[That was the first message Guren sent. He waits ten minutes, and then worry sets in, and he sends another.]
Don't try to drink it yet. I want to look at it first.
[And, of course, when that meets silence as well... He doesn't know what else typing will help with, and he doesn't want to wait and see. It's only been about a half hour since his first message, but he doesn't want to risk anything. He heads over to Dextera's house with the intent of barging right in, no knocking or anything!! He's a man on a mission, he's gonna find him...]
[ it was so optimistic of you to assume that he wasn’t going to drink it.
even if, objectively, he knew that it could have killed him, old habits die hard—he identifies things by eating or drinking or injecting them, without any other way to appraise the quality of the mysterious items he gets. of course he sipped this one, too.
so guren will find dextera, not for the first time, face-first on his own floor with the bottle clutched in his hand like a disney princess gone awry. he’s breathing, which is a good sign, but other than that, he seems totally out.
the chicken, for better or worse, was placed outside earlier for some sun. ]
he's handling this fine................ totally fine
[He's breathing, but it's not something that Guren thinks at first. There's no blood, but the bottle is clear, and Guren rushes to his side, immediately checking to see that he's still alive. Finding that he is is a relief, but his adrenaline has already skyrocketed, and now it leaves an entirely different mystery. What happened.
Unconscious. Guren takes the bottle out of his stupid, idiotic hand and sets it aside somewhere, and when shaking Dextera and gently calling his name, or more urgently calling his name, or gripping his arms too tight— when all of that doesn't work, he calms down a little more and tries to think rationally. Just sleeping. Just unconscious. It probably won't get worse.
He puts Dextera on his bed, for once, once he's sure it's stable enough to handle it. An hour passes, and there's no changes, but Guren's mind is still racing. Not a poison, he's still breathing. He keeps checking every twenty minutes or so; he checks his pulse, too.
At about two hours, he goes and finds Leliel outside to bring her in. He paces for most of the third hour. It's a focused calm and he can't do a damn thing. He's wondering if he has to go call for help, but who's going to help? What are they going to do? Dextera is unconscious and that's it. There's no way of telling what else might be going on. It could be nothing. It's probably nothing. But he's staying here until Dextera wakes up, pacing, or petting Leliel, or sitting with his back against the bed, or the wall, or on the edge of it, or leaning, or checking that Dextera is still breathing and stable way too many times.
[ it's not until the sun has sunk below the horizon that dextera finally, finally stirs. he missed sunset, but he probably deserves that for making guren worry so much.
when he opens his eyes, his first thought is that it's less like waking up and more like being revived. guren has seen dextera waking up before—he's pretty quick about it, often surprised about where he is, but this time he's moving slowly, his eyes scanning the room and regarding where he is.
did he die? it doesn't feel like he was asleep. and there's—guren.
that has him blinking, and he sits up, woozy but conscious because if guren is here he knows he's going to be in trouble. ]
[As soon as he sees movement, Guren is up and moving closer. Dextera is absolutely in big fucking trouble, but first, he has to get past all of this worry, the knot in his chest, the panic... He's at his side, now, one hand moving to grab his shoulder for stability as he leans in, looking at his face, searching.]
Are you alright? What happened? You just drank it and passed out, or was there something else?
[ dextera's gaze is a little unfocused, as guren will notice when he searches his face. he knows where he is, he knows, if vaguely, why he's here in this bed and not on the floor where he last remembers himself being, and he's already taken notice of the fact that the room is dark. it's been several hours, at the very least.
there are a lot of questions there, and dextera can only answer them by nodding dimly. he's fine. he's just out of it, a little tired because of that surprise nap he took. how long was it?
he distantly registers that leliel is back in the room, his eyes drifting from guren's face past him to try to find the source of the clucking. ]
[Ugh. Guren notices all of that, his stomach tightens, and then he's letting go and stepping away. He thought there was a fair chance that Dextera might not wake up. People were turning to stone, disappearing, returning home and coming back— it could have been a simple reaction to a simple knock out potion, or it could have been a lot worse. And what if the potion was something entirely different? What if it was straight up poison?
His back is to Dextera, one hand running through his hair and holding it as he tries to collect himself.]
You're such an idiot.
[He turns back, but it's only because conversation with Dextera is impossible otherwise, and he wants to know what he has to "say" for himself. He drops his hand out of his hair to gesture angrily, instead.] Why the hell would you just drink it? You had no idea what that could have been! There was no point to a risk like that!
