just what I needed

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

The trinkets are enough to capture Uldren’s attention – not unlike a crow in the fact he appreciates and adores shiny things. The blankets as well are soft and comfortable and the gems dealer runs his fingers along the fabric as he peers down at the metallic little statues someone has put together, trying to pick out what kind of animal it is when Ira leans in to whisper to him after his agreement for the Tangles trip. His gaze flickers back to her, a smile twisting on his face as she presses a kiss to his cheek and all he can offer is a “can’t wait,” before she’s letting go of his hand and seemingly disappearing into the small crowd.

He watches her go, torn between hovering and mother henning her or letting her figure it out on her own for a little while. He wants to come off as not too clingy, so he decides to let her depart for a few minutes at least. It gives him time to get one of those soft colorful scarves, little designs from Bini (the Drench’s patron saint), adorned in little colorful masks along a grey scarf. He purchases it, murmurs a soft thanks, and winds his way through the crowd where he’d seen her go, to find her crouched beside a lamppost, coughing her heart out.

Uldren approaches slowly, before he crouches beside her and lays a warm hand on her back, rubbing little circles into her spine in the hopes it might help relieve some of the coughing fit, doing his best to say nothing and trying his best to not be like her father.

Uldren

ira

She has no idea for how long she sits there. It feels like the coughing goes on for all too long either way and she feels Uldren's hand on her back before it all starts to ease up. He doesn't have to worry about being too much like her father with what he is doing, at least. Showing far too much genuine, gentle care to make her connect the two of them at this point. Had it been her father, they would most likely have parted after some huge argument already. Had Uldren been like her father, he would be angrily scolding her right now for even setting a foot outside and trying to demand that she goes back home.

Even after the coughing stops, she remains huddles up for a moment longer. Tensed and worried it will start all over again if she makes an attempt at taking a deeper breath, leaving her taking quick, strained gasps for air. "M'alright..." She manages to to get out and slowly unfolds herself, putting one hand on his shoulder and keeping the other pressed against her chest. "Whatever you do... Don't get this shit... It sucks." She huffs a short, bitter laugh and it looks like it's just about to throw her right back into a new coughing fit, but she manages to hold it back and forces herself to take calmer breaths.

"Sorry about that." She mumbles hoarsely and leans a little more against his hand, then turns enough to put her forehead against his with a low sigh. "I promise I'm not trying to make you worry about me for one reason or the other all the time... Not on purpose, at least." She offers him a faint smile and slowly manages to get her breathing somewhat under control again, even if there's discomfort still showing on her face at each breath.

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

It is relieving to know he isn’t exactly like her father, taking steps to show his concern yet not be overbearing. It’s evident in the way she seems to relax, doesn’t bite his head off like he’s heard her say she’s done to her father before, and he continues to rub his hand in little motions like it might break up whatever the infection in her lungs might be causing.

But alas, he isn’t a doctor, he just has some vague ideas. So he huffs a soft snort at her comment and bitter laugh, wincing as he notices the pain etched across her face. “Not my intention.” He teases her lightly. He’s already got his nasty cold, he doesn’t need anything else on top of it.

But soon enough her coughing subsides and her forehead meets his and he wraps an arm around her, nuzzling his face in close. “I’d know if it was on purpose.” He flashes her a crooked smile. “Though I wonder if maybe up here we might be able to find you an inhaler or something to make it hurt less?” It would still need the antibiotic, but an inhaler might relax her lungs enough to keep it from hurting so bad.

Uldren

ira

Uldren might be at risk of getting his head bitten off if he starts trying to decide over her, and he could receive warning nips if he starts fussing too much. His current amount of worry she makes herself accept, and it probably helps that she already likes him a lot. Helps her with keeping any annoyance at bay and have time to remind herself that the concern just comes with caring and that she can't exactly stop him from feeling it. She'd honestly be concerned as well if he got very ill. Her father's worry was more attempts at controlling and she could not accept it when he tried to show any kind of care, when he spent all other times denying her what she actually wanted from him.

