Wanderlust (Marina Elemento x Kiyiya Sakura)

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust heard his name and took her hand in his, watching her shiver with pain in his eyes. "I'm right here." He said to her soothingly, rubbing her hand gently.

He stayed by her side all the rest of that night, keeping fluids in her and keeping the cloth cool and wet on her forehead, wiping her face and neck with it from time to time. Mischief came and went, refilling the water and the bottle.

When the sun came up, Rust was again asleep at Estelle's side, hand in hers, a small trail of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle slept for a while without tossing and turning, though deep inside her body, her immune system was doing its best to fight off the virus that lingered there. It was a tough battle, and it kept her heart beating as fast as possible to get the blood flowing to every part of her body. At one point, her fever was so high, she was too uncomfortable to stay asleep.

As the sun just began peeking through the trees, Estelle's eyes opened slowly. Though everything was fuzzy, she could hear Rust's breathing next to her and she looked at him, a weak smile across her rosy face. Even though they'd been through so much, he still put up with her. Even after everything, he was still there at her side.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust remained asleep at her side, twitching from the nightmares that kept plaguing him. Mischief came by shortly after to check on Estelle, and she did not like what she saw. She produced some pills "These will help with the fever and muscle aches." She informed the girl, holding them for her to take.

Rust, hearing the sound of Mischief's voice, opened his eyes. He sat up, rubbing his neck, which was stiff from the odd angle had had fallen asleep with it in. He looked at Estelle and saw she was not better. He frowned and looked at Mischief. She gave him a look that said 'I need to talk to you' and stood, walking out of earshot. Rust was more worried now. He looked at Estelle and smiled, "I'm going to get us something to eat. Need to keep you nourished." he said, leaning in to kiss her head and standing, following Mischief. Bongo was there too, Mischief having called him over. "What? What's wrong?" Rust asked in a hushed voice.

"Don't freak, but..."

"What!?"

"Calm down Rust. Just listen." Bongo said firmly. Rust closed his mouth.

"Estelle's condition just got a bit more complicated. I think what happened was, she was not eating or drinking enough while you both were gone and it weakened her immune system. What she contracted is a virus call Dengue Fever, and normally is not dangerous. But because of her weak immune system, it mutated into something stronger." Bongo kept a cool expression, arms crossed over his chest, but the visible throbbing in his temple was visible, betraying his worry. Rust however was very visibly unnerved. "Well what do we do? This is a hospital, there had to be something here to help!"

"There isn't, I looked. Another day of fever and she'll most likely go into shock, and..." She didn't finish. She didn't have to. Rust shook his head. He refused to believe what he was hearing. Before he could respond verbally, Bongo held up a hand, "However, there is a possible solution. Right Mischief?" The girl nodded. "Our blood is very resistant to sickness. Werewolves have a stainless steal immune system, and it could give her the strength she needs to fight it off." Rust was at a loss for words. To save Estelle, he had to let happen exactly what he wanted to avoid the most. He looked over to her, biting his lip. "Will she survive the bite?" He asked, remembering his turning.

"With our help, most likely. But it'll rough, for her."

Rust sighed, and nodded. He did not like it, but if it worked, she would live. He turned and went to her side, preparing to tell her what the plan was. "Estelle?"

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle nodded weakly and took the pills. It hurt to swallow, but she wasn't going to complain. As long as the medicine helped, that was all that mattered... But she wasn't feeling any better. If anything, she was feeling worse, and she could barely keep her eyes open after swallowing more of the flavoring water. "Thank you," she said to Rust with a sleepy smile. She felt dreary and tired, but she wanted to stay awake to see what everyone was whispering about.

Eventually, Estelle kind of gave up trying to figure out what was wrong. She was curious, and she was worried, but her body was too tired to fight it out with her mind. But what if something was seriously wrong with her? What if... what if...
Drawing in a shaky breath, she turned on her side and buried her face in the pillow. It was warm and soft, but there was nothing comforting in the hospital sheets that smelled like disinfectant. Everything was foreign here. Estelle found herself whimpering like a child deliriously, suddenly wishing she was back in her own bed.

