The full seasonal event can be read here! Below are the main seasonal items for quick reference:
1. A thread reacting to the season's weather in some ways.
2. A thread in the part of the city your character doesn't live in!
3. A thread relating to your vocation.
Of The Season
Quote
"Tell Dr. Nate that Gale sent you, and he still owes me for the mushrooms. Except that it takes you a while to reach the clinic, and by the time you do your fever is spiking, and so instead of the requisite message you instead tell the poor soul who greets you that 'A gale'a m'shrooms sent me cus'a my hands.'" - Zephyr in Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
She wants to argue against his apology, but she does not have the energy for it. The tension finally lets go of her and she slumps against him, weakly wrapping her arms around his waist with a heavy sigh. Her mind had painted up a scenario where he would take this in a much worse way. Being angry at her. Deciding to leave her, even, but when reality turns out to be different it is at least some weight lifting from her shoulders. All she does is to nod slowly to at least try and accept his apology, no matter how much she disagreed with it.
"I didn't mean to ignore your messages. Should have said something right away, but I just panicked. Not that it's an excuse for treating you like that." Her voice steadies a bit when she slightly distracts herself for a couple of seconds by talking about her own silence, but the anxiety is soon back when it comes to figure anything out.
She wriggles free of his arms and rubs a hand over her eyes with another sigh while trying to clear her thoughts. Her other hand slips into a pocket, but she seems to catch herself doing it and quickly pulls it out without retrieving what she was reaching for. Instead, she restlessly chews on her lip while looking like she wants to crawl out of her own skin. "I just... Fuck..." She mumbles under her breath. "I am bad at taking care of myself as it is. This... I can't." A more frustrated groan leaves her and she runs her hands through her hair as she starts pacing back and forth. One hand almost going for the pocket again. "Every damn option feels bad. Just which one is the worst." She pauses long enough to give Uldren a bit of a helpless look.
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
roll me up and smoke me, love, and we can fly into the night you take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own
Her voice steadies when she speaks about why she hadn’t responded to him and there’s a low hum of understanding that drifts from his throat as he nods, though realizing shortly after that she probably couldn’t see it with her head buried into his chest. “Hey, as long as you were okay, that’s all I cared about.” Which, in all fairness, she wasn’t particularly okay now, but at least she hadn’t been taken by enforcers or murdered or in some terrible Plate side plot that put her in danger.
So he releases a soft breath, lets her go when she wiggles out of his arms, and he shoves his hands into his pockets in a way that was an attempt to keep himself open but to keep from fiddling. His green gaze finds her face finally when she speaks again, another little twist in his stomach that had just started to relieve itself with the realization that she was standing in front of him, perfectly fine, if not shaken up by the news.
“I get it.” He says softly, hoping it might help her worries some. They both couldn’t afford this, realistically, and at her helpless look he offers her a small encouraging smile. “I’m with you with whatever you choose, Ira.” He offers gently, almost as if speaking to a wounded and frightened animal. He means every word of it too, he’d figure it out on his end. They could figure it out together.
She nods slowly at his response, but her jaws work slowly. There is a small anger trying to flare up inside of her. Trying to make her snap at him to just make a decision. Half of it is his, why should it all be on her shoulders? As if if someone forced a decision onto her, she would not have to feel responsible for making it. But still she knows that the final say will ultimately fall on her and it just makes the guilt rise to nauseating levels.
Her hands come out to be placed against the bridge railing next time her pacing brings her close enough and she leans heavily on her arms, hanging her head down and taking a few deep breaths to fight everything down. The last thing she wants is to break down in front of him. Wishing she could just go back to being her usual more confident, fun self and not be the way she is right now.
"It was one of the things I was most afraid of. That you wouldn't want to be-... See me anymore. That you'd be gone the second you knew." She had been close to saying 'be with' but is unsure if that would sound like she's assuming too much about them. She isn't sure where they are standing with each other yet. It's still new and she had not thought of trying to bring the topic up, then this happens. "Still didn't seem fair to not let you know, either way." She adds in a bit of a mumble and carefully tries to stand up straight again, but keeps her grip on the railing as the ground feels like it's tilting sideways for a few seconds.
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
roll me up and smoke me, love, and we can fly into the night you take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own
They haven’t talked about what they were or weren’t, and if she didn’t look like she was about to be sick any second, he might have brought it up. But he doesn’t, because she leans against the railing, pale and fragile, and all he wants to do is wrap her up and pick up the pieces in whatever way he can – if he even could. But soon enough her voice hangs in the air and Uldren watches her curiously, almost as if in surprise that he’d be upset about it. “I do wanna still see you.” He offers his reassurance before yet another small smile that tugs on his lips. “Besides, it isn’t like you did this on your own.” It took two to tango, as the saying goes.
It'd be pretty shit of him to back out now after knowing it – and he wonders who in her life she’d met before him that would have treated her that way in order to make her think he’d react that way. “I’m glad you told me.” He adds, stepping closer to her as she leans against the railing, as if for support – as if she wants to stand and can’t, she can find some strength from him to help stand herself up. “When was the last time you’ve eaten or slept or anything?” He asks quietly, glancing at her sidelong.
Hearing that he still wants to see her seems to lift even more weights off of her, as if the majority of her anxiety of telling him indeed came from the fear and assumption of him leaving. It doesn't do much for the guilt she is feeling, but the extra anxiety that had been gnawing at her starts to lets go of its hold. The comment about her not doing it on her own even manages to bring a small huff out of her and the corners of her mouth twitch. "I suppose that's true." She mumbles and shakes her head slowly. She looks up at him again when she hears him coming closer and she turns enough his way to let go of the railing with a hand and reaches out to place it against his chest for support. But perhaps mainly for the comfort of having him close.
