[closed]

[rhygret]

Who: Rhys (rhygret) & various
What: Rhys's infection reaches stage 2
When: mid-Oct
Where: various
Warning(s): Attempts to remove cybernetics

[ All things considered Rhys think he's been handling being sick rather well. Sure he might have worn Jyn's patience a little with his constantly asking for things (tissue, coffee, dinner, lunch, breakfast, snacks, fluffing his pillows...the usual) but he's spent the majority of his time in a lump on the couch not doing a whole lot. He hasn't been taxing himself outside of the Bunkers & Badasses game, and though the event leaves him utterly exhausted and coughing up a storm later he relents and spends the next day sleeping for the most part. he wakes feeling...not much better honestly, but surely the worst of it is almost over. It's been a week now. Any day he'll start feeling like himself and he'll be on the mend.

Then the static starts. At first it's just small instances of white noise in the back of his head. It disappears when he pops his ears or rubs at his temple, comes and goes. Then it makes him feel lightheaded and awful. There's a churning in his stomach and he sits down to rub his temples when the beginnings of a headache start to take hold. Rhys pops a painkiller and goes to bed in the hopes that he'll stave it off entirely and when he wakes up things will be back to normal.

They aren't. ]

A: Who are you again?

[ When Rhys wakes up he's beyond disoriented. He feels faint and dizzy, he hurts all over and he can't remember how he got on couch. Did he fall asleep there? Why does he feel so awful? He's going to be late for work--

That he should in no way whatsoever be going anywhere let alone to work fails to occur to Rhys as he stumbles back to his room to try and get ready, and he gets most of the way there. His hair isn't styled perfectly and his dress shirt isn't tucked in, but Rhys drags himself out of the apartment anyway and begins to stumble his way into town.

Like a responsible, totally-not-sick-and-delirious adult. ]

B: Jack's Back, Baby

[ People find him, they take him home, and Rhys gets put back in bed in thankfully short order. He conks out almost immediately but wakes only a few hours later when suddenly, inexplicably, Rhys jolts awake. He has no idea why he startles the way he does but his ECHO eye lights up and out of reflex he activates the palm like on his arm despite the fact that it's only midday. Something woke him...right? He's awake because there was...there was...?

There's nothing. Just an empty room and a lot of dirty clothes on the floor. He really needs

"--to straighten up the place, huh cupcake? There's letting yourself go and then there's just being lazy Rhys. Three-day-old underwear on the nightstand? Seriously?"

Rhys freezes for the split-second it takes for shock to set in and have him flailing out of bed, arms windmilling when his legs get tangled in the bed sheets and he lands with a loud whump! on the floor. Sharp, cruelly delighted laughter reaches his ears even before he lifts his head to stare wide-eyed in disbelief at the flickering blue image of an all-too-familiar AI standing before him. Colour drains from his face as he opens his mouth, but sound fails to come out.

Jack cuts him off a second later.

"If you're looking to catch a bunch of flies there are easier ways than with that face. What's the matter cupcake? Surprise to see your ol' pal Jack again?"

He crosses his arms over his chest and smirks with obvious pleasure at Rhys's distress. He shakes his head at the vision--this can't be real, this has to be a mistake. The spiders. He'd heard Jack's voice when they were nearby, there must be spiders--

"Seriously? You think a bunch of bugs are responsible for this?" ]

Th...this is impossible. You're not here. Y...you can't be, I...

[ "You what? Murdered me?" Jack's grin only widens. "You think getting rid of me is that easy? You think I didn't know you'd turn on me Rhysie?" ]

This isn't real.

[ "Oh, but it is Rhys. And this time? I'm here to stay."

One hour later and Rhys is stumbling into the streets of the housing distracting, dishevelled and a stricken look on his face as the stumbles down the stairs and into and nearby wall, knocking over a garbage can. He doesn't even stop to try and pick it up or pay anyone else any mind--he's already struggling to bolt from the area, his cybernetic hand twitching and jerking erratically as his organic one grips it in the closest thing Rhys has ever managed to a death grip. ]

Get out of my head--!


