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 Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:15 pm
Faustite coughed into one hand while he knocked with the other. Axinite knew he was coming, though Faustite had neglected to say why. It was easier for him to explain by showing.
Walking over to Axinite's office shouldn't have been a problem. It wasn't a problem for most of the short journey there. Partway through, however, he was seized by a coughing fit so volatile and irksome that he had to lean against the wall to prop himself up, and a passing Lieutenant inquired if he was okay.
Faustite did not like strange Lieutenants inquiring after his health. He didn't want a health problem to begin with. And if this kept on, then who would take him seriously as one of the Negaverse's special operatives? What traitors and threats would he be ending if he had to take five to hack his lungs out? Would he have to start day drinking — or the nocturnal equivalent — just to be able to breathe normally? And if so, how far would he have to go? Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He needed a definite answer for what was wrong with him, and he needed it to come from someone he could trust.
Thus, he stood before Axinite's office. Faustite didn't know what kind of experience Axinite had with youma, let alone youmafied officers, so he wasn't certain how comfortable Axinite would be in playing 'spot the cause'. However, most of the ones who claimed to be youma experts were either garbage, dead, or didn't know anything about human biology, so Axinite was as good a pick as any.
No — Axinite was a better pick, because Faustite could trust him. He couldn't say half as much for some of the others.
When he was certain he wouldn't start hacking again partway through, he announced himself. "It's Faustite."
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:51 pm
Axinite resisted the urge to say, ‘I know’ when he rose from his chair. He could have told him to let himself inside–could have summoned him in, even. He’d heard the cough through his door, though. Worry was not uncommon for Axinite, who only occasionally hid it well. He pulled the door open himself and looked at Faustite with concern and question. “Come in,” he said, but he wasn’t sure whether to gesture towards a chair or the couch. The lighting was better in his room; if Faustite was hurt, he’d see clearly inside. And, the faster he closed his door, the faster he could find out what was going on. Fresh biscuits and cookies were on the desk like always, and he’d just made tea not long ago. “Are you all right? Can I get you something to drink?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 3:32 am
Faustite rolled his eyes from the other side of the door. That should've been Axinite's response no matter who came to the door; it would add to his mystique as the head of Information. Far be it for Faustite to pose that thought to him when Axinite showed up at the door looking like a worried dad. He'd already begun to feel guilty for turning up at his superior's door.
After being ushered in and nodding his thanks, Faustite summoned his cincher and wrapped it around the torrent of fire in his middle. He had to snap it shut gingerly, working around a bandage across his hand. It looked self-administered, with a diffuse grey stain on the back of his hand toward the edge. Otherwise he looked well enough, if tired; all his coughing had cost him sleep. Perhaps that was less apparent by the dark shrouds under his eyes and made more obvious by the fact that he was sitting down. Without fidgeting.
"Don't know." He coughed into his sleeve. "We thought it was an illness, but it isn't letting up. Thought that, if anyone would know, it'd be you."
Faustite had thought that, if anyone would know what was wrong with him, it would be the head of Information. While Axinite spent most of his time in his office, it meant many an opportunity to read books and reports and whatever else other agents had found that might prove useful later on. Maybe he'd found something that looked like this, or knew enough about weird half-youma constitutions to make an educated guess. It couldn't be worse than medical, he assumed.
Axinite's other question, however, had the most predictable answer in the world. "Tea, if you have any brewed."
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 8:02 pm
In the moment it took Faustite to get settled, Axinite took notice of every little detail he could and suspected there was still more that Faustite hid. What he could see did not have an easy explanation, nor did it bring him any relief to hear that Faustite suspected illness. At least the tea was easy enough. “I’ve just brewed some, I’ll get you a cup. Make yourself comfortable.” He watched him for a second more before he dismissed himself to his desk. Beneath the fresh brewed tea he had clean cups, and he produced one for himself and one for Faustite. “I heard you coughing in the hall. Is that the only symptom?”
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2023 8:19 pm
"I'm hot all the time. More than usual," he added. Faustite covered his eyes with his palms, then slid his hands up and carded fingers through his hair. "Hard to sleep. Coughing got worse. Mm… See these blisters now and then. Assume they're related."
The blisters were worse the closer his skin was to the grate. He knew he could show Axinite if he just stood and lifted up the bottom of his vest and shirt, but that sounded like it cost an improbable amount of energy. Instead, he unclasped the manacle about his neck and removed the cravat, then unbuttoned his shirt enough to show a scattering of blisters that formed at the bend in his neck. They hadn't looked erythematous, but they were either gangrenous or full of a black fluid. Considering that most fluid that came out of Faustite was black, it was likely to be more benign.
