Office Log

[gentlesaint]

Who: Rhys and you!
What: Office log! ...Can also be called "help nurse" log.
When: Dates of 10/21 - 10/28 but you can also go for something earlier/later than that if convenient
Where: Infirmary or Rhys’s office, which is just inside the infirmary.
Warnings: THERE COULD BE CARNAGE AND PESTILENCE HERE. There may also be tripping out due to candy drugs.

We're all familiar with office logs around here, right? If you're not, then allow me to explain really quickly: Your dude stops in for any reason whatsoever, be it trouble with grades, asking permission for something, stopping to chat, dropping off a form, and other office-like concerns. Or even miscellaneous concerns. Then we'll take it away from there. Rhys is a bit of a special case, since he runs the infirmary. That means you could also drag yourself in with some kind of unbearable ailment or crippling injury and have Rhys get you treated. Have a status condition? Never fear, solutions are here! Got in a fight with your arch nemesis in the locker room? Bleed no more; there’s plenty of bandages and/or heal staves to go around! Usually.

ANOTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE: Is your character hopped up on drugs? Drop them in! I don’t care what reason they would have to stumble in. I just want Rhys to have to deal with druggies and raise his suspicion about the whole drug deal further. That being said, I request at least one of his patients to be under the influence. That is all! Have fun.

Comments

[makesitcool]

The smile capsized as Chili's words sunk in. They didn't have to sink too far in a sensitive subject like this. All it took to work up sympathy for his disagreeable actions was to cast them in that light. The brothers shared the same feelings, after all. He knew how it felt to resent his own weaknesses to the point where they disgusted him, and he knew it to be especially true in Chili's nature. Both of them sought the same goal: power, strength, the ability to stand alone. Chili's impulse was to fight against the bleak truth and hope to achieve a distant ideal. But it was all in vain.

Cress too succumbed to the darkness of his eyelids as he squeezed Chili's shoulder. In a low voice, he said, "None of us do. But we must accept that until we can grow stronger, there are just some fights that we cannot win."

[explosion_day]

Rick wouldn't argue that point a lot--punching was way cooler than kicking, but you had to work with what you had to work with. "That's, right. Improvise!"

Little mind was paid to his discomfort. "Alright, so first you strike a cool stance, like--like the bad guy's facing you, right? And the wind's blowin' your hair around and you sneer at the guy and say somethin' like,"

Rick's optic narrowed, brazenly, "These boots are made for kickin', and that's just what they'll do. Then you spin around real fast and land that sucker one in the head!"

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[gentlesaint]

"But you must!" interjected Rhys as he hastily prepared to stop her in case she tried bolting off, even though she had just... lit herself on fire only seconds ago. "You'll only hurt yourself worse..."

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[vela_nova]

Blaze finally sighed and sat back in the bed, hands crossed in her lap. "How long do I need to stay here...?"

[travelingbelle]

Blue sat back, surprised over the younger trainer's sudden outburst. She had to laugh a little-- he was so full of energy even when he was making attempts at being humble that it wasn't hard to see how things had escalated the way they had.

"Mm, you want to know what I think? One trainer to another." She scooted across his blanket, closing some of the distance between them so that this could really be a heart-to-heart sort of deal.

Bad moves aren't always bad," Blue told him. "It depends on what you do after you make them. You could walk away from this thinking you're awful and you messed up and just focus on the bad that happened and could have been. If you leave this room with only regret, then it's going to be a bad move, definitely.

"Leaving that way is a choice that people don't always realize they chose. Bad moves are more important than Good ones sometimes, cause you can learn a whole lot more from them. When you touch a hot stove, you get burned and from then on you know for a fact what you can and can't do. Fire types are the same way. If you instigate them and stir up their pride, it's pretty much a fact that they'll try to burn you."

This was where Blue studied the boy for a moment. "You train fire types, right?"

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[gentlesaint]

"Until you're well enough." The healer frowned, looking tired and defeated by emotions. The energy put into getting riled up deflated and sagged. "I understand the feeling of helplessness better than I wish I did. It's a horrible way to be, limited by factors that are out of control's reach. The guilt is almost unbearable at times. But... if you strain yourself to the breaking point all over again, the friends who will help fight alongside you will be impacted by their loss- your loss. I'm sure they care about your condition very much and wouldn't want you to hurt yourself senselessly. Am I wrong?"

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[vela_nova]

Blaze didn't seem so much convinced by his logic as defeated. She sighed. "I don't know," she answered. She didn't have the kind of ego or vanity to think that those she knew would be severely impacted by her loss. But she had to accept that he was right. She was of no use to anyone like this.

"Thank you."

