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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 9, 2011 13:36:17 GMT -5
A low whine escaped Mercutio. He'd just been visiting his sister, when she'd suddenly gone very pale. She was clearly feeling worse by the minute... Which wasn't entirely unheard of, for her condition, but he knew he had to hurry when she asked for him to find Xander. Not because she was just going to die, but because... Well, because she'd asked him to hurry, in that weak little voice of hers, with that sweet little smile. As much an ass Mer might have been, he wasn't that horrible. So he'd hurried, ball and chain clanging loudly all the way down the hall, to the room he shared with his brothers. It wasn't that much farther, really, but his stupid binding made it take far longer than he would have liked. Stupid piece of shit. " Xander?" he said softly outside the room, then pushed it open with his nose. " Xander, Vir wants to see you." |
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 9, 2011 13:46:22 GMT -5
Xander was recovering a mirror when his brother had entered the room. Othello was taking a brief nap after a frustrating miscommunication incident. The cats ears pressed against his head briefly at the statement. Vir hadn't been doing well. There seemed to be no solution to her sickness, all the doctors said the same thing. Mom had been trying to hide the details, but it was obvious that things weren't going well. Mercutio saying that Vir was asking him wasn't reassuring. The cat padded to the door, "All right, Othello's asleep by the way. So you might want to do something outside of the room if you plan on staying here," he slipped past him and headed to Vir's room. He only lightly knocked, considering it was Vir and they were close to each other he didn't feel the need to give much of an advanced warning. What was the worst she could be doing anyway. "Mer said that you wanted to see me?" he asked putting his brightest smile on, just for his sister. |
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 9, 2011 15:44:18 GMT -5
Mer gave Xander a quick nod, glancing over at Othello's sleeping form. If things didn't seem to be improving... He would go ahead and wake his brother up. But hopefully, this was nothing. Just a day that was a little bit harder than days normally were.
Granted, harder days were popping up more and more often. There just didn't seem to be an answer to them or an end in sight. At least not an end Mer could approve of. As Xander left the room, the Coyote flopped down on the floor with a book. He might as well try to get something done, for the time being...
When the door opened, Vir sat up, her expression brightening the moment she saw her brother's face. She was thin and ragged, her fur dull - but well groomed, thanks to the attention and assistance of her family. She lightly patted the bed beside her, scooting over ever so slightly to make room for him to join her. "I did. I just feel like I haven't..." her voice trailed off as a small fit of coughing overtook her. It took a few minutes before she was able to speak again. "... Sorry. Like I haven't seen you for a long time." Not entirely his fault, of course. She had been spending as much time as she could manage with her Zeki, after all...
She gave Xander a weak smile. "Not that I can blame you. I'm not much fun to be around lately."
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 9, 2011 15:58:38 GMT -5
Xander watched uncomfortably as his sister coughed. He slipped into the room fully and made his way over to bed. A small part of him felt horrible for not spending every waking moment with her but... she had her boyfriend. It was difficult for Xander to accept considering how much he loved Vir, but she seemed to like him.
"Your were spending time with your boyfriend, and I don't want to be a third wheel, you know?" He said with a small smirk, "I'd probably just sit in the background and threaten him being a big protective brother and all even if I am a tiny cat."
He gave his sister a small kiss on the cheek. Even if she had a cold, he'd get over it far easier than she would. He brushed some of her hair back with one of his hands so he could see her face a bit better. She looked terrible lately. "I'm sorry your feeling so bad... want a few stupid little updates about what's going on around the palace?"
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 9, 2011 16:46:53 GMT -5
As soon as her brother had accepted her invitation and jumped up onto the bed, Virtute snuggled up next to him, a quiet and slow purr rumbling up from within her chest. It was nice to have Xander here... Even if things had changed from what she'd always imagined with the introduction of Zeki into her lift, Xander was still important to her. She still loved him, pretty much as much as it was possible to love a person.
Platonically, at this point, but still.