[He lets that hang in the air for a few moments, face scrunched up in anger and upset even as he tries to settle down. What if that had killed him. Was he even thinking about that? Was he even stopping to remember that they had promised to try their best to avoid that??]
You were out for at least six hours. [He lost track to the exact T and he came over after he was already on the floor, anyway... But he figures he's wondering.]
[ it wouldn't have been the first time that dextera drank something and died immediately from it. they did promise to try everything to avoid it, but a part of dextera is still convinced of his relative immortality—even if god isn't here, even if he has no clones, there's something he has to do. dying is just a set-back, but... he's worried guren, and he feels bad about that.
at least six hours. maybe more? but guren was here for the majority of it, and dextera just nods again, hunching his shoulders.
of course he doesn't do well with being yelled at. there was never any way he was going to be able to take this with confidence. he drops his gaze to his hands, avoiding guren's anger as well as he can—but he knows he's earned it, here. he doesn't have anything to say for himself, because everything guren is telling him is true. this is just the unfortunate way he deals with things he doesn't want to deal with. if he goes quiet, he doesn't have to acknowledge anything! ]
...
[ he'll never learn. that's what the archangel always says. ]
[ He hates that. He’s angry, watching Dextera react that way, but he’s sad, too. He’s the one who was stupid enough to drink a dangerous potion, but it still makes Guren feel guilty? He was feeling guilty already. For being too petty and bothered to walk him home. For not coming over immediately when he didn’t answer. For not telling him in advance not to mess with it.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. He’d only be listened to to a point, maybe unless he were more ruthless. But he doesn’t want to scare Dextera into obedience. It’s not what he wants. Guren moves closer again. ]
Look at me. [ It’s a request, not a demand, and in situations like this, it’ll always be like that. That’s part of why he’s weak, he guesses. ] I need you here, alive. I thought I said that already. You can’t just assume you can come back from anything.
[ He’s really trying to get through here, to at least get acknowledgment... That’s what bothers him the most. ]
[ guren isn't like the archangel, and it's that quiet request, not a demand, that helps dextera calm down. he doesn't look like he's especially panicking, in any way, but this outward reluctance to move is a kind of panic in its own way. he takes a deep, deep breath, exhaling it slowly through his nose.
equally slowly, he presses the heels of his palms against his eyes, and when it seems like he's satisfied with that, he does look up at guren, finally. ]
...
[ his gaze is a little clearer, a little more focused than it was when he first woke up, and he's making eye contact so he's not entirely broken down by being scolded. insults, he can handle without issue, but being told off by the people whose opinions he respects is a dangerous game for his emotions.
it was stupid, and he'll acknowledge that with a nod. he's sorry. ]
[ Guren is silent as he waits for Dextera. He has no right, he thinks, to yell at him like this. It’s all selfishness, even if he’s very right about not drinking any random potion you find. He sighs once Dextera reacts, looking sadly down at him. ]
Sorry. [ He adds one himself, now, holding his hand out like he’d like to take one of Dextera’s. ] I was just starting to think you wouldn’t wake up.
[ And even as much as he’s trying to keep it to just a small frown, there’s a strain in his voice that comes through there. He was worried... ]
[ what would they have done if dextera hadn't woken up? guren is right to be worried—he's right to have yelled at him, and he would be right to still be angry. but here he is, apologizing, expressing a worry that dextera doesn't think he deserves after putting guren's feelings through the wringer. ]
...
[ he takes guren's hand, squeezing his fingers in response to that slight strain in his voice. that's his fault! he didn't mean to, but he wasn't thinking ahead at all.
now, though, he's physically fine. he nods again. ]
[As silly as it is, the simple grip of their hands helps. It's solid, and Guren curls his fingers back around him, watching their hold quietly. He can made the nod out in his periphery, and that's good enough that he believes him.]
Good.
[That's all he can say, or admit, and so he moves back, taking Dextera's hand with him, a motion to help him off the bed.] Stand up slowly, just in case. You were unconscious, so it's not the same thing as taking a nap. Your body reacted to something.
[ dextera isn’t used to waking up after something like that, in his own body. passing out is followed by death without fail, and he’s pushed out of the research laboratory before he realizes where or who he is.
he does stand up slowly, using his free hand to balance himself as he rises, and then he takes that hand to scrub over his face. he’s still miserable, a tight knot of guilt in his chest, and it weighs heavy on his shoulders.
it hurts, and he kind of wishes he were unconscious again. ]
[Honestly... how can he just stand here and look at that miserable looking face? He tried, for about a minute or two, but now his own heart is hurting, and he doesn't want to spend time awkwardly trying to figure out what to say.
