Regret, running out of steam, and atonement

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Characters: Eiji and you!
Setting: Floor Four
Format: Action this day, action this night!
Summary: Eiji finally hits the wall from running about this week, and trying to keep away from people until the lights came back on.
Warnings: Angst!


[After a long, grueling climb up the stairs, Eiji stumbled toward the sitting area - he looked like a wreck. Bruised up, small cuts here and there from wandering in the dark. He hadn't slept much - and when he managed, he didn't sleep well. The panicked faces and cries of the kids he'd run across this week had been haunting him, and they still did.

He wanted to do something to work out the frustration - throw a fit, yell, rant...do something, but he was too wiped. Too much time away from his bed had taken a toll on him, and he couldn't move much more.]

[He'd almost made it to the couch when he collapsed, landing halfway on it.]

Comments

[pchaaair]

[Tavros had been out and about - trying to avoid a certain spidertroll - when he saw Eiji collapse. He'll go up to him and cautiously nudge him.]

Um, are you okay?

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

[There's a faint groan, and Eiji tries to force himself onto the couch more.]

[Despite the obvious situation, he nods weakly.] Y-yeah...

[pchaaair]

Are you sure, that you are definitely okay? Because, um, I don't really know a lot about humans, but, it seems like something isn't okay.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

[Eiji pushed himself a bit more, then collapsed again.]

Ah... J-just tired is all.

[pchaaair]

[There is now a troll boy helping Eiji get onto the couch.]

Uhh, there.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

[There's a smile on his face, followed by a sigh.] Ah, thank you...uhm. I'm afraid I don't know who you are.

[pchaaair]

I don't really, um, know who you are either, but, I'm Tavros.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

[Eiji nods.] Nice to meet you, Tavros. I'm Eiji, and I appreciate the help.

[pchaaair]

It's nice to meet you too, Eiji. Uh-- and it's, no problem, I guess.

Why were you so tired? If you don't mind me asking.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Just... Just been a long week during the outage was all.

[pchaaair]

Oh. Uh. [Yeah, he understood all too well, considering what had happened.] Yeah, I think that I understand that.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. [He sighs quietly, then smiles a little.] At least all that's over, though. And the power's back on, thankfully. Rather hard to find one's way around in the dark in this place.

[pchaaair]

Uh, yeah. I think that I agree with that, kind of, even if I didn't have that many problems with the dark. Because, um, I guess I'm used to being awake in the dark anyway.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Hm? [Eiji's attention is fully on Tavros now.] Insomnia, or just a nocturnal person?

[pchaaair]

I guess you could say that it's, uh, a mixture of a both, sort of.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...are you okay?"

Luke curiously eyed the guy half-on the couch, going against his better sensibilities to try and ease Eiji the rest of the way on to the couch. It, uh, didn't seem to be going too smoothly, if at all.

"Ouf!"

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

"I'm fin--" Eiji's cut off by the boy trying to help him. On one hand, he wants to protest, but on the other hand he's kind of already on the couch.

"Ah--.. Thank you," he finally said, though awkwardly.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"No problem!" Luke, eternally unaware of awkward!

"You don't look fine. Are you sure you're okay?" Then again, most people around here didn't look too great, did they?

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eiji nodded, adjusting a bit, then falling limp with a sigh. "Yeah. Just really tired. Been working too much, I guess."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...do you need any tea? Cherry Boost tea is good if you need a pick-me-up!"

Luke shifted his overstuffed satchel around, the bag rattling somewhat noisily. Apparently he really, did, carry a teapot and cups around.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

"Eh?" Eiji looked over, a bit confused. "...admittedly, it sounds nice, but don't you need to go to the cafeteria to make it?"

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"Whyever would I?" Luke was going through his bag before Eiji even finished his sentance, and out came, indeed, a teapot and a cup with saucer. It took a moment longer for him to pull out a little pouch, presumably with ingredients...then a metal thermos, apparently full of hot water. It was about two minutes of mixing and steeping later when he finally gave a light 'aha!'.

