[ That depends whether he's referring to her consciousness or not because something has clicked and her soul is presently leaving her body at the sight of that pic. Thankfully, she manages to recover it, giving her head a violent shake and placing her phone down just long enough to give her cheeks a good slapslapSLAP.
Get it together, Mizushita!!
Of course, getting it together means assessing the situation properly and formulating a few plans of action before she takes action. Hoshina is a troll, a sly fox with a quick mind, and he's the most promising playmate she's had. While she's thought it in moments of exasperation, leaving him to die from the disease because death isn't permanent here has never been a real consideration, but the man is -- and she glances very briefly at her phone, pecking the keys to scroll down to the rest of the message so that the pic is at least a little out of the frame -- dangerous.
She likes it, that he's dangerous. It's good fun to tease the sheep, but sometimes, she craves a challenge. He isn't half-bad for that, not that she'll tell him, and there's... something else, something she shoves so violently to the back of her mind it almost sends her reeling.
Still, to be in close quarters with him like that in private, even with both of them sick... well, she doesn't exactly have a choice, does she? She could ask one of her friends to go in her place, but they wouldn't know what to ask, how to get to the heart of the matter. They'd be easily overwhelmed and there's a very good chance he wouldn't take them seriously and she'd wind up having to go, anyway.
Plenty of time to think on the way, she supposes. She caps a cough with a hand and swallows stubbornly.
Right. She needs coffee and she needs to move. She needs to get there and back before this worsens. He already passed out at least once that she knows of and he's... well, he's, uh, obviously in better shape than she is, so she should hurry. ]
dont worry about it
u need 2 focus on figuring out ur secret cause ur gonna tell it me
[ That and more. She's been wanting to learn more about him and she isn't about to pass up the opportunity. Two birds, one stone and all that.
She'll just have to be mindful of her health and the time. ]
ur coming over arn't u? can u just not? I'm fiiiiine really. dont worry.
[ He's actually a little terrified. He'd usually call up Okonogi by now, in a panic and have her talk some sense into him- but he doesn't have anyone... No friends as of yet, just a few people whos names he would recognize from talking to them on the Oracle. Nao is the closest thing to anything he has...
... And he wants to keep her close, become better friends and so on, so for her to come and see him when he's weak like this? It doesn't bode well. ]
Here. I'll be decent when u get here.
[ He drops the name of the Inn he's staying in, the Dragonkin looking after him, having convinced him it's best to be with someone when you're like this. ]
[ She'd been ready to tide him over with responses until she found him. He isn't the only one who has skill when it comes to Seeking. Stellari may not be her city, but it's a city and she's smart, resourceful, assertive when it comes to tracking people, things, answers down. She certainly wasn't asking for permission, not when its his life was at stake, but then he surprises her with the name of an inn and another rather important detail she'd have been sure to address herself before she got there.
Why the change of heart? She wonders, but thinks it's better not to question him now or perhaps at all about it. For some reason, she thinks he can trust his word this time. ]
thank u ill see u soon
[ No emoji this time. She's that serious about getting to him and she's on the move, stifling the occasional little cough along the way. ]
[ Soon isn't as soon as she would have liked, but it's still soon. Sometime after that last text, she finds the inn and is directed to the room he's staying in by the clerk at the front desk.
Under normal circumstances, she might've simply tested the door and walked in had it been unlocked and seemed safe enough. This time, she presses her door to the ear for a moment, listening, then draws herself back and knocks. ]
Hoshina-kun, you better be decent! You promised! [ She calls. ]
--Nyao~ You can come in, I'm purrfectly decent! Just having a wash!
[ He called out from inside the room, his voice sounding a little muffled on account of the mouthful of petals he just coughed up before she arrived.
When she does open the door, the first thing she will see is the bed he's taken over while he's sick. A body-shaped lump in it ( ps. it's just pillows and his jacket, but shhhh~ ) and a cat sitting on the pillow in a ring of flower petals and leaves. The cat, a black tabby with midnight blue eyes, currently licking its paw. The real Hoshina is propped up behind the door, having gotten up for a drink of water.
Is she really going to fall for this? If so, she should be expecting another 11 cats in here somewhere, right? ]
[ Nao's eyes slide from the cat to the door, a finger slowly, silently lifted to her lips for the benefit of the cat. What Hoshina likely doesn't realize is she's well within range to properly sense him now and she knew he was behind the door well ahead of opening it. In retrospect, she should have thrown it open, but with the way the building is made, it wouldn't have hit him, anyway.
That just leaves the present in which he's obviously feeling well enough to try to prank her like this. Oh, she's gonna get him. ]
Hoshina-kun!
[ She gasps and steps in hurriedly, leaving the door open as she approaches the cat on the bed. The gasp is very real as Nao has honed in on the cat's charm points. She doesn't know where he got the kitty from, but she's already determined he or she is coming back to the cottage with her when she leaves. ]
I didn't think you were serious about the twelve cats thing!
[ She kneels by the bed and leans forward so she can better observe the kitty as she continues her act except it isn't totally an act. She is, in fact, fawning over the cat.
So cute! ]
Shouldn't there be eleven more of you? I wonder where they could be.
[ She's going to pet the kitty because she deserves to pet the kitty. She's only become more deserving since she got there, but as she does, she's honing in on certain sights, scents. Should've put her air-filtering mask back on before she stepped in, but she's not sure how helpful it will be even when she does. She has to be quick to remove it when she coughs, after all. ]
You're not planning on playing a trick on me, are you? That'd be so mean!
[ Dabbing his forehead with the wet cloth he had in one hand, as he closed the door with the other, letting her know he was there. (Not knowing that she already clocked him the second she was in the building.)
