*He couldn’t help the small nostalgic smile crossing his face, even if he knew his memories had a few extra times...However, he pushed it away and hummed in agreement*
Huxian: Sounds good to me. It certainly gives me something to look forward to after this shitstorm has passed, if you pardon the language.
Rodessa: *Chuckle* Tut tut! Swearing in front of a lady - how scandalous… Well, as much as it... pains me to do so, I’ll have to let you go. The sooner you finish work, the sooner you can call me this time. And, if you’re lucky, I might send you ‘motivation’.
Huxian: Oh, well with a promise like that, I can’t possibly procrastinate. *He chuckled* I’ll be a good boy and get this done then.
*His tone became almost shy, though only those who knew him would have noticed*
Huxian: Perhaps you can tell me the rest of that story, too? I….Heh...you have a really good storytelling voice...you know?
Rodessa: *Blush* O-of course. Any time.
Huxian: Then...I look forwards to it, love.
……………
*With a fond smile, Huxian ended the call and sighed, relaxing back into the pillows for a moment. He wished that he could just close his eyes for a while, but as he had said before, no rest for the wicked. Being constantly drained to maintain a barrier or not, he was still the head of the mission, and with it, had a duty to deal with the paperwork. Which meant to keep his energy up by eating….Uh...whatever it was that the Lieutenant brought him.
Opening an eye, he considered the slop that was apparently his ‘morning meal’ almost uneasily. It looked the most unappetizing thing that had ever sat in front of him - uh...was it still alive? Had it ever been alive in the first place? Was it gaining sentience in his presence? Whatever it was, considering he had lived his early years eating things raw in the wild that looked better….
Huxian [Inner Thought]: ...When this is over, I’m going to fire the kitchen staff...Ugh...I can make better myself. I could probably make better myself when I don’t even have opposable thumbs. What I wouldn’t give for Sushi right now...Or aburage...Azukimeshi...I don’t even care if they’re not breakfast foods. Though I’d settle for scrambled eggs with black truffle...Hell, at this point I’d even just eat...ugh….cereal, rather than this.
*He paused for a moment, mind drifting to Rodessa and what her reaction might be to him even thinking of touching cereal. As a fellow food enthusiast, she would likely think an intervention was in order for even considering it. Though now he thought about it, he couldn't help the laugh passing his lips at the utterly affonted expression she would have if she could see what he was forced to eat, no matter how ‘nutritional’ it was.
(He took a photo of the ‘meal’ so he could show her. He had to see her reaction!)
Heh...if Rodessa wasn’t important elsewhere and had gifts in so many other areas, he might have to drag her from her mission in Japan just so he could eat something she made instead. She certainly wouldn’t serve this kind of glop. No, she was more refined in her food choices. She would make something like fried egg with hazelnuts, chanterelles, green garlic and blackberries...though she probably would have to make some for herself too and come join him (and make sure to snidely order the staff to wash the dishes since they obviously couldn’t do anything more complicated).
Chuckling, he dragged his thoughts away from the girl. Even with the distance between them, it was hard for her to not invade his thoughts. Still...he had less pleasant things he had to focus on. Sighing, he dragged his thoughts to the here and now, choking down the gruel with one hand while reaching for a pair of reading glasses in his satchel. Perching the in place, he pulled the papers closer, picking up the top sheet and began to read, brow creasing. Hopefully the work would at least distract from the taste of gloop and slimy nothingness. Although from the first sentence he knew there was going to be a lot to cover.
By the time he had managed to get through everything, sending orders back and forth, most of the day had passed. He wasn’t certain if his concentration was impaired by exhaustion or if there was honestly that much that he needed to micromanage, but he had to remind himself that it would only be a little longer until they would get outside support to maintain the barrier. He just had to hold on until then.*
Huxian [Inner Thoughts]: You’ve worked on little sleep and alost to exhaustion before and still managed to come on top. It won’t be long now. People are depending on you, so enough grousing.
*Slipping the glasses from his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the ache in them from focusing on the small print. He had done his best to reduce as much energy usage as he could while still being active enough to do his job, so had spend much of his time perusing through the papers in fox form. Unfortunately, he had to at least take a mostly human form (ignoring the odd fox feature) in order to get his orders around, especially since the Lieutenant required the personal meetings in order to get the orders to the correct places. Apparently being fluffy was extremely distracting and talking human language with a fox jaw wasn’t the easiest to accomplish when you just wanted to bury under covers and hibernate.
A knock on the door broke Huxian from his thoughts. He grimaced, ears flicking back in frustration, but lowered the hand from his nose, making sure he didn’t appear as tired as he was. Slipping the last of the work into a neat pile on the side table, he cleared his throat.*
Huxian: Enter.
*The door opened to reveal a young man in a Pandora uniform bearing a tray*
Agent 1: Sir, I’ve come to deliver….