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[gentlesaint]

Rhys felt a fixed pang of remorse for her circumstance that wouldn't lighten up. He could sense her will smoldering into ashes of its former verve and wished he had more he could say that would genuinely cheer her up. If she was going to lose optimism, why, he would summon his back. Losing hope never helped anyone.

"But worry not! I'll take care of you to the best of my ability. By the end of the day, we'll see if you're in fit enough shape."

[makesithot]

As Rick dictated the movements, Chili copied. First, he struck a cool stance. He stood with his legs apart, feet grounded. He stared at Rick's glowing optic, nodding firmly along with his direction and then made a final nod. "Okay, I think I've got this down." So sure of this.

Chili then shut his eyes and repeated the first part: cool stance, nasty sneer, (he forgot to add a line because he's already too dizzy), and now it was time for the spin and the kick. Chili made a loud "Huuah!" as he propelled himself with one foot to spin before trying to perform a high kick, but that probably was not the wisest option in a cramped infirmary room.

The patient fell and hit his head on the ground, his foot managing to hit nothing but the underside of the bed. After successfully flipping the bed with his foot and completely destroying his room, surely there would be something to be proud of??

"........................." Oh. While he may not be unconscious, Chili appears unresponsive after his nasty spill.

Re: 10/16; Late evening sometime

[vela_nova]

She nodded. "I appreciate your efforts," she told him.

[explosion_day]

And Rick's little robot heart swelled with pride three sizes that day.

"......."

But after Chili (and the bed) hit the floor Rick stared down at him for a bit. If he had a stick or a foot this is the part where he'd poke Chili with it.

"Yeah uh... good job. Keep up the good work."

Then Rick turned around and exited on his railing, whistling a bit merrily, not a hint of remorse or concern in his tune.

Good nice, sweet prince.

[makesithot]

Goodnight, Rick. That is what Chili would have said if he was paying attention. The floor felt pretty nice, actually.

Maybe now it was time for sleep. Yeah.

Unfashionably Late

[gentlesaint]

Rhys nodded slowly, focus still stuck straight ahead of him. "Yes. That's the kind I mean." He trailed his eyes down to his lap. "It... probably sounds like a strange wish, coming from me. I never did like fighting. But..." A pain seeped into his expression. "...I'm starting to grow sick of being such a deadweight."

After the even, thoughtful tone that carried those quiet words, Rhys tore his vision away from his lap and landed it directly on Nabooru as he grew more passionate. "I know I haven't been doing mercenary work in a long time! I'm not surrounded by enemies every day, nor do I have to live in a state of constant preparation of a siege. But I think that's part of it. When I was with the Greil Mercenaries, I felt... I felt like I had a purpose. I felt like facing danger every day was a way to confront my weakness. And I may not have been much of a fighter, but whenever I saved the life of one of my comrades... I felt those worries wash away."

He showed more signs of embarrassment and had more trouble looking her straight on again. "Oh, but I'm missing the point here. I may be able to save lives, but I don't even know how to defend my own. I'm starting to wonder if... if I should just keep accepting my fragility. Everyone here is so strong... And some come here weak but find a way to become strong despite that. That's very inspiring to me..."

Re: Oct. 15th, evening

[gentlesaint]

Oh. Wow. Um. Rhys was just going to... grin and bear the imagery of that comment there.

Anyway, hope you're ready for some iodine, Kazooie. Rhys has as much precision as a mouse doing dental work on a whale with cleaning around her wound, so there was nothing to worry about when it came to stinging. "Have you picked out a band-aid yet?" he asked as he was finishing up.

I'M MORE LATE THAN YOU.

[thedesertrose]

"You aren't a dead weight."

It was a very straight forward remark. Not even an observation. More like Nabooru was making it very pointed and very factual. If there was something she really didn't like, it was Rhys discrediting himself. And she'd said it before, but it didn't seem he could see it when he was doing it.

Or he possibly could have been disgustingly modest, which she had never ruled out as an impossibility.

Instead of focusing on chiding him, however, she begrudgingly listened to what all he had to say and his explanation. What kind of friend would she have been if she'd never listened, after all? And that was something she had to remember. She might have been - and probably was - older than him thanks to that lifespan of hers, but she had no need to begin mothering him.

"Listen," she began gently as she ruffled his hair. "I don't think you're fragile. Not everyone has a place on the front lines. In the Gerudo, we have different ranks and each one has a different obligation they need to fulfill. Some people are archers and meant for long-range only. Some are given polearms and are required to be right up front. Some girls are simply given guard duty to make sure we stay safe. And some are only meant to cook for us, so we have something to keep up our strength."

"Weak or strong, these are perception words. You are an irreplaceable part of the pie where you come from. You protect people, but in order to do so, you have to be able to protect yourself. If you weren't capable of doing that, the people at this academy, wouldn't rely on you as much as they do. You are strong. Your strength just isn't the same as mine."

And she hoped that made more sense to him.

