Non Nobis Solum Nati Sumus [Æros]

[Hilana Chenzira]

34 Ash, Year 122

[Closed - Æros]

It was early in the morning, not long past dawn before Hilana was making her way through the Sanctine District. She had an address and a loaded backpack, not to mention she was carrying a box made of woven reeds. Tiaz lounged lazily around her neck and shoulders, and the Vastiana was moving with purpose. This was more than just a friendly visit, this was to check in on one of her friends. And to bring a promised, if exotic, pastry. Not so much what it was, as pies were frequent and bakers often had their own unofficial competitions considering the difficulty in differentiating oneself from one’s competitors.. but the filling, on the other hand... Hilana could make it taste good; and it would stick together and be exactly what it was... but getting fancy with the crust and making all kinds of adornments was not something she dedicated too much time to yet.

She had consulted with Vasilei over the last few days - where Æros and Khyan had had some concerns about what would transpire between them, Hilana took her task of following up and making sure that all was well quite seriously. While some herbalists, or doctors, or physicians, or even veterinarians felt it was a hornet’s nest to treat their own, Hilana had no such qualms. She was usually going full-tilt anyway, but treating sickness was something she had been learning through her Aunt and Vasilei to slow down with. Analyze, diagnose, treat, and provide care. Not just for the sickness, but for the patient. Almost everything could be seen through, if the patient was motivated, her great-aunt always said. They just needed encouragement.

Prepare for hallucinations, of all senses, Vasilei had told her, and watched as she assembled what she needed in terms of treatment. She’d selected a number of herbs for helping with mental clarity; namely, those that could be steeped into teas as well as infused into cloths for compress... Amla berries, amrit, turmeric, tulsi... It was tulsi, too, that she built tea off of, adding rosehips and rose petals, along with dried strawberries, apple, and hibiscus for flavour and body. But more than that, be prepared to be there with the patient, to talk to them, to help break any hallucinations by reacting and being present. With luck, it would be mild, or even moderate. If not, prepare for the worst of the symptoms, and treat.

She knocked gently on the apartment door and let herself in. She knew Khyan would have left by now, the Dominus had mentioned that that was the plan. So Hilana let herself in and closed it behind her, her skirts shifting around her toes as she glanced around. On a table, she placed the woven box containing the blackberry pie, along with a number of packets of tea, and large cookies studded with raisins before searching out the Fae to check in on him. “Hello, Dominus. It’s Hilana. I brought Tiaz with me,” she added, a smile in her voice. “How are you feeling?” A soft hand touched his forehead with her palm, feeling his temperature. If an arm was above the blankets, then she would take his pulse at his wrist with it. If not, then she would check from his throat.

Where Hilana’s energy was usually tightly bound so as not to overwhelm or frustrate others, she and her symphony were decidedly calm, as if the herbalist had taken over completely. Calm, confident, and reassuring. If she was nervous, her patient would pick up on it. Bedside manner was important. All the while, she took stock of what there was. She was sure he would have a pot or a basin somewhere in the kitchen to be found, so that she could soak the poultice, and he had supplies for tea, which would also help... but first things first, checking in on her friend.

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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Always having a penchant for the dramatic and being in a rather uncomfortable state, Æros mourned the loss of his partner's presence with nearly the same fervor as one would if the boy had actually gone and died. However, one would not necessarily perceive this in looking at him. For what turmoil was wrought within, he was remarkably still. This was, in large part, because he felt like his entire body was made of lead and that each joint was distinctly rigid. Of course, he did not know why, but nonetheless he made zero effort to move because the point felt almost entirely moot.

Not that he would even want to move. Doing so made his head spin and his vision felt as if it lagged behind his movements. In some ways it was similar to the type of spinning one gets when one is far too drunk, simply with none of the nicer side effects alcohol possessed. Disorienting as this was, he genuinely felt like a prisoner in his own body for the moment.

On top of that, he felt both chilled and overwarm at the same time, finding himself covered in a thin veil of sweat. This was unpleasant, yes, but with his body feeling as heavy as it did, there was markedly little to be done. He did, at least, fashion the cooling crystal that had been made for him into a pendant and never bothered to take it off which was actually soothing. He preferred to be cold over being too hot.