*The young man paused as his gaze landed on the abandoned tray left at the side of the bed, the food upon it having long gone cold and didn’t appear to have been touched. Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, the agent bowed his head before addressing his superior once again*
Agent 1: Ah...Sir? Was the meal...not to your standards? It appears that you haven’t touched the lunch that was left for you.
Huxian: Uh...lunch?
*Huxian blinked, glancing over at the abandoned tray. When had that arrived? He had been so caught up in his work that either he had ignored it’s appearance or he had noted its arrival and promptly forgot about it under the sea of paperwork and meetings and the blanket of exhaustion weighing heavily in his body.
Although...looking at it, he probably wasn’t missing all that much. It looked about as interesting as ‘breakfast’ had*
Huxian: I’ll be honest, the fact it was there slipped my mind. I’ve had other things keeping my attention that food simply...wasn’t a priority.
Agent 1: Ah, I see…
*The agent’s tone shifted into something not quite concern and not quite scolding, but seemed to have an element of both*
Agent 1: Sir, I know you must be busy, but do not forget yourself. You’re in the sick bay for a reason, my lord, please try to keep your strength up. The food may not be what you’re used to, but it’s designed to help regain some energy intake. Also, a woman going by the title ‘Mother’ told me to give you these. She said they are her version of ‘peach pills’? I’m not sure I trust them, but she said it could help you. I’m not sure what to do with them, so…
*The young man passed the tray over to him with his meal and a small box that looked similar to that which might hold jewelry, with an oddly familiar design of a golden dragon emblazoned upon it. Ah, he knew that symbol, and the goddess it belonged to. Carefully opening it, within, sitting on a cushioned surface, was twenty small pills resembling miniature pearls tied together in an organza bag
A note was written on the interior of the lid*
Note: Take one when the drain becomes too much to bear. You will need your strength. No spoilers!
Love, Mama
P.S. Tell me if you need more.
*A burst of gratefulness welled in his heart. Mentally, he offered thanks to the goddess whom had taken such interest in him, though, for once, she did not reply. He had a feeling, however, that she had heard him, but was leaving him to his own thoughts
Closing the box for now, he nodded to the Agent*
Huxian: Thank you. I’ll be sure to keep your words in mind.
*The agent bowed in response and left to resume his post, leaving Huxian to his meal.
...Ugh…
One unappetizing dinner later, Huxian thankfully had a break from paperwork and ordering subordinates while the head medic that had been in charge of monitoring his energy levels and making sure he didn’t collapse on himself conducted a series of tests, checking his vitals, monitoring his energy movements and checking that there was no underlying problems from his ties to the barrier. With a final look over the results, the doctor turned back to Huxian*
Doctor: It seems that everything is in order. So long as you don’t strain yourself or use your powers beyond the necessary and keep to a high calorie diet, there should be no problems with you returning to your room without monitoring. Admittedly, we would have liked for you to remain here anyway, just in case the situation with the Jiangshi changes, but...well, there are those who are in more serious conditions.
Huxian: Understandable. I would hate that people lose their lives over something as avoidable as a unnecessarily occupied bed.
Doctor: Thank you for your understanding, sir. Ah, we will require you to have daily check ups of your energy levels, however. Should the sorcerer controlling the Jiangshi or the Jiangshi themselves become more persistent, it could cause the barrier to take more energy. With only yourself maintaining the barrier, it could easily become an overwhelming strain. As such, should you feel any sudden onset of dizziness, nausea, pain, you must report back at once. We need you, sir.
Huxian: Of course. And the check ups?
Doctor: Around this time daily until the reinforcements arrived. After that, a check up before and after the energy bonds have been transferred for yourself and those who will share the burden.
Huxian: I’ll be sure to inform your team when the transfer will take place so you can have staff available without tearing them from any needing patient.
Doctor: Very good, sir. Beyond that, be sure to eat regularly. I’ve been informed of the missing meal, sir.
*Funny how the ‘over-the-glasses’ stare could make even him feel like a small kit under his Monk Caretaker’s disapproving eye. Quickly giving his word (no matter how much he internally groaned at the idea that, even free of the medical bay he still had to eat that mush!) Huxian escaped from the temporary ward and made his way back to the comforts(?) of his temporary room. If nothing else, the idea of a warm shower after a stressful day to ease the aches of energy drain and tension headaches was definitely appealing.
Despite that, his mind was not relaxed as he washed under nearly painfully hot shower, his thoughts lingering on the mentioned agents that needed the hospital beds. As much as he wished he could help those keeping the Jiangshi from all hammering down the barrier, he knew he was needed where he was to protect the agents within the building and the many citizens that were currently evacuated into the safehouses in the safety of the energy shield he was maintaining. He shouldn’t be feeling guilty*
Huxian [Inner Thoughts]: Everyone knows the importance of your job, even going out of the way to be sure that you don’t pass out trying to keep it up alone. They all volunteered to fight against the Jiangshi. You’re not forcing them to do anything. All our jobs are equally as important. As soon as the reinforcements arrive to help maintain the barrier, you can be out there personally on the front lines. Not fighting now is not cowardice. It’s a tactic agreed upon by everyone. Get your head together, Yin.