He tugs Dextera by his held hand, instead, yanking him a little rudely closer. Close enough to put his other arm around him, holding him there.]
I don't want to see you making faces like that. You're making me feel like a monster for yelling at you. [Guren's tsun way of expressing his care is the worst, Dextera, don't listen to him.] Let's play a game of chess, or watch the stars, or something. I want to see you smile, instead.
[Thank god no one else in this house barges in on him being embarrassing like this because he would die on the spot he's pretty sure.]
[ dextera can’t believe there’s someone who wants to make him smile, after all the trouble he’s caused—of course he appreciates guren, of course he knows that they’re friends, but he’s used to being dismissed as soon as he’s a bother. ]
...
[ slowly, he lets his other hand drop, and sighs again—less put-upon than before, though. he nods. whatever they do, he’s glad to do it with guren, no matter how guren might have yelled at him. it’s friendship! but also a kind of masochism, like he feels some sick relief in having people annoyed with him even as anxious as it makes him to right it.
he gestures, vaguely, to where guren has placed the bottle, and glances up at him with a question in his eyes. did guren get one too? ]
[ Dex needs to be kinkshamed. Unfortunately, Guren is not the man to do this, so he ignores all of that horrible masochism and just hopes that things will get better. If he does this sort of thing again, he’ll probably yell again, though a little more carefully, and after that he’ll grow thicker and thicker skin over those sad expressions! As long as the smile always comes back. As long as Dextera realizes it only means he cares, and not that he plans to ditch him.
He drops both of his arms away from him now, stepping back to grant him space as he reaches into a pocket and procures his own bottle. The same color, it looks like, but his bottle is full. ]
I didn’t want to try it alone. Maybe in front of Asuka.
[ in front of ryo... to avoid scaring dextera like before, maybe. he doesn’t think about it too much, lest he upset himself remembering the way guren writhed in pain, but he does hold out his hands to take the bottle.
what does he want to do with it? who knows? maybe don’t give it to him, but the reality is that he just wants to sniff it.
if he can’t taste it, that’s probably the next best option. ]
[Really... Really? He considers it for a moment, and then sighs, offering it forward— only to pull it back slightly a moment later, stressing:] Don't drink it.
[Then, he hands it over. Enjoy the strawberry juice, it must smell amazing.]
[ dextera wasn’t going to drink it anyway! probably!
he takes the potion with a knowing, if slightly guilty, nod, and pushes it open with his thumb. like he’s testing a wine, he sniffs the cork first, and then the liquid itself.
it smells... completely different from his own. it smells sweet, actually—tempting. ]
[ dextera is still standing, and that’s what’s important! this particular potion, whatever it is, hasn’t done anything particularly dangerous to him—probably. ]
...
[ he shakes his head. his own was a little bitter-smelling, something that he definitely should not have put in his mouth. he grabs the bottle from where guren set it away, offering it. the scent probably lingers, even if it’s been sitting out for a while. ]
[He can smell it without even opening it, now that it's close enough to his face, and as Guren caps his own bottle, he moves to hold Dextera's. He makes a face at it. As much as he wants to ask why Dextera would drink this when it smells this way, he thinks the point is already made, so he's silent for a few seconds, considering.]
Asuka probably received something as well, though I guess it's different from whatever you or I got. [But, he's smart and probably won't chug it.] I wonder why the reward is different between us, this time.
[ dextera pauses, considering as well, but he gestures first to himself, and then to the spider’s crystal that he took—this one is floating in the corner of the room next to his own, which looks so slightly different, but they’re providing some light for his room.
is it because he purified her? or because he was the single necessary blue? he’s not sure, but those are his theories. ]
[The way they did it... They didn't really use swords all too much. Or knives. He pockets his own potion and keeps his hand on this empty bottle of disaster that Dextera had taken, but moves over towards the crystals.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
#A5211F but then action, post spider quest and Too Late
[That was the first message Guren sent. He waits ten minutes, and then worry sets in, and he sends another.]
Don't try to drink it yet. I want to look at it first.
[And, of course, when that meets silence as well... He doesn't know what else typing will help with, and he doesn't want to wait and see. It's only been about a half hour since his first message, but he doesn't want to risk anything. He heads over to Dextera's house with the intent of barging right in, no knocking or anything!! He's a man on a mission, he's gonna find him...]
