faderift | {Open} Do you even rift, bro?

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{Open} Do you even rift, bro?

WHO: Haldir, and Whoever!
WHAT: Haldir has drug 4 large trees from sundermount, and is now vigorously chopping wood outside the mages tower without a shirt.
WHEN: Wintermarch
WHERE: Kirkwall - Gallows specifically
NOTES: For some UNKNOWN REASON Haldir feels super energetic, and he promised a lovely lady some wood /waggles eybrows

Over the space of a few days, Haldir’s attitude and outlook on life had changed drastically. Although he lacked a purpose in his new place of residence, it didn’t seem bother him as it did before. After a delightful, and very eventful day with Ellana, he felt an overwhelming need to make sure she had everything she needed. She had mentioned that having a well stocked supply of wood was always sought after, so it was a place to start. So, after a quick and very awkward chat with the Quartermaster, he borrowed an ax and ran off toward a wooded area he discovered in his roaming.

He chopped down four sizable trees, and then proceeded to drag them from the wood all the way to the Mages Tower. He thought it would take quite a lot longer, but he felt his old strength and vigor return, which made it possible to drag two trees at once, rather than just one at a time. Night passed, and the exercise felt rather good. It was quite a hike from the gallows to the forest, but he didn’t feel fatigued. If anything, he felt relieved that his body didn’t seem to require rest or sleep that night. He hated the idea of sleep, more so the nightmares that accompanied it. He often went until he collapsed, hoping fatigue would erase the chances for dreams. Given the option, he was much more content to explore the new trees, and walk under the stars, even if they were not the ones he knew. He was beginning to feel like himself again.

An irksome thing he had noticed his body was that it started producing a wet sheen that smelled most unpleasant after a few hours. In order to prevent his shirt and armor from becoming soiled, he stripped down to just his breeches and boots, stashing the rest away until he was finished. Once all the trees had been deposited by the tower, he started frantically chopping, cleaving each log in two in just one swing. A sizable pile of wood was starting to build up, and he paused to survey his handiwork with a satisfied smile, and a swipe across his brow.

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His face fell immediately, and he retreated from her a few steps. He his face drained of color, and then his head bowed.

"My apologies. I-I only..." He only wanted her to have what she needed, but he couldn't finish the sentence. Instead he started to pick up the wood as fast as he could. "I will have it gone as fast as I can." He cursed himself. How could he be so stupid? It was too much. Too impulsive. Always.

Edited 2018-01-22 04:20 (UTC)

Ellana gives his bent form a quizzical look. Is he always this... intense emotionally? Truth be told, it's a little disconcerting. She knows what it's like to be a fool in love, and she knows what it's like to be in love with someone too much. Ellana is far from having perfect control over her own emotions, but Haldir's response is a little extreme. He'd better not be trying to guilt her, because she's not taking any of that.

"It's not like it sitting out here bothers me," she replies evenly. "I'll take what I can carry up with me, and maybe we could deliver the rest to some of the places out here? The infirmary, the quartermaster, others who might have need of it. It won't go to waste."

He paused in his collecting, looking up at her. "I'd like that. At least someone can benifit from my mistake. I didn't know how much you would need... Overzealous."

He tried to focus his eyes as Ellana's form duplicated in his vision. He shook his head a little, hoping to fix it, but that only made the world spin. His feet gave out on him, making him stumble down to his knees. He tried to brace with his palms, which hit the wood causing him to hiss as it grazed his skin.

Well, now Ellana can clearly see something is wrong here. With a shout of his name, she's quick to kneel by his side, placing a hand against his arm.

"You've overexerted yourself. We should go to the infirmary and see if they can't help you. You've probably never felt like this before, have you?" At least that's what Ellana had picked up ages ago with Galadriel.

He groaned as her cold hand pressed up against his scalding skin. It felt so good. His head was heavy, and he slumped over to put his head on her shoulder. Her cool clothes soothed his skin until they become warm from his touch.

"Never felt like this. Ellana," he slurred and fought another round of dizziness. He felt panic rise from inside him. "Am I dying? I died before. Not like this. Cold. I was so cold."

"No, no," she says gently, wrapping an arm around him to try and support his larger frame. She's rather slight, and he's built like a human would be here, so there's a bit of disparity between them.

"You aren't dying. And you've never died before. I think you're delirious." That must be it. She places her other hand on his forehead and frowns. "I think you have a fever. We need to get to the infirmary. Can you walk?"

He sighed as her cool hand pressed against his head. At her bidding, he attempted to stand, and managed to stay on his feet, but only just.

"Died once. Uruk-hai. We fought, but there were too many. Can feel the blade down my back sometimes. Please don't make me sleep."

He wrapped his arms around himself, and closed his eyes.

