[ OPEN ] WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

[coastal]

Who: Lili "your options are fight me or FIGHT ME" An coastal and YOU!!
When: ic: 6/30, ooc: 4/29 // post-event!
Where: various - mostly the hospital and dojo!
What: 17 and Stabbed isn't a good place for anyone to be in their lives.
Rating/Warning: #justlilithings - but should be nothing really!

---

[ A : MAN, I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU POISON ME ]

[For those who are already familiar with Lili enough that it can be said that she cares for their well-being, they'll be receiving a text just before everything goes to shit:]

Your status? [Followed by another text:] Also a request for counsel on how to dispose of tenacious robots in the hospital.

[Or maybe she accidentally sends it to a stranger. Always possible.

And she's also going to pray that no one asks in return because she's... she's definitely in the hospital. As for those people who are in the hospital, getting their own scrapes and bruises looked at for whatever reason, there is definitely a fuss coming from one of the rooms where the medical chart outside also definitely says Lili An.]

I have no interest in that!

But Patient #53, your stomach has already growled 3 times in the past hour, which implies that you are in need of sustenance. As such, we suggest you try this fruit cup—

I don't want your alien fruit cup!

[Even though it looks like a normal fruit cup? Regardless, this fruit cup is now going to be chucked at the head of the robonurse that's finally shoved its way into Lili's hospital room. Though after that little stunt, she's immediately wincing. Her rage overpowering her injury isn't exactly a consistently good thing.

Send help.]

[ B : I THREW IT ON THE GROUND ]

[So the creepy post on the network that fills up the screen is enough to unnerve anyone. Yet given the fact that Lili has proven herself to be a ) brash and b ) violent, her reaction is a little... unhealthy. Which is to take the CereVice in her hands and promptly chuck it indiscriminately.

Apparently right out the hospital window.

Look out below!

Whether you're smacked in the face, catch it like the baseball star you're meant to be in another life, or let it clatter to the ground like a loser -

There's one (1) Lili peeking out the hospital window from her hospital bed then.... realizing that she might need that. She's only on the second floor so it's not like it'll be impossible to make eye contact with her, even though she looks somewhere between furious and ashamed and a little pained (maybe don't throw things with an injured shoulder).

Um.]

[ C : THIS AIN'T MY DAD MOM, THIS IS A CELL PHONE (Closed to Otome!) ]

[It's a bit later - she's been in the hospital for an entire 50 hours and 23 minutes now, she's counted - that she finally works up the nerve to text Otome in particular. It's ashamed and fearful, worried and uncertain, but she sends it:]

You're alright, aren't you?

[And... how does she work up the courage to ask for a favor without worrying her?]

[ D : I'M NOT PART OF YOUR SYSTEM ]

[ I - Because Moms come through, Lili's already back at her regular schedule by the second day after everything's settled down. She's going to school, she's going to work, she's going through her day without even flinching.

Yet some might find her walking past the shop intended for weaponry, her gait slowing just enough for her gaze to linger on the swords that are displayed on the shop front. Her breath is held for the slightest second before she tears her gaze from them and almost determinedly tries to walk away—

Which means she's probably likely to just barely avoid bumping into someone.]

Ah - excuse me.

[ II - ALTERNATIVELY - she's at the dojo later that evening, sitting on the floor to the side and currently working on getting her massive amount of hair into a braid so that it doesn't get in her way. Except it looks like she put her usual hair supplies a little too far from her so she's going to wave a hand to catch your attention before pointing at some needlessly fancy hair ties on the floor just out of her reach.]

Grab those for me, will you?

[Listen, some habits just die really hard.]

Comments

A

[sortileges]

[ He isn't in the hospital for scrapes or anything like that, physically he came out of this "event" without a scratch, all the wounds have been emotional or mental in the end. He is, however, there to ask for some advice before he takes a stupid journey somewhere in case of emergencies. He's been taught a little medicine, but it's nothing compared to the medicine people have these days. It's more to double check what different things can be used for and the like.

He hasn't seen or heard from Lili since the festival, but he can recognise her voice from the yelling, and then the name plate by her door gives her away.

Opening the door a little more he ducks out of the way as a fruit cup goes flying at the robonurse's head. He glances down at it, then at the nurse, then towards Lili. ]

Did I interrupt something?

