#frostnova needs to feel warmth

[johannstutt413]

(requested by calligomiles)

Waking up every morning in a proper bed, in a proper building, with proper heating and air conditioning and water and and andandand- Waking up, period, was a strange experience for FrostNova since she’d arrived at Rhodes Island. Or rather, since she’d found herself in a bed at Rhodes Island, saved by the grace of whatever god presided over what remained of Terra and the mind-numbingly massive effort invested in the attempt to resuscitate her, every day had a dream-like quality to it, as if none of this was truly happening anymore. Her Oripathy, which she’d been sure would be the death of her, was stabilized, albeit on the precipice of falling apart should she even attempt to use her powers, so like many of Rhodes Island’s patients, she found herself busying herself with her recovery and administrative work. And it was during said work that she first encountered the red-hot mistress of the King’s Wand, Skyfire.

While Frost was processing a requisition for a flame-retardant robe (where did they come up with these things?), the Feline burst into her office. “You!”

“You seem to recognize, but I don’t recognize you.” She looked up from her keyboard. “How may I help you?”

“Spare me the pleasantries, witch. You were part of Reunion before coming here, yes?”

She sighed. “Yes, before coming to my senses, I aided Reunion. I have since repented of my foolishness.”

“The only repentance you deserved was being disintegrated.” Skyfire’s outfit was beginning to smolder. “Fortunately, I’m here to oblige you.”

“If you wish.” FrostNova, with a sigh, continued with her work.

She couldn’t believe it. Ignoring someone who was threatening her directly - the nerve of this woman! “Any last words?”

“Tell the Doctor,” she replied, without missing a beat, “whoever keeps burning through their clothing should ask for an inhibitor when outside of combat.”

“‘Whoever keeps burning their-’ what do you mean, an inhibitor?” As the Feline said the words, there was a snap as the elastic holding her bra in place came undone.

The Cautus noted this and carried on. “As a practical measure, those of us with dangerously powerful Arts can wear certain garments or accessories designed to limit their ability to leverage those powers. One of the less carefree members of Reunion made one for me in the hope it would meaningfully extend my lifespan, and while it was not entirely sufficient, if I’d made more regular use of it, it could have been. Miss Skyfire, I presume?”

“...Yes, that’s me.” She sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Did the sound of my strap breaking give me away?”

“The smoke you emitted as a result did, at the least. If you would like, I can have a request in the Doctor’s hands by the end of the day for an inhibitor to be made for you.”

Skyfire thought for a moment before sighing. “Do so, then.”

“I’ll begin as soon as you’ve apologized to me.” In truth, she was already working on it, but she did want an apology. “You did threaten to kill me just now, after all.”

“...I’m sorry. Ever since Reunion killed the Wand’s beloved, we- I haven’t been able to forgive them. They must atone with their lives. For what they did.”

Yelena nodded. “I can understand the sentiment, but consider: did the man who killed this Phil already die?”

“They did not.” The Feline began smoldering again. “They escaped in the riot that followed.”

“I see. That is rather unfortunate. May I suggest you do limit the scope of your hatred to those deserving it, nonetheless? In this case, the ones immediately responsible for Phil’s demise?”

She stared at the Cautus disbelievingly. “Why do you care about the fate of these criminals?”

“Many had little choice in where their allegiance fell - without a better alternative, they flocked to those who made great promises with honeyed words, or were forced to join the mob by those rushing forward behind them.” She looked back at Skyfire. “But there are certainly some I would like to freeze where they stand and watch the life leech out of their eyes.”

“...That’s fair. I’m glad we came to an understanding.”

Yelena nodded. “Certainly. The Doctor should have that request in his inbox before the end of today. Is there anything else you need?”

“No.” She turned to leave. “I’ve research to attend to. Enjoy your evening.”

“Likewise.” ‘...Did my nerves play tricks on me, or did I feel the room heat up when she walked into my office?...’

