Author's Note: Just to clear up any potential confusion, there are three versions of the 'Sick' prompt, each one having a different member of the trio as the sick one.
Soup
Viola stirred her soup, trying to evenly disperse the warmth from the fire.
"Is it bad?" Z.W.E.I. asked, hesitating to place a spoonful of the green muck in his mouth.
"I haven't tried it yet," Viola admitted.
Z.W.E.I. relaxed a bit and put his spoon in his mouth. He grimaced.
"How is it?" Viola asked.
"Fucking awful," Z.W.E.I. replied, snatching Viola's bowl away from her.
"Don't be embarrassed," the fortune teller said. "I don't know how to make soup either."
Z.W.E.I. just looked at the bowls, frowning. "What are we supposed to eat now..?" Neither of them knew when they would reach the next town, and food was starting to become scarce.
Huddle for Warmth
Even though it would kill him to admit it, Patroklos knew that sitting under the large quilt next to Z.W.E.I, with Viola on the other side, was much more preferable than sitting in the cold by his lonesome. Warmer, too.
Patroklos was extremely fatigued, but the biting cold all around him was keeping him awake. Unconsciously he huddled closer to Z.W.E.I, eager to warm up. The other man didn't seem to notice. After a few minutes, Patroklos closed his eyes, reasoning that now he could fall asleep without freezing to death in the night. Sleep came quickly, and Patroklos didn't open his eyes again until the morning.
Sick
1. Patroklos stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. It was exhausting to keep his eyes open, but for some reason, he didn't feel much like sleeping, either.
"What are you looking at?"
Patroklos turned his head to the side; another monumental feat in his current state. Z.W.E.I. was sitting next to the bed, hovering over him. "I'm looking at the sky," Patroklos managed, his voice low and scratchy.
Z.W.E.I. narrowed his eyes and looked to the ceiling, and then back to Patroklos. "How's the weather looking?"
Patroklos frowned, not understanding. "… What?"
Z.W.E.I. shook his head. "Nothing."
2. Patroklos bit his lip, regarding the man across from him. Z.W.E.I.'s face was locked into an expression of worry, staring down at the girl on the bed between them.
Viola looked even paler than usual, her skin almost the color of her long, white hair. She had been sleeping for hours now; her eyes racing back and forth behind her eyelids.
"Has her fever gone down?" Patroklos didn't dare check himself. Z.W.E.I. had become like a mother bear, not letting anyone get to close to the sickly fortune teller.
"No," Z.W.E.I. replied, not looking up.
Patroklos nodded. "I wonder how long she's going to be like this…"
3. "He's going to be fine," Viola said. Her expression didn't seem to match her assertion. The fortune teller's face betrayed no emotion.
Patroklos didn't want to admit how worried he was about Z.W.E.I.'s condition. Viola didn't seem worried at all, and Patroklos didn't want to set her off. And it would of course be a bad move to worry Z.W.E.I.—he had enough to worry about.
"… He seems to be in a lot of pain," Patroklos began.
Viola made a slight motion with her shoulders, as if shrugging. "For now."
Patroklos frowned. Upon noticing his expression, Viola smiled. "You don't understand. Z.W.E.I. is always fine."
Socks/Boots
Z.W.E.I. picked up a pair of pink snow boots, examining them at arm's length. "Do you think these would fit Patroklos?" Z.W.E.I. asked his female companion.
"He doesn't like pink," Viola replied. "And his current shoes are in good condition."
Z.W.E.I. shrugged. "It's a joke. It's supposed to be funny."
The fortune teller merely shook her head in response. "You're going to waste money on a 'joke'?"
Z.W.E.I. pursed his lips, placing the shoes back on their shelf. "I guess not."
"It's good to show restraint every once in a while," Viola complimented.
Z.W.E.I. shook his head with a snort. "Boring, too."
Trade Gifts/Donate
The fortune teller closed her eyes, just as Z.W.E.I. had asked her too. She could feel a metal string pooling into her open palms, followed by a soft, 'thunk.'
