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Who: Leonhardt and Joshua Bright and later Dr. Willock and potentially Estelle Bright
What: Character death and the depressing reactions to it
When: March 11th, afternoon and going into evening
Where: Starting in the plaza and ending in the clinic
Summary: Ever since his return, Leonhardt had been acting rather strangely and hiding things and unfortunately he's far too stubborn and distrustful to seek out the help he needs to prevent this from happening in the first place.
Rating: PG-13 for death, warning for Leonhardt's suicidal tendencies and spoilers

[It had been a week since Leonhardt returned to Luceti and found himself alive again, though not quite well either physically or emotionally. It was a shock to find himself alive and back in Luceti after making such effort to ensure he would die in his own world because of his reckless actions that it sent him spiraling into depression and still wanting to die. Unfortunately, while the Malnosso were able to put back together his broken body as it had been before, it would seem one of the numerous wounds he sustained in the explosion of the barrier got infected likely some time after he arrived here.

He had definitely not been well when he returned, and though it at first appeared as if he had gotten better, it was more that he was better able to hide his symptoms except for the fact that he was acting far more withdrawn than normal. And for someone like him, that's downright not sociable in the least bit. As the week progressed he started going downhill more and more as the infection continued to spread in his body and get worse and his chances for survival grew more and more slim, and he was fine with that. He had never been convinced that death in Luceti was temporary and felt that he no longer deserved to be among the living.

Of course it was something Joshua would not accept, and neither would Estelle. Joshua had been on his case to go to one of the clinics and he had been dodging that subject because he didn't want to go. So instead he lied and said he had gone and was told to get rest and plenty of fluids and check back with the doctor in a few days.

And that was what brought Leonhardt out today to the plaza. He was being forced to go back and check in, though honestly the moment he was outside he forgot about that entirely. It was a pretty day out, and the warm didn't bother him, it actually felt good with how chilled he felt. Instead he decided to head over to the memory garden to see if the flowers had begun to bloom yet. Even if they hadn't, he wanted to be close to Karin. Unfortunately, in his weakened state he could only make it to the fountain before he couldn't handle the lightheadedness any longer and needed to sit before he passed out. So he decided to find a nice spot in the sun to rest for a bit.]

[ooc: And if you guys want a separate thread or threads for reactions after he dies to skip ahead there, that's fine. PM me if you need any info for that.]

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[Unlike last time, Joshua isn't about to just sit around at home while Leonhardt supposedly heads for the clinic. The fact that Leonhardt's condition has only been worsening rather than remaining stable or improving since the first time he left to go to one of the clinics hasn't gone unnoticed by the boy, and frankly... Even if it weren't for that oddity, his current condition is more than enough of an incentive to not let him wander around outside on his own.

Of course, knowing him, he likely wouldn't be too keen on someone insisting on going with him even if it is for the best. And so, rather than just insist on tagging along, Joshua instead opts to simply follow his brother. With how unobservant he's been, it's not as if that's even as difficult as it would normally be, thankfully.

The fact that he doesn't take the normal path to either of the clinics is admittedly already pretty worrisome, and the fact that even that short walk seemed to be way more exhausting than usual is even more alarming. But despite that, once he sits down, Joshua chooses to keep watch from afar for just a little longer - if only to confirm his brother's current condition. Thankfully, it's not that much farther to one of the clinics despite that earlier detour, so... if need be, he can probably help him get there, should a moment of rest not help.]

[And if Leonhardt were in better shape, he definitely would have done a far better job with evading Joshua. But Joshua would be right that he'd not want someone tagging along.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if the short rest is helping one bit, but then it also doesn't seem like it is hurting at all either. He's still short of breath and having trouble catching it, even though he should have been able to by now. He's someone who normally is able to move at very fast speeds and barely even seem winded.

There is definitely no evidence that he's going to be getting up any time soon. On top of that, he's looking rather pale for someone who is sitting directly in the sun and it doesn't seem like the warm day is bothering him with him wearing all that black and dark grey.]

[...Resting isn't helping. Okay, that is concerning. Considering how quickly Leonhardt normally recovers, he shouldn't be so exhausted from a simple short walk that a few moments of rest isn't enough time for him to catch his breath. Something's definitely wrong here.

Rather than approach him directly, though, Joshua's going to take a quick detour - if only so that he can approach from a direction that makes it look more as though he were just heading for the plaza. He really doesn't want to startle Leonhardt right now, but all the same, he doesn't really want to give away that he'd been tailing him, either.]

