not_meatbuns | Rebel 3 [Action/Written]

[After weeks of being with the Malnosso and then being under the influence of experiments afterward, Litchi had almost forgotten the sheer strain the Boundary is starting to put on her. But with the experiment over, the Malnosso influence gone, and everything returning to relative normal, it's back. And it hurts.

The coughing has gotten worse. Before, it wasn't nearly so frequent, and even then, there wasn't always blood coming up. Today, there are fits of coughing. Her handkerchief is already flecked with blood by the time she makes it to the plaza clinic in the morning for her shift.

For a while, the feedback quiets down. It dulls from a loud buzz to a muted hum. The coughing stops. The flashes of sight from timelines not her own stop.

But then, as she's walking to one of the examination rooms to replenish some supplies, it hits full-force. She staggers sideways into a wall as the violent coughing seizes her. The buzz of feedback noise rises to a roar. The clinic floor tiles shift and blur into a city street, a sewer, marble, the hallways of Sector Seven. The wave of dizziness grows until she suddenly realizes she's fallen to her knees... her vision is swimming in and out of focus but she thinks she can see blood flecking the floor before her... and just as a whisper of "I'm sorry, Litchi" reaches her brain without going through her ears, everything goes black. She crumples to the floor, completely unconscious, breathing ragged and shallow.]

[Written | 20% Locked away from Taokaka, Noel Vermillion, and Relius Clover]

[It isn't until much later in the evening, after she's been nursed back into the world of the living, that Litchi writes. When she does, her handwriting is shaky but still legible.]

One thing I have noticed in my time here is that, for all our differences, our worlds are all very much the same. Even those things which we seem to think make our own worlds unique seem to exist somewhere with someone else.

I have a question for everyone. And any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

In my world, we have a place we call the Boundary. It's [Pause. A wider space than necessary appears here.] a lot of things, really. But to keep it simple, it's a source of immense power and knowledge. A colleague of mine theorized that it contains the ultimate truth. In any case, normal humans cannot be exposed to its power for long. It breaks down the body and the mind until there isn't anything left.

I've been trying to find a cure for that erosion for many years. Convential, traditional, and even magical medicines can slow it, but can't stop it altogether, let alone reverse it. They treat the symptoms, not the disease.

If anyone has anything like this in their world, or has found a way to stop effects like this, please let me know. I'd forever be in your debt.

[[ooc: Yui will be finding Litchi, then any doctor is free to jump in to help. ♥]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Punctual as always, Mia reports to work at the plaza clinic after lunch. When she can't find Litchi in any of the usual places, she assumes the woman is out for the moment and starts going through the rooms.

What a surprise.]

O-Oh! What happened?

[Litchi gives Mia a weak smile in greeting. Thankfully, the coughing has calmed quite a bit, and the flashes of sight from different versions of herself are much more sporadic, but she's still looking horribly pale.]

It's... something of a long story.

[She really wishes her voice was a little stronger, but it's not like she can hide her condition much longer.]

Can I do anything for you?

[This isn't at all what she expected. Is there a free chair in the room for Mia to sit in? Litchi looks terrible.]

I think all I really need for now is some tea. Thank you... [Linhua, you're always so much help.

Litchi stops, forcing herself to focus. Linhua. When did she get to Luceti? This isn't Kagutsuchi, Linhua isn't here. Mia. Not her little assistant from Orient Town. She decides to try that again.]

...Thank you, Mia.

Of course. [One thing about the clinic is that there always seems to be tea ready for anyone who wants it - particularly the doctors.] I'll be right back.

[And while she's gone, she'll think hard about what Litchi said earlier and how she was probably lying in that bed saying it. What she was going to discuss probably doesn't apply.

...It's worth a try, though.

She comes back with tea enough for both of them.]

How do you feel?

[Tea. Tea is going to be a tremendous amount of help. If there's one thing she's sure has helped to ease her nerves throughout this entire ordeal. Litchi's smile flickers a little stronger.]

Honestly...? Quite a bit better now. [Although it's not too hard to beat her condition earlier today, but that's beyond the point.] Still not quite myself, I'm afraid, but improving.

Are you ill? It might not be much, but my Psynergy could quiet your symptoms for a while and help you rest.

[Mia, bless your heart.] It's certainly worth a try. The symptoms hve been getting stronger lately, but maybe your Psynergy will be just the thing.

Stronger lately?

[One moment of pure confusion leads to several more of an understanding she's not sure she wants to confirm.]

Those things you wrote...are about you, aren't they?

[Trying - and failing - to fight down a cough, she nods. A sip of tea manages to quell the coughing before it can get worse, thank heaven.]

Yes. They were. [So much guilt.] I'm sorry I didn't mention it before.

Don't apologize. I just hope I can do something for you, even if it is temporary.

[So let's dispense with the conversation for now. Mia reaches for one of Litchi's hands and closes her eyes to concentrate on her work.]

Rebel 3 [Action/Written]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]