Time Warp: Cabin Fever (Koty)

[Jesse Adams]

Backdated to August, 2014

Jesse was tired of his room. He was only a week into his recovery from surgery, and he already had cabin fever. After attending his classes today (and only really remembering bits and pieces from each one), he’d come back to the dorms, crashed hard for a nap, and now he was awake.

Well, sort of. His body was wide awake, but his brain had that stupid sluggish feel it always did after he took his pain meds. After becoming bored in his room, he’d waited until just about everyone else was asleep before hobbling out on his crutches into the common room. There was more room to stretch his gimped knee. He was supposed to be icing it, but the trip to the kitchen seemed like way too much effort. It would be fine without icing it, right?

Right. It was totally fine just hanging out in the bandage, being all un-iced. Doctors didn't know everything, after all, and he'd had enough of them in the past two weeks to fill the rest of his life. Coming back to Hammel had actually been a kind of a blessing, his first few days like a kind of nirvana. He never thought he'd be so grateful to be back, but after almost a week in the hospital surrounded by the very people and things he was well and truly afraid of... yeah. It was nice.

It took some coordinating, but Jesse finally managed to flop backwards onto the couch and dropped his crutches to the floor. After a bit of digging, he found the remote to the television and flicked it on, dropping the volume to a somewhat respectable level. He didn’t even care what came on, but channel surfed until he hit the Nickelodeon channel. Stupid, childish cartoons seemed appropriate enough to him, even if he wasn’t really fully invested in watching them. He just hoped that everyone would stay put in their dorm rooms, because the last thing he needed was to be caught watching stupid baby cartoons. He might have hated his reputation from time to time, but there was hating his reputation and there was protecting it.

[Koty Hura]

In what remained to be discovered a fortunate or unfortunate turn of events, Jesse wasn't the only person at Hammel that grew tired of his room. Koty had the same problem.. though with a very different cause. He was, very fortunately, physically completely well. He just happened to be hungry. And rather bored. Some nights it was just hard to sleep. Those nights, Koty could often be found well past curfew in the kitchens. He was rather adept at cooking, see, and if he couldn't sleep figured it was probably worthwhile to get something done. Besides, a lot of Koty's favorite ways to prepare food could be quite meditative.

Tonight in particular Koty hadn't actually been sick of his room, he'd just not had anything to eat in his room. He'd planned to get up early and prepare some food in the more official setting, but sure enough he'd failed at putting himself to sleep. Rather than disrupt his plans and be forced to eat (bleh) cafeteria food, he'd decided to just go get things done. Unfortunately, given that it was August.. it was freaking hot in the kitchens. Hot kitchens did not work so well with a boy who tended to wear long sleeves for everything but running. So Koty had taken his supplies, packed them in ice, and brought them upstairs unprepared rather than pre-cut. He arrived to find the common room of his dorm more alive than when he'd left.

The blonde boy he'd never spoken to.. looked to be in a bit of a state. Koty didn't often pry, but he knew that there had been a period of absence on this boy's part.. and obviously there was some damage to his leg.. which may or may not have had something to do with said absence. It wasn't Koty's place to pry.. but that didn't mean he couldn't be curious.. It also didn't prevent him from perhaps a bit of conversation with someone who, like him, seemed to be having a hard time sleeping. Koty just hoped that the boy's difficulties sleeping had less to do with pain than with other things. Pain was a horrible reason to lose sleep.

So he nearly silently closed the door behind himself and set his cooler down.. In the relative darkness of the dorm, it was possible that this boy hadn't even see him enter.. Koty was quiet to begin with, but the noise from the TV would have masked his entry even if he hadn't been. Koty walked calmly and deliberately into the light of the TV, then turned and took a lazy seat on the couch far enough from this boy that things wouldn't be awkward. "Is it strange that I find it exceedingly difficult to enjoy American cartoons? So many seem so baseless and there are so few concurrent stories. What is it you enjoy about them? Are they calming for you? Background noise? Flashing colors that you find it easy to zone out in the presence of? You look like you could use rest more than company, but I would imagine that one of the two is somewhat preferable to neither.. Explain this show to me, if you would."

[Jesse Adams]

Beyond Clement, Jesse didn't have a lot to do with his roommates. He hadn't his first time at Hammel either, but that had been born of an irrational dislike. Now it was more of a disinterest. All he wanted was to get through his probation and graduate. Anything else was a distraction. Clement was just... special. If he'd been less rattled from his hospital stay, he might have actually liked the kid's company. As it was, he hadn't wanted to see much of anyone until his nerves settled.

The drugs helped with that. A lot. He'd been given quite the cocktail at the hospital - a combination of pain control, and what he'd suspected was a mild sedative to keep him from having a panic attack every five seconds. Likely less for his benefit, and more to keep the staff safe. At least it had worked.

