'Lauriam's worry over Ven finally catches up to him.'

Fifty-One: Sick Day

"Well," Brain said, running a hand over his face with a sigh, "that's great."

Skuld flashed him a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

He waved her off. "Don't apologize. We all needed to know, right? Wish your friend's Chirithy had more information to give, though." He frowned, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "Wonder how that works. Chirithy were created uniquely for each wielder, so there shouldn't be—"

Skuld snorted with laughter.

It drew a small grin, and he shoved her lightly. "What, you don't want to know?"

She shoved him back. "I do, but you got off topic so quickly."

"It's not off topic if it helps, right?" His eyes flicked to the door. "What do you think's taking Ephemer so long?" The other Union Leader had left the Foretellers' Chambers to hunt down Lauriam and Ven—but that had been a little while ago now, and Brain was starting to wonder if he'd gotten side-tracked.

"Maybe they're out in Daybreak Town," Skuld answered, but he could hear the note of anxiety underneath her tone.

Brain made a noise of acknowledgement. It was pretty likely that Lauriam would've gone out—and if he did, he'd undoubtedly want to take Ven with him. (Or vice versa; Ven had been surprisingly active in Daybreak Town, recently, and he wouldn't be surprised if Lauriam had decided to trail after him.) He guessed it might take Ephemer a while longer to find them, if that were the case.

That didn't mean it didn't make him nervous, though—especially with this new warning that the Nightmare had given them.

"What do you think it means?"

Brain drew himself out of his musings to glance curiously at Skuld.

"That there's something else like the Nightmare here." Skuld hugged her arms, a worried look on her face. "The Dandelions—if there's another Nightmare, then—"

Do you think we're heading towards another war?

The words hung between them, and something in Brain's chest twisted. I should tell them, he thought, scanning Skuld's face. This has to be what Ava was trying to warn me about. If that's the case, then they deserve to know.

Skuld must've seen something in his face, because her expression went from worried to something steely and determined.

Brain took a breath. "There's—"

The door creaked open.

Skuld snapped towards it. "Ephemer!"

Brain's breath left in a rush. Well, he thought ruefully, I suppose I can tell them later.

Ephemer gave them a sheepish smile and waved. "Uh. Hey, guys."

"Didn't get lost, did you?" Brain asked dryly.

"No, but, uh—I did get a little distracted."

Knew it.

"By what?" Skuld asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Ephemer's expression changed from sheepish to just tired. "Lauriam's sick."

-"He complains about us not taking care of ourselves," Brain muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "and then he gets sick from not sleeping."

"He complains about you not taking care of yourself," Skuld interjected, but it was a distracted thought. The three of them had retreated to the kitchen—partly so Ephemer could fill them in, and partly so he could grab soup that he had, apparently, promised Ven he'd make. "Don't put that in," she said, catching Ephemer's hand before he could add sugar to the pot.

Ephemer, surprisingly, looked a little embarrassed. "I thought maybe he'd like something sweeter?" He gave the pot a sheepish look. "Maybe I shouldn't be the one doing this."

Skuld sighed. "I don't really know how to make soup, either."

They both glanced at Brain, who stared them a moment before sighed. "Alright," he said, "let me through. Can't be that different from synthesis, right?"

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave Ven there?" Skuld asked, stepping out of Brain's way.

Ephemer gave Brain a grateful smile, letting go of the pot. "I mean, I think Lauriam's mostly just exhausted. Or just caught a cold or something. Besides, I don't think I could've convinced Ven to leave."

"He gave you the puppy dog eyes, didn't he?" Brain asked.

"He actually seemed a little panicked? I don't think he's really used to seeing Lauriam like this."

Skuld gave him a worried look. "He hasn't been sick for long, right? He seemed okay yesterday." Though, now that she was thinking about it, she hadn't seen him much—he'd spent so much time trying to keep track of Ven that she wasn't sure if she'd notice.

"Just this morning, I think," Ephemer answered. "Or at least, that's what Ven was saying. Lauriam woke up and wasn't feeling well."

Skuld chewed her lip. They'd been lucky, she guessed, that none of them had come down with anything before this. Now, though… "Do you know any—any home remedies, I guess?" She ran her hands through her hair, scrunching her fingers. "We don't really have any doctors here…"

Ephemer cupped his chin. "My dad gave me tea and honey when I got sick," he murmured. He glanced at Brain. "And a lot of soup. But if things got too bad, he'd go find someone to help. There were a couple of people near where we lived he knew some healing magic and stuff, but I don't really know if that'll help?"

A heavy silence fell between them for a moment. "Would Cure help?" Skuld asked tentatively. "Brain, do you know?"

"Not something I've really looked into," he admitted. "It might help. It might do nothing." When he glanced at her he sighed. "Don't stress too much. If he just wore himself out, then he'll probably be fine on his own."

