corrinesbell | 134. Sphere

134. Sphere

So after thinking about it for a while, I've decided we're gonna have a contest to name the Tea Shop! ...So, uh, anybody who has an idea can write it down, and when I've got all the ideas...you'll get to vote.

You've only got a week to come up with names to vote on. Get working!

[Sheena is just so tired of trying to be creative about it on her own, and the shop feels wrong without a name after all this time. Involving the village should solve lots of problems, right?

The shop closes early today, when its owner starts to feel strangely tired. She'll carry her journal out around midafternoon, locking the door behind her. At least she's been able to keep ice from forming on the stairs.

Near the bottom of the staircase, a wave of tired and dizzy wins out over balance. There's a lot of creative cursing - more than she'll inclined to - as she slides and rolls the last few steps...and the journal lands open in the mud and snow. So all that grumbling, and the noise of the fall? All nicely broadcasted.

Then she notices, hurrying to pick it up and clarify things.]

Uh, oops, dropped the book down the stairs. Sorry about that!

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Don't be ridiculous.

Now what's really the matter?

[This is a growly sigh sort of sound.]

Okay fine, I slipped and fell down the stairs. But it wasn't very far and I'm totally okay. There must've been some ice or something that I didn't notice.

More than once?

I haven't been on any more stairs since then.

[She's being uncharacteristically stubborn in defense of what should be a tiny incident. And her face is turning red.]

But you've fallen.

... Lets go inside.

I already told you, I'm kinda tired.

[Inside, yes. Ignore her while she tries to unlock her front door with the tea shop key first. Finding the right one when she has only three won't take long.

And in they go.]

...You're not really over here for tea, are you. [Deadpan, while she hangs up her coat and turns for the kitchen to clean herself up a little.]

Can you make it to the shower? I can take care of the mess.

[Her eyes narrow at Raine's word choice. Make it to the shower. Like she'd have a problem walking down the hall.]

Of course I can make it. And you don't have to clean up my house.

[Arguing won't get her anywhere - she's lost enough arguments with Raine, thank you - and so that turn on her heel takes her in the direction of the bathroom, instead. Sort of grumbling. In an annoyed-but-good-natured way.]

[She'll give her a smile until she turns away; then it'll turn into a look of concern as she watches.

Then moves to clean up the mess anyway once Sheena's gotten down the hall. Because she's like that. No need to have mud tracked all over, after all.]

[Circumstances often arise in which a ninja will be forced to hide behind a very complicated act. All of them are trained for it.

So a simple one like this? Hardly an effort.

Sheena takes her time in the shower, idly listening to Raine ignoring what she said and cleaning up anyway. As long as she doesn't start cooking anything, things should be fine. Raine will hear the shower turn off.

...But it's sure taking her a while to reappear in clean clothes.]

[She waits a little after she finishes, debating whether or not to start tea or, something like that. Still, when Sheena takes longer than what seems to be a normal amount of time to appear, and considering what had been happening, Raine will walk down the hall to knock on the bathroom door.] Sheena?

[Raine won't need to get to the bathroom door. Sheena's in the hall in her bathrobe, seated and slumped forward against the wall, forehead resting in the palm of one hand.

Footsteps make her pick her head up very briefly, before dropping it again.]

[Well good, it means she didn't pass out in there or anything. Hopefully.

Instead she'll stop at Sheena's side and kneel next to her.

And wait.]

I'm okay. I just got kinda dizzy for a minute. ...Sitting down's good for that, right?

Dizziness isn't normal, especially if you've been having episodes all day.

Haven't been.

[Realizing she's sitting here in just a robe, Sheena will stand up now and hope Raine doesn't notice her embarrassed face.]

Have you eaten at all? [She'll rise as well once Sheena gets to her feet.]

Yeah, I had lunch. [A real lunch, not just tea snacks.] It's probably just because I'm tired.

[Her humiliation blush isn't going away, though.]

How has your hearing been lately? General balance?

Huh? [Only enough of a pause for Sheena's grin to be effective.] Just kidding. I can hear just fine. [Including all of Sokka's terrible puns earlier. She almost wishes she couldn't hear all that.]

Nothing's been weird until today.

You said you were tired. Did you not sleep well? [... For more than one night in a row.]

I almost never sleep well. [But she knows what Raine's trying to get at.] It's not- I didn't notice really until...a little while ago.

[She's shivering.]

Figured if I felt bad enough to notice, I should go home. ...So I did. [At least give her a point for making good decisions.]

... Sheena ...

[She almost doesn't know what to say. It's not as if she of all people can give lectures on how to sleep well at night.]

So what do you intend to do about it? You can't go on like this.

...Like what? So I wake up a couple times. I don't sit awake for hours anymore, it's really not that bad.

[But there's a hand on the wall again. She's fighting another wave of whatever it is.]

I'm not tired, like that. ...I-I just feel...weird.

You're not well. The longer you neglect to try and do anything about it, the worse it will become, impairing you physically and mentally. Then you might not even be able to leave your bed.

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