exsilium | seven (voice) ♞ ❝i made it through the year and i did not even collapse.❞

Ah, gotcha. [She's familiar with the type.]

Tell you what, I'll swing by the grocery store and I can be there in three shakes of a Molotov cocktail. [Sarge, no, don't shake those.] I hope it's not you making those squealing noises, though, kiddo; I don't think I'm qualified to do exorcisms.

That's Stellaluna. She's a bat.

That makes a little more sense. [Unusual choice for a pet, but she's not one to judge.] Okay, you hang tough and I'll be there shortly. Over and out.

[And it doesn't take her more than twenty minutes to find what she needs and make it to Riku's apartment--the cruiser's particularly handy around Exsilium. A paper bag tucked under one arm, she hops off the cruiser and lightly kicks the button to fold it back up into its compact backpack before shouldering it and knocking on the door.]

Riku? You still kickin' in there?

[ when he opens the door, it's startingly clear as to why Riku used voice.

sick as a dog, he just doesn't quite look like himself anymore. he looks more like the teenager he's supposed to be, in a beanie and baggy clothes. Stellaluna on the other hand, is just perched atop his beanie, and flaps her wings eagerly when seeing Tamora. ]

Huh. You sure didn't waste any time.

[She blinks at him when he opens the door, a little surprised by how haggard he looks.]

Well don't you look about as hale as a fish in the dirt; sheesh, kid, why didn't you say you were dying? I could'a been here faster--obviously there was no time to be wasted in the first place.

[That was an attempt at levity, for the record. Stepping inside and closing the door behind her with one foot, she takes a moment to regard Stellaluna, looking a bit impressed, actually. She's just so... colorful.]

Never seen a bat like that before, I gotta say. [And then without ceremony she just sticks one hand out and plants her palm firmly against his forehead. Then she just clicks her tongue and makes a vague pointing gesture.]

Go siddown before you fall over, Mr. Fahrenheit. [And with that she moves toward the kitchen. Her bedside manner could use a little work, it's true, but she's on a mission and efficiency is paramount. Setting the paper bag down on the counter, she pulls out a box of orange tea, several jars of spices, a lemon, a small jar of honey, and an unmistakable bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. She holds up the bottle and wags a finger at Riku, grinning.]

So, just for the record, you're underage and this is for medicinal purposes only. Otherwise I'd have to arrest myself for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and that could get awkward.

[ his 'Hey!' gets muffled between her dialogue and Stellaluna's affectionate little screes.

and he's obedient as he goes and flops over on the couch, curling back into his blanket as Stellaluna goes over to perch near Tamora, overlooking her work. she chatters excitedly, and Riku looks over at her to tone down her noises before watching the bottle in Tamora's hand, eyebrows shooting up. ]

I hope all that's not going in the medicine.

[Tamora stares at the bat a moment before reaching out to carefully scratch the top of its head. Well, odd as a giant purple bat might be by normal standards, Stellaluna's kind of cute, she has to admit. She snorts a laugh then.]

Of course not--what do you take me for? [She makes a swirling motion with one finger.] You get one shot, junior, maybe two. The rest is for me, thank you very much.

[And then she sets to boiling some water before poking through the cabinets until she finds a large mug. As she grabs a knife from the block to slice the lemon, she spares the blankety mound on the sofa a glance.]

So how'd you wind up under the weather anyway? Should I have gotten you some thermal socks for Christmas or something?

[ Riku smirked a little as he shrugged underneath his blankets, keeping an eye on Tamora. ]

Careful. [ he spoke as she scratched the top of Stellaluna's head. ] She's really spoiled. [ a cough--one he hides in his sheets. ] She'll sit there for hours for more petting.

[ oh. urp.

Riku frowns as he flips onto his back, watching the ceiling, one arm draped over his burning forehead to try and cool it down with his less-hot skin. ]

I stayed out on Christmas, and... I get sick really easily. [ he lets his eyes shut, feeling some relief. ] Since I was a kid, I was pretty bad at not getting sick, and once I was sick, it just got worse.

[ a shrug. ] I got over it when I got older.

I think.

Sounds like what you need is a good old-fashioned firewall. [She's mostly joking, at least on a literal level, but the point still stands. Better upgrade your anti-virus software, Riku.

[She waits for the water to come to a boil, then stirs in some ginger, cloves, and ground cinnamon, then drops a pair of teabags into the pot and lets it steep. Turning her attention back to Stellaluna, she purses her lips and squints a bit. Those... wings. There's something oddly familiar about them. The color is different, but they look an awful lot like the pair Riku wore at the masquerade.