[coastal]

[Despite the fact that Lili really shouldn't be giving Merlin any kind of orders, this is at least one that she would totally do herself if she was capable. She's placing a hand over her injury (located just below her collar bone) and wincing, yet still gritting out and finding comfort in barking out an order-]

Get this thing out of my sight!

[Since her fruit cup throwing hasn't done much to help.....]

[sortileges]

[ It's the injury that's worrying him, more than her anger at the stupid robot nurse that seems to want to keep trying to feed her. It bends to take the fruit cup, but as soon as it's standing again Merlin swipes the cup from its hand. ]

Why don't... I give it to her? I'm sure you have other patients to see.

[ He forces a smile, but it's definitely not genuine. Once the creepy nurse is out of the room, he closes the door behind her, looking back at the other. ]

What happened?

[coastal]

[ . . . ugh. The disappearance of the robot manages to get Lili to settle considerably. She sighs then, her shoulders relaxing as she tries to even her breaths out. They were becoming a bit labored given the amount of stress she was in.

There's just a frown on her face as she fixes her gaze on the bed.]

You have... my gratitude.

[Because she knows she couldn't have handled the robot nurse on her own, given her condition.]

I don't trust this place but I'm stuck here for now... It was just a stupid injury that was all my fault.

[sortileges]

[ Quietly, without taking his eyes off her, he places the fruit cup on a table. ]

What happened?

[ Because really, Lili, do you think he's asking about the robot nurse or you? There's genuine concern on his face as he takes slow steps forward, not wanting to startle her either. He might have been a little offended by her the last time they spoke, but she definitely didn't deserve this kind of pain. Or any, really. ]

[coastal]

[Lili looks up at that, a little surprised. It was only after he left that she realized that he'd been offended, even though for the life of her she still couldn't puzzle out why. But that's the problem of never really being socialized to interact with others.

A sigh.]

I realized that I was speaking to a robot far too late and it got ahold of me - and the person that it was based off of is annoyingly strong on his own already.

[And Lili cared too much about Kashuu to hit anything that even looked like him, even if she knew in her heart that there was a difference.]

It was my fault.

[She's... quick to say that though, just in case he might try to change her mind.]

[sortileges]

[ It is a problem, but it's also a matter of his pride as well being a problem. Don't worry, Lili. He's been given some hard lessons the past week in not being a huge jackass when it comes to his powers and what they mean.

He didn't personally have this issue, but he saw it in one case, a fight between an original and a copy. Even if he's a little on the fence of how he feels about Lili, he moves towards her, hand reaching out with hesitation, before he asks: ]

Can I see?

[ He's not great at healing, but if she'd rather not deal with the robot nurses, maybe there is a way he can help anyway. It's hard to say.

Either way, he wasn't there to judge if it was or wasn't her fault. ]

[1/2]

[coastal]

[Lili watches him and leans back automatically - just because she's wary of being touched in the first place. But also there's a hesitation in her words, because she doesn't even like to make the assumption but she's seen what he's capable of:]

If you want to heal me or something like that.... don't bother.

[coastal]

[Though it takes her a solid second to realize that - she'd offended him that way before right? So she's suddenly making a flustered expression, her eyebrows knitting together as she almost trips over her words with how quickly she wants to get them out.]

Not that - Not that I think it'd be useless, or something like that!

[That's... the word he'd been offended by, right? Maybe? God, she doesn't even know for sure so she's just going to fuss for a second, trying to figure out how to explain herself if he'll let her.]

But I... It takes your energy and I can't... ask that of you.

[When they barely know each other - and she refuses to be a burden on an acquaintance.]

[sortileges]

[ She's seen what he's capable in some ways, but he actually sucks at healing. He's never proclaimed himself to be a genius at that. The fact that she corrects herself though, makes him smile just slightly. It's a first for days, honestly. ]

I didn't mean like that, but if you don't want them doing it for you, maybe someone else would be better. I've had a little training with medicine before.

[ A beat, then: ] I don't have to use magic. Actually, it's probably better that I don't.

[coastal]

[ . . . well, in all honesty she looks like she's willing to respond to that a little bit better. It's true. She hasn't let the hospital do much for her at all, besides changing her bandages.]

Do you just carry medicine on you?

[do you get hurt often, merlin]

[sortileges]

[ He glances behind him then, towards the bag he's had with him from the start filled with stuff he'd asked about. ]

Not usually, but I was here to check some things before I left for a few days.

