[Open] Headache And A Half

[skyward_eyes]

Who; Nida, Open
What; A New Voice In His Head and Chocobo Wrangling
Where; Scientia Household, Markets, Near Chocobo Ranch
When; September
Warnings; Discussion and depictions of talking to voices in your head.

I. The Statue | Scientia Home

It arrives at the door of the house, and just looking at the small statue, Nida knows it's for him. No doubt another one of those little finds that Raimon is good at, something on a list of them that Nida had prepared but never gotten around to coming back for. But he knows it's for him, because he recognizes it from home. Not this little piece, smaller than either of their pets specifically, was exactly like the ones he'd seen at home in pictures, but it was still something of home.

"Now if only I could figure out why you're here," Nida says as he picks the thing up and heads to the kitchen for his morning coffee. He puts the statue on the table to consider where it was almost immediately met by Julia leaping up and nuzzling against it.

"No accounting for your taste, Jules," he tells the feline before sipping at his coffee. What could this be? What could it mean? Why did every bit of his magical senses gifted by Siren scream that it was important?

"Why do you seem so familiar?" he asks after a sip of coffee. Then he reaches out for the thing once more and...

The mug breaks on the floor when he falls. Not that Nida, currently passed out on the floor, really notices.

II. The Arguments | Markets

Nida was learning a lot recently. Like how even a simple walk through the markets on his patrol shift was going to be a headache if he didn't know how to make peace in his own mind.

Oh! Grapes! We should have grapes. You like Grapes!

YOU like Grapes. He doesn't like grapes. There should be no grapes. Raisins instead I think.

Raisins are just boring grapes with wrinkles. Oh, that's why you like them. They're wrinkly. Like you.

And you clearly prefer grapes because they are bloated and much better crushed and fermented like-

"Will you shut up? I'm getting apples and that's final," Nida hissed under his breath, hoping no one else heard him. Which, given his luck, seemed pretty unlikely.

III. The Chase | Near Chocobo Ranch

"Kweh."

"I don't think I can argue with that," Nida said in response to the vocalization of the red chocobo underneath him. The chocobo shied one way and then the other, as if distressed, and Nida of course reached forward to pat her neck gently.

"I know," he says, his voice soft. "I know it's scary. You can smell them too. But I promise, we're here to help the other chocobos. And I won't let any wolves get you. I just need you to do me a favor and help get the other chocobos safe, okay?"

If it gets dangerous, I can shield you!

"That's not a helpful observation, Carbuncle, because she doesn't even know you're here," Nida noted as he nudged the chocobo into motion toward a blur of yellow in the distance. "Maybe save your protectiveness for someone who can understand the words when I relay a message."

And from the looks of it, there might be someone up ahead, astride that other chocobo. Nida raises a hand in greeting to the distant form.

"Well met! You helping out here too?"

Comments

II. The Arguments | Markets

[monochromatically]

Mono was in between routes when he noticed Nida was out at the market. He liked that he sometimes ran into the man when they were both working, since they both walked the streets for their job. So the boy couldn’t help but hurry over to say hello and see how his day was going, the moth that had been rather glued to his side since its arrival trailing along behind in the air with delicate flutters.

Opening his mouth to speak up and greet Nida, he paused as he heard a rather sharp sounding tone in Nida’s voice as he spoke under his breath. Huh… Was Nida talking to someone? Himself or…? Maybe someone was bugging him. The market was kind of busy at this time of day. He adjusted his little postman hat and finally spoke up, “Apples are the best choice!” He offered in agreement, hoping the little supportive response to his decision made whoever was bugging him back off. “Hiya, Nida.” He ended, shuffling closer.

[skyward_eyes]

The voice makes Nida turn and he feels almost dizzy from the two GFs reacting in his mind. Siren with annoyance because the boy is so quiet and she doesn't know what to do with it. Carbuncle, though, immediately decides to like Mono immediately and out of spite.

Which gives Nida a headache.

"Hey Mono. Apples were what I wanted. And not grapes," he says, rubbing at his temples.

As you should.

No, I bet the little one will want grapes once he hears we can get them. And he's so smart.

You don't know him!

