[Kyrit]

(Niq and Etzal. Human form)

Roraldi. It was away from people. It was quiet. Niq had also told him that hiding a bit further in the forest there were a few hotsprings that did wonders for the body. The Doomsberry kuhna had sent out a letter to his lover with a time and date to get to see one another again. It had been arranged for Niq, a doctor that stayed within the same house as Etzal, to pick Dali up and bring him to Roraldi, or at least the outskirts of it. Vehicles couldn't get deep into the forest to find the springs, so if Dali was as sickly as he had heard he was going to have to carry him. That wouldn't prove to be much of a problem.

His crimson eyes, always deathly looking no matter what emotion he expressed, actually showed happiness for once as he saw the car pulling up near the forest. He pushed himself off the branch of the tree he was in and landed a few feet from the car, shaggy black hair ruffled from the wind. Walking over to the driver's side he spoke to Niq, who had the window down, "You have no idea how thankful I am. Sorry you had to come instead of Reive. If he didn't have work today as well as still recovering from that coma I would've asked him to do this."

"It's nothing. So far I haven't really had to do anything other then get him out to the car. You're definitely going to have to carry him though... and I'm going to keep a little close to the two of you even though I will keep my distance. I'll stay within rang of being able to hear you." the human form lucain spoke in return. His voice made it seem as though he was tired, but he actually always sounded like that. Of course more often then not he was worn out. Didn't get much sleep between taking care of his brother and trying to get things like this done.

The caramel colored male slipped back to the back of the car and opened the door. "Hey there love." he spoke with a small smile. He bent down next to the car on one knee so he'd be able to talk to Dali for a bit before pulling him out of the car to carry him to the hotsprings, wherever they were. "Heard ya haven't been feeling too well. Hopefully this little outing will do ya some good. The air's fresh out here, and the day's really nice." Chatter, chatter. Geeze how he had missed Dali. Wanted to just pounce on him and hold him close for a long time, but knew he was going to have to be gentle with him today.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Human Form

Dali looked awful. His eyes were half closed, and he looked almost asleep. But he heard the voice of his beloved, and perked up a bit, extending his arms around him to give him a hug. He looked like death. Thin... oh so thin... twitching now and then. Coughing. Eyes sunken, and skin pale as whitewash. He was weak, too. Barely had enough strength to grip Etzal's hand. It looked as though... he were dying.

"Etzal... I didn't think I'd see you again.. was afraid there for a while."

A smile worked its way onto his face, and grip tightened the slightest bit.

"I've been so lonely without you... It's terrible. All I can paint is unicorns and rainbows - and that's not what sells for me. But you knew that."

[Kyrit]

His arms gently returned the hug, holding the arkuhna close to him. "Sssh. Conserve your strength love." he spoke, pulling back just enough to place a gentle kiss on the lips of the other. So what if it might have been possible to catch what the other had? If he could help Dali get through this sickness then he knew he himself would be able to handle it. He was in better overall condition then the other to begin with, even before this new sickness.

It pained him to see his lover like this, and yet he only smiled. He smiled for the sake of Dali. At least one of them had to seem like they had hope that this would eventually pass. "For now don't worry about selling paintings. Don't worry about anything but yourself. You're with me now. Safe." He let a hand gently run through the painter's hair, trying to comfort him.

He finally pulled back fully and unbuckled the other. Etzal then took him into his arms and lifted him out of the car. "We'll also see if we can get some food in that stomach of yours. I doubt you've been eating lately."

Niq was waiting on them, leaning against a tree. Once the doomsberry kuhna began to walk toward him, he pushed away from the tree and headed into the forest to lead him to the hot springs.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dali's strength was ebbing, even as he spoke, and before too long, his head lolled back. He was only barely conscious for the moment. But he soon regained it, looking a little scared. No... wrong word. Not scared. Hopeless. He had no hope. No faith that this was going to end well. He felt himself dying by degrees, and - even though it scared him - it did something else other than make him fear. It robbed him of his will. His will to live. All of that was reflected in the eyes that turned toward Etzal when they reached their destination. He had given up. Completely. It was up to his lover to make him believe in life again. If Etzal failed in that... Dali may well succumb to this disease within days.