Then there was the fact that anything he touched almost didn't feel real. Sometimes the texture of objects would be distinctly unpleasant for no reason at all before quickly returning to normal, sometimes it felt like static was running over his skin and sometimes parts of his body would become oversensitive in myriad ways, none of which were remotely pleasant.

And despite the fact that he currently rested alone in silence, he would hear buzzing, ringing sounds in perpetuity. Some would come and go, but there would always be a noise. These noises cycled from ignorable to cacophonous to completely unbearable. He wanted to stab something sharp into each of his ears, but alas, he could not move.

The very air, too, was unrelenting. It was as if his sense of smell was magnified but also that he knew some of the elements present were most certainly not actually there. And while not all of such things were bad, the fact that they were there at all was a nuisance. On top of everything else assailing his senses at the moment, this was just…overwhelming, almost nauseating at times.

When he were to open his eyes, he would see a fascinating array of images. At this point, he would often see Aura lines of a nearly magical, psychedelic nature that bent and warped into images most beautiful…or horrific, depending on the moment. Sometimes, it did help to close his eyes. Other times, this was moot, as he would still see things regardless. Truly, despite the fact that he was laying there doing absolutely nothing, this was one of the most exhausting things he had ever dealt with.

In the time since his initiation started, he'd managed to figure out how to 'tap' the rune with his æther, though he certainly was unable to control it in any reasonable way. That was what he was trying to do now, really, was to stabilize it. In doing so, he hoped that he'd get some relief for the clashing æther that churned through him.

Thus, when his friend entered his apartment, he heard nothing that came across as strange since every sound that entered those pointed ears of his was most eldritch in nature already. In this state, somebody could walk in and kill him with marked ease! It was just nice that he had yet to draw anyone's malice as of yet. Well, anyone that would genuinely take the risk of a murder charge.

When she made her way down the small hall to the right that led to his bedroom, he did hear her footsteps because the floors were hardwood and the door was open. They just did not sound like footsteps. They sounded like chiming bells, which, while disturbing, caused no reaction because why, exactly, would he assume that such sounds were from a person? The sound of her placing down her things was markedly loud, too, and that one came across as particularly close to him. That was the only thing that gave him the slightest suspicion that he was no longer alone.

And then when she spoke, his whole body tensed. He recognized the sound as a voice but it took several seconds for his brain to even register the syllables into words. Hilana's voice sounded painfully bright, tinny, and distorted as if every word was bent and refracted through metal. He grimaced. That effect was certainly unpleasant. He hoped that when next she spoke, his brain would put on a different filter as it seemed to like doing.

After a bear, he managed to gather enough focus to speak. "My body is…a prison," was all he could say for the moment, however. Which, if one can only say five words, such a sentiment was most apt.

He was about half covered by his rather opulent bedding, half not. And though still fully dressed, the man was never known to wear a large volume of clothing at any given time. So while he still maintained his decency, he didn't feel particularly constrained. To be fair, if he did, that would only add to his rather grand level of discomfort.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana smiled down at him as he managed to muster the ability to speak to her. He did feel rather hot to the touch, and that wasn’t good. She already knew he didn’t like heat, and if he was burning up, then that could lead to sickness down the line. “I am going to put Tiaz on your torso,” the girl told him.“He will help take the extra heat from you, and he may make you feel a bit better. If the sensation bothers you, or something else does, just say ‘hurts’, if you can, Dominus.” She was sure that talking was a chore, and as tricksy as this was for him, she didn’t want to hurt or stress him out while he was in the throes of threshold sickness. But the cool python was lowered down on him, and his coils pooled and relaxed over the Fae’s abdomen and chest.

That handled, she opened up her bag and got out the lemon balm ointment, and held it near his nose to test his reaction to it. Lemon balm tended to help calm the brain down and induce a bit of relaxation. A different ointment of herbs was lightly applied to his forehead, though, some odd concoction that smelled like flowers, though Hilana probably knew which ones, but with everything going on... Still, it was meant to give him some relief from the constant input and to help reduce the overwhelming stimuli that he seemed to be experiencing. It did have the effect of reducing the auditory hallucinations, at least. She wanted to give him something to chew, but she also didn’t want to run the risk of his choking on it in the moments she was gone from the room. Sure, she would hear it and come running, but if something went wrong here, Khyan would kill her if she wasn’t sent into the Mount first.

