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video | un: fotia

[Lio had never really used the video feature on his phone before, but he figured this was probably the best way to showcase his, uh, problem.

So he was laying down, with his phone pointed down at his face, and he looked absolutely miserable. His face was bright red, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that he had a nasty looking fever.]

Hey. [He swallowed, his mouth dry and his voice all nasally.] Something's wrong. I'm somehow burning hot and freezing cold at the same time, and I can't breath through my nose. I thought I was just tired this morning but it's getting worse. I think I might be dying.

[Of course, in actuality, Lio Fotia had gotten sick for the first time since childhood, and he didn't know what was going on. Galo was out at the moment, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered with a network post and would have just grabbed him, but being slightly delirious, this was his next best idea.]

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... Mmn, no. I don't think we have a thermometer here.

[Aside from first aid equipment for physical injuries, and some mild pain killers for occasional aches and pains, their medicine cabinet was pretty bare. It wasn't like either of them had ever planned to get sick.]

I know my temperature is supposed to be around... what, 98? Right? I don't know, I used to have a resting body temperature of around 750... what counts as a fever?

[Resting body temperature of around 750?? What?]

Above 100 would count as a fever, but... I-I'm sorry if this question is insensitive, but... er... are you human?

[Well, to give the right diagnosis it is an important question. Ruca just doesn't like asking things like that, considering what he is himself.]

[Lio was doing his very, very best not to look offended, because the man on the other end looked sincere enough and it was a fair question. He still seemed a little pouty though.]

Don't I look human? [Sigh.] If you mean my body temperature... I used to be burnish. One of the physical differences between us burnish and non-burnish was that we had extremely hot internal body temperatures from housing our flames.

But I'm not burnish anymore.

[It's hard not to notice. Ruca looks very apologetic right now.]

I-I'm terribly sorry... It's just that someone may look human, but not be one and that would mean they need a different treatment. I apologize.

[He really means no harm.]

A-anyway, as I said before, it all seems like a case of cold. Stay in bed, rest, drink a lot of water or warm tea and take some pain killer. If it gets worse, I can bring you cold medicine, something for sore throat if you need it... Both me and my roommate are studying medicine, so we've gather a small stock of various medicaments.

[Lio pinched the bridge of his nose.]

No, it's alright. I'm trying not to seem so sensitive to questions like that... Yes, I'm human. Even when I was burnish, I was human, just... yeah, I probably would have had more unique medical needs. Maybe I do even now.

[He doesn't know. The burnish were never afforded any sort of healthcare (not that they'd needed it) and, well, no one had ever stopped being burnish until very recently.]

... You and everyone else seem to think that. That's probably what it is. I'm just worried, because of my... previous condition.

I understand.

[He still looks very apologetic, but he's also concerned. He hesitates before asking the next question, then decides to filer the conversation to private first.]

If you don't mind me asking... what exactly do you mean by "previous condition"?

[Lio wasn't sure why their conversation was suddenly private. It wasn't like he was ashamed of being burnish - quite the opposite, actually. But if it made this guy feel better....]

Being burnish. I used to be able to wield fire at will. [Sniffle.] My... physiology? My body was different. Like I said, my body temperature used to run very hot. I also used to be able to regenerate from any injuries. I'm worried that now that I'm no longer burnish, it's finally catching up to my body.

[Which was why he was so dramatic and thought he might be dying.]

[Since Ruca already upset him earlier, so a private conversation just to be safe! The boy listen, nodding with understanding look in his eyes.]

I see... I don't blame you for worrying. Are there any other symptoms you're feeling?

Mm, nausea? Aching... I feel weak, like my limbs aren't working right.

[Which was honestly very, very concerning, given he had lost said limbs at one point.]

That sounds more like a flu actually.

Edited 2020-07-06 07:30 (UTC)

What's the difference...?

[Aside from the symptoms, he meant. He didn't know much about how viruses worked.]

[Allow him to explain!]

Cold and flu are caused by two different viruses. The cold is caused by rhinovirus, while flu is caused by influenza virus. So even if the symptoms may seem similar, the medicine used in both cases will be different. The most important part is that with the flu, you can use antiviral medications to fight it, but if those are used against a cold, they will be ineffective and cause more harm than anything else.

Err... What exactly is a virus?

[Hah. Lio was feeling like a giant idiot right now because a lot of what this uh... kid? ... just said was really going over his head.

But when would he have ever learned any of this?? He knew culturally and metaphorically about the word 'virus' and he knew that they could spread if you got one, but beyond that...

