dappledleaves | THE WORLD: PSL LIFE

[ His vision blurs for a second, and it's like a dam had cracked within him, tears rolling down his cheeks, falling against Oria's hand as he squeezes it firmly.]

You're awake... you're really...

['Here'.]

[ Oria quietly breathes out when he hears Sinclair and one of his fingers move in his hold to say that he heard him. He's here. He's right here, awake. It doesn't seem like he can speak or just doesn't want to. Either way, he's acknowledging Sinclair's presence.

Though it may be best to call a nurse now that Oria is awake. ]

... I'll call the nurse for you. And your family--

[ Luckily all hospital rooms come equipped with a call button so Sinclair presses it without letting go of Oria's hand, and a nurse appears instantly.

Sinclair would have gotten Aria's number at some point so she's the one who will get texted as soon as the nurse finishes]

[ With the text sent to Aria, the remaining family make their way to the hospital as fast as they can. There are more tears and sighs of relief when they see Oria being awake and they hear from the doctor about Oria's condition. Sinclair would be able to listen in. It sounds like despite the multitudes of shocks, most things seem to be generally fine. The only problems that Oria seems to have are the neck/throat area and superficial burns on the skin. Since he slept for a full week, it really helped his recovery. Oria is extremely lucky in that regard.

That said, Oria will have to stay in the hospital for several days so that the nurses can keep an eye on his condition. They wouldn't want a new problem to surface after he's been discharged.

The family stays for a while, but they leave eventually. Aria waves a little to Sinclair and gives him something like an overnight bag with snacks, water, clothes around his size, toiletries, and more. It looks like she was expecting Sinclair to stay in Oria's room to that extent for a while...

The room becomes quiet again and Oria is found on the bed without having ever moved his limbs, continuing to stare at the ceiling without his glasses on. Doing so reminds him of that day, but it has no place in his mind right now, so he closes his eyes. ]

[ Ah. He hadn't expected he'd be given permission to stay overnight, but there's a relief that he doesn't have to go. Sinclair is quiet throughout everything, holding onto Oria's hand, leaving only when his family looks like they want a bit of privacy with Oria. He understands. Family was precious. But when everyone leaves, he's back at Oria's side, clasping his hand between his own again, the silence punctured only by the beeping of the heart monitor.

He watches Oria close his eyes again and bites his lip]

...I got approval for leave. They've put me on standby in the meantime. The whole team's on break now too. Everyone needed to rest and I...[Sinclair definitely fractured a rib or two in that fight but it's not something that can be bandaged up]

I'm going to stay. No matter what, I wont leave you. So...

[ His throat feels tight again and he shakes his head.

'We'll get through this'. He wants to say that but the words wont come out right]

I'm here. No matter what happens, I'll always be on your side.

[ Sinclair, maybe... consider using that healing EGO...

Oria turns his head just a little enough to face Sinclair. The arm that's connected to the hand that Sinclair is holding is luckily free, so Oria brings it up closer to his own face and nuzzles the back of Sinclair's hand a little. He deeply appreciates it in a time like this. ]

Are you... okay?

[ His voice sounds extremely scratchy. It's what he couldn't ask back then before he collapsed, and even now, he's worried about Sinclair. He doesn't even know which hospital he's in, or how long he's been out cold, or anything. Sinclair is still priority. ]

[ He will with some coaxing. Fae Lantern did help with the worst of it. He swallows a little and nods even though Oria can't see it. He cups Oria's face, rubbing his thumb over the curve of his cheek]

Mn. I'm fine. Just bruising mostly.

[ It was just like Oria to worry about Sinclair first.]

[ Oria looks relieved for the most part, relaxing as Sinclair cups his face and closing his eyes a little to really let the touch sink in. He stays like this for a while. ]

... What happened?

[ While he was out. Apart from the company taking a break. ]

Edited 2023-12-25 23:54 (UTC)

[He'll keep his hand there, shifting just a little in his seat as if that much could bring him closer]

Everyone has been busy. My company's After Team has been working with your mother to keep everything out of the news. With that warehouse collapsed, they haven't been able to recover anything

[ Sinclair hesitates, but he knows he should tell Oria]

... it's going to be a hunt for Sarabi.

[ Oria closes his eyes again. That's just about what he expected. He tries to enjoy the warmth of Sinclair's hand as he listens. With how the Severines lost the head and how his mother's antagonist views against terrorists, Sarabi in particular, this seemed to be an inevitability. ]

Is your company involved?

[ Sinclair nods, just focusing on Oria right now]

Mm. Sarabi has access to Abnormalities and wants to create more. So our company will shift priorities now.