SORRY GUREN
even if, objectively, he knew that it could have killed him, old habits die hard—he identifies things by eating or drinking or injecting them, without any other way to appraise the quality of the mysterious items he gets. of course he sipped this one, too.
so guren will find dextera, not for the first time, face-first on his own floor with the bottle clutched in his hand like a disney princess gone awry. he’s breathing, which is a good sign, but other than that, he seems totally out.
the chicken, for better or worse, was placed outside earlier for some sun. ]
he's handling this fine................ totally fine
[He's breathing, but it's not something that Guren thinks at first. There's no blood, but the bottle is clear, and Guren rushes to his side, immediately checking to see that he's still alive. Finding that he is is a relief, but his adrenaline has already skyrocketed, and now it leaves an entirely different mystery. What happened.
Unconscious. Guren takes the bottle out of his stupid, idiotic hand and sets it aside somewhere, and when shaking Dextera and gently calling his name, or more urgently calling his name, or gripping his arms too tight— when all of that doesn't work, he calms down a little more and tries to think rationally. Just sleeping. Just unconscious. It probably won't get worse.
He puts Dextera on his bed, for once, once he's sure it's stable enough to handle it. An hour passes, and there's no changes, but Guren's mind is still racing. Not a poison, he's still breathing. He keeps checking every twenty minutes or so; he checks his pulse, too.
At about two hours, he goes and finds Leliel outside to bring her in. He paces for most of the third hour. It's a focused calm and he can't do a damn thing. He's wondering if he has to go call for help, but who's going to help? What are they going to do? Dextera is unconscious and that's it. There's no way of telling what else might be going on. It could be nothing. It's probably nothing. But he's staying here until Dextera wakes up, pacing, or petting Leliel, or sitting with his back against the bed, or the wall, or on the edge of it, or leaning, or checking that Dextera is still breathing and stable way too many times.
He's... waiting it out...!!!]
dextera is a dumb idiot and it's all fine
when he opens his eyes, his first thought is that it's less like waking up and more like being revived. guren has seen dextera waking up before—he's pretty quick about it, often surprised about where he is, but this time he's moving slowly, his eyes scanning the room and regarding where he is.
did he die? it doesn't feel like he was asleep. and there's—guren.
that has him blinking, and he sits up, woozy but conscious because if guren is here he knows he's going to be in trouble. ]
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[As soon as he sees movement, Guren is up and moving closer. Dextera is absolutely in big fucking trouble, but first, he has to get past all of this worry, the knot in his chest, the panic... He's at his side, now, one hand moving to grab his shoulder for stability as he leans in, looking at his face, searching.]
Are you alright? What happened? You just drank it and passed out, or was there something else?
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there are a lot of questions there, and dextera can only answer them by nodding dimly. he's fine. he's just out of it, a little tired because of that surprise nap he took. how long was it?
he distantly registers that leliel is back in the room, his eyes drifting from guren's face past him to try to find the source of the clucking. ]
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His back is to Dextera, one hand running through his hair and holding it as he tries to collect himself.]
You're such an idiot.
[He turns back, but it's only because conversation with Dextera is impossible otherwise, and he wants to know what he has to "say" for himself. He drops his hand out of his hair to gesture angrily, instead.] Why the hell would you just drink it? You had no idea what that could have been! There was no point to a risk like that!
[He lets that hang in the air for a few moments, face scrunched up in anger and upset even as he tries to settle down. What if that had killed him. Was he even thinking about that? Was he even stopping to remember that they had promised to try their best to avoid that??]
You were out for at least six hours. [He lost track to the exact T and he came over after he was already on the floor, anyway... But he figures he's wondering.]
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at least six hours. maybe more? but guren was here for the majority of it, and dextera just nods again, hunching his shoulders.
of course he doesn't do well with being yelled at. there was never any way he was going to be able to take this with confidence. he drops his gaze to his hands, avoiding guren's anger as well as he can—but he knows he's earned it, here. he doesn't have anything to say for himself, because everything guren is telling him is true. this is just the unfortunate way he deals with things he doesn't want to deal with. if he goes quiet, he doesn't have to acknowledge anything! ]
...
[ he'll never learn. that's what the archangel always says. ]
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Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. He’d only be listened to to a point, maybe unless he were more ruthless. But he doesn’t want to scare Dextera into obedience. It’s not what he wants. Guren moves closer again. ]
Look at me. [ It’s a request, not a demand, and in situations like this, it’ll always be like that. That’s part of why he’s weak, he guesses. ] I need you here, alive. I thought I said that already. You can’t just assume you can come back from anything.
