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Ren is in the clinic.

[Akechi's words are blunt, monotone, and he tries desperately to not any ripples of worry or distress slip through his thoughts.

Still, those focusing closely may still feel it. A tingling feeling like ants skittering across one's brain.]

I will be doing what I can to care for him. Obviously, I'm not clinic staff, but I owe him as much.

[Something like irritation starts to flare, but it fizzles out fast.]

I told him not to overdo it. Now he's going to fall even further behind.

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[Oh Gods Akechi I'm sorry

Firoza doesn't do emotion in halves

There is a settling blanket of concern that comes through as she asks,] What happened? Do - do either of you need anything? I'm getting quite adept at delivering snacks.

[It's a lot to bear, especially secondhand. The concern prompts an uncomfortable, shifting sort of feeling, as if Akechi isn't sure how to respond in kind.]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I'd rather not leave his side at the moment.

Of course. I understand.

[She has the sense to clamp down on memories when others refused to leave her side...]

Any preferences?

It's difficult to say. A change of blankets, perhaps. I can't imagine he'll be eating much while he's unconscious.

[Which is worrisome, but nothing he can do about it. That's perhaps the most frustrating part.]

Ren is...

[Oh

oh...

Uhoh

Fucking. Big Sister Firoza.exe activated.]

I have - I have good fabric for blankets! And it's been cleaned, too! A-and if you shall be staying with him, you should have a snack, at the very least!

Yes. I suppose you're right.

[In all the commotion, he'd neglected to eat. He may be small, but birds do eat a fair bit to sustain their flight. Not to mention, he's worked so hard on missions lately.]

...Thank you, Firoza-san. I'm sure he'll appreciate your kindness as well.

There is no need to thank me - caring for yourself and for Ren will be thanks enough.

I shall be there...hm. Mayhap in half a bell? Er, wait, I don't know...what an equivalent of that might be for you - it's thirty minutes. Though I will try to be faster than that.

[Shwoop off to go do DoorDash]

Take your time. I'm not leaving any time soon.

[For now, he'll just wait, preening Ren carefully. If he can't care for himself, then it falls upon Akechi to take the lead.]

[Firoza actually gets there in 25 minutes. Not that the delivery would be free if it were longer...but still. Hey your DoorDash is here! She knocks first before entering, having been directed by one of the clinic helpers.

Firoza has some thicker wool bundled and tied with twine on her back, and in her mouth is a bundle, kind of like a furoshiki, which Akechi would be familiar with. For her, it's just more economical to carry stuff this way.

A muffled,] Hello!

[Not too loud, though, to preserve Ren's rest. Augh, the poor thing...he's really been through a lot lately. And Akechi's fretting...weh...]

[He was in the middle of adjusting Ren's blankets. When Firoza approaches, his feathers fluff up for a fleeting moment before he settles down and hops over to meet her.]

Thank you for coming, Firoza-san.

[She hums in affirmative and places the bag down where Akechi can get it. There's a nice mix of berries in there - healthy snacks for recovering, and fretting.]

It is no trouble. [A pause, to glance at Ren.] If it is not too much...might I ask how it happened?

[Shuffling closer, he peeks into the bag. A berry is as good a start as any, so he picks it up with his beak and places it in his wing.]

It happened rather suddenly. The exertion from multiple missions, combined with the race may have compounded the existing issues with his aches and pains. It may also be a similar affliction as A.B.A-san's, though hopefully he'll recover more swiftly.

[He can't imagine going months with Ren stuck like this. It isn't right.]

I sincerely hope it is not nearly as lengthy as A.B.A.'s recovery.

[Sits and frets softly in the boys' direction.]

Is there aught to be done to help ease his aches at all? For when he rouses, I mean. That...that cannot be easy to live with. Not at all.

[Akechi watches Ren's unconscious form, his frown firmly in place.]

Perhaps he ought to consider some form of physical therapy. We may be able to receive pain relief as well, but that would require Ren to acknowledge his pain.

[Ah...so he's like that, huh.]

I can...unfortunately relate. Even though I know it causes much grief to others. [But like. Who else would take these burdens and survive them? Who else could get back up, if she couldn't?] But I'm not sure if what my friends have expressed to me, and how they expressed it, would be the best for him.

[You know. Crying over your prone form and yelling at you for being a dumbass.]

Ren will bend over backwards to help others, but the moment his needs are in focus, he denies there's a problem to begin with.

[He huffs, pecking at some of the food in annoyance.]

Hah, yes, that's it. I do that, too. But...I am making the effort to be better.

[It's just something you learn after a couple near death experiences - I mean, being thirty years old. Totally just because she's comparatively an old lady.]

So long as you remain by his side, I think he will come to learn that for himself, as well. But he really must wake up to do that.

Indeed... And, of course, I'm far from the comforting or reassuring sort, so this is decidedly placing me outside my comfort zone.

[Yet when he peers back at Ren, his features soften. Out of everyone he could have chosen, Ren chose him.

It baffles him even now.]

...For what it's worth, I think you're doing a fine job. And sometimes, it doesn't matter what sort of person is there when you wake up...but the person themselves, being there.

I suppose you have a point. Ren decided I was worthwhile, despite everything I did to him.

[The specifics go unsaid for now. Instead, he'll peck at his food so me more.]

[Ah...a complicated past. She'll let Akechi keep his secrets.]

'Tis funny, whom we choose to keep at our sides. Who chooses to stay. For it is...a "two way street"? That is the term, I think.

That is the correct term, yes.

[If only Ren were awake, he'd surely have things to say. As is, he remains fast asleep.]

Though, I suppose this world has granted us a blank slate of a sort. Should any of his teammates arrive, I have to wonder how they'd view the situation.

...You need not elaborate if you feel uncomfortable.

[She wants to make that clear, that Akechi is not here to be pestered and questioned about things he's dancing around. But even so...]

Then again, if it is something you wish another party to hear...at any time, of course, on your own time...I've been told I'm a good listener.

[By virtue of being pretty quiet and just sort of not minding when people exposit in her direction.]

[It's... difficult to decide. Akechi's crimes, his inescapable mistakes are something he's generally kept close to the chest, save for Shoka. Other than Ren, she's the only one who's even gotten a trace of his murderous past...

Well, her and Flowey.]

To put it bluntly, I'm a former assassin.

Oh. [A soft surprise, but not. Not as much as one might expect.] And you do seem very young, still. Well, in, ah, in comparison to myself.

[A pause.]

...If it helps, my hands are not clean of blood either.

[Audio]

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