realmofstories | [Open] A poisonous feast

[That's fine by him. It doesn't take too long for Ren to show up at the place.]

Minato-san? I'm here.

[He looks to see where Minato is. He rather come to him than Minato forcing himself to meet him.]

I’m in the bedroom.

[A groan from said bedroom. He was curled up in bed, a waste bin at the side since he wasn’t confident anymore that he could make it to the bathroom. There was water on his nightstand if only to rinse his mouth but he hardly drank it, it was hard to keep down.

He wished he had some seltzer but he was pretty sure carbonated drinks weren’t a think yet.]

[Ren follows the voice since he doesn't know the house well enough and finds him in bed. In hindsight, he should have brought stuff with him first, but he had been really concerned so he didn't think to do that.]

How are you at the moment? Do you feel hot?

[He moves to check for a fever.]

Edited 2020-10-12 18:27 (UTC)

Miserable.

[His forehead would feel warm.]

Can’t tell if it’s from what’s going on or I just ate something bad.

[That would be an indication of a fever. He'll have to get a bowl and a wash cloth for Minato in a moment.]

Do you remember what you last ate?

[There was a soft sigh, as he tried to recall what he ate the day before. He was pretty sure he hadn’t had any fruit, but some of the food he ate had vegetables.]

Left over miso and some noodle dish that I was learning to make. Had some veggies in it like cabbage and stuff.

[He rubbed his face. He knew the poisonings were mostly in fruit but there was always the possibility for cross contamination.]

[No fruit at least.]

Well you don't seem to be falling asleep out of nowhere, so it doesn't seem like it's that poison. If anything, it sounds like maybe you didn't cook the noodles properly. I'm pretty decent at cooking so I could teach you later how to make them.

[Thank goodness it's not more poisoning.]

Do you have any wash cloths or anything like that I can use?

Edited 2020-10-12 19:38 (UTC)

[Doubt (x)]

I’ve had actual food poisoning before, never lasted this long before.

[It could definitely be an actual stomach bug. Minato wasn’t sure falling asleep was the only symptom but at this point, until he actually did fall asleep uncontrollably maybe he wouldn’t ever know. He groaned softly and curled up tighter in the bed.]

Bathroom, probably. Or linen closet. Left side of the hallway.

[Ren nods.] Okay, I'll be right back.

[He goes to get the washcloth, as well as find a bowl for it. Thankfully he doesn't much trouble getting a washcloth and bowl together. Filling the bowl with cold water, though not too cold and having the washcloth inside the bowl.

He returns with the bowl and washcloth. Is Minato awake?]

[Nope, he’s asleep. Probably a good thing in the grand Scheme of things even if it’s food poisoned induced. He even looks peaceful, half his face covered and his big fox ears poking out of the sheets.]

[Oh dear.

While one part of him worried that it is indeed the poison, he didn't want to jump to conclusions.

So he goes over and sets the bowl down, then fishing the washcloth out of the bowl, squeezing it. He gently moves Minato's bangs slightly before placing the washcloth on his forehead.

He sees if there's a chair he can pull up to sit down and keep watch.]

[Ren would be waiting awhile, because Minato doesn’t react to the cold washcloth or anything else for that matter. At least he’s not dead yet.]

[Ren waits for a while but then the thought of this being the poison, and feeling worried becomes too much to ignore. He feels bad for waking him up from a peaceful rest, but he had to be sure. He can apologize right after.

He gets up from the chair and moves to Minato's side. He tries to shake him awake. If it's just normal sleep, it should do it.

If not...]

Time to wake up, Minato-san.

Edited 2020-10-12 21:45 (UTC)

[Still nothing. The poison really does have other symptoms it seemed. Sorry, Ren.]

[Well shit.

If shaking won't do it, then splashing him with water wouldn't work either. He knows Akechi tried that with him before.]

Dammit, it really is the poison.

[He could try kissing the forehead but knowing how this place works, he doubts that would have any affect.

...At least he would let Minato take care of him if he himself gets sick again later. And it is returning the favor from before in a way, but it's still frustrating.]

