Joseph/Pandora: Ew.
Takes place a few hours before this post.
Issac had stopped in Miletos to take a break. She couldn't blame him, the trip was long and exhausting, but-- ah, she supposed it couldn't be helped. He'd been doing his best to get there on time, she was sure. ...Why she was mentally defending him was beyond her, however.
Luckily for them both, Pandora had taken to slipping small doses of poison herbs in Joseph's food. Small enough that he couldn't taste them, and that they'd only take effect after a few days - and considering his seeming lack of disposition the night before, they seemed to be working. Flawless timing, she would dare say.
She watched him with interest, though he probably couldn't notice the difference. He looked as if he was about to collapse anytime - and with a slight pang of guilt, she hoped he did. Timing was precious and she couldn't afford to have it be ruined -- not yet.
Joseph felt miserable, about as miserable as he looked. But stubborn as he was, determined as he was to continue pressing forward and keeping his schedule, he ignored it. He ignored it even as the effort to stand caused beads of sweat to form on his brow and when his legs threatened to turn to putty underneath him. He struggled to keep on his feet while he dressed, and his robes felt entirely too heavy.
But he had a schedule to keep, weapons to inspect, rebellions to arm and betray. he could not afford to be ill at such a time! He emerged from his room dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief, breathing heavier than normal. He had vomited less than an hour ago, truth be told. Likely Pandora knew, but hadn't said a word about it.
"Are you ready? I'm... I don't want to be late."
Pandora nodded silently, made a bit uncomfortable by how bad he looked. There was, however, no other choice - she couldn't afford to let him attend this meeting. As of now, however, she stayed silent - it was easy to tell that the man would not last much longer standing.
Stepping closer to him, she watched his movements carefully - if he lost balance, she wanted to at least make sure he wouldn't hit the floor.
"Excellent, let's get... get... going," his eyes fluttered a bit as he felt a sudden vertigo, and then as he tried to take a step forward, his legs didn't respond. He fell forward, his hands instinctively coming up as he realized that he was going to faceplant.
Thank the dragons her reflexes were quick. She moved in front of Joseph, easily catching him in her arms, and slowly kneeling down, pulling him with her. He was safer on the floor than standing, she decided. "You shouldn't go out like that," she noted, trying to ignore where his hands had landed.
He didn't quite realize where his hands were as she caught him. He did realize it after, when he somewhat regained his bearings as she set him down. They didn't linger long there, thankfully.
"But I... have to. They need to be gone by... by tonight..."
Thankfully his hands hadn't lingered. It'd be rather awkward having to pull them away.
"You can barely stand," she noted, an unusual tone in her voice. Pandora shifted a bit to put him in a more comfortable position (and also to make sure he didn't hurl on her). "You need to rest."
"Fine, then you go," which he intended to say in a sharp manner, but in reality came out as more of a croak.
"I'm not leaving you alone in such a state," she answered flatly. She was his bodyguard, she couldn't very well leave him weakened and ill, could she? Don't insist.
Joseph however, answered by giving her his most menacing (though in reality quite pitiful) glare as he turned andset his hands on the floor and summarily tried to push himself up...
... only to fail, and plop down face first onto her lap.
Pandora rolled her eyes. Not only did he have to be stubborn, he also had to fall face first on the worst possible place. "Stop it," she asked - though it was almost an order. "You're in no condition to walk." Very patiently, she slid her arms under his shoulders and lifted him, shifting to the side and turning him on his back before lowering his head to her lap again - perhaps then he would sit still.
"This operation requires you to be in good health," she noted, placing a hand on his forehead. Hurling, fever... exactly the symptoms she was expecting.
And as if to illustrate her point, Joseph's eyes widend a bit. "Turn me... aside... quickly." Though Joseph knew there was pretty much nothing else his stomach could possibly expel, the sensation was returning anyway and he didn't want to risk it.
She did as ordered, and turned him on his side, pushing his shoulders up. He seemed to have been hit a bit harder than she'd expected - granted, it worked to her advantage, but...
Aaaand out came his guts. Again. And again. And again. Were Joseph in less of an asjkdasjdsd state he would be positively appalled at how undignified this entire situation was.
"Fine," he replied after the episode was concluded. "I'm sorry," he added after a few moments. "I've made a mess."
Wait, wait. Pause.
He'd apologized?
For making a mess?
Were she anyone else, she would have laughed at the irony. Joseph was apologizing for making a mess. Pandora only sighed, shifting again to support him, and looking around for the closest piece of clean cloth. Finding nothing, she pulled out the scarf around her neck, holding it out to him.
