unless you're bullet proof || open (with some closed prompts in comments)

[swordandshield]

CHARACTERS: Felix, closed prompts for Kazuma, Finn and Steve, and OTA prompts
LOCATION: various around Ximilia station
DATE: the weeks post-Die is Cast mission
CONTENT: boredom in the infirmary, escaping said infirmary, random tidbits; giving Kazuma his pocketwatch back, training Finn and Steve
WARNINGS: language, whiny bored manchild, maybe mild violence in training

i. we set to survive || infirmary

[Felix barely remembered getting to the infirmary. He was pretty sure someone dragged his limp body through the hallways to get him here after their arrival back on the station. Lucky for everyone involved he didn't have his armor on. Everyone but him actually.

What was done was done. Felix could hardly move to scratch his nose even now that he was back on the station, pumped full of medicine, liquids, magic, and whatever else this place had for healing methods all combined. He hoped they mixed better than meds and alcohol generally did not in his personal experience because otherwise he was not looking forward to his days here.

A week's worth of time. He was stuck in the infirmary recuperating his strength for a full goddamn week. Every second of it was dull and aching and boring when he wasn't flat out sleeping off the pain.]

When can I leave?

[He asked often as if he wasn't still using up all his energy just to lift a glass of water to his mouth. Thank fuck for straws.]

Why are you here?

Fuck. That hurts!

This is the longest time I've spent in an infirmary and I hate it.

Just give me a damn book to read, I don't care what it is.

[Were also common things he said to whoever came too close. He was miserable, bored, and everyone around was damn well going to know it.]

ii. we tread, we rise, on earth can't keep us || hallways from infirmary to rooms

[After a week passed, Felix was ready to get the hell out of the infirmary. Except perhaps his body wasn't quite as ready as his mind would have liked. It took him a few tries to make it off the bed quietly enough not to alert a damn medic or helper. Then it was an effort to make it out of the door without his legs giving out on him.

When he made it into the hallway he felt instant relief--followed quickly by the urge to sit the fuck down. Just slide down the wall and plop his ass on the floor. He somehow managed to resist the urge and put one foot in front of the other. Felix was determined to make it to his room before he passed out. He had walked farther and survived worse than this, he could manage a simple walk down the hall to his quarters. Despite his determination however, his hand stayed against the wall for added support.

And he didn't necessarily make it to his room without being caught. He was easy to spot whenever he stopped to regain some strength every so often, leaned heavily against the wall just to stay upright. Hopefully no one would try to put him back in the infirmary. He was very insistent he just get to his room. He'd be fine after that.]

iii. it's lonely on the other side || common area(s)

[A few more days passed while Felix stayed in his room well away from everyone else. It was nice but Felix was used to social interaction on a near daily basis. He couldn't stay hidden away forever.

When he reemerged he had somehow managed to get his armor on by himself. His swagger returned with the comforting shell of form fitting undersuit and carapace-like outer armor. He no longer limped or held his hand against the wall for support although those with a careful eye might notice he did pause every so often possibly to regain his strength. But the armor hid the rest and supported him with its shape and powered form. It held him in place. He felt better with it around him. He wasn't going to take it back off for a while.

During lunch and super times he could be found in the cafeteria. His helmet was off while he ate, set aside on the table near him. Anyone trying to touch it would get their hand slapped.

In the common area he could sometimes be spotted lounging in a chair with a book in hand. Yes, he did manage to lounge while in his full set of armor. He even managed to look comfortable. Keep him company and he might read a passage from his book out loud for entertainment. It seemed to bring him some calm and comfort to read for an audience.

In the training room the mercenary found out rapidly that his usual work-out routine was still a little bit too much for him. A piece of equipment clattered to the ground angrily as Felix threw it to the ground in frustration one late evening. Even with the armor supporting him he grew tired too fast. He had to take breaks often and reevaluate his routine to suit his current condition. It irritated the hell out of him so he made for a poor exercise partner at the moment.]

iv. wildcard!

[something else you'd like to do? hit me with something! or give me a ping via PM or AisuYoukai for plotting.]

Comments

[swordandshield]

[The bonus to using the sleep spell on Felix definitely outweighed the moral dilemma of how petty it was to do so in order to stop him from complaining. His mouth was hard to shut up on a good day and on a bad day it was impossible or the silence that emanated from him was both depressing and a little scary. When he wasn't being a jerk there was an intensity to him that spoke of something serious and deadly in his past. The war, no doubt, that he had mentioned to Sabriel once or twice.

The topic of the book's subject matter was less entertaining for Felix so much as a good excuse for him to use sarcasm liberally.]

I'm sure they will. Immensely. To the point of pure joy.

[The joke was on both of them though: he would probably end up reading a majority of the damn thing simply out of boredom. It wouldn't keep him happy though.

He sighed heavily at her last statement, a huff of annoyed air that passed out of his lips as above his eyes rolled into his head. She was trying, and intellectually he understood that, and he didn't entirely hate her, but-]

Yeah, I know. I get it. That shit fucked me up real good. And you're all doing a wonderful job of pumping me full of whatever works... but damn if I haven't been knocked down for this long of time in a long time. It sucks.

And not to say it for the billionth time but, hey, it's boring being cooped up like this.

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel could guess. She's seen that intensity before, and she recognizes some of it from other orbers... and from the men of the perimeter garrison, for all that they had been fighting a very different kind of war.]

I know. But premature activity will disrupt the spells, not to mention risk causing further damage. I know. I was injured myself, during the mission.

[But she can sympathize with the boredom, if not with how he's treated the rest of the infirmary staff.]

Listen, I'll bring you some books from the common room next shift. What kind do you want?

[swordandshield]

[Felix's lips pursed as he listened to Sabriel and, dare he admit it, felt a little bit of sympathy towards the act of being injured. But she was done healing and here he was still stuck in a bed and having to be healed by her. Clearly, he had it worse.

Despite his loud and constant complaining, though, Felix not once tried to escape the infirmary so far. In part due to how hard it was simply for him to scratch an itch these days, but another reason was simply the knowledge that he needed time for his body to heal. His body was everything to him. He needed it to be at its best, not only partially healed from lack of care.

He sighed and only perked up a bit when she offered to pick him out some books to read. He had to think about what he wanted to say first.]

...Anything with a decent story. [He held up the one she had given him.] Less technical and more grit. A good adventure or mystery would be nice.

[That would do for now. She didn't need to know all of his reading preferences. Some of them were a little less...appropriate than others. But he'd take whatever he could get at the moment.]

[bindsthedead]

Fiction then.

[Sabriel nods, considering. There should be more than a few suitable books in the common area- she's even read a few herself. And while Felix can be annoying, he's been a better patient than a lot of the crew. He's followed directions, taken his medicine, and actually not tried to move more than he should.]

I'll bring some by next time.

[And she does- a small pile, in fact.]

[swordandshield]

Sounds good.

[He gave her a small smile for offering to get him books. That was more than he had two minutes ago and that was something.

When she did eventually come back with a small pile of books as promised, his demeanor perked up considerably. His smile after he read a few of the titles was more genuine than it had been in the past few days while stuck here. He turned the expression to her and there was a kindness there rarely seen.]

Thanks. These look good.

[And while they don't keep Felix completely silent for the next couple of days, they do occupy his time enough to give everyone a break from his whining even while he was awake. He spent hours reading at a time sometimes, devouring the books at a steady pace whenever he got into one. Surprisingly, it actually seemed like something he enjoyed.

One day when Sabriel came to check on him (and after he'd read through a few of the novels she'd procured for him), he asked her a question.]

Have you read any of these?