[it's after classes when someone is knocking on the nurse's office door and coming on in. Helena carefully shuts the door behind her, and from the look on her face, she does need some assistance. pale, drawn, and more subdued than he'd recall her being before - and probably a condition he'd seen in ASUNARO's halls before, when someone's running on fumes from stress but hardly wants to slow down.
she's missed enough class, she had to catch back up, and now with graduation looming, she doesn't know what to do. since the forest, she can't sleep too easy - Subaru's presence helps, but it doesn't stop her waking - and over all her head throbs while her body protests every now and then. at least one of these things can be easily fixed, she knows.]
Excuse me...but do you have any medicine for headaches?
[one of the few times she wishes she was back in the manor - Dr. Dyer could set everything to right without too many questions.]
[ the kindness laced in his voice as he doesn't sound worried, only because there's no need to be when she's come to the nurse's office. it's supplied with everything a student will need to make it to the next day— antibiotics, antiseptics, and antifungal. with a wide list of medication, when a student makes their way here, midori has a habit of looking their face over, but there's happiness on his expression the female can't see, but can hear the smile in his voice. ]
I would say it's a pleasure to see you, Miss Helena, but this would be the last place I'd like for us to cross paths.
[ she's capable of being a model student, and with the classes shoved together, he's able to see that. after what had happened last month, the foundation that she had built began to crumble, and barbed wire has begun tow rap around her throat to cause her verbal responses to become raw, filled with emotion, but they trap her. maple has told him more than enough.
closing the cabinet, she can hear the brief sound of pills within a bottle being shuffled back as it might have one or two sitting by the edge that are pushed back. the smell of a strong disinfectant will waft under her nose, a strong alcohol that's left open just a few steps away from her that he makes his way over to clean up, and the twist of a top settles back onto it. ]
How long has your issue been going on?
[ doctor's have to ask before prescribing a cure. ]
[that voice...Sunny Weather, she knows. somehow, it feels right for him to be here, but also, she's not in much of a state to be questioning too much anyway. that a kind voice is here, that's what she needs, through the tiredness and the pounding in her skull.]
A few days? It hasn't let up yet, though I tried everything short of medicine...food, water, fresh air, attempting to sleep...I didn't know what else to do but ask for help.
[because if it eases, maybe then she can sleep, and maybe then it can leave her alone long enough for rest. but she wants to fall towards that kindness, and embrace it - her cane is her main support now. she can endure much if she has to, but she doesn't want to right now.]
Asking for help isn't a bad, but I haven't told you the most important thing, have I?
[ he walks over, she'll be able to hear how light his steps are, and the shuffling of his clothes as his arm moves up to lightly place his hand against her back, leading her towards a cot so she can sit down, and rest her weary body. eyes scan over what he can see of her first— face, lips, body, what parts of her arms that's not covered by fabric. ]
If you need something, my door is always open.
[ midori hums as he walks from the bed, over to the desk so he can pick up a few items. there's a bottle he reads to see if it'll numb the pain, but this might have better uses for menstrual cramps. looking through a few more things, there's a soft "aha!" that leaves from him as he finds what's needed, it's a medical device rather than medication. ]
Will you remove your glasses, I want to check your eyes, first.
[ he wants to check for bags under her eyes, and if there's any signs of retinal detachment. ]
And if you can tell me what you've experienced so far that might have made it worse.
[obediently, she does, grateful to be sitting somewhere that's not behind a desk. her glasses are tucked away, and she sets her cane to the side - a careful motion, deliberate so she'll recall exactly where it is later. the retinas are safe where they are, and her eyes don't move to light. instead, there's a slight opacity over them, something that's been there since before they met, since it's a memento of the illness that affected her as an infant.
that said, there are bags under her eyes, looking more pronounced for how pale she currently is.]
It's been harder to get some solid sleep, I'm finding. Even though I'm tired, I wake up a few times a night, more than usual, and with how quiet it is after midnight...that's hard enough to handle.
[total silence doesn't help when it feels like the world is ripped away from you. Subaru's presences does a lot, but when this keeps happening...]
I think the forest made it all a little more difficult. The strange occurrences out there...
The forest has been an experience for all those lost within it, and those who followed someone after.
[ he knows quite a bit only because of his own adventure, but they're few and far between considering he hasn't any memories that he needs someone to casually walk through. that's what they seem to be, remnants of memories of the past, and stories retold by the whims of the subconscious. such an activity would wear on someone's mind causing them to have headaches, it's why children are told not to fall asleep with the tv on. their brain will register the audio, try to make sense of it, and then when they wake up they'll feel more tired. ]
Miss Helena, do you find yourself dreaming too often, or finding yourself lost in those dreams unable to stir... I do believe that's where the problem starts.
