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Who: Rikku + friends and Aef family
When: First half of Deceuer
Where: House that Rikku shares with her big sisters Karin and Lightning
What: Fallout from a recent run-in with a naga.
Warnings: Probably none? It's mostly Rikku being in bed and/or sneaking out of it.

0. Coven Infirmary

[For the first day after her fight with a feral Leanne, Rikku spends her time in an infirmary bed doped up on antivenom and other medications. She's not especially great company at this point, but if you really want to have a conversation with a barely-awake, drugged-up teenager go off I guess.]

0.5 Coven

[Confirmed with Leanne's player that 'Rikku convinces Leanne to get Bonded and they go through with it' goes here. :) ]

I. In Rikku's Bedroom

[After a little over a day, the antivenom has completed its work and Rikku is released to homecare with instructions to take it easy. Her shoulder is pretty messed up, after all, and her body needs time to replenish the lost blood.

As the medicine in her system wanes and Rikku becomes more awake and aware, it becomes quickly apparent that she is not a great patient. If you're lucky during your visit, you'll find her in bed where she's supposed to be recuperating. More likely, she's up and around the room trying to find something to do that will keep her from going stir-crazy. The sling her left arm is in makes some movements cumbersome, of course, but that doesn't stop her. Possibilities include redecorating, tinkering with some discarded bit of carpentry or technology, playing with potions, trying to climb out the window for fresh air...

Sorry, she's just like this.]

II. In the House Kitchen

[Of course, the logical conclusion of a stir-crazy patient is breaking out of the bedroom altogether.

Currently, Rikku can be found in the kitchen making herself a snack. She's humming to herself, completely unaware of your approach until it's too late for rushing away and plausible deniability. When she finally does notice, she turns to face you wide-eyed and with a roll hanging out of her mouth.]

Uh... hi?

[Busted.]

III. Wildcard

[hit me up if you have any additional ideas/prompts you want to play!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[~~She's not a baby and doesn't need a babysitter!~~

Well, at least it's Ferran who's found her and not someone more severe. Not that it's going to stop her from complaining as he gently pushes her back to bed.]

Oh come on, it's not like the kitchen is even that far. Don't be cruel.

[Yes, the roll is still in her mouth.]

[~~Prove it.~~]

The more you rest, the faster you'll recover. And if you want exercise, at least wait until someone is around?

[Look, he gets it—probably more than she knows. But it's important to make sure she's not going to going to further injure herself because of some accident or unknown part of the recovery! But being able to relate is part of why he's not being as stern as he could be.]

Anyway, I brought you some snacks myself. If you want them you're going to have to promise to lie down for a little while.

I know, I know, but...

[What she would give for an Al Bhed potion and the pragmatic Al Bhed 'walk it off' attitude right about now.

Alas, Ferran's smart enough to tempt her with food--her one weakness! She finally takes the roll out of her mouth so that her words aren't muffled by bread, suddenly interested.]

What kind of snacks?

[Ferran didn't grow up spoiled just to not learn the art of spoiling others himself.]

Banana bread, and a couple of oranges. [Gotta have something fresh in addition to the sugar!] I brought some tea too, if you want it.

[And as soon as she gets back in bed, he'll go back to the kitchen and get them for both of them to enjoy. But not a moment sooner...]

Oh, that sounds good. Especially the tea--it's really cold here, you know?

[Okay, okay, she'll go back to bed. For the snacks. Once they arrive at her bedroom she crawls back under the covers and props herself up on a pile of pillows, some of which were pilfered from the living room couch. There may also be a seat cushion in there.

If she has to stay in bed, she deserves to be comfortable. At least, that's what she told Lightning and Karin when they realized she'd helped herself to all of it while they weren't looking.

She hasn't exactly been the best patient.]

I still say my legs work just fine, though.

Believe me, I understand.

[As might be suggested by the fact that the only skin visible on him at the moment is his face. He's not about to take off his gloves or his cape—well, maybe the latter if Rikku complaints about the cold again. The least he can do is make sure she's comfortable if she complains about being in bed. It's a lot better than he'd had, back then...

Once she's settled, he shoots her a be right back and returns to the kitchen, gathering everything they'll need—a tray, plates, the actual snacks—and setting the water to boil. But she doesn't have to wait on the tea if she wants to go ahead and munch on a few other things, so he steps back in with the tray and sets it down, turning the nearby chair sideways before he sits.]

How long did they say it would take you to heal, again?

[Under her blankets, Rikku doesn't really have much cause to complain about the cold--there's plenty to keep her warm, especially with tea on the way.]

