into (too many) walls. Sleeping has been kind of impossible-- not just because of the fever, but because Kou had gained a tendency to teleport to people in need, and that was the problem.
Nearly the entire temple was in need, and he'd disappeared yet again. He does always end up coming back, but Rion would rather be awake for it, and it's her first time out of bed in... too long. Now that she's out and about, she thinks it's about time to return the favor and check on Akira. Sure, she could text him, but Akira tended to downplay his own problems, so better to see him directly.
It won't be long before she's knocking lightly on his door, and she'll test if if he doesn't answer immediately. Her head's already swimming, and she keeps thinking she sees glimpses of shining pink feathers, but--
[Rion knocks on the door, and there's no response. no indication that the current occupant has even heard her, or knows that she's there]
[but. . .]
[if she listens carefully, she might hear the muffled noise of someone inside suddenly thumping onto the ground from their bed, as though they just leaped right out of it for. . . some reason? some mysterious reason]
[Akira is minding his own business and has BLANKETS piled over his shoulders when Boreas approaches. he recognizes him as the guy from the kitchen the other day! . . . wait, why does he look so serious]
Yyyyyes?
[but only mildly, the fever hasn't hit yet. not at this point!]
[FUNNY STORY: Akira lost his sense of touch. so while he can see what he's typing, it takes him. . . . about five minutes too long to send a reply, because his fingers keep accidentally touching the wrong letter and he has to BACKSPACE BACKSPACE BACKSPACE--]
[It's a picture, Ryuji giving the world's biggest thumbs up in the entire world in front of an entire field of pumpkins, effectively having been smashed with lightning magic.]
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