((Hello! I'm Megs. The following are my general RP rules and all that. Most of it is basic stuff.
Mun is in her 30s, US Pacific time zone.
Open to shipping, though anything smut would be fade-to-black for my own sanity.
I do not have any triggers but am happy to tag up on request.
Additionally, I am perfectly fine RPing sensitive topics, but I will be taking them seriously and not use them casually or as a joke. So do not approach me about plots for such topics unless you are willing to at least try to treat them respectfully.
Older ask/inbox memes and open starters are fair game and will be tagged. I just may need to be reminded if it is an older one.
Drabbles can be referenced if you'd like but I would prefer they not be reblogged necessarily. Or at least ask me first. If you want to make it the basis of a thread though, we can link it in the first post of said thread.
I may not always have full knowledge of a fandom or established verse before diving into it, but I will try. So do let me know if I have something egregiously wrong.
I work full time though I work from home. So while I may be available during work hours, I can't guarantee it. That and my family obviously come first.
If there are any PVP threads, determinations will be made by dice roll to be fair. Though the specifics of it will be discussed beforehand.
thank you for sending it in anyway lol. but my raph is a big fan of his brothers and devotes his free time to them willingly. he even actually goes fishing on a boat out on a lake with one of them.
((mine does as well, I prolly could have worded it differently lol. I was trying to get at the feeling of wanting to go fishing but keeps being taken out of it because of one reason or another. But totally good!
((I know it's been a while but I'm trying to get back into this. Feeling like Emily today, so let me know if you want anything with her! Have a few different verses:
Hazbin Hotel - more or less canon but flexible with headcanons. Available at any point in her timeline
Modern verse - Event planner born and raised in NYC. Loves roller skating, ice skating, and knows tons of niche spots in the city, finding joy in the little things
Band AU - same as modern verse except she's a ballerina.
Other - I'm willing to explore her in other verses as well, though it may take a sec to come up with, just let me know.
Hazel sat in the empty prison cell of a small waiting room as he anticipated a verdict that would change his life irreparably. And irreparable it was, as it was explained to him that she didnāt make it. The dose was too high? Or maybe there were other, stronger drugs mixed in? They wouldnāt know until her labs came back. That was just the risk of doing illegal drugs, you could never be sure what was in them, a Russian roulette with every injection. And this time she lost. Everyone lost.
He only prayed that it was painless, they use opioids as pain medication right? He forced himself to believe she didnāt suffer and remembered the relief in her eyes when she saw him in some of her last moments. Now, he has to pick up the pieces. And some of those pieces were Atom and GG bursting through the door to find out what the hell was going on. There was no one else to tell them.
@danger-tits-lute
Fate was truly cruel to the man. The woman he loved, gone in a blink of an eye, his whole world shattered in an instant when the Doctor broke him the news. His ears shut off after the moment heās informed of her passing, his head swam, light headed, taking a seat as everything became so muffled around him. A touch to his shoulder goes unnoticed, unfelt as he stares into his hands as if they were sullied with her blood.
He should have gotten her help, real help, not trying to play hero and pretend that what she was going through could be handled by someone with no experience. Tears streamed from his eyes as he asked himself in his head, what was the last thing he said to her? What was the last thing she heard? What was her last thought? Did she see him? Was she in pain? How could he have been so stupid! She was so important to him, so incredible, so beautiful and had so much to say and doā¦. But she was gone.
What were his last words to her?
Hazel would have to live his life experiencing new things and questioning if Lute would have liked it, what she would say, what she would want to do.
What was the last thing he said to her?
āIā¦Itās all my-ā
Then the doors opened to the waiting room and two men walk in, frantic.
āWhere is she? Whatās going on??ā
āHazel! What the fuck happened?? Whereās Lute??ā
Hazel looked up to the two of them and realizedā¦ Theyāve known her for so much longer than he has. He should haveā¦ involved them, not kept it a secretā¦ why the fuck did he keep it to himself???
āLuteā¦. Lute had been struggling forā¦ a long timeā¦ā
āThe fuck does that mean??ā
Hazel shakingly stands, hands at his sides, he couldnāt meet their gaze as more tears slipped down his eyes slowly. A true waterfall of slow tears as he spoke āSheāsā¦ Sheās gone. I thought I could help her, I thought that maybe, given timeā¦ā
Smack!!
Suddenly Hazel was punched, he stumbles back and everyone in the room now looked to the group, some nurses whispering among themselves, probably to start calling security. But when Hazel looked up, the culprit of who threw the punch was his band leader himself.
āYouā¦ You fucking asshole!ā GG grabbed Hazel by his collar, pulling him up. āWhat did you keep from us?! Why?! What makes you the authority over her?! You didnāt even know her for more than a year! She was our friend! Our family!!! You had no right! No right at all!ā GGās cheeks were damp with tears, his teeth clenched down tight, pained angry whines coming from his throat as the woman who was the closest person he had to a sister was gone and he didnāt even have a chance to stop it.
Hazel bit back anger but some slipped out as he grabbed the manās wrist, tight. āIf you would have let her just play her fucking music then sheād still be alive!ā He snaps. āBut your reputation and control made you blind to how much pain she was in!! I was trying to help while you made the problem so much worse with your selfishness!ā
GG let Hazel go, hands falling to his sides, but Hazel wasnāt done. āShe was passionate about the music she made and you took it for granted, used her for some quick and easy music so you could get ahead of what? Your other best friend that you have some silly rivalry with? If you took a minute to grow the fuck up then maybe sheād still-ā
āALRIGHT!ā
GG yelled, unable to take a deep breath, huddling in a seat and covering his ears, rocking slowly. āPleaseā¦ Iāmā¦. Iām sorry. I didnāt knowā¦ I would have let her if I knewā¦ I would haveā¦ fuckā¦ Luteā¦ā he sobbed in his seat.
Atom moves and puts a hand on GGās shoulder, he too was to blame. He looked to Hazel, his eyes filling with tears. āā¦I guess Iām next huh? Yea. I know weāve been growing apart, I justā¦ had my own shit going on. But if you would have told usā¦.. what the fuck Hazel?? What were you thinking?ā His tone is awfully quiet for the normally loud lead guitarist but the was a new growing void within him, all the years spent with Lute, all the holidays, her smile, her kindness. How could he not feel defeated? Like a failure. What was he gonna tell his dadā¦?
Hazel moved and leaned his forehead against the wall nearby. Justā¦ trying to breathe, wishing he could hear her voice one last time, that this was all a prank and sheād walk out to see them and laugh that they were being so dramatic butā¦ that wouldnāt happen. Heā¦ wonāt ever get to hear her voice again. Wonāt even get to hear her singā¦ They all failed her, she was in need of so much help and none of them took the right road to heal herā¦
All they could do now is justā¦ Stand and wait in silence.
Eventually GG left with Atom to go call his dead. It left Hazel alone. Sitting in a chair within the waiting room trying to Remember everything about her so he wouldnāt forget. Her laugh, her smile, her favorite food, artist, composer, coffeeā¦ anything he could cling on to so he would never forget the one girl heās loved with all his heart.
At least everyone here is suitably aghast on Lute's behalf. Not that he suspected that they wouldn't, but it was good to know that she truly was well cared for. Adam seemed especially outraged, though being the only one here with parental experience, it made sense. While Raphael himself never planned to become a parent, he had played enough of that role with his younger brothers to understand it some degree. It truly was sickening.