They want me to take it easy for a couple of weeks because of the blood loss and venom and shoulder. After that, it's going to be a couple of months before my shoulder's all healed.

[That last part is said with no small amount of exasperation. It sounds like forever, as far as she's concerned.]

Only a couple, huh? [Ferran leans his shoulder against the back of the chair, picking off a small piece of banana bread for himself.] Pretty lucky, all things considered...

[Given, you know, she was almost eaten by a snake person. He lets out a sigh, the sound and his expression a lot wearier than the demeanor he's been affecting. It only lasts for a moment, though, before his voice takes on a tone of surety again.]

It'll just get worse if you try to push through it too early. I know it's aggravating, but it'll be over before you know it. And there won't be any lasting effects after you're healed, right?

[Maybe she's not pleased about the recovery time, but that's still something to be happy about.]

Yeah, I suppose so.

[As much as Rikku hates being cooped up like this, she does realize that she's getting off very lightly given what's happened. And even if only for a moment, the whole situation seems to be weighing on Ferran as well.

She lets that sober her a bit, at least for now, and settles into her mountain of pillows for what's likely to be the rest of the day. Mission accomplished on the part of her caretaker.]

They said probably not, but I should be careful "the next time I decide to pick fights." Like it was my fault that Leanne needed my help, you know?

Meanies.

[From what Ferran understands of the situation, it wasn't like Rikku intended to head into a fight anyway... and as much as he'd like his bonded to be safer, it's not like he can blame her for any of it. There's only so much any person can prepare for.]

It sounds like they could work on their bedside manner...

[At that point, though, the kettle finally decides to boil, and with a brief oh, Ferran gets to his feet to go make and bring back the tea, momentarily allowing a glimpse of the wings he's been hiding under his cloak. When he returns with the pot in his gloved hands, he can't help but wonder if there's a better way of doing these things.]

I miss electric kettles... they're less noisy, for one.

[Rikku can't help herself and sits up to try and watch Ferran as he leaves. She knows he's just going to get the tea, but she's nosy dammit. And it looks like he has wings coming in? That's something to ask him about later.

First, though, it's time for tea and to talk technology.]

Yeah, we had some back at Home too. Not everyone had one because there weren't enough to go around, but Pops did and it was kind of luxury, you know?

[Not that they used it for warm beverages in the middle of the desert, but heating water quickly makes for much easier cooking.]

You think we could figure something out for here?

[Ferran returns to the snacks after setting the tea down to steep for a minute, cutting himself a proper slice of banana bread. Hmm, maybe he should invest in a toaster oven... another thing on the list of household items he misses.]

Yeah, the little things really add up. Sometimes you just need those kinds of comforts.

[Ferran grew up basically entirely in luxury as far as he's concerned, and not having that is upsetting! He won't begrudge anyone their conveniences. With the question, he hums in thought, pressing his lips together for a moment.]

I'm sure there's a good way to do it... they do have some electricity here—and there are heating spells, right? [Ones that don't involve fire.]

[Rikku taps her chin thoughtfully.]

We could probably wire something and use lightning spells to power it.

[Wince. Grimace. It's a good idea, but it's also the worst idea, so she quickly adds:]

But I'm sure we can find something else!

[She pauses awkwardly, then gives him a sheepish smile.]

Did I tell you that I hate lightning and thunder? Because I hate lightning and thunder.

[Ah... that is a shame. Ferran can't provide any useful magic for that kind of thing, himself, so that option is at least partly out.]

I'll keep that in mind.

[Ferran tends to like storms, himself, but he's pretty much sympathetic to anyone who has a phobia, these days. He has to wonder if there's a reason behind it, but he's not going to pry.]

While we're sharing, I really don't like fire. [Thus, the desire for things that don't require it...]

[Oh! It's nice to know she's not the only one with a stupid elemental phobia.]

Did someone hit you with a fire spell when you were a kid? That's what happened to me--my brother was trying to protect me from a fiend and missed. ZAP! Thunder spell to the face.

[She gestures wildly to indicate the impact, then immediately winces. STOP MOVING YOUR SHOULDER RIKKU.

Determined not to call attention to it, she forces herself to rebound and stick to the matter at hand.]

It was awful.

[Ferran's smile fades a bit, but he turns to pour her a cup of tea to distract himself.]

Ah, not... exactly.

[He's got an eye on her after that wince even so, but there's not exactly much he can do after the fact. She's already realized her mistake, anyway.]