When Rust returned to her side, Estelle looked up and blinked tears out of her eyes stubbornly. "Hi," she croaked.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Listen," He did not know how to say this, and it took him a while to find his voice, "This... illness that you have... It's getting worse and..." He swallowed, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, but not doing very well at it. "And Mischief says there's only one way to beat it." He bit his lip, his hands shaking. "You s-see, werewolves have b-better immune systems..." He trailed off.

Bongo came up, seeing Rust was struggling. "In order to beat the virus, we have to turn you." He said it, not wanting to waste more time and prolong her suffering.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle's eyes began watering again but she did her best to wipe them clean. It was bad enough she was a sick weakling; she didn't want to look like a whining baby and embarrass herself in front of them any further. She tried sitting up but failed, and instead pressed her head back down against the pillow. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest and her head felt like it was splitting and spinning all at the same time. For a moment, she paused and closed her eyes. She had heard the situation, loud and clear, and it had apparently come to what she had feared. Bongo had been right... it would have been easier if they had just turned her in the first place.

The blonde inhaled, but it sounded more like a gasp of pain. Slowly she pulled her legs up to her chest and let out a soft cry. "I'm s-sorry... about all of th-this...I should have... I should have listened to you." She was saying this mostly to Bongo, for it was true; he was the one who had suggested she'd be turned so she could be stronger. Now she was just a weak human, who had no other choice but to become a beast. But then, maybe, everything would be easier if she was like them. Maybe it could work out in the end.

Estelle sniffled, not looking them directly in the eyes, but gave them a weak smile. "Everything'll be fine. M-maybe when I'm like you guys, I can finally stop being such a burden..." She trailed off sleepily, her gaze falling to the floor again.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust sighed, not liking this one bit, bit they had no other options. He shushed her, bringing his face close to hers so she would look at him. "You're not a burden, Estelle. Stop telling yourself that." He said firmly but gently.

Bongo nodded in agreement with Rust. "I would never turn you if you didn't want it. Rust being turned was an accident." He turned to Rust, "Sorry by the way." Rust only shook his head. Be took Estelle's hands in his and helped her to sit up, slowly. He wore the most apologetic expression as he pulled the neck of her shirt down, exposing her shoulder. He bit the inside of his cheek when he saw the bare skin, feeling the beast stir within him, wanting to get at her neck. He blocked him and leaned in for the bite. "This is going to hurt, so grab onto me."

Bongo stood by, knowing Rust's untrained beast would want to come out, and ready to pull him off if it got out of hand. He watched carefully as Rust closed his eyes and put his teeth on her flesh. His brows knit and he bit, breaking the silky soft skin. At the taste of her blood, Rust could no longer control the beast, and he came out. Rust face cracked into a smile as he bit harder, pulling away just as Bongo came forward, pulling him off. With a smirk he said as Bongo held him in a lock, "You taste nothing like your father, you know?" Bongo wrestled him to the ground and Rust regained control of his body, panting and horrified. He hoped Estelle hadn't heard him, but that was soon the least of his worries. He struggled Bongo off of him and went to her side, knowing the bite was causing her major pain.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle was forced to look into his eyes, and when she did, she didn't want to look away. Slowly, she allowed him to help her sit up, and she knew what was coming next as he pulled her shirt over her shoulder. She couldn't even help it; she let out a frightened whimper when he told her to grab onto him. She had never been more afraid in her life until that moment, even though she knew she could trust both of them now.

As he leaned in to bite, she shut her eyes and held on tightly, trying to brace herself for what was to come. The bite itself hurt worse than expected, only because her skin was so sensitive from the fever. As he bit harder, she cringed and let out a cry of pain, her eyes still crammed shut and refusing to open. She didn't want to see the world; for a split second, she didn't want to be alive. The pain etched through her like tiny daggers of flame, coursing through her body and eating away at her flesh. The mixture of that pain plus her sickness was agonizing, and tears poured from her eyes uncontrollably. Estelle could barely hear what was going on around her; she simply sat there crying in pain. "Make it stop, make it stop..."

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust placed his hands on her softly, easing her back down onto the cot. "I know, I know. It will go away, I promise." He repeated to her, trying to calm her. Mischief came and put a press on the bite wound, keeping it from bleeding too much until the blood kicked in and healed it.

