[PRP] A Bittersweet Reunion

[Juridian Soul]

"Victor? You mean the baby my cousin is carrying around with her nowadays? The kid that she always has with her? You mean HE'S an Illusionary? I just thought he was a creepy looking kid...."

He laughed a bit.

"He is creepy, mind. Creepier than I used to be, if that'll put the full gist of it into your mind."

Yawning, he pointed to the kitchen, which they were nearing.

"See? Not hard to find. Fridge should be full. Dad just bought stuff before he got sick."  

[shibrogane]

He stared at Ean for a moment, then shook his head to clear it of errant thoughts. "Alright, you sit here, and don't move. Don't even scratch your nose." Aure sat next to Ean on the nearest couch, then disentangled himself and went to look in the fridge. "Is her name Josie? Because that'd be the one." No way would he mention that most Illusionary could sense other Illusionary. Nor would he say that Victor didn't seem particularly creepy to him.

He sighed and shifted some jelly to the other side of the fridge.  

[Juridian Soul]

The teen sat on one of the barstools lining the outside of the kitchen island, and watched his friend prepare food. It wasn't that hard to see now. Ean looked tired. He looked hungry, and for more than food. His eyes seemed a little haunted. Almost like he wasn't entirely there.

"Yeah... Her name is Josie. She's practicing Necromancy - Maverick's apprentice, I think. She's nice..."

He trailed off, and stared straight ahead.  

[shibrogane]

"Hn." In a short, chopped sound, Aure managed to convey that he didn't think too highly of her. "Well... How long has it been since you've eaten, again?" It was an obvious attempt to catch Ean off guard and get a more appropriate answer. He began to go through the cabinets, looking for something that he didn't seem to be much bothered to objectify- except it came in cans, whatever it was."And slept?"  

[Juridian Soul]

It took a moment to realize he was being asked a question, but when he DID realize it, he jumped almost literally. He'd been in a half-daze, just staring off into space. He shook his head to clear it, but his eyes remained with that haunted look..

"Eaten? About a week..ish. Slept? ... Gods, when WAS the last time I slept..? I don't remember, sorry Aure."  

[shibrogane]

His head whipped around and he glared at Ean. "You need to take better care of yourself," he said, but he wasn't yelling. His voice was calm and controlled. "Our second lives are gifts. You need to be more careful." Aure located a pot and put it on the stove, turning it on. With purposeful movements, he poured the contents of the cans into the pot and put the lid over it. "I'm worried about you," he said, but this time he was so quiet he could barely hear himself.  

[Juridian Soul]

"Hmmm?" Ean asked. He hadn't caught that. "You're what? If you're hungry, you can make yourself whatever you like. I mean, asking you to cook for me just because I can't use the kitchen to save my life... it's a little selfish."

He offered another soft smile, and looked down at the counter top. Now that he was up close and in the light, Aure could see he looked HORRIBLE. Paler than usual. Rings under his eyes. Perhaps he wasn't entirely accurate about not having caught the illness... And he didn't know it. Might be a good idea to find out symptoms of said illness from him...  

[shibrogane]

"I said, you need to be more careful." He lifted the lid of the pot and flinched back from the gust of broth-scented steam. Replacing it, Aure looked over at Ean. Suspicion formed in his mind, running through possibilities and coming up with only one. "...What are the symptoms of this illness that your family has?" He lifted an eyebrow, tapping his fingers on the glass lid of the pot as if the heat didn't bother him.  

[Juridian Soul]

"Uhh... Fatigue... rapid and irregular heartbeat... fever... coughing.... That's all I can think of at the moment. Oh, and disorientation. But the biggest thing is the heart. That's why it's so dangerous for dad and my uncles - they already have that other curse."

He had no idea what Aure was getting at. The tapping of his fingers on the table had nothing to do with nervousness. Or hunger. Or fatigue. All of which he was presenting. It was just a matter of his being bored.  

[shibrogane]

He lifted his eyebrows even higher, so that they were in danger of disappearing into the hair swept neatly across his forehead. The lid on top of the pot began to rattle, and he took it off to add the contents of the box he'd located, then set it aside. The heat of the steam from the boiling broth didn't seem to bother him so much as hinder his ability to see what he was doing. "Did your uncle affirm you don't have it?" Aure didn't think that a medical doctor could screw up a diagnosis, unless Ean catching whatever illness it was had happened after they'd left. This bore much thought.  

[Juridian Soul]

He shook his head when asked the question. Dragon hadn't given him a checkup because he'd been too sick. Rai hadn't been there, so he didn't give Ean an examination either. Not that he really cared all that much about it. He was convinced he couldn't catch it. Afterall, it was supposedly a Juridian thing.

"No - He was too ill himself to examine me. And I didn't get a chance to ask him before they left two weeks ago."

He shrugged, and coughed. It sounded... harsh. Hard. In his own mind, Ean just wrote it off as the steam.  

[shibrogane]

"Eat," Aure said after a moment. He'd hidden behind the steam again as he ladled out some of the soup he'd been making. And now, he put a bowl and spoon in front of Ean as he stared at him. The unspoken message in his eyes said I'm not moving until you eat, so eat. What was he gonna do about this?  

[Juridian Soul]

"Aure... I'm not really hun-..." He paused as he saw the look in his friend's eyes. "Ok, ok... I'll eat."

He started to munch at the soup, only to be surprised when it was his favorite - tomato basil. Looking up at Aure, he wondered how he knew - but that was neither here nor there. Once the liquid actually hit his mouth and slid down his throat, he suddenly remembered how very hungry he was. Immediately, he started to eat ravenously. Still polite - not slurping or anything. But it was almost as though he couldn't get enough of the stuff.  

[shibrogane]

Aure sighed in relief. He'd been worried that he might have grabbed a variety of broth that Ean didn't like- the fact that he was eating affirmed that he'd made a good choice. "Do you know if your uncle kept notes on the illness?" It would not be good to say you've been alone by yourself for two weeks, possibly ill, and you had my number and you didn't call me, why not, god-damnit all to hell. That would cause undue stress.

He sighed again and drew on the back of his broken hand with the fingernails of the other, as he often did when thinking.  

[Juridian Soul]

"Notes? Uhh... yeah. I think he was doing a case-study on my father..."

He paused, musing around a mouthful of broth. He really didn't care what it tasted like. And neither did his stomach. Another few mouthfuls, and he was ready to speak again.

"If he did leave the case-study here, it'd be in his lab. I'm not supposed to be able to get in there, but I've become... eh... quite good at picking locks."