[open & closed] and when that day comes

[thereneverwas]

WHO: Barrow & friends
WHAT: ye olde lyrium detox in its various stages
WHEN: vaguely Wintermarch
WHERE: the infirmary
NOTES: I'll be adding a few starters at a time since I want later developments to feel organic and make sense. please feel free to request something if you don't see it here!

Comments

[favoriteanalyst]

Fair enough. Mobius doesn't look taken aback by the snapping, even if that's so damn unusual for Barrow. His own memories of going through some of it are hazy at times, but he knows he couldn't have acted normal.

"It's not gonna feel worth it while you're in the shit," he reminds his friend gently. "If you want out the other side, you'll have to grit your teeth and push through. If you don't..."

Well, if he is really sure he doesn't, they can get Strange. But surely that's just the withdrawal talking?

[thereneverwas]

"Oh, save it," Barrow snarls, and jerks to his feet, beginning to pace-- away from Mobius, first, his hands shaking as a sudden burst of rage courses through him. He's never been an angry person, is the sort who requires a great deal of prodding to reach a breaking point, and the part of his mind that isn't dominated by lyrium obsession is shocked by how quickly he's rocketing toward one.

"Fucking save the speeches, mate," he growls, back turned, and thuds a hand against the wall in a loose fist. A moment later, his forehead presses on it, and he tenses his shoulders as though it'll stop the tremors.

"Help me or get out. Tell that smarmy shit out there he was wrong and it's time to end it."

[favoriteanalyst]

"...I can fetch him, if that's really what you want." Because it's not like Mobius is going to judge anyone for deciding the withdrawal isn't worth it. It's easy to underestimate how awful it is, how truly damaging it can be even. But it's also easy for a man in the midst of these fits to throw in the towel.

"I just want you to be sure. Cuz if I go and I get him, Barrow, and you get your blue and you come back up from this, I don't want you getting pissed that I didn't ignore you and let you get the hell through it."

Trying to deliberately go through it a second time feels less likely, knowing what's ahead, after all.

[thereneverwas]

"Do it," comes the snapped response, and Barrow's other fist is on the wall as he braces himself, "stop talking, do it, maybe he'll listen to you."

[favoriteanalyst]

Stephen does listen to him to a point, though they tend to butt heads about this topic in particular. Mobius still has to wonder how much is this Barrow talking and how much is it just the withdrawal, but--

He carefully rubs at his eyes, raises his hands in a little surrender, goes for the door. "Be right back."

Which means slipping out, being as unobtrusive as he can manage, and finding their friendly neighborhood healer with a vested interest in de-lyrium-ifying his Templars. He's not sure how well this is going to go over coming out of him, either, frankly.

Sidling up to Strange's side: "We might have a problem."

[thereneverwas]

From the infirmary comes a rhythmic thudding as Barrow begins to dully smack his forehead against the wall.

[portalling]

Yesterday had been bad, and it’s only getting worse; but they knew that going in. This is to be expected.

Doesn’t make it any easier to be ultimately responsible for the outcome, though. The Stephen that Mobius sees now is more uncertain and strained around the edges than yesterday and the day before and the day before. This particular process still isn’t his forté. This wasn’t the sort of medical work he once did. Surgery mostly meant solving the mechanical puzzle and then not having to see them again —

“Define ‘problem’,” he says, crisp. He could hear the occasional raised words during the templars’ conversation — fucking lyrium — and now the thudding, but he wants to hear the assessment in Mobius’ own words.

[favoriteanalyst]

"He's being very insistent that this needs to end." And, well, shit, of course Barrow wants it over and done with. That's just how it is when this happens; it's not pretty, and it's not comfortable, and it could go very wrong at the end. It could get worse and not get better. Or he could break through to the other side.

"I figured I'd at least say something. It's fine if he's testy," even if that's so unlike Barrow, "but when is the point where we stop ignoring him wanting to stop and actually stop?"

[portalling]

“The misery and unpleasantry is a feature, not a bug,” Stephen says, unheeding as usual about dropping incomprehensible turns of phrase on Thedosians.

“Like, the whole process isn’t easy, which is part of the whole reason you’re not all lining up to do it. I’m keeping an eye on the situation. Him wanting to stop isn’t indicative of anything; but if his physical symptoms actually endanger him, and his health becomes at genuine risk, then we can reconsider.”

It’s a sternness, a flintiness, that Mobius doesn’t often get to experience from the doctor. For lack of anyone else around to do it, he has to put his foot down and hold their ground. (It’s not an enviable position.)