The man, not the legend.

"It's a telephone, among other things. And it's for me as much as for you. I kind of freak out when I can't contact my friends right now..." She doesn't have to spell out why, does she? "So I'd feel a lot better if you keep it with you, please?"

It's amazing how much she picked up from Loki without realizing it.

"Okay. I'm going to call Samus."

Well, text. "Can you try and finish your muffin? You're going to want to eat now, before she shows up."

Hey Samus, you busy? Steve is sick. Says he has been since the ball.

Edited Date: 2015-11-09 04:24 am (UTC)

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Since the ball? It's been a week. No wonder I haven't seen him around.

What are his symptoms?

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He wants to ask what 'texting' is, but figures that will be shown to him at some point. Instead he'll get up and go get the latter half of his buttered muffin and sit down at the table to eat it.

Steve wishes he didn't have to force it down, because it really is good, but it leaves him feeling queasy and he's really just tired of that. When he's done he'll settle back into the chair across from Verity, pulling a blanket from his bed around him and sinking into it.

Getting more people involved and seeing him like this sounds like a wonderful idea let's all take a gander at Steve and laugh and/or pity him. They're just trying to help. They're just trying to help. Besides? What all has he done since the ball, aside from drag himself from his bed to the bathroom and back wishing he could stop shaking.

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So far, 'texting' is 'poke at the screen a lot and sometimes it chimes'.

Fever, sweating, he's really pale, he's eating even less than usual...

Verity puts her phone down long enough to help tuck the blanket around Steve, making sure he's as comfortable as he can be for the moment. "Samus needs to know your symptoms so she can bring the right medicine. What should I tell her?"

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Also, local conditions. In a room? Is there heat? Running water? Power?

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"I got sick once, but I'm pretty sure that was just because I couldn't stop shivering. That was a couple days ago. Fever isn't as bad as it was then. Thought I was on fire and freezing at the same time."

"Right now I just feel...sluggish. Tired. Grumpy--sorry in advance for that one."

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Vomiting, he thinks from not being able to stop shivering, a couple days ago. He thinks his fever's gone down. It was fire/freezing.

He's in a nice hotel. Heat, bathroom, electricity. (address/directions here)

She makes sympathetic sounds while he answers. She's listening, but her eyes are on her phone so that the message isn't garbled. "Grumpy is assumed, sweetie, we'll get through it. You want her to bring anything else? Or want me to go out for anything while she's here?"

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Has he been eating, or should I add "probable malnutrition" to the list?

Give me the address, let him know I'm coming. There are probably going to be a few shots coming with me, and not all of them will be painless hypos.

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"...Just wanted to get you your painting. Sorry for all the trouble." He feels like he has to say something, anything, to ease the trouble he feels he's causing.

"Uhm...soup maybe? Something to drink might be nice. The little plastic cup they have in the bathroom is nice and all, but I haven't had it changed or housekeeping in since I got sick..."

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Long-term malnutrition is definite. He had a hard time finishing a muffin so I'm guessing he hasn't had much the last couple days.

He knows you're coming. I didn't tell him about the shots he might try and make a run for it. (more/better directions?)

"Shh. No trouble, sweetie. This is what friends do." She pats his knee and gives him a little smile. "Soup, drinks, and I'll send housekeeping up. No trouble at all. Stop acting like I'm doing anything difficult. Trust me, you'll know when I don't want to do something."

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Point. Keep him there, keep him calm, I'll be up shortly.

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Steve would be almost upset at how they're talking about him if he knew. It's a cold, and yeah he gets sicker than most people do and it's more severe, but he was honestly trying to take care of himself since the ball.

He's not...he's not a kid or anything anymore. He's used to this.

Luckily all he knows is that Samus is coming and he will get soup later. It's probably best that they're keeping him so calm. The last thing any of them needs is for Steve to have an attack while he's already having a hard enough time with the rest of this.

Edited Date: 2015-11-09 05:15 am (UTC)

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Texting was a winning strategy today. Steve having an attack would make things so needlessly hard on himself. As for how they're talking about him, is it so different from doctors? They're brisk and honest. But Verity's bedside manner beats most white coats hands-down.

She sets her phone on the table before giving Steve her undivided attention again. "Samus will be here soon. She's just going to make a quick stop for supplies. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable while we wait?"

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"...Let's just...talk. Or something." Anything that isn't reminding him of his mother or Bucky because those people aren't here and Steve really doesn't want to cry because Verity is being amazing and helpful.