"Use this." She'd have wiped his mouth herself, but she was fairly sure he didn't want to lose any more of his dignity in front of her.
Somewhere in there, there was a human being. It was just hidden under a ton of layers.
Joseph absently took the scarf and wiped his mouth clean before realizing what it was. He coughed for a moment. "This... looked good on you. I'll make... sure to get you a new one just... just like... it," he managed before his eyes slowly shut themselves.
"There's no need. It can be washed," she noted, shifting yet again, this time to slip an arm under his legs, another around his shoulders, and lift him up. Thankfully, scholars weren't too heavy, and Pandora was considerably stronger than the average woman. "Are you still awake? I'm carrying you back to bed."
Joseph mumbled something incoherent as he nodded. He tried his best to be more than just dead weight, but sadly he was failing at it.
Pushing the door with her shoulder, she stepped into his room, and carefully set him down upon the bed. "Your robes are dirty," she said as she rather nonchalantly began to remove them. "I'll get you something clean to wear."
Still tugging at his robe with one hand, she raised another to pull at his eyelids lightly and check his eyes. "Try not to fall asleep just yet. Do you feel anything besides the stomach, fever and vertigo? Pain anywhere? Headache?" She had to make sure she knew exactly what he'd been poisoned with, else he might not recover from it...
Joseph didn't protest nor put up much of a struggle as she began to remove his clothing. "Hot... head throbbing... stomach..." was the best he could do as far as describing his symptoms went, though. He hoped that was good enough.
Sounded like what she wanted to hear. Or a summarized version of it, anyhow. "Did you eat anything different? Drink anything? Inhale?"
Setting his dirty robes aside, she moved to fetch one of his sleeping robes, and began to put that on him instead.
Joseph's only response was to shake his head.
Good. This meant there was more than likely nothing beyond the poison she'd slipped herself. Once she was done getting him dressed, she fetched a towel and left it beside him on the bed, pulling the sheets over him up to his waist. "Again, try not to fall asleep. I'm going to go fetch a few things and will be back in a moment."
With that, she picked up the robes he was wearing and stepped out, picking up her scarf as well in the process. She'd made him sick, and she would at the very least nurse him back to health. Of course, that also meant she could control exactly how and when he recovered, which perhaps would buy enough time for Issac to arrive...
Joseph grunted a bit, closing his eyes as she spoke. He opened them again to see Pandora making to leave. For some strange reason that he could not at that moment ascertain, a pang of fear ran up his body, and he reached out for her in spite of her being clear halfway across the room. "No, don't," he mumbled, perhaps not loud enough to be heard or understood. Either way his arm fell back down to his side as he groaned and shut his eyes once again.
She stopped, turning to him, still holding the dirtied pieces of clothing. "No?"
It was strange, to see him so... vulnerable. She was his protector, but there were seldom any instances in which he needed it - and now he needed not only protection, but care. Awkward.
Pandora set the robes and scarf down outside of the room, where the smell wouldn't be as much of a bother, and shut the door, returning to his bedside. "What's the matter?"
Joseph shook his head. "Don't... leave me alone."
If she thought it strange to see him vulnerable, it was just as strange if not unfathomable for Joseph to feel that way. Right now he couldn't put much thought into it, fevered and ill as he was, which was fortunate to an extent.
She stifled a sigh. He needed water to help keep the fever down. Perhaps when he fell asleep - from the looks of it, he would, fairly soon. At that point, she figured, it should be safe. "If you prefer."
Pandora leaned back against the wall next to the bed. Had she given him too much poison? She was fairly sure it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but... this was starting to get worrisome. Shifting a bit uncomfortably, she opted to just crouch next to the bed instead. She was 99% sure he would recover, but... that 1%...
Joseph responded with as close an approximation to a smile as he could manage as well as a nod. She'd been a constant fixture in his life for quite a while now. Her presence was perhaps the most permanent thing he'd known, and it was reassuring just to have her right there at the moment. It didn't ease his fever or his pain, but if nothing else, it gave him the comfort of knowing that she was once again taking care of him, as she always had, albeit in a different kind of situation this time around.
It didn't take long for Joseph to drift off to sleep.