-- -- --

A few days went by, and Yelena heard nothing more from the spitfire Skyfire. She assumed that either she’d gotten her inhibitor, and ergo she didn’t need to come see her again, or she hadn’t and decided to take the problem to the Doctor themselves. Either way, FrostNova had other things on her mind, so why should it matter?

...It mattered because it had been years since she’d felt even that tiny bit of warmth, and damn it all, she wanted to feel it again. During her time with Reunion, it seemed like that warmth was impossible to find, but now she had hope again, and if there’s one thing Yelena had learned from being saved by Rhodes, it was that sometimes hope was the key ingredient to making something possible. Fortunately for her, she had an opportunity not longer after coming to this decision when the Caster found her at lunch.

“Good afternoon, FrostNova.” Skyfire sat in the chair across from her. “I wanted to thank you for the inhibitor request; it’s been three days since I destroyed my clothes, and not for lack of trying.”

“I’m happy to have helped.” She would have continued, but after spending five hours in her office with minimal contact with other people, her communicative powers were somewhat shot.

The Feline wasn’t done, however. “There’s a side effect that I was hoping you might know how to deal with, since you’ve had one for longer. When I have to take it off at night, I emit a lot of excess heat, which means that now, rather than burning through my clothes, I’ve incinerated three sets of sheets in four days. Do you know where I could find a heat sink?”

“A heat sink?” Ah. Well, this was as good a chance as any. “I happen to sponge heat rather well.”

“That would be fine.”

Should have known that was too- wait. “I expected you to be less open to the idea.”

“Why wouldn’t I accept your help?” She shrugged. “I’ve grown accustomed to others seeing me without my clothes as a side effect of my Arts, and if it solves my problem as well, I’ve only gained from it...More than that, however, I think I know why you’re volunteering.”

“You know about my condition, then?”

 Skyfire blinked. “Condition?”

“You don’t know, then?” Yelena decided to ask the follow-up question after answering the Feline’s. “For some time now, I’ve been completely unable to feel warmth; whether because of nerve damage, a side effect of my Oripathy, a mix of both or some unknown third factor, I now chill the air around me rather than warm it. The other day, when you came to my office, I...I felt warm, for the briefest moment, for the first time in years.”

“...Ah. I see. That makes perfect sense.” The plastic fork in her hand wilted as she blushed.

The Cautus smiled. “Why did you think I offered to help you?”

“W-well, as a single woman with a prestigious position in academia, I’ve received several... offers of intimacy.” Half true - she’d received offers before achieving her status as an acclaimed scholar, but only after reaching her ivory tower did she regret not considering them more thoroughly. “And I imagine you’d have to be rather close to absorb enough of my body heat to have an effect...I’m sorry, I may have been projecting a little.”

“Projecting? Did you want me to be propositioning you, Skyfire?”

Caught like a cat in the fish tank. “...It’s rather lonely at the top, isn’t it?”

“You don’t have to climb far to isolate yourself.” Yelena paused for just a moment before she sighed. “Well, it seems I have no choice in the matter now, do I?”

“In which matter?” The Feline, for once, wasn’t quite following.

She brushed her hand against Skyfire’s glass of water, freezing it solid as her inhibitor redirected some of her ambient chill, on her way to handing her a note with her mobile number. “I’ll see you tonight. Depending on how...heated things become, I can’t guarantee your sheets will survive.”

“I have one more set in my closet.” Her hand shaking, she reached for the note, but found her open hand instead. “So soft, but so cold. Like freshly-fallen snow. Or, at least, I imagine this is how it feels to hold snow; I always melted it before it reached me.”

“Mmm.” Yelena’s words had escaped her once again, however, as radiating from her hand and through the rest of her body was the feeling hope had promised her: warmth.

Or, perhaps, love at first touch?

[her-reidiance]

SORRY, I'M STILL IN TEARS OVER FROSTNOVA. I NEED TO JUST SPILL MY BROKEN HEART ALL OVER THE DASH ON THIS ONE.