His shoulders sagged somewhat when a comforting hand was placed there. Not so much weighing him down, but giving him permission to release. "Thank you. I needed those words." The doctor pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to the man. It wasn't really a business card for his medical career, but the one he used for the music side of his life. It felt more appropriate here than anything else. "Not that I suspect you will, but in case you have left before I am done, we can stay in touch. If you would permit me, I would like to help with whatever arrangements are necessary. Regardless, I would be honored to join you for dinner to tell you more about my time with her and hearing how you have all taught her what it truly means to have a family."
With that, he finally stood, gave a nod, and entered the room with the body of the girl he once cared for. He had seen bodies before. Hers, even. But that was usually when there was blood and guts and tubes and machines and adrenaline. Not this. It was completely different a stillness that Raphael didn't often have the displeasure of experiencing. He was always on the move. Next problem. Next patient. Keep moving. People suffer when you stop moving.
But now that still silence lay over everything like a thick fog. A cloud unable to soar in the sky, but left sitting in Earth. He had already mourned earlier and thought that would be the last of it, but seeing her now in this state, every issue, injury inflicted in trying to save her, flickered across his mind as if trying to evaluate where he went wrong.
The man knelt by the bedside as a tired parent might do for a sick child, or to be in prayer. He was Catholic, but not nearly as disciplined as he used to be. Carefully he smoothed out the sheets.
"I am sorry, little Song Bird. I failed to save you a second time."
Hazel sat in the empty prison cell of a small waiting room as he anticipated a verdict that would change his life irreparably. And irreparable it was, as it was explained to him that she didnāt make it. The dose was too high? Or maybe there were other, stronger drugs mixed in? They wouldnāt know until her labs came back. That was just the risk of doing illegal drugs, you could never be sure what was in them, a Russian roulette with every injection. And this time she lost. Everyone lost.
He only prayed that it was painless, they use opioids as pain medication right? He forced himself to believe she didnāt suffer and remembered the relief in her eyes when she saw him in some of her last moments. Now, he has to pick up the pieces. And some of those pieces were Atom and GG bursting through the door to find out what the hell was going on. There was no one else to tell them.
@danger-tits-lute
Fate was truly cruel to the man. The woman he loved, gone in a blink of an eye, his whole world shattered in an instant when the Doctor broke him the news. His ears shut off after the moment heās informed of her passing, his head swam, light headed, taking a seat as everything became so muffled around him. A touch to his shoulder goes unnoticed, unfelt as he stares into his hands as if they were sullied with her blood.
He should have gotten her help, real help, not trying to play hero and pretend that what she was going through could be handled by someone with no experience. Tears streamed from his eyes as he asked himself in his head, what was the last thing he said to her? What was the last thing she heard? What was her last thought? Did she see him? Was she in pain? How could he have been so stupid! She was so important to him, so incredible, so beautiful and had so much to say and doā¦. But she was gone.
What were his last words to her?
Hazel would have to live his life experiencing new things and questioning if Lute would have liked it, what she would say, what she would want to do.
What was the last thing he said to her?
āIā¦Itās all my-ā
Then the doors opened to the waiting room and two men walk in, frantic.
āWhere is she? Whatās going on??ā
āHazel! What the fuck happened?? Whereās Lute??ā
Hazel looked up to the two of them and realizedā¦ Theyāve known her for so much longer than he has. He should haveā¦ involved them, not kept it a secretā¦ why the fuck did he keep it to himself???
āLuteā¦. Lute had been struggling forā¦ a long timeā¦ā
āThe fuck does that mean??ā
Hazel shakingly stands, hands at his sides, he couldnāt meet their gaze as more tears slipped down his eyes slowly. A true waterfall of slow tears as he spoke āSheāsā¦ Sheās gone. I thought I could help her, I thought that maybe, given timeā¦ā
Smack!!
Suddenly Hazel was punched, he stumbles back and everyone in the room now looked to the group, some nurses whispering among themselves, probably to start calling security. But when Hazel looked up, the culprit of who threw the punch was his band leader himself.
āYouā¦ You fucking asshole!ā GG grabbed Hazel by his collar, pulling him up. āWhat did you keep from us?! Why?! What makes you the authority over her?! You didnāt even know her for more than a year! She was our friend! Our family!!! You had no right! No right at all!ā GGās cheeks were damp with tears, his teeth clenched down tight, pained angry whines coming from his throat as the woman who was the closest person he had to a sister was gone and he didnāt even have a chance to stop it.
Hazel bit back anger but some slipped out as he grabbed the manās wrist, tight. āIf you would have let her just play her fucking music then sheād still be alive!ā He snaps. āBut your reputation and control made you blind to how much pain she was in!! I was trying to help while you made the problem so much worse with your selfishness!ā
GG let Hazel go, hands falling to his sides, but Hazel wasnāt done. āShe was passionate about the music she made and you took it for granted, used her for some quick and easy music so you could get ahead of what? Your other best friend that you have some silly rivalry with? If you took a minute to grow the fuck up then maybe sheād still-ā
āALRIGHT!ā
GG yelled, unable to take a deep breath, huddling in a seat and covering his ears, rocking slowly. āPleaseā¦ Iāmā¦. Iām sorry. I didnāt knowā¦ I would have let her if I knewā¦ I would haveā¦ fuckā¦ Luteā¦ā he sobbed in his seat.
Atom moves and puts a hand on GGās shoulder, he too was to blame. He looked to Hazel, his eyes filling with tears. āā¦I guess Iām next huh? Yea. I know weāve been growing apart, I justā¦ had my own shit going on. But if you would have told usā¦.. what the fuck Hazel?? What were you thinking?ā His tone is awfully quiet for the normally loud lead guitarist but the was a new growing void within him, all the years spent with Lute, all the holidays, her smile, her kindness. How could he not feel defeated? Like a failure. What was he gonna tell his dadā¦?
Hazel moved and leaned his forehead against the wall nearby. Justā¦ trying to breathe, wishing he could hear her voice one last time, that this was all a prank and sheād walk out to see them and laugh that they were being so dramatic butā¦ that wouldnāt happen. Heā¦ wonāt ever get to hear her voice again. Wonāt even get to hear her singā¦ They all failed her, she was in need of so much help and none of them took the right road to heal herā¦
All they could do now is justā¦ Stand and wait in silence.
Eventually GG left with Atom to go call his dead. It left Hazel alone. Sitting in a chair within the waiting room trying to Remember everything about her so he wouldnāt forget. Her laugh, her smile, her favorite food, artist, composer, coffeeā¦ anything he could cling on to so he would never forget the one girl heās loved with all his heart.
A relief washed over his weary soul. Not only would he be allowed his apology, but he would be invited for dinner, at least once. A rejection would have been understandable. Liora truly had been in good hands. "If it would not be an intrusion, I would be honored to join you all. I would love to get to know the woman she became." There was a soft yearning to his voice. He had missed out on so much. He wanted to know what she was like when she was happy. Truly happy.
The questions came quickly. It seems that Liora didn't share much of her prior life. It made sense, seeing as how she disappeared and never returned home. That these men knew her as Lute. The man nodded and held his hands up to gently ask them to quiet themselves to tell a brief version of his connection. He sat down on one of the chairs. He'd spent the last several hours on his feet, after all.