Wobbling as he stepped forward, stumbling and catching himself by holding the post on the foot of the bed, doubling over, covering his mouth and spluttering out a handful of petals and a small splattering of blood as his laughter was clearly too much for his feeble lungs to handle right now. ]
Man, I was hoping you weren't that gullible, but no~
[ Tipping his head aside. He looked kinda shit, hair stuck to his face with sweat beads trickling down from his temples and a damp ring around the neck of his t-shirt. Eyes closed as they usually were, but there was a ring of black around them, bags that weren't there before. ]
[ One of her hands belongs to the kitty now, but the other is free to deck him. Being ambidextrous has its pros, after all! But she should have decked him before she got a look at him. Seeing him in such condition is enough that she gasps, retracts her hand from the cat, and pushes herself to stand. The scent of his blood filling the air catches in her nose and it almost, almost budges her appetite from beneath the suppressing weight of the coffee in her system. Just enough for her brain to register the particular scent of his blood as distinct, Good, d --
She stops it right there. Wills every thread of thought and feeling snapped and refocused, the others cast down. It happens in a blink and she's reaching to tug the mask out of her pocket and press it to her face. ]
Why didn't you call me?
[ It's the first thing out of her mouth, concern running hot simultaneously next to other unseemly thoughts. ]
C'mon. You need to sit down right now.
[ She's already stepping forward, ready to help him if he needs it -- and whether he likes it or not. ]
[ Yeah, they've only played one game together, sure, it was one hell of a game of cat and mouse but he's genuinely surprised by her concern for him. What a nice girl. Hoshina smiles then, as he thinks about how she actually showed up for him, regardless of how little they know each other. It's touching, it really is. ]
It's okay, I've had worse than this before.
[ Coughing, covering his mouth as his throat wheezes and chest ruckles a thick, wet sound. Knees going weak as he stumbles towards her as she steps forward, falling into her arm as he tries to keep his face away from her. Seeing the mask she pressed to her face and all. ]
You shouldn't. I don't want to infect you. You should keep your distance, I'm fine, just... just a little warm is all. Need to lay down...
[ He's in pain, coughing blood, knees so weak he can't stay upright on his feet, trying to keep his face away from hers because he no doubt saw her mask, and he's... concerned about her? It's jarring, the realization. Not only that, but his words. He didn't make a single attempt to command her and she's not sure how she feels about that. ]
Woah! Not on the floor, not on the floor!
[ She is sure she can figure it out later and takes a breath before lowering it so she can slip the arm holding it beneath his and sort of lift him up and onto the bed. She'd caught him when he fell into her, but it's mostly her moving his weight, so she's careful not to move them in such a way that he hits his head on the bedside table or the head board or anything else. The footing is a little tricky, but she manages not to fall on top of him.
Making light of things when he's dying... he's the one dying right now, so why's she feel so scared? ]
'M gonna need you to speak your truth before you can't speak, Hoshina-kun.
[ Her voice is too soft, her focus centered. She couldn't keep a smile on her face right now to save her life. ]
'S really rude to go and die when you've got a cute guest, y'know?
[ Groaning as he felt out for the bed, the cat stretching up and rubbing against his hand as he gently stroked it to make it move out of the way, not wanting to lay on it.
His body was hot. His surprisingly muscular arms and chest were damp with sweat and stained with pollen and crushed petals. Slumping down onto the bed, breathing laboured breaths as he covered his mouth and coughed out another handful of petals. ]
S-sure, sure, we can talk I just... I need to...
[ Tugging the hem of his shirt up, struggling to peel it up and over his head on his own. His ribs discoloured with pretty flower-shaped bruises, veins looking like vines just under the skin, moving and growing, strangling his lungs with each pained breath he took.
Maybe he was suffering so badly because the secret he kept had been in his family for generations? A secret that wouldn't hold any importance here, which is why Hoshina doesn't expect it to the the actual secret that's making him ill. ]
--Ha, you hear that, Shiro? Nao-chan thinks you're cute.
[ Talking to the cat as his cheeks flushed with colour. Was his fever getting worse or was he trying to deflect her comment so as not to feel embarrassed about it? ]
[ Later, when Nao is processing everything that's happening between them here today, she might realize it, that it's possible he was deflecting her comment because he was embarrassed. She doesn't miss that his cheeks have flushed. She caught it, looking between his face and the damage the disease has wrought throughout his body. It coincides with her comment and his addressing Shiro-chan.
Right now, she's worried for him and she's scared and her heart is too loud in her ears and she can't -- she can't do anything, can she? She can't -- she can.
She forgets sometimes that she drank the blue potion, that she can use that small magic as a pain reliever despite that she uses it often when the scar on her upper left arm hurts. It won't stop the roots, but it can help him feel even just slightly better, so she doesn't hesitate to place her hand atop his chest where she might otherwise have done just that and fallen off the bed. It takes the form you're used to, BB had said. What she's used to is directly channeling spiritual energy, manipulating and controlling it. It's what she does now, but instead of casting it like a blanket, she wills it to flow through him to ease the pain he's feeling. ]
You're stalling.
[ She feels a sudden pang in her upper left arm. She ignores it and stifles a small cough, stubbornly swallowing another petal. The taste of her own blood lingers, having clung in the back of her throat. ]
[ Laying on his back, like a wounded soldier, one arm lulling to hang off of the side of the bed, Shiro jumping down to paw and pad at it like a toy, his fingers wriggling to keep the cat entertained as Nao fusses over him.
He doesn't flinch when she touches him, but he does rest his hand upon hers, sliding it up higher on his chest, resting it over his heart where the beating is irregular. His hand is cold and clammy, even the blood staining his palm has cooled and congealed by now ( he'll apologize later for touching her with such a dirty hand. ) ]
I'm not stalling ... I just... I can't think of anything...
[ Opening his eyes just a little, to better look at her, the deep dark violets looking paler than they usually would, his cheeky mischievous glint missing from them for now. Shrugging as he tries to smile at her. ]
I dunno, a truth? A secret? ... I'm envious of my older brother, he's better at everything than me... He's a Capitan whereas I'm just a Vice Capitan?
[ He waits a moment, thinking perhaps that's it... Until he feels a bloom blossoming in the back of his throat. ]
[ This is it, her element, and her focus sharpens unseen. It's still him. The world around them isn't an immediate concern and if it need be, she's more than prepared to handle it immediately, decisively.
His hand is so cold, though. Her fingers twitch slightly against his skin. She maintains the healing magic in its way and wills her energy to flow beyond the spell, expanding outward into a small bubble around them. It isn't a lot, nothing strenuous, nothing so intense the spiritual pressure would be noticeable to the average, spiritually blind human. To her, this is as natural as blinking and just as effortless. Her hand is actively warmer and so is the air in the bubble surrounding them, softly somehow.