Making sure he was actually asleep, Pandora slipped out of the room quietly. She needed water to help cool down his fever, and that mess he'd made outside needed cleaning - hopefully he'd stay asleep long enough that he wouldn't notice her gone. She needed to write to Issac, too... Once Joseph recovered, there'd be no more ways to delay him. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Issac had stopped in Miletos to take a break. She couldn't blame him, the trip was long and exhausting, but-- ah, she supposed it couldn't be helped. He'd been doing his best to get there on time, she was sure. ...Why she was mentally defending him was beyond her, however.
Luckily for them both, Pandora had taken to slipping small doses of poison herbs in Joseph's food. Small enough that he couldn't taste them, and that they'd only take effect after a few days - and considering his seeming lack of disposition the night before, they seemed to be working. Flawless timing, she would dare say.
She watched him with interest, though he probably couldn't notice the difference. He looked as if he was about to collapse anytime - and with a slight pang of guilt, she hoped he did. Timing was precious and she couldn't afford to have it be ruined -- not yet.
Joseph felt miserable, about as miserable as he looked. But stubborn as he was, determined as he was to continue pressing forward and keeping his schedule, he ignored it. He ignored it even as the effort to stand caused beads of sweat to form on his brow and when his legs threatened to turn to putty underneath him. He struggled to keep on his feet while he dressed, and his robes felt entirely too heavy.
But he had a schedule to keep, weapons to inspect, rebellions to arm and betray. he could not afford to be ill at such a time! He emerged from his room dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief, breathing heavier than normal. He had vomited less than an hour ago, truth be told. Likely Pandora knew, but hadn't said a word about it.
"Are you ready? I'm... I don't want to be late."
Pandora nodded silently, made a bit uncomfortable by how bad he looked. There was, however, no other choice - she couldn't afford to let him attend this meeting. As of now, however, she stayed silent - it was easy to tell that the man would not last much longer standing.
Stepping closer to him, she watched his movements carefully - if he lost balance, she wanted to at least make sure he wouldn't hit the floor.
"Excellent, let's get... get... going," his eyes fluttered a bit as he felt a sudden vertigo, and then as he tried to take a step forward, his legs didn't respond. He fell forward, his hands instinctively coming up as he realized that he was going to faceplant.
Thank the dragons her reflexes were quick. She moved in front of Joseph, easily catching him in her arms, and slowly kneeling down, pulling him with her. He was safer on the floor than standing, she decided. "You shouldn't go out like that," she noted, trying to ignore where his hands had landed.
He didn't quite realize where his hands were as she caught him. He did realize it after, when he somewhat regained his bearings as she set him down. They didn't linger long there, thankfully.
"But I... have to. They need to be gone by... by tonight..."
Thankfully his hands hadn't lingered. It'd be rather awkward having to pull them away.
"You can barely stand," she noted, an unusual tone in her voice. Pandora shifted a bit to put him in a more comfortable position (and also to make sure he didn't hurl on her). "You need to rest."
"Fine, then you go," which he intended to say in a sharp manner, but in reality came out as more of a croak.
"I'm not leaving you alone in such a state," she answered flatly. She was his bodyguard, she couldn't very well leave him weakened and ill, could she? Don't insist.
Joseph however, answered by giving her his most menacing (though in reality quite pitiful) glare as he turned andset his hands on the floor and summarily tried to push himself up...
... only to fail, and plop down face first onto her lap.
Pandora rolled her eyes. Not only did he have to be stubborn, he also had to fall face first on the worst possible place. "Stop it," she asked - though it was almost an order. "You're in no condition to walk." Very patiently, she slid her arms under his shoulders and lifted him, shifting to the side and turning him on his back before lowering his head to her lap again - perhaps then he would sit still.
"This operation requires you to be in good health," she noted, placing a hand on his forehead. Hurling, fever... exactly the symptoms she was expecting.
And as if to illustrate her point, Joseph's eyes widend a bit. "Turn me... aside... quickly." Though Joseph knew there was pretty much nothing else his stomach could possibly expel, the sensation was returning anyway and he didn't want to risk it.
She did as ordered, and turned him on his side, pushing his shoulders up. He seemed to have been hit a bit harder than she'd expected - granted, it worked to her advantage, but...
Aaaand out came his guts. Again. And again. And again. Were Joseph in less of an asjkdasjdsd state he would be positively appalled at how undignified this entire situation was.
"Fine," he replied after the episode was concluded. "I'm sorry," he added after a few moments. "I've made a mess."
Wait, wait. Pause.
He'd apologized?
For making a mess?
Were she anyone else, she would have laughed at the irony. Joseph was apologizing for making a mess. Pandora only sighed, shifting again to support him, and looking around for the closest piece of clean cloth. Finding nothing, she pulled out the scarf around her neck, holding it out to him.