"As I mentioned, when I was in college, I needed funds to continue my education and became a tutor. Even after graduation, I had planned to go to medical school, so I continued as I worked to qualify and then enroll. It was during this time her parents hired me to be Liora's sole teacher, homeschooling her rather than enroll her into public education. I was chosen since I not only had a strong background in all subjects, I am also skilled in music. My other passion in addition to medicine. She was six years old at the time. Every other day, barring a few exceptions, for seven years. I taught her in all subjects to the best of my ability. She was a good student when she wanted to be, though for most subjects, I had to relate it back to music in order to hold her attention."
Raphael had a small smile as he remembered some of the convoluted justifications he had to make in some areas.
"Her parents let me teach her anything I wanted, but they were... Opinionated when it came to music. I did teach her about the composers, musical notation, musical traditions in other cultures, the cello. But if it wasn't classical, it wasn't allowed. I even made classical covers of popular songs and had my brothers help me record them just to give her at least some variety. Though I couldn't choose anything her parents would recognize either. The only times she heard non-classical music was when I took her on a yearly field trip outside of her home. It had to be educational, but I tried to take her places she could still have fun. The science museum, the zoo... Such a talented little girl, but her wings were clipped. I tried so hard to let her see out of that gilded cage."
The whole group was eating up all the information about her they could get. Raph was like a vault of secrets that had cracked open and the four were able to get out all the information they could think. There was certainly a lot questions too, but what was given to them so far was more than they could have hoped for.
This man had done so much for her as a mentor and a friend, hearing how Lute wasnāt allowed to go to public school made sense to GG and Atom as they were first to see her in social settings, completely fumbling through ānormalā conversations. How they were able to befriend her was both pure luck and an honor.
For Hazel, he felt even more of a kinship with her as his own parents werenāt too keen on public schooling and heavily controlled his exposure to music. If only they had more time to talk about it all, maybe thatās why he was so incredibly attracted to her.
āAnd what of her parents? Why arenāt they here now?ā As a Father, Adam didnāt understand why in the world they wouldnāt be here. No child should be so horribly disconnected with their own flesh and blood that they wouldnāt arrive when they had passed. But the boys knew why, sort of, all they knew was her parents wereā¦ awful to her.
By the way they all listened, it was clear that Lute had not told them much, if anything about her past. Made sense if they didn't even know her real name. There was a moment of pause at Adam's question.
"The hospital has not yet contacted the Sterlings but... I do not recommend they come here. I know in most cases they would, but I must advocate for what is best for my patient."
Even when that patient has passed, but he couldn't say that part out loud. Not yet.
"Her parents were very particular about things. Restrictive, especially when it came to writing music. It was presented as assignments for her and I did not think to question it, even looking over some of it and giving I out when she wanted it. But when she was thirteen, she had come across a letter. I forget the exact details, but they were concerning an upcoming album her parents was in the process of publishing. But the music were compositions that Liora wrote. Each one. She confronted me and asked me if I knew but... I didn't. I had no idea."
The tired doctor sighed, deeply, taking a moment to compose his next thought. "By this time, I had gotten into medical school, studied, passed my tests, and began my residency. I never intended to keep tutoring nearly that long and I had left my other students, but I could not just leave her. Still, I was exhausted. With everything, I was hardly getting any sleep, working long hours, and what little time I had, I was tutoring her. When I found out about what happened, I... Got angry. I confronted them. They didn't see any problems with it. That they had been stealing her work since she was eight. No credit. No recognition. She had no idea. They felt that since she was their daughter, everything she made belonged to them by right. And since I had made such an accusation, I was fired. Immediately. No contact with Liora or face lawsuits I couldn't possibly afford to defend myself. After all, I was about the age she is now, more or less. So that was it. I was gone and I had no way of contacting her, even when she became an adult. I had hoped that one day she would reach out to me, but I never saw her until... This."
There were too many what-ifs but they hardly mattered any more. This whole thing, telling this story, was kind of cathartic. Like he was at confessional. Something he hadn't done in a touch too long.
Hazel sat in the empty prison cell of a small waiting room as he anticipated a verdict that would change his life irreparably. And irreparable it was, as it was explained to him that she didnāt make it. The dose was too high? Or maybe there were other, stronger drugs mixed in? They wouldnāt know until her labs came back. That was just the risk of doing illegal drugs, you could never be sure what was in them, a Russian roulette with every injection. And this time she lost. Everyone lost.
He only prayed that it was painless, they use opioids as pain medication right? He forced himself to believe she didnāt suffer and remembered the relief in her eyes when she saw him in some of her last moments. Now, he has to pick up the pieces. And some of those pieces were Atom and GG bursting through the door to find out what the hell was going on. There was no one else to tell them.
@danger-tits-lute
Fate was truly cruel to the man. The woman he loved, gone in a blink of an eye, his whole world shattered in an instant when the Doctor broke him the news. His ears shut off after the moment heās informed of her passing, his head swam, light headed, taking a seat as everything became so muffled around him. A touch to his shoulder goes unnoticed, unfelt as he stares into his hands as if they were sullied with her blood.
He should have gotten her help, real help, not trying to play hero and pretend that what she was going through could be handled by someone with no experience. Tears streamed from his eyes as he asked himself in his head, what was the last thing he said to her? What was the last thing she heard? What was her last thought? Did she see him? Was she in pain? How could he have been so stupid! She was so important to him, so incredible, so beautiful and had so much to say and doā¦. But she was gone.
What were his last words to her?
Hazel would have to live his life experiencing new things and questioning if Lute would have liked it, what she would say, what she would want to do.
What was the last thing he said to her?
āIā¦Itās all my-ā
Then the doors opened to the waiting room and two men walk in, frantic.
āWhere is she? Whatās going on??ā
āHazel! What the fuck happened?? Whereās Lute??ā
Hazel looked up to the two of them and realizedā¦ Theyāve known her for so much longer than he has. He should haveā¦ involved them, not kept it a secretā¦ why the fuck did he keep it to himself???
āLuteā¦. Lute had been struggling forā¦ a long timeā¦ā
āThe fuck does that mean??ā
Hazel shakingly stands, hands at his sides, he couldnāt meet their gaze as more tears slipped down his eyes slowly. A true waterfall of slow tears as he spoke āSheāsā¦ Sheās gone. I thought I could help her, I thought that maybe, given timeā¦ā
Smack!!
Suddenly Hazel was punched, he stumbles back and everyone in the room now looked to the group, some nurses whispering among themselves, probably to start calling security. But when Hazel looked up, the culprit of who threw the punch was his band leader himself.
āYouā¦ You fucking asshole!ā GG grabbed Hazel by his collar, pulling him up. āWhat did you keep from us?! Why?! What makes you the authority over her?! You didnāt even know her for more than a year! She was our friend! Our family!!! You had no right! No right at all!ā GGās cheeks were damp with tears, his teeth clenched down tight, pained angry whines coming from his throat as the woman who was the closest person he had to a sister was gone and he didnāt even have a chance to stop it.
