theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“Is there anyone who would know more?” Oh god, suicides. She didn’t want to deal with suicides. “You guys live a long time, right? There must be a historian, books, someone whose job it is to remember. What kind of things can take the power away from a Fae?”

Vex let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head. “Summer, I was around the last time this ‘appened, and even I barely made it out alive. There’s nobody that was there that still remembers ‘ow to fix it, because anybody who knew ended up dead first,” he explained with a frown on his face. He was slowly getting more anxious the longer he talked about it, the longer he remembered the lunacy. “Curses, ‘exes, disease, it’s ‘ard to say… But for somebody to get all the Fae in the area? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Yeah, it does. A hex? Yeah.” Summer blew out a matching sigh. “It would have to be almighty powerful, but if a hex could take one of you down, then properly amplified it could cover a huge area.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet that the reason I was knocked flat, and why I have such a /fucking/ headache, is that I was near ground zero when it went off.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“Hey, hey, no.” Summer rubbed her thumb against his skin again. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’m going to need to know some things, though, so I need you to stay calm.” It was like a switch was flipped — there’s a problem, and someone can use her help. Her emotions, her needs, get shunted away, for later. What matters is the solution. “Do you know if anything like this has happened before?”

The Mesmer nodded at that, trying to focus on the situation at hand. “Right…” he mumbled, listening to her words. He thought about the question for a moment, trying to think of something more useful, but eventually sighed and said, “Not in the last century. And the last time this ‘appened, it led to mass-suicide in the Fae Community. After a while, it just sort of..disappeared; we still don’t know ‘ow it ‘appened.”

“Is there anyone who would know more?” Oh god, suicides. She didn’t want to deal with suicides. “You guys live a long time, right? There must be a historian, books, someone whose job it is to remember. What kind of things can take the power away from a Fae?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

Summer stilled. “That … doesn’t make sense,” she said softly. “I’m not Fae. My powers aren’t Fae.” She started to go on, and stopped. “I haven’t tried to use my magic, though. Just empathy. Just what’s genetically encoded.” She hesitated. What if it didn’t work?

The Mesmer nodded in response to her disbelief. “I know that, Summer, but that doesn’t explain why none of the Fae I know can use their powers,” he told her, gulping in worry. He got stressed when he couldn’t feed, and very quickly at that; it was what had led to his drug habit all those years ago. He shook his head, banishing the memories as he told her, “I guess that’s a point.. You’re free to try, Summer, but be careful—you’re not in perfect ‘ealth right now.”

“Hey, hey, no.” Summer rubbed her thumb against his skin again. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’m going to need to know some things, though, so I need you to stay calm.” It was like a switch was flipped — there’s a problem, and someone can use her help. Her emotions, her needs, get shunted away, for later. What matters is the solution. “Do you know if anything like this has happened before?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“You’re not normally a worrier,” she pointed out. She rested a hand on his shoulder, absently admiring the length of his legs in leather, and rubbed her thumb against his throat. “Just because I can’t actually sense you lying doesn’t mean I don’t know when you’re doing it, or that I won’t call you on it. So just fess up.”

Alright, so Summer had a point there. He rarely actually worried, but now was an exception. He couldn’t feed, and he wasn’t the only one having this issue today. He sighed softly as she ran her thumb over his throat, voice a bit calmer as he admitted, “It’s just.. Well, you aren’t the only one without their powers. I can’t use mine either, and neither can any of the Fae I’ve called today. Something’s..wrong ‘ere.”

Summer stilled. “That … doesn’t make sense,” she said softly. “I’m not Fae. My powers aren’t Fae.” She started to go on, and stopped. “I haven’t tried to use my magic, though. Just empathy. Just what’s genetically encoded.” She hesitated. What if it didn’t work?

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“I don’t even need empathy to tell that you’re freaking out over something, because you’re wearing a track into my carpet.” She frowned up at him, hands laying loosely in her lap. “You said a doctor checked me over, and although I’ve got a whopping headache and I can’t use my powers right now, I don’t appear to be actually hurt — so what’s wrong?”

Vex listened to her little speech, and then fell silent in contemplation. He hadn’t been able to use his own powers all day, which had been why he’d been planning the visit to begin with; the problem being that, because she couldn’t either, meant that there was something serious going on in the area. Still, he only shook his head as he told her, “It’s nothing. I’m just worrying too much, Summer.” He sat down by the couch once again, sipping at his coffee.

“You’re not normally a worrier,” she pointed out. She rested a hand on his shoulder, absently admiring the length of his legs in leather, and rubbed her thumb against his throat. “Just because I can’t actually sense you lying doesn’t mean I don’t know when you’re doing it, or that I won’t call you on it. So just fess up.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“Huh? — Oh.” Slowly, Summer touched the IV line, then pushed herself up against the back of the couch. “Thank you.” She pressed her fingertips to her forehead, as if she could touch the pain and draw it away somehow. “What’s wrong? I’m not bleeding anywhere, so it can’t be me … Vex.”