"Don't know what they are, but they itch. Feel too tight." He rubbed around them with the pads of his fingers.
"Skin started cracking, too. Can feel the heat that comes out. Looks molten." But that was all he could think of for what's changed.
As he picked up the tea mug, he smelled it for the warm, robust aroma of tea before he took a sip. "Think it's lung cancer?" He asked as evenly as he could, which wasn't very even at all.
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:01 pm
“No,” Axinite answered quickly, and then sounded exasperated. “Don’t say things like that, no.” He didn’t make it behind his desk; he pulled one of the chairs in front of towards Faustite a bit so he could sit close to him. He angled it to face him and cradled his cup of tea in both hands. He didn’t touch it. He leaned forward to examine what he could see. He wasn’t a doctor, not a scientist. He researched, collected information, did his best, but there were people who might have more skill to diagnose or, more importantly fix whatever was going on with Faustite right now. “I suppose it could be any number of things, though,” he admitted. “I wouldn't jump to something so extreme right off the bat. Especially if we haven’t done any tests. We should get you a blood test. And an x-ray, if you’re very worried. I can contact a Mauvian to make sure we have what we need to get you properly tested.” Faustite’s fiery nature was no doubt a standard problem for anything flammable, but Axinite had great faith in them and their abilities to make something substantial enough to work for him. Although, there was an entire unexplored field of half-youma diagnoses. What they knew about human physiology wasn’t guaranteed to be entirely applicable in this case, anyway. “We might be able to get some lotion to help your skin.” Not that there was lotion to heal molten cracks, but if it could offer him any relief, it was worth looking into. “And If you need a place to cool down in, we can set up a room here for a while. Low temperatures won’t be hard to accomplish, at the very least it might bring you some relief while we figure this out.” He supposed that Faustite already knew that youma physiology meant that every case was different and unique, and he didn’t have any immediate idea of what was causing this. “Have you been taking anything to help combat it? Energy, starseeds?”
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 6:01 pm
Faustite heaved a heavy sigh, though it was interrupted by more coughing. When he recovered, he spoke in a cracked and raspy voice. "Thank ********." Rubbing his temples, he added, "I was worried."
Axinite had proven himself trustworthy time and again, had helped him whenever he needed it, had listened when he needed to speak. And while Faustite had survived by remaining closed off from everyone, locked in his own ivory tower, he had learned to admit parts of what he thought or felt around his superior. It was easier to confide to him that which might worry Kamacity unduly, or spur Albite to reckless action, or drive Heliodor to emotional response. It would keep Taenite from frowning at him, or Celadonite from withdrawing into self-inflicted despondency.
As Axinite settled into the chair near him, Faustite felt slightly less sluggish. Cautiously hopeful. "Was looking up the symptoms," he confessed, hands following his words, "and all signs pointed to lung cancer. Thought that, with all the smoke…" Faustite shrugged. He didn't think it was a leap of logic to think lung cancer could be a contributing factor.
Axinite was right, however. While Faustite wasn't sure how useful his blood would be in diagnostic tests, he supposed that wasn't his problem. He didn't know anything medical, and he was content in his ignorance; prior experience had taught him to detest healthcare and all processes related to it. Wouldn't hurt to run the tests, spend the minute to rule out lung cancer with certainty. Faustite would be delighted to definitively have that answer off the table.
But there was still the question of what was going on. Faustite reached for his cup of tea and took a long swig of it, hoping it might soothe his cracked and parched throat.
It didn't. It stung, then hissed when it reached the grate.
His foot sluggishly searched the floor while Faustite listened to Axinite's proposed ameliorations for his symptoms. Nodding, he considered that they might stave off whatever this was getting worse while they sleuthed out an answer, whoever they was. Probably someone from the medical team, much as he loathed to work with them anymore. Undoubtedly, Axinite would have some suggestions of who to ask for help. In the interim, it was lotion and ice packs and temperature-controlled rooms and whatever liquid medication Ren had given him before.