[ ooc; closed prompts within! hmu via discord/plurk @ Dolly#0571 | owlits if you want a thread with rhys so we can plot! ]

Comments

A - Jyn

[rhygret]

[ He doesn't know when he becomes aware of it, but suddenly Rhys realizes that he's been lying on his back listening to someone mulling about in the kitchen for the past ten minutes. He doesn't remember falling asleep or when he started staring at the ceiling, but oddly enough he can't find himself caring too terribly. His head throbs and aches; all Rhys can think of is how badly he wants to pity party Yvette into going down to the Hub to grab him some sort of vitamin-infused latte as he lies there, blinking slowly.

Another ten minutes of staring blankly pass before he remembers he wanted to ask for that coffee (latte? what latte?) and Rhys grunts as he rolls onto his side, slowly pushing himself as he opens up his palm to prepare the call...when he hears noises in the kitchen and wonders who it is and why it feels familiar.

Rhys forgets the call and heads towards the sound of movement, wobbling a little as he comes around to the kitchen doorway and pokes his head in...and sees who anyone in their right mind would recognize as Jyn. Rhys however, is very much not.

He looks surprised, briefly, and slowly reaches up to hold onto the frame as his head lightens and necessitates the extra support. ]

...You're awake.

[ Sasha. ]

[insurgent]

[ A fresh mug of tea sits on the kitchen counter, made as soon as she entered the room only moments ago. As soon as Rhys' uneven steps near the door, Jyn is aware of another presence. Given his increasingly troublesome sickness, she doesn't expect it to be Rhys (Abelas had proved more resilient, presumably due to his abnormal abilities).

As soon as Rhys speaks, her brows arch. It's an odd hour, yes, far past the time when she should be reheating leftovers on the hob — but it isn't as if Jyn Erso acts predictably, is it? She keeps her attention on the food, not wanting to fuss over Rhys more than strictly necessary. It isn't difficult to muster a casual tone. Years of practice, after all. ]

Don't keep to a schedule, remember?

[ When called, Jyn goes. She works whatever hours suit each, individual job, with no two acquisitions proving alike. ]

[rhygret]

[ Rhys's head supplies that as a con artist, naturally Sasha doesn't keep to a shift-like schedule. They'd taken turns on watch and driving during their adventures but it's not like that here in the city. She does...something. he doesn't remember, doesn't recall when she woke or how long she's been here, but those details escape him entirely as he brings a hand up to run through his hair and only really skims the tips of his fingers through it, his coordination off. ]

Oh...right. Yeah, no I...forgot. I think? My head's a liiiittle...yeah.

[ As if she hasn't noticed. Or anything. All Rhys notices is that she doesn't seem displeased to see him, and that's what he cares about most right now. ]

Is Fiona around...?

B - Dutch

[rhygret]

[ Rhys is frantic, delirious when he makes the call. He doesn't even actually check who he calls so much as it is the last person he was in correspondence with, and Dutch's name is on top of the list when he scrambles desperately to keep his focus enough to do it. There's abusive laughter in his ears, Jack's grating voice berating him--

"You calling for help now? Seriously? And what are these backwater savages going to do to help you?? God, it's like you don't even think!" ]

Shut up, comeon comeon comeon come onnn...

[ Rhys is whispering to himself, but the moment he hears the sound of the other end of the line being picked up he...starts babbling, more or less. ]

--Hey! Hello? Anyone--someone, you gotta help me. It's--he's back. He's back and I have to get rid of him, you don't understand! I need him out and I don't know if I can do it all over again,

[ Paranoia floods Rhys's system like a drug, making him sound panicked and erratic. He's half talking to himself and half trying to speak to whoever's on the other end of the receiver Jack niggles in his ear, making snide remarks. ]

Help me, before he--

[ The call cuts out, because Rhys tried to swat away at Jack's apparition, and accidentally triggers the 'end' function built into his palm's thumb movements.


SORRY DUTCH. ]

[motivation]

[ dutch is a little busy drinking more than is healthy and beating customers getting rowdy a little too soundly. the violence of it makes her blood sing and the anger makes it easier to forget. in all that, she almost doesn't hear the ringing of her comms. she almost doesn't, but after a roundhouse kick that sends her last opponent flying, there's nothing distracting her from it and so she picks up.

rhys sounds panicked and terrible and worried and dutch doesn't hesitate to shout at one of the others handling security at shades darker that she's got to go, and then she's off, running toward him. that tone doesn't promise anything good and if there's an intruder in rhys' place while he's sick, who knows what'll happen?

she tries calling him again, too, but to no avail, and so it's a little while later, expecting the worst, that dutch shows up at his doorstep, breathing fast and gun drawn. ]

Rhys?

