Meliora - Emanate - 45

[lady_mab]

Liala Darcy

"I mean, I just don't get it!" Glen shouts, his voice hoarse and crackling with his cold. "It was so obvious!"

"He practically spelled it out to her," Lio shouts back, waving a hand angrily in the air. "And she still didn't even put it together. It could have been solved so much easier if she just paid attention."

Glen coughs, covering the sound in his elbow and shaking his head. "Now we have to wait for a whole year for the next movie to come out."

"No way am I going to see the next movie!" Lio crosses his arms over his chest and huffs. "This one should have been enough."

I laugh, trailing along a few paces behind him with Zoné. "I know you, Lio. You'll totally go see the next movie."

His ears heat up and he shoots me a glare over his shoulder. "You don't know that."

"Remember what happened with those Inspector Mourreau movies?" I tease.

Glen and Lionel both throw their hands dramatically into the air with an angry "Arrgh!"

"The worst cliffhanger!"

"A blind cat could have solved it faster!"

They carry on down the street at great volume, even though the conversation is punctuated by Glen's hacking cough every few lines. At his side, Jun keeps a worried eye on him but doesn't say anything.

Zoné lopes along with a grin on his face. "Did you have a good time, Lia?" he asks, low enough that my brother doesn't stop on his tirade to start glaring or butting in to the conversation.

"Watching Lio get riled up over movies is one of my favorite hobbies." It takes two of my steps to every one of his, but he keeps his pace slow enough that I don't have to walk too fast to keep up. "But I'm having fun. It's nice to hang out with you guys."

He beams, and the powder blue star beneath his eye wrinkles with the expression. "Good! That was the plan. I mean, not to get Lio all frustrated over modern cinema, but you get the idea."

"I do. Thanks for inviting us."

"Of course! I thought it would be nice to hang out in non-Meliora related activities."

My steps falter, and his smile loses a bit of its enthusiasm. "Yeah... a lot has been happening lately, hasn't it?"

He stares ahead, though it takes me a moment to realize that he's watching Glen and Jun in front of us and not some unseen point. "Sort of. I dunno, it's kind of weird. Like... there hasn't been anything by way of communication since that event at the end of January. Lysander has been pretty grumpy too. I don't know what's going on."

I watch Glen and Jun as well, as he reaches out and puts a hand against her elbow, leaning over to tell her something that is too quiet for even Lio to hear. Not that he would notice with the way he is carrying on.

Before I can get the chance to think of a response, Zoné calls out, "Hey, left turn at the street ahead, you guys!" He gives me a brief smile that I don't know how to interpret before picking up his pace to catch up with the others.

Glen squawks under the sudden weight of Zoné draping himself over the boy's shoulders, and any protest is lost in a fit of laughter.

Lio glances back and catches my eye as I watch the spectacle. "Is this all you ever imagined," he asks me dryly, waving a hand at the others.

I don't want to say my answer out loud. I don't really want to admit to him that I'm starting to feel a bit more like a normal teenager. Between unches with Zoné’s group, and the girls in my calc class, I’m finally starting to enjoy myself.

Instead of responding, I just skip ahead to loop my arm through his and pull him along as we turn the street.

The bright signs and lights keep the darkness of the gloomy afternoon at bay, and Zoné leads us to a small diner a few doors down. One of the servers greets us with a smile, telling us to sit wherever we like.

Zoné ushers us all into a corner booth, trapping Jun in the middle between all of us. The arrangement doesn't last long, though, because Glen and Lio are talking around her about other detective series. So Jun wriggles up the seat and, with a quick glance around to make sure no one would yell at her and a delicate step, plops herself back down between Glen and Zoné.

"There, now you can talk without my head in the way," she tells them and scoops up a menu to distract herself.

We spend the next two hours at the diner, talking through dinner and a round of dessert. I have never been this social before in my life. It's surprising how easy it is to talk to them.

I learn that Glen likes to play the guitar, and that he's been friends with Ayumu and Beat for years. They met Zoné in a Comp Lit class two years ago when they were all assigned to the same group with Mal and Robbie. Jun was introduced into the picture when Zoné lent her a jacket during summer school, and she repaid him by bringing lunch the next day. Jun talks about growing up in China, and describes all sorts of foods that street vendors sell in the major cities.

We don't talk about the game at all, and we don't talk about what we plan on doing once it is over. If it ever ends. It would be unfair to Glen, I realize, to talk about the freedom we're working towards. It must be hard enough for him to keep hanging out with Zoné and Jun knowing that they'll be leaving.

After we're finally stuffed silly and have spent a good chunk of time arguing over the tab, we all slide out of the booth and back into the street. The chill of early evening hits us with a sharp bite, and I hug my jacket closer to me.

Glen's cough rattles long and loud in his chest, forcing him to stop until it passes. "I hate being sick," he grumbles, pulling a tissue out of his pocket. "I'll catch up in a second."

Lio and I keep walking, Zoné trailing along a moment later. Jun stays behind.

"Alright, Darcy squad, where to next?" Zoné asks, resuming his long legged gait.

"Next?" Lio yelps. "I thought this was the movies and dinner and that was it!"

"Um, boring--" Zoné starts, but Jun's thin voice calls out to us.

"Guys, hold on!"

We stop and turn around, only to find Jun with her arms around Glen's shoulders as he pinches the bridge of his nose. There's a smear of dark on his hands and the front of his face, and he tries to grin when our attention lands on him.

Zoné immediately hurries back to join them. "Another nosebleed?"

"Yeah, they haven't really stopped. Thought I was doing okay today, but nooope."

Lio and I exchange a quick glance. I can tell that he's debating about taking this opportunity to leave, or to stay and wait it out. I'm having the same reaction.

In the end, we both rejoin the others as Jun guides Glen to sit on a low stone wall around one of the fake trees lining the street.

