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[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He closes his eyes for a brief moment while shaking his head before looking to where Maeve motioned at his bag. There was a small silence, as if his tired mind was still slow at processing, and he sighed, ” I… Uh, could you hand me my phone? …It’s in the bottom pocket. ” There was no telling how many people called him, or tried to communicate with him. 

The flood was causing havoc amongst the city, he had gotten severely sick, and the … Henry and Maeve had mentioned the lack of their energy source.  But had he been so sick that it had been nothing but an ill-induced creation of his mind? ” … How… Much of that back there was real, or was it just a hallucination? ” He laughed, but it lacked enthusiasm, it was a nervous laugh— one of a man that was unsure, that could not rely on his own, possibly faulty, memories.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve nodded and stretched to snag his bag of the chair, not letting go of his hand as she did. Plopping it on her lap, she riffled through it with her free hand. 

"Ah-ha!" she squeaked triumphantly, pulling it out with a smile and passing it to him. 

As soon as he took it, she grew a momentarily awkward, releasing his hand so he could look at it himself. Her eyes dropped to her lap where her hands folded together around his bag. 

Now, this was the hard part. Did she admit it was all real, or did she let it pass off as a hallucination?

Maeve caught herself tugging at her fingers and forced herself to stop. She bit the inside of her cheek instead, glancing up at Cal, inhaling through her nose. Releasing her cheek before it started to throb, she smiled again, saying, "Oh that -- that was all..."

She stopped, choking on something lighthearted about him having funny hallucinations about things. Coughing she realized she simply couldn't manage it. Lying here didn't feel right. And a fae had to know how to trust her own gut. 

Swallowing hard, she head dipped again as she said, "That was all true."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

When he did wake up, it was calmly… But with a start. His eyelids had opened slowly, and he was calm and at ease, until he realized that these were the walls of a hospital and not his home, or Henry’s place. His eyes then snapped open and looked around the room in utter confusion until he saw Maeve beside him, and he placed a hand over his face for a moment, rubbing his forehead. ” What… Happened? ” He inquired.

He went silent as he himself tried to recall the events. First there was the coffee shop; then the flood; but Henry had taken them all in; then he had gotten sick; Maeve and Henry had realized their… Magic… Wasn’t working the way it should? He groaned. How much of that was true, and how much of that was a hallucination? After that he remembers collapsing, and the rest is in bits and pieces. 

[misplacedmaeve]

"You got very sick." It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders -- he was awake. He was alive. Did anything else matter? "I, we were very, very worried about you. But then search and rescue got to us. They airlifted you to the hospital. Apparently much of the city is still a bit of a mess right now."

She shrugs a single shoulder, still holding onto Cal's hand. She hesitated before saying, "I came with you. I brought your things, too! They're over on the other chair." She nods to the corner chair. "I can bring you them, if you want, but the doctors said you still need to rest."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

Inside of his bag was a small binder that was clearly from his business which had important phone numbers inside, as well as a light laptop and a cell phone which had been buzzing off the wall— He’d received numerous texts from one girl who must have been a good friend of his: The subjects of the texts being things such as ’ where are you? ‘, ’ Why aren’t you answering Cal, I’m starting to get really worried! ‘, etc. 

As soon as they reached the hospital the doctors rolled him into a room, and began placing IVs on him to inject him with antiobiotics— which would be highly more effective and quicker that way— as well as placing a breathing mask over him to give him a sufficient intake of oxygen. They let Maeve wait outside of the room to watch through the windows while they ran some tests on him, and made sure he would be stable, to make sure that he would be alright. Some blood had gotten into his lung, but not so much that it would require surgical treatment— it would just have to make it’s way out naturally, and they would have to keep an eye on that.

When they were finished they told her that they could go in now to see him, but they highly advised that she let him sleep for awhile.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve fretted the entire time she had to wait outside the room, fluttering between the window and the emergency workers, trying to get updates on how everyone else was doing. In the back of her mind hovered the worry about her magic and where it had gone, and why, but that seemed less important than the well being of Cal, first, and the others, second. For some reason. 

Finally allowed in to see Cal, she almost leapt with happiness, but decided that, given their warnings, quiet was probably better. Setting his bag down on one of the chairs, she dragged the other to his bedside. Holding Cal's hand, she waited for him to wake up, sorting through everything that had happened in the past day as she did.

Maybe that would tell her what had happened to the magic, where it had all gone. And maybe it would explain to her why she felt so attached to Cal. 