*With that, he thrust his head under the jet of hot water and his thoughts were quickly derailed as he hissed a little to get used to the heat.
A little later, loosely wrapped in an italian robe, toweling his hair and fox ears dry with a towel, he sat down on the edge of his bed, eyes drifting over to his communicator which was flashing, indicating he had received a message while he was making a hearty attempt at boiling himself alive. Pulling his tails onto his lap to towel dry with one hand, Huxian flipped through the communicator screen to the messages. It looked like Rodessa had sent him an image. It was a photo Rodessa facing away from the camera before a rose petal strewn bathtub, a rouge lace robe draping over her rear, obviously in the process of being removed. Her thick hair was tied back in a way that showed over her dusky skin that seemed to hold a warm golden hue in what had to be candlelight just out of shot.
...Tease. Though he supposed it might have something to do with his own photos…
Shaking off those thoughts, there was also a message attached to the photo, proclaiming ‘Video Call At 9’.
Quickly, he checked his watch sitting on the bedside cabinet. It had just turned nine. Good timing.
Settling on the bed, taking another moment to admire the photo as he settled into a comfortable position against the pillows propped up by the headboard, he chose the option for a video call and waited for the girl in question to pick up.
Rodessa: *Coyly* Good evening, Fluff. I thought you might need a pick-me-up, so I sent you a little gift. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t call earlier. You might have gotten a show. But I guess it’s for naught. I had a strip-tease planned and everything!
*Not that Huxian wasn’t getting a little bit of a show, considering she was easing herself into the bath, though anything particularly ‘show-worthy’ was hidden behind a wall of thick foamy bubbles. There was still plenty of skin he could see that certainly perked some interesting images, if he allowed his mind to wander - which was the intention, of course.*
Rodessa: Too bad!
*(It amused him that for someone so confident in her body and knew all the tricks in showmanship with it could be reduced to a blushing wreck when he was overly flirty in response)
Shaking off the thoughts, he instead offered her a smile as he leaned into his pillows, his hair a silver-gold waterfall spilling over it.*
Huxian: I only just saw the message, honestly. I was getting a checkup from the medic. I’m back in my room now - hurray! - though he wants me to go in for check ups. Guess they want to be sure they don’t find me on my face somewhere. Then, it seems we had similar ideas.
*He motioned to himself, knowing she would be able to see his damp hair and just-showered flush to his skin*
Huxian: Still, shame I missed the show. Raincheck?
Rodessa: ...You overdid it today, didn’t you. You look even more tired than when I left you…*Sigh* Is it that bad? I can come to-
Huxian: I’m fine. Promise. There was just some things that only I could look over was all. I practically stayed in bed all day beyond that. Admittedly there’s trouble, but we’re getting reinforcements soon. I can hold down the fort till then. The doctors are making sure of it. They’re even forcing me to eat ‘highly nutritious food’...
*He jokingly lowered his voice into a stage whisper, cupping the side of his mouth as if to prevent anyone from lipreading*
Huxian: Save me, my taste buds are dying! Oh gods - seriously! Why must all hospital food look like….like…Ugh, I can’t even begin to describe it. Just look - this was my ‘breakfast’ today.
*He attached the picture he took earlier and sent it to her. He could hear the ping of her communicator signifying the message had been received.
Covering herself, she leaned forwards to look at the photo and Huxian knew the exact moment she saw it - her expression morphed into a mixture of shock and horror, tinged with a deep sympathy*
Rodessa: Hue...They’re trying to kill you...All I’m saying is finish them before they finish you. Fight on, Soldier.
Huxian: Oh good, glad I’m not just being paranoid. I think when this is over I need you to give the staff a look over where food is concerned. Maybe between the two of us, they’ll learn something - like find a new day job that keeps them about a hundred miles away from food stuff.
Rodessa: *Chuckle* ...Maybe…Though I would prefer just the two of us alone making new recipes together. I'm your personal pastry chef, remember?
Huxian: ...Can’t deny that I miss your pastries. Yeah, I’d like that. Something else for our to-do list when we catch up? We’ll definitely have enough to keep us busy. I’m looking forwards to it. I don’t know if I tell you this enough, but I do miss you.
*Her eyes glistened slightly, eyes half lidded as a smile graced her lips.*
Rodessa: *Quiet voice* I miss you too… It’s harder now that your not with me, you know that?
Huxian: I know...But it’s not forever. Just remember that. And I’m always at the end of the phone if you ever need to get anything off your chest. You know that, right?
Rodessa: Yeah…. Oh! I promised you a story. It’s a short one - I need to translate the rest. Hopefully I’ll have that done by our next phone call...hopefully.
Huxian: Hey, no rush. Translating practically dead languages isn’t easy, after all. I can wait. Just let me know when you’ve done it. For now though...what have you got for me my dear storyteller?
Rodessa: Well...
[END]
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