“I am going to put your kettle on for tea, and prepare a cold compress for you,” she told him. If he had been having problems with Tiaz, then she would have lifted the python, but if he was helping... then he could stay. Still, she made her way back to the kitchen, finding the kettle and the tea supplies, and getting the water drawn. She got fresh, cold water into a cup that she found in the cupboards, and sourced a mixing bowl to empty the paper sachet of herbs and flower pieces into. More cold water, and then she stirred it with her fingers rather than risking the sound of steel on ceramic and vexing him.

She didn’t take long, as she came back after every few moments to check his progress and ensure that her patient was still there. But the next trip back to him, she mostly squeezed out a soft washcloth and folded it over the bowl. More senses to explore. Half a dozen types of different plants had gone into it, and that didn’t hardly account for all of the parts within the plants themselves. But the cold, damp cloth was laid over his forehead and his eyes. “I would like you to try to drink, Dominus,” Hilana encouraged Æros. Just a bit of water to help rehydrate you for now while the tea is steeping. The cold compress would help encourage him to relax, the scents of the herbs starting to take more of a forefront in returning that sense of smell to a more normal level. When he was done with the water, Hilana selected a small piece of the green tulsi leaf, folding it loosely. “I want you to just chew on this a bit if you could, Dominus. It is tulsi, or tulasi.” The plant had a taste somewhere between cinnamon and clove, but if it was unbearable, there would be more water to wash it down.

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
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The next time Hilana was to speak, her words were clearer. It was almost as if in doing so the first time, she had broken a bit of a sensory barrier that had been crafted by the fact that, in reality, he had been blanketed in silence and his mind decided to fill in the empty space. Which, of course, was a nuisance. It did not need to do such a thing and, in fact, Æros would prefer that it didn't, but what was he supposed to do about that at the moment? There was nobody to complain to; he was at the mercy of his own body and soul for the moment.

When the snake was gently lowered onto his body, he didn't voice a complaint or move in any way that would indicate resistance or displeasure. He only exhaled something a bit longer as a result of his chest having weight put on it. Tiaz's presence on his form was a welcome one. The snake, being cold blooded, immediately started to leech away his excess heat and the compression of his weight was actually rather soothing. Æros was genuinely a fan of weight on his torso in general and as a such, he'd often hold Khy on top of him when the two of them would sleep.

The scent of lemon was quite sharp at first but after a moment it settled and overpowered the falsehoods that his olfactory senses had been creating. This was certainly a blessing since those hallucinations often invoked nausea and that made it markedly more difficult for him to speak. While he wasn't the world's largest fan of lemon as a flavoring, the scent was pleasant and it nicely accented a great many things when used in small doses.

Regarding what was applied to his forehead, the Færie himself had no idea. All he perceived was her touch and the texture of something new on his skin. He wondered about the purpose for a moment, but as the world around him became notably less loud, he felt as if he could hazard a guess. Without so much noise, he'd be able to actually process her speech without so much difficulty, at least.

"Mmm…okay, you'll find…ah…anything you need for that in the kitchen. Back through the hall you walked through, um…left of the living area." This flat was not exceptionally large so even without vague directions, he was pretty sure she would be able to find that which she would be looking for.

Hilana would come and go a few times. Some of those times, Æros attempted to open his eyes but he wasn't a fan of the result. The two times he did this, her silhouette resembled a completely different person each time. These people were not people he wanted to see, frankly, and their visage on her features was insulting to the girl herself so he decided it would be best to therefore keep his eyes closed. So when she returned and placed a cold cloth over the majority of his upper face, he had little complaint. There was no desire to see, anyways. For what good was vision at all if it were so incredibly inaccurate?

