smash_logs | Office Log

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Office Log

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.

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"Outside, probably." He didn't even miss a beat. "I know it's cool out there, but I think that's part of the appeal for me. It's a fresh change of pace from all this drudgery." He neglected to mention that his job almost often carried with it a change of pace, although many of said changes made him blanch when they were gruesome enough. This was a fighting school, after all.

She nodded and cast another glance around his office. "Hm..." Then as she moved back onto her feet, she lifted a hand and motioned somewhat absently with no rhyme or reason.

"Why are you spending all your time inside?" she asked him. A moment later and she moved to curl an arm around his shoulders, unless he quickly evaded her - which she would have let him do so. "Or do you just need someone to spent that time with? I've definitely got some of that on my hands."

Rhys tensed up out of sheer sheepishness when she made her move over his shoulders- most of it due to the unexpectedness of it. "Oh, there are... a few reasons I don't venture out of doors too often these days." He let his thumbs battle each other idly in his lap. "Most of it is thanks to the job I have, but some of it is because I fear it's bad for my health if I stay out for too long. Let's not forget how often I come down with something! But true enough... I would like to spend time with you, Nabooru. I just wish I were clever enough to come up with something to spend time doing."

For many moments, she said nothing. Mostly because her first thoughts were that she could think of plenty of things they could spend time doing. He was cute, after all. Well, handsome. Cute was a word reserved for children and immature people. And handsome young men were worthier of equally handsome words. She did manage to keep all of her lesser pure thoughts to herself, for she could just imagine him sprinting out the door if she spoke up. Or he'd blush so deeply and so hotly that his entire head would explode.

"Well, we can get food. We can go shopping. We can spar. We can do pretty much anything you'd like to do. I don't need you to entertain me or to amuse me."

"Ooh, just about any those options sound nice to me," piped Rhys contentedly. "Well, except for the..."

He cut his sentence off and drifted into a stream of consideration. At first, he had been quick to decline sparring as an activity they could feasibly do together, as it was never possible for him to make it very far with anyone he attempted "crossing swords" with, if... it could even be called that. Perhaps what made him stop his declination was a combination of elements that had been accumulating gradually over his time at the academy, a revival of feelings that emerged every now and then. Everyone around him seemed to be getting stronger in their own ways, developing new skills they hadn't had before. It was inspirational for Rhys to watch, and to grow stronger was something he had always craved in life. He didn't care much for being the strongest or the bravest hero who ever graced the lyrics of a bard's song. He just wanted to be reliable.

When Samus, Phoenix, Char and he busted some criminal activity at the love hotel, it didn't do anything to enhance his self-worth if most of his role was spent asking questions and lingering uselessly at the back. It has serious effect on him and enacted a downward slope for his confidence to roll down on. So the thought of sparring, or maybe getting help with learning a thing or two about how to hold his own a little better, even if the mere thought of battling despite it being staged in a controlled training session greatly daunted him, seemed appealing all of a sudden. While he'd always failed before... Maybe now was a good chance to see if he would succeed now? Nothing was gained with a defeatist attitude, right?

Rhys pulled himself out of his brief cogitation and said with an evenness to his voice, "No. Actually, I think I wouldn't object to sparring."

The idea that the priest had taken so long to actually respond, to which she knew he was giving it great thought, intrigued the Gerudo. In hindsight, she'd taken note of the idea that from what she read on priests, they were mostly peaceful people and likely didn't believe in force. It wasn't her kind of lifestyle, but she supposed she could respect it at the very least. After all, she honestly couldn't picture throwing Rhys into the fray next to Byrne or anyone like that. The martial arts instructor would have practically chewed him up and spit him out.

...On the other hand, Rhys had once upon a time been somewhat close to Ganondorf. Maybe there was more to him than what met the eye.

Nabooru eyed the redhead with interest as she leaned onto her right hand. "Hm... I take it you never did much of that back home. You're used to being in the back of the line, right? If something happened to you, after all, you couldn't do what you do best - help other people." She tapped at her chin with a few fingertips and tipped her head a few times, from one side to the other, and back again. "When you say spar, you mean like a blade to blade one?"

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..."

"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.

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."

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."

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.

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."

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Office Log

Re: 10/23 - Late Afternoon

Re: 10/23 - Late Afternoon

Re: 10/23 - Late Afternoon

HEY GUESS WHO'S A LATE TAGGER

I DON'T HAVE TO GUESS

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Unfashionably Late

I'M MORE LATE THAN YOU.

KEEPS BEING TARDY TO THE PARTY

I hug all the tardy tags.

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no subject