driftfleet | pathstone mingle!!

[and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he does no such thing. it's like he forgets that it's even still in his hands.]

Your job is to mind your crew, isn't it? Haven't you said that yourself, before?

[Of course. He's reminding her of a spoiled child now, and Jove sighs as she rubs her forehead. Ain't got time for this, but might as well deal with it now while it's an obstacle.]

Alright, Tek. What do you need?

[aha. now... was that so hard?

he almost asks her if she's really sure that she has time to address the concerns of one of her crewmates, just to annoy her that little bit more, but ultimately opts not to. and it probably says something about how off he's feeling that he declines, and answers her question on the first try.]

I don't feel well.

[See buddy you should have led with that, because now the work is forgotten and Jove frowns softly as she lifts her hand to press it to his forehead to feel for a temperature.]

Are you sick? I don't-

[Wait. Fuck.]

Is this like last time?

[he can't just lead with the answers first. it's built into his code to approach things from the most aggravating, circular way possible.

and it just makes him feel better to think that maybe she might feel bad for not taking him seriously off the bat.

he doesn't fight her away and reject her help, this time. he lets her feel for the slight fever he has going-- though, he does squint a little in discomfort.]

Good question.

[He really is like an annoying cat.]

Is there anything I can do? Herbs didn't help last time, but there must be something.

Well...

[and there's a pause--where he maybe stops and changes what he was going to say--and switches it out for a sigh and a pained sort of smirk.]

...Actually. Do you have anything for a headache?

Yes, actually. I have a tea that will help and oil that you can massage into your skin that should help relax you. Come with me.

[She's pretty used to dealing with headache symptoms because of Cullen, but that's certainly not something she's going to say out loud. And anyway, she gave Cullen his own mint plant, he won't miss what Jove uses to help Tek feel better.

And hopefully he's following her down the hall to her bedroom. This isn't weirdly familiar or anything.]

[oh, he's definitely following along--nicely at her heel. just as he had before, which had turned out just fine.

so, nothing to wonder or worry about at all.]

[When she gets to her door she waves him in ahead of her.]

How long have you been feeling poorly?

Since I've been awake.

[and he wanders in as silently instructed--taking the moment to glance around and take notice of... who knows what. just gathering up what visual details he can hoard in the span of seconds, really.]

...The headache is new, however.

[Not much has changed, really. The same plants, though some of the vines that crawl up the walls have been trimmed back. The cuttings went to others in need of a little decoration and now Solas' murals are the focal point of the walls, less so the plants. Once he had left, once Jove had been sure it wasn't like Solas would return, the plants on the walls became less important.

There's still the same worktable she had prepared his medicine at before, and she goes straight to it to start preparing his tea.]

Is there a reason you didn't say anything about it before now? You've been suffering needlessly this entire time.

Probably because I don't get headaches.

[he shrugs, facing her with hands in his pockets. as if none of this was worrying him. as if he wasn't feeling upsettingly unhinged over the whole thing. as if it was all fine.]

I was hoping it would go away.

[The hum that serves as her answer comes out sounding very unimpressed and quite unconvinced, but she knows better than to argue the point with Tek. Once she has the tea in the cup she fills it with water and curls her hands around it as she turns to face him. Slowly steam starts to rise from the cup, and once it's hot enough she passes it over.]

It doesn't have to steep, so just drink it now. I hope you like mint.

[again, he does as he's told, without argument. he does not seem terribly impressed by the taste, however. being that he's never really had a need to consume anything aromatic or medicinal, he mostly misses the point.]

...It tastes like a puddle.

[Her lips twist into an amused smile.]

It isn't meant to taste nice, it's meant to make your head stop hurting. Breathe in the steam.

[Satisfied he's going to take her instructions, she turns back to sort through the small vials collected on the table.]

The oil you'll massage into your temples and forehead. It may tingle, but that's normal. Ah, here it is.

[She'd been starting to worry she was out, but now she hands over a small vial with the word mint printed in a neat script on the side.]

Just a drop for each place should do. If you run out, I'll make more.

[he doesn't actually take the vial; he merely looks down at it while continuing to warm his fingers around the mug of tea. you can't honestly expect him to move one of his hands from that, can you?]

And what if some other place on my skull is hurting?

[She did, actually. He does have two hands after all.]

You can use it in other places, but it's going to do you the most good on your temples. Where else does it hurt?

[well, the smirk that he's been keeping up finally loses some power, and he turns his head to answer her question. he doesn't point to the exact spot or anything, but he does tilt his neck as he turns away, so as to show off the raised shape of his augment under his skin behind his ear.]

[And just like that, none of this is very amusing anymore. She reaches up to touch with gentle fingertips, feeling around the augment for any signs of swelling or heat that might signal infection.]

Have you ever heard of these being rejected, or causing any pain?

[as gentle as her touch might be, it still pulls a quiet growl of warning out of him. as touchy and high-strung as he is right now, he can't help it. and he shrugs up his shoulders a bit, trying to fight the skin-crawling sensation, fighting not to pull away from her.]

If I had, or knew anything else about it, I doubt I would be coming to you for dead plants and hot water.

[no offense.]

[She can't exactly hold it against him when he's in pain, though, so it's let go even as he's growling at her. She drops her hand to gently squeeze his shoulder instead, now even more concerned than she had been just moments ago.]

I'll give you something for that, too. It will numb the area, just don't... don't try to drink it.

[She hands over another bottle, this one labeled camphor.]

Oh, poisons don't bother me.

[this is more like it, actually. he actually reaches out for this one voluntarily. he likes the feel of it; he can sense the flavor of its toxicity through the bottle--however slight it is. it's almost enough to distract him from the hand on his shoulder.

almost.

he rolls the little vial around in his fingers for a moment. and the gears in his head turn along with it, triggered by whatever odd little things happen to make them tick. he looks amused, after a minute.]

I laughed, the last time you fed me herbs.

It's not just poisonous, it has other effects you might not welcome with a headache.

[Like raging boners and the urge to merge.]

And you ate them even though you knew they wouldn't do much. You're not a bad patient, all things considered.

[that really would be the very last thing he needs right now. but it's her second comment that really commands his attention.]

See... this is what made me laugh. [pointing at her with the little vial, while he just... has a seat on the edge of her bed, uninvited.]

You're very funny.

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