She holds onto his shoulders as he puts his arm around her, ignoring any potential looks they might be getting for sitting there huddled up together. Other people are not her concern at the moment. He mentions finding an inhaler and she spends a few seconds thinking it over while making sure her lungs are behaving before daring to speak again.

"We... Can always look." She begins, sounding a bit hesitant. "Probably expensive... Like everything else." She isn't exactly against trying things that might help in some way, especially after promising him that she would try to find help if needed and she really doesn't want to worry him more that necessary. There had just been a lot of medical expenses lately and life just seems to throw her new ones. When it rains, it pours...

She nods, as if confirming that she's agreeing with the suggestion. "Alright... We've got a new goal then. Unless you want to look around the market some more?" She gives him another small smile and takes a brief moment to carefully breathe and making sure no new coughing fit is on the way, then picks up her mug and makes to stand up again.

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

He’s content to hold her for however long she needs him to, arm wrapped around her shoulder, letting his words drift in the air between them as he awaits an answer. When her voice bridges the air between them, Uldren lets his gaze linger on her as the hesitancy in her voice comes to the forefront of his mind and he flashes her a soft smile, grabbing the scarf from his pocket to drape around her neck to keep her warm. “Probably. But worth it, I think.” He’d spend all the money in the world to keep her from feeling like this.

So when she agrees, nodding her head, Uldren’s smile grows a bit brighter – immediately shaking his head to her suggestion of the market. “Nope, got what I wanted.” He teases her, the arm around her shoulders lifting just enough to fiddle with the scarf he’s draped there, before his gaze lifts to get a better idea of where they are and where a medical spot might be at.

Signs point further down the road past the market they were just perusing, and Uldren starts them on that direction once Ira’s ready. “’Sides, there’s no shame in askin' around if anyone has anything.” Maybe Uldren can charm them enough or make them feel bad enough about it that they’ll cut them a deal anyway. Provided they can find anything, that is.

Uldren

ira

It's still a bit of a struggle for her sometimes, the care and affection. She goes between overwhelmed, happy and wary of it. Years of neglect from her father and mistreatment from the one before Uldren have left their marks one way or the other, but she's trying her best to give it all a new page to be on now. She does find comfort in Uldren keeping her close once she actually lets the walls down and she really does appreciate him caring about her. It's the worry he has that she doesn't like, but perhaps letting him do things the way he wants to will alleviate some of that worry.

It's part of the reason she goes along with his suggestion, but also that she really wants to be rid of some of the pain if possible. She's so distracted by her thoughts and attempts at breathing without coughing that she doesn't really notice the scarf until he fiddles with it, and she gives it a confused and surprised look as they start walking. "Did you get this for me?" Gifts are, unfortunately, something she isn't used to anymore either, but she wraps one end of the scarf up around a hand and with a small smile nuzzles her face against the soft fabric.

"Don't you need it more, though? You're the one with the sore throat, by the sound of it." She gives him a concerned look of her own, but then unwraps her hand to move that end of the scarf over to Uldren. Draping the scarf across both their shoulders. "There. Compromise."

She flashes him a brighter smile and hugs her arm around his waist to keep herself close enough while they walk, then looks around at signs and buildings to see if she can spot a place that looks like what they are searching for. "Mh, maybe no shame in asking, just... Don't wanna get scolded for being so ill." She mumbles and makes it sound like it's a common occurrence. "In my defense, it did get worse faster than usual this time... Maybe it's mixed with that new disease."

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

She doesn’t notice the scarf immediately, which does bring some amount of amusement to Uldren’s face, notably known when she runs her hand through it and asks him if he got it for her, his amusement shifting into a bright grin. “I did.” He chimes, snorting a soft sound as she asks him if he needs it more, prepared to wave off his cold with a slight shrug. He can’t deny that he sounds like he needs it, his throat ravaged from coughing and soreness.

But she’s inventive when she drapes it over both their shoulders, and Uldren reaches up to tuck his corner around his neck with a hum of a hoarse laugh. “Compromise.” He agrees as he picks which way to walk, guiding them in the direction when she speaks next. He understands, though, the not wanting to be scolded for something so personal, and he squeezes the arm around her gently, pulling her a bit closer into him. “I’ll yell at ‘em if they try to.” He offers.

