☆82☆ [Video] - forward-dated to roughly a week from now

[tearsofademon]

[It's a rare network post from the local sleepy mage, who looks... actually very frazzled, really. Worried. Almost a little scared, which is weird, because usually he's just tired.]

Okay, so, ah... The Collegiate Gym is closed to challengers for a while.

I don't know how long, but Sion definitely can't handle them right now, and I can't handle that and all of this by myself, so... yeah. The classrooms and library are still open, but no challengers, not right now.

[And then, a bit quieter, a bit more morose...]

...I don't know what to do. How did it get this bad, and I...

[...He shakes his head a little and ends the transmission.]

[[link to Sion's ooc post on the matter here]]

Comments

Voice

[fayblood]

Shrike remembers this person's voice, he'd talked to him once before when he first arrived. He'd been pretty helpful!

Which clearly was more than sufficient reason to respond to such a concerning-sounding post.

"Is something wrong?"

Voice

[tearsofademon]

He has enough presence of mind to respond using voice in kind, if nothing else. But when he does respond, he still sounds that same degree of frazzled and worried.

"Yeah, there's a lot wrong... And even now I'm probably not seeing all of it, as usual. Dammit..."

(Gee, Ryner, how specific of you.)

Re: Voice

[fayblood]

"Oh..."

That doesn't sound too good. It also doesn't sounds like something Shrike would have much to offer with.

"Maybe someone could help if you ask?"

Re: Voice

[tearsofademon]

"Maybe..."

Honestly, he does need help with this. He knows he does. He doesn't know where to even start with making any sort of useful difference. But...

"Honestly, I don't even know what sort of help to ask for, let alone whether Sion would accept it, or if it'd help him in the first place."

(You can tell he's scared because he's not leaping right into a rant about how much of a stubborn asshole Sion can be. ...Well, maybe Shrike wouldn't know.)

Re: Voice

[fayblood]

Let him think about that for a moment. Nevermind that it means just sitting there in silence with no video feed to show that he's even still using the 'gear.

"Um, if you tell people what's wrong, maybe someone will know?"

Shrike's not exactly good at asking for help, either, but he's not bad with figuring things out.

Re: Voice

[tearsofademon]

On the one hand, that makes sense.

On the other hand, what even is wrong? Well, there's the obvious, sure, but seeing as it's gotten this bad somehow, who's to say there's isn't so much more that he doesn't even know?

"...Sion collapsed. He hasn't been sleeping - like, actually hasn't been sleeping, not just his usual bull crap - and so now he's sick, and I..."

And there's so much more that he doesn't have the words for, not to mention what he doesn't know...

Re: Voice

[fayblood]

"Why wasn't he sleeping?"

That seems like the pertinent part to Shrike. If something happened because someone wasn't sleeping, then surely getting some sleep would fix it...

[video]

[paladinlost]

...Do you need anything? I can bring food, or whatever you might not have the time to go buy at the moment.

[Fulfillment of basic needs first, obvious distress second, for the moment. Cecil just hopes he's prioritizing correctly.]

[video]

[tearsofademon]

I don't... I don't know. Between Elfy and Marian, I think food-wise we'll be fine, but...

[What help does he even need? He doesn't know. He knows he needs something.]

Sion's sick. I found him collapsed in the hall because he hasn't been sleeping. At all. This isn't just his usual pushing himself too hard, this is more than that.

[video]

[paladinlost]

That... does not sound like the sort of sickness that can be healed with mere medicine.

[Or with magic, not that he can use his anyway.]

Do you know how long ago this started?

[video]

[tearsofademon]

I don't know... It has to have been at least a few weeks to get this bad, right? But...

[But he didn't notice things getting that much worse lately, not until it was too late. And he's been trying so hard to actually pay attention, too.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

Unless an external force was actively involved, it must have been some time, yes.

[And such external forces tend to be visible, if nothing else.]

And I imagine he did not advertise the existence of the issue, either.

[video]

[tearsofademon]

No, he didn't. He never does. He's always been like this, not letting anyone else help him with what's bothering him... I should have seen it earlier, though.

[You can tell it's bad because he isn't being loud, complainy, and going on a rant.]

[schachmeister]

[Well... this is a very worrying thing to see on the network.]

Will... will the two of you be all right? I don't mean to pry, but if there is anything I can do to help--

[From one Aurora League gym leader to another (two?).]

[tearsofademon]

I don't know. I'll be okay, but Sion...

[It's honestly a little bit reassuring that people are worrying? But that doesn't change that he doesn't have any idea what to do.]

Sion's sick. He collapsed in the hall earlier and couldn't get up. He hasn't been sleeping - I mean, at all, not just his usual working himself way too hard for his own good.

[schachmeister]

[If what Armin was worrying before, what he is doing right now is Super-Worrying. It's Worry Extra. All the Worry, and then just a bonus of more worry.]

Do you know what is wrong with him? Does he have a fever or something? The weather is changing and I know more people start getting sick when summer is over.

[Fuss!]

Do you need help? It's not too much trouble for me to come down to your gym. I know I am not a doctor or anything but I can... help? I can cook simple things, at least.

[tearsofademon]

If it was just a fever, I'd have some idea where to start. But I've never seen him this... just, like he's been completely drained emotionally.

[Half the problem is that Ryner just doesn't have the vocabulary to describe it.]

...I honestly don't know what help I even need. Between Marian and Elfy, I think food-wise we'll be fine, but...

[schachmeister]

Did something happen recently that may have caused it? It sounds like it's more of an... emotional thing than a disease.

I can still come by if you want? Maybe... maybe bring some books over? If you think that might cheer him up a bit.

[tearsofademon]

Nothing recent, that I know of anyway. We've both just been keeping up with the gym, there's nothing major that's happened.

...I don't know how much it'd help, but it can't hurt, if you want to come over. If nothing else, some company that isn't just me would probably be good for him, right?

Text

[vrdantwind]

[It seems like a lot of people are having crises lately. In a backwards sort of way, Claude's grateful for that; it's hard for him to drag himself out of depression enough to participate in frivolous things, but when it's a matter of genuine concern, his motivation to reach out seems easier to find. Or, at least, it's a lot harder to justify doing nothing.

He has no idea who this guy is in relation to Sion - which just goes to show that Claude doesn't know Sion very well yet at all, either - but he's immediately worried for both of them.]

Hey, this is Claude - I don't think we've ever met. But I know Sion a little, and I'm worried about him. Did something happen to him? Is there anything I can do to help?

Text

[tearsofademon]

[It's not surprising to Ryner that Sion has acquaintances that he doesn't know. It's good, that Sion has people who care enough to ask after him.]

Sion is sick. He hasn't been sleeping, and I found him collapsed in the hall earlier.

[vrdantwind]

Well, I'm glad he's got you to take care of him. Any idea what he's sick with?

[tearsofademon]

I don't know. All I know for sure is that it's different than how he usually pushes himself too hard. Usually he's not this emotionally drained.

[A good chunk of the problem is that Ryner doesn't have the right vocabulary for this.]

[vrdantwind]

Wait, so...are we talking about an actual illness he's caught, or are we talking about him running himself down to the point where his body's given out on him? They're similar but distinct things.

[tearsofademon]

He's always running himself into the ground, to the point where he needs people to remind him to eat sometimes. He's done that as long as I've known him - and I've known him a long time.

But this is different. Even when he's been awake for days on end, he's always had that same energy to him, even if he'll sometimes get lost on the way to the bathroom. I've never seen him like this before.

[okay sure the bathroom thing was one time, but still]