FrostNova shows up for a total of a chapter and a half, you learn her story & that her Oripathy means she literally can't touch another person without freezing them almost instantly, you get a standard "enemies are trapped together and waiting for their teams to get them" plot where you get to almost have bitterly playful banter with her... Then you find her again and fight her, only to LOSE to her despite your Dramatic Hero Speeches from your party, but! Because of the ticking timer that is Being Infected, she CANNOT finish you and instead accepts her fate, dying in your arms as you realize you can finally touch her and she accepts your invitation to join Rhodes Island, metaphorically of course because right after she DIES with a smile on her face and I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 💔

The part that kills me the most is right before the fight she actually curbstomps your whole team, and she demands to know what you fight for. She demands Amiya to feel her subconscious rage, the desperation with which she fights, the ideals she holds, the comrades she is carrying on for -- the same comrades who note that she's just So Young, so much younger than them, some of them having WATCHED HER GROW UP -- and at the end of it all, it's not two enemies fighting, it's not two opposing ideologies, your objectives overwhelmingly line up!! They coincide! It's about finding peace for the Infected, trying to find that coexistence, a stop to the prejudice and the bloodshed. To her Reunion fights for the Infected, the right to Exist! For you, Rhodes Island fights for everyone of all stripes but that doesn't pit you against each other. Everyone else has. Talulah, Mr. Wei, all those in power have pit you against each other in extraordinary fashion to perpetrate their own goals. And in the end... At the end when the blood runs cold, when the ice cracks and breaks, when the fight is over because her body Just Can't Hold On Anymore, you're not enemies. You hold her, realizing you can touch her. Your skin is cold to her, a sensation she has never felt because she has never been warmer than anything else before, she Is Winter Incarnate. And you feel the first, and last, vestiges of warmth in her skin, in her fingers, as her Oripathy finally releases her in the final moments of her horrible, traumatic life. She joins you, in spirit, and dies with a smile. She dies smiling. Did anyone ever see her smile while she was alive? For just a moment... You were two people, destinies intertwined for but a passing glance in the grand scheme... But you felt her, and she felt you, and there is nothing else but blood and acceptance and a smile.

It hurts. I can't stop crying for her. Call me stupid for like... Projecting so much on a minor antagonist or whatever, but dammit that chapter hit me so hard.

Rest in peace sweet FrostNova, my Winter Queen.

[madexinxheaven]

@whoxyouxhate said: 💊 - Is your character on medication? If so, why? @ the mains

"In this line of work and after everything we've been through? How could I NOT?"

Seriously, no one saw the kind of things Caitlyn had seen without developing serious cases of PTSD, SEPARATION ANXIETY & PARANOIA. She couldn't even HUNT these days without being hopped up on meds. After all, the last time she went out on the hunt, she'd come back to a BLOODBATH; With every last servant DEAD and her parents MISSING. Since then she'd risen up the ranks of the L.G.D as far and the way most prolific SNIPER they had. And from INFECTED to MURDER to RAPE to THIS VERY WAR, well... They hadn't made the nightmares any easier... The meds did, though. (Kinda...)

"This world breaks people. One way or the other."

"I, uhh... Texas says I SHOULD..."

Hyperactivity, blunt impulsion and a struggle with maintaining her own attention had LONG been problems that had cast Exusiai into danger TIME & TIME AGAIN. The youthful Sankta had a whole list of bad run-ins, mistakes, REGRETS, to her record. Yet, still, for the most part, she remained UNBOTHERED -- UNBURDENED. Fact also remained that she'd grown RECKLESS, CARELESS & IMPULSIVE in many things. Definitely didn't get enough sleep at night. And had a tendency for getting herself KNEE DEEP IN SHIT. But she meant well, and had fun, and only hurt the BAD PEOPLE, right? So it couldn't have been THAT IMPORTANT... -- RIIIGHT??

"But... What's the WORST that could happen?"

"I... What exactly are we counting as medication here?"