Viola opened her eyes and found herself staring down at a carefully crafted silver necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a wolf's head. Viola couldn't remember the last time someone had given her a gift. "… Thank you, Z.W.E.I."
Z.W.E.I. just smiled. "You like it?"
The fortune teller nodded, and then froze. "I… I didn't get you anything," she admitted.
Z.W.E.I.'s smile didn't fade. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing I want anyway."
Foggy Breaths
"Stupid werewolf," Patroklos muttered.
"What happened now?" Viola asked, although she wasn't sure that she really wanted to know.
Patroklos shook his head. He looked almost too angry to speak. "I don't even want to think about it, let alone talk about it!"
Viola didn't reply. Sometimes it was better to just let Patroklos vent.
"Your idiotic friend won't listen to reason," Patroklos continued. "I kept telling him that he should purchase something warmer. But he insists he isn't cold."
"You can't force him," Viola replied.
"The point is that he was lying! I could see his breath! Of course he's cold!"
Ski
"Have you ever been skiing, Patroklos?"
Patroklos raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"I'll take that as a no," Z.W.E.I. said with a laugh. "People ski by securing their feet to pieces of wood, and then they glide down a snow covered hill."
"… Why would I have ever done that?" Patroklos asked.
"It's supposed to be fun. You've heard of 'fun' before, haven't you?"
Patroklos ignored Z.W.E.I. "I suppose you've done it, then?"
"Never really got the chance to," Z.W.E.I. said. "Maybe one day, when we're done with all this bullshit…"
Patroklos nodded, not really listening. He instead thought of Pyrrha. He wondered if, in all the time they had been apart… Had she ever been skiing?
Knitting
Patroklos watched Z.W.E.I. toss a knitting needle into the air and catch it for the umpteenth time. The older man had found the needle on the ground and decided for whatever reason to keep it. It's not as though he knew how to knit. Although, even if he did, one knitting needle and nothing else wouldn't do him much good.
For now, it was at least mildly entertaining to the Athenian to watch Z.W.E.I. send the knitting needle flying into the air, only to hold out his hand and wait for gravity to pull the needle back. Much better than watching the inside of his own eyelids, Patroklos supposed.
Power Outage
Patroklos stumbled into the dark room, squinting. The inn had no more candles, which he supposed would make the night a little more interesting than usual.
Not that he had much need for the light. He and his companions were only there to sleep; an action that could be easily accomplished in the dark.
Patroklos felt around for his bed, locating it after a few moments of impotently groping through the dark. He could hear Z.W.E.I. doing the same. The Athenian sat down on the bed and began removing his clothing.
"Hey." Z.W.E.I.'s voice seemed clearer than usual in the encompassing gloom. "Aren't you scared of the dark?"
Patroklos frowned. "When did I say that?"
Sing Loudly and/or Obnoxiously
Patroklos stared up at the canopy of trees above the trio.
"What're you looking for?" Z.W.E.I. asked.
Patroklos shook his head. "All I hear are those stupid birds, but I don't see any."
"Of course not," Viola piped in. Patroklos gave her a look, silently asking for an explanation.
"They have many predators," Viola continued. "Including us."
Z.W.E.I. pursed his lips. "Who wants to eat a couple of tiny songbirds?"
Viola smiled. "That's a feast for some."
Patroklos shrugged. "I'd kill them just to get them to be quiet. Their stupid tweeting is getting on my nerves."
"I've often thought the same about you," Z.W.E.I. sighed.
Family/Friend Pictures
"So, your sister," Z.W.E.I. began. Patroklos bristled, ready for some insensitive comment to fly out of the other man's mouth.
"Is she pretty?" Z.W.E.I. finished.
Patroklos narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what she looks like. We were very young when we were separated."
"… So you're saying she might've gotten ugly after all this time?"
Patroklos turned to face Z.W.E.I. "Of course not! She's my sister! Why are you even asking, anyway?"
Z.W.E.I. shrugged. "Just wondering if she's as pretty as you."
Patroklos glared at the other man. "… I'm not pretty," he said.
"Well you don't want me referring to your sister as 'handsome,' do you?"