"One cup of Cherry Boost tea~" ...and handed the product of his very British efforts to Eiji.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

While Luke was busy with that, Eiji was working on pushing himself up. The process was a welcome distraction from the myriad things on his mind, and was rather fascinating to watch.

Once the cup and saucer is offered, Eiji takes it with a nod. "Thank you - you're rather prepared for such situations, aren't you?"

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"It's a gentleman's duty to always be prepared!" Luke gave a satisfied nod, pouring himself a cup as well. Since Eiji had straightened up some, Luke also sat down on the couch, enjoying a sip.

"Cherry Boost tea has quite a bit of Peppercherry in it, if the name doesn't give such away. It also has Oasis Berry, to give it a refreshing boost!"

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eiji took a sip. "Ah, it's good! Though I must say I've not heard of those fruits in my travels. To be fair, there's a lot I haven't experienced or heard about..."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"Oh, they're grown around London. That might be why. Specifically, several of them come from Dropstone." Luke gave a satisfied nod and took another sip, scooching back in to the couch some more. It felt good to relax with a cup of tea.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eiji's head tilted to the side faintly as he considered this, then sipped again. "Guess they must be an extremely localized pair of fruits. Either way, they make a good tea."

He did feel a bit better already, but whether that was the tea at work, or just the whole situation was yet to be seen.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"I suppose. The Professor would know more about that..." Ugh. He didn't want to think about that at the moment. Time to switch gears.

"You probably shouldn't work so hard, if you've become so tired that you have to sleep on a couch." Luke scolded, setting his cup down on Random Surface 32b.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind it, though. Well. Usually - I'm not used to there being so many stairs between my bed and whatever I'm doing." He chuckles a bit, though his tone is awkward as he does so.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"Oh, the stairs..." That made a bit more sense. Luke was lucky enough to run around with Hershel "We'll walk" Layton, or he'd have been tuckered out by now too. "It's really too bad we're not allowed to use the elevator...it'd sure make all our lives a lot easier."

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eiji nodded. "I definitely agree there. I'm no stranger to walking or exercise, but there's times when you just need a shortcut."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"Maybe it's not big enough to suit all of us...if it ever broke down, then everything would grind to a halt again." Sigh, the problems of the service industry. Luke retrieved his tea, downing the remainder of the cup now that it was cooled down a lot more.

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eiji took a drink, considering this. "Well, that would be if a lot used it at once... Hmn." A sigh. "I suppose our keepers have their reasons."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...'keepers'."

Luke seemed to mull that over specifically, setting the empty cup back on random surface 32b.

"It'd be nicer if they would be more forthcoming with information. I'd still like to know how exactly this place runs, after all the nonsense with the blackout."

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

"That would be nice, yeah... I have my doubts that we'll find out easily, though."

Eiji downs the rest of his tea, setting the saucer and cup beside Luke's. "Thank you again, that was quite good."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

Luke dropped the subject of their 'keepers' pretty eagerly, it seemed.

"No problem, always happy to help! As long as you're feeling better, of course."

[spiritsup.livejournal.com]

[Romeo clambered up onto the fourth floor, he had heard there were more floors opened and he wanted to go and explore, as long as all the mosters had gone! They had been very scary but everyone said they couldn't hurt them anymore. Romeo recognised the figure on the couch, sort of, he couldn't be sure because it had been dark. But he thought it was the man who had the monster with glowing eyes inside him.] Hello sir? Are you alright?

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

[That voice was rather familiar...]

[With one last heave, Eiji got himself on the couch, then collapsed with a heavy sigh.]

Yeah... Just very, very tired.

[spiritsup.livejournal.com]

Do you want to go to your bedroom? [He's approached and is stood by the bed] Beds are better for sleeping in!

[hoboherooo.livejournal.com]

Eventually. [Eiji lets his breathing even out a bit before he speaks again.] Just want to rest a bit before I go the rest of the way.

[spiritsup.livejournal.com]

Alright. [Romeo kneels next to the coach] I can help you, but you can rest here first. Do you need some water?