But that would definitely do it. [He almost starts on an anecdote about his mother and electrical sockets, but the cold stab in his chest that Rikku might even feel a shadow of keeps his mouth shut. Try again, brain. Focus on her.]

How old was he?

[Rikku does feel a ghost of something, but she quickly brushes it off as probably being concern about her shoulder and therefore doesn't call attention to it. As far as his noncommittal response to her question... well, she'll get him to open up eventually. She knows enough that he's been through Some Stuff and wants to respect his privacy on that front.]

I was six, so he was nine. We were really little, so I don't blame him, but... well, I've been scared of thunder and lightning ever since. I know I should get over it, but it's hard to, you know?

[A lack of hard feelings is definitely a good thing—and while Ferran would be glad to encourage her if she wanted to work past the fear, forgiveness is really the most anyone could ask of her.]

Easier said than done, yeah. [Ferran pours himself a cup of tea as well before putting the pot down, but he holds out Rikku's cup towards her after that.]

There was... [hmm, that's headed into too many details territory.] Someone offered to help with mine, but... [He shrugs helplessly.] I never took the offer, so I'd have no idea where to start, myself.

[GOOD JOB BRUSHING OFF YOUR THERAPIST, FERRAN]

That's too bad. Although I probably wouldn't have taken the offer either.

[As if therapists even exist in Spira. For her part, though, facing the phobia is less about the emotional baggage and more about seriously lightning hurts and is scary. ~~She has emotional baggage from other sources!~~]

We'll figure it out together, I guess. I had promised someone else to help him with his fire phobia while I worked on my phobia, but he left Aefenglom before I had the chance to. But we could!

Oh—m-maybe.

[Even the thought of confronting fire properly has him hesitating. But... if it would help her, then... can he really refuse outright? She seems like she was looking forward to it with this other person, so he'd feel terrible just saying no. Plus, she'll probably have to deal with his fear anyway, now that they're bonded. Out of all his issues, it's the one thing he wouldn't be able to shut out at all.]

If you want... I can at least try to look up some advice, or something.

[Rikku gleefully ignores Ferran's clear hesitation, beaming at him from her bed as she starts in on some banana bread. It's well meaning--sometimes it's better to drag someone along for their own good.

Nevermind that she doesn't appreciate when people do that to her. That's different.]

Great! And I can see what's in the Coven library and stuff.

[That settled, she turns to an important topic: the food.]

This banana bread is really good. Did you make it?

[Nice! A change of subject is just what the doctor ordered. ~~The doctor is Ferran.~~]

Yeah, I'm glad you like it. I've been doing a lot of cooking at home to keep myself occupied...

[He says, as if he hasn't piled more than enough on his plate already between part-time tasks, studying the magical and nonmagical aspects of this world, and getting familiar the inner city, which is a task in itself with his sense of direction. The more time he spends doing and thinking about external things means less time he can think about himself.]

I never realized how tough it could be to find the ingredients I wanted until I came here.

[Thankfully, being spoiled by both wealth and technology back home doesn't keep him from being good at math and research, so he's been decent at budgeting. He didn't want to go too long before paying Rikku back for the money she lent him, either.]

Is there anything you can't do?

[~~Aside from open up, that is.~~

The question is asked with some good-natured teasing--she's known him long enough to know that he's the type to stay busy, so him baking is not really much of a surprise. More than anything, Rikku's impressed by it. Regardless of his reasons, keeping track of so much isn't exactly an easy feat.]

I get what you mean, though. The difference in food took a bit of getting used to. So many things here are so heavy in a way that food back home isn't. [Especially in Bikanel--stews and pies and the like aren't exactly suitable for the desert.]

[Ferran lets out a sheepish chuckle. Overworking himself and overloading his brain is his coping mechanism, which doesn't always work out the best, but it's got it's benefits.]

Plenty, believe me.

[He's interested in hearing about Rikku's culture, though—as concerned as he is about her safety and health for practical reasons, it's nice to be able to learn more about her as a person.]

I guess they make what works best for them... it would be interesting to look into the history. [Says the sometimes-history nerd.] What kinds of things did you eat before?

Uh-huh, okay.

[Rikku doesn't sound convinced, although again it's more playful than accusatory. It's teenage flirting, really.

In response to his question, her expression becomes a bit wistful.]

In the desert we were lucky enough to be able to grow crops almost year-round, so we ate a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. Citrus was a big one because it handles the heat so well. And we'd keep small animals for a source of protein and make soups and stuff.

Aaaaand because we scavenged some nice cooking machina, we could get creative with baking and stuff in ways other people in Spira couldn't. Al Bhed cakes are the best.

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