Did they count the CANDIES & TREATMENTS that protected against FROSTBITE? Did they count the various ways she'd tried over the years to actually feel some level of WARMTH? To warm the CHILL that was in her deathly rattling bones? Or were they just talking about the medications that Rhodes Island filled Infection with to pretend like they were actually making a DIFFERENCE. Then again, maybe they WERE making a difference... And it was all just so much harder for FrostNova to see from so far away. Irregardless, the answer was: No. she DIDN'T take any official medications. But she had her own self-medications. For what they counted for. 

"I make do."

"Mmh? Oh, no..."

Shake of her accompanied her simple answer. Sometimes she wondered if she should have. Mostly whenever her personality PISSED OFF Blaze, but in truth she spent more time ADMINISTERING medication than TAKING IT. After all, she may have been a designated SNIPER, but she still was an operator working for Rhodes Island. And every last INFECTED in the world NEEDED medication. In fact, the more she thought about it... Maybe they should've been screening people more closely on a PSYCHOLOGICAL basis rather than observing their levels of ORIGINUM CRYSTALIZATION, no? Not to say they didn’t. They absolutely did. PRTS was surprisingly adept at it. But... But just like with treating the Infected, couldn’t they always do a better job at that, too?

"It's surprising, really. Or... Or maybe we're just not thinking about that kinda stuff? Maybe it's just become the new normal, y'know?"

"Medication? Me? Oh, no. I'm not any medication."

Granted, for every pill Makoto DIDN'T take she had a line in her contract with JOHANNA that all but unshackled her from the constraints of her greatest mental battles. Including her OBSESSIVE COMPULSION, PERFECTIONISM, CODEPENDENCY & INABILITY TO SAY NO BORN OF NO SMALL AMOUNT OF SELF-DEPRECATION. But then, didn't Johanna make everything in Makoto's life turn monochrome? Flirting in that moral grey area, caught between her duty as a Lungmen Guard and her own INFECTED VIGILANCE. In many ways, she supposed she was LUCKY for that. Every last inch of that self-deprecation came with another inch of herself she GENUINELY didn't like. And since Johanna had come into her life, Makoto had step-for-step came closer & closer to someone she could be PROUD OF.

"But I don't blame people if they need it. This... This world is... It's hard... So very hard..."

"Huh? Medication? What on Terra possessed you to ask a question like that?"

For once, Swire was NOT acting out of self-defence but, rather, asking very genuine questions. Albeit... She still didn't exactly ask them WELL. Confrontation was Swire's life. The bitch wore her heart on her sleeve, and her heart was big but easily wounded. To answer: Swire was not presently on any medication. She'd had her BOUTS of issues and therapies, usually when those insecurities ADDED UP, and she stopped being able to SIT ON HER FEELINGS, but largely she remained clean. At her standard, she liked to think she was HANDLING IT WELL... ALL THINGS CONSIDERED... But deep down? Well... Her episodes DID speak for themselves. (And it was usually Ch'en picking up the pieces.)

"Not right now. But sometimes life just gets to ya, y'know?"

"Medication? Hm. Sounds almost novel at this point, in all honesty. One might say, NAIVE."

If ANYONE was a poster-child for SHOULD BE ON MEDICATION, it was far and away TALULAH ARTORIUS. The girl had been broken for one or two decades far too long. & now she was FAR TOO FAR GONE. Pretty sure anyone who rallies together a radicalized group of freedom fighters to take over Lungmen & Ursus through TERROR TACTICS with a central goal of enacting revenge on the friends and family that HURT THEM as a child most certainly qualified for needing therapy. (Or maybe an ASYLUM.) Maybe if people had cared back when she was still BREAKING, all of this coud've been avoid. And, no, Ch'en DIDN'T count. How could she? What was her baby sister SUPPOSED to do about her abused sister who had been driven to psychosis by their very own family?

"We're far beyond the point of no return by now. Sometimes tells me I'm going to die before even taking one pill."

