oathshackledbird: Rest (Rest)
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne ([personal profile] oathshackledbird) wrote in [community profile] towerofanimus2014-03-14 07:17 pm

I would rather Fly than Fall...

Characters: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne ([personal profile] oathshackledbird) and open to anyone who wants to run into him! (Closed prompt at the end for Waver Velvet, [personal profile] fionnuisce. Close prompt now added for Reno, [personal profile] midgarhorizon , and Shion, [personal profile] savedbyasong !)
Setting: Room 2-16, the hallways, Room 2-04, and anywhere on the Dorm Levels/Safe floors of the Tower.
Format: Starting in prose, pick your poison after that!
Summary: Log to cover several things including the 'Tower of Jenova' event, dating from the 14th to the 23rd. (A few backdated prompts will likely be added later and, depending on the Mod Event which lasts from the 23rd to the 27th, prompts for it may be added as well.) After denying for a few days anything is wrong, Diarmuid gives in and goes looking for Waver in hopes that the magus can help cure whatever is making him feel so sick. Cue camp out/sleepover in room 2-04 with possible feverish wanderings from time to time. My apologies in advance to the other occupants of 2-04...
Warnings: Diarmuid's cap for the event is LI2, which means he will be very sick and sporting a rash after a while. While he will have mood dips and periods of negativity throughout the event, he won't be having any of the other, more severe symptoms associated with the higher levels and won't be dying. The negative emotions that are mentioned in the prompts will be less prominent during the early part of the event and get stronger as the event goes on. Specific Warnings for negative emotions, mentions of death/death wishes, things related to the flu/respiratory infections/fever, and potential mild violence and mild mentions of blood. If Diarmuid runs into any of those with higher infection levels, their threads will be marked with that character's level of infection (LI) should the thread progress to anything besides them talking. Threads with characters that have higher infection levels should be assumed to have warnings similar to those in the open mingle including mentions of body modification, violence, blood, and injury.
Note: I would like to request that if your character knows or suspects that Sephiroth is behind the illness going around, that they not say anything about that to Diarmuid at this time. I am an evil mun and am making him wait until after the event at least to find out--if he even does then. But he was just so sure Sephiroth was up to something... Thanks guys!

The Gym, 3-7 in the morning (Closed to Reno and Shion):

This meeting is long overdue. Even though the last time Diarmuid talked to Shion the boy seemed to have made great steps in better controlling his emotions and berserk outbreaks, the meeting is still necessary. So many times people discover things about themselves in this place only to lose that new information because of something happening. Diarmuid wants to make sure the new discoveries Shion has made aren't lost like that. Not when they have done so much to help the boy stabilize himself.

While he waits, Diarmuid pulls out his swords and starts doing a few simple practice strikes with them. It won't be long until Reno and Shion arrive, but it's hard for him to sit still in the gym. Especially considering he's in a pretty good mood. The ring on his finger catches his eye for a moment and his smile widens.

Okay, a really good mood...

Room 2-16, 3-14 in the morning:

As hard as he is trying to deny it, when Diarmuid wakes up feeling like he is on fire and being smothered at the same time, he can't keep doing it any longer. Somehow, someway, he is sick and not just slightly sick. Very sick. The first few days he had ignored it figuring it to be a product of his working himself too hard, the room switches, or even a bit of a recurrence of the exhaustion that had plagued him after helping to recharge the Tower...

Then Grainne had arrived and everything had just gotten worse. Literally. It's almost as if his emotional uncertainty has somehow been feeding whatever is wrong with him. He doesn't blame her at all, but it is very clear he his condition is going downhill. Today is only proof positive of that.

His thoughts drift to cursing Jason because this reminds him too much of the sickness he had heard went around the December before he arrived. Of course, it can't be Jason this time because he is dead, but might someone else have set it off instead? If the response Waver had gotten to his request is any indication, Zo is in charge this month as normal. He would never do something like this. Is Ruana still playing games behind the scenes?

