Twas the night after Christmas -

[bloodyashes]

Characters: Asch and open; later, he goes to see Jade about things [closed]
Setting: A nicely hidden corner of the upper lounge and/or media floor; hassling Jade in the library
Format: What have you, bro
Summary: Feelings about regains, headaches about replicas, yelling at Jade
Warnings: Fon Fabre temper tantrums incoming.

[There's a redhead in a beanbag chair in the corner, heels tucked in, with an old framed photo in his lap. Asch's attention is pretty much entirely on the picture, which is tilted up so that it can't be seen from any other angle. Want to see? Better come lean around his shoulder and be obnoxious.]

[He puts a hand to his forehead very suddenly, as though taken by an unexpected headache. Uh-oh, isn't the flu epidemic over? Maybe you'd better go see what's wrong with him.]

Library -

[It's as good a place to start looking as any. Asch is very pointedly not hurrying through the shelves, because it's not like it really matters anyway. If Jade can't fix this, then no one can, and at least death in the Tower isn't going to stick.

Luckily, it seems that right there is the teal uniform he's looking for.]

Jade.

[All the greeting you get. No beating around the bush today.]

Is there any way to halt fonon separation once it's begun? Failing that, is there a way to slow it?

Comments

[holychord]

Asch?

[Why was Tear passing through the media room? IT'S A MYSTERY. But she was, and she noticed him out of the corner of her eye. She actually thought she'd found Luke for a moment. But then she saw him seeming to clutch his head, and she started toward him quickly.]

Are you alright?

Library

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[Jade's still reading as the temperamental of the two Fabre boys came into his little reading space.

He at least seems to be ignoring Asch at present, though he finally looks to him at the questions.]

It depends.

[bloodyashes]

Tear? ...It's nothing.

[The ache is already mostly past; Asch brushes a few stray hairs back before folding his hands, facing the photo down into his knees.]

[bloodyashes]

Depends on what?

[Really, Jade, he does not have the patience for your games right now.]

[holychord]

That... didn't look like nothing.

[She glanced curiously at the photo, but didn't say anything about it... yet.]

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

Quite a few factors. I'd have to do tests before I gave you any answers worth any weight.

[bloodyashes]

It's nothing you can do anything about, so don't concern yourself.

[Depending on how much she nosed around the manor, the frame, even from behind, might be familiar to Tear - it's fancy filigree as only the royal family can afford, after all.]

[bloodyashes]

[Jade he hates you so thoroughly right now.]

What. Tests.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[Get angry with the only person who has an iota of a clue of how to help you. See how far that gets you.]

Blood fonon tests, a physical, a scan of your fonon frequency and comparitive data from Luke.

[bloodyashes]

[And all of that is fine up till - ]

There's no need to get him involved.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

To see how far through the fonon separation you are, I need to see your normal levels, and since I can't, Luke will do, being that he is the same as you biologically.

[bloodyashes]

I can tell you that it's not very far; the symptoms regressed when I arrived here.

[He'd thought they were gone, that he'd be able to at least live here without the constant fatigue and random pains - ]

I've only been experiencing anything at all for the last twenty four hours.

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[Jade sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. Telling Asch why that wasn't a valid measurement of his condition would be a waste of an explanation.]

I can run some tests on you and go from the results.

[bloodyashes]

Let's do that, then.

[He's nearly died from this once through already, Jade, he knows what the progression feels like at this point.]

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[Jade doesn't. And telling him that "You feel better" is like breaking your leg and getting to the hospital and telling them "it feels better now". Where's the break? How bad is it? Does it need a splint or full cast? by feeling better is it beginning to heal wrong?]

Is there a level where I can work?

[Busting in here, demanding his help. Rude boy.]

[bloodyashes]

[Well then ask more detailed questions, you bastard.]

There's a laboratory a few floors up. If that doesn't have what you need, I doubt it's in the Tower.

[And where else is he supposed to go exactly :la None of the other science-types are from Auldrant and also he doesn't trust them with so much as a strand of his hair.]

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[That would be too easy.]

I'll meet you there in an hour or so.

[He looks like he's about to go back to his books now.]

[holychord]

[Oh, so that's how it was. Not that they were close friends or anything, but that didn't mean he had to act like that. So her eyes fell to the frame. Obviously he wanted to hide the picture it held...]

Fine... What's that you're holding?

[bloodyashes]

[Don't feel like the lone ranger, Tear, this is how it is to everyone.

At the question, Asch looks down at his lap.]

It just appeared yesterday in my things.

...

It's from the manor.

[Hence why he's holding it kind of awkwardly.]

[bloodyashes]

[Of course it would.]

I'll be waiting.

[He really will, too. Asch takes his leave in a flutter of loose fabric and heads for the stairs.]

[bootsweremadeforcasting]

[Jade goes back to reading. Asch could barge in and demand his help, but it would certainly be on Jade's time. He wasn't out to make things worse for the boy, but he wasn't about to cut out his research mid-book.

However, as promised, Jade was entering the lab in exactly one hour, hands in his pockets and looking for the redhead.]

[holychord]

Can I see it?

[On some small level, she might have just wanted to see a picture of Luke as a boy... Mostly though, it was about harassing Asch just a little, in her own way.]

[bloodyashes]

[And as promised, Asch is waiting, sitting up on the edge of an examination table with an anatomy book spread across his lap. He closes the book with a whumph when Jade arrives.]

Find anything useful?

[bloodyashes]

...

[He slides the photo over to her without a word, still face down. On the proper side is a picture of Luke - or rather, Asch - at about eight, holding hands with a tiny Natalia. Standing behind the two is Luke's mother, with one hand on each child's shoulder. All three are smiling, although the redheaded boy looks more than a bit pouty about it.]

[holychord]

[She turned it over and smiled, a little sadly. It was cute, even though it was technically Asch, and not Luke. But seeing little Natalia was bittersweet. She wondered if everyone back home really was alright... And she also wondered a lot of things about Luke, in his current state...

She returned the picture to Asch, and stood silent for a moment, not sure what to say to him.]