Her next step was to compel him to drink water. While his mind was reticent to the idea at first, he went along with her suggestion and found that the hydration was notably refreshing. He could not remember how long it had been since he'd ate or drank anything, to be fair, since the way his senses were altered had also greatly hindered his ability to properly perceive the passage of time. Following that, she offered an herb of sorts, and though she named it, he did not quite recognize it. Nonetheless, he managed to consume whatever it was, just hoping that it would make some sort of difference. He didn't really like cinnamon unless it was softened by something sweet, so more water afterwards was certainly welcome in this case.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

The tulsi’s sharp flavour was helping to bring things back into focus as the Fae chewed on it. “It helps with mental clarity, which helps break up the hallucinogenic effects of your initiation’s threshold sickness,” the Vastiana explained to him, and when the leaf was done, she offered him more water. If he finished that cup, she would go and refill it, and check in the kettle in the meantime. ”I have tea for steeping with it for you. But I’ve added other things to make it more palatable.” The sharp taste of the herb helped to further cut through the delusions and illusions that were plaguing his senses, and it was combined with those that had been powdered and mixed with the water, and rested on the cloth over the upper half of his face and nose. The strange sounds were fading, and even without his sight, it was easier to keep track of her voice and her movements.

Tiaz didn’t seem inclined to move from where the python was settled upon him, which tracked with the creature’s noted laziness. But if he didn’t have to expend energy, the constrictor wasn’t about to do so. Since the horned Fae seemed fairly happy with the relatively heavy snake, Hilana’s companion was just the right size for this job. Of course; he would continue to grow, but that wasn’t likely to be of a problem for this sort of work. He was enough without being too much. His tongue did flicker, but the reptile just enjoyed his body warmth.

She did leave him briefly to go pour the water from the kettle into the teapot, having placed the prepared tea in the strainer. But she returned fairly quickly, her steps light on the hardwood. No one would ever accuse the gazelle of stomping around like a bison. “How do your limbs feel?” Hilana asked him, finding one of his four-fingered hands and testing the way his joints and tendons felt when she opened and closed them, watching what she could of his face from under the cloth in the darkened bedroom. “Can you feel my hands when I do that?” She wanted to know, holding his much larger hand between her own, continuing to bend and flex his fingers.

[Aeros]

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Cinnamon, clove, or similarly 'sharp' sorts of flavors were odd things. When added to food or drink in deliberate, limited amounts, used as accents or curbed by other added flavors, they were really quite pleasant, often adding an enjoyable sort of spice. But when one consumed such things raw without any such dilution? They became markedly less palatable. Nevertheless, Æros figured Hilana was not the type to feed him something unpleasant just to watch him suffer and therefore did his level best to not be a difficult patient, both for his own sake and to not be an annoyance. The botanist had, after all, come here of her own accord to help.

That being the case, he did woefully consume the herb and then the water that was subsequently offered with notably more zeal than the plant itself. "It does…smell nice, at least…but a bit strong to eat alone," his words were more akin to murmurs and though he did laugh, it was notably weak compared to his normal volume. A tea made with it, intermingled with other things, would likely be far more pleasant than the herb alone.

At present, there was a lingering temptation to use his Mesmer to read the Symphonies of both Hilana and Tiaz. It was typical for the starborn Fæ to have the rune held open to those around him far more often than not– for no reason, really, aside from curiosity and habit. Consequently, restraining himself from using his æther for that purpose was fairly difficult because at this point, using Mesmer in its most basic forms was as simple to him as breathing. Could doing so really harm him? Or was that not the concern..? He couldn't remember if he'd been told that it was harmful or that using other magic would make it a tad more difficult to harness and control the newest rune. But then again, how much did he really care about either of these things?

Emboldened by the clarity afforded to him by Hilana's most gracious use of herbal concoctions, Æros did opt to tap into his Mesmer if only slightly. Sitting in silence to the songs of others made him feel alone even in another's company and it was really rather disquieting to him. Regardless of what anyone else was feeling, it almost felt wrong, in a way, to be without this extra sort of sense.

Hilana was markedly calm, which was to be expected given her demeanor thus far. Tiaz was quite chuffed to just be lazily lying atop him, siphoning away what excess warmth diffused off of him. The snake was really rather adorable, what with how comfortable it was around people. He did wonder how much the serpent was aware that he was genuinely being helpful versus just being pleased to sit there like a blob, but unfortunately, the song of his emotions did not provide information that specific. The fun part about having both Semblance and Mesmer, however, was that you could manage to figure out both once one was of sufficient skill. The Færie was certainly one who very much wished to divine another's intentions through magic alone, and while it would take effort to reach such a point, he very much did look forward to this eventuality.