Hazel bit back anger but some slipped out as he grabbed the manās wrist, tight. āIf you would have let her just play her fucking music then sheād still be alive!ā He snaps. āBut your reputation and control made you blind to how much pain she was in!! I was trying to help while you made the problem so much worse with your selfishness!ā
GG let Hazel go, hands falling to his sides, but Hazel wasnāt done. āShe was passionate about the music she made and you took it for granted, used her for some quick and easy music so you could get ahead of what? Your other best friend that you have some silly rivalry with? If you took a minute to grow the fuck up then maybe sheād still-ā
āALRIGHT!ā
GG yelled, unable to take a deep breath, huddling in a seat and covering his ears, rocking slowly. āPleaseā¦ Iāmā¦. Iām sorry. I didnāt knowā¦ I would have let her if I knewā¦ I would haveā¦ fuckā¦ Luteā¦ā he sobbed in his seat.
Atom moves and puts a hand on GGās shoulder, he too was to blame. He looked to Hazel, his eyes filling with tears. āā¦I guess Iām next huh? Yea. I know weāve been growing apart, I justā¦ had my own shit going on. But if you would have told usā¦.. what the fuck Hazel?? What were you thinking?ā His tone is awfully quiet for the normally loud lead guitarist but the was a new growing void within him, all the years spent with Lute, all the holidays, her smile, her kindness. How could he not feel defeated? Like a failure. What was he gonna tell his dadā¦?
Hazel moved and leaned his forehead against the wall nearby. Justā¦ trying to breathe, wishing he could hear her voice one last time, that this was all a prank and sheād walk out to see them and laugh that they were being so dramatic butā¦ that wouldnāt happen. Heā¦ wonāt ever get to hear her voice again. Wonāt even get to hear her singā¦ They all failed her, she was in need of so much help and none of them took the right road to heal herā¦
All they could do now is justā¦ Stand and wait in silence.
Eventually GG left with Atom to go call his dead. It left Hazel alone. Sitting in a chair within the waiting room trying to Remember everything about her so he wouldnāt forget. Her laugh, her smile, her favorite food, artist, composer, coffeeā¦ anything he could cling on to so he would never forget the one girl heās loved with all his heart.
A relief washed over his weary soul. Not only would he be allowed his apology, but he would be invited for dinner, at least once. A rejection would have been understandable. Liora truly had been in good hands. "If it would not be an intrusion, I would be honored to join you all. I would love to get to know the woman she became." There was a soft yearning to his voice. He had missed out on so much. He wanted to know what she was like when she was happy. Truly happy.
The questions came quickly. It seems that Liora didn't share much of her prior life. It made sense, seeing as how she disappeared and never returned home. That these men knew her as Lute. The man nodded and held his hands up to gently ask them to quiet themselves to tell a brief version of his connection. He sat down on one of the chairs. He'd spent the last several hours on his feet, after all.
"As I mentioned, when I was in college, I needed funds to continue my education and became a tutor. Even after graduation, I had planned to go to medical school, so I continued as I worked to qualify and then enroll. It was during this time her parents hired me to be Liora's sole teacher, homeschooling her rather than enroll her into public education. I was chosen since I not only had a strong background in all subjects, I am also skilled in music. My other passion in addition to medicine. She was six years old at the time. Every other day, barring a few exceptions, for seven years. I taught her in all subjects to the best of my ability. She was a good student when she wanted to be, though for most subjects, I had to relate it back to music in order to hold her attention."
Raphael had a small smile as he remembered some of the convoluted justifications he had to make in some areas.
"Her parents let me teach her anything I wanted, but they were... Opinionated when it came to music. I did teach her about the composers, musical notation, musical traditions in other cultures, the cello. But if it wasn't classical, it wasn't allowed. I even made classical covers of popular songs and had my brothers help me record them just to give her at least some variety. Though I couldn't choose anything her parents would recognize either. The only times she heard non-classical music was when I took her on a yearly field trip outside of her home. It had to be educational, but I tried to take her places she could still have fun. The science museum, the zoo... Such a talented little girl, but her wings were clipped. I tried so hard to let her see out of that gilded cage."
Hazel sat in the empty prison cell of a small waiting room as he anticipated a verdict that would change his life irreparably. And irreparable it was, as it was explained to him that she didnāt make it. The dose was too high? Or maybe there were other, stronger drugs mixed in? They wouldnāt know until her labs came back. That was just the risk of doing illegal drugs, you could never be sure what was in them, a Russian roulette with every injection. And this time she lost. Everyone lost.
He only prayed that it was painless, they use opioids as pain medication right? He forced himself to believe she didnāt suffer and remembered the relief in her eyes when she saw him in some of her last moments. Now, he has to pick up the pieces. And some of those pieces were Atom and GG bursting through the door to find out what the hell was going on. There was no one else to tell them.
@danger-tits-lute
Fate was truly cruel to the man. The woman he loved, gone in a blink of an eye, his whole world shattered in an instant when the Doctor broke him the news. His ears shut off after the moment heās informed of her passing, his head swam, light headed, taking a seat as everything became so muffled around him. A touch to his shoulder goes unnoticed, unfelt as he stares into his hands as if they were sullied with her blood.
He should have gotten her help, real help, not trying to play hero and pretend that what she was going through could be handled by someone with no experience. Tears streamed from his eyes as he asked himself in his head, what was the last thing he said to her? What was the last thing she heard? What was her last thought? Did she see him? Was she in pain? How could he have been so stupid! She was so important to him, so incredible, so beautiful and had so much to say and doā¦. But she was gone.
What were his last words to her?
Hazel would have to live his life experiencing new things and questioning if Lute would have liked it, what she would say, what she would want to do.
What was the last thing he said to her?
āIā¦Itās all my-ā
Then the doors opened to the waiting room and two men walk in, frantic.
āWhere is she? Whatās going on??ā
āHazel! What the fuck happened?? Whereās Lute??ā
Hazel looked up to the two of them and realizedā¦ Theyāve known her for so much longer than he has. He should haveā¦ involved them, not kept it a secretā¦ why the fuck did he keep it to himself???
āLuteā¦. Lute had been struggling forā¦ a long timeā¦ā
āThe fuck does that mean??ā
Hazel shakingly stands, hands at his sides, he couldnāt meet their gaze as more tears slipped down his eyes slowly. A true waterfall of slow tears as he spoke āSheāsā¦ Sheās gone. I thought I could help her, I thought that maybe, given timeā¦ā
Smack!!
Suddenly Hazel was punched, he stumbles back and everyone in the room now looked to the group, some nurses whispering among themselves, probably to start calling security. But when Hazel looked up, the culprit of who threw the punch was his band leader himself.
āYouā¦ You fucking asshole!ā GG grabbed Hazel by his collar, pulling him up. āWhat did you keep from us?! Why?! What makes you the authority over her?! You didnāt even know her for more than a year! She was our friend! Our family!!! You had no right! No right at all!ā GGās cheeks were damp with tears, his teeth clenched down tight, pained angry whines coming from his throat as the woman who was the closest person he had to a sister was gone and he didnāt even have a chance to stop it.
Hazel bit back anger but some slipped out as he grabbed the manās wrist, tight. āIf you would have let her just play her fucking music then sheād still be alive!ā He snaps. āBut your reputation and control made you blind to how much pain she was in!! I was trying to help while you made the problem so much worse with your selfishness!ā
GG let Hazel go, hands falling to his sides, but Hazel wasnāt done. āShe was passionate about the music she made and you took it for granted, used her for some quick and easy music so you could get ahead of what? Your other best friend that you have some silly rivalry with? If you took a minute to grow the fuck up then maybe sheād still-ā
āALRIGHT!ā
GG yelled, unable to take a deep breath, huddling in a seat and covering his ears, rocking slowly. āPleaseā¦ Iāmā¦. Iām sorry. I didnāt knowā¦ I would have let her if I knewā¦ I would haveā¦ fuckā¦ Luteā¦ā he sobbed in his seat.