Nao wants him to be as comfortable as he can as they go into this, to stay with her.
An elder brother he's envious of, that's family. A difference in skill in everything? Too broad, there's some specific things that hit home more than likely... and it's in connection with their occupation maybe. That's right. On the network, he'd said he was a Vice Captain of the Defense Force. She's wondered about that.
They're both in the same occupational field then and there's competition. He's actively envious, he's stating their ranks -- it isn't new. In fact, with family being the core about which he's speaking... wait, wait. No running too far ahead. ]
Of what? What is it that the two of you do that there's such competition between you?
[ Her hand felt good. Soothing as she let him move it across his chest. Licking his lips and swallowing as he arched up and shuffled to get more comfortable, taking a slow breath, the warmth she created around them feeling good as he inhaled.
Hoshina wasn't thinking about trolling her anymore, about jokes and saving face. He was scared. This felt too real. He'd been badly wounded in battle before, but nothing like this. The hand he had on top of hers trembled a little as he swallowed down another mouthful of petals before turning his head aside and coughing up vines of bloodstained ivy, choking as they took a little too long to come out of his mouth. Pretty splatters of blood painted his lips and cheek. ]
I'm scared, Nao-chan... It's getting harder to breathe...
[ Swallowing again as he groaned and shifted where he lay, slipping his fingers between hers to give her hand a little weak squeeze.
Focus, Soshiro, focus. He thought to himself as she asked her questions. Taking his time to steady his breathing before answering. ]
Soichiro is just better than me at everything. Father always said I should just give up... T-that I wasn't worthy of our family name... That my swordsmanship wasn't good enough... My techniques are weaker than his...
[ Coughing, his muscles tensing as he tried not to cough too hard. ]
We kill Kaiju... Monster hunters. We both use swords when the rest of the force uses guns... We're unique. H-he's the captain of the 6th Division... He trained with me as a kid. But it's not that... I'm still coughing... It must be something else... I don't love Okonogi-chan or Mina-senpai... Not like that. Sure I tease and flirt but nothing thats secret... We all know about Kafka, about Kaiju no. 8 so its n-not that either...
[ Nao listens intently as he speaks. When he slips his fingers between hers and gives her hand that weak little squeeze, she grasps his hand and holds it tightly as if the very act might be enough to keep him grounded there with her.
He's scared and she's scared and this is... this is all she can do? Is this really all she can do for him? It's more than that person could do at that time for anyone, but this isn't then and she isn't that person. She isn't so small and so weak and so powerless. She is more; she can do more. She has to do more, be more, be enough to help him break through the disease's stranglehold before it's too late.
Focus!!
A family of monster hunters whose name is proudly distinguished by their sword techniques. A martial clan that dates back to the Warring States period at least. She and Hoshina may not be from the exact same Earth. She isn't sure, but she is sure that any beings humans dub "monsters" and hunt that are worthy of a defense force in modern times ("'gram," he'd said, like an idiot) would flourish in times of conflict and war. That's when the blade is best trained, skills best honed, and a style of swordsmanship may make its name and that of the clan that bore it.
The signs of such a clan are there: proud, competitive, disparaging of any talent judged lesser with a cold determination to turn him from the sword to save face, traditional, secretive, focused. The whole family should celebrate and support the person judged their best, the heir. Bow your head or they'll break it.
It hits too close to home.
They didn't break him.
She wasn't made for giving up.
His secret must rest with his family. From the way he spoke, his obvious pride about his occupation and position, she doesn't think the Hoshina clan makes up the entirety of the Defense Force or even a considerable number. He would've said something. He's feverish and in pain and too raw speaking of his life like he is, like -- like he's really going to die.
There is so much doubt and stress and pain and fear, so much weight bearing down on his soul. She sees it, feels it, him, with every shallow breath, every irregular beat of his heart beneath her hand. In this moment, he's weakened, but he is strong, so strong. A lesser man would surely have succumbed by now, perhaps even years ago under the thumb of his clan before this parasite could even touch him, but Hoshina, he's a fighter. He's resilient, and she? Fast.
Grasping every thread, every piece, pulling, crossing, placing --
Is she fast enough to beat the god of Death? Doesn't matter. She has to be.
Nao squeezes his hand, runs her thumb lightly along the back of his knuckles to call his attention to her. That's all she needs, to beat Death itself and Hoshina speak his truth and the parasite that's killing him die. In that instant -- between her masterful use of psychosomatic illusions, which by definition grant her control of the mind and senses, and her ability to create, channel, shape, and otherwise manipulate spiritual energy -- she can prompt his immune system to act and his body to begin properly healing in earnest. She's already in direct physical contact, already intensely focused on him. Seeing, sensing, feeling --
[ Had Hoshina had his sense about him a little more, he might not have been so open with her. At least not right off the bat like this. He hardly knew her! Other than her being his new playmate, she was an enigma to him~ He was interested beyond the surface level but he wanted to find out more about her on his own terms. This felt like cheating!
Still, no matter how he looked at it, he was dying... She was saving his ass, he could let it slide for now and make up for lost time after.
The way she tended to him was so careful and caring, he wouldn't have expected it. And, maybe it was nice, having someone care for him like this? He's going to have to pay her back for this, even if she doesn't want him to. Squeezing her hand as he coughed, cracking open those violet eyes of his as she spoke, voice slightly muffled by her own cough and that mask. ]
Do they--? The Force? ... N-no... We're not allowed to tell a-anyone. B-but never mind that... Are you okay?
[ Reaching up with a feeble hand, fingers brushing across her mask lightly. ]
[ His fingers brush across her mask. His answer, his question hang in her air, ringing in her ears. Beneath her amber-colored contacts is a deep, dark black onyx. They're turned, her eyes, and catch that violet she's been chasing since the day they met. It wasn't long ago at all by her standards; and yet, it feels so long, as if she'd been waiting to meet him forever, to be seen by him.
