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[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ day five without sleep had been kind on him for the most part. research was finally going smoothly after two weeks of being locked indoors, barely allowing himself to get up for breaks that did not include making a new pot of coffee or a quick trip to the restroom. sure, the first week he went outside for said coffee--which could explain why there were so many Starbucks cups stacked on every table around the place--but now he couldn't be damned to step outside, too engrossed in his work to do much else but read and pick up his coffee mug every now and then when the compulsion hit him.

thus his surroundings are a mess, his (& caleb's) apartment littered with books ranging from medical to spiritual to supernatural-- anything and everything to cover all his bases in hopes that he'll find something that would answer all the questions their family had been asking ever since alyssa fell into a state that they could not quite discern, even with the help of their go-to doctors. this is why he's been hunched over his desk for as long as he could remember, though at current he's occupied with a bunch of files he had "borrowed" from someone he had yet to meet, but feels like he should know very well.

at this moment he's completely immersed in this new found fascinating material, finding himself both relieved yet feeling something pinch the pit of his stomach when he flips to another page of one of the hundred-something folders that is stacked on his desk. when his eyes start to blur and go unfocused he sits back in his seat, slapping his cheeks a few times to wake himself up. realizing that he's going to get nowhere without taking a break he eventually pushes himself away from the desk, moving to go to bathroom to splash some water on his face before wandering to the kitchen to grab another cup of coffee.

with the fresh cup in hand he heads back to his workspace to reposition himself in his seat, staring down at the material as his shoulders droop a little in exhaustion. nonetheless he's back to work after a split second, completely and utterly focused on that and nothing more. ]

Comments

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ with his car parked in a public space, he picks up the medium-sized tupperware full of food from the passenger seat before locking up. it had been prepared for him (for his baby brother) by the cooks before he'd left the mansion, full of foods easy on the stomach-- as requested. with that in hand, he strides into the building at a comfortable pace, not at all minding the gawking that he is receiving. in the elevator ride up, he shares an easy, shallow conversation with a middle-aged woman before he's getting off at the correct floor.

a few more steps later, he's at the correct door. forgoes his usual habit of knocking to press at the doorbell instead, fully aware that nothing short of an irritating intrusion would break into nathan's concentration. ]

1/2

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ snaps out of his thoughts immediately when he hears the doorbell ring, blinking and looking over at the door in confusion. takes one quick glance at the papers again before he stands, stretching a little on the short walk to the front door.

opens it a tad, peering out curiously. ]

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ & then shifts easily into a small smile when he sees who it is, opening the door fully. ]

Hey there, stranger.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ inclines his head his form of a nod. ]

Good evening. I would hope that you are able to make time for me?

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ snorts, attempting not to wear a smile as he moves out of the way despite his next words. ]

Oh no, of course not.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

Then I suppose my only option is to impose.

[ strolls right in. after taking off his shoes, he steps into the apartment even further, only to stop when he arrives at the sea of starbucks cups. ]

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ kicks things out of the way as he waddles towards the kitchen, not even noticing that anything is amiss. flips on the light before peering out to ask, a little ironically: ]

D'you want some coffee? I just made some.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ eyes the cups with mild distaste. turns his gaze to nathan for now. ]

Yes, that would be appreciated.

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ rolls his eyes and turns away from him, mimicking albert's words in a mocking way underneath his breath like he's sixteen again. just does his thing and comes back out to albert within a moment or two, holding out the cup for him to take. ]

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ accepts it. then proceeds to inspect it with a tilt of his head. ]

Ah. An unexpected choice of decoration.

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

It was Caleb's idea. [ points back to the kitchen, looking pleased and proud. ] I've got the whole set still.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ takes a sip of the coffee, then glances briefly toward the kitchen. ]

In mint condition, I presume?

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ hands go to his hips, chest puffing out a bit. ]

Of course!