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

One of the emergency service men was waiting outside for them. When Henry reached over to move him, Cal groaned weakly at the movement. Between the time that the medical woman had helped him, and now, he had finally fallen asleep and was almost oblivious to the pain; now it came rolling back to him and as a result he groaned in discomfort and pain. This did not seem to have an effect on Henry, who carried him over to the emergency service man with the knowledge that Cal would be better off. 

They secured him to the emergency man as a precaution, and then the man took him from Henry, and the man motioned for the others to pull him up. Maeve was behind them, also secured, but not attached to them. 

[misplacedmaeve]

The entire time, Maeve barely took her eyes off of Cal. 

The emergency team started asking Maeve question as soon as they were all secure, but she could only shake her head, trying to explain that she'd only known him for less than a day now (really only that little amount of time?), that she only knew his name and that he liked chicken sandwiches and cream with his tomato soup.

She thought about turning to his bag, and digging through it for any other important information, but it just didn't feel right. Instead, she held Cal's hand and ignored the curious looks from the emergency crew. 

She had to fight to be allowed to stay with him once they arrived, despite not being family. She argued that with the city the way it was, any family he might have wouldn't be able to get here any time soon, and she'd been taking care of him. Somehow, they bought it. 

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

When the red-headed woman asks her what she can do for him, her mouth opens almost automatically to explain to her that there is nothing that she can do for him, but her mouth shuts instead as she shrugs with her shoulders and her hands. ” He needs to be hospitalized, ” she says finally.

The fact that he could face death if help did not reach them soon was unspoken, but it was there between the lines. She swallows and looks to the side, her eyes tearing up but she did not allow herself to cry when she was the one supposed to be taking care of him and them… But there was nothing she could do for this man. 

The least she could do was give her a little hope. ” Just keep him hydrated… ” She directs, her tone wavering only slightly, ” And keep him warm. ” She couldn’t do anything else but watch over them. What the man needed was antibiotics, but they didn’t have any and she knew that. They needed help. 

He splutters slightly and then coughs again, as his body was obviously still clearing the way… To rid the blood from the area that it should not be in the first place. ” … Water… ” He begs, his voice weak, airy, with hardly a tone at all. ” ... Please.. ” The woman had nodded to Maeve and then left, having brought a full cup of water for him and handing it over to the red-headed girl. The way that Cal spoke… It was as if he did not understand what was happening to him, or even really thought at all; the only thing that he seemed to know was what his body needed. He was in a survival mode.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve nods to the woman in gratitude, who then leaves the room. Turning back to Cal, she scoots closer, raising the glass to his lips to let him drink and wrapping a blanket around them, trapping her body heat in with his. 

"Cal...I need you to not, die, okay?" She says quietly. "I don't know why, really, but I just...need you to not. So you can't. Please?"

Maeve rests her head on Cal's shoulder. After a while, her eyes slide shut in  a nap.

She is woken up by Henry, who has a broad smile on his face. "Maeve, emergency services is here. They can airlift Cal to the hospital, they said. Do you want to go with him?" Maeve nods, and then hurries to gather Cal's things together.

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

As they were speaking, Cal’s breathing had halted. It was so disturbingly silent that the woman’s eyes darted to him in shock. She came very close, and leaned her head against his chest. While her ear was pressed to him, she could hear an almost inaudible, watery sound, and she turned him over quickly. She then began pounding closed fists against his back, which resulted in some blood spilling from his mouth. When that had hardly any effect she felt for his ribs and then squeezed, hard; he burst into heavy coughs, blood spilling onto the floor. Then he was breathing again, shakily, heavily. 

" We need to prop him up. " She stated, and her eyes scanned the room for pillows, blankets, something. When she found cushions from another couch, she simply used those, and set him up in a sitting position. However, his head still rolled to the side limply. But this way, the blood would not as easily block his airways. There was no way of putting it kindly: he looked horrible, he looked like death. His face was white due to what had occurred just moments ago, and he was clearly exhausted, as well as dehydrated.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve nearly bites through her lip as she watches the woman care for Cal. Several times she almost steps forward and asks if there is anything she can do to help. In the end, she hangs back, arms wrapped around her. 

With cal propped up, Maeve comes and sits on the other end of the couch. Only now does she look to the woman. "What can I do?"

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

A woman’s voice perked up, ” I do, ” She called, standing up quickly and walking over to Henry. ” What’s wrong? ” Her eyes sincerely concerned. 