Vex nodded at her thanks, not saying anything as he continued to pace in his worry. He wasn’t one to panic, wasn’t somebody who freaked out the moment something went wrong, but this.. this was different. This was Summer. And she was just.. He didn’t know how to finish the thought. At his name, he paused, looking at her, “What?”

“I don’t even need empathy to tell that you’re freaking out over something, because you’re wearing a track into my carpet.” She frowned up at him, hands laying loosely in her lap. “You said a doctor checked me over, and although I’ve got a whopping headache and I can’t use my powers right now, I don’t appear to be actually hurt — so what’s wrong?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

“V-vex?” The familiar, sharply-accented voice helped; if Vex was with her then she couldn’t be in danger. Summer forced her eyes open: home. She was home, on her own couch, with Vex bending over her and looking uncharacteristically concerned. “I can’t … my powers … ” she whispered. “What happened?”

Vex let out a sigh of displeasure as he told her, “Yes, it’s me… I don’t know what ‘appened, Summer. I found you out in the alley..you were barely breathing.” He paused for a moment before adding, “A doctor I know came ‘ere, took care of you; there’s an IV in your arm, so try not to bump it.” He started to pace next to the couch as he sipped at his coffee, not even really tasting it.

“Huh? — Oh.” Slowly, Summer touched the IV line, then pushed herself up against the back of the couch. “Thank you.” She pressed her fingertips to her forehead, as if she could touch the pain and draw it away somehow. “What’s wrong? I’m not bleeding anywhere, so it can’t be me … Vex.”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

iamthefirechild:

She didn’t remember much clearly. Just a huge amount of pain, doubling her over, and heat, and then blackness. Wavering to the surface of consciousness, she blinked, slowly. Her eyelids felt heavy. Everything felt heavy, and muffled. She was lying down, somewhere warm; something was sticking in her arm. She tried to reach out with her empathy —

— and yelped in shock and pain. It hurt. It hurt so very badly, and she tried to put a hand to her head, where it hurt, but her body wasn’t responding well. She groaned, instead, and tears came to her eyes.

The Mesmer frowned in concern as he heard Summer start to wake up, clearly in pain as she tried to move. The sight of tears made it even worse. Sighing heavily, he moved closer to the couch to put a hand gently on her shoulder. “‘Ey, it’s alright. The medicine should ‘elp soon,” he soothed in a quiet voice. “You’re okay, Summer…” His words didn’t mean much to himself, but he was trying to comfort her as best he could. That was really all he could do, now that he thought about it.

“V-vex?” The familiar, sharply-accented voice helped; if Vex was with her then she couldn’t be in danger. Summer forced her eyes open: home. She was home, on her own couch, with Vex bending over her and looking uncharacteristically concerned. “I can’t … my powers … ” she whispered. “What happened?”

theyrecompletelymesmerized:

[Response to the Out Cold and Barely Breathing Meme]

Vex had been walking down the alley that led to Summer’s house, having planned for a surprise-visit before work. Suddenly, something caught the light by the building’s wall. Metal.. jewelry, to be exact; as he got closer, he realized that it was a necklace.. and lying right next to it was Summer’s body, curled against the wall, completely unconscious. The sound of struggled breathing made Vex’s heart stop, briefly, and then he let out a panicked squeak. He may have been embarrassed about the sound, had anyone been up to hear him.

Kneeling down, the Mesmer quickly scooped Summer up in his arms, carrying her towards her apartment. “Summer, wake up,” he begged, knowing that it wasn’t going to do much good. Once he was at her house, he found her key in her pocket and unlocked the place, heading inside to lay her on the couch. He found a blanket and laid it over her, and in the meantime, he called a doctor-friend of his to make a house call…

*

By the time the doctor had left, Summer seemed to be breathing more normally. There was an IV placed in her arm to keep her stable though, and Vex hadn’t left her side since he’d found her. “Summer,” he sighed her name as he watched her, sitting on the floor by the couch with a cup of coffee in his hands.

She didn’t remember much clearly. Just a huge amount of pain, doubling her over, and heat, and then blackness. Wavering to the surface of consciousness, she blinked, slowly. Her eyelids felt heavy. Everything felt heavy, and muffled. She was lying down, somewhere warm; something was sticking in her arm. She tried to reach out with her empathy —

— and yelped in shock and pain. It hurt. It hurt so very badly, and she tried to put a hand to her head, where it hurt, but her body wasn’t responding well. She groaned, instead, and tears came to her eyes.