Atom moves and puts a hand on GGās shoulder, he too was to blame. He looked to Hazel, his eyes filling with tears. āā¦I guess Iām next huh? Yea. I know weāve been growing apart, I justā¦ had my own shit going on. But if you would have told usā¦.. what the fuck Hazel?? What were you thinking?ā His tone is awfully quiet for the normally loud lead guitarist but the was a new growing void within him, all the years spent with Lute, all the holidays, her smile, her kindness. How could he not feel defeated? Like a failure. What was he gonna tell his dadā¦?
Hazel moved and leaned his forehead against the wall nearby. Justā¦ trying to breathe, wishing he could hear her voice one last time, that this was all a prank and sheād walk out to see them and laugh that they were being so dramatic butā¦ that wouldnāt happen. Heā¦ wonāt ever get to hear her voice again. Wonāt even get to hear her singā¦ They all failed her, she was in need of so much help and none of them took the right road to heal herā¦
All they could do now is justā¦ Stand and wait in silence.
Eventually GG left with Atom to go call his dead. It left Hazel alone. Sitting in a chair within the waiting room trying to Remember everything about her so he wouldnāt forget. Her laugh, her smile, her favorite food, artist, composer, coffeeā¦ anything he could cling on to so he would never forget the one girl heās loved with all his heart.
Staff never bothered the people mourning in this unit; families had near 12 hours and it's rare someone ever stays that long. They have seen people stay in the rooms for hours, so when 2 hours had passed by, none of the staff considered Hazel to be staying past his welcome with her. She certainly wouldn't have.
There was, however, a matter of some paperwork and questions about other family members joining the group already there so the charge nurse made her way to the waiting room, knocking softly on the open door.
"Hi there, don't worry, you all are fine to keep staying. I was just wondering... the man with the black hair, he mentioned contacting some other family of Lute's? Will they be joining you? I have some paperwork that just needs filling out but I can wait to hand it off to them if you prefer." in her hands she held a stack of papers, thicker than either boy thought it would be.
After receiving the appropriate information and a nod from the father figure in the room, the woman bent down to explain each paper, handing him the clipboard and a pen, the boys looking on as if their input were an integral part of the process.
"Okay, so here we have the release form for her body; it gives us authorization to transport her to the funeral home of your choice, which you'll list here. If you don't know of any, I'm happy to look some up for you and give my recommendations. All you need to do is ask." That would be unnecessary; all of this explaining was. Adam had done this before but she continued, flipping each new page and giving a breakdown of its purpose. "This is the inventory and receipt of her personal effects; please make sure you have everything on the list before signing, we don't want anything important to go missing."
Flip.
"This here is autopsy consent and organ donation; if those are applicable, it's one hundred percent up to you."
Flip.
"And these two are a release form for her medical records and information on obtaining the death certificate."
It was so much. How was anyone expected to understand these things while in the shock and pain of their loss? She always tried to go as slow as possible, but the older man just nodded through each explanation as if he had heard this all before so the two younger members in the room were slightly bombarded with the information faster than she would have said otherwise. At least they had their father; they weren't doing this alone.
"Oh and there's no rush or anything, but sometimes it's helpful for a family member to go in and check on the person in the room, just to make sure everything is okay. The other boy is welcome to stay there as long as he wants; we just don't prefer to disturb people ourselves if family is there to check on things." She was slightly concerned about how quiet it was in there, but she had seen all kinds of grief, from loud to silent; there was no judgment from her. "Is there anything else you need? Anything I can get you? The cafeteria should be opening in about 30 minutes if any of you want some food but we have a vending machine right down the hallway to the right as well. I'll just be at the desk, okay?"
She gave a sympathetic nod as she exited, leaving them to their tasks of paperwork and checking on the heartbroken bassist still in her room after so long.
A solemn nod, still, he looks over the paperwork as the nurse walks away. As he does so, Adamās eyes look over to his son, motioning for him to go to the room and check on the two like the Nurse had suggested before quietly turning back to the sheets of paper.
Ahab takes a deep breath, unsure of if he could see her again like that, on top of intruding on Hazel and his private moment with her. But once again he shoves it down and āmans upā to go and have a look.
What he saw was a sad sight, Hazel had made himself room on the bed, holding her like she was the only thing that existed in this world, even though she was far gone by now. He felt like a dick when intruding like this, walking slowly over to the bed, seeing his hand holding hers while he slept. Unfortunately, Ahab would be the person to wake the man up and bring him back to this shitty reality.
āHey man, itās been awhileā¦ you good?ā He puts his hand on Hazelās shoulder, lightly shrugging him awake.
Hazel slowly wakes up, it takes his brain a moment to realize that he wasnāt cuddling with Lute in his bed anymore but her body in the hospital. The moment his eyes lock onto her, heās silent, it takes a long moment for him to respond to Ahab when he wakes up. With a nod of his head, he turns slightly to face the man. āYea. Sorryā¦ justā¦ saying goodbye.ā
āI get it. Really. I do. Take your time.ā Ahab said, leaving the room for him to finish up. If thereās one thing thatās for certain in Ahabās mind, itās that he hopes one day that heāll fall in love with someone just as much as Hazel was to Lute.
For Hazel, he knew what the checkup meant, he had exceeded an appropriate amount of time with her, others would want to say their goodbyes too, he was sure. Soon, he slowly sat up, the hand that held Luteās was brought to his lips where he kissed it for one final time as he told her. āI love you, Lute. I always will.ā
With that, he left the room, shutting it gently behind him as to not disturb her.
Raphael's shift had just ended. Despite a brief breakdown that made some of the others close to kicking him out entirely, he had thrown himself into the work. He wouldn't, couldn't allow others to suffer due to his grief. There would be time for that, but not until after.
And now was that time.
Typically, he wouldn't visit the lost patients down here, especially if he had been the one to fail them, except, perhaps, if they didn't have family. But this was different. Raphael actually knew the recently deceased and it broke his heart. Freshly showered in the locker room to remove the viscera, blood, and other splatters from himself, he brought up the courage to make his way down to the quiet ward. He had hoped that those who were visiting Liora, or Lute as he heard her be called, had left by now. Mostly for selfish reasons. He wasn't sure if he could bear seeing them right now. But he had failed her all those years ago, and then he failed her again. If this was his atonement, then so be it.
Cautiously he approached and observed quietly for a few moments. He wasn't wearing his doctor's coat as he was here as that middle-aged man who knew her as a young child. Not as a doctor. There were several men here, most looked younger and to be about her age, but there was a much older one doing the taxing paperwork that was needed. He thought for a moment on how to enter into things without being disruptive. However, he came to the conclusion that being open would be the best course of action.
"Excuse me. I hate to intrude. I am Dr. Raphael Star. I am... deeply sorry for your loss. I would understand if you would not, but would you permit me to pay my respects to Lior- to Lute?"
