Closed to curlieq

[talentedscavenger]

I'm sorry...did we have plans?

[Rey asked as she stared at Quentin as he stood in front of her place. Her face was flushed and her eyes glazed over. Telltale signs of a fever. There was little color on her cheeks, and it looked as though she hadn't eaten much in a few days. Her mind wasn't firing off at all cylinders, but she had lists--scraps of paper of the things she needed to accomplish. Papers to write. Reading to do--and spells to memorize.

A...a job she may need to go to? No, she didn't have a job right now. Dean Fog told her she didn't have to worry about funds. That wasn't a dream. That felt real.

But that didn't explain why Quentin, sweet and charming (and was he always taller than her?) Quentin was at her door.

Finn had stopped by yesterday to check in on her, even left a small bag of quick meals she could eat, along with a packet or two of cold medication. But, she wasn't sick. She refused to get sick. Getting sick meant Rey could not learn, could not go to work and make a living for herself. If she couldn't make a living for herself, then she would have nothing. She couldn't afford nothing.

Surely--surely the same principle applied at Brakebills. If she couldn't study, then she would be kicked out. The one place she belonged would be ripped out of her grasp.

But that still didn't explain why Quentin was there. Had Finn told him she was sick? Or did he notice that she wasn't as responsive to the notes they passed back and forth to each other?

No, it had to have been Finn. He probably told Quentin to check up on Rey, because the woman was so stubborn about things.]

Comments

[curlieq]

( ding ding ding, we have a winner! let's tell rey-gun what she's won —

no, in all seriousness, this is what you get for having a best friend that cares about you as much as finn does; quentin is pretty sure he'd sought him out the second he'd left his friend, informed him ( in perhaps not-so-exaggerated detail ) just how bad off she was, and that she insisted she wasn't sick. now, when it comes to his studies at brakebills he's practically bent over backwards to make himself known, or at least not get himself kicked out, so he knows a thing or two about pushing forward even if you're feeling under the weather —

… especially if one of your housemate's ( eliot's ) "fool-proof" remedies is a hot toddy that will, ahem, "knock any damned thing out of your system, and if it doesn't, you might need an exorcism."

that isn't to say it hasn't worked a time or two before now, and that doubly isn't to say that he might not have some of that concoction with him. amongst the other things he'd brought with the intention of seeing to it that she not overwork and underfeed herself. and under-rest. that's a really important one, too.

now. it's absolutely true that brakebills students have nothing to worry about financially when they're in school ( or after, to a point, but that isn't something they tell you in the show right out of the gate ); rey doesn't need to be worrying herself even sicker about having nothing when she already has everything she needs right there, and it isn't going to hurt anyone involved if she takes a couple of days for herself to rest up and get back to one hundred percent.

he'll even help her study, if she wants.

so when she asks if they have plans — ) Actually, yeah, we do. ( he holds up a bag containing cans of condensed soup, crackers, applesauce and the aforementioned cure-all remedy in a flask in one hand, and the first fillory and further book in the other. ) You're going to get a blanket and wrap yourself up in it while I make you some soup, and then I'm going to read to you while you eat it and rest. ( he pauses, and then has the decency to look a little bit sheepish. )

Finn found me. He's worried about you.

[talentedscavenger]

[Confusion becomes more and more apparent on Rey's face the more Quentin talks. There's a delayed turn of her head to look at the bag that has all the items he's brought over. His words only half make sense. He wanted her to wrap herself up in a blanket, and something about reading (studying? Was he here for a studying session?). But what sticks out the most was Finn.

Finn sent him.

There was a minor roll of her eyes, a bad idea as it's made her headache worse, but she doesn't out right tell Quentin that Finn was wrong. No, no, the words need to be formed first.]

There's nothing to be worried about. [Certainly not the bags under her eyes. How messy her hair was in it's low bun, or that she hasn't bothered to change out of her lounge pants or long sleeve shirt. Side note, she had no idea how it could be both hot and cold at the same time. Probably magic. Damn magic, maybe it was a test for her to figure out, and once she had, then her headache would go away.

Or maybe that was the fever talking.] I'm fine--! [Her voice cracks there, lack of fluids. She needs something heftier than water, but she wasn't in the mood to make tea or coffee. Water would be fine. It would fill her up--and maybe her stomach would stop being such a pain--

Or maybe that was hunger pains? Regardless, she's felt worse.