The next question had him looking from his tea to Axinite's grave face. "Energy sometimes. No starseeds. Why? Think I should?" Maybe that would heal the cracks and damage more effectively, even at the cost of ravening for them again.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 8:33 pm
Though Axinite visibly paused to consider a few things as Faustite spoke, he shook his head afterwards. He was already making an apologetic face when the tea seemed to cause Faustite discomfort. “It’s a possibility. But I won’t encourage anything until we have a bit more information. You should keep a log, if you can. Of what you experience, and when. If warm foods agitate you, if cool foods help. I don’t know what information might be useful, but.” He pressed his lips together tightly and still seemed to be rolling over a stream of ideas. “I won’t lie, we don’t have adequate information on the effects of youma against the human body for me to think this will be easy. There’s no commonality that would give us broad answers to start with. I know that starseeds and energy are generally enough to sustain youma, though, so that might come into play with you, too. And the Rift has energy of its own. Queen Laurelite might know more.” Metallia might know more. But there was too much they needed to know before he could even request their guidance. “I’ll look into things, too. I can’t guarantee it will be useful, but if we need it, I’d rather have it ready.” Axinite had no intention of shying away from the unknown, but he wanted to rule out everything they could before he started digging too deeply. He wanted there to be a simple answer. He was just trying to be prepared if there wasn’t.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 3:22 am
Axinite's possibility didn't sound good; Faustite recognized that the need for energy and starseeds in addition to his usual diet probably meant he was becoming more youma than he was previously. If he had to eat starseeds, knowing starseeds were delicious, that was likely to be the end of his human side. If he couldn't control himself, or suspected that he couldn't control himself, then he needed to be prepared to face that possibility.
If Axinite was right. And Faustite was certain that the if bothered him more than the answer. He could prepare for an answer, as could his team. But a non-answer gave them nothing, and a non-answer might be the only information available to them. Might be all they ever uncover.
Faustite set his jaw, cast his attention to the desk, though he was looking beyond its contents. If anyone had uncovered anything about youma effects when fused with humans, they likely did so unscrupulously, which would explain why Axinite didn't have anything. Faustite doubted it was ethical to intentionally antagonize a person's state of being into something between human and youma, nor did he think how to do so was common knowledge — what happened to Faustite would have been a surprise to Umber, too, had he been alive to view it.
Then he coughed, using his hands as a barrier to direct the smoke away from the Sovereign. It sounded dry, even after being chased out with tea.
Faustite nodded. "Will try that." He framed his temple with his hand. "See what Medical has to say, too." Even if it's nothing. Or worse, goodbye.
"Should leave you to it. then."
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2023 10:03 am
Though Axinite did not seem in any hurry to have Faustite leave, he nodded understandingly. “I’ll get to work right away.” It wasn’t the sort of project he would leisurely dabble in, not when Faustite was visibly uncomfortable. His best hope was that someone in Medical would have more acute knowledge to diagnose–and more importantly, fix–the source of his ailments. He knew there was nothing he could do for Faustite here; his office had no resources beyond what limited notes might give some clue about his condition, but even then that was risky and not worth getting his hopes up. “I’ll see about getting a room set up for you as soon as possible, I’ll send you a message as soon as we get it together.” Which, considering how much he was worried about Faustite, would probably be before the sun rose again. He knew Faustite was strong, but he knew he was stubborn, too. Axinite didn’t want him to regret coming to him. He didn’t want to disappoint him. Aside from digging through old files and hoping for the best, the only thing he could do for now was focus on making sure Faustite was comfortable–and trying to make sure he had the right people working with him. “But you’ll come to me if anything gets worse, all right? I want you to let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. You’ve got my personal phone number, don’t you? If I don’t get back to you within a few minutes on my tablet, you can call. Or message me. Whatever’s easiest. We’ll figure this out, Faustite. I’ll make sure you’re in good hands.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:45 am
Faustite hadn't put much thought into mitigating the symptoms. He wouldn't know how. But now that the idea was said aloud, a temperature-controlled room sounded far more preferable than working in a hot office that he had turned into a veritable sauna. If he could exist in a space cold enough, and he couldn't overpower it with his own heat, then maybe his skin wouldn't crack open. Maybe he wouldn't get so many blisters on his body.
Winter wouldn't last forever, anyway. "Thanks." He nodded. His shoulders relaxed.
All the better that Axinite was so willing to stay connected. He wasn't certain what Hessonite's response would've been, and while he was sure Jet would be invested in his well-being, the pair didn't have quite the same length of history as he had with his former-boss-now-adjacent-boss. And while Faustite wasn't certain he could convince himself to reach out until something imminently terrible or life-threatening occurred, he recognized that he was a margin more inclined to let Axinite know.
If this turned out to be terminal? Faustite supposed he wouldn't have to learn how to stop hiding every perceived weakness from anyone who looked. It would take some time to make a statement to the team, however, and longer still to begin asking for help.
"Will let you know." Reluctantly, Faustite pried himself out of the chair. Standing brought on a margin of dizziness, but nothing he couldn't ignore. There was always more to do, so he excused himself, then paused once he reached the door. A mixture of intentions yearned to be said — something earnest, something deeply grateful, something even a little hopeful — but unable as he was to apply words to him, he just shook his head, added another thank-you, and shut the door quietly behind himself.
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