"Assuming we don't accidentally give him food poisoning," Skuld murmured, giving a rueful look at the soup pot.

"Well, Ephemer's not in charge of cooking anymore, so I think we have a better chance at that."

Ephemer opened his mouth like he was going to protest, then closed it again with a sheepish smile.

Skuld drummed her fingers against her arms, then caved and moved closer to the pot, glancing at it curiously. "Anything we can help with?"

Brain seemed to think that over a moment. "Finding an actual recipe."

Ephemer laughed. "Finally something I can do," he said, and hurried out of the kitchen.

-Ven practically bounced in his chair, trying and failing to sit still while he waited for Ephemer to get back. He kept sending nervous glances towards the door. I thought he'd be back by now. Maybe I should go looking? But then no one would be here to help Lauriam, and—

"Ven," Lauriam said, sounding tired, "I'm alright. It's just a cold." He sounded a little congested, and his eyes drooped a little; he'd propped himself up with pillows (supplied by Ven, who'd gone hunting for them) and had a box of tissues clutched in one hand.

"But you're sick."

"I am," he agreed, with a sigh that said he was trying to stay patient.

Ven fidgeted, fingers tapping against the chair. "Um, I can—I can get you more blankets? But, um, I don't want to just leave you—"

"Ven," Lauriam said with another sigh.

"I just want you to be okay."

Lauriam's expression softened a little. "Strelitzia was the same way," he murmured, "the first time she saw me get sick."

"Really?" Ven had decidedly mixed feelings about being compared to Lauriam's missing sister—but he was curious about her, and he liked hearing stories. Besides, if it made Lauriam feel better—well, he couldn't really complain.

"Mm-hm. I—hadn't been sleeping a lot." He gave Ven a rueful look. "A little like now, I suppose, though the circumstances were different. I told her I just needed bedrest, but it didn't make her feel better. She kept going out and bringing me things. Though—not always things that were useful." His expression turned distant and vaguely amused. "Some kids gave her a 'magic stone' they said would fix anything. I ended up with…a lot of trinkets like that."

"Oh." Ven squirmed a little, closing his eyes and trying to picture it. He only had a vague idea of what Strelitzia looked like, from how Lauriam described her—a white dress, orange hair—but he tried painting in the image of someone who looked a little bit like Lauriam, hovering over him nervously and trying to make him feel better.

(She almost looked familiar.)

The image made something weird twist in Ven's chest, and he blinked his eyes back open and tried to ground himself in the present.

Lauriam seemed to misinterpret his anxiety, because he murmured, "I was fine then, and I'll be fine now. I just need to rest a bit."

Admittedly, it did make Ven relax a little, and when Lauriam smiled at him, Ven managed a smile back.

Then Lauriam sneezed, and Ven practically threw himself at the older Union Leader. "Are you okay? Do I need to get someone?"

"Ven—I'm okay, that just happens sometimes—"

"I can—what do I do for sneezing? Is there something for that?"

"Ven, please—"

Someone knocked on the door. A muffled voice came from behind it: "We brought soup!"

"Ephemer's back!" Ven jumped up, hurrying to the door.

It opened before he got there, his remaining friends stepping into the room. Ephemer had a bowl of soup in his hands, presenting it to Lauriam with a flourish. "Homemade, straight from the kitchen," he said, flashing a crooked grin.

Lauriam gave him a weak smile back. "Made by you?"

"Yes. Obviously," Brain said dryly.

Skuld elbowed him lightly. "Technically," she said, "he did start it."

"Brain took over," Ephemer added, "so if it's horrible, you can blame him."

"Hey."

Lauriam chuckled tiredly.

"How are you feeling?" Skuld asked, sounding vaguely worried.

Lauriam gave her a tired look. "It's just a cold. Really."

"You've felt bad all morning, though." Ven gave them an imploring look. "He was coughing and he said his head hurt and he feels warm—"

"It's alright," Lauriam said, almost frantic.

Skuld and Ephemer exchanged glances.

Ven didn't know why, really, but—maybe they were worried, too?

"You know," Ephemer said, giving Ven a small smile, "I bet Lauriam would probably feel better if we went to grab a couple of things for him."

"Really?"

Lauriam's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why don't you come look with us?" Skuld asked Ven. "You know more about what he's been dealing with."

"Oh." Ven hesitated. He glanced at Lauriam a moment. "Um. Would it really—I don't know what to look for."

Lauriam's expression softened a little. "I'm sure Ephemer and Skuld will help."

Ven bit his lip, debating a moment, then nodding. "Okay. It's—okay."

-Ephemer was more than a little relieved he at least had an idea of how to help with this sort of situation—if not for Lauriam's sake, then for Ven's. The younger Union Leader was antsy, ready to dart ahead of them, only held back by the fact that he didn't seem to have a clear destination in mind.