Rust stayed with her all day, giving her anything she needed, doing his best ot keep her as cool and comfortable as he could. His heart wrenched every time she whimpered or showed any side of pain or discomfort. "I'm right here." He reminded her often.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle's body temperature rose throughout the day, as she had expected, but the pain wasn't like anything she ever imagined. It became so bad that she could hardly focus, and she kept her eyes shut most of the time, afraid that her head would split open if she revealed her pupils to light. Often, she would give up trying to fight the pain and simply pass out, breaking out into a sweat as she slept. Occasionally during her sleep she would mumble something about how sad she was, but her sentences weren't really coherent. If anything, they were just bits and words that ended up sounding like baby talk. Whenever she was conscious, tears spilled from her eyes with no particular reason nor a way to stop them.

"Rust?" Estelle whispered at one point, some time during late afternoon. "Rust, I love you. I love you more than anyone in this world." Though she spoke what she felt, she was a little delirious, and her body was still very warm, her cheeks glowing a light pink. The feeling was new to her, and strange, but she did her best to welcome it and give into it, for she knew deep down it was saving her. The illness that had been in her body hours before was being burned away by the rising temperature, by the flaming beast inside of her.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust wiped away her tears and the sweat from her brow and neck. This is what she had gone through when he had first been bit. When she spoke, he could hardly make out what she was saying, but spoke back anyway, trying to keep her calm and comfortable.

Mischief came by now and then to bring fresh water and other supplies, but never stuck around for long. Rust appreciated the privacy, especially when he heard Estelle's confession of love. He knew this much already, but it still gave him a fluttering feeling in his chest when she spoke. "I love you too. More than anything." He wanted it to be over already. He could not stand seeing her this way. He felt like it was killing, slowly and painfully from the inside.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle smiled at hearing his mutual feelings of love. She could hardly contain her happiness, even when she felt as ill as ever. After this, she drifted off into sleep again, for a few more hours. It was a hazy sleep, the kind of sleep you'd have when taking a nap in the middle of the day. She wasn't fully asleep, but at the same time she became more rested, and her body slowly but surely began healing itself properly. Her fever was gone, but her body temperature was still high; of course, she was no longer human now. It would take a while for that realization to settle in when she became conscious again, but at least she was surrounded by people who had been through the same thing as her. This drifting thought sent her into a deeper, more fulfilling sleep.

A few minutes before sunset, Estelle finally woke up and wasn't as delirious as she had been before. She sat up a bit and leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling in amazement. The headache was gone, as was the searing pain in her muscles and joints. Her limbs no longer felt like they were on fire, but she still felt a little... off balance, so to speak. Her own fingers brushed against her shoulder where she had been bitten, and she recalled the pain and winced in memory of it. She was a little dizzy, but other than that, she felt relinquished, powerful even. "I... I can't believe I'm alive," she said aloud, still staring at the ceiling in awe.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust was awake when Estelle finally came around. He watched her intently, making sure she was really alright. She seemed to be alright now. Her ordeal was finally over. "Oh thank goodness." he sighed, bowing his head in relief and exhaustion. He raised it again t look at her, taking her hand, "Estelle, how are you feeling?"He remembered how hungry he had been when he had come back from that horrible night and he spoke up, "Do you want something to eat? I can get you something. Here, drink some water." He handed her the water bottle and watched her closely.

 

[Marina Elemento]

Estelle Dominique Lareau


Estelle drew in a quaking breath and let it out slowly, allowing herself to relax a little more. Her eyes felt dry from all the tears she'd shed, but she could now move around with ease. She sat up completely now, crossing her legs and looking back at Rust as he watched her, his face struck with worry. A smile found its way to her lips as she looked at him. "You're so unconditionally kind to me," she said, pointing out the obvious. She inhaled and exhaled slowly again, finding it much easier to breathe now. Gratefully, she took the bottle and drank the rest of it within a mere few seconds. Her yellowy gold eyes sparkled. "I feel fine," she replied, just before her stomach gurgled hungrily.

 

[Player Advisor]

Kaine(Rust) Parker



Rust smiled, relieved that she was feeling better. When her stomach growled, his smile broadened and he stood. "I'll go get you something to eat." He announced, then bent over and kissed her head before leaving her to find food.

He returned with a bowl of thick stew, made from a deer the pack had hunted the night before they arrived. It smelled delicious, and Rust had grabbed a bowl for him as well. He set his down, sitting cross legged again at the side of the cot and offered to feed her, not sure if she had the energy yet to feed herself.