[rhygret]

[ It's probably not very reassuring that her calls to him upon arrival go unanswered, but Rhys is a little...occupied, at the moment. Jack hasn't stopped berating him. He hasn't had a break from the taunting, the fever, the spikes of paranoia and anxiety that had him frantically searching for something--anything--to use to rid himself of his cybernetics again.

If he'd thought about it calmly and rationally Rhys would realize that he sees Jack with his normal eye, that his ECHO one can't even get a read on the AI's presence. He'd remember the protocols to disconnect his arm and power down his cybernetics until he could have one of the orbiters examine it and clear the AI from his subsystems.

Instead the kitchen and living room have been torn apart, clothes and socks, books, miscellaneous items strewn about like someone's tried to loot the place. The cutlery drawer had been upended. Then knife block is on the floor, all contents placed in the sink of all things. Specs of blood have begun to run in its base.

Rhys isn't in any of those rooms. ]

C - Rosalind

[rhygret]

[ So Rhys may or may not have been hallucinating a little earlier, and he may or may not have imagined he was seeing Handsome Jack and totally flipped out before trying to rip out his eye and ECHO port again.

Maybe.

He doesn't remember doing it of course but he sure does have a bunch of gauze wrapped around his temple when Rosalind next shows up for the scheduled check-up Rhys definitely doesn't recall making two days before. His arm's been removed from his body for his own safety (and others, to be quite frank) so when she arrives he's a zonked-out mess on the living room couch where he can be kept an eye on, the cool towel that had been placed on his head earlier long since fallen from its place and now pooled on the floor.

This is Totally Normal, don't worry about it. ]

[originallutece]

[Good god, what a mess. Ros thinks that without much venom as she slips into the house, her medical bag hoisted over her shoulder. Good grief, and she doesn't know why she's bothering to be charitable, she really doesn't. Surely Rhys has other friends to check in on him? Surely there's other people he could be relying on?

Likely. But none of them are as smart as her, and she doesn't want to lose a mind as clever as Rhys', not before they've had a chance to talk more.

So she picks her way over to him, nudging him gently in his sleep as she takes a seat on the edge of the couch. A quick touch to what bare bits of his forehead she can touch reveals he's not in the throes of a deep fever, which is good. No smell of vomit in the place, either, and she suppose she ought to count her blessings.

That gauze is worrying, but as there's no blood dotting it, she'll ignore it for the time being.]

[rhygret]

[ Nope, no blood through the gauze. It's been changed since yesterday when he tried to dig out his ECHO port so what little there is remains buried under the padding, browned and old. For all intents and purposes it just looks like he dinged his head a little. Maybe not even that considering he isn't disturbed when she puts her cool hand to his face to check for temperature.

In fact if anything it just causes him to stir slightly, brow furrowing as he inhales--and coughs a little. His eyes crack open a second later and he looks up at her blearily, pupils contracted a little more than normal. ]

.......

[ Excuse him while he looks like he can't believe what he's seeing, because he literally can't. He be awe-struck♥ ]

H....h-hey.

b —

[unweave]

[ It was later than she wanted to be out. People were a little suspicious — curious to blame people for the tragedy that happened. With the paranoia at an all time high, Aranea was playing it smart in public. She played her role, helping civilians who needed it and took less jobs this month to not draw attention to herself.

She's caught up on her good deeds, but the scene unfolding makes her groan to herself. To her? It's another person who tried the Blazeweed or drank too much ale. The bumbling form of Rhys doesn't stop her as she goes back towards her house, but the sudden yelling? That's different.

She turns, direct in her words to Rhys: ]

Hey, you ok, pal? You're — hey!

[ He's growing a bit more frantic — well, that arm is... ]

[rhygret]

[ Yelling is the least of his problems right now. He hears her of course, knows that he must be attracting attention, but Jack's form flickers in front of Aranea's and while he initially stares at her, his gaze very clearly focuses on something else--something only he can see as he starts to stumble backwards, a hand held out in front of him as if to ward something off.

"Where're you going idiot? I'm in your head remember?" ]

S...s-stay back...