Well, he'd never been to school before.]

[Oh.

Okay, Ruca did not expect that, but he's all too happy to explain.]

A virus is something that is too small to be seen and it causes infections. It can multiply only inside a living host and that is the cause of a sickness.

[Well, Lio was glad that Ruca was taking his question seriously, and not being a jerk about it.]

I... kind of knew that. Is it a living creature though? [Because Lio was no stranger to sharing his body with other living creatures - though those other living creatures definitely never made him sick.] I've just... never had a virus, before

[He does not judge. Ruca makes a small "hmm" noise, when he thinks how to answer this question.]

It's actually difficult to say if viruses are alive. For instance, living beings are made of cells, but viruses are not. They can also only multiple when inside a living being and they do that by using the host to create copies of themselves.

[He takes a moment to think again.]

You said that your body temperature could be very high, right? Virus don't like that. Actually that's one of the ways our bodies fight them - by raising the temperature and causing the fever.

Cells?

[Lio felt like he was getting a biology 101 class here, and honestly he was feeling sick enough that he was struggling to remember what he had learned just by general osmosis of information over the course of his lifetime... Either way, viruses sounded....

Really gross. He wasn't happy, if he really had one.]

That's probably part of why burnish couldn't get sick... I wouldn't doubt the flames would destroy anything that might try to harm our bodies. But... even assuming my temperature is rising, it won't ever get that hot again. [Unless something went horribly wrong.] What good does this awful fever do?

Yes. Like I said, living organisms are made of cells. You can't see a cell with a naked eye, but everything in your body is made of them. For instance, blood is red because it contains mostly red blood cells.

[Ruca is all too happy to be giving a biology lesson. Though, he does frown with worry.]

I can explain all of that to you once you feel better? I'm sure you'd rather rest now.

[He should rest.]

As for the fever, the body is trying to slow the virus down, but rising the temperature for a longer time is not good for the entire body and that's why you're feeling unwell. Which means that what you need now is medicine, rest and drinking a lot of water.

... I didn't think I'd ever feel this self conscious about my lack of education. Did you really learn all of this in school?

[It wasn't like a typical education, particularly about biology, would have been of any help to him at any point during the rest of his life. But the more basic stuff he'd started to realize he was totally clueless on, the more he'd actually been considering... maybe taking some classes at the university would help him out a bit. Even if only to adjust to his surroundings, and his new flameless body, a little better.]

I keep hearing water's important, I'll definitely keep that in mind... Ugh, I just hope it really isn't something worse.

Not all of that, but like I said earlier I'm studying medicine to become a doctor in the future.

[So his knowledge is more detailed than most people his age.]

So if you'd like to know more, I can definitely teach you once you feel better.

[A potential study buddy? Sign him in. Ruca loves sharing the knowledge.]

If you feel worse, let me know. Maybe I can find a medicine that would help you get better.

Maybe...

[He'd feel a little self conscious about learning this sort of thing from a kid, too, but he wasn't so prideful as to let the age difference be the thing that kept him from learning.]

Sorry for being clueless. I didn't have the chance to go to school growing up. Some adults helped me learn basic things when I was really young, and I tried picking up what I could from books and magazines I found but... [He sniffled a bit, looking bashful.] You can see that only got me so far.

[Leaning back into his pillows, Lio closed his eyes, feeling just awful.]

If things get worse, I'm sure my partner will drag me to the hospital.

[Ruca shakes his head.]

No, don't worry about it. In my world many children don't get a chance to go to school either, so I understand. And I really like studying and sharing what I know so if you ever have any questions, I'd be happy to answer. Or try to find an answer for you.

[Then he nods a little, then frowns slightly.]

I see. But like I said earlier, I can bring you some medicine now if you like?

I think my partner is bringing some stuff home for me... assuming it's just a virus, I should be alright for now. I honestly don't even know the first thing about what I'd need anyway.

[He gave a weak little wave at the camera with one hand, and a smile.]

Thanks for the offer, though. And the information.

I see...

[He gives a small nod and a smile.]

No problem. I hope you'll feel better soon! Please let me know if you need something else.

[And then he remembers.]

Ah, right. I'm Ruca, by the way!

Right, Ruca. I'm Lio Fotia.

[Lio didn't like how his name sounded while he was all stuffed up, but what could he even do about it?]

If things get worse, I'll let you know.

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video | un: fotia

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I'm sorry for this nerd xD

It's Lio's fault for not picking up on the fact that he was asking science questions to a nerd!

haha

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