It's going to be a struggle to walk him to the infirmary and she wonders if she shouldn't call for help in moving him. Unfortunately, she can't get her crystal out at the moment, or she would. Both her arms are too preoccupied trying to hold him upright. Another preoccupation comes from the things he's saying that have to be due to his delirium. He clearly has a fever and perhaps the start of a cold or flu, because obviously he can't be dead if he's alive now. She doesn't recall Galadriel ever talking about her people being able to die and come back to life before, so it simply can't be true.

"Shh, we're going to the infirmary and they'll make you feel better." If they want him to sleep, she doesn't want to argue against it, so hopefully she can convince him.

He kept quiet as she instructed, and tried to keep focused on his footing. His mind seemed foggy, and every small movement took his full concentration. They stumbled along the streets at crawling pace until they came to a building he assumed was this...infirmary. He didn't know what the purpose of the establishment was, but if they could help, he would do whatever they asked. His body started to shiver and he was both hot and very cold at the same time.

They paused in the doorway, and he took the brief moment of inactivity to lay his head on her shoulder in an effort to both seek some comfort, and also to keep him from toppling over again. His head was spinning and it felt like it had been filled with lead. He gave a groan and a small whine.

"'M sorry," he managed to mumble out. "Helping me again."

Ellana's eyes scan the infirmary, looking for someone walking upright and not laid out on a bed. She spots a blonde human get up from a chair beside a bed, carrying an empty glass bottle and Ellana waves a hand in the air to get her attention. The woman approaches, her lips already pursing as she looks over Haldir.

"He's dizzy and has a fever," Ellana says before the woman can even open her mouth to ask.

"And let me guess, he has become obsessed with a certain task or activity, at the risk of his health?" the healer responds in an Orlesian accent.

"Uh, yes. This is a, a thing? An illness?"

The woman moves to Haldir's other side, taking his arm and putting it over her shoulder to help him walk.

"There is a free bed in the back, on the left. Just there. And we are not sure what it is yet. We are doing what we can." Now the two women try moving Haldir to the bed to set him down.

He isn't aware of much during their encounter with the healer, but as soon as he feels the bed under him he groans in relief, but it is only temporary. He lays down, as he watches the world spin above him so he closes his eyes. His legs still dangle off the edge, and he doesn't have the strength to lift them.

He moves his hand clumsily out to seek Ellana's, seeking her out. He was dying, he was sure of it. His body would burn away.

"Galadriel." He could barely form the words but he opened his eyes to look at her. "Galadriel. She will need allies. Help her. Please, I beg you, Ellana. Take my cloak. You shall be her Galadhrim now. Only one I can trust."

Once Haldir is set down, Ellana focuses on the healer, trying to absorb as much information as she's being given. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that whatever this is that's happening isn't something they've seen before in the infirmary, and it's making a diagnosis difficult. Her forehead wrinkles in worry, wishing she had some skill with healing, or that her travels so far had led to her hearing of such a thing. But she's just as lost as the healers are.

When Haldir's sweaty hand finds hers, she tears her gaze away from the woman explaining what little she knows of the situation to curl fingers around his own.

"None of that now," she says with a calmness that she doesn't feel inside. It feels like her insides are about to leap out of her. Is he speaking like this because he's dying, or does he merely believe he is because the Eldar don't grow ill? Please let it be that, and he's only being over dramatic because this is all so foreign to him. "You're going to recover. I know it must feel awful right now, but you'll come through it. We're no strangers to illness here." She forces an encouraging smile, but there's fear welling up inside her. The Ashara clan lost many in a fever long ago, including both her parents. Illnesses are not all the same, and one can never tell which can be overcome and which will steal a life.

Her words gave him a small amount of comfort. He had seen first hand that the inhabitants of this world were skilled at healing, but fear still pulled at the back of his mind. He covered her hand with his second one, lazily running circles over it. If it was he's time to pass, at least he had gotten to meet her. He had many regrets, but coming to this place wasn't one of them now.

"Estelion allen. Guren min gaim lín."

He looked down at where their hands rested, and gave a small started "ah" when he saw the tips of his fingers had turned bright blue.

With his health as it is right now, Ellana doesn't have the heart to tell him she can't fluently speak his language. There are a few phrases she knows that Galadriel taught her, but only a word or two sound familiar to her now and she can't parse the rest. All she can do is squeeze his hand and be here for him.

Eyes dart down to his fingers and she gasps, looking to the healer for an explanation.

"His skin is blue but it's not frozen. What's going on?"

"We are still trying to find out," the healer answers, holding up her hands in a placating manner. "He is safe now here and will be observed by our staff." The words ring hollow for Ellana. A person isn't safe and sound in the presence of healers if those healers don't know what's wrong or how to cure them. Scooting closer to Haldir on the bed, she says to him, "In the meantime, you should rest." It's all she can do right now, because she has no idea what's going on.

He thought of clutching to her, fearful she would leave him. He was frightened, and did't want to die alone. But, he equally didn't want keep her here, in this sad place. The thought of wasting away here wasn't a pleasant one, instead of dying for a purpose made him remorseful. Was he supposed to just lay here waiting for death?

