He raised an eyebrow when he saw Garet’s fingers surreptitiously clamoring for his bottle, and he calmly swiped it away from him, smirking at his annoyed expression.
“Don’t worry. The other one’s yours.”
Garet beamed and reached over for his, uncorking it as he pulled it back. He raised it in a toast, looking at Isaac expectantly. “To Jenna?”
“To Jenna,” he agreed, and then he added, “for getting two grown men drunk off of their asses when they should be taking care of their sons.”
“Hear, hear!” Garet laughed.
---
Somewhere near the base of Goma Plateau…
“I wonder what they’re doing right now,” Matthew mumbled, wiping his forehead with a small towel as he placed his sword down on the grass.
“Who?” Karis asked from near the tent, her eyes glued to his bare chest with feigned disinterest. She had accidentally stumbled upon the two on her trip to hang out with them. Well, Tyrell almost decapitated her when his mistook her for some rare monster, and she retaliated by flinging him into a tree with a small tornado.
“He means dad and his dad,” Tyrell’s bored voice came from the side. Matthew walked over to his hunched form.
“What are you doing?”
“Killing ants,” he replied simply as he angled the small shard of glass in his hand slightly while the other, which currently held a fireball, moved in tandem. The redhead didn’t look up as he stretched his back, still recovering from the slowly healing bruise. “They’re probably doing something lame like talking or eating.”
“And killing ants isn’t?” Karis asked.
“Of course not. It’s manly.” At that, Karis sighed and Matthew pulled on his own shirt, much to her dismay, before he went to go look for some firewood.
---
Back in the cabin…
Garet grimaced. Tilting his bottle to see if there was anymore ale left inside, he glanced at Isaac. “This stuff isn’t as strong as I thought.”
“I’m aware of that, but just be thankful that Jenna sent us some,” Isaac muttered, not that he disagreed with his sentiments. It also tasted strange, much like it was faintly diluted with herbs and barely any alcohol.
Minutes before, his headache came back quickly for a reason that he couldn’t discern while his vision blurred and his body felt uncomfortably hot. His condition became worse as time went on. Raising a hand to wipe the sweat of his brow, he exhaled uneasily. Garet noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor and quickly stood up from his seat. “…Isaac?”
He waved him off. “I’m fine. It’s just… It’s just that I’m… I need…” His breaths came out in harsh pants. “I need some water…” His fingers fumbled with a nearby pitcher of water and accidentally knocked it onto the floor, drenching some of his newer notes. He muttered a pensive curse and crouched to pick up the wet sheets before doubling over, clutching one of the table’s legs. The impact sent one of the bottles rolling off and shattering, strangely leaving the red label intact as it slowly peeled off, revealing a completely different… label… under…
The bottle.
“Isaac, what the hell’s wrong?” Garet rushed over to his side and pulled him to his feet. He noted with alarm that Isaac was shivering before the blond pulled away from him, dropping back onto the floor to pick up some red paper with some waterlogged ink on it. His knuckles went white after quickly skimming over the note.
Damn it, Jenna…
---
Somewhere in Kalay…
A certain Mars Adept sneezed.
---
Back in the cabin…
“Hey, Garet?” Isaac, still kneeling down, forced a grin as he turned around to face him. “I’m going to go out for a—“
“No. You’re in no condition for that.”
Damn. “How about picking something up for me?”
“That can wait.”
“What about—“
“You don’t look so good. Do you need anything?“
“Garet, please,” he begged, growing increasingly desperate. “I need to be alone.”
“Other than that. Anything else?”
”No.”
“But—“
“Get out. Now,” he ordered, angering him.
“Hey! I’m trying to… be…” Garet trailed off when Isaac’s shivering worsened. He bent down to his level and shook him by the shoulders. “Isaac. Seriously, tell me what’s wrong.”
A Helping Hand: Revised 4/?
“Don’t worry. The other one’s yours.”
Garet beamed and reached over for his, uncorking it as he pulled it back. He raised it in a toast, looking at Isaac expectantly. “To Jenna?”
“To Jenna,” he agreed, and then he added, “for getting two grown men drunk off of their asses when they should be taking care of their sons.”
“Hear, hear!” Garet laughed.
---
Somewhere near the base of Goma Plateau…
“I wonder what they’re doing right now,” Matthew mumbled, wiping his forehead with a small towel as he placed his sword down on the grass.
“Who?” Karis asked from near the tent, her eyes glued to his bare chest with feigned disinterest. She had accidentally stumbled upon the two on her trip to hang out with them. Well, Tyrell almost decapitated her when his mistook her for some rare monster, and she retaliated by flinging him into a tree with a small tornado.
“He means dad and his dad,” Tyrell’s bored voice came from the side. Matthew walked over to his hunched form.
“What are you doing?”
“Killing ants,” he replied simply as he angled the small shard of glass in his hand slightly while the other, which currently held a fireball, moved in tandem. The redhead didn’t look up as he stretched his back, still recovering from the slowly healing bruise. “They’re probably doing something lame like talking or eating.”
“And killing ants isn’t?” Karis asked.
“Of course not. It’s manly.” At that, Karis sighed and Matthew pulled on his own shirt, much to her dismay, before he went to go look for some firewood.
---
Back in the cabin…
Garet grimaced. Tilting his bottle to see if there was anymore ale left inside, he glanced at Isaac. “This stuff isn’t as strong as I thought.”
“I’m aware of that, but just be thankful that Jenna sent us some,” Isaac muttered, not that he disagreed with his sentiments. It also tasted strange, much like it was faintly diluted with herbs and barely any alcohol.
Minutes before, his headache came back quickly for a reason that he couldn’t discern while his vision blurred and his body felt uncomfortably hot. His condition became worse as time went on. Raising a hand to wipe the sweat of his brow, he exhaled uneasily. Garet noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor and quickly stood up from his seat. “…Isaac?”
He waved him off. “I’m fine. It’s just… It’s just that I’m… I need…” His breaths came out in harsh pants. “I need some water…” His fingers fumbled with a nearby pitcher of water and accidentally knocked it onto the floor, drenching some of his newer notes. He muttered a pensive curse and crouched to pick up the wet sheets before doubling over, clutching one of the table’s legs. The impact sent one of the bottles rolling off and shattering, strangely leaving the red label intact as it slowly peeled off, revealing a completely different… label… under…
The bottle.
“Isaac, what the hell’s wrong?” Garet rushed over to his side and pulled him to his feet. He noted with alarm that Isaac was shivering before the blond pulled away from him, dropping back onto the floor to pick up some red paper with some waterlogged ink on it. His knuckles went white after quickly skimming over the note.
Damn it, Jenna…
---
Somewhere in Kalay…
A certain Mars Adept sneezed.
---
Back in the cabin…
“Hey, Garet?” Isaac, still kneeling down, forced a grin as he turned around to face him. “I’m going to go out for a—“
“No. You’re in no condition for that.”
Damn. “How about picking something up for me?”
“That can wait.”
“What about—“
“You don’t look so good. Do you need anything?“
“Garet, please,” he begged, growing increasingly desperate. “I need to be alone.”
“Other than that. Anything else?”
”No.”
“But—“
“Get out. Now,” he ordered, angering him.
“Hey! I’m trying to… be…” Garet trailed off when Isaac’s shivering worsened. He bent down to his level and shook him by the shoulders. “Isaac. Seriously, tell me what’s wrong.”