chikaidestroyer | ∞ 83: A chronicle of life and death [action]

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∞ 83: A chronicle of life and death [action]

[What a wonderful afternoon. The sun is shining, the sky has cleared up, and the ground is drying after two days of rain. And Albert is around the village today, weaving through the streets and between houses and even to the edges of the forest.

Little do people know that Albert received a beautiful flower last night, and he happened to smell it. When he awoke up the morning, getting out of his room proved to be an ... arduous battle. And getting out the front door? Well, he had at least discovered what a doorknob was by then.

He has a vague, wondrous look on his face as he looks at swaying tree branches and flowers he would have otherwise ignored. His hair is in slight disarray, as if he had rolled out of bed and fought his way through a bedroom door. His clothes are in a similar state, and notably the same as the ones he had been wearing last night.

This isn't strange at all.

He will be wandering around for the entire afternoon. Attempts to talk to or capture the 6'1" strategist will be bizarre. ...And he won't be returned home until sunset or so.]

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[Midday on the 16th. With all that has gone on, Raine hasn't been able to sleep for very long. An hour and a half at most. She'd survived on less.

Right now her priority was making some kind of light meal for the reason why she wasn't getting any sleep. Or she'd run out of food ingredients while trying. This had to be the third attempt at eggs, now. And the toast hadn't come out completely burned this time.

It was progress ... of a sort.]

[Albert had been attempting to get over how slowly his entire world seemed to be going. It had taken an distressingly long time to climb out of bed, and walking through the house felt like walking through a dreamscape.

But this wasn't a dream. This was reality. That time he had spent... That had been the dream. The end of a life, the full cycle of another, and the beginning of a third. It was ... surprisingly difficult to accept.

These thoughts fought through his muddled mind as he wandered towards the kitchen.]

[Some scents may greet him first, but the kitchen windows are open to air out the particularly unpleasant ones. Raine is putting a tray together, not expecting Albert to come out of his room. A small plate, toast with a bit of butter, a couple of orange slices, two of the surviving pieces of bacon, and finally, the scrambled eggs. There.

It's actually all very ... normal seeming. There are no extra spices in sight. As she slowly sets the plate of eggs down on the tray, she finally glances up to glimpse Albert's approach.]

... Albert?

[He didn't answer right away, hovering by the entrance of the kitchen and looking in. There's a frown on his face as he tries to ... piece together what is going on here.]

Raine. You're ... cooking?

[It's not so much disbelief as it is him trying to connect thoughts coherently.]

[The pause in the time it takes him to respond worries her, but it's a relief when he does answer.]

... Yes, I was just making you breakfast. It's ready.

Breakfast. [He murmurs the word, walking into the room and making his way to the island counter. As he sits down, his brows knit together.]

Did you sleep?

It's the first meal of the day, even though it isn't exactly morning anymore.

[She brings the tray in front of him, and sets it down.] Yes, I got some sleep. Although, I wasn't expecting you to be out of bed.

...I felt restless. Everything felt like it was staying still. [With nothing moving or making sounds in his room, there was nothing to distract him from the utter silence. And, unlike before, the silence and stillness were upsetting.

He looks blankly at the food in front of him.] You aren't going to eat?

... Restless. [She's not sure what to think of that. It makes sense, given what happened, but then more thoughts occur, and she tries to clamp down tightly on them.] Is there any way I could help with that?

[At his question, she glances toward a small plate sitting to the side on the counter, with bits of an orange peel left on it, and some remains of mostly-burnt toast.] ... I already ate. That's why I was bringing this in to you.

I ... don't think so. [Thinking is so overwhelming. He tries not to think very much at all. But he amends what he had said.] I don't know.

[Upon hearing Raine's reply, he picks up his fork and begins eating. He doesn't seem to mind the parts of the meal that have been burned.] It's good, Raine. Thank you.

[He's... eating. And he complemented the food. But it's also possible that he's just so distracted that he's not tasting it. ... But at least he's eating. Raine doesn't really know what to think about that. She pours him a cup of juice and moves to set it on the island next to him.]

... You're welcome. How are you feeling? Aside from... restless.

[He continues to eat for a minute before responding, setting the fork down.] I feel ... all right, physically. But my head is... When I think, I feel anxious. I have too much time to think of. There's too much time. Too much...

[He stops, seeming to realize that he's beginning to panic; his breath had come just a little too fast, and his hands had begun to clench.]

[When he begins to panic, she finds herself automatically rubbing slowly at his shoulder.] Your ordeal... completely messed with your sense of time as it should be. We'll have to find a way to make that ... adjustment easier.

...Yes. [It's a confirmation that he can at least follow Raine's train of thought. He had come to a similar understanding earlier, but it didn't seem to help.] I know ... that it's wrong. But I feel out of control. I want that simpler ... life ... back.

[He stares blankly again, shaking his head.] I can't seem to ... convince myself that this is real.

... It hasn't been very long since you were cured. That unfortunately plays a very strong factor in... everything, right now.

[She falls quiet for a moment, though continues rubbing his shoulder.] What do you recall, about it? From when it first happened, to... now. What about it... makes it seem more real?

[He finally looks at Raine's hand on his shoulder, sighing faintly.] It was an entire life. Birth, life, death. Too fast for human understanding. [He pauses.]

I recall ... being happy. Carefree. And when I closed my eyes at the end of the day, I was content with how my life had gone.

[She's quiet, listening as he speaks, keeping her hand in place. A cycle of life and death, all within the space of a day.

...]

You... seemed happy. Curious, about every new thing, even though you couldn't communicate to us just what it was, that you were experiencing...

... And now your own shoes must feel too big to fill, after something like that.

I don't know. [He clenches one hand as he forces himself to think.] When I think about it... When I truly think about it, part of me is ... speechless. That I could be happy that way.

... You're out of touch with... with who you were. Who you are. A lifetime between. It's still too fresh, right now... but eventually that gap must be bridged. If there's a lesson in any of that... you could bring it with you.

[His eyes journey upward to Raine's face. There's something ... old and confused in his expression.]

A lesson.

[Her expression is slightly pained. She's at a loss, here. The words flow, but from where? She doesn't know.]

What else could you take from the experience? Once you start to make progress, I don't doubt that you'll be more likely to reject what happened. You may even become... angry at yourself. Frustrated for being out of control. As the time passes it may even be difficult to accept that it even happened at all.

[He listens. Or he seems to, though there's a twitch to one brow as he feels overwhelmed by what Raine is posing. Speaking of long-term effects. A long stretch of time he hadn't had to deal with in his last "life." How long...]

I can't think. I can't-- think.

[He sounds distressed, and he has barely scratched the surface of how much this would affect his way of life.]

Shh. Careful now. [The distress in his voice alarms her, but hers is forced calm. Soothing.] You're not alone. Just stay with me. Please.

You say... that you can't think. What is it that is happening?

Too much time. ...There's too much time to think about. [Even answering questions requires too much thought, and he forces himself to stop talking. He shuts his eyes, focusing instead on steadying his breathing.]

[She rubs his back without realizing it, lowering herself so she's more eye level.]

Take a few breaths. Maybe eat a little more, as well, before it's too cold.

[Action | Forward dated to sometime after he's cured]

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