I HAVE BURNED YOUR BRIDGES | o, return + sickness

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i o t a

[b]☾ IOTA [abbr="speech; self-reference; thoughts"]x[/abbr] info [abbr="attacks"]x[/abbr] MEDIC ☾

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A sharp gasp echoed across the worn conservatory's shattered walls as the pink feline Iota woke from her slumber, her breath slicing through her lungs like a hot knife though butter. Panting heavily, she'd realized she'd missed another week of activities within Tanglewood's borders — a habit she'd been keeping lately. She sighed, her sore bones stinging as she stretched. She was thankful for the nightmare that rose her from her slumber; if it hadn't waken her up, she felt as if she'd go into stasis, as was previously attempted by her body.

She gazed into the grimy glass wall in an attempt to view her reflection. She was worried that her elongated sleep would revert her into another form, or perhaps her dormant form once more. Her bodily hue remained pink, though, in comparison to the blue that had accompanied her dormant state the last time this happened, though Delphinium wasn't around then. Her flowers' petals had been budded in her long sleep, and she felt the petals flutter open as she stared into the glassy visage, blooming into the beautiful hibiscus she'd grown to be familiar with. She greeted the blooms as if they had minds of their own. Her mind felt as sharp as usual as she acquired her plant diary from her shelf and circled her greenhouse once more, per usual, participating in her usual wake-up activity of documenting the plant life.

But her body had other plans.

Her mind suddenly began to fade as the girl felt herself tip over, feeling as though she would black out at any moment. She dropped her diary in shock, its tattered pages fluttering against the soil beneath her. "A-ah ... shit ... !" exclaimed the girl as she could feel her wits begin to leave her body. She felt herself slam against the glass wall, sliding down as she attempted to regain control of her senses. She was truly weak; she could feel the cold sweat permeate across her body. Her consciousness slowly drifted off, a sail in the winds of time. What the hell was happening? She'd been sick before, but not like this. She lied down, attempting to allow her body to circulate blood back into her brain, her body pounding heavily as if she'd been struck by the might of a god.

Nauseous and weary, she slowly crawled to the door in an attempt to call for help. Pity that someone as well-acquainted with medicine as her would need some assistance, yet she still required a professional's aid. Her maw barely outside her open glass door, she groaned: "Hey ... Anyone out there? I'd appreciate ..." A cough. "I'd appreciate a bit of help. Not feeling too amazing right now."

luckily for iota, malphas was never too far away. the medic had been struggling by himself recently, through attacks, relapses, and vows to be better. his post-traumatic stress haunted him every night, every vision scarring him deeper and deeper. he was getting worse, mental-health wise, but on the outside he had told people he was nicer now, so he was trying to keep up with that. he couldn't let them down.

on a whim, he decided to visit iota's greenhouse- why had she gone missing? every night, he prayed to a god he didn't believe in that she wouldn't end up like nayru. "hey, iota, are you here?" he expected no response, as it had been for a while, but then he heard a groan and suffering words.

he leaped over, sending soil scattering behind him, coming over to her. "hey, oh my god, you're alive," he said, exasperated. here she was, alive and pink, although clearly in pain. "hey. it's alright. i'm here- again. jesus, iota, you can't be healthy for one second, can you?" he jested, clearly joking. he loved iota as one of his closest friends, actually. "okay. what are your symptoms?" he asked cautiously. obviously, she was weak and dizzy, having trouble with standing up, but he wanted to know if she had anything not visible to him.