Prompt 5 (Ice Bath): Rainfall is rare in Destiny City during Winter; there have been a few light showers between the occasional snow but it’s never been enough to be significant. In some places, it’s just enough for a thin layer of ice to cover the ground and make it a little slippery, but ultimately it’s not enough to worry about. In an inconspicuous place in town, you step into one of these icy puddles and the thin layer of ice shatters. The hole itself seems maybe three feet wide and if you’ve ever been in the area before you know it’s just a pothole a few inches deep at most. Except, when the ice shatters, you fall, plummeting into it as if it were a lake of icy water. It’s pitch black around you and only pale blue lights shimmer above you. The darkness is never ending and you can’t make out the details of anything except the shrinking hole above you. Maybe you remember how to swim and pull yourself out, maybe you black out and feel someone else pulling you out--either way, your frozen, soaking body is pulled from the puddle. The chill is immense, but if you look at the hole after being pulled out, all you can see is the ground below. There’s no sign that what you just experienced is real--except for the fact that you’re still soaking wet.
Winter was always easier than fall, at least for Aloysius. Scarves and thick coats always helped keep him warm as he walked to and from the campus to teach his classes. Occasionally he'd walk with Liam as they left from their classes as well. Tonight was one of those nights and it was nice out, even if there were little patches of ice scattered across the sidewalk and road.
Pulling his scarf tighter, he let them walk ahead a bit so he could smoke without it getting in their face. "Finals are starting soon, I know I am not really able to help with the accounting but I can handle some more of the chores while you study. Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help, I know it has been chaos in my classroom. I started seeing a few students that I had forgotten were on my roster. Why would they pay for classes and not attend until the end, it makes no sense." He hadn't really liked it but he knew that not everyone was invested in music theory or music in general. If any of those stragglers passed it was only because he had thoroughly prepared the online material for when the weather inevitably turned and people couldn't attend. That or when he'd be laid up after an outing for the Negaverse and too exhausted to show up to teach. He'd had a TA that could handle things like that and it had been a blessing so far.
Sleet Tempest Snape
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:11 pm
Getting to walk home with Aloysius was nice, it broke up the silent broedom of walking alone to the bus stop to get home, and it gave him someone to talk to and enjoy the trip home with. With an arm looped about one of Aloysius the blond was content to pres shis nose into the scarf he had wrapped about himself, for added warmth, it was chilly out even if it wasn't snowing. He was, to be honest, rather surprised it wasn't snowing as it certainly felt cold enough to do so.
"Did the news mention snow tonight?" He questioned, wondering if snow was going to come tonight once they were both safely inside and warm. He didn't like the smoke, he never had, but as the other let go of him in order to ptu distance betgween them Liam drifted back and grabed hold again, he wasn't interested in keeping distant tonight. "Likely hoping you'll give them some sort of a pass just for turning up, as if it's some sort of part on the head at least they graced you with their presence." Liam stagted honestly, if not a bit annoyed by that, why on earth waste money for a class you weren't going to turn up for till the end and then turn up ans a** kiss to the professor?
"I want to know why you didn't drop them? I know for each of my classes it's three outs and you get dropped, unless you have a really good reason for it." With his nose buried in his scarf the smoke didn't bother him, it didn't get up his nose, as he eyed the other seriously. He was too lienant with his studnets. Liam would not have allowed them to remain, even if music wasn't an important class and they might need it - take something else or at least commit to the class as much as the professor did.
"You should have dropped them all." He didn't liek that he'd kept them, not one bit.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2023 1:12 am
Checking the icon on his watch he shook his head. “No snow that I can tell but it has been raining so there are a lot of ice patches.” He’s skidded on a few while driving so decided it was better to just walk because falling hurt, but crashing a car would be a lot worse.
Adjusting his arm as he walked, he made sure to blow the smoke away from Liam. “The music department has no attendance policy over all, as long as recitals and exams are attended that is. Even if there was an attendance policy, I would have to be a bit lenient given my own absences. That and who is to say that any of my students may have similar night jobs to us. You never know and not everyone can juggle school and work.” Especially when work included fighting and gathering energy.
Shuffling his arm out from the other, he put his lighter back into the inner pocket of his coat. The cold air snuck in during the few seconds he’d had it open and it sent him into a coughing fit. Stepping forward without looking, his shoe landed on one of the ice puddles. Then everything fell away as he broke though it and into the dark below.
