[acatalepsy ic contact]

[purrtagonist]

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( voice, 6/01 )

[cakebuffet]

[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.]

Akira? Where are you?!

[She has to know that he's okay. :c]

Please, tell me you're someplace safe.

[purrtagonist]

[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?

action; 6/11

[flyingsolos]

[ 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. ]

[purrtagonist]

[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--]

[-- and then he pauses]

. . .

Caaaaan I ask you to define "teeny-tiny?"

(text) about 48 hours after the circle re-arrives in the temple.

[acatastoria]

[ 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! ]

Akira. I have a question.

What does a headache feel like?

ASTORIA. . . IS CUTE

[purrtagonist]

[it's been such a long time since he's heard from Astoria that the text message popping up on his fancy magic apple watch takes him off guard]

Astoria-san??

[why headache!!]

That depends on the headache. Mine feel like someone took a sledgehammer to my brain.

Text (actually I have no idea when this would be in the timeline)

[tranquilforest]

I know things have been rather busy lately, but do you still have time to introduce me to coffee, Akira?

text; sometime after they get back to the temple is good for me :]b

[purrtagonist]

[aw. that message gets a quirked little smile from Akira]

I'd say now, but you'd have to ask Astoria-san where she's hiding the coffee beans.

action;

[flyingsolos]

Hey-- Akira?

[ 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. ]

Do you have a minute or ten?

[purrtagonist]

[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]

( text!!! )

[sunborne]

Akira!

Are you busy right now? There's something super important I want to ask you. If you have the time, of course.

text 1/2

[purrtagonist]

Akira isn't here right now, please leave a message after the tone.

after the storm

[oculusriffs]

[comes a text message. Akira wears glasses; that at least drives part of his logic in thinking to text him first.]

hey
do you know how to fix glasses frames

[HELP HIM]

[purrtagonist]

[it's not a bad leap in logic, truthfully]

[but too bad Akira's glasses are fake]

How are they broken?

[he'll follow up that question with an answer he swears]

post-mission

[flyingsolos]

[ 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... ]

Akira...

[ He's okay. ]

[purrtagonist]

[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]

post-storm shenanigans

[parttimes]

[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.]

...Hey, Akira. Still in one piece?

[purrtagonist]

[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.

action, post-mission!

[punshots]

[ 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?

[ He is armed, as ever, with bad jokes. ]

[purrtagonist]

[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]

action; before plague hits the fan

[flyingsolos]

[ 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."

That ought to do it. ]

[purrtagonist]

[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]

action;

[cuedoves]

[ 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. ]

Ugh, get away!

[purrtagonist]

[this is what Akira gets for just watching]

Ack--

[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]

. . .

Pink is really not my color. . .

text;

[flyingsolos]

Okay I give up. I think I'm sick.

[purrtagonist]

. . . . . . how sick?

text;

[punshots]

hey
why was the sand wet?

[ Here it comes... ]

[purrtagonist]

because it was high tide

[he's]

[so out of it that a) he's not using punctuation, and b) he isn't heading off Prompto's joke before the punch line]

09/07! dumb cat shenanigans

[runwaying]

[ time to track down a cat-napper. ]

[ 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.

[ why is she like this. ]

[purrtagonist]

[LISTEN. . . THIS ISN'T HIS FAULT]

[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]

What cat?

[this isn't going to work]

action, backdated to somewhere around week 1

[ryuji]

[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.]

[purrtagonist]

["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]

( action! ; during the sickness plot. i'm so sorry i'm so late. )

[sunborne]

Akira?

Akira?

Akira?

Akira- Are you dead??

[ 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?

gathers into arms!!

[purrtagonist]

[WELL. THERE GOES HIS AFTERNOON NAP]

[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]

week 2 of sickness the sequel

[flyingsolos]

[ 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--

No. It's fine. ]

Akira?

[purrtagonist]

[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]

action, after food log

[isaz]

[ so akira is just minding his own business until he probably sees boreas striding right up to him with a Business Expression (tm)

the older man will proceed to fold his arms and stare very sternly at him ]

Are you still sick?

[ Definitely looks sick but he wants to make sure Akira is actually aware of it ]

[purrtagonist]

[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!]

text.

[rightfully]

[ Hey, Akira. Hey. Hey.

Are you ready for some EMOTE SPAM? Because, well... ]

Hello Akira

☺☻☺☻

Look at wHAT i DISCOVERED.

[ She's... she's getting there. ]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . IT'S PROGRESS]

(*＾▽＾)／

Do you know what they're called?

text!

[lavabend]

[ He's on sickness week 3, almost-blind, and BORED. That's why he's feeling chatty right now.

Too bad he thought it would be a good idea to type when he can barely see. ]

fun thijngs to fo whilr fforved to stay ni bed?

[purrtagonist]

[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--]

is this a top five list?

[he isn't even bothering with capitalization]

text

[twitter]

i have a mission for you
if you choose to accept it
y/n

[purrtagonist]

fuck y

text surprise;

[lumberlady]

[the wonders of text when you only know a few kanji...

she's trying ok]

greet akira

you read?

shia surprise!!

[purrtagonist]

[. . . uh]

Uh.

Yes?

[is she asking if he can read??]

sometime prior to the next world jump

[ryuji]

[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.]

We won

[purrtagonist]

[if he could hit the like button he so, so would]

How much exp did you get?

Early-November-ish, before the worldhop (text)

[moonlightbeast]

KURUSU-SAN I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU

WHERE ARE YOU?

[It's all-caps can you sense the urgency here?]

[purrtagonist]

[THERE IS SO MUCH URGENCY, HERE]

YOU SOUND EXTREMELY EXCITED IS EVERYTHING OKAY.







I'm in the kitchen? I'll wait for you to get here.