Rey turned her head away from Quentin, closing her eyes momentarily to keep the throbbing behind them down. Normally she would be touched that he came by to visit her, but now wasn't a good time. When she finally felt like the pain wasn't going to make her eyes water, she opened her eyes again to look at Quentin.]

Finn worries, and he doesn't have to--and if I wasn't fine, which I'm not, I wouldn't want you to get what I have. So, I'm fine. I just need to study. [Same words she gave Finn, but maybe Quentin would be able to knock some sense into Rey...

Or maybe he would walk past her and into her room. In her weakened state, she would be pretty easy to knock down.]

[curlieq]

( okay, for sure, that level of incomprehension is evidence enough that she's not going to be good for anything but naps and fevers for the next little while, so really, he's glad he came by when he did.

( maybe, though, he should have thought to bring some orange juice, too? that's another staple when it comes to taking care of the sickly, and vitamin c is good for the immune system, and it's cold and soothing if there's a sore throat involved. maybe he'll ask her if she wants some, and he'll run out and pick some up later.

he has to get in and get the ball rolling, first. ) ) Finn worries because you're his best friend and he cares about you. ( much like how eliot fusses over him sometimes, but that's neither here nor there. ) But good thing for you, I have a pretty killer immune system, so I don't think I'll end up with whatever plague managed to latch onto you. ( he's not about to knock her over to get into her room, but he is going to transfer the book from one hand to the other, and reach out to gently place the palm of the now free one against her side. right at the dip of her waist. ) You're not fine, and you don't need to study, so would you please just let me in so I can take care of you?

( he is something of an expert at minor mendings, after all, and a cold? whatever this is? is absolutely so minor that she'll be feeling right as rain once he's finished working his magic on her.

figuratively, of course. not literally. unless there's some spell or fancy handwork out there that can take away a fever? he should probably look into that.

also. there might be a bit of puppy eyes action going on when he asks that question. he's used it on eliot a time or two before and he'd folded like a wet paper bag … maybe it will work like this, too? come on, puppy eyes! )

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey was ready to tell Quentin that again, she was fine. There was nothing to be concerned about, and if there were, she would tell him. Yet, the words stalled when she felt his hand come to rest along the dip in her waist. No, she had to hold on strong...until she looked into those puppy eyes. Those cute, and heart melting puppy eyes that made it impossible to say no to.

Was this Quentin's super power? How was this fair that he could be this cute? It's the universe working against her, truly.

Rey tries to screw her courage to the sticking place, tries to think of more reasons to say no, but one little thought creeps into her mind and won't shut up. He's already here, and more importantly he spent money on her. The items he has in his bag cost him money, so she was in his debt...

Damnit. She hated that. Not that he knew of course, but she would pay him back. Rey would find a way to put that money in his pocket, or his wallet--maybe half and half.

Letting out a tired sigh, Rey moved to the side letting the other Magician in.]

You can come in, but I can handle myself. [Look, she's trying to meet him half way here. She wasn't used to being taken care of, and she was going to find her wallet at some point to pay him back for those items.] I'm well enough to study, I haven't passed out. I've been eating and keeping down fluids. [Barely and clearly not enough of either. Underneath her long sleeved shirt, she may have lost a little bit of weight.]

And if I don't study, I'll fall behind. I need to study. [To stay at Brakebills, she nearly says but holds back. Would he understand? Probably not. Probably wouldn't be for the best if he tried to rationalize with her crazy mind right now.

There's an urge to cough, but Rey manages to push that down for now. No! Her body would not betray her like this. She would show Quentin she was fine and he wouldn't have to worry, and he could report back to Finn that she was just fine.

She waited for Quentin to come inside before shutting the door. Her room was nearly the same as he last saw it--papers and books scattered at the foot of her bed. A mug with an old tea bag left to the side, along with an unopened bottle of water.]

You can put your stuff down wherever. [And fuck, was it hot or cold? Was the AC in the magical dorms on the fritz? She couldn't figure out, or rather, she preferred to ignore the fever that was fucking with her.]