It's impossible. It makes no sense, the sort of witchcraft decried when a single person has two colored sets of eyes, two names, and the dead walk among the living. She isn't that person, that's what she always claims; and yet, Nao hasn't been alone in her pursuit of his color. Long before Nao Mizushita was made, Haruka Shizuoka searched and searched and found no one outside her clan who could meet her onyx gaze.
He'd made her curious that day. Makes her wanna open her mouth and tell him the truths she isn't allowed starting with the answer to his question: "Are you okay?" ]
No, I'm not okay.
[ The words are poured like a light shower before a torrential rain and she knows. This Soshiro Hoshina couldn't possibly know what he's achieved.
If he takes it from her, she'll never forgive him. ]
Are you okay?
[ It couldn't be anything like tears making her eyes glassy. That wouldn't make sense. If that viral lifeform would just die, then maybe they could breathe.
[ Hoshina makes a point of always having his eyes closed, or practically closed, just cracked open, he finds it helps to keep the mystery when meeting new recruits, makes him seem more a badass, like he doesn't need to see, to cut down Kaiju. So the fact he even looked at her in the first place, with open eyes, all deep and dark, violet like a nebula, meant his guard was completely down right now.
The way he looked at her like he was looking through her. Like he could see through her contacts and at the curious if not cautious girl looking back at him. A glaze in his hues, the fever breaking making him weary and weak as beads of sweat rolled down his temples. Maybe it was something she said or did without him knowing, but something had changed, something deep inside him. These vines, though they had yet to withdraw had at least stopped crushing and squeezing his lungs and heart as they buried in. Allowing him a moment to take a deep breath, coughing as no petals tumbled from his lips, just a small splatter of blood. ]
I'll be okay... If you are...
[ The trembling reach of his hand, the one that had brushed across her mask, moved to cup the side of her face, offering her a weak little smile. ]
My chest... It- it's not as tight. S-still hurts like a motherfucker but...
[ Hoshina sighs, sinking back into the bed, breathing a little more stable thought the vines and flowers can still be seen just under and poking through the surface of his pale skin. ]
[ She almost tilted her cheek into his hand, almost. To be seen, to be the recipient of those words with that condition placed upon her is... she couldn't describe it if asked. She wouldn't know where to begin. It's a swell and a shake and her heart pounding thunderously in its rattling cage. She sees him and hears him and feels him and she doesn't turn away, doesn't leave this contact at one hand.
Nao raises the pointer of her free hand and gently presses it to his lips. Still worrying about her... this man... ]
Try to relax, okay?
[ She moves the finger at his lips to rest five at his throat. She doesn't grip, doesn't press, just rests her fingertips atop his skin so as to give herself another five points through which to work. She doesn't want to pull her eyes from his, but she does so as to better see what she's doing, and oh, in the instant she sees the invasive energy fading, she is doing.
He's hers now.
It's her threads to his senses, his energies, and she is nothing if not skilled in manipulation. With energy, it comes naturally to her, her understanding innate. It's a simple matter of directing the flow to achieve the results she desires and his body will respond to her prompting. Blood will clot. His immune system and natural healing ability will experience a sudden resurgence and she, she can see it all, sense it, feel him beneath her still warming fingertips, her hand.
She doesn't remove them, but she does turn her eyes back to his as if to ask him how he feels now. Please say "better". ]
[ Even if she doesn't tilt her face into his hand, his fingers still twitch against her warming cheek, thumb gently stroking a little even as he fights back the shake the muscles in his arms want to surrender to. He has to be strong, if not for himself, for her. Hoshina has been there where Defence Force members died, out in the field, bloodied and afraid, and he doesn't want to look like that now, doesn't want to put that burden on her.
Still, as she pressed her finger to his bloodstained lips as if to hush him to silence, Hoshina smiled that cunning little smile of his and pursed his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of her finger, humming out a sound of acceptance. Okay, he'll be quiet. Nodding in agreement. You win, Nao. ]
--Hnng?
[ Grunting out a questioning sound as she slides her hand from his lips to around his throat. He wants to pass a cheeky comment, something something choke me, something something dinner first? But thinks better of it as he starts to feel the way his body responds to her touch. Just what was her deal? She had a multitude of neat tricks up her sleeves, didn't she? He'd have to try and remember to ask her about it sometime if they both survive this horrible sickness.
Come to think about it. That's strange... He can almost feel his body rejecting the plants. Didn't feel great mind you, but there was a distinct feeling of wilting and withdrawing deep within his veins where they had tangled and clogged.
Taking a few panicked breaths and writing a little on the bed, the sheets tangling around his middle and legs as he panted then coughed, feeling inside his mouth to pull a rotten flowerhead from the back of his throat. Whatever she was doing, whatever he had said to trigger it, seemed to have disagreed with the plants. ]
N-Nao-chan? ... W-What are you doing? How are you d-doing that?
[ She tries to spit it out like a quip and mostly succeeds. She didn't actually say the words aloud, but it was implied through the finger she put to his lips that he... that he kissed, and with a flash of that familiar cunning smile of his, which has nothing to do with the bit of red dusting her cheeks or her heart doing that thing it actually didn't just do. Neither did that -- he wasn't stroking -- she needs to stay focused, damnit!
She'd turned her eyes sharply back to his body. Ducking her head to hide her cheeks won't work given their positioning. His movements are good, though. The rotten flowerhead he pulled from the back of his throat was not the prettiest thing she's ever seen, but it's a good sign. His body is rejecting and purging the virus. Good. ]
[ He said with a weak chuckle, his breathing was coming easier now but it still hurt a little.
She was easier to fluster than he first thought. She should have expected the little finger kiss, what else was he supposed to do when she pressed her digit there!? Bite it? No, he couldn't do that, not when she was somehow making his illness weaken its hold over him. Lightly stroking her face a while longer, noticing how warm the red-ish apples of her cheek had become where the flush bloomed into her smooth, pale skin. She was cute, he shouldn't have let Shiro take credit for her cuteness... Speaking of that cat, it decided to rub itself against Nao's leg with a low rumble of a purr.
As Nao dipped her head, so too did Hoshina, if only so he could watch her. Those bright, deep violet eyes of his were still open for the time being as if being sick had made him forget his usual foxish slant and smirk. ]
You'd gag an already choking man? And here I was just starting to think you had a heart, Nao-chan... You wound me.