[Kyrit]

They eventually arrived at the springs, the whole time Etzal walking and holding Dali with as much care as possible. The Arkuhna had given him a reason to live. He hadn't ever told Dali of his past or even why he had been locked away in Nu'san for a good amount of time. Those didn't matter though. Maybe he'd tell them to Dali at some point, but for now the more important issue was getting the painter to feeling better.

The Doomsberry kuhna sat down by the edge of the water, gently pulling off the main articles of clothing off of the other. "Careful now... I'm going to be around a bit and he's sick, so don't do anything crazy." the lucain of the group spoke out suddenly from his place leaning against a tree once again.

Once he had Dali in just his boxers he looked back at Niq and spoke, "Yeah. I ain't stupid. I'm not going to leave him with nothing on." Slipping off his own shirt and pants he thus slipped into the spring, holding Dali close to him. "Now we can relax together... And you can try to get some strength back."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dali slid into the water, and closed his eyes. He felt tired. Depressed. It was hard to breathe, and his throat and chest ached like hell. The water seemed to help, though. And the steam was helping his breathing. He found enough strength to lean against Etzal, and snuggle. All he wanted to do, anyway. Even doing that, though, took a bit of a toll on him. He started coughing - hard. Once he'd finished, he lifted tired eyes to Etzal, and offered him a smile.

"Thank you... for inviting me..." he murmured. "I really was... scared I'd never see you again... "

He lifted an arm to lay across Etzal's chest, eyes closed now, curling.

"I wanted to... to meet with you again...  before I..."

[Kyrit]

The usually gentle and calm kuhna's words came out in a hiss. "Don't you dare finish that!" The one thing he did not want to here his lover talk about was dieing. To die meant it would all end. Meant he would have no one left. Two sons lived in the same house as Dali, and the other seemed to want nothing to do with him even though they lived together.

Etzal freed one of his hands and used it to force the arkuhna's chin upward a bit, so his face was facing him even though his eyes were closed. "You start talking about death, and I'm going to start talking about unicorns and pink bunny rabbits." A bit of a threat, and yet more of a promise. Etzal didn't like many adorable, cuddly things, so Dali should know that unicorns and rabbits weren't exactly his favorite subject.

"If you keep thinking that way then you're going to end up leaving me for real. To live our spirit must want to keep it's body... So please hold on with me.."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dali winced at the yelling, and few tears slipped from his eyes. He hated being yelled at. It scared him. He inched - slowly - away from Etzal, as if reluctant to do so. But right now, he didn't want to get in his way... or make him any more angry.

"Are you... mad?" he asked, just above a whisper. "Do you.. want me to leave?"

Truthfully, his hearing had phased in and out during Etzal's speech. He'd heard:

"Don't you dare finish that! ... You start talking about death, and... If you keep thinking that way.... end up leaving me.... "

And nothing else. A clear case of miscommunication. Dali thought that he'd angered the only man in this world that still loved him. Starting to cry, he attempted to 'swim' to the other side of the hot spring.

[Kyrit]

"N-No! Dali, I don't want you to leave!" His words this time were more hushed and softer, but still rather fast and scattered. He grabbed Dali's arm gently before he could get too far away and pulled him back into a gentle hug.

Want him to leave..? Why would he want something like that. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, love.. I didn't mean to seem mad... I'm just afraid of losing you. Probably just as afraid as you are of losing to this sickness."

For one that hadn't been the most gentle in getting Dali to do as he wished while they were in the breeding room, Etzal seemed like an angel now, holding the Arkuhna ever so gently. One arm held him close to his body while the other ran through his hair. He wasn't going to let all of this go without giving a fight to keep Dali around.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

He relaxed against Etzal's chest, and curled there, shivering a little as the warm water soaked into cold veins, and chilled bones. Eyes closed again, he started to trace weak circles on the demon's chest with his finger. He was very, very weak. And getting weaker. Breathing was starting to falter. It was for things like this that Niq was around.
Eventually, Dali's head just lolled forward, his breathing shallow. His skin had gone lukewarm - and would have been ice cold, if not for the heat of the hot-spring. The look of concentration on his face showed that he did NOT want to lose to this thing, and he was trying his hardest to fight it. However, it was a losing fight, and soon, even that spark of determination faded.
Dali remained limp. Unresponsive. Cold. Wheezing. No more coughing though, and he didn't appear to be in any pain.

