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 Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:27 pm
Ren was having issues. Still.
He felt rather pathetic about it; especially since the field trip had been several months ago, but though the nightmares had lessened the sleep had as well. He still couldn't make it through an entire night without waking up at ridiculous hours of the morning, or not being able to sleep at all. It was growing exhausting.
So Ren decided to turn to the one person he thought would be able to help him.
Which is how he found himself knocking at the door of one Bartholomew Mudd.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:38 pm
"Yes, hello?" Barth asked muffled from his kitchen. "It's unlocked."
Although his refrigerator had been, by all accounts, installed successfully, there was still a lot of...leftover wiring from Christof's project, and Barth was draped awkwardly upside down on one of his counters, half behind the new fridge.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:42 pm
Ren couldn't hear Barth's voice very well; all he got was something muffled and the word unlocked, so he tentatively pushed the door open. There was a clanking sound, some scuffling, and Ren poked his head in.
"Barth?" he called out - then stopped, trying to figure out what exactly the sloth demon was doing. "Er. Hi."
A pause.
"Whatcha doing, exactly?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:08 pm
"Hello, Ren. Trying not to be electrocuted," Barth said. "Doing alright so far. ...Did you err, need something?"
He slowly eased himself out from the refrigerator. He was holding a bit of copper wiring and some small pliers. He was also wearing a headband with a camping flashlight.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:17 pm
He was going to ask what Barth was doing so as to not be electrocuted, but then he decided to just let it go.
Especially since the sloth demon was looking sort of...mad scientist-y with those pliers.
"I was wondering," Ren said, fiddling with the bandage wrapped around his right hand. "You see, I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and I wondered...if perhaps you would be able to assist me with figuring out a solution to my, er...problem."
It was perhaps a long shot, but then again, if anyone would be able to help him it was Barth.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:27 pm
"Trouble sleeping?" Barth asked, immediately setting aside the pliers and starting to edge his way off the counter.
"Of course. That's err, that's sort of the whole point of NAP. To address difficulties like that. You're usually....I mean, I had thought you were pretty solid, on the napping front."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:31 pm
Oh, good, he had set the pliers down; it made Ren relax slightly. It occurred to him, however, that outside of the NAP club and classes and school events he had not really seen Barth all that much. So he really had no idea what the demon actually liked to do in his spare time.
Besides, er. Sleep.
"I am. I mean, I was," Ren said. "Before, er...the field trip. I mean. I know that was a long time ago, and I'm mostly okay now, it's just..." His hands lifted and fell in a rather pathetic gesture. "Well, I've become sort of an insomniac, I'm not quite sure how to fix that. And I figured, well, you're pretty much an expert. I mean," Ren added. "You are the NAP club president, after all."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:39 pm
"Field trip," Barth repeated, considering the words. Lack of sleep after an event like that wouldn't be...uncommon. for his own part, he had gone home and slept. And slept. And slept. He was too busy wallowing in despair at Christof deserting him to be anxious. But he should address the obvious first.
"Were you hurt?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:42 pm
Ren's eyebrows rose a bit at the question, but it was a fairly obvious one, so he answered it truthfully. "Yes. I was attacked...a few times."
Another pause.
"And I, er...died," he added, somewhat belatedly. He still hated talking about that particular event, but it seemed necessary to say it now. The word still felt foreign on his tongue.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:51 pm
"Well, yes, I know. I was there. When you err, died. Temporarily." Barth had seen a lot of his friends die. All of his friends, in fact, with the exception of West. Unless you counted Christmas, or their Exam.
"I meant anything that wasn't fixed. Anything sore or broken now?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:22 am
"Oh," said Ren, feeling a bit stupid. In the chaos of things, he had sort of forgotten who else had been there besides Alessa, who had been the one he was talking to when he had been stabbed through the back. And Gabrian and LW, of course - all three of whom had been significantly traumatized by the whole thing. But now that he thought about it, he did recall seeing Barth there. Sort of. "Er, my apologies, I was a bit...lacking in thought at the time, so I kind of blanked out on the people around me."
Ren rubbed the back of his neck, then blinked, lowering his hand. He glanced down at it, then back up to Barth. "Well," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yes. When I was restored back to my body, my FEAR, er...didn't quite...quite return as it should have. My hand - one of those hooded dudes ran his dagger through it, and then someone - " Damn Tybalt. " - er, bit me. It's not...entirely healed as it was before, I suppose, because it still hurts every now and then."
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:37 am
"Ah. No worries. There were a lot of students there, it got...chaotic. Towards the end. Does the pain keep you up?" Barth asked, finally on the floor again. He had on a thick pair of electrical gloves, and leaned back against the counter, beginning the slow process of taking them off.
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:02 am
Ren leaned back against the wall, looking down at his hand again. He hadn't really thought about it before, but now...
"I suppose it does sometimes," he answered. "At first it was just the nightmares, but now I think of it...sometimes it just sort of...aches. A lot."
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:52 am
"Nightmares too," Barth said. "That would do it. I err, had a run in with Jingleberry recently, and am not completely up to snuff myself. Physically. I'd see Cricket for the injury. Or at least find a stable, comfortable position where you won't be distressing it." Barth wasn't a doctor, certainly, but he knew what pain did for sleep.
"As for the other...do you know what's troubling you? The content of the nightmares, and so on. You err, don't have to elaborate, if you don't want to."
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:36 pm
"Jingleberry?" Ren said, mildly horrified at the very thought. He could still remember that stupid excursion into the snow and ice on his way to Amityville; he hadn't even been to the school yet before being thrown out into the wilderness to face Jack knew what. "Er. Sorry, man, that's rough."
He nodded, listening carefully. Coming to Barth had been a good idea, after all. Ren wasn't sure he wanted to go to the school nurse, but at least it was a possibility.
"Mmm," he said, absently rubbing the back of his bandaged hand. "Lots to do with my family. They're rather a ridiculous lot, after all," Ren said, attempting to sound lighthearted about it. "They don't really like me. And I dream about other things. Like, y'know...friends dying and whatnot."
He trailed off, suddenly feeling stupid.
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