[ You have no idea tbh. Having to make sure a dumb Prince stays alive so the future doesn't get fucked over is hard I guess... ]

There probably is something in here that would work as an ointment, probably painkillers too.

[coastal]

[ . . . . well.]

Painkillers would be fine... I allow the people here to change my bandages, if nothing else. [Since she struggles to do it herself.... She really should learn, she thinks.

A short pause.]

Where are you going?

[sortileges]

Let me see what I have. There's probably a mix. [ He... just dumps the contents out onto the table and slowly starts to read over the labels. ] I bought these from the pharmacy and just had notes scribbled on to make sure I understood everything.

[ A beat ]

This should be okay. [ He opens the box and holds out the strip of pills to her. ] It says to take one every 4 hours.

[ Though he doesn't... actually answer her question, instead occupying himself by pushing the boxes back into the bag. Ah. ]

[coastal]

[ . . . . . .

There's a long, long, long pause.

She doesn't even take the pills.

Instead she just repeats:]

Where are you going that you thought you would need these?

[sortileges]

[ He bites the corner of his lip, shrugs his right shoulder slightly. ]

The Labyrinth. [ He doesn't say anything else on it though, instead looking at the strip still in her hands. ] You aren't going to take it?

[coastal]

[There's surprise in her eyes.

And then an immediate shake of her head.]

You'll need them more than I will. Why are you going there? Do you want information? I can tell you what it looks like-

[Because she recklessly went down there, after all.

But she doesn't want Merlin to endanger himself in the same way.]

[sortileges]

...Not information. ViViD isn't... really enough for me to properly test myself, and I need to go where other people won't get injured.

[ He gives her a tiny smile. ]

I'm taking a healer with me, you can keep them. This is just as an extra precaution.

[coastal]

[ . . . . it's a little worrying. She'll take the medicine then, glad that a healer is going with him.

Then she pauses.]

Why are you testing yourself so rigorously? You could be put into serious danger down there if you linger for too long.

[sortileges]

[ He gives her a smile when she takes it though, relieved that she actually is listening to that. ]

Well I can't exactly open a hole in the ground where someone could get injured, can I? There are some spells that wouldn't be real enough to test in ViViD and it isn't like I can practice them in the park, soooo...

[coastal]

[Listen, even she recognizes that getting better is a priority here. The sooner they release her from this hospital, the better.]

You're not answering my question.

You're explaining why you're going down there, but not why you're testing yourself at all. What's the purpose in needing to open a hole in the ground at all?

[sortileges]

[ Very true. No one wants to be stuck with these weirdos for longer than they have to be. ]

...I let someone down. [ He pauses. ] Really it's... not only for the earth magic, I need-- [ He scrunches up his nose then, yanking his bag closed. ] --I need to remember or at least work out what I'm fighting for. Kind of.

Everything here is bigger than I'm used to, and I want to get used to it. I don't want to let people down again.

[ He doesn't look her in the eye as he says any of that though, and for once she'll find he's being 100% serious. ]

And the purpose of opening a hole in the ground is to drop creatures into it [ a beat, as he looks up at her, a faint smile on his face. ] Obviously.

[ Hopefully that doesn't take too much away from him actually admitting the rest to her... or hopefully she doesn't get mad again jesus. ]

[1/2]

[coastal]

[For a long moment, she's listening and ofc when he ends with a joke she's just going to fix him with a look.]

I am far too tired for your jokes.

[TIRED.... TIRED AF.........]

[coastal]

[The rest of it, she understands and she's quiet as she dissects it. It's odd. To hear that he doesn't want to let people down "again", when he's already so much stronger than her. Is there.... really no end to this need to be better?

Still though, she's trying to grasp the connections.]

So you're.... training your... magic, yes? Is that what it is? [Feeling out the words, trying to grasp at understanding even though she's not very good at it.] How does that relate to letting someone down?

[sortileges]

[ He just squints at her because... ]

That wasn't a joke? If we're attacked and there are too many of them, being able to trap them underground would probably be helpful.

[ But she doesn't understand how it really works, does she? He shouldn't be harsh about it. ]

But really, I'd rather not say more than that. I'm doing it because I didn't feel as though I was strong enough to protect someone, so I want to improve. That isn't a bad thing.

[ The only bad thing about it is his method tbh ]