[unweave]

[ While Jack's unknown to her, she watches his eyes dart around. Watching as he shields himself from a force not there. She doesn't put two and two together — that he's sick or that he's fighting someone off in his head. ]

Aw shit, you're trippin'... Yeah, no. C'mon, get your shit together.

[ She assumes its drugs — alcohol doesn't make you act like this. She approaches with more warning, trying to latch her hand against his wrist that was extended. ]

A

[gh0stamidstthec0mbat]

[Zer0 tends to keep to himself in town, just popping out into public long enough to look for work or turn in jobs. Today had started off like any other, but while Zer0 was checking for work, he happened to spot that one awkward fuck Rhys stumbling through town.

...Admittedly, he's tempted to go invisible until Rhys passes. So far pretty much every single interaction with him has ended up really awkward, and today Zer0 has better things to do than try to solve the riddle that is Rhys. Just avoiding the nerd all together would make everything so much easier. Then again, Zer0 was never the type who liked to take the easy way out, and Rhys... actually wasn't looking so hot, come to think of it. Like he hadn't looked great at the B&B game either, but this was way worse. Zer0 might actually almost be concerned a little bit maybe.

Just a little bit. So instead of vanishing, he'll approach Rhys.]

You look terrible. / What are you doing out here? / You should be resting.

[rhygret]

[ If only Rhys were coherent enough right now to appreciate Zer0 showing an interest in his vague well-being... Well, actually if he did it would probably be awkward like every other time. So maybe it's a small blessing in disguise that fever-addled and delirious Rhys happens to be hallucinating. Like, a lot.

People in the street aren't Olympian residents but instead Hyperion personnel, the streets are slick chrome instead of brick or stone, and when he looks up at Zer0 with pupils just a bit too contracted thanks to his newfound sensitivity to light, Rhys sees not his hunky dream of a Vault Hunter, but instead?

His best bro. ]

O-oh...hey. Um, yeah. Sorry.

[ Rhys brings a knuckle to the bridge between his brows for a second, trying to alleviate the pressure headache there. ]

I just wanted to get something from the Hub...soup? M...maybe. [ He fixes Zer0 with a lopsided smile as wobbles slightly and holds an arm out to steady himself, and manages it. ]

I'm fine. [ he's so not fine ]

[gh0stamidstthec0mbat]

[Thank weird sci-fi fantasy space Jesus for Rhys's horrible fever. The lack of awkwardness was nice, but it was really hard to ignore just how off Rhys was acting. How off balance he was. Yeaaah he should probably not be out wandering around right now.]

You are so not fine. / Go back home and get some rest, / I can... bring you soup.

[He doesn't really want to but Rhys just looks extra pathetic today.]

b

[shikomizue]

[The streets have grown eerily quiet in the attack's wake, biological warfare mutating within Olympians and refugees alike. Takasugi himself has been spared of the affliction, and finds the way the few who do dare to walk the city's roads shuffle quickly, eyes darting all around, to be more interesting scenery than the daily hustle.

A loud crash embellishing the scene every once in a while isn't too strange, an ill man stumbling or a thief's cover not as effective as they'd thought.

He doesn't usually stop to watch, but the sound of a familiar voice - even its distress bringing back memories of a frigid cave and the feeling of flesh under his hands - draws Takasugi's attention.

And now that he's focused on him, there's nowhere for Rhys to run. With an arm extended, Takasugi catches the panicking man across the shoulders.] If something's in your head, the only way to escape is to cut it off.

[It's a joke. Probably.]

[rhygret]

[ Joke or not Rhys still yelps in surprise when Takasugi speaks to him because he....clearly missed the other man being there entirely. In fact he's little more than a blob of colour until Rhys really focuses and his ECHO eye carries most of the weight.

Turns out it was a person that's caught him, not a wall like he somehow thought.

"God you are really messed up huh? Hah! This is hialrious. You gonna puke on him next?" ]

I--wh....at? N-no, I...that's--

[ Rhys wavers and leans back just a bit took far, staggering a little in Takasugi's grip to catch himself. ]

[quevalry]

[ The bad guy might have been caught, but that doesn't mean Lena is going to be spending her days relaxing. She has decided to take her job ten times more seriously (if that's even possible) and does some guard duty even when she isn't supposed to be working. It's all unpaid work, not that she cares.