[ indicating the eyebags and such, she hasn't been sleeping which has led to her stress levels being high. he should also check her blood pressure while she's sitting down, and so he moves to get the device that allows him to do so. she can hear the scratching noise of the fabric being pulled apart as he wraps it around her upper arm tightly, making sure that it's snug and in place. ]
[she nods, listening to the device as it inflates, feeling the strange tightness it brings to one's arm.]
It's not that I dream too often...it's that my dreams tend to exhaust me more than restore me, I think. So I'm more grateful to the nights where they remain at a distance
[perhaps she's saying a little much, but she needs to be honest with a doctor, to explain why it's been so difficult to rest well recently. with the forest added on top of everything else, she feels her grip slipping, and when one is in pain, naturally they seek to remove it however they can.]
I see, I see... how in control of your dreams do you feel?
[ some are able to control the narration, and others feel as if their dreams control their movement and thoughts without them. depending on how much energy goes into her dreams, then her brain remains at work, and it would be best to remove the dreams so she can finally rest— ]
Unless you wish to stay the night, that way I can watch for myself.
[ how much does she toss and turn, or does her face twitch from pain, or maybe there's too much pleasure coming from her rest? only he can see that if she rests for the night, and that would explain many things as well.
that, and he'll be able to prescribe her medicine. the device tightens around her arm, and he watches the monitor next to him decipher what her levels are. ]
My roommate might be concerned, if I tried to stay the whole night...I'd like not to leave him completely alone.
[even if her head was hurting her to the point of tears, she'd refuse to leave Subaru. thankfully, it's not that bad - even if her blood pressure does seem a little high for now. stress, really.]
...Are you supposed to be in control of your dreams?
[the very idea is foreign to her, given away by her questioning tone.]
Your roommate now... hm, who is that? I may be able to miracle work and have them here too if it'd help you sleep properly.
[ that's not a problem, but he does loathe when there's extra people to bother his work. luckily, to get to the root of helena's problem, he'll have to see what happens and so that added body is needed. with the blood pressure number given for one arm, he undoes the cuff to wrap it around her second to check what number comes from that. ]
Please stand for me. [ ... ] You can be in control of them, have you ever heard of "Lucid Dreaming", Miss Helena? It occurs doing REM sleep.
[ he'll proceed to explain rapid eye movement, giving her an idea of how it accords in both birds and mammals. ]
In "Lucid Dreaming", you can control actions and the environment because you're aware that you're dreaming. It's able to help those who often suffer from reoccurring nightmares and PTSD.
[she follows instruction dutifully, her expression growing more thoughtful as he talks about lucid dreaming. it's a nice concept, and she wants it - if it can ease the fears that lurk around her heart like mud on a lakebed, it would be wonderful.]
How do you do it? How do you become aware of your dreams?
Would you like to try a sort of mental exercise? It's called Reality testing, and or checking. It increases metacognition by training your mind to notice your own awareness.
[ first she has to train herself to know what is reality around her, and then she can find the difference between her dreams and actuality. ]
It's an exciting trick, and it'll help you control the direction of your dreams... because the moment you're aware it's a dream, then it plays by your whims.
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later march.
she's missed enough class, she had to catch back up, and now with graduation looming, she doesn't know what to do. since the forest, she can't sleep too easy - Subaru's presence helps, but it doesn't stop her waking - and over all her head throbs while her body protests every now and then. at least one of these things can be easily fixed, she knows.]
Excuse me...but do you have any medicine for headaches?
[one of the few times she wishes she was back in the manor - Dr. Dyer could set everything to right without too many questions.]
HAPPY
[ the kindness laced in his voice as he doesn't sound worried, only because there's no need to be when she's come to the nurse's office. it's supplied with everything a student will need to make it to the next day— antibiotics, antiseptics, and antifungal. with a wide list of medication, when a student makes their way here, midori has a habit of looking their face over, but there's happiness on his expression the female can't see, but can hear the smile in his voice. ]
I would say it's a pleasure to see you, Miss Helena, but this would be the last place I'd like for us to cross paths.
[ she's capable of being a model student, and with the classes shoved together, he's able to see that. after what had happened last month, the foundation that she had built began to crumble, and barbed wire has begun tow rap around her throat to cause her verbal responses to become raw, filled with emotion, but they trap her. maple has told him more than enough.
closing the cabinet, she can hear the brief sound of pills within a bottle being shuffled back as it might have one or two sitting by the edge that are pushed back. the smell of a strong disinfectant will waft under her nose, a strong alcohol that's left open just a few steps away from her that he makes his way over to clean up, and the twist of a top settles back onto it. ]
How long has your issue been going on?