[... Nah.

[Giving the bat another scratch on the top of the head, Tamora pokes through the kitchen until she finds a container to put the unused portion of the lemon in, then pulls the teabags from the water and brings it back to a boil. Tossing the container with the lemon into the fridge and closing it with her hip, she turns off the stove and carefully fills the mug with the tea-and-spices mixture. Then she spins the squeeze bottle of honey around one hand like a revolver and holds it poised above the mug.]

On a scale of one to rotten teeth, how much sugar do you take in your tea?

A... bout a three.

[ Riku gets a form of familiarity and comfort as he watches Tamora move about the kitchen. it's kind of like watching his mom cook on rainy evenings when he's stuck inside. he'd be half-asleep on his huge irish wolfhound's back in the living room, face full of fur, and if he tilted his head just so, he'd be able to see his mom cooking dinner after a long day of teaching archery.

he could fall asleep right there, but--well, Tamora may remind him of his mother at this point in time, but he's still very aware that she's more Sergeant than mother. ]

Three it is. [She stirs in the honey and squeezes a wedge of lemon into the mug before twisting the cap off the whiskey and tipping the bottle forward. A shot and a half's worth should do it for now--she's got a feeling Riku wouldn't be a big drinker even if he were old enough, so he's probably low on tolerance. Moreover he's probably got an empty stomach, so no sense being irresponsible.

[She's definitely more sergeant than mom, but while she might be a bit short on delicacy Tamora's got a knack for taking care of people, provided they can put up with the rough edges. The mug in one hand and the bottle of whiskey in the other, she rounds the corner and plunks down on the opposite end of the couch, extending the mug to Riku and setting the whiskey down on the table.]

I never liked it too sweet either; Nana used to put way too much honey in her tea... I guess that's how they do it in the south, but I sure never acquired a taste for it that way. [She chuckles and shakes her head.] I thought she was gonna have a heart attack when she found out I prefer black coffee.

Edited 2013-01-01 22:06 (UTC)

[ Stellaluna follows Tamora once she starts to leave the kitchen, settling on Riku's stomach, wings flared out around his torso. he slightly rolls his eyes but pulls the covers over her tiny body too as he takes the mug with a 'thank you'.

before he takes a sip, he has to blow a bit of air to cool it down. for 'medicine', he's surprised at how good it does taste (and not in the least bit disappointed on the fact that he can't taste the alcohol--he wouldn't like any spirits anyway.) but after that first sip, he looks to Tamora and gives her his full attention. ]

'In the south'?

[She chortles.] Well where do you think I got a name like 'Tamora Jean'? My maternal grandfolks are from Alabama. ... Er, well, so says my programming. [It's a bit odd to think about all these memories, these people in her past, a past that technically never actually happened. Backstory for a program is funny that way: the memories are there and plain as if she'd lived the life they stem from, but she's only actually experienced the memories from the first day Hero's Duty was plugged in.

[But she doesn't bother going into those details. If Riku's been inside a game before then logically he should sort of get what she means.

[She pauses then, realizing she actually doesn't know for sure just where Riku hails from; she never asked. She knows he can apparently traverse worlds as easily as she can hop games, though...]

Oh... that's earth, though: America. Have you been there?

[ he tries to remember, but his brain's really fried. when he closes his eyes shut, the bridge of his nose wrinkles. then, he sighs, pressing the heel of his hand against one of his shut eyes. ]

Maybe I haven't. I can't remember... there's so many worlds.

[She gives him a dry grin.] Well don't strain that head of yours too much; you've already overclocked it. It's not that important.

I grew up in a big city further north, but we used to spend a couple weeks every summer in Alabama with mom's folks, and they'd always come visit for the winter holidays. Nana used to complain something awful about how cold Chicago got around Christmastime.

[A sidelong look and she reaches forward to grab that bottle, throwing back a swig. Drinking from a glass is for the birds, amirite? She kind of wants to ask Riku about those other worlds, but he looks pretty exhausted, so she refrains for now. Instead she just sort of clicks her tongue chidingly.]

What're you even doing out of bed, in such sad shape, anyway? Overdo it and you'll be sick even longer, cadet.

[ his answer is so simple and saccarhine that it'd be hard to believe if Riku's face was even remotely able to lie for him. Too much sincerity on those eyes for this to be a joke. ]

I had late Christmas gifts to deliver.