His question makes her chuckle quietly, but it is not in the happy way and she sighs. "Not really sure, to be honest. The last few days have bled into each other and I've managed to nod off here and there whenever I felt less uncomfortable." She gives him an almost apologetic look and looks a bit embarrassed over it. "Haven't really left my room since I found out. Been sneaking out to the kitchen whenever dad left the apartment, but I haven't exactly been able to eat much. I'm telling you, I'd prefer having the worst hangover ever for a week than however this is making me feel." There's a joking tone to her voice and her mouth is twitching in another almost smile. The dark cloud of having to make a decision eventually still hangs over her, but just trying to have a more casual conversation like this does seem to help in clearing up her mind a bit.
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2023, 06:49 AM by Ira.)
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
roll me up and smoke me, love, and we can fly into the night you take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own
Her hand rises to his chest and Uldren’s hand lifts to cover hers gently, offering support wherever he can. He nods with a low hum of agreement as she tells him she hasn’t slept well, nodding off on occasion when she was comfortable enough. He supposes the heat doesn’t help in that regard either. “High Kivan already sucks enough without adding that into the mix.” He offers softly, little to no judgment in his tone, and what amount is there, is aimed at the incredibly hot season.
Her joke is one that sparks a chuckle from him, nodding as he exhales a soft sigh. “Well, is there anything you want right now that might help? Maybe something cold?” They didn’t have to stay out in public either, could leave and go back wherever she was most comfortable — just so long as she got something in her she could hopefully keep down.
She keeps her grip of the railing with her other hand, still leaning on it and continues to take slow breaths between speaking until everything starts to settle again. Her thumb rubs softly against his chest under his hand and she nods with a small hum as he mentions the season. The heat is a bother as it is under normal circumstances and now when her head had finally stopped screaming at her in panic, she can pay attention to it. To how warm it actually is and her clothes sticking to her uncomfortably.
"Something cold might be useful. Before I not so unexpectedly drop from overheating. Might manage something to drink." Food isn't something she wants to even think of at the moment, even if she might need it. Carefully, she moves her hand away from the railing and pushes some strands of hair away from her face once she is sure she'll remain standing. "Sometimes I wonder how I've managed to look after myself half my life." She mutters under her breath, mostly aimed at herself for her bad habits when it comes to both sleeping and eating properly. To be fair, she used to have a lot more time on her hands before working two jobs.
"Let's go... Somewhere. I just need to try and clear my head and figure all this out." Anywhere that isn't standing there out in the open. She sort of already knows the solution to their problem, but she is still struggling with accepting the whole situation and just needed a bit more time to think. To sort through the small storm of emotions tugging this and that way. "Maybe my place. If dad's still out. Don't really feel like having to climb up to the fourth floor to sneak in through my bedroom window at the moment." She adds and gives Uldren a small smile. It sounds like something she could totally be doing otherwise.
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
roll me up and smoke me, love, and we can fly into the night you take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own
“I’m sure we can find something.” He offers her gently, his hand covering her own as he feels her thumb rub against his chest. Her mumble to herself is met with a hum of agreement from Uldren, refraining from adding any commentary on her mumble about herself when it would only be met with a simple “I dunno how I survived either.” But she offers to get going and his hand curls around hers to hold it as he starts to move, offering support should she need it.
There is a laugh at her comment, though, trying to lighten the mood. “Yeah I’d rather not have to do that.” In this heat it sounded miserable, it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Think there’s a slushie cart on the way, could grab something there if he isn’t sold out already.” He starts to head that way, headed in the direction he recalls parting ways with her the first time they had met.
It takes a second, but then her fingers curl to hold his hand in return. As if she she had not expected him to hold onto it as they start walking. As if part of her is still just waiting for him to disappear or something. His laugh managed to keep the smile on her face for a while longer, at least. "He left a note saying he would be out for a while, so I think we can use the front door without having to answer fifty questions." She isn't even sure if her father was even aware of her hiding in her room all that time. She nods at the offer of checking out the slushie cart. "Sounds good. If I can't keep that down, then I don't know what."
There is a tiny part of her that wishes she was still too distracted to notice the heat now when they walk, but she still seems very relieved that what might have been one of the hardest parts for her so far was over; Having to tell Uldren. She glances down at their hands with a soft sigh. Her other hand goes for the pocket again, then ends up just fidgeting by her side. Fingers twitching restlessly. "Thank you." It comes out quieter than she intends and she takes a small breath before continuing "For sticking around. Really." Her hand holding his even tighten its grip a little bit, as if she is worried it will slip away from her anyway.
The reader of this text has standing permission for responsible powerplay and to use physical/magical force against this character. Instant killing and permanently maiming not included.
roll me up and smoke me, love, and we can fly into the night you take drugs, to let go, and figure it all out on your own
“Phew.” Uldren half whistles at the fact that they could use the front door without being asked a ton of questions. It’s a slight relief, at least, though he wonders if he’ll have to leave out the window in case her father comes home before he’s gone.
That’s a later Uldren problem, however, and so he gladly takes her hand and guides her toward the cart vendor on the way to her place, content to keep her hand in his. Her thank you takes him by surprise, his head tilting toward her as they walk. “You’re welcome.” He says softly, instead of an of course. He likes to think he’s reasonable, that most people would do this, but he knows that’s not true.
“In case it wasn’t clear, I like you a lot Ira. You’re not gonna scare me off easily.” A playful wink is shot her way, his hand squeezing hers gently as he guides her along the alley toward the cart in the distance. It looks like the man hasn’t sold out yet, at the very least, so there might still be some hope of cooling down.