[ doctor's have to ask before prescribing a cure. ]
no subject
A few days? It hasn't let up yet, though I tried everything short of medicine...food, water, fresh air, attempting to sleep...I didn't know what else to do but ask for help.
[because if it eases, maybe then she can sleep, and maybe then it can leave her alone long enough for rest. but she wants to fall towards that kindness, and embrace it - her cane is her main support now. she can endure much if she has to, but she doesn't want to right now.]
no subject
[ he walks over, she'll be able to hear how light his steps are, and the shuffling of his clothes as his arm moves up to lightly place his hand against her back, leading her towards a cot so she can sit down, and rest her weary body. eyes scan over what he can see of her first— face, lips, body, what parts of her arms that's not covered by fabric. ]
If you need something, my door is always open.
[ midori hums as he walks from the bed, over to the desk so he can pick up a few items. there's a bottle he reads to see if it'll numb the pain, but this might have better uses for menstrual cramps. looking through a few more things, there's a soft "aha!" that leaves from him as he finds what's needed, it's a medical device rather than medication. ]
Will you remove your glasses, I want to check your eyes, first.
[ he wants to check for bags under her eyes, and if there's any signs of retinal detachment. ]
And if you can tell me what you've experienced so far that might have made it worse.
no subject
that said, there are bags under her eyes, looking more pronounced for how pale she currently is.]
It's been harder to get some solid sleep, I'm finding. Even though I'm tired, I wake up a few times a night, more than usual, and with how quiet it is after midnight...that's hard enough to handle.
[total silence doesn't help when it feels like the world is ripped away from you. Subaru's presences does a lot, but when this keeps happening...]
I think the forest made it all a little more difficult. The strange occurrences out there...
no subject
[ he knows quite a bit only because of his own adventure, but they're few and far between considering he hasn't any memories that he needs someone to casually walk through. that's what they seem to be, remnants of memories of the past, and stories retold by the whims of the subconscious. such an activity would wear on someone's mind causing them to have headaches, it's why children are told not to fall asleep with the tv on. their brain will register the audio, try to make sense of it, and then when they wake up they'll feel more tired. ]
Miss Helena, do you find yourself dreaming too often, or finding yourself lost in those dreams unable to stir... I do believe that's where the problem starts.
[ indicating the eyebags and such, she hasn't been sleeping which has led to her stress levels being high. he should also check her blood pressure while she's sitting down, and so he moves to get the device that allows him to do so. she can hear the scratching noise of the fabric being pulled apart as he wraps it around her upper arm tightly, making sure that it's snug and in place. ]
Do let me know if this hurts, alright?
no subject
It's not that I dream too often...it's that my dreams tend to exhaust me more than restore me, I think. So I'm more grateful to the nights where they remain at a distance
[perhaps she's saying a little much, but she needs to be honest with a doctor, to explain why it's been so difficult to rest well recently. with the forest added on top of everything else, she feels her grip slipping, and when one is in pain, naturally they seek to remove it however they can.]
no subject
[ some are able to control the narration, and others feel as if their dreams control their movement and thoughts without them. depending on how much energy goes into her dreams, then her brain remains at work, and it would be best to remove the dreams so she can finally rest— ]
Unless you wish to stay the night, that way I can watch for myself.
[ how much does she toss and turn, or does her face twitch from pain, or maybe there's too much pleasure coming from her rest? only he can see that if she rests for the night, and that would explain many things as well.
that, and he'll be able to prescribe her medicine. the device tightens around her arm, and he watches the monitor next to him decipher what her levels are. ]
no subject
[even if her head was hurting her to the point of tears, she'd refuse to leave Subaru. thankfully, it's not that bad - even if her blood pressure does seem a little high for now. stress, really.]
...Are you supposed to be in control of your dreams?
[the very idea is foreign to her, given away by her questioning tone.]
no subject
[ that's not a problem, but he does loathe when there's extra people to bother his work. luckily, to get to the root of helena's problem, he'll have to see what happens and so that added body is needed. with the blood pressure number given for one arm, he undoes the cuff to wrap it around her second to check what number comes from that. ]
Please stand for me. [ ... ] You can be in control of them, have you ever heard of "Lucid Dreaming", Miss Helena? It occurs doing REM sleep.
[ he'll proceed to explain rapid eye movement, giving her an idea of how it accords in both birds and mammals. ]
In "Lucid Dreaming", you can control actions and the environment because you're aware that you're dreaming. It's able to help those who often suffer from reoccurring nightmares and PTSD.
no subject
How do you do it? How do you become aware of your dreams?
no subject
[ first she has to train herself to know what is reality around her, and then she can find the difference between her dreams and actuality. ]
It's an exciting trick, and it'll help you control the direction of your dreams... because the moment you're aware it's a dream, then it plays by your whims.