"Kee-Ahaha... Haha... Ahahahahahaha... Oh... That's cute."

Holy. Fucking. Shit. They really had to ASK that question? No. Of course she wasn 't on MEDICATION. The psychotic bitch didn't even let Rhodes Island treat her for Oripathy and she'd SIGNED ON AS THEIR MERCENARY. Of course, being feared by every last motherfucker in the galaxy kinda had some BENEFITS in that sense. Now, should she have been? Of course she should have been. Girl had one of the highest Originum densities in all of Rhodes Island. Oh, and there was the little tid bit of her being a PYROMANIACAL, MURDEROUS LITTLE PSYCHO. Yeah, that level of destructive psychotic mania PROBABLY needed a maximum security INSANE ASYLUM, let alone anti-psychotics and sedatives. But as they say somewhere else in the world: Y.O.L.O!!

"I'd like to meet the doctor that can actually make me take my pills~~!!"

"..."

Silence spoke louder than words, as they always say. And the truth was... Yuhsia was on SEVERAL medications as a result of the youth she spent alone in Lungmen after the disappearance of TALULAH and the abandonment of CH'EN & SWIRE. Would anyone really be surprised to learn that? Probably NOT, in all honesty. Mafia girl was left alone with some of the corrupt narcissist this side of the Ursus border and later forced to do all of the Rat King & Wei Yenwu's DIRTY WORK. Not to mention the sting of BROKEN PROMISES. To this day, Yuhsia had never EVER let anyone get remotely close to her. Most of all, Ch'en & Swire. Though they persisted like nagging little GNATS. But back to the question at hand... Yuhsia had developed a certain... TEMPERAMENT that she liked to keep on top of. The Rat King saw the worst of it. But she'd be damned if she EVER let Ch'en and Swire see it in the slightest. Meds HELPED with that.

"You should be careful asking questions like that to people like me. Who knows what might happen to you..."

[magicnights]

DRABBLES. CHAPTER 6. CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Once you hear all of Frostnova’s story, && taking two pieces of candy (one for yourself, the other for later), then carefully placing one into Frostnova’s mouth, still wearing your gloves, && rubbing your hands together to create Warmth,

“Why do you eat this stuff?” You asked, out of mere curiousity, && found yourself enjoying the spicy treat. It wasn’t so hot that you needed water, but... It sure warmed your body right up.

Silence takes over the Yeti leader, whose grey eye looks towards her, meeting your own orbs, “Because I’m cold. I warned you to be careful, because if you touched the tiniest bit of my skin, even for a moment, you will get severe frostbite in due time. If you did, I would have noticed based on your reaction. You didn’t. You didn’t attempt trying to kill me.”

“Ha, your Arts is beyond what academic sources.” You respond to her, trying to be light-hearted, but you knew it was in vain, heck, Frostnova picked up on it, but couldn’t shake her head. “My cold goes beyond winter itself.” She explains how the cold treats her, && talks about how she loved drinking hot drinks, feeling her coldness melt, even for a moment or two.

“Sadly, my insides get burned by hot drinks. The only pleasure I have left is this mix of alchol and simulating spices, with a little candy, if you can call it that.” She apologizes for teasing you, but talks about how Oripathy was the cayalist for creating this ice cage- referring to her body as such ; She talks about this ‘warmth’ she feels close to named person’s chest. Ah. It was her father, Buldrokkas.

It’s... Patriot.

Your eyes widen. Ah, that... Tall man she seen before, but never knew much due to Intel still collecting, yet you recollect yourself. Frostnova keeps telling her father’s backstory, mentioning how her father had a son, but died, how he got infected, but with the help of his co-workers, managed to hide his illness, but...

The rabbit coughs, && you asked if it’s her infection, where she responds, “It’s got intense today. This sort of thing has only happened once before.” Before the former lists out everything associated with her infection.

You open your mouth to say, but she cuts in.

“I know my own body.”