When Henry showed her to the room, it did not take much complicated observation to note that Cal was the one she should see too. She walked closer to the man, taking in the details of his state. There were not the instruments she would normally use here, so she had to take in what she could with her eyes only. She noted the vomit, and the blood along the floor; looking up to Cal she saw the blood on his lips. ” Did he cough up blood, or did he spit it up? ” She inquired. Then she stepped up to him and noted the fever, the sweaty, clammy skin, the chills, and the shortness of breath. 

She frowned, and looked to Maeve in a dismal manner, ” … It looks like severe pneumonia. I would suggest he be hospitalized… But… ” They didn’t have the  means to get to a hospital. ” What he needs is antibiotics. ” It was almost a question, as if he were inquiring to whether or not they had any. 

Occasionally Cal would cough weakly, the blood seeping or springing from his lips, but he seemed to have lost the majority of his energy. He had taken to a slumped form against the arm of the couch, too tired to remove the blood properly by coughing, too tired to move. His eyes closed and he was silent; it was as  if he were sleeping, but he was not. 

[misplacedmaeve]

"Coughed, I think..." Maeve wasn't certain. He had been coughing, though. 

She wipes away some of the blood from his mouth carefully with her finger, smoothing his hair back. Her eyes dart to Henry, along with the woman. Did they have antibiotics? It had to be some sort of miracle if they did.

Maeve could really use a miracle right now. 

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He is no longer vomiting, but he is, however, coughing with such a force that it shakes his body; he finds great difficulty in holding his form up with his arms as he leans off the end of the couch. This may not have been shocking, if he did not sound like he was choking. A mixture of saliva and blood escaped his mouth as he leaned forward, the mixture mixing with the contents which were already present on the floor. 

His eyes were closed tightly as he coughed, almost continuously, which ended in a silence and a moan as he slumped against the arm of one of the couches. Given his lack of attention to detail, he did not notice the crimson on the floor, nor the crimson that dripped down his lower lip. However, he was aware of a metallic taste in his mouth, and had made a bitter face. 

First, it had been a bad fever and a terrible cough, then it had been chills and a shortness of breath, which was followed by clammy skin, sweating, confusion and a slowed thinking process, as well as a headache. This was more than a fever.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve did notice the blood, though, and it made her queasy; queasier than the smell of Cal's vomit had. Wrapping her arms around Cal from behind she hides her face in his shirt.

Maeve wasn't a healer. She didn't know what to make of this, or what to do with it. All she could do was try and be there for Cal as he coughed up blood.

She twisted as she heard Henry in the door way. Her eyes were wide and desperate. "I don't know what to do, Henry." Henry's face was grim and he quickly turned and marched away. Maeve bit her lip and turned back to Cal, closing her eyes as she hears Henry shout, "Does ANYONE have ANY kind of medical background?"

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

A sharp headache, pasty skin, now the sweating, all of these aspects led to a single thing: Dehydration. Though he had consumed two whole cups of water already, he was still thirsty. No matter how much water he consumes he still feels like death. But instead of moaning for more water, he rolls toward the side of the bed slowly. Attempting to push himself up on his arms, but clumsily falling back down to the bed again and again until he pushes himself toward the edge.

He did not know if there was a garbage can there or not, but perhaps the floor was better than the makeshift bed. He coughs and then hurls, leaning over the arm of the couches. He leans his head on his arms for a brief moment and groans in discontent before leaning over the edge of the couch to hurl again. 

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve scoots after him, rubbing soothing circles into Cal's back, murmuring comforting nothings. At one point, she rests her forehead on his back, blinking back tears. 

"Please don't die, Cal."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

Before she had barely even entered the room he had begun to groan again in discontent. As he was hardly able to process his own actions, or to think critically, it appeared that he had forgotten what he had said minutes ago, ” … Water… “ He said, the tone weaker, more stressed and urgent. Even when the cup had been placed to his lips again he hadn’t processed it for a minute or two, only then did he begin to drink again. 

There was something very unusual about the progression of this sickness, and Maeve or Henry had to have realized that fact already. It was too quick. He had only been sneezing moments ago, and this was almost directly after the depletion of their magic. 

He moaned, in the same manner that a wounded soldier would moan in agony or discomfort, and his head tilted to the side. The constant trembling, it had grown to a constant, violent shaking of his limbs, and occasionally he would breathe as one did if they were freezing cold. 