He watched as the blue color spread from his arms, and peppered up his abdomen. He let out a keen, then did reach out to her.

"Ellana-" he could hardly speak. His voice was gravelly and his tongue was rough and dry. He looked into her eyes, hoping to convey the whirlwind of emotions he felt. "Galadirel-tell her."

"Tell her I will support her?" she asks, going back to what Haldir had said to her earlier. "She already knows I will. Please, just rest. I know this is new and frightening, but you're a strong warrior. Just stay calm and let the healers take care of you, all right?" His panic is only going to hurt matters. Here she is barely holding on to her own emotions; telling herself to put on a brave face for him, and every second his panic increases, it grows harder to stay mature and reasonable.

"Now, close your eyes and think of home. Think of the forest, and the homes built up in the trees, and the wind rustling through the leaves. Think of peaceful places."

He closed his eyes. Trying to imagine Lorien, but it isn't rustling leaves he hears but waves. His eyes fly open, and his body relaxes into the bed. "Valinor"

"It is not the trees I must go to, but the sea." He mumbles. He never thought he would see it. He looked to Ellana, and felt his chest constrict. He felt guilty, growing so attached to her only to leave. There were things he wished to do, places he wished to explore with her, but that was impossible now. A fleeting wish. He really did have the worst timing, and fate truly was cruel.

"I am better for knowing you, Ellana."

Sensing that this is a private moment, the healer leaves them alone to check on other patients. Ellana scoots closer on the bed, leaning over him so she can better hear his soft words. Smiling weakly, she replies, "Then you must show me you are by sticking around." The blue tinge to his skin makes her think he's cold, but his hand is sweaty in hers, making for a strange contrast. If only she knew what to do.

"Don't give up. Just stay with me."

The pleading in her voice caused his heart to shatter. A single tear trailed down the side of his face, but he ignored it. He cupped her face, slowly trailing his hand back to tuck behind her ear.

"That would be my wish. I would remain by your side as long as you had need of me. I will not give into despair, tinu." He let himself have another few seconds just to stare at her. "My cloak is still hidden near the woodpile. I would like you to take care of it for me, for now. It would put me at ease to know it could keep you warm, and protect you while I cannot."

And if the worst should happen, at least some part of him could remain with her.

"Good," she murmurs, nose burning with her struggle to hold in tears. "Everything will be okay, as long as you don't give in." Why does he have to suffer through this? Six thousand years without knowing weariness or illness, and Thedas strips away those parts of him that are so intrinsic to being what he is in his own world. She wishes she had answers. She wishes she could cure him. Anything is better than sitting here helpless, but Ellana has never been a healer. This is best left to healing hands.

"I promise that I will. I'll keep it warm for you."

He smiled, a little shakily but it was genuine. His body ached, and his mind was a fog, but for the first time in his life his time was now limited. Every moment, every second was precious. He didn't want to spend it cooped up here, away from everything, but he realized he might not have much choice. He looked at her, probably looking more mooney eyed that he should, but it was a very real possibility that this may be his last time. Her green eyes seemed frightened, and he did not wish to waste time dwelling in fear. She her affection was a gift, one that he surely didn't deserve.

"Your warmth is a balm that has soothed my heart. I have faith in you to keep anything warm. I admit to having a new found jealousy of my cloak I never expected to have." He tried to chuckle, but it made his head ache. "If there is a time in which you need to hide, it will make that possible. You will not be seen by anyone who intends you harm. I admit when you had it on before I thought it suited you. I wish I could have shown you Lorien."

It was the best thing he could give her. Of all his possessions, his cloak was what he treasured most. It was a symbol of his duty, of his life. He felt like he was giving away the last part of himself he had left, and in many ways he was. But she was deserving of it. He'd already given her his heart.

"Thank you," she says softly, struggling against her tears. "I know how important it is to you. I'll keep it safe, but I will return it to you." Because he will overcome this. Ellana has to believe that.

"Do you think you can rest now? I'll wait until you're asleep to go get your cloak." It wouldn't be right to leave his side in case he needs her. She may not be a healer, but she can at least provide comfort in other ways.

He let out a sigh, and then grumbled a little. "I will try," he grumbled. He moved over to the side of the cot as best he could, making more room for her. "I will try for you, and you alone."

He curled up, and fluffed the pillow a little, and settled down.

She can't help but smile a fraction at his grumpiness. Of course he's upset by all of this, but hopefully things will improve after he gets some rest. She'll leave him to it, so she bends down to press a kiss to his temple before standing up.

"I will check in on you later." For now, she'll retrieve his cloak, and see if she can't convince passersby to take some firewood with them.

[ ooc: good stopping point? ]

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{Open} Do you even rift, bro?

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Sorry for the delay! Had to talk a little break!

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