He coughs, turns, and spits into the dirt. "Well isn't this embarrassing."

Jun digs through his jacket pockets for the pack of tissues, attempting to clean up his hand and face as he leans his head forward. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great."

I sit down next to him, and place my hand against his forehead. "Have you been dehydrated at all recently?"

His shrug is awkward and wobbly. I notice that the hand holding his nose is pale beneath the dark wash of blood, and the one sitting on his lap shakes beneath Jun's grip. "Not that I know of? They said I looked fine at the hospital."

His physical appearance has taken a nosedive since starting our evening. Lio stands back a few awkward paces, arms folded over his chest. "What were you in the hospital for?"

"I've had a bad cough." Glen is having a hard time keeping his head up, and during our short conversation his breath has become quick and labored. Jun's effort to clean his hand and chin don't seem to be making any progress. "My chest was hurting really bad, so my mom took me in. They just said it was typical muscle aches, but kept me over to make sure there wasn't some sort of underlying disease. Gave me some painkillers and penicillin to take care of it, released me the next day."

Zoné stands behind Jun, fidgeting with his phone. "Do you want me to call the hospital?"

"Maaaan, no. I don't want to go back if I don't have to. Just like... go get me some paper towels from the diner or something." Glen tries to pull his hand away to study the damage, but Jun immediately shoves a wad of tissues into his palm and presses it back to his nose.

"Maintain pressure," she orders.

I watch his eyes slip shut and my hand shoots forward to pat him on the side of his face. "Keep your eyes open. Have the nosebleeds started after the trip to the hospital?"

He coughs, spits another glob of saliva and blood onto the pavement between his feet. "A bit before? I don't know. I'm having... a hard time thinking right now."

"That's alright. C'mon, like Jun said, just keep pressure on your nose and keep your head tilted forward." I glance over at Jun on his other side, watching the panic grow in her eyes.

She grips his hand, and leans in to mutter a quick, "I'll be right back," to him. Leaving a kiss on his temple, she pulls away and grabs onto Zoné's arm -- tugging him back in the direction of the diner.

I watch them go, as he leans over to listen to her. He has his phone to his ear seconds later. Good. He's hopefully calling for a paramedic. Unlike our hesitation with Rhys, this isn’t something that a quick internet search can fix. This is something outside of our realm of knowledge.

Lio shifts back and forth on his feet before advancing in and dropping into a crouch a safe distance, but enough to see into Glen's face. "Hey, keep talking alright? Have you seen the Quantum Infinity series?"

Glen groans and rolls his eyes. "Worst sci-fi ever."

"What? No. They are like the best series ever. The details they used for the transport driver? And man, those robots!"

There's a beat, then another, then a strained laugh comes in response. "You kidding me? Those robots were so useless."

I keep one eye on my phone and one on Glen as Lio does his best to maintain a conversation. Leaving the two of us here was probably an awful idea, because we're not the most talkative. Keeping a topic going on a good day is difficult enough as it is.

I've spent my fair share of time in hospitals. I understand Glen's desire to avoid them.

There is something wrong with him. Paper towels aren't the solution.

Zoné and Jun return a few minutes later, cheeks flushed from the cold. They're carrying a thick wad of paper towels and a water bottle between them.

Jun resumes her seat on his other side, dousing one towel in water and gently wiping away the blood.

Glen mumbles something to her, resting the side of his head against the top of hers.

Silence descends on our group as she continues her work. I help her replace the paper towels, because he's barely responding to her questions and is having a hard time keeping his hand elevated.

Lio remains crouched on the sidewalk, his hands covering his face. I can hear his breathing through his fingers. It's been so long since I've had a bad episode with my asthma or my muscle pain that I've forgotten how much he hates watching someone who is sick.

Zoné is back on the phone, talking in a low and urgent tone. He's pacing in a frantic line.

It's another five minutes before the whine of an engine and flashing lights indicate the paramedic's arrival. Glen has stopped responding to Jun's questions, but she doesn't stop talking to him. If anything, her voice grows softer and strained.

A pair of paramedics, sporting the ALICE grey and blue, do a quick check of his pulse and his pupil's response. They say something, but the words go in one ear and out the other.

I'm numb as they maneuver him onto a stretcher, barely aware of the sound of Zoné's voice answering all of their questions. My heart beats so quickly that I feel a bit faint. I shake it off when I turn to look at Jun -- prepared to tell her that it will be fine, that we'll follow along and wait with him at the hospital.

Only the words die in my throat, falling silent from the tip of my tongue as I see her sitting there in shock. Eyes wide and terrified, tears glinting down her cheek under the streetlights, watching as the paramedics wheel him back to the ambulance. Zoné follows after, his voice loud and still incomprehensible as my brain struggles to catch up. Lio has his hands clutched around the back of his head, his frame shuddering with each breath.

A half formed sound leaks from my mouth, startled out as the siren kicks in and the ambulance blares out a warning call. Warning what traffic, I don't know. No one drives in Eminence. There are no cars on the street.

And then I realize what the warning means as Zoné yells loudly and kicks a trash can in frustration. What it means as Jun blindly reaches out and catches onto my sleeve with trembling fingers.

Her first words are in Chinese as her breath hitches on a sob. Then, as Zoné storms back over to us, "He wasn't responding."

"They wouldn't let me ride along. C'mon, a bus will be coming soon." He starts to walk away after delivering the message, but no one moves to follow. His hands are surprisingly steady as he methodically cleans up what he can and tugs Jun to her feet. "Are you guys coming?"

"Yes," Lio and I say at the same time, then exchange a surprised look.

"Good." Zoné has one arm around Jun's trembling frame. He looks each of us straight in the eyes, his face a mask of stone that I'm not used to seeing. "Then let's go."