By the time Hilana left again, his perceptions had calmed quite a bit. He was able to track her movements properly again, though his senses did still have their dissonant sort of distortions applied just…not nearly to the same degree and their independent hallucinations were far less extreme. It was easier for him to think, for one, and for another, he didn't feel quite so oppressed by his own skin.

However, his body did still feel notably heavy and the bizarre sort of dissociative disconnect he felt between his mind and body was still present. When his friend would try and move his limbs, hands or fingers, she would note that she had zero issue doing so as the problem was not actually a physical one whatsoever. Internally, Æros was not sure if the issue was mental or ætheric as well. If his spirit were not properly in control of his form that would be quite an ill portent. However, he was also aware that some drugs, particularly the strong and psychedelic, can make one feel this way, and thus, it could just be a fun, hallucinogenic bonus symptom. Except, well, lacking control of one's body was not actually fun at all. So in his state, he had zero way of parsing the difference between the two.

"I feel everything, it's just…willing my own body to move by my own command is..? Difficult? When you do it, there is no abnormality, but I just…can't?" Though he spoke clearer and more audibly than before, he sounded quite puzzled at his current predicament. When he did try to move his own appendages, one would notice that his ability to do so was very much limited to the slightest sort of twitch or tremble at first and that it was a notable struggle for him to close his hand around that of his friend's, though he did eventually succeed.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“It is a strong herb, I am sorry for that,” Hilana apologized. “I gave that raw leaf to you to sort of shock your senses and get them to level out so you can have more awareness and smooth this along, and you do sound a bit better,” she wasn’t about to lift the cold compress over his forehead and the upper half of his face to check his eyes just now, she could tell from the difference in his speech from when he had spoken to her last that there was already a slow, steady improvement.

Tiaz was completely zen, despite the new surroundings. He was used to being taken around just about everywhere by Hilana, and as he had been after the Radiant Mass and at the Greenhouses, the python acted like he belonged there. And as a reptile in a city that veritably worshipped them, he did. He recognized Æros’ scent, captured from his tongue as it flickered in and out, and identified that his new living heating pad was one of his mom’s friends. Ergo, all was well, and while he didn’t grasp the concept of how he was helping, he just knew that he was warm and the snake was perfectly happy to absorb that heat from the Fae.

Hilana’s Symphony was surprisingly calm compared to her usual bounding energy and cheerfulness, but the difference was that she was a herbalist treating a patient, and that particular patient was one of her friends. His health and well-being was at the forefront, and she was doing her best to give him good energy as well. Her steps were still light and quick, and she didn’t waste time where she didn’t need to outside his room. She was listening, she was analyzing, and making the connections between what Vasilei had told her she could expect and what Æros was actually experiencing. Hallucinations in all forms, but that was being treated steadily by the tulsi, lemon balm, and the compress. The tea would help when it was cool enough to drink, and despite the calm energy she was projecting for his sake, her mind was going a mile a minute with regards to his limbs. This was not uncommon. His aether was simply adjusting, and in time, it would recover.

She nodded as he spoke, watching him as he slowly, slowly got his fingers to close around her hand. “There you go, you did it,” Hilana encouraged him, smiling down at him where he lay. That he felt everything meant that his nerves were good, and that the aetheric flow throughout the body was slowly coming back. “How are your other senses? Are the hallucinations still strong?” The Vastiana wanted to know, gently squeezing his hand with both of hers before using one hand to check the temperature of the compress that was resting on his face. “Your voice sounds stronger and much more like yourself. If you’ll make sure your eyes are closed, I’m going to refresh your compress and get you a syrup to drink.” She gave his hand another squeeze before lowering his arm to rest on his midsection.