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ five days after albert had come over is when he finally finished all the reports. it was one more day after that when he put together all the pieces, a tedious task that continued to make him forgo sleep in order to complete it. unfortunately, he needed one more piece of the puzzle to make sure he had everything right, and that was finally facing the man who had the tools that he needed to rectify this terrible (horrid, something he had never thought of before, yet it made so much more sense than he initially imagined it to be) mistake. thankfully sora had taken everything pretty well-- was interested, even. maybe a little concerned. nonetheless it had all come together rather smoothly, and with a bow and a handshake nathan left that mansion behind as quickly as possible to visit another that he knew all too well.

when he arrives he pauses and stares at the front door to his previous home, hesitating on entering, almost as if he would be intruding. shakes his head at himself for the ridiculous notion, quickly opening it and giving a small nod to the maid who is there to greet him. after a wave of his hand and a polite "no thank you" to her when she asks if he'd like to be escorted (an awkward and foreign gesture, considering that it was originally his home) he makes a beeline towards albert's study. there is another pause (even more hesitation) when he gets there, lifting a hand to knock on it, only to stop mid-way. once again shakes his head to rid himself of his non-thoughts, knocking three times before opening the door to step right in. ]

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ if he's not with alyssa, he's here. always here, head & attention & focus buried in books. but the genre of his choice has not changed once since alyssa fell victim to her ailment: medical books. encyclopedias. dictionaries. anything that may be of help (even if he knows that the root of the problem likely lay elsewhere, considering who (what) they are). or maybe it's to bring comfort & calm to his own mind, so that he may be strong for a girl so close to his heart.

-- & that's why it takes him a while to notice the knocks & intrusion. his head is slow to lift & the fading process of the glaze of concentration is even slower. but, eventually: ]

. . . Welcome home, baby brother.

[prideofprince.livejournal.com]

[ shakes his head to dismiss that greeting, too busy walking right up to albert to set a (relatively small, considering the other ones he had been reading previously) folder on his desk. ]

No time for that. [ points at the folder and says, with a rather troubled look on his face. ] Read.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ obeys without hesitation, setting aside his previous book of choice to pick up the folder. flipping to the first page, he begins to read, eyes swiftly running over the words, half-driven by curiosity of nathan's attitude. when he is finished, he closes his eyes briefly, then lifts them. meets nathan's eye. ]

Ah. This is the source.

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

[ gives him a long look, as if wanting to say something else. pushes it away for now before his gaze goes to the floor. ]

Yeah. That's the source.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ leans forward in his chair some, expression blank. ]

Details have time. She may not. Have you found a solution?

[prideofprince.livejournal.com]

Yeah. [ slips his hands into his pockets when it's taken, saying just one word to briefly explain: ] Sora.

[prideofking.livejournal.com]

[ tenses a bit. ]

What can he offer, in terms of treatment?

1/2

[prideofchange.livejournal.com]

It's something that'll... restart her. Hotwire her mind in a different way.

[ pauses for a little, unsure of how to properly explain it. ] The treatment was apparently developed when Ansem was still alive, but it wasn't stable until about five years ago. It's been tested a few times before without any trouble, though this'll be a little more difficult since it's only a certain amount of memories that should be forgotten in order for her to function properly again.

[prideofprince.livejournal.com]

[ there's another pause, averting his eyes a little. ]

He hasn't tested that kind of method before. But if we don't do this, there's a ninety-five percent chance that she won't make it. There'll be side-effects, of course, but... nothing as bad as this.

[prideofcontrol.livejournal.com]

[ his eyes close. breathes out. the tension is still present, but it is of the submissive sort -- the rare sort, on him. ]

If this will allow her to keep her life, then that is what must be done. We can return her health to her afterward.

[prideofprince.livejournal.com]

[ nods a little, not entirely surprised by albert's compliance. hesitates with his next words, mouth opening once before closing. speaks slowly, almost cautiously. ]

... he gave some specific guidelines and precautionary measures we should follow, though. After she has it done.