Chri-- You had gifts to deliver. [It's not even an incredulous question, it's just an incredulous echo.] For flak's sake, Riku, next time you decide on an impromptu paper-route holler at me and I'll let you borrow my cruiser or something.

[Seriously, rookie, being sick isn't going to do you any favors. You're gonna have training to make up! She gestures at him with the bottle then.]

Soon as you're not cooking your brains in that skull of yours I'm taking you coat shopping, kiddo.

[ Riku just wrinkles his nose in a smile, ever amused by her incredulous repetition. ]

Sure. Cruising on a cruiser sounds cool.

[ a beat; ]

Coat shopping, huh? I guess I could use another. My coat's getting thin. [ he looks up to the Organization coat hanging from a rack. ] It's... not for cold weather, anyway.

[She jerks her thumb toward the clunky backpack now resting beside the sofa.]

I'll give you a lesson sometime. Can you skateboard? It's not all that different--just hurts more when you fall off, 'cuz you're up in the air.

[She follows his gaze to the black coat, then gives him a dubious look.]

Kind'a fancy lookin', but yeah it doesn't look too insulated. What's the point of having a coat that doesn't keep you warm?

[Tamora doesn't really understand impracticality in most situations.]

I can skateboard. [ not that well. at the notion of falling in the air, he scratches Stellaluna's head with two fingers. ] As long as she's with me, I'll be fine.

[ the question, however, makes him sigh a little. ]

It's supposed to protect your heart from the Darkness when you go through corridors. You could end up in a lot of trouble if you don't protect yourself.

[Headtilt.] Wait, she's strong enough to fly with passengers? [She's not that big. Physics wat. She pauses, then takes another sip of the whiskey, just for good measure.] That's some bat. [Maybe it's in the purple gene or something.

[She chuckles helplessly at his answer then. He just sounds so... serious.]

Hadn't pegged you for someone scared of the dark, Riku.

Uh--well... no. [ awkwardly; ] She can sort of... hold on.

[ with her wiggling, he scratches her under her chin before prodding her stomach. she gives a sleepy little scree before hopping up to his chest, then shoulder. in a shock of light, she disappears--

and wings are on his back. remember these? he even leans a little forwards so they're blatantly obvious. ] If she's with me, I can fly.

[ a pause--another flash of light as Stellaluna appears again, his wings disappear. she yawns and crawls back under the covers, making Riku chuckle fondly. he lets her settle, looking up at Tamora when she teases. he turns bright red (redder than his fever), shoulders stiffening. he looks, for a moment, like a bristling cat, before he calms himself. ]

... right. This is another world thing. Uh--

Darkness isn't just the dark, like when you turn off a light. It's a power, too. [ he screws his eyes shut and aims at an empty box in the corner of the room--with a blue-violet burst of energy, it's turned to ash and smoke. ] It can destroy everything, even yourself.

[ light shrug. ] I'd know.

[Tamora stares at him a moment.] So... that night at the masq... [She points at the wings, then makes a bit of a face and throws back another swig of the whiskey. Yeah, definitely not buzzed enough to deal with purple bat fusion.

[Then she nearly jerks to her feet when Riku fires off a blast of--]

What in the holy huevos rancheros just happened? [The bottle of whiskey is on the table again and she is gawping at him. Riku, you are just full of surprises, and that's definitely something Tamora can appreciate, but not when you're running a fever young man.] Okay is that a normal thing you can do, or only when you're running a at a hundred-and-two degrees? Because if it's the former, then what in the name of caraway pumpernickel do you think you're doing firing off hocus pocus in your condition?

[Riku. Riku pls. She came here trying to help you recover, not make it worse with Demonstration Hour.]

[ as she tries to process that, Riku absently presses a hand against his forehead. man, he's still fire-hot, isn't he? he hates being sick. ]

It's normal--

And you thought Darkness was lights out. [ frown. ] It's more serious than that where I'm from.

It's fine.

[She gets to her feet then and folds her arms, giving him A Serious Look.]

Fine my rear end. You could'a just said 'I can fire darkness lasers from my fingertips' and I would have been happy to take a raincheck on the fireworks until you recovered, you lunkhead. [She points to his mug then.] Chug that toddy, cadet, [And then she points to the hallway.] and then get your posterior to bed, and you can tell me all about your crazy serious adventures in destroying yourself when you're less delirious, capisce?

seven (voice) ♞ ❝i made it through the year and i did not even collapse.❞

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