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve's lip was going to be a bloody raw mess by the end of this, with the way she was gnawing at it. She flinched at each moan and wanted to wrap him up tight to stop the trembling. Instead she just felt hopeless and completely impotent to do anything of any worth.

Again and again she reached for her magic only to realize there was almost nothing there. Several times, Henry passed by the door, only to shake his head when she gave him a hopeful look.

What was happening to them?

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

The rest is a blur to him. The world is dim, foggy, and random to him now. His thoughts are random and disconnected and he is unable to think critically anymore; he is only vaguely aware of his surroundings, and is only vaguely aware that someone is carrying him and placing him on a soft surface. By this time he is reduced to the constant trembling that came with the chills, and his skin feels hot to the touch. It is clear that he is uncomfortable due to the look of utter discontent on his face, and the occasional moan. 

The sickness had escalated far too quickly. And for minutes he is unable to process Maeve’s commands to drink water, which made it clear just how much his mind had been slowed. When he finally drinks, he does so slowly. He was cold. He was thirsty. Those two thoughts continued to stand tall in the forefront of his mind. 

When Maeve pulled the cup away, due to the fact that there was no longer any water left in the cup. He moaned, ” … Water. ” It was almost a beg, even though he had already drank an entire cup. It seemed as if his thirst could not be satiated.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve was gone and back in a flash with more water. She smooths the hair off his forehead, already sticky with sweat. Henry has shooed everyone out, told them to stay away, but when he tries to pry Maeve away from Cal, she just glares at him and he backs away slowly. 

Murmuring quiet apologies, she urges Cal to drink, holding his hand, cradling his head in her lap. She feels powerless to do anything but be there for him. Several times she catches herself reaching for her magic, to try something, anything, before reminding herself that she cannot, she is too depleted. 

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He supposed that the levitation explained the ease by which she carried him. It was just… An alien concept to him. There was a silence between them, as if he were trying to think of what he should say. But instead of speaking, he put a hand to his temple and made a sound of discontent— it was not due to her unbelievable, perhaps insane, story. ” I need to get something to drink, ” He announced, his voice strained. He stood rather abruptly and moved towards the door. 

Pushing the door open, he moved out of the room, his movements normal; however, as he moved through the doorway he swayed far too much to the left. The fall was a quick one, and he collapsed under the door frame with limp limbs and closed eyes. He was trembling, his breathing was quick, sporadic, it was as if he had already developed the chills; his skin was pasty, white, and his forehead was burning up. He moaned in discomfort: He was thirsty. He was cold. And yet his form was burning up. The fever had developed far too quickly. It was notably unusual, it was out of the ordinary. Something was wrong. Something was happening: First, the flood. Then their magic had been depleted. Now… This.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve's enthusiasm was damped as Cal got up and moved away. Maybe he didn't believe her. What would she do then?

She was suddenly struck by a desire for him to understand. Or was it a need? She couldn't tell. Spinning on her knees, she opened her to say something to him.

Instead she shrieked as he collapsed. Scrambling  across the floor, Maeve pulled Cal into her lap. He was hot, way too hot, and for a brief moment she was left wondering what was it about this fever that had eaten up her magic with no effect. Then she's screaming for Henry, who is already there, picking Cal up as easy as if he was a child. 

They've pushed together two of the couches to make a sort of bed. Henry lays Cal down there, and immediately starts tucking blankets in around him. Maeve clambers onto the cushions next to Cal, holding a glass of water to his lips. "Drink, Cal. You need to drink."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

" You’re a fae? ” His gaze turns to the wall and he shakes his head. ” Sorry— This is just… It’s a lot to take in. ” He did not mean to be rude. But he had just learned five seconds ago that ‘ magic’ was real. 

[misplacedmaeve]

"It's all right," Maeve whispers, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I've never done this before, myself. Erh, told someone, that is." She shrugs. "But I guess you have a right to know."

She took another breath, and tried to remember his other questions. "As for how I carried you, that was pretty simple. Just a little levitation!"

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He shrugs, his attention turning to the ground. ” Where do I even start? ” He asks, though it is more of a statement than a question. ” What are you? What is he? … How in the world did you carry me so easily? And… He just healed you with hardly an effort. ” The questions were endless and he still had more. He simply stared at her, hoping that she would answer truthfully this time. But he had a feeling that he’d have a hard time believing her words, when he had a hard time believing the bald man’s words. As he spoke he let out a breath as if he were cold, and his muscles began to tremble.

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve holds up her hands, "Okay, one question at a time." She takes a deep breath. 