Loewe...? [First things first, let's try calling out to him while approaching. His voice sounds both concerned and somewhat surprised, as though he hadn't expected to see him in this particular area. He was only supposed to head to the clinic, after all, not wander as far as the plaza... though the surprise is nevertheless largely feigned.]

[Well, he could have gone to the plaza clinic, he has been there twice after all, and the volunteers there would know him far better, so wandering to the plaza isn't that strange.

But really, considering he forgot, yeah, that's not a good thing. And of course, he doesn't quite notice Joshua until the boy calls out to him.

He is looking in Joshua's direction, but not quite responding yet.]

[Still less observant than usual... and no vocal response. Given the circumstances, that's a lot more worrying than it'd normally be.]

Are you all right? [...Pointless question, in hindsight. Even if he says he's fine like he tends to, it's pretty glaringly obvious that he isn't. And so, after a moment of pause, he quickly amends what he said.]

...It's not that far to the clinic. It might be best if we go there together.

[Because really now, he's definitely not doing well, and if anyone can help with that, it'd most likely be the doctors at the clinic. And it's not as if he minds helping him get there if he's too exhausted. Besides, that's where he meant to go anyway, right?]

[And in response to that second part, Joshua merely gets a confused look.] I'll be fine with just a few more moments...

[And that is such an obvious lie. As Joshua gets closer, he'll be able to see Leonhardt's hands are shaking, and they are not exactly looking normal, as they are starting to take on a bluish tone. The way he is speaking, he sounds really lethargic. He's looking down at the ground again like he barely even is aware of Joshua's presence even though he just answered the boy.

If anything, he's looking like he's getting worse, not better from sitting. It may even be questionable as to if he will be able to stand up even with help.]

Edited 2012-03-12 04:27 (UTC)

["Obvious lie" indeed. He hasn't been getting any better at all since he stopped to rest, so it's pretty doubtful that a few more moments won't help either. Everything else only further cements that thought - Joshua might not be an actual doctor, but cyanosis and breathing difficulties alone are already more than enough of a reason to suspect that this is likely something serious, even without taking the other abnormalities into consideration.

If this stems from whatever he was dealing with this past week... well, so much for that being something that could be dealt with by getting enough rest and fluids. He's actually starting to wonder a bit about that, but]

You don't look like you'll be fine, Loewe. [This time around, his tone is more serious, most likely because of that blatant lie. This is not the time to be acting like everything's going to be okay just like that.

...Actually, this isn't really the time for talking, either. So rather than keep trying to get him to agree to come with him, Joshua will instead just try to take one of Leonhardt's hands.]

At least let someone at the clinic help you, okay? [This time, that's admittedly more of a rhetorical question. He does not want Leonhardt to just end up passing out because his condition worsened too much like Agate did back when he got himself poisoned. And with how he's doing right now, Joshua's not ruling that out as a potential risk... and it's one he'd like to avoid. If it ends up being necessary - or if Leonhardt keeps being stubborn - he might actually try to pull Leonhardt up to his feet. Providing that kind of assistance as well as supporting him on the way to the clinic if need be is something the boy can do, but in terms of actual medical aid, it's rather obvious that it's the help of an actual doctor that's needed.]

[Unfortunately for Joshua, Leonhardt and Agate do have that intense stubbornness in common and can't admit that they need help.

And in response to Joshua, Leonhardt just says nothing again. He doesn't even react much as Joshua tries to pull him to his feet. Joshua will definitely be able to tell his skin feels rather cool and clammy to the touch, which is also definitely strange, especially with it being a very warm day.

But the worst of it is that once Leonhardt is standing, he loses consciousness right away. Thankfully since Joshua was helping him up, he'll only fall onto Joshua and not onto the ground and potentially get hurt. It's a good thing the clinic isn't too far away considering that Leonhardt is much larger than Joshua.]

[...He just jinxed this, didn't he.

Thankfully, Joshua's reflexes are fast enough that he manages to catch Leonhardt when he loses consciousness. The last thing they need right is to waste time needlessly because of that resulting in both of them landing on the ground. Considering that the one thing he thought was just a risk just happened - much earlier than he was expecting, no less - they definitely need the aid of a doctor, and quickly.