[Kyrit]

Etzal couldn't help but let out a purr as Dali traced circles on his chest. It felt so good to feel his touch again... even if it was weak. Suddenly his eyes widened, feeling the other's body go limp, his head fall against his chest. "N-Niq!" the kuhna exclaimed, moving to where the lucain could easily reach them but Dali would still be in the water to keep him warm.

Niq slipped over to the edge of the hot spring, bending down next to the water and pulling out his stethoscope as well as a shot. He injected the medicine into Dali's arm before slipping the steth down to listen to his heart. He wanted to make sure that the kuhna actually wasn't in pain and that his heart wasn't acting up.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Dali wasn't in pain, but he did have a faster-than-healthy heart-rate. Probably not helped by the fact that he was literally in hot water. But if they removed him, he'd shoot to ice-cold again, and that would be even worse. He was just tired, and had decided that he didn't want to try and keep conscious anymore. So he'd collapsed where he knew he was safe. In Etzal's arms.
The young artist was stricken with the illness that had been decimating Castledown lands. An illness that slowly [or not so slowly, it depended] ate away at the body from the inside, causing symptoms to worsen over time. Right now, Dali was in the beginning stages. When the disease was still treatable. And being treated for it. The medication WAS taking effect, but it was slow in reversing the process, which was why Arrikanez let Dali come here. He believed that it was for the best that the Kuhna get some fresh air and good company. As a matter of fact, Dali had been so RELAXED, that he'd let down his guard and passed out. A good sign - not a bad one.

[Kyrit]

"Looks like he's relaxing and letting the medicine do what it's supposed to." Niq spoke, putting away his instruments again. "Just don't take him out of the water for a while. His heart's acting up a bit, but I'm sure this is better then it'd be with him out." As he began to stand up he had to cover his mouth, going into a coughing fit. That wasn't at all unusual for him though. He never bothered to let another doctor look into his odd coughing fits, and never bothered to think about what could be wrong himself. He was used to it, so why should it matter? Wasn't like he was getting anyone else sick.

"Thanks." Etzal spoke with a soft smile. For once, if others had been around to see him, his smile was not that of a demon. It was the smile of one relieved to know that their lover wasn't going to die in their arms. He shifted under the water so that he'd be more comfortable as he held Dali, making sure that his head stayed above the water. He let a hand slide Dali's bangs to the side before letting his lips lightly rest on his forehead. His Dali... He'd make sure that he pulled through this, no matter what it took. For now though, he'd just wait there in the steaming water, waiting for him to awaken. He'd let him sleep as long as needed even.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

This had to be the most restful sleep Dali had ever gotten. When he woke, he looked much better - although he was still sick as a dog [pardoning the expression]. He didn't feel too much like moving, but he knew that he had to, to wake himself up. He couldn't sleep all day and night, as much as he may have liked to. With a soft sigh, he pushed himself away from Etzal, and made a 'lap' around the pool, before coming to rest again in his lover's lap, eyes closed.

"I'm awake now..." he murmured. "Barely, but I'm awake. Let's talk?"

About what though? Dali had a few things he needed to say - and he was willing to bet that Etzal did too. Just how this was going to work was going to be a different story, though. Was there ever an easy way to confess your love?

[Kyrit]

Niq had moved under the shade of a tree and was actually lightly dozing himself. Sleep was hard to come by when you always had to worry about others. Thus, while Dali relaxed with Etzal he was finally able to get such. All they'd have to do if they needed was call, and he'd still be there at their side just about as quick.

Etzal's eyes watched the other make his lap around the pool, ready to dart forward and grab him if he started to go under. He let Dali settle back down into his lap before gently wrapping his arms around the smaller male. "Go ahead and speak your mind if you're feeling up to it." the demon spoke softly, his words like silk. "If you're not feeling up to it though, please do get some more rest. We can talk to one another any day, so long as you aren't dead. Rest means getting over this sickness sooner.
Niq's posts all recorded to here