A small frown graces his face at the idea of it being part of the plague that’s descended upon them and he keeps his arm tight as he guides them toward the medical space that the signs have pointed to, looking at the stores geared toward medicines and items to aid in healing. “Hopefully not, but, ‘m no doctor so.” He can’t say what it is. What he can do, however, is pop them into a shop to see if there’s any pop up clinics around that have an opening for a walk in, all in the name of getting an inhaler. The owner of this particular shop has one running out of the back, at least, and due to recognition from one Drencher to another, guides them toward it into a line with only three people ahead of them.

Uldren

ira

She wants to object to him waving off his cold and sore throat, but catches herself before she can say anything about it. Quick to realise that it will just be roles reversed if she's the one starting to fuss over him instead, but she does find it difficult not to now when she has someone to care about too. However, she is content with him agreeing to the compromise of sharing the scarf and she leans in to give his neck a gentle kiss as they walk, as if attempting to soothe his throat. Emotionally soothing, at least.

"Please, no yelling. If we play nice, maybe they'll give you something for the throat too." She says with a soft smile and hugs herself close as well with her arm around him. If Uldren is not letting her get away without anything for her problems, she is just going to prod him about his as well.

She doesn't like the idea of the algae plague having anything to do with it either, but the thought does cross her mind every now and then. Pneumonia mixed with plague just sounds like a disastrous nightmare and she shakes her head slightly at it, as if trying to get the thought to leave as they step into a shop and are guided to the line.

"So... Taking people on romantic dates to doctors often?" She glances sideways at Uldren with a small smirk, the joking an attempt at staying relaxed, but she has turned visibly tensed since the moment they stepped into the more medical environment and the waiting makes her shifts restlessly under his arm from time to time.

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

“Oh, maybe!” Uldren chimes again, enough that his hoarse throat almost gives out for the moment with how much force he’s used as if her thought alights a lightbulb in his head to help give him the idea of it. He does hum a soft laugh at least, keeping her close, warming with the gentle kiss to his sore throat, and he tries to convince himself that her kiss would be the only thing that would be able to cure his throat, even if it weren’t realistic. She wasn’t his mother, kissing a scratch to make it better, even if he wished that was how it worked.

It'd surely save a lot of frustration.

Luckily, though, the medic pop up stand is less frustrating, even if they have to wait. It isn’t like the long lines in the Drench, at the very least, and Uldren remains leaned in close to Ira as she offers the joke even if he can tell that it covers up a lot more restless worry. “Don’t you know it’s the best place to find out if people can get along?” He teases back to her, flashing her a wink and giving her a gentle squeeze as the line grows shorter, now only behind one person as they wait. “True relationship test, right here.” He whispers, before huffing another soft laugh that burns against the scratchy soreness of his throat.

Uldren

ira

He receives a few more concerned glances with how his throat sounds and she's starting to gain some understanding of how difficult it is not to worry, and she makes a mental note to herself to try and be more open to him wanting to do things for her.

She keeps herself hugged close, not only to keep the scarf around them both but also because Uldren is indeed comfortable and warm to be near. Leaning herself a tiny bit more against his shoulder for support while they wait, the fatigue from not being able to breathe properly wearing down on her. His teasing response keeps the smirk on her face, however, and she chuckles quietly before leaning in to affectionately nuzzle her face against his neck at the scratchy sound of his laugh and lean her head on his shoulder. "Is that so? Here I thought we'd passed the ultimate test already." She teases back and tries to mask the added discomfort she accidentally brings to herself by mentioning last season's events again.

"I believe in our chances with this one too. I'll try to be at my best good behaviour..." She whispers with another small smirk, then has enough time to curse under her breath and press her face into his shoulder before another fit of coughing takes over. She does what she can to keep them as muted as possible as if to not draw too much attention, even if holding them back just seems to cause them to stab her even harder in the chest instead. The hand around Uldren grips at his side at first, but she quickly switches to twist a hard grasp on his shirt to not dig her fingers into him.