If it keeps people safe then it's worth it. She doesn't bother wearing her uniform, but she still has her badge resting on her chest just to let people know that she isn't out here for fun. Her senses for like they've been heightened so when she hear's a crash, Lena is already blinking towards the sound.

Thankfully, she doesn't blink in front of Rhys and is instead behind him, allowing her to jog up to his side without giving him a scared. ]

Rhys, love, what's wrong?

[rhygret]

[ Rhys is in a bad way. That much is obvious just looking at him at a brief glance. He's dressed more for bed than anything else and his hair isn't slicked or styled in any particular fashion. Bits of it stick together on the sides of his head, slick with sweat from a fever that's got him paler than normal.

The sound of his name not from the hallucinated hologram of his dead boss manages to break through his delirium though, and he looks up at Tracer with vague recognition.

Jack whistles. "Would you look at the legs on that. Bet she could drop-kick your scrawny bod in a heartbeat kitten." ]

--Stop it. [ He's just talking to himself, don't mind him. ]

I...uh, y-yes?

a

[unpromising]

[ When it's Qrow who looks and acts like the more responsible adult here, something's wrong. Of course, he doesn't think that just yet when Rhys bumps into Qrow. The older man staggers but finds his balance quickly. With his hands in his pocket, he leans forward slightly. ]

Good going, kid.

[ He doesn't seem all too upset, at least. It was just a bump, anyway! ]

I'm pretty sure I'm big enough that you can see where I am, you know?

[rhygret]

Wh...? No, that's not...I...

[ Rhys raises a hand to his head, and when he does he swears he can feel his brain swish around inside his skull. He feels lightheaded and disoriented, trying to blink away fever even as he looks over at Qrow and frowns, confused. ]

What are you...doing here?

[ The voice is obviously Qrows and obviously male, but to Rhys's addled mind neither of those things matter. This all makes sense and Rhys sees not the man who came to his B&B game, but instead a woman of nondescript details. Who he somehow knows and recognizes, which makes no sense. None of what he's seeing make sense right now. ]

wildcards it up

[competing]

[ it's been a while since lance has had the opportunity to check in on his friend, those three days he was completely absent and stuffed back inside his stasis pod notwithstanding. he waits until they've all had some time to settle into wyver before suddenly barging into rhys' new digs... whatever digs those may be. he's brought with him a small cup of sorbet, meager as far as gifts go, but it's the thought that counts! along with that, a couple of rags, all of a dark hue, because... well. he knows full well how the sickness has progressed, after all. ]

Hey, Rhys...? Buuuuuuddy?

[ knock-knock! ]

\o/

[rhygret]

[ To say that Rhys has been going through the rough of it would be a gross understatement. His particular infection may not have progressed to the more intense levels of sickness, but Rhys still feels like he's been through the wringer for it. Between the constant fever, the aches and pain, the coughing and hacking, the hallucinations and recent onset of nosebleeds it's been...tough. On him, and his flatmates.

His refusal to eat or drink during the worst of it left need for an IV, which has been taped to the back of one hand. That said he has been given the cure and bunch of other medicine to help manage his symptoms, so while he might not be rushing over to answer the door or anything when Lance initially knocks, there's some shuffling and the sound of a cup knocking itself over before Rhys's voice carries: ]

--Come in!

[ It's croaky and pathetic but at least he's still got one??? ]

A

[respired]

[ Koltira doesn't come into town much. There are too many people, too many heartbeats. It's a dangerous proposition, both for him and for the population at large. But recent events have required his presence: villains must be hunted, and the sick must be pressed into their beds. He is well suited to either purpose. Thus, he's on the streets, fully armored, his tremendous sword in one hand, his cloak fluttering behind him.

It's on this patrol that he notices Rhys shambling along, sweaty and disoriented, just a few paces ahead of him. He calls out, frowning. ]

Stop where you are.

[rhygret]

[ Rhys is very obviously Not Doing Well when not only fails to heed Koltira's order, but he...kind of pitches over to one side, catching himself only at the last minute and somehow managing to avoid toppling right over. His cybernetic palm shoots out and into the wall to brace himself but that doesn't stop him from shuddering, ducking, and promptly vomiting.

right in the middle of the sidewalk.

So I guess technically he's stopped now???? ]