You're obviously feeling better, running at the mouth like you are.
[ Nao returns smoothly despite her lingering color and the fact that she is quite conscious that he's observing it. There's little she can do to address it or play it off right now, not that the latter usually works. She's much too fair-skinned for it to be anything but what it is and what it is is... inconsequential! So much so that she can work 'blind,' turning her eyes briefly down at Shiro, then up to catch those deep violet eyes of Hoshina's.
Who knows when she'll get to see them again? ]
Shiro-chan agrees with me or [ and she pauses ] am I misunderstanding and that's what you're asking of me?
[ Her head pounds with each word. She's been so intently focused on the task at hand, the severity of her own worsening symptoms is only just beginning to be realized. It hadn't moved that fast, had it?? She clears her throat, something tickling the blood-coated back of it. She feels.. cold? She shouldn't, not with how she's warming the air in the bubble around him. ]
It has a mind of its own, I keep it running on an emergency generator, in case of situations just like this~
[ Coughing as he chuckled, yet there were no petals, just a little splatter of pollen mixed with drying blood, the worst of his infection seeming to have passed, thankfully.
It's cute, the way she flusters when she helps him. There's something about her, he can't quite put his finger on. He wants to say she reminds him of someone from home, but, no... It's not that at all, still, he can't shake this feeling that feels like he's known her most of his life. A side effect of the illness? Must be. I mean, what else could it be? ...
His eyes narrow slightly as he starts to feel better, not needing to look as intently at her now. Letting his arm that was dangling off the bed, feeling around for Shiro as Nao mentioned them. Fingertips brushed the side of Nao's leg before they found and scratched the cat. ]
At least buy me dinner first, okay? I don't usually let a lady get what she wants until the third date, and this is what, our second one?
[ Ah but, all jokes and Schrödinger's flirting aside, is she okay? ]
--Hey, take it easy, alright... C'mere, you've done too much.
[ Reaching up and gently wrapping his arm around her, pulling her in close as she scoots aside to sit on the edge of the bed, he's going to motion to lay her down if she'll let him if she doesn't mind resting in his warm sheets that is. Feeling to remove her mask with a concerned look about his clammy face. ]
You're sick too huh? Tch and here you were, worrying about me you dummy... Breathe okay, you've got this.
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Get it together, Mizushita!!
Of course, getting it together means assessing the situation properly and formulating a few plans of action before she takes action. Hoshina is a troll, a sly fox with a quick mind, and he's the most promising playmate she's had. While she's thought it in moments of exasperation, leaving him to die from the disease because death isn't permanent here has never been a real consideration, but the man is -- and she glances very briefly at her phone, pecking the keys to scroll down to the rest of the message so that the pic is at least a little out of the frame -- dangerous.
She likes it, that he's dangerous. It's good fun to tease the sheep, but sometimes, she craves a challenge. He isn't half-bad for that, not that she'll tell him, and there's... something else, something she shoves so violently to the back of her mind it almost sends her reeling.
Still, to be in close quarters with him like that in private, even with both of them sick... well, she doesn't exactly have a choice, does she? She could ask one of her friends to go in her place, but they wouldn't know what to ask, how to get to the heart of the matter. They'd be easily overwhelmed and there's a very good chance he wouldn't take them seriously and she'd wind up having to go, anyway.
Plenty of time to think on the way, she supposes. She caps a cough with a hand and swallows stubbornly.
Right. She needs coffee and she needs to move. She needs to get there and back before this worsens. He already passed out at least once that she knows of and he's... well, he's, uh, obviously in better shape than she is, so she should hurry. ]
dont worry about it
u need 2 focus on figuring out ur secret
cause ur gonna tell it me
[ That and more. She's been wanting to learn more about him and she isn't about to pass up the opportunity. Two birds, one stone and all that.
She'll just have to be mindful of her health and the time. ]
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can u just not?
I'm fiiiiine really.
dont worry.
[ He's actually a little terrified. He'd usually call up Okonogi by now, in a panic and have her talk some sense into him- but he doesn't have anyone... No friends as of yet, just a few people whos names he would recognize from talking to them on the Oracle. Nao is the closest thing to anything he has...
... And he wants to keep her close, become better friends and so on, so for her to come and see him when he's weak like this? It doesn't bode well. ]
Here.
I'll be decent when u get here.
[ He drops the name of the Inn he's staying in, the Dragonkin looking after him, having convinced him it's best to be with someone when you're like this. ]
1/2
Why the change of heart? She wonders, but thinks it's better not to question him now or perhaps at all about it. For some reason, she thinks he can trust his word this time. ]
thank u
ill see u soon
[ No emoji this time. She's that serious about getting to him and she's on the move, stifling the occasional little cough along the way. ]
2/2
Under normal circumstances, she might've simply tested the door and walked in had it been unlocked and seemed safe enough. This time, she presses her door to the ear for a moment, listening, then draws herself back and knocks. ]
Hoshina-kun, you better be decent! You promised! [ She calls. ]
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[ He called out from inside the room, his voice sounding a little muffled on account of the mouthful of petals he just coughed up before she arrived.
When she does open the door, the first thing she will see is the bed he's taken over while he's sick. A body-shaped lump in it ( ps. it's just pillows and his jacket, but shhhh~ ) and a cat sitting on the pillow in a ring of flower petals and leaves. The cat, a black tabby with midnight blue eyes, currently licking its paw. The real Hoshina is propped up behind the door, having gotten up for a drink of water.
Is she really going to fall for this? If so, she should be expecting another 11 cats in here somewhere, right? ]
cw: blood, disease, etc. up and down, sorry y'all
That just leaves the present in which he's obviously feeling well enough to try to prank her like this. Oh, she's gonna get him. ]
Hoshina-kun!
[ She gasps and steps in hurriedly, leaving the door open as she approaches the cat on the bed. The gasp is very real as Nao has honed in on the cat's charm points. She doesn't know where he got the kitty from, but she's already determined he or she is coming back to the cottage with her when she leaves. ]
I didn't think you were serious about the twelve cats thing!