He exchanged a rueful look with Skuld, who shrugged helplessly. The plan had mostly been to distract Ven—but he guessed she hadn't had much of an idea of what to do after the fact.

That was alright; Ephemer had some ideas. "Hey, Ven. Can you tell me what Lauriam's symptoms were?"

Ven stuttered to a halt, turning and giving Ephemer a wide-eyed look. "Um, he was coughing and sneezing a lot. And he said he had a headache. And he was really warm when I checked." He scrunched his nose, looking thoughtful. "He said he was feeling weird last night, I think, but I didn't think about it too much." He gave Ephemer a guilty look.

Oh. So he was probably anxious to help as much out of guilt as out of worry for Lauriam. "It's probably just a cold," Ephemer told him gently—or at least, he hoped it was. It sounded like one, anyways. "He was probably so worn out from worrying that it made it easier to get sick."

Ven's expression crumbled.

"Ah, maybe that wasn't the best way to say things."

"He meant that Lauriam doesn't feel great now," Skuld interjected, "but it's not serious. He'll be better in a day or two, probably."

"Right." Ephemer flashed her a grateful smile. "So we just need to find stuff to make him more comfortable for now."

"I got him some extra pillows," Ven said, some of the guilt sliding off his face.

"Yeah, that's good." Ephemer paused to think a couple of moments. "If he was coughing, then we should probably find him something for that."

"Tea and honey, right?" Skuld asked, nudging Ephemer lightly.

"Right," Ephemer said.

"And more soup?" Ven asked.

Ephemer laughed. "I think we have some still in the kitchen, if Lauriam liked what we made him." He paused, thinking for a moment. "I think a cold cloth could help with the headache. Or—some ice wrapped in cloth, maybe."

"And we should probably grab extra tissues," Skuld added. "Just in case."

Ven was slowly starting to look less alarmed and more curious, his eyes brightening gradually.

Ephemer turned to him with a grin. "Do you think you could find us a cloth?"

"Yeah!" He shot off down the hallway.

-Lauriam's head was pounding, his chest congested, his throat sore, and despite what he told Ven, he really wasn't feeling all that great at the moment. Still, having the younger Union Leader hovering over him had been…a little oppressive. Sweet, but oppressive.

He was starting to understand why Ven probably hadn't been thrilled with his constant worry over his sleepwalking.

He groaned quietly, leaning back. At least Ephemer and Skuld had managed to convince Ven to give him some breathing room—with a slight catch.

"Enjoying your karma?" Brain asked, thumbing through a book on the other side of the room. The words, even if quiet, made his head throb a little.

"You could pretend to be sympathetic."

"I'd feel worse if you hadn't done it to yourself." He lifted his head to flash him a dry grin. "If you ask me, I think the others should've left Ven with you."

Lauriam groaned again.

Brain snorted. "Guess you're done pretending not to be sick, huh?"

"Ven was worried." He reached for the tissues.

"Mm, well. I guess you can die in peace now."

Lauriam considered tossing a tissue at him, but decided he didn't have the energy. Besides, he didn't particularly want Brain to catch anything. Mostly, if he was being truthful, he wanted to sleep.

Brain glanced at him, and there was something a little like worry in his expression.

Lauriam turned and buried his head in his pillow. "You, too?"

"Me—what, worried like Ven?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm on the other side of the room."

Lauriam thought about pointing out that that was probably because he was trying to avoid getting sick, too, and not because he wasn't concerned—but he'd settle for knowing that Brain's teasing was at least partially a cover.

"You don't have to try and make conversation, you know," Brain said. "I've got something to keep me occupied." He lifted the book.

Lauriam almost felt bad about it. Almost. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

Lauriam sighed, then dragged the covers closer, burying himself underneath them as best he could. "Thank you."

"Mm-hm. Just try not to get the rest of us sick."

Lauriam snorted. "I'll try."

-While Brain had plenty of other things he wanted to get done, he had to admit, there was a part of him that was still a little worried about his friend. He didn't mind staying to keep an eye on him—and besides, getting a moment to relax and just read was nice.

(But there's still that Nightmare. Who knows where it could be right now?)

Brain took a steadying breath and pointedly didn't think about it.

The door creaked open. "We got stu—oh."

Brain lifted a finger to his lips, raising a pointed eyebrow at Ven.

Ven quieted a little, trotting over towards Lauriam with a tray. Brain glanced at it with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you get?"

"More soup," Ephemer answered, slipping in behind him. "Tea. A cloth. Tissues."

"And a couple blankets," Skuld added, lifting her armful sheepishly.

Brain's other eyebrow raised.

"It's probably not going to hurt."

