NAKAMAAAAAAAAAAA

[intellectualrapist]

[After intense debate - a word which here means 'a lot of whining and pouting' - Erika got Zelos's permission to go talk to Willard. The only conditions were that Zelos be allowed to wait nearby and no fighting. Both very reasonable requests, really, considering the state Erika was left in after the last talk.

Right now, she has a theory. Will's been in a bad state and probably by this point doesn't even know what day it is or what events are going on. Probably he was at fault for the whole Dagon thing but that's not so surprising. More surprising is that it happened. And Mikado wants to talk to Will about it, meaning who knows what could happen, but Erika wants to check Will's mood first.

So Zelos gets to wait with some church ladies while Erika heads Will off. If she's right, he probably still was thinking he had to show up at Dagon at some point to check on her, too. Or he's just really out of it and who knows but either way, given everything that happened and Will's status, she figures her guess is spot on when she catches Will heading out.]

Willard, you're looking splendid as ever.

Comments

[intellectualrapist]

[Lightheaded and feeling a stinging sort of burn isn't that bad, especially compared to the part where Will carved an alchemy symbol into her arm. A little more pain but nothing earth-shattering.

What she sees happen to Will, however, makes her freeze. Oh. Oh no. Neither of them know what happens if human blood mixes into an angel's bloodstream, right? So...so...

Erika jerks forward and starts to shake Will, eyes wide.] Willard? Willard, what's wrong?

[Shaking him harder because clearly this will help. Will might remember he fainted on her suddenly once. He knows she worried but he doesn't know what happened after. So, at least he gets some idea of the sincere panic and worry that must have been in her voice from how she sounds now.]

[alethiological]

[It's hard to hear her over the strained pounding in his ears. Weak and stuttering and sometimes it just stops before kicking up again a few seconds later and those parts hurt the worst from how the world flickers out.

The thought passes of, wow, dumbest way to die. Died sharing blood with a stupid lolita. Good thing he's not dying anytime soon or he'd never live that one down.

But he tries. With the Fragment constantly fading out of focus, the blackouts make it impossible to speak, or breathe, or anything, because it hurts too bad. But the times his heart stays beating means a hand can grab at one of hers. It's a shaking death vice.]

I-it- [Owowow, blackout, grimacing to keep aware through it, then after it ends-] Relax.

[intellectualrapist]

[The hand stops Erika from shaking him but she doesn't move back or relax like he said. She might have before, if she hadn't seen him in that fragment playing off being horribly maimed and dying like it was nothing. She should expect nothing less of him.

So Erika stays leaned in, frowning.] I know blood transfusions do carry certain risks but that wasn't even much... Ah, damn it. Willard, what should I do about this?

[She can't exactly get a doctor or something and she doesn't know healing beyond some basics so...]

[alethiological]

[The hand stays on hers, still tight and possibly shaking, but it's more for something to focus on when everything flickers out. Whereas the blood transfusions comment gets a pained laugh of an exhale.]

Heh. Racial thing. [The second part goes unanswered for a bit. A lapse of time just long enough to show he had no idea of it before now, despite the comment. And has no idea how to fix it. Well then. Uhh...]

Do nothing. [This is a logical idea when your life is pain.]

[intellectualrapist]

['Do nothing.' Telling Erika to do nothing is useless. It also doesn't sound logical when he's in pain.

He's allowed to keep a grip on her hand while she uses the other to carefully brush blood off his wound. It won't really do much, if anything, but maybe it'll catch a few of her blood cells and swat them off. Practically speaking, it might as well be doing nothing but she does it anyway.]

On the bright side, you can now safely say you know what happens when an angel mixes human blood into their system.

[alethiological]

[It's something. A gesture which is good enough to count as helping, since there's probably no way to help anyway. But after that horrible first wave, it's not as bad. Or his nerves are dying. Either or.]

Yeah. It sucks.

[intellectualrapist]

[She giggles and smiles.] Oh, what a detailed and lengthy report on the effects of human blood in an angel's bloodstream.

[alethiological]

[He'd be laughing with her, but the third one in has a choked quality that makes him stop right after. But amusement is good. Amusement means he's not dying stupidly or anything.]

I'm not editing it. You can do that for me.

[intellectualrapist]

[She can't be sure of that. What was that joke about his arm again? But she grins.]

All right. I'll be sure there are no typos in 'Yeah. It sucks.'

[alethiological]

[Shush, he knows that joke was bad. It was reassurance, leave him alone.]

I have the utmost faith in my idiot cat.

[intellectualrapist]

[Erika's grin widens and she places a hand on her chest with pride.]

I am now your sister, not your cat! We share blood after all, Willard.

[alethiological]

Sister. [With that odd tone of someone who's never had siblings or family members and is kind of 'durr?' at the concept.

Though the tone dies in an instant as that's too much effort when life is pain, and staying on the ground with his eyes shut. The hand on hers doesn't loosen.] Right. Idiot sister.

[intellectualrapist]

[Erika smiles brightly. 'Sister.' It has a nice ring to it. Not that she was ever close to her family but maybe that's why it sounds so nice. It just has a nice feeling of belonging.

And then she punches his healing scythe wound.] Stupid onii-chan!

[alethiological]

[Only Erika would be horrible to hit someone trying to fight off a heart attack. It also means the only punishment she gets is a sound of agony meeting misery as he curls a bit further around the injury. No backlashes of kicking her ribs or punching her in the face. Reality blacking out again is more important here.

But oh how she will pay for that later. Realize that, Erika.]

[intellectualrapist]

[Whoops. That's right he's sort of half-dead at the moment.]

Ahh, are you okay? Willard?

[alethiological]

[She gets a faint, irritated 'nn' sound and he drags his hand off hers. Which is hard when your nerves are shot, but he doesn't care. He's mad at you Erika. Bad sister.]

[intellectualrapist]

[She loves you?] ...Willaaaaard?

[alethiological]

[No, still mad. Bad sister. But he still answers with a muffled and flat] What?

[intellectualrapist]

[Poooooooooke in the cheek. Leaning in to try to see his face.] Are you going to be okay? This is ruining our sacred ceremony. Willaaaaard onii-chan, get better soon!

[alethiological]

[He's still pale as death, left arm still shaking from shot nerves, and pained eyes open enough to glare at her.] Call me 'onii-chan' again and I kick you in the ribs.

[The soft tone is still angry enough to mean it.]

[intellectualrapist]

It's not like I have a brother complex, so you can relax.

[alethiological]

In the ribs.

[He is not kidding Erika, do not make him spritz you.]

[intellectualrapist]

All right, all right. [She giggles and sits back, smiling.] I suppose if you can still threaten me so seriously, you'll be fine.

[He might notice she actually relaxes now. This whole time she's been worried but Will acting like, well, normal... that's good enough.]

[alethiological]

[He does notice. Normally, he wouldn't call her out on it. Right now, she needs him acting normally to keep herself relaxed. Apparently, he is an asshole normally. Which means calling her out.]

Little sister worried on my behalf? How cute.

[intellectualrapist]

[Observe, a Willard in his natural state of mind: an asshole.]

I wasn't worried at all! You're just being dramatic and whiny over a little sting!