“You can’t use your arts again.” You spoke to her, akin to your role as a doctor, && is dead serious about this. At this rate, Frostnova could...

“Oh, are you going to fight for me now? Rhodes Islander... What do I call you?” “You can call me what Rhodes Island do.” “Dr. Cinder?” “Dr. Cinder.”

Ha, she tells you that she doesn’t trust you still, since Rhodes Island is supposed to be a pharmaceutical company, where you explain what they do, but the former doesn’t care.

Frostnova goes as far as to tell you what she’s seen. && assuming that you are different than what other infected people have described you as.

“Who wouldn’t be afraid of the one who brings death?”

“Dr. Cinder, are you scared right now?”

...You take a moment to think. Despite you have amnesia, you won’t deny the fact that you are scared, right now. Your mind won’t stop overthinking that, if Frostnova moves, you have no choice but to use your stungun, or worst, attempt to kill her at the cost of your own life.

“...Yes.”

“It’s normal to feel fear.”

Is it?

“It means you still have attachment to the world, && you still have much to do.”

Frostnova...

[ripharm-archived]

children of war. part 1/2      tw: child soldiers (kinda), death, unstable mindset      spoilers: ch 6 + ch 7 + ursus event (not really)      background music: here.

people are difficult; children more so. they’ve yet to fully develop. their minds and emotions are fragile things, easily affected by those around them. with all that’s happened, he’s come to expect everyone he works with will forever have some level of trauma. no matter how much he works to keeping them safe and alive, it doesn’t change this fact.

so, when he sees children like zima, istina, and the others actively participating in these battles, it’s ... difficult. he doesn’t want them to fight. they shouldn’t have become used to holding an axe or using a pan as a tool to fight, but it’s too late for that. he sees how well an axe fits in zima’s hands, and how istina casts her arts. he can’t say he understands their situation, and it’ll be undermining it if he says as much. however, he knows they want to fight, and, despite all the dangers, he knows they’ll find away to go back out there again. he tries to convince himself that fighting helps. he might not be able to protect their hearts, but he could try to protect their lives.

for someone like him, who lost all his memories and is constantly reminded and questioned of his current stance, he can’t see a way where he can heal them. his studies don’t extend towards psychology. so, he trusts the members of rhodes island to take good care of them in his place. it’s satisfying to see dur-nar getting along with gummy and nearl working with zima.

‘dr. kal’tsit.’ he smiles, though he knows kal’tsit’s watching his every move as though she were expecting him to fail and fall into old habits. as though at any moment, he would change and fight against the ideals they’d worked so hard to achieve.

oddly enough, he finds comfort in it.

while his memories were gone, he expects this of her. there’s a feeling at the pit of his chest that senses how much wrong he’s done in the past. it doesn’t matter if he can’t remember its details. nothing he’s done has proven his worth yet, at least, not in his eyes, no matter what they say. 

they failed to save misha, letting her fall into reunion’s hands and ... die beneath a mask, forgotten to only a few. she was young, just as young as zima and the other ursus, but she understood the depths of despair, seeking to amend it in anyway she can. those eyes had seen the worst of humanity, but she still held hope. but, she was only a child and crumbled beneath the weight of it all.

a child shouldn’t bear the sins of those before them.

they had failed to save frostnova, even after promising amiya and her that he would bring her back. that she would join them. and, he had tried. he’d held her close, pleading for her to stay awake, to live.

but, he knows better.

from the moment a medic takes up their craft, they should already have prepared for the worst case scenario. death would be no stranger. he knows this, but healing was never his forte. studying, planning—utilizing that so called brilliant mind of his to worm his way out of dastardly situations. 

amiya had left, knowing what was to come, that even with all their efforts, frostnova would die.

still, he kept his promise. he brought her lifeless body to rhodes island, watching as her body burned before another catastrophe began. hours he stood by the furnace as the prts irritated him with its constant monitoring of his mental condition, warning him that it was pointless to look back and dwell on these emotions.

how can he not? he was human as the rest of them. no, he was supposed to be the one who prevented these things from happening. this is why they bothered saving a life like his. even if she wasn’t an ally at the time—

if they had worked faster, sooner, would things have changed? if they were able to talk, instead of fighting like this, would she be here now?