[ She kneels by the bed and leans forward so she can better observe the kitty as she continues her act except it isn't totally an act. She is, in fact, fawning over the cat.
So cute! ]
Shouldn't there be eleven more of you? I wonder where they could be.
[ She's going to pet the kitty because she deserves to pet the kitty. She's only become more deserving since she got there, but as she does, she's honing in on certain sights, scents. Should've put her air-filtering mask back on before she stepped in, but she's not sure how helpful it will be even when she does. She has to be quick to remove it when she coughs, after all. ]
You're not planning on playing a trick on me, are you? That'd be so mean!
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Wobbling as he stepped forward, stumbling and catching himself by holding the post on the foot of the bed, doubling over, covering his mouth and spluttering out a handful of petals and a small splattering of blood as his laughter was clearly too much for his feeble lungs to handle right now. ]
Man, I was hoping you weren't that gullible, but no~
[ Tipping his head aside. He looked kinda shit, hair stuck to his face with sweat beads trickling down from his temples and a damp ring around the neck of his t-shirt. Eyes closed as they usually were, but there was a ring of black around them, bags that weren't there before. ]
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She stops it right there. Wills every thread of thought and feeling snapped and refocused, the others cast down. It happens in a blink and she's reaching to tug the mask out of her pocket and press it to her face. ]
Why didn't you call me?
[ It's the first thing out of her mouth, concern running hot simultaneously next to other unseemly thoughts. ]
C'mon. You need to sit down right now.
[ She's already stepping forward, ready to help him if he needs it -- and whether he likes it or not. ]
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[ Yeah, they've only played one game together, sure, it was one hell of a game of cat and mouse but he's genuinely surprised by her concern for him. What a nice girl. Hoshina smiles then, as he thinks about how she actually showed up for him, regardless of how little they know each other. It's touching, it really is. ]
It's okay, I've had worse than this before.
[ Coughing, covering his mouth as his throat wheezes and chest ruckles a thick, wet sound. Knees going weak as he stumbles towards her as she steps forward, falling into her arm as he tries to keep his face away from her. Seeing the mask she pressed to her face and all. ]
You shouldn't. I don't want to infect you. You should keep your distance, I'm fine, just... just a little warm is all. Need to lay down...
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Woah! Not on the floor, not on the floor!
[ She is sure she can figure it out later and takes a breath before lowering it so she can slip the arm holding it beneath his and sort of lift him up and onto the bed. She'd caught him when he fell into her, but it's mostly her moving his weight, so she's careful not to move them in such a way that he hits his head on the bedside table or the head board or anything else. The footing is a little tricky, but she manages not to fall on top of him.
Making light of things when he's dying... he's the one dying right now, so why's she feel so scared? ]
'M gonna need you to speak your truth before you can't speak, Hoshina-kun.
[ Her voice is too soft, her focus centered. She couldn't keep a smile on her face right now to save her life. ]
'S really rude to go and die when you've got a cute guest, y'know?
cw: body horror
His body was hot. His surprisingly muscular arms and chest were damp with sweat and stained with pollen and crushed petals. Slumping down onto the bed, breathing laboured breaths as he covered his mouth and coughed out another handful of petals. ]
S-sure, sure, we can talk I just... I need to...
[ Tugging the hem of his shirt up, struggling to peel it up and over his head on his own. His ribs discoloured with pretty flower-shaped bruises, veins looking like vines just under the skin, moving and growing, strangling his lungs with each pained breath he took.
Maybe he was suffering so badly because the secret he kept had been in his family for generations? A secret that wouldn't hold any importance here, which is why Hoshina doesn't expect it to the the actual secret that's making him ill. ]
--Ha, you hear that, Shiro? Nao-chan thinks you're cute.
[ Talking to the cat as his cheeks flushed with colour. Was his fever getting worse or was he trying to deflect her comment so as not to feel embarrassed about it? ]
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Right now, she's worried for him and she's scared and her heart is too loud in her ears and she can't -- she can't do anything, can she? She can't -- she can.
She forgets sometimes that she drank the blue potion, that she can use that small magic as a pain reliever despite that she uses it often when the scar on her upper left arm hurts. It won't stop the roots, but it can help him feel even just slightly better, so she doesn't hesitate to place her hand atop his chest where she might otherwise have done just that and fallen off the bed. It takes the form you're used to, BB had said. What she's used to is directly channeling spiritual energy, manipulating and controlling it. It's what she does now, but instead of casting it like a blanket, she wills it to flow through him to ease the pain he's feeling. ]
You're stalling.
[ She feels a sudden pang in her upper left arm. She ignores it and stifles a small cough, stubbornly swallowing another petal. The taste of her own blood lingers, having clung in the back of her throat. ]
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He doesn't flinch when she touches him, but he does rest his hand upon hers, sliding it up higher on his chest, resting it over his heart where the beating is irregular. His hand is cold and clammy, even the blood staining his palm has cooled and congealed by now ( he'll apologize later for touching her with such a dirty hand. ) ]
I'm not stalling ... I just... I can't think of anything...
[ Opening his eyes just a little, to better look at her, the deep dark violets looking paler than they usually would, his cheeky mischievous glint missing from them for now. Shrugging as he tries to smile at her. ]
I dunno, a truth? A secret? ... I'm envious of my older brother, he's better at everything than me... He's a Capitan whereas I'm just a Vice Capitan?
[ He waits a moment, thinking perhaps that's it... Until he feels a bloom blossoming in the back of his throat. ]
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His hand is so cold, though. Her fingers twitch slightly against his skin. She maintains the healing magic in its way and wills her energy to flow beyond the spell, expanding outward into a small bubble around them. It isn't a lot, nothing strenuous, nothing so intense the spiritual pressure would be noticeable to the average, spiritually blind human. To her, this is as natural as blinking and just as effortless. Her hand is actively warmer and so is the air in the bubble surrounding them, softly somehow.
Nao wants him to be as comfortable as he can as they go into this, to stay with her.
An elder brother he's envious of, that's family. A difference in skill in everything? Too broad, there's some specific things that hit home more than likely... and it's in connection with their occupation maybe. That's right. On the network, he'd said he was a Vice Captain of the Defense Force. She's wondered about that.