The thought makes him shiver...or that just might be chills from the fever. Diarmuid tries to pull himself from the bed, but ends up collapsing instead, breaking into a fit of shivers hard enough that his vision swims and he realizes he can't just stay here. He needs to find a healer. He needs to find Waver...

To be honest, he is kind of surprised Waver hasn't found him already, but he has kept distant on the bond lately not wanting to drain his partner more than necessary. That and with Grainne arriving, Diarmuid would be lying if he didn't say he is afraid of what he might find there...or not find there as the case may be.

He tries to rise again and finally manages to get to his feet. After swaying for a moment, he stumbles to the door and into the hallway. Here's hoping Waver is actually in his room and not at the Laboratory for once. Diarmuid's not so sure he will make it that far...

Dorm hallways, 2nd Floor, 3-14 in the morning:

Everything is spinning and it's starting to make Diarmuid sick to his stomach. He's never felt this bad before, not even when he was alive. Sickness, just had avoided him. Maybe he had been lucky or maybe his father had been watching out for him. In ether event, he's not used to feeling like this. His arms wrap around his waist and he takes a deep breath trying to force himself to walk in a straight line.

It's not going so well. Hopefully, he won't run into anyone too hard...

Room 2-04, anytime on 3-14 to 3-23:


If he had more energy or will Diarmuid would probably be tossing and turning, but as it is he is just laying in Waver's bed feeling guilty. They keep trying to heal him and while it seems like it works for a while, he always gets worse again. He supposes he should be glad he's not hallucinating. That had been part of Jason's virus, hadn't it? Or...maybe he is and he just doesn't realize it. Is his brain trying to tell him just how much of a burden he is on everyone? Is that why the healing only ever holds for a while?

Dorm hallways/Safe Tower floors anytime on 3-14 to 3-23:


He slips away sometimes when they aren't watching close enough or think he's asleep. Diarmuid can't help it. As tired as he is, his mind just tells him to run and get away from them so that he's not bothering them anymore. It doesn't help that the urge grows stronger as time passes. How long until they stop leaving him alone? How long until he runs out of chances to free them from the burden he's creating?

Funny, though, he can't ever bring himself to go onto any of the really dangerous floors. That would take care of things pretty quickly, wouldn't it? So, why can't he?

Room 2-04, 3-23 Kill Switch Activation (Closed to Waver):

Perhaps the hallucinations have finally found him after all, because at the moment it feels like something is strangling him...but not strangling him in the normal manner. Instead, its like someone has wrapped their hands around his very core, pulling and crushing it. Trying to rip it away from him. The feeling grows stronger, causing a small frightened sound to slip from his lips. He's not sure what he should do. Should he pull away from Waver to make sure this doesn't affect him too? Should he reach out for him and use the strength his knows his partner will provide to help fight whatever this is?

Should he let go and just stop being a burden?

Diarmuid's exhausted mind is still pondering all this when a the pull suddenly becomes a sharp, searing yank. This time he cannot help but cry out both in pain and fear. As he does, his heart and brain finally slam into agreement. No more dancing around a decision he made long ago. No more waiting for him to consciously realize what he has already unconsciously figured out. He opens the bond and reaches out for Waver just as hard and as desperately as he can...

Help me! Please... I don't want to leave you!

bashfulshifter: (Hmm)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-03-30 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[He nods again in understanding.]

...It's...t-t-tricky to f-figure out, y-yes. [Not so much that his dishes don't come out reliably decent, though. Because--] ...B-But if you know w-what, ah...t-t-temperature it's s-supposed to be--the f-f-food, I m-mean--it's n-not so h-hard. Just...h-have to k-keep on t-t-top of it, I g-guess.
bashfulshifter: (derp derp)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-03-31 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Rick at first doesn't understand what Diarmuid means. Does he not know how to use a food thermometer? Doesn't everyone? But eventually it dawns on him--and he gets an idea.]

O-Oh--l-like...g-g-grilling, then?
bashfulshifter: (more anxious than usual)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-04 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[Rick is astounded by this information! He visibly balks, despite otherwise calmly preparing himself a bowl of soup.]