"Use this." She'd have wiped his mouth herself, but she was fairly sure he didn't want to lose any more of his dignity in front of her.
Somewhere in there, there was a human being. It was just hidden under a ton of layers.
Joseph absently took the scarf and wiped his mouth clean before realizing what it was. He coughed for a moment. "This... looked good on you. I'll make... sure to get you a new one just... just like... it," he managed before his eyes slowly shut themselves.
"There's no need. It can be washed," she noted, shifting yet again, this time to slip an arm under his legs, another around his shoulders, and lift him up. Thankfully, scholars weren't too heavy, and Pandora was considerably stronger than the average woman. "Are you still awake? I'm carrying you back to bed."
Joseph mumbled something incoherent as he nodded. He tried his best to be more than just dead weight, but sadly he was failing at it.
Pushing the door with her shoulder, she stepped into his room, and carefully set him down upon the bed. "Your robes are dirty," she said as she rather nonchalantly began to remove them. "I'll get you something clean to wear."
Still tugging at his robe with one hand, she raised another to pull at his eyelids lightly and check his eyes. "Try not to fall asleep just yet. Do you feel anything besides the stomach, fever and vertigo? Pain anywhere? Headache?" She had to make sure she knew exactly what he'd been poisoned with, else he might not recover from it...
Joseph didn't protest nor put up much of a struggle as she began to remove his clothing. "Hot... head throbbing... stomach..." was the best he could do as far as describing his symptoms went, though. He hoped that was good enough.
Sounded like what she wanted to hear. Or a summarized version of it, anyhow. "Did you eat anything different? Drink anything? Inhale?"
Setting his dirty robes aside, she moved to fetch one of his sleeping robes, and began to put that on him instead.
Joseph's only response was to shake his head.
Good. This meant there was more than likely nothing beyond the poison she'd slipped herself. Once she was done getting him dressed, she fetched a towel and left it beside him on the bed, pulling the sheets over him up to his waist. "Again, try not to fall asleep. I'm going to go fetch a few things and will be back in a moment."
With that, she picked up the robes he was wearing and stepped out, picking up her scarf as well in the process. She'd made him sick, and she would at the very least nurse him back to health. Of course, that also meant she could control exactly how and when he recovered, which perhaps would buy enough time for Issac to arrive...
Joseph grunted a bit, closing his eyes as she spoke. He opened them again to see Pandora making to leave. For some strange reason that he could not at that moment ascertain, a pang of fear ran up his body, and he reached out for her in spite of her being clear halfway across the room. "No, don't," he mumbled, perhaps not loud enough to be heard or understood. Either way his arm fell back down to his side as he groaned and shut his eyes once again.
She stopped, turning to him, still holding the dirtied pieces of clothing. "No?"
It was strange, to see him so... vulnerable. She was his protector, but there were seldom any instances in which he needed it - and now he needed not only protection, but care. Awkward.
Pandora set the robes and scarf down outside of the room, where the smell wouldn't be as much of a bother, and shut the door, returning to his bedside. "What's the matter?"
Joseph shook his head. "Don't... leave me alone."
If she thought it strange to see him vulnerable, it was just as strange if not unfathomable for Joseph to feel that way. Right now he couldn't put much thought into it, fevered and ill as he was, which was fortunate to an extent.
She stifled a sigh. He needed water to help keep the fever down. Perhaps when he fell asleep - from the looks of it, he would, fairly soon. At that point, she figured, it should be safe. "If you prefer."
Pandora leaned back against the wall next to the bed. Had she given him too much poison? She was fairly sure it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but... this was starting to get worrisome. Shifting a bit uncomfortably, she opted to just crouch next to the bed instead. She was 99% sure he would recover, but... that 1%...
Joseph responded with as close an approximation to a smile as he could manage as well as a nod. She'd been a constant fixture in his life for quite a while now. Her presence was perhaps the most permanent thing he'd known, and it was reassuring just to have her right there at the moment. It didn't ease his fever or his pain, but if nothing else, it gave him the comfort of knowing that she was once again taking care of him, as she always had, albeit in a different kind of situation this time around.
It didn't take long for Joseph to drift off to sleep.
Making sure he was actually asleep, Pandora slipped out of the room quietly. She needed water to help cool down his fever, and that mess he'd made outside needed cleaning - hopefully he'd stay asleep long enough that he wouldn't notice her gone. She needed to write to Issac, too... Once Joseph recovered, there'd be no more ways to delay him. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.