He’d screamed as he broke through and fell, which meant his mouth and lungs filled with water as he plunged into the icy depths. It burned as he tried to swim but with all the clothing he was wearing and the water he’d already swallowed, things started going dim. Reaching out and above, he worried that Liam had fallen in to and was somewhere in here. It was all he could think about as he starting passing out in that cold water.
Sleet Tempest Snape
Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:07 pm
"Yeah, it just feels like it should be cold enough for it to become snow." He was surprised it hadn't become snow yet really, but if Aloysius was saying no snow than he'd believe it. He just hoped this city didn't throw too much insanity at this this winter, he didn't need that, this winter was going to go well for him and he would get to spend it with Aloysius and perhaps Melody as well. He did get on fairly well with her, or so he liked to think, she seemed to like him well enough and apprecited what he brought to the table even though it wasn't much right now.
"Are we hailing a cab or the bus and than walking the rest of the way?"
Sighing he nodded slowly. "I get it, I really do, but it's unfair. An agent would have to attend other classes like any normal student, no excuses given, but because your an officer too." It seemed unfair and any class a person decides to take should be taken seriously or they should be removed, because it was a waste of time for themselves and the professor. Not to mention it was a lack of respect to the professor. "I don't like it, you know that."
His own feet missed the patch of ice, by luck, but the other was yanked down and out of his hold and he'd been pulled inside a puddle. Shouting he fellt to his knees just next to the puddle and tried reaching in. He didn't understand this, it made no sense in scientific terms, the puddle was not so deep and yet somehow the hting had just swallowed a person whole...a very tall person.
Plunging his hand into the puddle in an effort to try and find the other, if it was possible, he didn't know how this puddle was doing as it was but he was hoping he could reach him somehow. The waster was cold, so cold, he knew Aloysius would need a hot soak...just like with that bat a few months back.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:26 am
Aloysius felt a hand on his wrist and grabbed back, blinking as he felt the cold hard ground beneath his face. He sputtered and coughed up water as he propped himself up, pulling his feet away from the puddle. Water dripped from his bangs and his glasses had gone somewhere, not that he was going to try getting them back from the puddle. "Cold.." He shivered as he managed to sit up, looking around until he saw Liam.
"Home, is there a mirror nearby?" He spoke quietly in case someone walked by. He didn't want to walk the rest of the way and he felt too drained by the cold to power up and get them both closer to home. Wringing the water out of his braid, his fingers were starting to go numb from the cold. "Do you see my glasses anywhere before we leave?"
Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 4:17 pm
Pulling the other away from the puddle, as far away as possible, Liam held his wet partner against himself. Ignoring how Aloysius's wet clothing transfered to his own clothing and soon he was wet and shivering. They'd both no doubt need a shower in order to warm up, before they get sick, as they were now both wet and cold and soon to be shivering.
"Yeah, there is one not too far from here. I can get us home then." It was a good thing he could get them home by mirror and then he could power down and no one would know a thing. Looking around quickly, more concerned with getting them both home, Liam was standing up and taking Aloysius with him as he stood. "Come on, I don't see your glasses. let's get us home and intgo a hot shower." Because he was not letting the other get sick, not due to some random magical attack on the other.
"We can get you glasses, I'll even order them for you tonight for express shipping." Tugging the other up and along with him to where he knew a mirror was hidden, tucked away into what looked like a pile of debris that was actually more of a storage shed...ish. It was too small to be called that but Liam didn't know what to call it really. It was down an alleyway and the pile of wood and things looked like trash being thrown out by stores but it wasn't. [/size[
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:57 pm
Everything was a bit fuzzy without his glasses, so he leaned on them a bit more to avoid tripping. The wind wasn't helping and he started wheezing between coughs. "Sounds perfect." At least he hadn't been alone this time and that thought made him shiver a bit more.
It seemed like more and more it was Liam doing the saving and protecting when he'd been so worried about them being the one who might get hurt. He'd been agonizing over the idea that they might be taken from him but at this point, it seemed like he might be the one who got hurt and might not make it. "I can wear my contacts until they arrive." Teeth chattered as he spoke, leaning into them a bit more as they stopped. Vague shapes of rubbish and debris surrounded some sort of small building, at least that's what he thought it looked like with how blurry things were. The farther away something was, the worse it got.
Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:51 pm
"You know you should see a doctor about your breathing, it's concerning." He spoke up, turning his head to stare at the others face, fingers coming up to ruffle the others bangs gently. "I can make an appointment and I'll take you if it helps. Anything so you can get the care you need." And the care the other deserved he thought, because Aloysius deserved to be well taken care of and loved.
"You never mentioned contacts before, and I've never seen them. I think you should use them - they'll look better on you." He was certain of that, plus he'd get to see tghe others eyes without the glasses in the way. A quick press of lips to the others cheek as they ducked into the alleyway, finally, the wal kseemed far longer then it normally was. Powering up he tightened his hold on the other. "Ok, here we go." The sort of door, sort of not door, was opened and right into the mirror he stepped without any further warning given. It was a quick trip from one mirror to another and he made sure it was the bathroom mirror even if it meant he had to keep them from landing on the floor as they came out of the mirror on the wall behind the sinks.
Making sure neither of them fell and eased himself and Aloysius to sitting on the counter top he looked over at the other. "Ok, so contacts...where are they?" Since he'd never even known about them, he might have to get the otehr to use them more often.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:15 pm
"No, no doctor, I am just cold. Just swallowed a lot of water down there." He hated the idea of doctors since he joined the Negaverse, he never knew if someone working in the hospital would connect a wound or illness to a fight. It had been a long time since he'd gotten into any fights but the worry was still there. Also, the fact he could stay in denial about his lungs as long as he didn't go and get seen about things. Everything would be fine until it wasn't but he didn't want to know, didn't want to consider it even really. Leaning into their hand for a moment though, he knew that they'd keep pressing the issue. He'd have to find a doctor who was unaligned maybe...
Blinking, he was a bit confused at their compliment. Didn't they know he wore contacts when he was powered up? Did they think it was just some magic and bam he wouldn't be blind anymore? It was cute though and he liked that.
That cool water feeling of going through a mirror was still something he hadn't gotten used to, even if he'd gone with them a few times now. Feeling around from his seat on the counter, he tried to remember if he had an extra set in this bathroom. "I think I left my contacts down in the bathroom attached to the room where my cot used to be. I wear them when I go out as a General because it is very hard not to lose my glasses when teleporting or fighting." Already shedding his wet coat and scarf, he started working his braid apart to wring out more water in the sink. The heat from the vent beneath the sink felt nice as he kicked off his shoes and pulled his socks free. A pile started to form on the floor as he struggled with the buttons on his vest and shirt because of how cold his fingers were still.
Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:35 am
"Not about this and not now. But soon and because of your breathing." He spoke quickly, needing to calm the other, he wanted to convince ALoysius into seeing a doctor at some point. It was a need for the brunette. He'd been having some breathing issues espeically when he over exerted himself. It was a concern for Liam and he thought it needed addressing, and the sooner the better in his mind.
"I'll get them after I help you here." Then, once all was said and done, he might try and press the doctor issue further. He worried about the other, how could he not? There was so little in the world he'd ever actually been able to claim as his, and only his, and Aloysius was his and he needed to keep him safe. It just so happen that he had to keep the other safe from himself, by now allowing things to continue unchecked.
Standing in front of the other Liam's fingers started to work on the buttons of the vest, and than the shirt, ear piece of clothing leeft to land on the floor. "Stay, I'll get the shower going and get you in." Then he'd grab the contacts and join the other, because his own clothing was wet and he was cold as well. Shivering himself Liam was pushign it aside, the best he could, because Aloysius needed him more and the other had been the one to take the plunge, sort to speak.
Fingers moved his hair from his face, he'd need a trim soon, and he was stepping away from Aloysius to get the water going, turning it up nice and hot, he returned to the otehrs side. "Come on, time to warm you us. I'll get your contacts while you stand under the water."
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 1:11 pm
It'd been fine, something to ignore and just keep going on without bringing attention to it but if Liam had been noticing it... He sighed and moved his hands back as they helped him, moving as needed to get out of his wet clothing. "I am fine, no doctor, please. I have done well enough without going all these years, no need to change things." He still didn't want to go though, didn't want to know and get told to stop smoking. Giving that habit up just wasn't in the cards now, if it ever would be.
Watching as Liam moved to get the shower started, he slid off the counter to get the rest of his wet layers off. Soaking in the heat from the air vent helped and the steam that started filling the bathroom made it easier to breathe. "You need to get warm too, you got soaked from pulling me out." It wasn't as bad as he'd been but they were shivering a bit too from it, it was easier to worry about them. He was still getting used to them worrying over him so much, it'd been happening more and more since Mel had roughed him up and Liam came home to him being a mess. The fact they stuck around was nice but it was hard to let them worry about him, he didn't really feel like that was something that he deserved. Pulling their scarf and coat off, he let them get back to what they were doing. At least the rest was pretty dry, except their hair.