“Eyes are closed?” When she had a confirmation, the compress was lifted from his face and went back into the basin for a refresher before Hilana wrung it back out and replaced it in the same position. It was nice and cool again, and it had the same scent of herbs, albeit stronger now with the hallucinations continuing to fade into the background. The girl retrieved a vial from her rucksack, unpacking it and opening it before bringing it back to him. “This tastes a lot better than the tulsi, I promise,” she assured him. It had the same texture as a thin honey, so it wasn’t so thick it was difficult to swallow, but went down well. It was faintly sweet and mild, but he could get faint tastings of mint, lemon, lavender, and half a dozen other things, and it was pleasantly floral without being too much. “Do you want some water to wash it down?” The Vastiana would pick up the cup, holding that for him if he needed it, too.

[Aeros]

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"It is of no bother– medicine is meant to help, not appease the patient…" he would've laughed, but he didn't feel quite like moving his chest in that way was the most comfortable of ideas.

Æros had endured worse tasting medicines in the past, though they were usually unpleasant in a different way. Sharp and spicy was not the most common flavor in that regard, but the herb definitely did serve to sort of 'shock' his system enough to grant him some restored clarity. While he imagined he'd be staving off symptoms to some degree for the next day or so, if she could get him functional through the worst phase he would be fine to actually start making use of the rune faster than he otherwise would've.

Æros did have to wonder just how many different backdrops of civilization Tiaz had seen. Given the fact that Hilana often carried him around wherever she went, he'd probably seen nearly as much as she had. Fitting, then, that the animal would show little discomfort when brought to new settings. But also, why would he have anything to concern himself about here? It was dark, quiet, and he had a nice warm place to sit. Great, cozy place for a nap, really.

While a song of comfort played languidly from the heart of the lazy snake, a song of calm, clear focus played from his mother. The more Æros' senses calmed, the more he could hear the individual melodies therein. Both of them combined did help him relax, in a way, because it made him feel as if he were in good hands. If Hilana wasn't worried, why should he?

He should only have cause to be concerned if the disassociation between spirit and body gets much worse than it is. If he really focused on moving his body, he could, and unless he lost the ability to do so– or the ability to perceive the material plane and started seeing into the ætherium– he'd have nothing to worry about. That was the worst fate, or so he was told. One could find their æther disconnected from oneself entirely and end up getting one's spirit lost in the ætherium, leaving the body behind to die. This fate would be as unpleasant as such an entrance into the ætherium was unnatural. For now, the Færie was appearing to stabilize, very likely having avoided this particular fate.

While the threshold sickness had made it difficult for him to do the simple task of closing his hand, he still managed to complete it. And while he was still certainly impaired and physically weak, his suffering had significantly lessened since Hilana had started to treat him. "Everything is a lot better…I still feel exhausted, but I'm not being, ah…constantly bombarded in every direction by false sensory input like before…" The Fæ wasn't concerned with being tired, really, he wouldn't mind that at all if he actually felt like he could sleep– but that was the problem with an ætheric illness like this; it made simply existing too loud and thus, meaningful rest was impossible to properly grasp.

In response to her instructions, he indicated to Hilana that his eyes were, indeed, closed. The cloth being cold again was quite a nice contrast to how warm his body was currently running. The next thing she had mentioned, the syrup, was a notably more pleasant substance to consume than the herb. He was more prone to liking it than some, though, because he was biased in favor of more floral flavors. And while he was a fan of it, he did request the water simply because existing in this state made him crave hydration.

"Whatever thar concoction is, it's actually rather pleasant," he responded.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“Vasilei said that the exhaustion is natural. Semblance puts a great deal of stress on the mind, and while your body may not be tired... your mind is. So you’re essentially overtired, and it’s something that will work itself out as you pass through threshold sickness,” Hilana offered. She knew that that wasn’t likely to be too encouraging, but she did want to reassure him that he would pass through it. All the same, he was progressing about as well as she could have expected, but the fact that he was feeling improvements from the various ministrations was encouraging. That, after all, was the whole goal. Treat the patient so that they could get through their crucible. If they were of a mind to, they would get through it. She just had to keep him going and keep him as comfortable as possible.