They're both in the same occupational field then and there's competition. He's actively envious, he's stating their ranks -- it isn't new. In fact, with family being the core about which he's speaking... wait, wait. No running too far ahead. ]
Of what? What is it that the two of you do that there's such competition between you?
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Hoshina wasn't thinking about trolling her anymore, about jokes and saving face. He was scared. This felt too real. He'd been badly wounded in battle before, but nothing like this. The hand he had on top of hers trembled a little as he swallowed down another mouthful of petals before turning his head aside and coughing up vines of bloodstained ivy, choking as they took a little too long to come out of his mouth. Pretty splatters of blood painted his lips and cheek. ]
I'm scared, Nao-chan... It's getting harder to breathe...
[ Swallowing again as he groaned and shifted where he lay, slipping his fingers between hers to give her hand a little weak squeeze.
Focus, Soshiro, focus. He thought to himself as she asked her questions. Taking his time to steady his breathing before answering. ]
Soichiro is just better than me at everything. Father always said I should just give up... T-that I wasn't worthy of our family name... That my swordsmanship wasn't good enough... My techniques are weaker than his...
[ Coughing, his muscles tensing as he tried not to cough too hard. ]
We kill Kaiju... Monster hunters. We both use swords when the rest of the force uses guns... We're unique. H-he's the captain of the 6th Division... He trained with me as a kid. But it's not that... I'm still coughing... It must be something else... I don't love Okonogi-chan or Mina-senpai... Not like that. Sure I tease and flirt but nothing thats secret... We all know about Kafka, about Kaiju no. 8 so its n-not that either...
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He's scared and she's scared and this is... this is all she can do? Is this really all she can do for him? It's more than that person could do at that time for anyone, but this isn't then and she isn't that person. She isn't so small and so weak and so powerless. She is more; she can do more. She has to do more, be more, be enough to help him break through the disease's stranglehold before it's too late.
Focus!!
A family of monster hunters whose name is proudly distinguished by their sword techniques. A martial clan that dates back to the Warring States period at least. She and Hoshina may not be from the exact same Earth. She isn't sure, but she is sure that any beings humans dub "monsters" and hunt that are worthy of a defense force in modern times ("'gram," he'd said, like an idiot) would flourish in times of conflict and war. That's when the blade is best trained, skills best honed, and a style of swordsmanship may make its name and that of the clan that bore it.
The signs of such a clan are there: proud, competitive, disparaging of any talent judged lesser with a cold determination to turn him from the sword to save face, traditional, secretive, focused. The whole family should celebrate and support the person judged their best, the heir. Bow your head or they'll break it.
It hits too close to home.
They didn't break him.
She wasn't made for giving up.
His secret must rest with his family. From the way he spoke, his obvious pride about his occupation and position, she doesn't think the Hoshina clan makes up the entirety of the Defense Force or even a considerable number. He would've said something. He's feverish and in pain and too raw speaking of his life like he is, like -- like he's really going to die.
There is so much doubt and stress and pain and fear, so much weight bearing down on his soul. She sees it, feels it, him, with every shallow breath, every irregular beat of his heart beneath her hand. In this moment, he's weakened, but he is strong, so strong. A lesser man would surely have succumbed by now, perhaps even years ago under the thumb of his clan before this parasite could even touch him, but Hoshina, he's a fighter. He's resilient, and she? Fast.
Grasping every thread, every piece, pulling, crossing, placing --
Is she fast enough to beat the god of Death? Doesn't matter. She has to be.
Nao squeezes his hand, runs her thumb lightly along the back of his knuckles to call his attention to her. That's all she needs, to beat Death itself and Hoshina speak his truth and the parasite that's killing him die. In that instant -- between her masterful use of psychosomatic illusions, which by definition grant her control of the mind and senses, and her ability to create, channel, shape, and otherwise manipulate spiritual energy -- she can prompt his immune system to act and his body to begin properly healing in earnest. She's already in direct physical contact, already intensely focused on him. Seeing, sensing, feeling --
Got it! ]
Do they know?
[ She almost coughs, almost. ]
The Defense Force, do they know about your clan?
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Still, no matter how he looked at it, he was dying... She was saving his ass, he could let it slide for now and make up for lost time after.
The way she tended to him was so careful and caring, he wouldn't have expected it. And, maybe it was nice, having someone care for him like this? He's going to have to pay her back for this, even if she doesn't want him to. Squeezing her hand as he coughed, cracking open those violet eyes of his as she spoke, voice slightly muffled by her own cough and that mask. ]
Do they--? The Force? ... N-no... We're not allowed to tell a-anyone. B-but never mind that... Are you okay?
[ Reaching up with a feeble hand, fingers brushing across her mask lightly. ]
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It's impossible. It makes no sense, the sort of witchcraft decried when a single person has two colored sets of eyes, two names, and the dead walk among the living. She isn't that person, that's what she always claims; and yet, Nao hasn't been alone in her pursuit of his color. Long before Nao Mizushita was made, Haruka Shizuoka searched and searched and found no one outside her clan who could meet her onyx gaze.
He'd made her curious that day. Makes her wanna open her mouth and tell him the truths she isn't allowed starting with the answer to his question: "Are you okay?" ]
No, I'm not okay.
[ The words are poured like a light shower before a torrential rain and she knows. This Soshiro Hoshina couldn't possibly know what he's achieved.
If he takes it from her, she'll never forgive him. ]
Are you okay?
[ It couldn't be anything like tears making her eyes glassy. That wouldn't make sense. If that viral lifeform would just die, then maybe they could breathe.
He needs to breathe. ]
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The way he looked at her like he was looking through her. Like he could see through her contacts and at the curious if not cautious girl looking back at him. A glaze in his hues, the fever breaking making him weary and weak as beads of sweat rolled down his temples. Maybe it was something she said or did without him knowing, but something had changed, something deep inside him. These vines, though they had yet to withdraw had at least stopped crushing and squeezing his lungs and heart as they buried in. Allowing him a moment to take a deep breath, coughing as no petals tumbled from his lips, just a small splatter of blood. ]
I'll be okay... If you are...