[monochromatically]

That’s right, it didn’t know Mono. Mono did, in fact, know what grapes were… And apples had been the boy’s favourite since he arrived in Aterat. So, Carbuncle would unfortunately be disappointed to find that out. “Yeah, ‘cause they’re the best. Grapes are okay… But not as good.” The kid nodded firmly, very confident in his oh so expert opinion.

He noticed Nida still seemed off, though… “You okay? You got a headache? Or was whoever thought you should get grapes just really annoying?” He asked curiously, keeping his voice quiet just in case it was a headache. He also kept a reasonable distance away, knowing Siren sometimes reacted to him.

[skyward_eyes]

No Mono. You were the chosen one.

I don't like him.

Because he correctly noted that you are annoying?

"Will you both just shut up?" Nida growled. Because the GFs were tearing his brain apart. They needed to learn to work together. Please. Only then did he process Mono's words. "I... Uh... I've got a horrible headache, and there's more than one person being really annoying."

My Hawk, you should not say such things.

[monochromatically]

“Um…” The boy hesitated as Nida seemed to growl out a rather annoyed ‘shut up.’ Was that meant for him or for someone else? There was no one else talking to them, though… Unless he meant the crowd?

He keeps his voice particularly quiet since it seems the headache is Nida’s final answer to that. “You want me to help you get the apples and go? I can do that. Headaches are really bad sometimes.” He didn’t like it when his head hurt, anyway. If Nida needed help, he wanted to do something! Or at least try to, if he could figure out exactly who was bugging him… Maybe he could make them be quiet!

Or tell them off.

Alas, there was no stopping it, but Mono didn’t know that.

[skyward_eyes]

"Apples, yes. To take home."

He rubs at his forehead and sighs at Mono. This is probably going to be confusing. Super confusing actually.

"Sorry, there are... more voices in my head than usual. And they don't like each other."

He is an annoying little pest.

She's bossy and mean!

"Could you two stop insulting each other?"

[monochromatically]

Nida is correct, it is rather confusing as far as answers go… But Mono does know about Siren, so he tilted his head a moment later and considered the other’s words carefully… As well as the request for two someone’s to stop insulting each other. “You mean like Siren? I know she’s in your head, but I didn’t know there was more than one.” He commented quietly.

At least the boy was naturally quiet, so he couldn’t assist in making the headache worse… But it was a bit of a problem, he thinks, if it’s what it sounds like. How do you help stop two beings from bickering in someone’s head?

[skyward_eyes]

"Like Siren," Nida confirms as he tries to keep his back straight, to not double over from the arguing going on in the back of his head. "Where I'm from we refer to it as 'compatibility'. Some GFs like different people a lot. And some GFs don't like each other very much. I'm inherently compatible with Siren, and Carbuncle, the new one, he doesn't like her. And vice versa."

Hag.

Skunk.

And they were fully of insults.

"They have to learn how to be good friends."

[monochromatically]

As confusing as certain things could be at times, Mono could at least grasp this a lot easier as Nida continued.

That didn’t sound good, though. How was Nida supposed to deal with two voices that didn’t like each other in his head? You couldn’t even tell them to go to a different room or something till they were calmed down! “That sounds kinda bad, then. If they’re gonna be in your head all the time, they better learn to be friends soon.”

He frowned a little, tilting his head. “How’d you get another one in your head after Siren?”

I

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis had gone to work as usual, getting to work some short time before the sun lit the sky. But as he worked through his day, he kept getting a nagging feeling as if he'd forgotten something.

The warmer it got, the more customers there were, and Ignis gave a smile to everyone, still wondering why he had that nagging feeling. It was still early enough in the day that he could slip out for a bit, and so he did. Along the way he saw some pumpkins for sale and quickly snagged a few of those, they'd go handsomely on the front porch of his home to give it a more festive look.

So he went to take photos of them and send one to Nida and Mono. That was when he discovered he'd left his phone home. Undeterred, Ignis got on his chocobo and headed home.

Tethering the bird outside, Ignis planned to put the pumpkins on the porch, get his phone, kiss his husband and head back to work. After managing the first part dealing with the pumpkins, he went into the house.

"Darling are you here? I Forgot my phone but I put some fresh pumpkins on the porch and..."

And that was when he saw the mug and his husband on the floor. Hurriedly, Ignis started gathering his husband up into his arms. Carrying Nida upstairs, he laid his husband down and made a quick curt call to work after retrieving the phone from the bedside, saying there was an emergency and he'd be gone. That done, he set the device down and tried to gently rouse his mate.

