nerdeology | IC Communication

[Okay but eventually he'll get a bleary-voiced reply.]

Stefan suggested the mystery section, if it isn't too late.

Stefan would suggest the mystery section. [it's absolutely too late but guess who is turning this shuttle around] I'll be quiet when I come in, so you can go back to sleep.

[ugh.]

I've slept enough for both of us- times three, at least. If I'm asleep you'd better wake me up.

So demanding...

Yes, Lord Mikleo. As thou dost command me, so shall I obey...

Shut up, Sorey.

[Sleepy and cranky is the best combination.]

[HEART EYES MOTHERFUCKER

Sorey shows up at Mikleo's room about thirty minutes later, and despite promising to wake him he does enter as quietly as possible with an armful of books. He's also got some of the cute mochi he and Uraraka had made together because a) it's good and b) it's really good, just in case Mikleo felt up to snacking this time.

He sets his spoils on Mikleo's desk and creeps over to the bed, crouching beside it and laying his arms on the mattress, chin on his wrist as he watches Mikleo's sleeping face. Still here.

Then he gently starts poking his forehead.]

Mikleo. Hey.

[poke.

poke.

poke poke.

SLAM, is Mikleo's response, as he smacks the second pillow right into Sorey's face without even lifting his head off of his own.]

Stoppit.

Oof. [Sorey draws the pillow back and fluffs it, standing to settle it back into its place next to Mikleo's head.] Hey, don't get mad at me. I wanted to let you sleep.

[Mikleo sighs and rolls over to face the ceiling, rubbing at his eyes. What the hell, why does everything feel so hot all the time now? Every single sheet and blanket has been kicked halfway off the bed for the tenth time this week.]

There are better ways to wake people up than poking their face, you know.

[that can happen when you're trapped in the bed all darn day]

Hey, you'd be the specialist to consult regarding that. I haven't had to wake anyone up even a tenth as often as you have. [Parks it on the edge of the bed.] Wanna walk around the room a little?

You could just call me...

[He's a light sleeper! ...Usually. This week's been a bit unusual, with the whole weakness and fever and being-dead thing.

The argument is pretty irrelevant, though, so with a quiet huff he sits himself up - first on his elbows, and then the rest of the way with some effort (and Sorey's steadying hand) - and swings his legs over the side of the bed.]

...May as well. I haven't done it today yet.

[It's embarrassing to be such an invalid, and he hates that he still can't walk on his own, especially when they don't know how long this instability will last, or if it'll wear off at all. It's a scary prospect that he's refused to acknowledge so far. Either way, the worst thing would be to not try and let his legs atrophy or something, so even if it's unpleasant, he doesn't try to avoid it, either.]

Upsy-daisy. [Best thing to do when helping Mikleo complete a task he doesn't want help completing is to just do it as quickly as possible. Lots of times Sorey will tease him, but over this? Over him trying to find the strength to walk, because he's back from the dead? No. Absolutely not.

Sorey slips an arm across Mikleo's back, stooping so he can rest against his side and shoulder. Just the arm for now, and if Mikleo falls, he'll catch him then.]

Here, let's go to the desk. I wanna show you the books I got.

Mm.

[That's about as noncommittal an answer as it gets, but Mikleo obliges in leaning against Sorey as he pushes himself carefully to his feet. He wobbles at first, pausing while he regains balance, but once that's sorted he starts moving forward, one slow step at a time. He feels like a toddler learning to walk, and it's so backwards- as the elder of the two, he'd been the one doing this for Sorey when they were babies.

Maybe this is some kind of weird, long-term karma. Whatever, at least it isn't Edna or something. That would be unbearable.]

Did you find something good?

[Sorey doesn't remember any of it, but he's heard all the stories. Everyone thought it was so cute the way Mikleo led Sorey around by the hands, still unsteady himself but determined to be the one to teach Sorey how to walk. Since the beginning, he wanted to be the one responsible for Sorey.

Sorey doesn't say a word, but his arm tightens a little.] You bet I did. It's a murder mystery that takes place at an archaeological dig. The summary sounded really neat.

Ah... I'll give it a look, then.

[He's not so sure how he'll feel about reading details on a murder - considering recent events, even that might hit too close to home - but the intrigue he feels about the setting makes it worthwhile. It isn't like murder is what actually happened, anyway.

He wobbles his way over and then wobbles into the chair, until finally he's comfortably seated again (and therefore less wobbly), looking at the collection Sorey brought over. He made it across the room without falling! What a pitiful accomplishment. And yet, he's glad for the progress... ugh.

Shoving aside his misgivings - coming back from the dead is probably not supposed to be convenient anyway - he reaches immediately for the books.]

Anything else?

[Yeah, he'd hesitated at that too, but there are surprisingly few mysteries that don't have people getting killed in them. At least in this one it doesn't have some gruesome murder scene.]

Mmm, a couple of texts, a book of poems; not much that we haven't already read. I think our own personal libraries are going to outgrow the one on Iskaulit soon.