The elder man looked up to the man who approached him, asking permission to see his daughter. A cautious blink, the chair creeks as he stands to his feet and holds out a hand to this stranger for a shake. You could really tell a lot about a man by just the way he shook others alone. āMy name is Adam Constantine. Itās nice to meet you.ā He states, the paperwork in his other hand forgotten about for now. āHow do you know Lute? Are you one of the boys friendsā
Adam was tense and on guard, surely anyone would when something so horrible had happened to a loved one. Especially with said loved one being so vulnerable right now, he wouldnāt allow a stranger to see her, but if he was family to her, then heād have no choice.
Atom leaned over to Hazel, whispering āDid you call her family?ā To which Hazel would reply with a silent shake of his head, never seeing this man before in his life or why he would appear now. This man was certainly not a friend of theirs and if he was that would be concerning in its own right.
All they could do for now was wait and hear the man out.
Raphael firmly shook Adam's hand in turn. From his own side, it was the kind of firm that was trying to convince himself that things were... well, not fine, but something he can eventually learn to live with. The other man had clearly known hard work based on the feel of his callouses. Raphael's hands were also rough from washing his hands thousands of procedures he has done. Different type of work, but work nonetheless.
"I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I am glad to know that she found those who cared for her so deeply. I... Was the doctor who was trying to save her, but I knew her before as well." Raphael released Adam's hand and brought his wallet out of his pocket, opening it to show a worn picture of a small girl. Familiar platinum blonde hair stood on end due to the large colorful orb her hands were splayed across. The utter delight on her face as big a smile as she'd ever had.
"When I was in college, I needed to work to stay. I chose to tutor children. Liora, Lute as you knew her, was my best student." As precious as the picture was, he pulled it out to give it to Adam as a matter of respect. "If you would permit me, I would like to apologize to her for failing her. Both times."
"What?! All of them?!" 50 years was a long time to have been trying for redemption, yet it still hadn't happened. What did happen was the fame she never got on Earth, likened to being at the same level as Verosika. The last of her loved ones had finally passed and Emily had been talking to Charlie when she happened upon them in the Hotel sitting room.
Apparently, all of them had demanded she be sent there or come down here with her. Mr. Constantine had even asked to take her place, which caused a warmth to flow through her that she hadn't experienced in who knows how long. She had filled her time in the afterlife helping others be redeemed, working on her music and herself through the hotel, and then influencing others to do the same. Yet there was no salvation for her. She couldn't figure out why.
After Hazel's demand to be sent to hell for not being any more holy than her (though she believed differently), Emily had gathered the tally of people who loved Lute enough to fall for and come to Charlie to organize a plea to the Speaker on Lute's behalf. Sera claimed not to have any information on the subject herself so it was up to the Seraphim of Joy to make things happen! How was it that the sinner had gained enough influence to become the only overlord who had no soul contracts and whose power was hope distilled in the form of her voice but had come no closer to ascending?
"That's ridiculous! Don't you dare let any of them do that! I'll make it up there, they'll see!!" If she could only figure out how.
Charlie certainly appreciated the help that Lute had had over the years. An excellent proof of concept in how a model redemption candidate could be: atonement, never participated in soul contracts in either direction, something that Charlie had long suspected played a role in redemptions, giving back to others both in her own music and helping others find their own outlet. On paper, she should have been redeemed ages ago.
But she hasn't.
Nobody could tell them why.
Emily seemed just as confused, but had a combined sense of anxiousness and optimism about it.
"Well, by all accounts of what we've figured out about redemption so far at least, you shouldn't have any problem! The only Winners that had submitted claims had been resolved long ago, and they were minor at that. Plenty of those who very strongly advocate for you, and no, don't worry, we won't let them fall on your behalf. All other basic criteria for redemption are also met. I'll see what I can dig up about the application. Have faith! We should be getting this squared away soon, I'm sure. Just have some faith!"
The bubbly seraphim hugged Lute tightly as if they were the best of friends before flitting off into her own portal. Meanwhile Charlie sighed, weary.
"I don't think anyone else here has put in as much genuine work towards Redemption than you have. I'm sure you'll be up there in a jiffy!"
Hazel sat in the empty prison cell of a small waiting room as he anticipated a verdict that would change his life irreparably. And irreparable it was, as it was explained to him that she didnāt make it. The dose was too high? Or maybe there were other, stronger drugs mixed in? They wouldnāt know until her labs came back. That was just the risk of doing illegal drugs, you could never be sure what was in them, a Russian roulette with every injection. And this time she lost. Everyone lost.
He only prayed that it was painless, they use opioids as pain medication right? He forced himself to believe she didnāt suffer and remembered the relief in her eyes when she saw him in some of her last moments. Now, he has to pick up the pieces. And some of those pieces were Atom and GG bursting through the door to find out what the hell was going on. There was no one else to tell them.
@danger-tits-lute
Fate was truly cruel to the man. The woman he loved, gone in a blink of an eye, his whole world shattered in an instant when the Doctor broke him the news. His ears shut off after the moment heās informed of her passing, his head swam, light headed, taking a seat as everything became so muffled around him. A touch to his shoulder goes unnoticed, unfelt as he stares into his hands as if they were sullied with her blood.
He should have gotten her help, real help, not trying to play hero and pretend that what she was going through could be handled by someone with no experience. Tears streamed from his eyes as he asked himself in his head, what was the last thing he said to her? What was the last thing she heard? What was her last thought? Did she see him? Was she in pain? How could he have been so stupid! She was so important to him, so incredible, so beautiful and had so much to say and doā¦. But she was gone.
What were his last words to her?
Hazel would have to live his life experiencing new things and questioning if Lute would have liked it, what she would say, what she would want to do.
What was the last thing he said to her?
āIā¦Itās all my-ā
Then the doors opened to the waiting room and two men walk in, frantic.
āWhere is she? Whatās going on??ā
āHazel! What the fuck happened?? Whereās Lute??ā
Hazel looked up to the two of them and realizedā¦ Theyāve known her for so much longer than he has. He should haveā¦ involved them, not kept it a secretā¦ why the fuck did he keep it to himself???
āLuteā¦. Lute had been struggling forā¦ a long timeā¦ā
āThe fuck does that mean??ā
Hazel shakingly stands, hands at his sides, he couldnāt meet their gaze as more tears slipped down his eyes slowly. A true waterfall of slow tears as he spoke āSheāsā¦ Sheās gone. I thought I could help her, I thought that maybe, given timeā¦ā
Smack!!
Suddenly Hazel was punched, he stumbles back and everyone in the room now looked to the group, some nurses whispering among themselves, probably to start calling security. But when Hazel looked up, the culprit of who threw the punch was his band leader himself.
āYouā¦ You fucking asshole!ā GG grabbed Hazel by his collar, pulling him up. āWhat did you keep from us?! Why?! What makes you the authority over her?! You didnāt even know her for more than a year! She was our friend! Our family!!! You had no right! No right at all!ā GGās cheeks were damp with tears, his teeth clenched down tight, pained angry whines coming from his throat as the woman who was the closest person he had to a sister was gone and he didnāt even have a chance to stop it.
