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*:･ﾟ✧
For the first time ever in her lifetime, Gaia experienced what a fever relapse felt like.
It happened a few days after Mando had visited her in Thero's medical station, where she had finally revealed her dark past to him and made her feelings of it come to light. She felt better after the long talk they had, went to sleep, and woke up with her fever having gradually worsened over the next couple of days. Thero had assured her that she wasn't in any danger, yet he also took his time in firmly lecturing her when it came to providing her body with the rest it needed in order for her to recover, how important it was for him.
Gaia stirs from beneath her blanket, prying a bleary eye open when something wet and cool grazes her forehead. The sight of a helmet clashes against the blurry lines of her periphery.
"Mando?"
Gaia's fingertips reach upward. She gently pokes the soaked cloth placed atop her sweaty skin, relishing in the soothing sensation as Mando shifts from beside her. "Thero filled me in on the details. He told me you've been bedridden since this morning." His voice is soft and light — a stark contrast to his usual tone which is refined and direct. Gaia can't think of a time where he had sounded exactly like this. His tone is so faint, tiny, and new, that it feels like a type of lucid dream;the voice of a calm source guiding her to safety, leading her away from the claws of danger to a mystic sanctuary far off into the region of uncharted lands, and it's painfully addictive.
Gaia heaves a tired sigh. What a shitty fever this is. "I'm sorry I can't join you tonight against those raiders. I wish I could help."
"It's all right. We'll make it," Mando comforts quietly, watching her. "Just focus on getting better, and when you do, I'll gladly take you on in a fight. How does that sound, Gaia?"
A snicker slips between Gaia's lips while Mando refreshes the cloth in a basin next to himself. "I will hold you to that, Hush."
"I know you will," Mando agrees, a tender smile slowly inching its way to his face.
Gaia exhales when the pleasant chill of the drenched cloth is laid atop her forehead once more. Her mind has been on a standstill ever since she woke up this morning, and it's hard to concentrate on Mando's words despite her really wanting to. It's steadily seeping in that later this same day almost the entire village will finally strike back, make its stand and rally against the opposing forces carefully stalking in the woods nearby. And although Gaia won't be participating, she's thankfully aware of Mando's whole strategy.
The kids — including The Child — will be safe during the whole event, hidden away in a remote hut sitting upon the cold outskirts.
Knowing harm won't find its way to them, Gaia is more at ease. The anxiousness of the others being at risk still resides though, and regardless of their courage standing tall, the peril ahead won't go without a proper battle and someone's blood staining the ground.