It's a good thing that the clinic is so close nearby, all things considered. Carrying Leonhardt there shouldn't be too troublesome, the initial difficulty of figuring out how to carry him so as to not aggravate his condition even further aside while still getting around the issue of him being taller than the boy aside. For once, Joshua can't help but to feel a little thankful for the fact that this is less difficult for him than it would probably be for most people his age.

And admittedly, carrying him like this is faster than trying to help him walk there would have been. It's a small silver living to an otherwise alarming situation. It's not going to take very long to reach the clinic, and once there, Joshua is quick to look for someone who might be able to help.

...Hopefully there is actually someone around who can be of help. Considering injuries aren't the problem, healing magic probably wouldn't be of much help this time...]

[Well, luckily for them, Willock's currently taking a break after a morning of treating a plethora of minor injuries and upper respiratory infections, sipping some coffee and filing some records. As he sees Joshua come in with the unconscious Leonhardt, he sets down his cup and rises to his feet, staring.

Syncope and cyanosis--classic signs of heart failure. Shoot. He makes his way rapidly over to Joshua, pointing to a nearby room.]

Take him in there. [And he bolts in ahead of him, lugging out an oxygen tank and grabbing some IV bags from the cabinets. He's got to work fast.]

[Someone's actually around... Thank Aidios. And it's someone who seems to recognize the problem at hand even without him saying anything, no less. That's... definitely fortunate right now.

Willock won't have to tell Joshua where to go twice - while he's a bit slower due to still carrying Leonhardt, he actually manages to follow him at a rather quick pace despite that. All the while, however, he keeps quiet; unless Willock actually addresses him, he likely won't say anything until he can put his brother down again. First things first, after all.]

Set him down on the bed. [Once that's done, Willock straps an oxygen mask over Leonhardt's mouth and nose and opens the valve on the tank. He slides a hypodermic needle into Leonhardt's wrist, hanging up the bag of fluids it's connected to, interrogating Joshua all the while as he works.]

How long has he been like this? Did the symptoms come on suddenly? Does he have any underlying conditions, allergies..?

[Joshua will set Leonhardt down on the bed as instructed, stepping out of the way once that's done with. His responses to the onslaught of questions are fairly quick, as though he was already expecting at least some of them.

His tone, though, is far too detached - too flat and matter-of-factly - for the current situation, as if he were trying to keep his emotions from seeping into his voice right now.]

He lost consciousness a few minutes ago. He doesn't have any allergies or health conditions [as far as he's aware, anyway], but... [Symptoms... there were a lot of those.]

...The symptoms were gradual. He arrived a week ago with some faded injuries. And since then, he's been more avoidant than he usually is, and he's been sleeping more. During the last few days, he's been less observant, and he was having trouble standing for long and concentrating. [That last one's a bit of a guess, but considering he didn't notice him using the Body-Split Craft even once when he normally uses it pretty often, it's very likely.]

He was having trouble catching his breath after walking from Community Building 3 to the plaza earlier. His hands were shaking and turning blue when he stopped to rest, and he barely noticed me... and when he did, he sounded exhausted.

[ ... ] He passed out when I tried to help him get up. And considering the weather, his skin felt too cold and clammy.

[That's everything Joshua managed to notice since he came back. Considering how avoidant Leonhardt was being, though, it's not impossible that there's other symptoms he was hiding, or that just ended up going unnoticed. But hopefully that's enough to figure out what's wrong.]

[No underlying conditions, no known allergies, too gradual anyway to be anaphylactic shock. The mention of injuries makes trauma possible, and the fatigue and shortness of breath no doubt stem from low blood pressure. But the fact that this had taken a week to progress makes Willock reticent to chalk it up to a worsening injury.

He lays a hand on Leonhardt's forehead, then dons the stethoscope draped about his shoulders and listens briefly to Leonhardt's heart. There's no perceptible fever and his pulse is weak, but Willock can tell it's fast. Septic shock, he decides. Which makes this situation very grim indeed.

He looks up at Joshua.]

Go find one of the other volunteers--tell them I need some of the IV antibiotics. Streptomycin, Terramycin, Choloromycetin--whatever's in there. And epinephrine. The bottled preparation.

[It may be a fortunate thing, or it may also be unfortunate, but Leonhardt does open his eyes now and it looks like for the time being he has regained consciousness.

The problem is the look in his eyes right now, it's not his normal troubled look, or even the tired look he has had this past week. Joshua may well recognize it, the the same look he has in battle. The one that Estelle described as being on fire, but also very cold. It's definitely a bad sign because he's lost enough of his mental ability to keep himself calm and now the aggressive nature that would be normal for him if he wasn't able to keep that at bay is all that remains. The only good thing is that he's far too weak to do any real harm to another, because he could be very dangerous like this.