[ He’s really trying to get through here, to at least get acknowledgment... That’s what bothers him the most. ]
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equally slowly, he presses the heels of his palms against his eyes, and when it seems like he's satisfied with that, he does look up at guren, finally. ]
...
[ his gaze is a little clearer, a little more focused than it was when he first woke up, and he's making eye contact so he's not entirely broken down by being scolded. insults, he can handle without issue, but being told off by the people whose opinions he respects is a dangerous game for his emotions.
it was stupid, and he'll acknowledge that with a nod. he's sorry. ]
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Sorry. [ He adds one himself, now, holding his hand out like he’d like to take one of Dextera’s. ] I was just starting to think you wouldn’t wake up.
[ And even as much as he’s trying to keep it to just a small frown, there’s a strain in his voice that comes through there. He was worried... ]
Are you really feeling alright?
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...
[ he takes guren's hand, squeezing his fingers in response to that slight strain in his voice. that's his fault! he didn't mean to, but he wasn't thinking ahead at all.
now, though, he's physically fine. he nods again. ]
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Good.
[That's all he can say, or admit, and so he moves back, taking Dextera's hand with him, a motion to help him off the bed.] Stand up slowly, just in case. You were unconscious, so it's not the same thing as taking a nap. Your body reacted to something.
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he does stand up slowly, using his free hand to balance himself as he rises, and then he takes that hand to scrub over his face. he’s still miserable, a tight knot of guilt in his chest, and it weighs heavy on his shoulders.
it hurts, and he kind of wishes he were unconscious again. ]
...
[ a sigh, as he hides his face. ]
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[Honestly... how can he just stand here and look at that miserable looking face? He tried, for about a minute or two, but now his own heart is hurting, and he doesn't want to spend time awkwardly trying to figure out what to say.
He tugs Dextera by his held hand, instead, yanking him a little rudely closer. Close enough to put his other arm around him, holding him there.]
I don't want to see you making faces like that. You're making me feel like a monster for yelling at you. [Guren's tsun way of expressing his care is the worst, Dextera, don't listen to him.] Let's play a game of chess, or watch the stars, or something. I want to see you smile, instead.
[Thank god no one else in this house barges in on him being embarrassing like this because he would die on the spot he's pretty sure.]
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...
[ slowly, he lets his other hand drop, and sighs again—less put-upon than before, though. he nods. whatever they do, he’s glad to do it with guren, no matter how guren might have yelled at him. it’s friendship! but also a kind of masochism, like he feels some sick relief in having people annoyed with him even as anxious as it makes him to right it.
he gestures, vaguely, to where guren has placed the bottle, and glances up at him with a question in his eyes. did guren get one too? ]
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He drops both of his arms away from him now, stepping back to grant him space as he reaches into a pocket and procures his own bottle. The same color, it looks like, but his bottle is full. ]
I didn’t want to try it alone. Maybe in front of Asuka.
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[ in front of ryo... to avoid scaring dextera like before, maybe. he doesn’t think about it too much, lest he upset himself remembering the way guren writhed in pain, but he does hold out his hands to take the bottle.
what does he want to do with it? who knows? maybe don’t give it to him, but the reality is that he just wants to sniff it.
if he can’t taste it, that’s probably the next best option. ]
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[Really... Really? He considers it for a moment, and then sighs, offering it forward— only to pull it back slightly a moment later, stressing:] Don't drink it.
[Then, he hands it over. Enjoy the strawberry juice, it must smell amazing.]
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he takes the potion with a knowing, if slightly guilty, nod, and pushes it open with his thumb. like he’s testing a wine, he sniffs the cork first, and then the liquid itself.
it smells... completely different from his own. it smells sweet, actually—tempting. ]
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[So, that was also dumb, but he was here and ready so it was fine. He tilts his head.] Let me see it.
[He wants to sniff, so he's going to take it back and do just that. And... it smells very sweet.] Was yours like this?
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...
[ he shakes his head. his own was a little bitter-smelling, something that he definitely should not have put in his mouth. he grabs the bottle from where guren set it away, offering it. the scent probably lingers, even if it’s been sitting out for a while. ]
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Asuka probably received something as well, though I guess it's different from whatever you or I got. [But, he's smart and probably won't chug it.] I wonder why the reward is different between us, this time.
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is it because he purified her? or because he was the single necessary blue? he’s not sure, but those are his theories. ]
...?
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[The way they did it... They didn't really use swords all too much. Or knives. He pockets his own potion and keeps his hand on this empty bottle of disaster that Dextera had taken, but moves over towards the crystals.]
Are you going to just keep it like that?
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