—logically, he knows that’s an impossibility. from the moment lines had been drawn, their paths had been determined.

it’s been hours now since she was gone, but he can still feel the warmth of frostnova’s body in his arms, and the fragile hand she’d pressed against his cheek. she was so light, even someone like him could carry her all that way back, and he’d watched as though this were all a dream, as though the reality of the situation had finally clicked and he feels the weight of the pressure on his shoulders change.

now, there were few leaders left in reunion. he had to focus. they weren’t done yet.

they’re still in the middle of this conflict, and amiya needs him.

he recognizes this area.

while it’s not the place he woke up, the set up is similar, but it’s not what catches his eye. amiya holds out a hand, arts ready to—fade the next second. it draws the doctor’s attention swiftly, and what he sees brings him to freeze just as well.

it was another leader of reunion.

sitting on the ground, the white haired one, mephisto, he remembers, is leaning forward over another body. his back was to the coffin, arms wrapped around the body. there’s no longer that sense of confidence that hangs in the air around him. nor is there any laughter or taunts. if it isn’t for the steady rise of his shoulders as his lungs take in air, he couldn’t be sure if mephisto is even alive.

he’s barely moving, and it seems as though he hasn’t even noticed their arrival.

the doctor moves close, ignoring amiya’s stares. he recognizes the body mephisto held in his arms as the other leader of reunion that caused them so much trouble back on the rooftop of the lgd headquarters. judging by the way the boy was holding faust, it seems almost ... protective.

the doctor takes a seat next to mephisto, leaning forward to brush back his bangs to see the boy’s face.

there’s no smile hiding beneath there. it’s an unfitting solemn expression he’s seen on so many others. those that had long given up hope and can’t find it within themselves to move and keep going. but, maybe it was the warmth of his hand that rouses mephisto’s attention.

his voice is quiet, shaky as he looks up at the doctor.

                                    ' this person .... was important to me ... wasn't he? '

the doctor doesn’t answer.

he can’t begin to understand faust’s importance. he can only judge by what he’s seen so far and what information was given to him, but he knows, just by the look mephisto has when he stares down at faust, that it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what these children meant to one another.

so, he stands back up, brushing the dirt and dust away from his legs. then, he turns to look at mephisto. what he says next is sure to startle amiya.

            ‘ let’s go home. ’

                                ‘ home? ’

            ‘ to rhodes island. ’

he frowns. the word shouldn’t sound as foreign to mephisto to earn that sort of response. the questioning tone, as though he’s never heard the word before, is painful.

            ‘ ... okay. ’

mephisto stands, trying take faust with him, and stumbles.

off to the side, the doctor sees the cane lying on the ground, understanding.

            ‘ i’ll carry him. ’

mephisto looks torn. his eyes flickering between faust and the cane. the doctor notices how his left hand, the one partly covered by a glove, twists, almost breaking. the infection showing itself like frostbite.

eventually, the boy nods, and the doctor hefts him onto his back.

faust’s not like frostnova. he’s small but he’s heavier than her. it draws amiya’s concern, but she doesn’t offer to help, not after seeing the look the doctor has. he’s determined to carry faust all the way back with them or as far as his legs were willing. 

the sarkaz boy quietly thanks amiya for picking up his cane and quickly follows after, tugging at the back of the doctor’s sleeve.

[johannstutt413]

(requested by calligomiles; taking from this and this)

When FrostNova defrosted that morning, there weren’t a lot of things she wasn’t expecting to see; Rhodes Island, she’d firmly decided, was an unusual place, and while they had her full support so long as they continued to fight on behalf of the Infected, it wasn’t the sort of environment she’d ever expected to find herself in. A surprisingly small amount of people bore her any ill will for working with Reunion - in fact, some even seemed excited by that part - so the Cautus was finding herself to be rather popular with the people around her.

