transmit: (pic#17528770)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-09 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[ fortunately, there's medicine in his bag. little white tablets that'll definitely be familiar. on the flip side of that, they're running dangerously low. three left. only one needed, for now. but if he remembers how many of them had been left when he'd first taken them—at a rate where he's definitely been taking more than one per day—that might be another cause for concern. oops.

but face-to-face, hien can find that elysium isn't just burning up. there are faint wet streaks trailing from the corners of his eyes.

this is why hien is justified for letting everything out, actually.
]
selfconcept: (pic#16832228)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-09 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He finds his blood run cold when he sees the amount that's inside the medicine container. If Elysium dies from oripathy, what will happen to him in Purgatory? Will he just come back in that painful state? And die over and over again in that river--forgetting everything one by one and being unable to do anything about it? Hien had been trapped in that sort of cycle before and it's... not something he'd wish on anyone, much less anyone he favors. If only he could contact the Shopkeeper. He hasn't thought about the usage of his life powers yet, because he's inwardly panicking.

He gets out a bottle of water from his cloak, takes one tablet out, puts the container back into the bag, and tries to right Elysium to at least a sitting position so that he can take the medicine. He'll help him too.

He notices the faint wet streaks from the corner of Elysium's eyes, but this is not the time to talk about it, if ever. What matters more is Elysium's health. His own curiosity can take a permanent backseat if it means Elysium will be okay again.
]
transmit: (pic#17757042)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-09 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ me like what haven't you put hien through at this point. okay.

but he accepts being righted, as what else can he do? fading in and out of consciousness, he bites down on his cheek if only to drag himself back to reality. he misses at first, his vision splotchy blurs of colour. but he eventually manages to take bith the water and the medicine with a trembling hand.

he's gone over the average dosage. that isn't good. he really needs to get it together.
]

… My case was on the milder end of it and was stable until recently. If you're worried… don't be. It'll be at least… a year… before we really need to start worrying.

[ they do not talk about the steep decline until then, as he assumes he'll be well out of here before it becomes blatantly obvious. it's fine. ]
selfconcept: (pic#14475738)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-09 05:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's gone through a lot........ living long with his own toxic yaoi doesn't help make it better

Anyway, it's really hard to believe that when he sees the oripathy do such a number on Elysium firsthand. He's felt it too, that day, how much it suffocates and hurts so much to the point of tears. He wants to talk about it. He really does. However, Hien will keep his mouth shut.
]

"... I can take you—"

[ —to his room, until he remembers that he was probably rooming with Thorns?

...
]

"—to a bed. Can you stand?"
transmit: (pic#17757035)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-09 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's fine because that's just the originium trying to coalesce :)… once it becomes a shiny rock, it passes, until however long it takes for the next cycle.

anyhow.
]

… It'll kick in soon. Don't. I don't want to run into anyone or anything else.
selfconcept: (pic#14394391)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-09 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...

Hien still keeps his hand on Elysium's shoulder to help him balance.
]

"Do you want to stay up here?"

[ It's a genuine question, nonjudgmental. ]
transmit: (pic#17757034)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ expecting an actual answer from him is hilarious. he stays quiet until he's sure he can balance on his own feet, then slowly disentangles himself from hien and staggers back. he doesn't quite look all there. ]

Aren't you curious what this week's maze is going to be? It should be up soon.
selfconcept: (pic#14355196)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hien feels even more concerned when he sees Elysium in his current state. He lets him go, but will be ready to catch him at any time. That's why he keeps an eye on him instead of the maze, and there's not much that will get him to look away. ]

"... I've never been curious about it. I can always learn later, one way or another."
transmit: (pic#18060234)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 09:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ looks at clock. haki…

he lets out a soft breath. it's hard to tell what emotion it carries, his expression locked into a carefully stiff smile.
]

That was your cue to say you were and go check it out.

[ as time passes, it gets easier to steady himself, deep breaths evening out before he rolls his shoulders back into something resembling posture that feels more familiar. ]

… Is pity what's keeping you here? Or is it an inability to look away from someone who’s struggling? If I had to pick, I'd say neither sounds right.

[ like he's taunting an answer out of hien. ]
selfconcept: (pic#15107727)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ (・∀・)ノ

Hien looks at the smile, hears his words, and
]

"Do you really want to know why?"

[ calls him out, as if it'll be something Elysium doesn't want to hear. ]
transmit: (pic#17757022)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ he's already torched one relationship. what's another? ]

You look like you've been wanting to say something this entire time. Why hold back?
Edited 2026-01-10 09:14 (UTC)
selfconcept: (pic#14357543)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hien doesn't say anything to that. Instead, he just holds out a hand towards Elysium. ]
transmit: (pic#17630163)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 09:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ he also doesn't have anything to put into this hand… he just looks at it. ]
selfconcept: (pic#14396379)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 09:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hien keeps holding out his hand, waiting and waiting. He doesn't care how stupid it makes him look.

But that's all he does. Wait.
]
transmit: (pic#17655024)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 09:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ elysium reaches out—but only to place something in hien's hand. it only becomes obvious what they are when he pulls his hand away.






they're feet pictures.
]
selfconcept: . (pic#14355297)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 09:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hien looks down at the pictures.

... ... ...

???
]
transmit: (pic#17757043)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 09:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ conveniently, they can be of his closest purgastory cr. you're welcome. ]

You're the one who had his hand out…
selfconcept: . (pic#14259281)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 09:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hien cannot identify people by feet... so unless these are labeled, he wouldn't know whose feet these are. ]

"Is this your way of telling me you want pictures of mine..."
transmit: (pic#17211064)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 10:00 am (UTC)(link)
Yours are probably already in here somewhere.

[



dumps the rest of the feet pictures onto hien since in this universe i do not need to hold onto them to shitpost.
]
selfconcept: . (pic#14355293)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 10:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ OKAY?

Hien looks through them some more.
]

"Some of you need pedicures. Jeez."
transmit: (pic#18187083)

[personal profile] transmit 2026-01-10 10:09 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah? Looks like you have something to keep yourself busy with, then. Good for you.

[ excuse him as he tries to

book it from this roof. as hien is distracted by feet.
]
selfconcept: . (pic#16537109)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2026-01-10 10:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ He'll let Elysium go, but then he looks back at the pictures. What the fuck.


Okay.
]