He'll reach over to the small sidetable and scoop up his sketchbook and pencil. Not opening them. But just having them at hand makes him feel better, if only a little.

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"Okay." Verity shifts herself up into the other chair. "So, the chao have been demanding a lot of music the last few days. Apparently since the ball they all love to dance. It's adorable, especially when they start bouncing off each other. It starts as waltzing and ends like a mosh pit of cuteness."

The chao are an endless stream of adorable stories and she can keep telling them until Samus gets there.

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That just means that when Samus does arrive Steve has filled a page with doodles of various chau all trying to dance.

At least he hasn't run away and seems to be in a decent mood for someone who's under the weather.

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*The wait isn't long. That firm knock on the door is either Samus, or the specter of death, and when you can tell them apart only one of them is likely to knock. She's got a duffel bag large enough to carry a body in slung across her back, and something cloth and suitcase-like in each hand. She's also wearing a set of amber lenses over her eyes, on which a keen observer might catch the occasional flicker of lights that aren't reflections of things in the room.*

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"That'll be Samus. I'll get it, you finish that sketch, I want to see how it turns out." See? Not weakness, art as priority. No reason for Steve to get upset when Verity goes to answer the door.

She's relieved to see Samus and steps aside to let her in. "That's... a fair bit more than I was expecting you to bring. Need help setting anything up?"

Edited Date: 2015-11-09 06:06 am (UTC)

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Steve is content to stay put and finish up his drawing, worry not. He's finally starting to feel warm in his chair under his blanket and has no real desire to change that at the moment.

He...does seem a bit curious as to the amount of things Samus has brought with her. Is she moving in? He needs to ask about getting a couch or a second bed if he's having guests. Maybe the women can share the bed?

Honestly he feels like that would just end with them sick too eventually.

"Hello...Have Verity show you her picture at some point. I'm pretty proud of it."

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*Samus nods to Verity, handing her one of the bags.*

Find an outlet for this, please?

*She nods a greeting to Steve, finding a clear patch of table or floor, either works, on which to set the big duffel. As she opens it up and starts digging through its contents, she answers Steve.*

After I've had a look at you, alright? I'm going to need your permission to do some scans, and probably give you some shots. I'll explain each thing before I do it, but a general permission at the outset would be nice.

*Is that a portable IV tree she's pulling out and setting up next to his chair? It certainly looks like it.*

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"Yes, ma'am." So, now Steve knows who outranks Verity in the Nexus pecking order. She shuts the door and starts the hunt for an outlet. Enjoy the show, Steve, this doesn't happen very often.

"It really is a gorgeous painting," she pitches in. Even medical not-quite-emergencies can't dampen her enthusiasm for the artwork. Her artwork. That is so much more special.

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Steve scowls at the IV. How sick did Verity tell Samus he was? Doesn't this seem like a bit much? Verity's not arguing though so...wow, okay. They take any kind of sickness super seriously in the future. His Ma would be impressed, Steve thinks.

Did they get rid of colds and stuff in the future? Is that why they're so worried? (He does not realize that he would be this concerned over someone else who told him what he told Verity.)

"Uhm, sure? Whatever you've gotta do, I guess. What..I mean...shots? Scans? It's just a cold..."

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*Future medicine dragged the common cold into an alleyway with a cloth over its mouth, shot it twice in the head, and then went through its pockets.*

I'm looking forward to it. When you get that plugged in, Verity, could you turn up the heat? There's kind of a chill.

*Given that Samus is in a vacsuit, and Verity at least will have some familiarity with those garments' function, that statement is at least half excuse.*

Thank you, Steve. Quick question, what have you eaten in the week since the party? A complete list.

*While he's answering, she holds one device, then another, then another, up in front of him, frowning thoughtfully as reflections flicker on her visor. Her movements are brisk and businesslike, with no movement wasted. If one didn't know her profession, one might mistake her for a no-nonsense nurse. With the scans done, she hands him a thin strip of a rubbery material.*

Put that around your wrist, please? Either one; it'll stick to itself, and stretch if you need it to.

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Common colds are exactly that when and where Verity grew up, but this is no cold. She may not be a doctor, but she isn't stupid.

The thing is plugged in, and the temperature is turned up. Then she comes to stand behind Steve, resting a hand on his shoulder. She's hoping he'll find that comforting. "He asked for some soup, is it okay for me to go get that while you work, Samus? And I'm going to ask housekeeping to come in before we get him back into bed."

Less comforting when she talks about him instead of to him, which she realizes just a little too late. "If that's okay with you, Steve," she adds with a blush.

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