That didn’t do much, admittedly, to explain the four people waiting outside her apartment. “...Can I help you?” She asked, not intentionally harshly. It was still rather early for this shit, though.

“We hope so,” Cutter began, sliding Blue Poison forward. “Ask her, please.”

“I thought we agreed you would ask her, dear?”

The Vulpo shook her head. “We agreed on nothing.”

“Well, then we’ll go first.” Swire gestured to Meteor, who she was arm-in-arm with at the moment. “We were wondering if you might wanna...how’d you phrase it, again?”

“I think I understand what’s happening.” FrostNova gave both couples a curious glance.

The Kuranta cocked her head. “It’s a rather awkward situation, to be fair. Having two people asking you to join a threesome is an odd day, but four is something else.”

“...Has that happened to you before?” The Anura asked from the other side of the hallway. “Um, but she’s right, that is why we’re here today, as well.”

“So exactly what I understood, then. How are you with cold temperatures?” She moved her gaze across the quartet.

Cutter shrugged. “I sit in the sun a lot, so I can recover quickly.”

“I’m somewhat cold-blooded,” Blue admitted, “but I have a sort of biological antifreeze compound that I’ve self-tested before that helps immensely.”

“I spent most of my life in the wilderness, so I’ve dealt with my fair share of cold nights. Besides, I can always make a fire of we need it,” Meteor observed, looking back into Yelena’s room and making some quick mental measurements.

Swire fluffed her hair. “And I’m more than hot enough for two people.”

“I see.” The Cautus smiled. “For five, though?”

“For- wait, you’re saying yes to all of us?” The money-cat looked across the aisle, but everyone seemed equally confused here.

FrostNova shrugged. “Would you rather I choose between two pairs of strangers? The more the merrier.”

“...Just so we’re clear,” Blue Poison spoke up, “when we said ‘threesome-’”

“Miss Meteor said it, and yes, I do understand what you meant. As I said, you’ll be happier with more people to keep you warm.”

All four shared a single glance. “Offer accepted,” Cutter replied for the lot of them.

“Oh.” Yelena genuinely had not expected them to agree. “I...We’ll need to find a bigger bed.”

“Mine should be big enough; if everyone’s free, we could go make sure?” Swire suggested with a smirk.

When no one objected, and after the Feline had glanced around awkwardly as she realized this was in fact happening, they left to do just that. Swire and Meteor led the way, the Kuranta trailing a hand behind her for FrostNova to hold while the Vulpo in their quintet did the reverse to complete their human chain. Blue was the only one to have honestly expressed it, but this whole experiment was rather intimidated, especially for the Cautus who had vastly underestimated just how much these people wanted to see her happy.

The awkwardness truly set in when it turned out that the money-cat’s circular bed was, in fact, more than big enough for five people to share, but fortunately Cutter had a way of cutting through that kind of atmosphere. “What size bed is this?” She asked the Feline, testing the springs on it.

“Well, I asked them for the biggest one they had, since I roll around a lot in my sleep, and Closure winked at me as she offered me a ‘Doctor-sized’ bed, so I guess that’s what they call it?”

“It’s comfortable,” FrostNova added, seemingly surprised, “but can it hold up under pressure?”

Time stopped around the harem until, gathering all her courage, the Anura wrapped her arms around Yelena’s neck from behind and kissed her cheek. “Th-there’s only one way to know for sure.”

“Agreed.” Meteor ambushed Blue instead, though, which sent all three of them sideways.

“Don’t try and leave me out of this!” Immediately after protesting and launching herself into the cuddle pile, it was made clear they had no plans of doing that. “Cutter, get over here!”

The Vulpo’s attention had been grabbed by a small remote on a nightstand near the bed, but she turned around instead to join in on the fun.

And to the Cautus’ delight, together, there was enough warmth for even her to feel...