"Nida, are you alright? Darling what happened?"

[skyward_eyes]

His lover's voice, touch, companionship, it makes it easier for Nida to awaken. And when he does he groans. There's... so much bouncing around in his head. So much. Why does it hurt?

"Ig," he says, his voice a bit strained. "My head is just throbbing. I think... I think I fell."

[faithfulsupport]

There was relief in the emerald depths when Nida seemed to come to. And the groan while troubling was infinitely better than nothing which he'd gotten mere moments before. Still, the concern is evident in the advisor's tone.

To reassure himself that his husband was at least speaking coherently, Ignis reached for the man's hands to cover them with his own.

"You fell? What happened?"

[skyward_eyes]

"I don't-"

Nida shakes his head and then groans. Apparently doing that was wrong. But right now? Right now he's just a bit worn out and dizzy.

"STatue."

[faithfulsupport]

"Don't?"

Ignis is confused, but he's working on giving Nida time to recollect what happened. Maybe the man hit his head pretty hard. And that has him worried. However, the next word doesn't provide any more clarity.

"Statue? What statue?"

[skyward_eyes]

"It looks like something from home," Nida says as he rubs at his forehead. His fingers almost tingle, but he tries to push that away. "I feel it so tight in my head."

[faithfulsupport]

"Something from home?" There was now a note of concern as he heard that and watched Nida closely, attempting to gain clarity.

"In your head? Could it be Siren?"

[skyward_eyes]

Don't compare me to him.

Nida winces at Siren's voice in his head.

"She's pretty insistent that it isn't her doing this. And the thing looks like these statues that stood in Galbadia City."

3

[heartofalion]

Leon decided that he should probably get a chocobo and there was no better place than to go to the Chocobo Ranch itself. He'd been hemming and hawing over it, telling himself he really didn't have the room or time for the bird. But then as he had been standing there debating it for the hundredth time, a grown blue chocobo reached down and started tugging at his various belts at his waist.

"Cut it out." Leon said only half heartedly. Really he was just debating this whole thing and overthinking it. So finally he decided (although the chocobo ranch hand would say the chocobo did the deciding) to get the pesky blue one.

"I should name you Sora." storm blue eyes informed the bird.

But it wasn't long before he heard something about wolves and decided this would be the best time to put the chocobo to use.

Moving along, he got some sort of directions about the threat and headed on up the road. And it wasn't long before he heard Nida and turned the bird around.

"Hey."

[skyward_eyes]

Squall!

The way Carbuncle chirps Leon's other name in delight is almost enough to make him shake his head. Man, what was up with that? It wasn't even Squall properly, and why should Carbuncle recognize him?

"Hey there Boss," Nida greets, ignoring that voice in his head. "Guessing you've got plenty of experience with nasty hunting."

[heartofalion]

"Boss." Leon replied with a smile and a small shake of his head. He'd never get over this whole alternate time line thing.

"I've done a lot of fighting in my time so it's nothing new."

[skyward_eyes]

"I would be shocked if you hadn't," Nida admitted with a shrug. "And I'd like to see how I work with your style. But right now, there's also all this birds to try and deal with. Figured Hibiscus here would help me wrangle."

And that was more today's goal than the fighting might be.

[heartofalion]

There was the slightest smile, but it disappeared pretty quick because he was busy mulling over why this guy wanted to fight alongside him.

Oh right, timelines.

Serious blue eyes looked from the man to the red chocobo. "You think your chocobo is going to help you herd the birds?"

Although his mind somehow saw Nida tossing himself off of his mount to wrestle another to the ground.

That was actually a rather amusing thought.

[skyward_eyes]

"Hibiscus is a sweet little bully," he says. "And she's quick. So yeah, it might help. But I can't mess with the other chocobos myself. They don't like me."

Because it's really just dangerous for him.

[heartofalion]

"So you're herding chocobos and then fighting?"

Leon wanted to make sure he understood what Nida was doing so that he didn't get in the way.

[skyward_eyes]

"Herding chocobos as the priority," Nida answered. "Because they need to get to safety, even if they are menaces."

And to him any chocobo that wasn't part of his household was absolutely a menace.