KEEPS BEING TARDY TO THE PARTY

[gentlesaint]

All of her words seeped into his heart like a thirsty plant taking water up with dry, tangled roots. She opened his eyes to the perspective he had been foolishly ignoring in favor of the humility that was so heavy-set and harsh that it was abrasive to the self, and therefore scraped away the humility itself to become nothing more than ugly self-effacement. If only he could cease tearing himself apart in times of weakness altogether, but Rhys knew he was only human. That didn't stop him from trying to get better, though, and he was ashamed that he made Nabooru have to defend him from even himself.

"You're right... You're absolutely right." Finally, he could go back to smiling again, a small one perched delicately on his face. "I may not be strong in body, but I do my best to help everyone, even when I'm not at my best. ...Yet, I still worry about what may happen when I am needed in some way but can't find a way to be of help. Or worse yet, be the opposite of help. I do like having my own important niche to fill, but ahh, can you imagine how helpful I could be if I didn't have to rely on the strength of others?" It was as though he were sinking into wistful daydreaming. He knew it was only a fantasy and that he should be grateful for the gifts of healing competency the goddess had given him, so he followed with, "But no matter how strong you are, you will always need to rely on others somehow."

I hug all the tardy tags.

[thedesertrose]

She'd had every intent to say what he did and when she heard his words reflect the ones that sat on the tip of her tongue, the redhead smiled. Nabooru offered to the priest a nod, one that said very clearly she didn't need to add anything particularly. At least not immediately.

None of what she'd said had meant to be chiding, scolding, or some form of parental guidance. Rhys was old enough to pave his own way and she'd never felt it necessary to take him by the hand and help him cross proverbial streets. She'd wanted to encourage him from time to time and remind him that he certainly wasn't alone in the world. And sometimes Rhys was a bit impossible, wasn't he?

"Right," she said gently. "Everyone needs someone." Then she pointed to herself, "Even me, and even when I insist that I can do everything myself. I could learn from your humbleness, Rhys."

[gentlesaint]

His worries were rapidly evaporating away. "Thank you for your words of encouragement. I will surely take them to heart." Their uplifting chat was reminiscent somehow... Looking up at the strong woman with the red tresses next to him, it wasn't hard to pinpoint just how.

[thedesertrose]

She helped herself down from his desk and rested a hand on her hip. Then she motioned idly with the other and gave a smile, "You can do whatever you want with them, Rhys. I'm just letting you know where my feelings stand. A little honesty can go a long way when you want it to."

Shifting once more, she eyed the door to his office and looked back to him, even as she began to move, "Just think about it this way. If you need someone to help lift you up, you have me. We're friends, Rhys. So don't be afraid to rely on me every once in a while. And I won't be afraid to rely on you either."

[makesithot]

He was surprised that Blue was telling him these things, and he stared at her, attentive.

"Uh-huh. I've trained Fire-types my whole life! Why?"

[makesithot]

To just accept that fact and let some battles go... Was that truly the way to grow stronger? To acknowledge that he couldn't win until he trained harder? No, that didn't seem right for the Fire-type trainer. Whether or not that was Cress's way of dealing with battles he had little chance of winning, Chili could not imagine bowing down before giving each and every opportunity a go.

"...Maybe that's what you want to do," said Chili, slow and deliberate. He took a deep breath - as deep as his battered form would allow. "But that's now how I'd imagine myself getting stronger." And he felt it was only right for him to do what he thought would work best. That's what training yourself independently was about. Right?

[makesitcool]

"Then your way of seeking strength is to keep losing until you finally win." There was no scoff present in his tone. It all sounded like a curious observation. "I cannot change your methods, but it would soothe my nerves if you would at least avoid throwing yourself into danger so much. Please understand my feelings." While that last bit was said, Cress's eyebrows creased up and the smile he wore became silently pleading.

[makesithot]

"It's not about losing until I win," he said, a hint of annoyance in his tone. He opened one eye to stare at Cress from the side. "It's about not backing out of situations that could present a new opportunity for me. That's how I'm choosing to view this! I might lose, I might win-" he coughed, "but I'll never know unless I try, and the more I try the stronger I'll get."

[makesitcool]

"How noble that sounds. I admire an attitude that never gives up. But keep in mind..." His smile dropped. "There will always be a fight you can't possibly win. I would like it if you would take heed when you feel your life hinges on a thread. Learn to recognize that. If you don't... there's no point in taking that opportunity anymore, now is there?"

[makesithot]

Chili grumbled, admitting to himself that he'd already considered that. That he needed to learn from his mistakes so he could avoid getting hurt anymore. It didn't do his training much good if he was just going to get beat and battered all the time so he ended up like this. That just meant he'd be out of commission more often, and that sucked.

"Yeah... Fine. I will."