The drugs also helped to take the edge off of his usually caustic attitude. He didn't like it, but he liked the pain creeping up his leg even less. They also helped him tolerate the already mind numbing crap that was Nickelodeon.

Ren and Stimpy were currently being featured - something he'd used to watch with his older brother, who had generally refused to explain the lewd jokes. Something about the familiarity made him smirk slightly at them now. How had this ever been allowed as a kid's show?

He didn't hear the door close, so Koty's sudden presence in the light somewhat startled the blond, though he didn't show it. Wow, the drugs really did take the edge off. Of everything. He was sure at one point he'd been told the other boy's name, but the only thing that came to mind now was 'Sushi Kid.' Which... probably wasn't nice.

Neither was a bombardment of questions, but hey, to each their own. Jesse blinked, first at Koty, then at the screen. "I don't know. They're just... dumb?" It took very little to follow whatever small plot they had, and if you lost track, there was usually another starting in minutes anyway. "It's...." Okay, Ren and Stimpy was weird by anyone's standards, so explaining it? Not so easy. "Well, the red one's a cat snd the tan... brown... whatever, the other one's a dog. And they do... stuff. Dunno. It's stupid." Now he was somewhat out of his drug induced stupor, he actually looked at Koty. "I thought everyone was asleep. Sorry 'f I woke you up. Was gonna go crazy in my room." This was officially the most he'd spoken to just about anyone in a week. Bravo, Koty.

[Koty Hura]

"Ah. A 'just dumb' cartoon. There are more than enough of those shows where I come from. I understand." ..Seriously, how were those two things a cat and dog? O.o

"You did not wake me. I was in the kitchens but It is notably warm and I figured I would be more comfortable preparing food in my room. I just returned. Your injury.. It is recent?" Koty wasn't sure exactly how long this person had been back. All he knew was that when he'd seen him (if he'd seen him) in the past, it hadn't been with a bandaged leg.. --Oh. Wait, if this was a fresh injury, no doubt this person was on some sort of physical therapy.. likely some sort of painkillers or pills given how bandaged his leg seemed to be.. Was it too forward or random to offer to help with that? On the one hand.. Uh.. Yes. On the other, though.. At least serving a purpose made the intrusion a worthwhile one. Bombarding a person with cultural questions about late-night cartoons wasn't all that purposeful.

Assuming Jesse answered something to the tune of 'yes' Koty would stare at his leg and the bandages for a few moments.. "Do you have instructions to do any therapy or use a cold press? Your leg appears inflamed... It may be beneficial even if your doctor has not required it. I am unsure what sort of discomfort you are experiencing, but if it would help I have more ice than I need.. you are welcome to some. I would even be willing to prepare it in exchange for a small amount of gratitude."

Wow. Koty didn't feel like himself. Maybe he was more tired than he'd anticipated. Or maybe this show was literally making him stupid. Or both. Likely both. Either way, he didn't feel like he was speaking quite like himself... acting quite like himself. Maybe there was some sort of manipulator nearby having a nightmare that was affecting.... Ah. That had been the other thing Koty knew about this boy. Or.. he didn't 'know' it, but he suspected it. More than once he'd heard the sounds of a panicked sleep coming from Jesse's room in the early hours of the morning..

"I am Koty Hura, by the way. Forgive me for my lack of introduction. It is .. an off night. My offer was genuine, though. If I can be of assistance I would be happy to."

[Jesse Adams]

"Yeah, that anime stuff is weird." Jesse hadn't seen much of it, but he'd seen enough in passing to know it was true. Was that culturally insensitive? Maybe, but Jesse didn't really have it in him to care at this moment. Not when a very stupid cat and very creepy dog were on television.

At least he hadn't woken Koty up. That was good, he supposed, even if he'd been out sneaking around past curfew. It wasn't like the blond hadn't broken his fair share of rules. He wasn't sure about the cooking thing, but when the topic turned to his knee, he shrugged. "Uh, did it like... two weeks ago? It's nasty." In all possible ways. It was a crappy injury, it hurt most of the time, and man was it ugly. "Fell down some stairs, tore some dumbass ligament... things. Still don't know what they were." Because no, why would he pay attention when he was too busy panic attacking?

More questions, more sluggish brain activity. Making a face, he reached up and pushed his long bangs behind his ear. "Supposed to be icing it, but you ever tried going up and down stairs on crutches? Goddamn sucks. I'm just gonna skip it tonight." Because yes, he is the master of great decisions. Still, the offer made him quirk an eyebrow. Icing it did make it feel good, but... This was weird. He wasn't used to most other students being nice to him. "Just took some meds, so it's feeling good, but if you have ice..." That was as close as he could comfortably get to accepting.

Ah, Koty. Better than Sushi Kid, he supposed. "Jesse," he offered back. "And... thanks, I guess. It's a bitch to get around right now."[/justify