[ Oria remembered when the abnormality was formed with how his father's corpse was gone. Then it had some traits that resembled the appearance and--

--Oria feels nauseous, but he doesn't want to puke so he curls up on his side instead. ]

[ Sinclair sits on the edge of Oria's bed, reaching over to pet Oria's hair. Gentle, soft. He didn't want to remind Oria of what happened. He opens his mouth to apologise again but remembers Oria telling him to stop. So his mouth clicks shut and he resumes petting Oria's hair as he reaches for something]

... you don't need to hold back, you know.

[ Oria would remark how he doesn't want to projectile vomit onto Sinclair, but he just keeps his mouth shut instead. He's never really realized how comforting headpats could be until Sinclair starting touching his hair more often. He would refuse on the count of it feeling like he's being looked down upon, but he knows it's not like that with Sinclair. That's why he can enjoy the feeling to the fullest. ]

... 'm fine.

[ Sinclair's brow furrows but he keeps petting Oria's hair, carding his fingers through gently. ]

... alright.

[ Oria falls into silence a bit longer, before speaking up again, even though it's such a quiet voice. ]

How long was I out?

[ It's strange to hear Oria's voice so strained and quiet.]

A week.

[ He strokes Oria's hair. He doesn't say the obvious; that they were all terrified Oria wouldn't wake up]

[ A week.

Oria quietly breathes out. He wishes he could get well quickly so that he can start doing things. Oria is already starting to feel slightly restless. ]

Can you tell me... more about abnormalities? And... stuff surrounding it. I saw vines coiling around your arm...

[ The last part sounds as if he's asking a question, because he's not sure if he's remembering it right. ]

... I'm involved now. I think... I should know what we're up against.

Yeah. I can.

[ Sinclair bites his lip]

... Honestly there's so much about them that I don't know myself. But I can tell you what I know, which ones I've faced and how the weapons work.

[ He hesitates]

Do you want me to tell you now?

[ Oria gives Sinclair a small nod. He can't see, but he'll listen, and if this is the only way he can be productive, then he'll do it. ]

[ He's quiet for a moment as he looks for the best way to explain things as clearly as possible]

...I guess you can call Abnormalities 'cognitive monsters'. I told you before that an underground government funded lab was researching ways to push humanity past it's limits, right? Creating weapons. Super weapons. They discovered at the same time they could produce massive amounts of energy too that could be harnessed. Well...to do that, they needed subjects.

[ a quiet pause]

From what I could tell, they would put someone under an experiment. Many someones. And they would infuse their food, or air or something with a chemical. I don't have clearance to know the name of that chemical but...

Abnormalities are monsters born from the human mind, representing concepts - wishes and fears usually - brought into reality.

[He's quiet here]

... they're also born in situations of extreme trauma and distress. Because their existence is the antithesis to our own, most humans can't engage with them directly without losing their mind or being lured into their promises or threats. They don't have a reason to exist, but they know they must survive.

They'll do anything to survive.

[ If they're from wishes and fears, that sheds a different light on the abnormality that he saw that had traces of his father. He closes his eyes, shut tightly for a moment before tiredly opening them again. It also makes him wonder if abnormalities are only formed in certain areas. There has been mass tragedies and anything like an abnormality has never been reported, and that would be incredibly difficult to hide, considering many bad things happen around the world every day and how voyeuristic the world is becoming.

But what Sinclair says also explains the extreme discomfort he felt when encountering those abnormalities. Oria knows that he doesn't have to be The Special One for every scenario, but he hates being unable to do something because of how he was born. He's always resented that for various reasons.

He needs to hear more. ]

Super weapons?

Mm. They don't need to do damage directly. They can convince people to chop off their feet, fight in their defense...

[ He exhales softly ]

But the most powerful ones could level an entire city block if they're left unchecked.

[ Cool. He can imagine them using it for war and how countries would try to covet them like their nuclear bomb showboating.

He'll admit that it's a lot of power that people shouldn't have. ]

... What about your vine arm? Is that the "skin" crafted into a weapon thing you talked about?

[ It's too much power. It's a good thing they can't be controlled. ]

Yeah. There's two things an abnormality can give us. It can shed it's 'skin' when we defeat it, which can be crafted into weapons and a
or a suit. That armor is matched to a person. Fae Lantern resonates with me, but it's not completely compatible, so the vines take more energy than they should.

[ He rubs his shoulder ]

...it helps with regenerating my body faster at least. The other thing is the 'EGO gift'. We can wear those to act as charms or defenses against other abnormalities.

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