Hazel bit back anger but some slipped out as he grabbed the manās wrist, tight. āIf you would have let her just play her fucking music then sheād still be alive!ā He snaps. āBut your reputation and control made you blind to how much pain she was in!! I was trying to help while you made the problem so much worse with your selfishness!ā
GG let Hazel go, hands falling to his sides, but Hazel wasnāt done. āShe was passionate about the music she made and you took it for granted, used her for some quick and easy music so you could get ahead of what? Your other best friend that you have some silly rivalry with? If you took a minute to grow the fuck up then maybe sheād still-ā
āALRIGHT!ā
GG yelled, unable to take a deep breath, huddling in a seat and covering his ears, rocking slowly. āPleaseā¦ Iāmā¦. Iām sorry. I didnāt knowā¦ I would have let her if I knewā¦ I would haveā¦ fuckā¦ Luteā¦ā he sobbed in his seat.
Atom moves and puts a hand on GGās shoulder, he too was to blame. He looked to Hazel, his eyes filling with tears. āā¦I guess Iām next huh? Yea. I know weāve been growing apart, I justā¦ had my own shit going on. But if you would have told usā¦.. what the fuck Hazel?? What were you thinking?ā His tone is awfully quiet for the normally loud lead guitarist but the was a new growing void within him, all the years spent with Lute, all the holidays, her smile, her kindness. How could he not feel defeated? Like a failure. What was he gonna tell his dadā¦?
Hazel moved and leaned his forehead against the wall nearby. Justā¦ trying to breathe, wishing he could hear her voice one last time, that this was all a prank and sheād walk out to see them and laugh that they were being so dramatic butā¦ that wouldnāt happen. Heā¦ wonāt ever get to hear her voice again. Wonāt even get to hear her singā¦ They all failed her, she was in need of so much help and none of them took the right road to heal herā¦
All they could do now is justā¦ Stand and wait in silence.
Eventually GG left with Atom to go call his dead. It left Hazel alone. Sitting in a chair within the waiting room trying to Remember everything about her so he wouldnāt forget. Her laugh, her smile, her favorite food, artist, composer, coffeeā¦ anything he could cling on to so he would never forget the one girl heās loved with all his heart.
Staff never bothered the people mourning in this unit; families had near 12 hours and it's rare someone ever stays that long. They have seen people stay in the rooms for hours, so when 2 hours had passed by, none of the staff considered Hazel to be staying past his welcome with her. She certainly wouldn't have.
There was, however, a matter of some paperwork and questions about other family members joining the group already there so the charge nurse made her way to the waiting room, knocking softly on the open door.
"Hi there, don't worry, you all are fine to keep staying. I was just wondering... the man with the black hair, he mentioned contacting some other family of Lute's? Will they be joining you? I have some paperwork that just needs filling out but I can wait to hand it off to them if you prefer." in her hands she held a stack of papers, thicker than either boy thought it would be.
After receiving the appropriate information and a nod from the father figure in the room, the woman bent down to explain each paper, handing him the clipboard and a pen, the boys looking on as if their input were an integral part of the process.
"Okay, so here we have the release form for her body; it gives us authorization to transport her to the funeral home of your choice, which you'll list here. If you don't know of any, I'm happy to look some up for you and give my recommendations. All you need to do is ask." That would be unnecessary; all of this explaining was. Adam had done this before but she continued, flipping each new page and giving a breakdown of its purpose. "This is the inventory and receipt of her personal effects; please make sure you have everything on the list before signing, we don't want anything important to go missing."
Flip.
"This here is autopsy consent and organ donation; if those are applicable, it's one hundred percent up to you."
Flip.
"And these two are a release form for her medical records and information on obtaining the death certificate."
It was so much. How was anyone expected to understand these things while in the shock and pain of their loss? She always tried to go as slow as possible, but the older man just nodded through each explanation as if he had heard this all before so the two younger members in the room were slightly bombarded with the information faster than she would have said otherwise. At least they had their father; they weren't doing this alone.
"Oh and there's no rush or anything, but sometimes it's helpful for a family member to go in and check on the person in the room, just to make sure everything is okay. The other boy is welcome to stay there as long as he wants; we just don't prefer to disturb people ourselves if family is there to check on things." She was slightly concerned about how quiet it was in there, but she had seen all kinds of grief, from loud to silent; there was no judgment from her. "Is there anything else you need? Anything I can get you? The cafeteria should be opening in about 30 minutes if any of you want some food but we have a vending machine right down the hallway to the right as well. I'll just be at the desk, okay?"
She gave a sympathetic nod as she exited, leaving them to their tasks of paperwork and checking on the heartbroken bassist still in her room after so long.
A solemn nod, still, he looks over the paperwork as the nurse walks away. As he does so, Adamās eyes look over to his son, motioning for him to go to the room and check on the two like the Nurse had suggested before quietly turning back to the sheets of paper.
Ahab takes a deep breath, unsure of if he could see her again like that, on top of intruding on Hazel and his private moment with her. But once again he shoves it down and āmans upā to go and have a look.
What he saw was a sad sight, Hazel had made himself room on the bed, holding her like she was the only thing that existed in this world, even though she was far gone by now. He felt like a dick when intruding like this, walking slowly over to the bed, seeing his hand holding hers while he slept. Unfortunately, Ahab would be the person to wake the man up and bring him back to this shitty reality.
āHey man, itās been awhileā¦ you good?ā He puts his hand on Hazelās shoulder, lightly shrugging him awake.
Hazel slowly wakes up, it takes his brain a moment to realize that he wasnāt cuddling with Lute in his bed anymore but her body in the hospital. The moment his eyes lock onto her, heās silent, it takes a long moment for him to respond to Ahab when he wakes up. With a nod of his head, he turns slightly to face the man. āYea. Sorryā¦ justā¦ saying goodbye.ā
āI get it. Really. I do. Take your time.ā Ahab said, leaving the room for him to finish up. If thereās one thing thatās for certain in Ahabās mind, itās that he hopes one day that heāll fall in love with someone just as much as Hazel was to Lute.
For Hazel, he knew what the checkup meant, he had exceeded an appropriate amount of time with her, others would want to say their goodbyes too, he was sure. Soon, he slowly sat up, the hand that held Luteās was brought to his lips where he kissed it for one final time as he told her. āI love you, Lute. I always will.ā
With that, he left the room, shutting it gently behind him as to not disturb her.
Raphael's shift had just ended. Despite a brief breakdown that made some of the others close to kicking him out entirely, he had thrown himself into the work. He wouldn't, couldn't allow others to suffer due to his grief. There would be time for that, but not until after.
And now was that time.
Typically, he wouldn't visit the lost patients down here, especially if he had been the one to fail them, except, perhaps, if they didn't have family. But this was different. Raphael actually knew the recently deceased and it broke his heart. Freshly showered in the locker room to remove the viscera, blood, and other splatters from himself, he brought up the courage to make his way down to the quiet ward. He had hoped that those who were visiting Liora, or Lute as he heard her be called, had left by now. Mostly for selfish reasons. He wasn't sure if he could bear seeing them right now. But he had failed her all those years ago, and then he failed her again. If this was his atonement, then so be it.
Cautiously he approached and observed quietly for a few moments. He wasn't wearing his doctor's coat as he was here as that middle-aged man who knew her as a young child. Not as a doctor. There were several men here, most looked younger and to be about her age, but there was a much older one doing the taxing paperwork that was needed. He thought for a moment on how to enter into things without being disruptive. However, he came to the conclusion that being open would be the best course of action.