But it's not like he wants to do another harm, no he wants to die and does not welcome any attempts at saving his miserable life when he's supposed to be dead. There's no use protecting him, he's already dead and shouldn't be here now and he does not welcome a return to his endless misery. If only he could say this, but between the shortness of breath and the oxygen mask, he's not going to be able to express this wish. Instead the arm without the IV in it will make a quick movement to try and remove the needle. It's still a pretty quick movement compared to a human, but rather slow for Leonhardt and easily stopped, but it is showing that something is going to need to be done to deal with the patient not wanting to cooperate.]

[IV antibiotics and epinephrine. The bottled preparation. That's easy enough to remember.]

All ri--

[Before he can actually finish those two words and head off to retrieve everything, however, Joshua notices Leonhardt's eyes opening - and more importantly than that, notices the familiar look he's displaying. That's... not good. That's the look he normally has in battle or during missions. And he was already barely aware of his surroundings earlier, so considering his surroundings right now are a fairly drastic change from before he passed out... Is it possible that he has the wrong idea about what's happening?

Either way, while him regaining consciousness is something Joshua would normally see as a good thing, that look makes it far more alarming than anything else.]

[But in a way, it's because that detail is alarming that Joshua manages to react quickly when Leonhardt reaches for the IV, grabbing his wrist before he can succeed in doing that.

Well. So much for just going to retrieve everything. Time for plan B.]

Calm down, Loewe. It'll be all right. [His tone is more reassuring than detached this time, but he's not about to let go of his wrist. Not until he really does calm down. If he exhausts himself too much right now, or hinders his treatment like he tried to just now, then that can only make things worse, can't it?

Amidst all that, Willock might be able to notice something else for a moment: if he glances in the direction of the room's door, he might catch sight of someone walking out of the room rather quickly, even though nobody else should be around - with the individual in question, if he notices them fast enough, looking just about identical to Joshua. If he doesn't, he'll likely still hear the sound of steps, at least.

...Joshua has no idea if this is actually going to work as well as he hopes, considering he's never tried using the Body-Split Craft to make use of a shadow outside of his training so far and he still can't maintain it for very long, but he doesn't want to leave the room with Leonhardt behaving the way he just did. This way, he can at least try to fetch everything using the lookalike shadow temporarily created with that craft, so long as he doesn't lose his concentration. It's a bit of a gamble, but it's likely better than leaving the room himself or not retrieving what they need.]

[Having patients try to tear out their IVs in fear, confusion or anger is nothing new to Willock, and as Leonhardt goes for it his arms snaps out to restrain him. Joshua saves him the trouble by half a second, and Willock promptly wraps some more tape around the needle to secure it.

Having Leonhardt wake is a good sign--though, like everything else about this situation, not terribly promising. Willock catches the sound of footsteps in the hall, but doesn't look in time; his gaze instead settles on Joshua, who appears to have forgotten what he asked him earlier.]

I need those medications right now. Go find someone.

[The rather strange look in Leonhardt's eyes is definitely not going away. Even Joshua's soothing words don't seem to be helping much and that shows with how he's fighting any attempts to restrain him and if Joshua tries to leave, he will grab the boy's wrist to prevent it since he didn't quite catch Joshua's use of the Body-Split craft as well.

He's not going to be too successful since he is still damnably weak, though for him weak is still above average for a normal human since his normal is beyond what most humans can do.]

[When Willock addresses Joshua, he turns to look at him, cautiously taking a step away from the bed as he speaks.]

I know. But I-- [Before he can finish that sentence, he notices Leonhardt grabbing his wrist. He wasn't actually going to leave despite his attempt to move away a little, but... well, from his point of view, that just further cements what he was about to say.]

...I don't think I can leave right now. [Not until Leonhardt calms down a bit.]

But it shouldn't take much longer to bring everything here. [Even if he's not actually making any attempt to leave the room, making that statement sound somewhat like nonsense at first. He can't really gather the medication if he's still here in the room, can he?

His words are truthful despite that, however; it's not long before footsteps can be heard again, followed by Joshua's shadow returning with the requested medication. That... probably looks a bit strange, given the shadow is essentially a duplicate of the boy, but once Willock takes the medication from it, it vanishes again as quickly as it had appeared earlier - something that may just make it easy to guess that it was just the temporary result of some sort of ability.]

