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(no subject)

Characters: Eiji, OTA
Date: Feb 22 - 24
Location: Around Aifaran and the Dreaming Bridge
Situation: Friendship knots, sensory loss, and talents
Warnings/Rating: None yet

1 - Arts 5

Eiji's spent quite a bit of time learning the different knots from the Tifaut's booths around the city, and he's gotten good enough that a couple of people around have commissioned him to make some--partly because it's more personal than buying them at a stall, and partly because he can't bring himself to charge very much other than what someone wants to donate.

Come to pick one up? Come to help and make some money yourself? Or just want to talk? He's mostly at the beach.

2 - Vision

It happens as he walks back to the Dreaming Bridge--his eyes suddenly turn purple, and as he looks ahead at the city, he can barely make it out. Everything has lost its detail, like he's getting poor TV reception, and the colors he's picking up are distorted.

"Not again," he whispers, stumbling backwards in fear. There's no way he can find his way back on his own.

3 - Talent: Restoration

The moments of vision loss have gone away for now, but nothing's changed about Eiji's sense of taste being gone. Still, he tries to help out in the Dreaming Bridge's kitchen, and even if he can't taste anything that's being made, he can at least sort out the vegetables that are starting to go bad.

He sniffs some kind of milk-like liquid and makes a face.

"Okay, I think that's starting to go."

Except...no, it's not, all of a sudden. He feels some kind of weird sensation, and he thinks he's about to have another bout of sensory loss, but...no. The milk, or whatever it is, suddenly seems to smell right.

He looks over to someone else there.

"Uh, can you smell this for me? I thought it might be going bad, but now I'm not sure."

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Eiji hesitantly nods. It's easier, this way, than having to ask for help outright.

"Thank you."

Padparadscha waves a hand a little to indicate that it's fine, then steps slightly ahead so they can lead the way close at hand.

"Can you see me this close?" If he needs a more direct guidance, they don't have a problem with that, but they'd best be sure before they head off properly.

Eiji nods, although a little hesitantly.

"I think, just as long as I don't end up too far behind."

He's a little unsure of his footing, though. He definitely can't make out enough detail to tell if he's going to trip over anything. But Padparadscha would probably point out anything in his way, right?

While Padparadscha doesn't trip over easily, they also know the kinds of things that are probably going to be a problem for someone in this person's condition. So they make a gesture with one hand to draw his attention when they come up to the first problem.

"There's some stairs just ahead here." They stop at the edge of the top step, in case he's going to need help down.

"Thanks."

He can tell there's a drop, but the stairs are harder to see. He reaches for the wall to help guide himself down and brace himself if he misses a step.

Padparadscha walks alongside him, step for step, just in case he trips or slips. Landing on them wouldn't be much more pleasant than landing on the stairs, but it'd be a shorter fall, and do less damage.

"Is this normal for you?"

The extra guidance helps, making him a little more confident about walking down the stairs--slowly, still, but less afraid of falling.

"No. It just started. The only other time it happened, it went away after a few minutes."

But this is longer now, and he's getting worried.

That explains a few things, like why he wasn't more prepared for it. Padparadscha isn't familiar enough with humans to know if this is even normal for the species, so they're relying on what they can clean from talking.

"And it just started when I found you, huh?" It's been a few minutes, but they likely have very different definitions of how much a few minutes is - for Padparadscha, as old as they are, an hour or so can just feel like a few minutes.

He nods.

"It...well, before, by now, I definitely had my sight back, but my head hurt and I had to sit down."

He's not in pain this time, which is better, but it's still not much of a trade-off.

"Well, you seem like you're standing up alright this time. Maybe it's a little different."

Illness and the human condition definitely isn't their strong point - the only thing remotely like sickness that happens to gems is lack of sunlight - but he doesn't seem averse to letting them in on more as they go, so Padparadscha will take that.

"Did something cause it last time?"

Eiji hesitates for a moment before answering, "There's something wrong with me. Something that got inside me and is affecting my body. But I don't know how to get it out."

That doesn't sound like an enjoyable situation to be in, even if Padparadscha can't really relate to it themselves, and they give a faint hum as if considering it.

"Have you spoken to the scientists here? If so many people pass through from different worlds, they might have seen something like it before."

"I might have to."

He's looking down, though. The thought of asking for help, especially with this, is still...frightening, on some level that he can't quite understand.

"I think it would be good for you. I've been thinking of talking to them myself, but humans should be more familiar with that kind of thing, right?"

At least, most people seem to be familiar with scientists here. The only real scientist they had in Padparadscha's world was Rutile, who was more of a doctor regardless.

Padparadscha steps onto flat ground, turning their head back slightly as they do. "The stairs level out here."

"Really? Are you okay?"

He glances up at them curiously, all while taking that careful last step onto flat ground.

"It's nothing serious. I'm just missing a few things that are used by my people back home, and I wondered if this world had any kind of substitute."

Once Eiji reaches level ground, Padparadscha starts moving again, still with a slow pace. "That's the kind of thing scientists are for, right? Discovering solutions?"

Eiji nods, though a little hesitantly, as he follows.

"I guess. What kind of thing are you missing? Is it something one of us might have?"

"I don't think so, since it's to do with how my people look," Padparadscha explains, circling a finger around their own exposed torso under their open shirt. There are a few glittering gems inserted into the area, a clear contrast against the white surrounding them. "My whole body looks like this red gem usually. The only thing that covers it is a white powder we use at home, and resin to protect it from water. But I don't have either of those here, so I've had to be very careful about protecting it from wear."

Eiji can just make out a difference in the color--something that was hard to notice until it was pointed out to him.

"What kind of powder is it?"

"It's made out of a flower that we call powder-flower, but even if that existed here, I don't think it would have the same name. Sometimes we have limited supply, because the flowers don't always bloom well in the harsher seasons."

Padparadscha has a somewhat musing tone to their voice, as if reminiscing about something. It's been a very long time since they've been awake to see a rough winter.

Eiji nods.

"So not just any powder will do, right?"

"No. It would need to match how resilient it is outside of water, be something that doesn't damage gems by being there for so long...there are a few conditions, I'm afraid."

It's not as difficult a solution as to a lot of problems humans seem to have, they think, but it's difficult enough for them to have considered it.

"I hope they're able to figure it out."

"Well, I'd be hoping they can figure out your problem too, huh?" Padparadscha turns a corner onto the street the Dreaming Bridge is on. It's not too busy at this time of day, thankfully. "Not far now."

He nods. It's worth trying, he guesses.

"Thanks."