[curlieq]

( would you really tell him if you weren't fine, rey-gun? because narration doesn't quite trust you with that statement. because you don't want to be an inconvenience, or anything close to it, even if you would be the farthest thing from it because it gives him a chance to fuss over you.

which he's trying very hard to do right now, so maybe think about letting him do it? maybemaybe?

but … ah, yes, the puppy eyes win again! honestly, he should feel a little worse about implementing such a devastating tactic but as he's sure eliot would say in his defense, there's nothing wrong with doing everything in your power to get what you want and at the very least he isn't doing it for selfish reasons! right? it is very obviously going to be for the greater good if rey lets him take care of her. she'll get better faster, and she'll feel better on top of it all. it's like a no-brainer. win-win situation.

she moves aside to let him in, and he slips by her, immediately angling himself toward the nearest available surface to set down his bag of goodies. cure-all bag of holding? yeah, he's gonna be nerdy about that even in his head, don't mind him. )

'I haven't passed out' doesn't equal 'I'm fine' and you know that. ( he says with a small huff, though there's no heat behind it, or anything indicating he's anything more than concerned for her lack of self-preservation. he turns back to her, reaching out again to press the back of his hand to her forehead. apparently he can't keep from touching her even if she's a walking advertisement for advil cold & sinus. ) How bad is your fever? Have you taken any aspirin?

( fuss, fuss, fuss. fussfuss. quentin fusspot coldwater, at your service. whether you want him to be or not.

don't think for a second he doesn't notice the unopened bottle of water. he stares at it for a second, decides to go over and retrieve it and holds it out in her direction. ) Drink some water, at least … please. I've got something Eliot swears will knock anything out of you but it also probably means you should stay even more hydrated than usual.

( has their resident mixologist made something so strong for him once before that a couple of sips found him loopy? yes. he's just be cautious here.

he tucks a bit of hair behind an ear. ) What kind of soup do you want? I got your tried-and-true chicken noodle, vegetable and just some plain broth if you don't want to chance anything too heavy.

( f u s s f u s s f u s s!!! )

[talentedscavenger]

[It does equal I'm fine, if I say it does!, Rey wanted to snap, but instead she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.]

It equals to me being alive. [Rey protested, watching Quentin set his things down and wondering what else he's brought with him. A sense of dread began to fill her, wondering how much money he spent on her. The dread makes her stomach upset, adding to her crappy state of being. Which wasn't his fault, but still, he didn't have to do any of this for her. She wasn't that weak.

And wait, why was his hand on her forehead? And why did it feel so cool to the touch? Yup, she was burning up, but denying it completely. Perhaps she needed to be dunked into the Nile to cool down.] My fever isn't bad. [Which wasn't exactly a lie since she didn't have a thermometer to check. She's had to deal with worse, and as long as she wasn't coughing up a lung or too tired to move, she was within the boundaries of 'okay.'] If it were bad, I would've taken something for it. [Dear lord, stubborn as a mule.

But seriously, medication also costs money. Did he forget that?

There's a huff, watching him move about her dorm like a busy bee. He offers her the water bottle she had been ignoring and she takes it, but doesn't twist off the cap right away. Rey's glassy stare is on Quentin and wondering just what kind of concoction Eliot has made. Because Eliot would know that she's sick, because Quentin told Eliot everything.

Not that it was a bad thing. Rey told Finn practically everything, but still, Eliot didn't need to know the status of her health!]

You didn't have to tell Eliot.. [Rey began, finally twisting the cap off of her water and taking a quick swig of it. Though she nearly spat it out when Quentin rattled off the number of soups he brought her. Now her head was starting to spin as she tried to do math in her head.]

Quentin, why did you bring so much? [God, he spent too much on her. She wasn't worth it. The damn cold wasn't worth it. Anxiety and frustration started to make their appearance. Rey tried to clamp down on both, biting the inside of her cheek in an attempt to help her remain calm.] I would've been fine with one or nothing. I... [She wanted to tug at her hair, but fought against the urge. Rather, she took another deep breath and pulled away from him in favor of searching for her wallet.]

How much do I owe you? [Because damnit, she was not a charity case!

Rey managed to make it over to her nightstand by her bed, pulling on the drawer to open it and reach for her small wallet.]