"Excuse me. I hate to intrude. I am Dr. Raphael Star. I am... deeply sorry for your loss. I would understand if you would not, but would you permit me to pay my respects to Lior- to Lute?"
It wasn't like Charlie to completely misinterpret what he said, and she really didn't look her exuberant self. Did something happen? Was she ill? He moved in front of her to block her pathway. If she were sick, then there was no use in her pushing herself, and Alastor voiced it. Even crossing his arms to huff at her.
"Charlie, I don't think you're well. You certainly don't look very good. Why don't you rest a bit, hm? You have staff for a reason, we can handle it. Vaggi will make sure it's running smoothly. She always does." There was a roll of his eyes at that part.
Was it really that obvious? Of course it was. She knew she should rest, but Charlie resisted. "I don't have any counselors set up for the sessions I have today and that will throw the whole schedule off. I'll be fine." A sudden coughing fit into her elbow interrupted her and she knew it was only making the situation worse. "I'll just go to bed early after my last one."
"See, you're coughing. I really don't think that awaying to bed earlier is going to help you, Charlie," when Alastor dropped the endearing nicknames, it was definitely a sign of irritation more than true concern. "Because you're just going to repeat this little folly again the next day." He snatched a clipboard from her hands for emphasis. "Rest. Right now. They can handle it. Let me handle this, or Vaggi. Your choice on which of us. But you're not going to be coughing about all day like this. No sir-ee."
Charlie wasn't able to truly protest when the clipboard was snatched away. She slumped, knowing that she was well and truly defeated.
"Okay... Fine."
Besides, if there was a time she truly would be unavailable, they would have to manage without her. What if she was called on to consult with Heaven? Or if they expanded to another hotel? She wouldn't necessarily be around. And she would love for this to be a project that was self-sustainibg too. As much as she loved this project, as Princess of Hell, Sinners weren't her only subjects.
After a large sniffle she tried to remember everything. "The resident files are in the office organized alphabetically by preferred name. Those should have the backgrounds needed and notes from previous sessions. Most of the group sessions are peer-led anyway, but it's good to have an extra ear out to make sure fights don't break out again. Vaggi should be able to handle the logistical sign-offs for the new equipment to be delivered to the eighth floor. I'm hoping to get the commerce wing started to have an untainted income stream and for residents to work on practical skills. Uhhhh, oh, and the rage room sign-up sheets need to be restocked. I was also going to talk to Niffty about hiring additional hands to help her with cleaning, but you know how she is about that."
Was she stalling? Maybe that was part of it, though it didn't mean those other things didn't also need to be done.
The doctor released her hand the moment she indicated pain and took notes. It definitely was within the limits of where his thoughts were. Though there were more tests to conduct. "There are some more flexibility tests to do, so please bear with me."
The other fingers, the spine, elbows, and knees were tested and noted in turn. When they were done, he sat back and went over his notes again. A little messy in their current form, but still legible, at least to him.
"I have a strong inclination that you have a connective tissue disorder, though testing would be required to determine which one. From there we can draw up an individualized treatment plan. There is a chance that it may impact your racing career, however, I am confident you can still have a satisfying one. On the one hand, you are young and peak racing career for Umas is only a few years. So you would likely retire at a normal time frame before it gets significantly worse. That said, racing is a high-impact sport on your joints so the timeline may be accelerated. Whatever you have though, it is not likely curable, but can at least be managed with proper care and specific exercises. But as I said, I will have more answers once we narrow down the precise condition."
Raphael knew that it wouldn't be a wholly satisfying answer, but he needed to be thorough. Ehlers Danlos fit the bill, but so did a few other generic conditions that needed to be ruled out. He wanted to be honest and realistic, but wasn't in the business of crushing dreams either. Walking that fine line was difficult in this line of work.
With every test showing about the same result, and Raphael's words inspiring... anything but confidence, Tachyon could hear a distant ringing in her ears.
Something she feared might come to pass was already beginning to rear its ugly head: She might have to end the Twinkle Series early... and the Dream Series was right out. No matter which of the options it turned out to be, none of them seemed to have a good path forward.
"I understand."
To run anyway, she'd have to defy possibility. Turn the impossible into the improbable, and smash through barriers anyway. Like going faster than light.
"Whatever extra care or exercises I need, I'll fit them all into Plan A," she determined, mostly to herself. If her condition was ever too bad to race? She wouldn't. Simple as that. Whatever anyone else thought, that was none of her concern; She was already getting a reputation as a problem child anyway.
Raphael nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was to say something was impossible. He would be if absolutely had to, but he knew that for Umas, the drive to run was as necessary as breathing. His job was threading a needle. Keeping them running now, but making sure they still could if they wanted to later in life.
"I will provide documentation on exercises and stretches that you can start on, even before knowing the exact condition. For now, I will gather samples so we can do some testing.
The offer of the sugar was welcome, putting more in her teacup than she likely ought to have, but she liked things sweet. Cleo would have endured the bitterness anyway since she wasn't in much of a habit of speaking for herself. So for it to be acknowledged without her input was welcome as a change of pace.
The next several minutes was spent silently. Most people would be uncomfortable with silence, but it was something that Cleo was perfectly fine living with. She was perfectly fine listening to the ambient sounds of the room.
Though paying attention to it was growing... Odd.
The smaller sounds were more noticeable. Not just the gentle hum of the air conditioning or clinking of cups or occasional cream of a chair, but also the buzzing of lights, some sort of fly buzzing on the other side of the room. Her ears twitched at the heightened stimulation as if trying to isolate every sound.
They had similar tastes, it seemed; Though how much sugar Cleo put in her tea wasn't the focus of today's experiment. In mice, this substance looked promising. It really did. But watching Cleo's ears focus on points Tachyon hardly ever noticed herself was...
Different.
The mice never seemed especially receptive to sounds when she did animal testing. Cleo didn't appear to undergo the effects this serum was supposed to have, either. So. Another failed experiment...
"How disappointing," she muttered to herself, pulling out a notebook and scratching something out with a pencil.
Cleo sat silently, a bit distracted by the multitude of sounds abounding that she didn't have access to before. While she couldn't quite confirm the cause, it likely had something to do with the tea. Just from simple cause and effect. However, it didn't seem like her host was suffering the same affliction. But was perhaps watching instead.
Her ears twitched in irritation with the sounds, but it wasn't as if it crossed the line into being painful. Simply annoying. Though it would likely mean that already loud sounds would transition into that territory.
Cleo finally set her tea cup down gently. She said nothing as she usually did.
Alright! I'm going to do a weekly art challenge for you all! Design signature race gear for NPCs! This is all in good fun so there's no real rules. No time limits, no specifications asked for, no specific medium or method needed. You don't even need to use the base fashion model I provided either. Can be drawn, can be pasted together, photoshopped, make a mood board, whatever you like!
I'll give a screenshot of the NPC to give her name and a look at her face (I usually don't look at the full body ones before a race tbh and this will keep it as open as possible anyway). That way you can at least see hair and body colors. That said, you're perfectly fine to change those too if you want! I don't care! This is all just for fun.
Also, if you want to add explanations for the costume, backstory, totally fine! You don't have to either.
So for this first week?
Septagon Summoner!
Have fun!
Below the cut is just the blank fashion model I found but totally up to you if you want to use it or not.
Edit: updated the image to clean it up, give a scooch more space and added Uma ears, taking away the human ones.