[ The trembling reach of his hand, the one that had brushed across her mask, moved to cup the side of her face, offering her a weak little smile. ]
My chest... It- it's not as tight. S-still hurts like a motherfucker but...
[ Hoshina sighs, sinking back into the bed, breathing a little more stable thought the vines and flowers can still be seen just under and poking through the surface of his pale skin. ]
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Nao raises the pointer of her free hand and gently presses it to his lips. Still worrying about her... this man... ]
Try to relax, okay?
[ She moves the finger at his lips to rest five at his throat. She doesn't grip, doesn't press, just rests her fingertips atop his skin so as to give herself another five points through which to work. She doesn't want to pull her eyes from his, but she does so as to better see what she's doing, and oh, in the instant she sees the invasive energy fading, she is doing.
He's hers now.
It's her threads to his senses, his energies, and she is nothing if not skilled in manipulation. With energy, it comes naturally to her, her understanding innate. It's a simple matter of directing the flow to achieve the results she desires and his body will respond to her prompting. Blood will clot. His immune system and natural healing ability will experience a sudden resurgence and she, she can see it all, sense it, feel him beneath her still warming fingertips, her hand.
She doesn't remove them, but she does turn her eyes back to his as if to ask him how he feels now. Please say "better". ]
Hoshina-kun?
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Still, as she pressed her finger to his bloodstained lips as if to hush him to silence, Hoshina smiled that cunning little smile of his and pursed his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of her finger, humming out a sound of acceptance. Okay, he'll be quiet. Nodding in agreement. You win, Nao. ]
--Hnng?
[ Grunting out a questioning sound as she slides her hand from his lips to around his throat. He wants to pass a cheeky comment, something something choke me, something something dinner first? But thinks better of it as he starts to feel the way his body responds to her touch. Just what was her deal? She had a multitude of neat tricks up her sleeves, didn't she? He'd have to try and remember to ask her about it sometime if they both survive this horrible sickness.
Come to think about it. That's strange... He can almost feel his body rejecting the plants. Didn't feel great mind you, but there was a distinct feeling of wilting and withdrawing deep within his veins where they had tangled and clogged.
Taking a few panicked breaths and writing a little on the bed, the sheets tangling around his middle and legs as he panted then coughed, feeling inside his mouth to pull a rotten flowerhead from the back of his throat. Whatever she was doing, whatever he had said to trigger it, seemed to have disagreed with the plants. ]
N-Nao-chan? ... W-What are you doing? How are you d-doing that?
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[ She tries to spit it out like a quip and mostly succeeds. She didn't actually say the words aloud, but it was implied through the finger she put to his lips that he... that he kissed, and with a flash of that familiar cunning smile of his, which has nothing to do with the bit of red dusting her cheeks or her heart doing that thing it actually didn't just do. Neither did that -- he wasn't stroking -- she needs to stay focused, damnit!
She'd turned her eyes sharply back to his body. Ducking her head to hide her cheeks won't work given their positioning. His movements are good, though. The rotten flowerhead he pulled from the back of his throat was not the prettiest thing she's ever seen, but it's a good sign. His body is rejecting and purging the virus. Good. ]
Keep it up and I'll have to gag you.
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[ He said with a weak chuckle, his breathing was coming easier now but it still hurt a little.
She was easier to fluster than he first thought. She should have expected the little finger kiss, what else was he supposed to do when she pressed her digit there!? Bite it? No, he couldn't do that, not when she was somehow making his illness weaken its hold over him. Lightly stroking her face a while longer, noticing how warm the red-ish apples of her cheek had become where the flush bloomed into her smooth, pale skin. She was cute, he shouldn't have let Shiro take credit for her cuteness... Speaking of that cat, it decided to rub itself against Nao's leg with a low rumble of a purr.
As Nao dipped her head, so too did Hoshina, if only so he could watch her. Those bright, deep violet eyes of his were still open for the time being as if being sick had made him forget his usual foxish slant and smirk. ]
You'd gag an already choking man? And here I was just starting to think you had a heart, Nao-chan... You wound me.
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[ Nao returns smoothly despite her lingering color and the fact that she is quite conscious that he's observing it. There's little she can do to address it or play it off right now, not that the latter usually works. She's much too fair-skinned for it to be anything but what it is and what it is is... inconsequential! So much so that she can work 'blind,' turning her eyes briefly down at Shiro, then up to catch those deep violet eyes of Hoshina's.
Who knows when she'll get to see them again? ]
Shiro-chan agrees with me or [ and she pauses ] am I misunderstanding and that's what you're asking of me?
[ Her head pounds with each word. She's been so intently focused on the task at hand, the severity of her own worsening symptoms is only just beginning to be realized. It hadn't moved that fast, had it?? She clears her throat, something tickling the blood-coated back of it. She feels.. cold? She shouldn't, not with how she's warming the air in the bubble around him. ]
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[ Coughing as he chuckled, yet there were no petals, just a little splatter of pollen mixed with drying blood, the worst of his infection seeming to have passed, thankfully.
It's cute, the way she flusters when she helps him. There's something about her, he can't quite put his finger on. He wants to say she reminds him of someone from home, but, no... It's not that at all, still, he can't shake this feeling that feels like he's known her most of his life. A side effect of the illness? Must be. I mean, what else could it be? ...
His eyes narrow slightly as he starts to feel better, not needing to look as intently at her now. Letting his arm that was dangling off the bed, feeling around for Shiro as Nao mentioned them. Fingertips brushed the side of Nao's leg before they found and scratched the cat. ]
At least buy me dinner first, okay? I don't usually let a lady get what she wants until the third date, and this is what, our second one?
[ Ah but, all jokes and Schrödinger's flirting aside, is she okay? ]
--Hey, take it easy, alright... C'mere, you've done too much.
[ Reaching up and gently wrapping his arm around her, pulling her in close as she scoots aside to sit on the edge of the bed, he's going to motion to lay her down if she'll let him if she doesn't mind resting in his warm sheets that is. Feeling to remove her mask with a concerned look about his clammy face. ]
You're sick too huh? Tch and here you were, worrying about me you dummy... Breathe okay, you've got this.
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