He supposed she had a point. Still— "You know he's probably going to do better if we just leave him alone for a while, right?"

Both of them glanced pointedly at Ven, who he didn't think had heard him at all.

Brain sighed. "You know, we still have other things to work on. Like missions."

"Great," Skuld said, flashing him a sharp grin, "then you can do them."

"I know what you're trying to do. I'm not going to feel bad leaving."

Skuld just stared him down.

"…Fine. Alright. I guess we're staying here now." He sighed, then lifted his book pointedly.

Lauriam stirred.

Their attention snapped towards him.

"See?" Brain hissed in a whisper. "Should've left."

Lauriam twisted a little, blinking blearily.

Skuld smiled sheepishly and waved. "We're back."

Lauriam rolled back over and buried his head in the crook of his arm.

"Is it getting worse?" Ven asked, voice kept at a whisper.

"No, Ven," came Lauriam's exhausted, slightly muffled response. "I'm okay." Brain raised an eyebrow at the slight rasp in his voice.

Ven had apparently caught it, too. "We have tea!" He pushed it closer.

"Uh, Ven." Ephemer caught Ven's arm. "I think maybe we should let him go at his own pace."

"Oh." Ven pulled back a little, but the worried expression hadn't left.

Lauriam sighed a little, then rolled over. "Maybe later, Ven. Thank you."

Ven gave him a wobbly smile. "We, uh…we also got ice? For your headache."

Lauriam looked like he might protest a moment, then glanced at Ven's expression and sighed, accepting the cloth Ven handed him. Brain snorted as he pressed it against his forehead and turned to lean into the pillow again.

Ven's expression turned distressed again.

"I'm okay, Ven," Lauriam murmured. "It's just a cold."

"Hey," Skuld murmured, nudging Ven lightly, "maybe you could tell Lauriam a story to pass the time?"

Lauriam cracked an eye open.

"…Or tell it to us?"

Ven fidgeted a little. "I mean—you know more stories than me." He paused, expression turning thoughtful. "But I remember some things my mom used to tell me…"

They spent most of the afternoon like that, talking quietly and sharing stories. Lauriam drifted off to sleep again at some point, but thankfully, Ven was too distracted by the stories to notice entirely.

(They also managed to coerce Brain into reading to them, later on. He supposed that's what he got for thinking he'd get to read in peace.

…He supposed he didn't mind, really.)

-Lauriam woke up at some point in the night sweating, the cloth still pressed to his forehead but the headache mostly gone. He grimaced, trying to wiggle out of the extra blankets. Fever broke, I guess. Which meant the rest of it would probably clear up before too long, at least.

Something shifted on the floor. Or someone, he guessed, glancing down and seeing Ven curled up there.

It took a moment for Lauriam's eyes to adjust, but when they did, he caught sight of the others, too. Brain hadn't left his chair, falling asleep sitting up, hat over his eyes and book toppled to the floor. Skuld had fallen asleep partially sprawled over the foot of his bed. He just caught sight of Ephemer, curled up in a spare blanket on the floor.

He wasn't sure if he should be touched, worried, or exasperated. Maybe a little of all three. I guess it's not so bad, being on the opposite end of things. After a moment he curled back up under the covers, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

-"I can't believe you got us all sick."

Lauriam gave Brain a sheepish smile. "You didn't all have to stay with me."

Skuld groaned, half sprawled across the meeting table. Ephemer had cocooned himself in blankets, shivering as he tried to work on missions. Brain mostly just glared at him, red eyed and nosed.

Ven was, surprisingly, the only one who had gotten away without catching it. He'd been going between the other three, looking increasingly distressed as he tried to help.

"You know," Lauriam said, lifting his voice enough so that Ven turned his way, "you three should really rest."

Brain's glare intensified. "Lauriam."

"It'd help you get better quicker."

"Oh, yeah!" Ven turned towards Brain. "That's what you said about Lauriam, right?"

Brain glanced at him, then slowly turned back towards Lauriam.

Lauriam smiled and started backing away quickly. "I can help with the soup."

"Lauriam. Don't leave us alone with—Lauriam."

Lauriam chuckled quietly as he left, Ven's concerned voice reaching him, even outside the doors.

So this one was…actually not really planned. Lauriam getting sick popped up surprisingly as a reason for Ephemer being late, and considering that he'd been running himself ragged being stressed about Ven…it kind of ended up becoming a whole thing, haha.

Also, thank you Lacan Shinn for reviewing last chapter! For the review response: Thank you for the congratulations! And I'm glad you liked how I wrote the Player; it was a lot of fun to get to write a little more about what's been going on with them. You'll have to see what I have planned for Nightmare Chirithy, but hopefully you like what I have instore. No foreshadowing the stuff with Axel, Roxas, and Xion here, though. For a lot of the other stuff…you'll have to wait and see!