--Y-You...h-h-haven't?
bashfulshifter: (grin)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-04 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[Rick is not so easily convinced! He shakes his head back and flashes a gentle, reassuring smile.]

...W-We can t-t-try it s-s-sometime--when you g-get b-b-better. I'm...s-sure i-it'll be f-fine.

[High hopes, but what's new.]
bashfulshifter: (shy smile)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-05 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Rick blinks in some confusion. What was so out-of-the-blue about that? With as kindhearted as Diarmuid is, he wouldn't have expected anything less.]

[...Not that this makes Rick feel any less bashful when it's said to him, though. The blonde man flushes bright red and tries to hide behind his soup bowl.]


--I-I c-couldn't-- [There's some flustered, incoherent stammering that follows, while Rick tries to quantify exactly what he wants to say.] ...c-c-couldn't do h-h-half of it w-without y-your h-h-help. You're a...a g-great f-f-friend, D-Diarmuid. Thank you.
bashfulshifter: (jsdlfjasl;fjals;djfasl;kfj;;;;;;;;)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-06 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Pointing it out only makes Rick more flummoxed, as evidenced by his turning away, still looking for other ways to hide his face discretely. When he manages a reply, his voice is a bit garbled, nearly inside his bowl of soup.]

...I-I d-don't...d-d-deserve it...
bashfulshifter: (grin)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-07 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Desperate times call for desperate measures: Rick attempts being wry.]

...I-I s-s-see. Th--Thank you, D-Diarmuid. [He smiles over the rim of his soup.] ...D-Does that m-mean I c-can hide, n-now?
bashfulshifter: (derp derp)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-09 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's trying very hard, okay?]

B-But...how a-am I s-s-supposed to h-hide f-f-from the c-c-compliments...if I h-have to a-a-accept them?
bashfulshifter: (flustered)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-10 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[What? But--no! That's not allowed! Does not compute! Rick's been duped!]

[What little snark he managed to conjure up before immediately dissipates in a puddle of fumbled stuttering and blushing. Master of witty retorts, Rick is not.]
bashfulshifter: (;E)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-12 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
[Not at this rate he can't--especially not with Diarmuid messing up his hair. In spite of the beet-red blush firmly taking hold of his face, Rick is unable to stop himself from squirming and giggling, breaking into a smile as he tries to balance his soup.]

I-I...I g-g-guess n-not... [Bah, Diarmuid, how can he say no to you?] ...Th--Thanks.
bashfulshifter: (jsdlfjasl;fjals;djfasl;kfj;;;;;;;;)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-12 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Having sufficiently recovered from Diarmuid's hair-ruffling assault, Rick has just enough sense to realize that he's been keeping the sick man from the rest he deserves--and is stubborn enough to be extremely remorseful about his mistake. Rick hurriedly gulps down the remainder of his soup so it's no longer in the way and stands.]

--I-I'm s-s-sorry, I--I d-didn't mean to k-keep you. I...I c-can w-w-walk you b-back?
Edited 2014-04-12 18:18 (UTC)
bashfulshifter: (derp derp)

[personal profile] bashfulshifter 2014-04-13 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[But surely he couldn't! Rick wouldn't dare keep a sick man waiting so he can finish his soup, of all things! That would be incredibly rude! Rick quickly shakes his head, making his way next to Diarmuid so he can support the unsteady-looking fellow if he has to--]

[--when he brings up the soup. The blonde man bites his lip, obviously indecisive. If he leaves, there's no guarantee that the Tower's other, less savory inhabitants will leave it alone...]


...R-Right. Um-- [Rick holds up a hand and ducks back to the stove, turns off the heat and secures the pot's top. He would prefer not to put it away while it's still hot, but he doesn't have much of a choice otherwise. Better open the freezer before trying to carry the soup over...]

[As Rick is suitably busy, Diarmuid has plenty of time to leave without him noticing. If he wants to, anyways. One less person worrying over him, right?]