“That one is good, isn’t it?” she smiled down at his words, checking with light fingers to test the temperature of his arms and wrists before gently turning his arms so that they were palm up and adding cold cloths along the length of his forearms. While the herbs in the mixture wouldn’t do so much down there, the temperature against the veins could help bring down his body temperature a little bit more in order to make him more comfortable. “It’s rooibos, so the red bush tea... we add willow bark, mint, lemongrass, lavender, nettle and vervain leaves, rose petals, mallow blossoms... it’s brewed very strongly, and then we combine it with a syrup made of honey and water,” she doubted he was of much of a mind to hear and digest such things, but if she could help distract him a little bit, that was a good goal, too. “All of these are to help with stress and anxiety, so it’s just encouraging your mind to relax and be calm, so that everything continues to settle down. And as your mind is soothed, the hallucinations should decrease as well.”

Hilana put the vial away back in her rucksack for now and gave him more water if he was willing to take it. When she refilled the cup, she settled beside the Fae’s bed where she could watch him, her gaze on him and Tiaz. The python had essentially flattened himself against Æros in order to get as much surface area of his scales against the Dominus’ skin. “He’s basking rather intently with you,” the girl told him quietly, but he could hear the smile in her voice and in her Symphony. “I’m sure you can already tell, but he’s very comfortable,” the snake’s tongue flickered as if in assent, and the python remained where he was. Hilana wasn’t about to try to lift him or rearrange him; the weight seemed to be helping him. It certainly wasn’t doing any harm. “Have you had anything to eat, Dominus? Do you think you could stand to have something?” the girl inquired. “I did bring a few things for you.”

[Aeros]

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It was certainly true that he felt mentally drained. His body did not feel that great, either, in truth. The turmoil wrought by such an upheaval to his æther extended into the body as well, though it could be debated such a thing was merely an example of an acute physical response to intense mental strain. Now that his symptoms had begun to wane, however, he felt palpable relief begin to settle in where once was worry.

Yet like with many other things of late, he wasn't able to feel his own positive emotions that deeply. It was almost as if he was afraid to or if he thought such things were wasted on him. While Æros was excited that he'd lived and now he'd soon be able to explore magic that was once foreign to him, other parts of him were worried that he'd struggle with it as if his prowess with his Mesmer was a one off. Others still rang with odd disappointment that he'd even lived in the first place. And while these parts of him were small, the chorus they created in the back of his mind was cacophonous.

It was nice that he wasn't alone with his thoughts for the moment, painful as that would be. It was good for him, too, that in the near future he would no longer be living alone. His mental health had always been in a precarious position, but of late, it had destabilized significantly. Highs were higher yet lows had reached ever more abyssal depths. Really, what Æros needed was to find ways to keep himself busy; if he was able to do that, then he could prevent himself from spiraling. Left to ruminate alone, however, and he'd struggle to regulate stronger compulsions for self destructive behavior without relying on his Mesmer.

It was strange, really. In the past he was numb, apathetic to everything, careless to his own safety. And yet now, that apathy had been morphed into a more active sort of dislike for himself. Which, unfortunately, numbed his ability to feel happy or relieved about positive outcomes. Nonetheless, he didn't want to make Hilana feel bad for him; he didn't want her sympathy because ultimately, what would that fix?

Æros listened in silence as she explained what that syrup was, and while he liked to be told things like this, the information floated through his mind, recognizing some of the plant names but not all, before dissipating from his memory. "What a complicated little mix…it does appear to work, at least, so I'm glad of that– thank you for your help." He sounded tired though far clearer than he had earlier.

Tiaz did genuinely help to both regulate his temperature and suppress some of his more negative emotions. The weight of the snake on top of him was soothing in and of itself, and of that he was really rather grateful. While the snake knew not the depth of his assistance, he managed to be really quite helpful even in simply doing nothing.

When Hilana mentioned the concept of eating anything, Æros thought about it and realized it'd probably been at least eighteen hours since he'd eaten anything. For a normal person, this would be much worse. While Fæ-ethalan needed to eat less by default, it was still unwise to go without food before doing something like this regardless. "I haven't in, ah…awhile?" The elf wasn't exactly feeling hungry, but he knew he ought to and, well…what Hilana made was always good. "I'll take whatever you have; I'd feel rude declining, regardless," he continued with a short laugh.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"