[Willock notes that grip on Joshua's wrist, then sighs. He hates to leave a patient at a time like this, but he's not about to wrench Joshua away from his brother. That wouldn't be nice.]

All right, hold on. [And he turns and makes his way quickly to the doorway, heading determinedly up the hall, prepared to accost the first person he sees. When he runs into the body double, he stares in surprise, looking from it back to the room.]

How did you--?

[He takes the cocktail of antibiotics and the bottle of epinephrine, and his mouth about drops open when the false Joshua vanishes. He can't even begin to imagine how the boy created such a thing--nor does he have the time to right now, honestly. After a moment or two of sheer astonishment, he turns on his heel and walks back into the room, setting the epinephrine bottle on the counter and hooking the bag of antibiotics up to the tubing of the IV line.

There. He stands by, watching Leonhardt restlessly for a moment, then fetches one of the portable EKG machines. He's still not quite used to the little paperless ones, but he should probably be monitoring Leonhardt's heart continuously at this stage. He steps over to him, pulling up his shirt to place the electrodes.]

[Once Leonhardt sees the shadow come in and figures out what Joshua meant, there's an amused look in his eyes for a moment at the reaction and then it goes away. But it does seem that Joshua showing that he's learned well from training has calmed Leonhardt a bit and his grip on Joshua's wrist loosens. He closes his eyes for now, but the fact that he's still holding on to Joshua shows he's still awake, for the time being at least. He's just giving up on trying to fight them prolonging what he knows is inevitable now. He's obviously too weak already to be able to and he's going to just have to hope he won't make Joshua too sad by having him stay.

Once Willock pulls up Leonhardt's shirt a bit a few more symptoms that he had become evident. For one, there is a rash that looks like it had started to develop around his left leg and has spread up towards his chest. That definitely wasn't there a week ago when he returned.

That and a decent number of silver and violet feathers flutter towards the ground. Definitely more than what would be normal for someone to lose. He also starts shivering again even though the clinic isn't cold.]

[He's calming down a little... that's a good thing. As is the fact that he's still awake, if Leonhardt not letting go of Joshua's wrist is any indication. The rash and the feathers, though, are anything but good. Their wings normally weren't supposed to molt as far as he's aware, and definitely not that much when they do molt, and...]

That rash... I don't remember seeing it before. [His tone is calm, but if Willock notices his expression, it should make it clear that this actually worries him. Was Leonhardt hiding something this entire time? He definitely didn't see a rash of any sort back when he arrived, so either it hadn't advanced as much and wasn't visible at the time, or it only surfaced later in the week... and either way, the fact he was never told about it is concerning.

More unconsciously than anything else, he lowers the arm Leonhardt is still gripping onto the edge of the bed, placing his remaining hand on his brother's, as if to attempt to reassure him that he's not about to leave if he can avoid it without actually saying so out loud. Staying is the least he can do right now seeing as he can't provide much help, isn't it? Outside of relying on that craft - something he'll probably have to explain later at this rate - to retrieve things, there really isn't that much else he can do right now.]

[Willock inspects the rash, his brow furrowing. His mind breezes through potential causes--it's too prominent to be something as simple as dermatitis, and the appearance and location of it don't match the likes of scarlet fever and typhus. He gently presses a finger against the reddened area, watching as the skin fails to lighten--subcutaneous bleeding, he guesses, which would make it a byproduct of whatever was destroying Leonhardt's heart and blood vessels.]

Looks to me like he's bleeding out beneath the skin. If his blood vessels are collapsing... [He moves to undo Leonhardt's pants and get a better look at his leg. If that idea is correct, the rash is probably even worse further down due to the way the blood would pool.]

[And Willock would be correct, it gets far worse further down. Nothing on his right leg, but his left looks pretty bad. It's enough to make one wonder how he even could walk like that, but he's a pretty tough and stubborn guy.

If one looks on the back of his leg, there is a place where his leg is bandaged up because there was one nasty looking gash that wasn't healing because it got infected. He did try to do something about it, but unfortunately it was already pretty bad when he got here and it was hard to really look at it and see just how bad it was. Definitely shows he was hiding things and should have sought treatment sooner, even if there was a high chance anything attempted wouldn't have worked anyway.

Leonhardt himself is just remaining nonresponsive since he's pretty much given up on impeding treatment. So far he doesn't seem to be getting any better or worse really.]

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