Out of the Preserve and Onto the Dorm Lawn, Tuesday Morning

[seeks_truth]

It had been days of ceaseless hunting, and yet Cassandra was no closer to fulfilling the request that had been made of her. It was beginning to dawn on her that it was, perhaps, a fruitless quest, and that the chance that Anders had long since made up for the lost moss was considerable.

She did not want to stop hunting. It felt as if she were giving up, and that was impossible.

But when she stumbled out of the woods that morning, branches in her hair and not a spot of teal deer blood on her sword, she was beginning to doubt her own actions. Perhaps her time would be better spent guarding Anders' room, to ensure he would not leave, or patrolling the dorm grounds for the same reasons. Perhaps she should accost Leland again. Perhaps...

Her stomach growled.

...Perhaps, she thought to herself for the first time in over a day, perhaps she should eat.

[[ open! ]]

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[seeks_truth]

"It is not that deadly," Cassandra muttered. "...It is deadly, but not that deadly," she amended a moment later. "I have survived well enough."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but is that gonna last?" he asked, sounding skeptical. "It always gets worse before it gets better and it's gotten bad fast. Things are just flat out weird right now."

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra reached up and plucked another twig out of her hair.

"...Weird how?"

No, really, she'd been preoccupied. It was kind of sad how easily she could be waylaid obsessively for days without having an actual full-on whammy put on her brain.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Besides the preserve dying out like that?" Nathan shrugged. "People are acting strange. Defensive. And I've gotten sicker being outside than I get when I'm inside. That's the one that's most bothering me."

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra's frown deepened. "Explain."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Which part?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

[seeks_truth]

"You get sicker being outside than you do inside," Cassandra said. "What does that mean?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Oh, right." That should have probably been obvious. "Because of who I am, being inside makes me sick. I don't like it. I can tolerate it but I don't like it. So, I tend to sleep outside. But, sleeping outside's been...not good lately."

He winced. "Whatever's going on is giving me headaches. Really bad ones. Whatever's going on in the preserve is just...it's not good. It's making me want to be inside when I know I'll get sick."

[seeks_truth]

The nagging feeling in Cassandra's gut that told her she had to keep hunting found itself swathed in a whole blanket of this isn't right. "I see," she said. "Have you considered reporting this to the authorities, then leaving the island?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"No." He shook his head. "I'm sure the authorities know something's weird and leaving the island would do me no good."

[seeks_truth]

"Being on the island seems to be doing you no good either," Cassandra observed dryly.

She took a step past him-- then had to stop and catch her breath as exhaustion hit her like a trebuchet.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan gave her space and then raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like you're doing so good either. Can I get you a pillow?"

[seeks_truth]

"I will be fine," Cassandra muttered. She shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "...After I sleep."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You want me to make sure you make it to your room?" he asked her, raising both eyebrows. "No one wants to fall asleep in the hall."

[seeks_truth]

"No, I will be fine," Cassandra said.

The next step she took was a little wobbly, however, so that might not have been entirely true. She'd been running on adrenaline for a while, and it was wearing off.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah, you look fine," Nathan said and trailed behind her instinctively. "Just fine. Not like you're gonna keel over at all."

[seeks_truth]

"I can take a fair deal of punishment, I assure you," Cassandra grunted.

Running around the woods for most of the past few days had tapped that reservoir considerably, though.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Sure sure, I believe you," Nathan said in a placating fashion. "So can I. Doesn't mean I don't sometimes just wanna fall on the ground and sleep for days."

[seeks_truth]

Did he have to say that? Because now suddenly the ground looked inviting.

Cassandra grunted something that might have been an answer of some kind.

She squinted at the ground.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan snickered but tried to keep it to himself.

"What floor are you on?" he asked instead. "You can probably sleep in a common room if going up stairs is gonna be too hard."

[seeks_truth]

"The fourth floor," Cassandra muttered. She rubbed at her forehead again. "And I will sleep in my room."

... Hopefully.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you will," he told her, nodding. "I'm on the fourth floor too. We might be neighbors."

Not that he was in his room that much. It hurt to be inside and he was already ignoring that returning feeling of sickness and nausea.

[seeks_truth]

If only he had asked her name, really...

"Then you may follow me back to your room, if you wish," Cassandra said, which was sort of copping maybe she'd like to have someone there to keep her from falling down the stairs.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Thanks for the permission," he said dryly. "Even if you didn't want me trailing behind you, I'd go to my room anyway. But thanks anyhow. Keep walking. You haven't tripped yet."

[seeks_truth]

"I will not trip," Cassandra muttered, as she ambled ever closer to the dorms.

And yawned.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I believe you," he mumbled, tucking his hands in his pockets and taking a few breaths to prepare himself for going inside. It always sucked. "But, I won't tell anyone if you do."

[seeks_truth]

"Thank you," Cassandra said. It was grudging and dry and actually sounded a bit sincere. "How much time have you spent outside in this... strangeness?"

Which was when she stepped inside.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan suppressed a shudder at being indoors but pushed on and pushed any sick feelings down.

"A lot," he said eventually. "If I'm not in classes, I go there or walk through town. I was there when it was still normal and then when it looked like things were starting to get sick and now when it just looks terrible."

[seeks_truth]

"You noticed this before?" Cassandra asked. Not that she was processing all of what she was saying; she was focusing on reaching the stairs.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Well, not this bad," he told her, shrugging. "But I was out there with someone else a few weeks ago and even he noticed it. He doesn't stay out there with me often but he could tell something was strange too."

[seeks_truth]

"I have been preoccupied with more important matters," Cassandra muttered, her foot touching the first of the stairs.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" Nathan shook his head again. "Something more important than the island getting the flu?"

He knew it was more than that but he was trying to be light.

[seeks_truth]

"Anders..." Cassandra muttered.

Then she swayed. Just a bit.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Anders?" he asked before he held out his arms just in case she fell. "What about him?"

[seeks_truth]

"He wanted it," she muttered, barely catching herself. She was not about to pass out here, Andraste preserve her.

She started walking again. Perhaps if she was fast?

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Wanted what?" he asked, beyond curious now that he knew who was involved. "Is he okay?"

He watched her for a second.

"You're not gonna make it, are you? Not to your room."

[seeks_truth]

"I will be fine," Cassandra muttered.

She had stopped at the top of this set of stairs, leaning against the wall. Had she ever been this tired before?

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Uh huh." He nodded again. "Yeah, you look great. What did Anders want?"