Ruffling their hair to get some of the water out, he liked that it was getting longer. Getting into the shower was easier this time and he avoided the cracked tile, he hadn't had time to fix it after the outburst he'd had. The hot water felt really good as he leaned against the wall and let it hit him. It wasn't like that time with the bat, to be honest, it was too hot and he had to turn it down a bit. "If you have a hard time finding them, I can look after the shower. They are in a small case, the one that came from the optometrist." Calling out from beneath the water, loud enough that they could hear him from down the hall.
Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 7:19 pm
"Breathing is hard for you at times, you know it, I see it at night." He spoke up, ignoring the part about where to find the contacts, he would find the others contacts just fine. He wasn't so concerned with that as he was the other issue - the bigger problem. "It would help us both, especially you, if you took better care of your lungs. I worry." Leaning against the counter top as he watched the other soak and warm up, shivering as he did so. he'd join him, soon enough, but he needed to make his point before he found the contacts and only then would he warm himself.
"Doctors see a lto of s**t in their jobs so I doubt they'll say a thing about your body. The focus is your breathing and tha tyou need something for it. I'll find a doctor and I'll make an appointment for you. I'll take you there, if I have to carry you I will, but you will see someone. I'm not going to lose you because you aren't taking care of yourself." Pushign off the counter, pressing his hands to the glass surrounding the showering stall.
"I'm going to get your contacts and once we're done showering you can try and argue me but you won't win." He was going to put his foot down on this one, he had to, because he couldn't lose the other and heeded Aloysius to take care of himself. He needed the other to care abotu himself like he cared for Liam...and for that to happen Liam needed to care just bit harder. Stepping out of the room he headed oof to find those contacts.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 7:38 pm
Pulling back more toward the wall, he felt cornered as they kept pressing the issue. "Everything's fine, there's nothing wrong. It's just a bit of the cold weather, I'll be fine." He spoke quickly as he tried to avoid meeting their eyes, rubbing his arms as he kept telling himself this was all fine. He had to be fine, how else was he getting so much done if not?
The creak of the glass as Liam pressed his hands against it made him look up. There was that nagging worry, the one he kept trying to bury. They weren't going to lose him he was fine. But...
What if he wasn't? What if it's already too late for help?
He froze, unable to say anything as he shivered again. It wasn't from the cold this time though as he paled.
Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 8:25 pm
Finding the contacts took time, he really wasn't surprised, it was a small thing that held them inside. But he had found it, he was not returning without them, so he had no issue in taking his time to find them. It gave Aloysius time to think over his words and warm up, to get comfortable, because he wasn't going to let things drop.
When he did return he tapped at the glass before offering up the container. "Pop them in while I stripd won." That said he did step back in order to remove his own wet clothing, his sun kissed skin paler than normaly, he knew he looked as cold and pale.
Once he'd stepped out of his clothing he stepped into the shower stall. "You know we're going to have to talk about your breathing, it's not just the weather and you know it and you know I do as well." And he wasn't about to let this continue, he couldn't and wouldn't, he would help the other because they couldn't and wouldn't help thsemself. He wished he could ask Melody to help but he couldn't, aside from asking perhaps for a doctor who would keep silent on thigns and not question him about scars. It might help if he knew the doctor wouldn't question things and would just do their job.
Maybe he'd ask Melody about that.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:01 pm
He'd gotten a moment to calm himself down before they came back but as they handed over the contacts case, he stared for a moment in confusion before laughing just a little bit. Taking it from them he reached up and put it up on the shelf above the shower head, he couldn't put them in while in the shower. Maybe after if he was going to stay up late otherwise he would wait until morning since they weren't the type he could sleep in.
But as Liam came into the shower and started back up with the topic of his breathing, he pressed himself back into the opposite corner of the shower. "No." He tried to sound firm, to put his foot down, but there was too much doubt even if he didn't want to admit it. He'd been getting more and more worn out in winter from his walk to and from the campus. He didn't want the Pandora's box of being seen by a doctor to be opened. All the things he should have been seen over, the broken bones and wounds he'd just patched together himself after Marot had disappeared without giving him the card for their discreet doctor.