[Sorey grasps the back of Mikleo's chair, leaning over him to peer at the books.] Oh- and I didn't know if you felt up to it, but those are mochi. A friend showed me how to make them...don't worry, these are ones she made. They're really good.

[Honestly, it wouldn't surprise him if they ended up with a room full of books, books, and more books. This is supposed to be a secondary, temporary home, anyway- may as well try to make it as comfortable as one so long as they're stuck here. That's part of why he's been trying to keep himself busy with the things that interested him before they left Elysia in the first place- the sewing, the writing, the research.

The other options don't interest him as much as the novel, so he lifts that first, giving front and back a quick examination before flipping it open. Small text, his favourite.]

What's mochi?

[He tries to keep his tone neutral, but he already knows that it's food. Sorey's been patient, making offers but never pushing the issue, and Mikleo's quietly dodged it each time. He hasn't had anything to eat or drink since he woke up, and it's the longest he's ever gone without food in his life. He doesn't need it, sure, but it probably looks weird.]

It's kind of like a bun, but with mashed up rice instead of flour so it's chewy. [Sorey plucks one from the plate, though he turns his head away to eat it since Mikleo seemed to be bothered by the sounds of chewing the last time he ate with him in the room.] And it's got sweet filling inside. It's reeeeally good.

[Sorey rests his chin lightly atop Mikleo's head as he flips through the mystery. Mikleo's very slowly but very steadily improving. He's not as tired these days, staying awake for longer (though that could be out of sheer stubbornness) and managing to sit up on his own. He still needs help to stand and walk, but that he can do it at all is a vast improvement.

It's just...these visions he keeps having that are the problem.] So? What's the verdict? Does the book mystify and intrigue?

[Mikleo's only response to the mochi comment is another noncommittal hum; it's the best he can really offer right now. He'd rather focus on recovering, and with all of the other issues he's having, the last thing he needs is to give himself some kind of food-induced panic attack. Or... whatever might happen. In truth he's just scared to find out. Just the thought of crunching makes him shudder.

At least Sorey's keeping well fed, with all the food people have been bringing for him. He does feel a little guilty, but at least it isn't going to waste.

At Sorey's question, he finishes the page and tilts the book up so it's more visible. Sorey's already hanging over his shoulder, so might as well share.]

I'm still at the introduction, so there isn't much intrigue yet. It's interesting, though. Should I read out loud?

[Mystery's still a bit of a new genre for them - there hadn't been much of it in Elysia - so he's not sure how Sorey feels about it yet.]

Yeah, if you don't mind. [Sorey circles around to lean against the desk instead, since leaning over Mikleo (while nice) is a little annoying for both of them to tolerate for long.

He's not so much interested in the book anyway, more that he's interested in hearing Mikleo's voice. He can't get enough of it, it seems; the moments when Mikleo's awake are like oasis spots in a desert, and though Sorey wouldn't trade Mikleo sleeping and recovering his strength for anything in the world, he loves being able to talk to him and hear an answer.

When Mikleo turns back to the book Sorey's expression softens as it's often done since he came back; warm and grateful and just that small bit afraid, buried deep. He leans back against the desk and clasps his wrist in front of his legs to listen but keeps his eyes on Mikleo, on the way the light sits in his hair, the way his fingers slip between the pages, elegant and sure.]

[He doesn't mind. Reading is a soothing process, and it takes his mind off of things- his health being one, of course (the fever, the hallucinations, the exhaustion, all of it), but more significantly, the memories. It's far too easy to lose himself in his own mind when he's left alone with nothing to occupy himself with. It's why, even though sometimes he feels a little smothered, he's grateful that Sorey's been hovering around so much since he came back. Someone to keep him updated on the fleet's situation, or to discuss whatever subject they're reading about on any particular day, or even just to be there so he has someone to ground him, to remind him of what's real and what isn't. The recovery is frustrating, but being alone makes it somewhat easier.

The attention does get distracting sometimes, though, so he makes it a handful of pages into the novel before he pauses, tilting his head sideways to glance at Sorey.]

Are you okay?

Eh? [Sorey rubs his nose sheepishly and looks away, plucking up another mochi from the plate and pinching at it a little.] I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just listening to the story. They'd just hired the tour guide to show them to the dig site, right?

[Yeah, that doesn't really sound right- not with how Sorey had been staring. But okay, Mikleo will play along for now. He thumbs the edge of the page, his eyes drifting over the last paragraph.]

Yeah, I'm not sure how trustworthy that character is. Isn't it suspicious that such an important archeological discovery has already become a tourist attraction? Where's their scientific integrity?

[He questions the legitimacy of this author's research and it's not even the second chapter. This is gonna go great.]

[look it's not a lie, he's fine, he's like even better than fine

Sorey snorts and turns away to eat the mochi, cheek puffed out so he can talk around his food.] Already tearing it apart, huh? Can't even give it one chapter yet...

[A quiet huff.]

I see nothing wrong with being critical of anything I read, no matter how early. Anyway, it's a mystery. Isn't theorizing about the suspects part of the fun?

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