She laughed quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "I dunno, I don't think you need size to be a protective big brother... I'm pretty sure Zeki is already terrified of you, though. Next time he comes over we can all go out together. I really think you'll like him once you get to know him a little better." her smile softened slightly, and she looked down at her own paws. "He's a really nice guy."
Her purr deepened as her brother gave her a small kiss, her eyes slipping closed with happiness. This was good. This was nice. This was... this was the way she wanted him to remember her, alive and happy and with him. Not like it was on the really bad days. Another coughing fit overtook her and she couldn't quite find the words to answer him, but she was able to nod in response. Even if she couldn't speak all the time herself, she still loved to know what was going on.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 9, 2011 17:21:50 GMT -5
"I know he's nice, you wouldn't be with him otherwise," Xander said. There was a small voice in the back of his head that protested the fact that she was seeing someone else. He really was jealous, but he would do just about anything to see his sister happy. That was the most important thing he could do.
He snuggled close to her, silently wishing that she wasn't sick all the time. She looked so miserable between the moments of happiness. Why couldn't anyone make her stop suffering?
"Well... there's been something weird happening in the palace, more so than usual. People keep claiming that they see a Torquehelm boy who's soaked and hobbling around. Nerissia actually slipped in one of the puddles, Othello claimed that he heard someone struggling to breath while things smelled damp," the cat gave a little shrug. He doubted any of it was real, he had no proof. "Grandma Peaches is up to her usual pranks. Othello actually... had something weird happen to him when he went to the city last. He doesn't want to talk about it.... Mer's being himself. Mom is running around like a chicken without her head. Kamina apparently tried to bring home an Ace, but I heard from Othello that it was part Moose."
He shifted to get a better look at Vir. Herm. "Want me to brush your hair for a bit? It's... silly but I haven't done that in a while.... and I kind of... miss it..."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 9, 2011 20:30:57 GMT -5
That slight note of longing in his voice didn't go unnoticed, and it tugged quite powerfully at Virtute's heart. She knew what he missed, and in a way... She missed it too. But thinking back on it now...
Something about it just made her feel uncomfortable. Thinking back on it, she knew they had crossed a line, and now she had to make up for it. Like maybe... Maybe she was being punished for it, somehow. Perhaps it was just her paranoia speaking, but could she be sure? Not really. She had the sense that perhaps Xander felt similarly - they both tiptoed around the issue, but never actually gave voice to any thoughts related to it. That was fine with her. It felt safer, this way. She snuggled up next to him, listening quietly as he spoke. A... Torque?
"Maybe there's a ghost?" she said quietly, in a voice that was very serious. Ghosts fell quite securely into the beliefs of the young feline. She shivered slightly, pressing in closer. It sounded like... a very frightening ghost, if that was the case. She hoped she never encountered it, ever. Then she blinked again. "Where did she find an Ace like that?!" The fear from before was gone in an instant, and the girl started to giggle. It was just... such a silly mental image! But one she could imagine incredibly easily. Silly Kamina.
At her brother's request, Vir blinked. Then smiled. "It's not silly." she replied, moving over so that he would have better access to her head and short mane. "I'd love it if you would."
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 9, 2011 22:03:10 GMT -5
"A ghost... huh well that's possible," It was an uncomfortable thought. Honestly it sounded like his reflection. It matched that horrible nightmare he had a a child. He'd be standing at a pond, looking into the water, and his reflection would pull him into the water. He had stopped having the dream as frequently, and it only ever happened when he was stressed.
"She found it when she went on her "adventure." Apparently that one time she was allowed to go out with Eldy she got horribly lost and ended up with mom's King Jovan and Simun." He snorted. "I'm really sad she couldn't keep it."
His tension seemed to lighten when she said he could comb her hair. He missed it, he missed the intimacy. The world could be damned for telling him what was wrong or right. He picked up his sister's comb and started to lightly brush her hair.
"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you," he said suddenly. "I was jealous."
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