"All right, first one: What am I?" She frowns at him a him. "That's very rude. I mean, I know this is all new to you, but still, how would you feel if someone asked you what you are?" She shakes her head. "I'm a fae - er, fairy? Sort of...I am a greater fae. so, not one of those two inch tale fairies so many human stories have."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He nods, sighing at the oncoming feeling of an illness. He had closed his eyes for a moment, but instinctually  reached out to catch her shoulder before she swayed too far and passed out again. He ought to get in a bed himself before he was the one unable to stand; did they have any beds here? If he was getting sick, then he needed to stay as far away from the others as possible. He coughed and covered his mouth with his arm, his whole body shaking with the force of the coughs. 

When she asked him if he had any questions, he simply nodded, collecting himself, ” Yeah. " He stated in a definite tone. He had questions, he had a lot of questions. 

[misplacedmaeve]

Maeve takes a deep breath and steadies herself in preparation for his questions. When they don't come right away, she wrinkles her nose. "Well, what are they? I'm not a mind reader, Cal. Thankfully. No one likes them much."

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He is taken aback by this conversation, and he is not sure what to say. She had been trying to help him when she kissed him? And by the mere idea that she had done so, Henry concluded that he was sick? The bald man is simply met with confused and questioning eyes. Then the man closes his eyes, and when they open the man looks even more tired than before— the lines under his eyes more defined by… What? Then he mentions magic and Cal’s face practically asks the man, ‘ Are you insane? ' 

Magic was… A myth. It was a hoax. It was something that humans simply couldn’t do… A figment of the imagination, a thing of fiction. It wasn’t real. Medicine was real, phones, airplanes and cars were real; Healing magic was not, telepathy was not, teleportation was not.

" This isn’t a joke, she’s hurt. " He replies, his tone implying that he was insulted by the man’s antics. 

But then he is reduced breathless when the man lays a hand over Maeve’s head, and her eyes open. His eyes grow wide with confusion, wonder. Did he just… Witness a healing? The kind of healing that religions spoke of? He freezes in place, and does not breathe for a time; when he does move, Henry is gone. He’s gone insane.

Maeve then proceeds to ask him what happened, and he shakes his head with a slight grin, but the disbelief remained in his eyes. ” … That’s my line. ” He sniffs, and raises a hand to his temple, groaning at the headache that had manifested itself there. He was getting sick. It hadn’t worked.

[misplacedmaeve]

"Oh no, you're still sick." Maeve looks crestfallen, laying a hand over his on his temple. She sways a bit, winching as her eyes go foggy for a moment.

"Crap. I guess I overdid it. I don't know how, though..." Her eyes clear and she's blinking at Cal. Biting her lip, she crosses her leg, settling herself in front of him. 

"I guess you have a lot of questions, then, huh?"

[calekconway]

First Encounters

[calekconway]

He had laid her out on the floor before Henry had rushed into the room, or rather… Stormed into the room. He was sitting on the floor, her head was held in his hands which rested atop of his lap, in order to keep her head inclined in the case that it would be necessary. Whether Henry was suspicious of him or not, the look in his eyes was one of both confusion, fright, and concern.

He looked up as the bald man knelt beside him, the man’s eyes mirroring the very level of his worry. The comment, however, was strange. ” … She’s almost empty? What does that mean— “

However his question was turned down and met with another. He blinked at the man, but he understood that all details must be given in times like this— No matter how seemingly meaningless, no matter how seemingly pointless, the details were. 

He sighed, and he frowned, as he looked down toward her. ” She was… ” He began, and then paused, shaking his head. ” She kissed me. “ 

[misplacedmaeve]

"Kissed you?" The man's eyes went wide and then narrowed at him sharply. "You are getting sick, aren't you? And she was trying to help." He shakes her head, muttering to himself, "She must have been more tired than she thought." 

Henry closes his eyes for a long moment. When he opens them, the lines on his face have deepened more. "Something's off," he says to himself. Then he looks to Cal, and then down to Maeve. "I can give her enough to wake her up, but I don't have much else to spare. She's going to have to lay off the magic, all right?"

Henry doesn't wait for Cal to say anything, instead laying a hand over Maeve's forehead and closing his eyes for a minute. His breath slows, and Maeve's shifts to match. Then her eyes open, going first to Cal, and then to Henry, who is drawing back. "Remember, boy, she needs to take it easy. I've got to go talk to the others." 

With that, Henry is gone. Maeve is slowly sitting up, saying, "What happened?"