Sorry about this.

[He leans over to kiss Minato on the kiss.]

Mm.

[He felt warm. And cozy. And it wasn’t the fever induced heat either. His ears flicked, there was warmth on his lips too. Why?

He managed to pull his eyes open and blinked at the head of dark hair. He pulled back and oh — it had been a kiss on his lips.

And it was Ren. His tired mind slowly put the pieces together.]

Oh.

[Nailed it.]

[Ren moved back once Minato woke up and pulled away. His own face started to heat up in embarrassment.]

Sorry, but it was the only way to wake you up. You had vegetables with your noodles and miso, right? I think the vegetables have been poisoned too.

[It made a lot of sense, but this also narrowed down what was safe to eat until the culprit was found.]

At least now we're even.

[He was too embarrassed himself. Of all the ways to get a kiss back and after he had been feeling super gross too. The nausea was fading though. But he was still tired as well.

He huffed softly and covered his heated face. If his fox ears didn’t have fur, he would have blushed to the tips.]

Thanks.

[A mumble from the blanket. A pause.]

...can you still teach me to cook?

[Yu was teaching him. Why not Ren as well? Was that taking advantage of his kouhais? Probably.]

[Cuute. Seriously cute.

Ren makes a sheepish smile and toys with a lock of his hair.]

Sure, if you're up for it. If not, I can take a rain check and we'll figure out another time for cooking lessons.

[He shook his head.]

Rain check. When I can trust the food again.

Thanks though.

That would be best since we can't use fruits and vegetables.

[Since that cuts out the majority of ingredients. At least they still have bread, dairy, beans, and meat.]

You're welcome.

[Oh right. He should dip the washcloth on Minato back into the bowl to refresh it, since it's likely warmed up now.]

I wonder if I had the worst case of it so far.

[He murmured lightly, closing his eyes when the cloth was placed back on his head. The poison may be gone for now, but his body had to recover now. Ugh.]

Mmph... thought I was going to die ag-...

[Hm, let's not be a downer. He only just barely managed to catch himself. Then again, he did wonder... could they die here from things like this? What would happen if they did?]

Maybe. I haven't heard of any cases as bad as yours.

[Perhaps Ren was lucky he only got knocked out in his case.

Unfortunately for Minato, Ren caught that and freezes up. Looks like he might have to tell him the news.]

Die again? As in temporary or...?

[He wasn't surprised that Ren picked up on it anyway, he caught himself too late but. He pulled his hand from the covers, reaching up to rub his face. He hefted a sigh and decided to push himself up to a seated position.]

No. Not temporary.

[He looked down at his hands, the cloth having slide off his head. He held the damp cloth so as to not let it soak into the bedspread.]

Unlike Yu's Izanami or your Yaldabaoth... Nyx was a being that was unbeatable, but she was also neither good or evil. Her arrival was because of humanity's collective unconscious desire for death. She was simply responding to humanity's wishes. How does one beat the unbeatable?

[He offered a small, kind smile, even if it didn't quite meet his eyes.]

Hint: You can't shoot it in the face. [He shook his head.] I was given a choice. I knew the consequences. I found my Answer and thus was granted exactly one miracle by the power of the Universe itself. I used that miracle to become a seal, if you can't beat the unbeatable, then you simply make sure She can't hear humanity's desire.

[This time, his smile did reach his eyes as it widened.]

It was my life or theirs. I'd do it again. Every time.

[Ren's heart clenched when he said it wasn't temporarily. As he listened, his heart broke and crumbled completely, though he did his best to mask this. Keeping a poker face up though he can't hide the sadness in his eyes.

He hopes his glasses can hide that.]

...I see. So that's what Narukami-san meant when he said that Elizabeth was trying to free you. He said to ask you when he realized I didn't know.

Mementos was created because people had become apathetic and wanted to be controlled, not having to think. That's what Yaldabaoth wanted and I'm pretty sure he had counted on me becoming jaded enough to accept the deal. Defeating him was the only way to wake people up, even if it meant the Metaverse would disappear.

Maybe one day, persona users won't be needed when humanity improves.

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