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[ulaulakahuna]

[ for private telepathy, face-to-face, or if you're just dropping by... ]

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[latiosite]

[ Nothing seems to be going as it should, but she doesn't have the energy to allow most thoughts to fully form. The bigger issue, though, is that sometimes the ones that do form are more outlandish than they normally might be. ]

...alright, thank you.

[ What he says leaves her curious, unsure what he might mean, but she's more than distracted by the gesture he makes. It isn't that Anabel thinks she's specifically unwanted so much as she knows Nanu and she knows he doesn't like people in his personal space, let alone touching him. Affection didn't matter, he was uncomfortable with it so to her it was more... that awareness and trying to respect it.

It's just sometimes it's so hard to do that with him and she's unsure why. Why is it she seeks him out for physical comfort or a need to... to what? What is even happening right now? It has her breath in sharply, audibly, almost shocked by the gesture. The sweetness of it is nearly unbearable in some ways and it has her mind throw out a string of intrusive thoughts that never finish about it being a romantic gesture and kind and wonderful and she likes how he feels because she feels safe and he smells a little like that warm, velvety soft Persian fur and it's nice all of this is... nice.

Stiff for a moment, then finally easing against him. Still too hot, hot enough that body heat doesn't really make a difference. It's... something. It's really something. ]

...Nanu.

[ulaulakahuna]

[Boy that distraction he didn't mean to be a distraction sure did distract her real good, didn't it.]

[Sure, his personal space is a big issue with him. He's not fond of touching or closeness or people. But aside from his pokémon, one of two people he doesn't think twice about is Anabel.]

[And again this all ties together with the fact that Nanu is not communicative of these facts, and so things between them always seem to circle around to the same issues. Nor is he one to initiate contact, usually, which surely doesn't help Anabel's thoughts on the matter. But sometimes actions do speak louder than words, and he wasn't going to overthink the gesture before he guided her back down to lean on him. And, well... it's not like he could find the words to use in the first place.]

[She settles in, though, after a moment's hesitation. That allows Nanu to relax a little as well, hoping he undid what just happened and let her be comfortable again. The heat radiating from her is much worse this close, of course, but it's worth it if she finds comfort in leaning on him.]

[....Ah..... Well.... Maybe he can just play this off.......]

That's me.

[latiosite]

[ But him allowing her to be in his personal space is also important to her. It's something she can appreciate for so many reasons, not just because she knows he's uncomfortable with it or because she's special and afforded something that others aren't. She knows that others might not even want to be this close to him because he doesn't allow anyone to know him like she does.

And that's something that strikes her more than anything else. It's dawning on her like a lot of things are lately. Even if it doesn't mean anything special to him, it does her. Enough that she feels deeply for him, deeply enough that... she's too tired to think about this now. It's all intrusive thoughts, aren't they? That's it. She's tired and they're intruding on her and once this is over and done with she'll have clarity and it all will disappear.

Surely.

Her shoulders move as she breathes, though it's not ragged or jerky like she can't breathe. ]

Is it alright if I try to sleep like this? You can move me later, but I'm so tired. [ Uncomfortable, like she's afraid of rejection. And despite that, she still gently rubs her cheek to his shoulder, deriving greater comfort from the action. ] Though I know that I am being a hassle, I... I just want you to know that I'm grateful. I don't know what I would do if I was dealing with this alone or... or with someone other than you.

[ulaulakahuna]

[It's worked well for him so far; nobody wants to get near him, and he doesn't want to get near anyone else. Except for his...exceptions. And, well. Anabel takes up most of Nanu's exceptions.]

[Somewhat surprised by her request, he tilts his head to get a better look at her. He's less surprised that she wants to sleep (though if she can is another matter entirely, her body engulfed in tortuous heat) and more the position she's in. But he's not about to deny her this, especially if it will make her feel even minutely better. Though his reply is staggered by the feeling of Anabel rubbing her cheek on his shoulder, soft and somewhat comforting to him as well.]

Yeah...sure. If you're comfortable like this? [He phrases it as a question, because he doesn't see how she can possibly be comfortable right now.]

--actually, uh, wait a moment?

[clears throat]

Hey, hellions! [he calls toward the hallway, loud enough for the troublesome twofer to hear but not too loud as to bother Anabel. Sableye and Weavile poke their heads in, unsure if this is a friendly call or one that leads to a lecture.] Go get an ice pack from the freezer. I know you two know how to get inside.

[He almost asked Weavile if it could perform an ice move in the room, though the thought only lasts half a second; he'd never control her own pokémon like that. But he'd promised an ice pack, and he's not about to move away from her now that she's settled, and this was the second best option.]

[latiosite]

[ Just well enough. Not perfectly if Anabel (and a few others like Acerola) might be made an exception. Although she'd never complain about that considering it works in her favor. He exudes a certain warmth that she has difficulty understanding, more so in a moment like this. Is it just in her head? It feels like it's all just... just that. Feelings.

She lightly groans and nods into something more like a lazy nuzzle. ]

More comfortable than I've been all day. [ Languid, like the words aren't coming to her. ] Wait--?

[ It takes her a moment for that, too. She gets what he's doing and it touches her still, perhaps more because she's hardly lucid now. It's been slipping for a while but her fever's gone around to a point where her body feels like chills are running through it. She tilts her head up and over his shoulder, though the weight remains. ]

Hey, Nanu? [ It's a little casual in how she says it. Innocent, if not uncertain. A kind of tone that she doesn't often get. ] You like being with me like this, don't you? Guzma's not wrong, so...I wouldn't be... I wouldn't mind. If you wanted to. Just so you know.

[ulaulakahuna]

[She's losing her grip, and he knows it. Though still a little tense sitting where he is with Anabel leaning into him without abandon, he lets her move and shift into whatever sleeping posture she finds comfortable. (Nanu takes her word for it; he's not about to argue the point.)]

[Weavile carries the ice pack to him, the worry for her trainer no doubt motivating the speedy delivery. He nods his thanks, reaching out to take the freezing item as Anabel starts to speak again. With a vague grunt indicating he was listening, he prepared to place the ice pack on her forehead when the rest of her sentence spilled out of her mouth.]

[Ironically, he freezes for a moment; mouth turning to a thin line and eyes widening almost comically as he blinks several times in succession in trying to process what she just said.]

[He clears his throat.]

You're really burning up... [he mutters, gently placing the freezer pack across her forehead. It's just the fever talking, that's all.] ......Go to sleep, Anabel.

[It's...it's just the fever talking. He pats her head in an attempted comforting manner. She doesn't know what she's saying. It's just the fever talking.]

[latiosite]

[ She's not sure if it would be comfortable if she didn't feel so absolutely exhausted, but even that thought isn't there. It's a certain blankness as he eyelids become too heavy to lift, like everything is velvet soft and dark even though she's still aware.

Weavile pauses in her scrambling, eyeing Nanu with concern as if she's telling him she knows he's taking care of her trainer. The feathers on her head are nearly wilted and her tiny shoulders are pulled in. Sableye's outside the door, claws at the frame while she thinks she's being just as subtle as Weavile thinks she's being. On the way that she skitters off, she peers over her shoulder before disappearing off with her favorite partner-in-crime.

The coolness of the ice pack is pleasant but she barely notices it. His voice nearly reverberates in her mind, cutting through anything else. She manages a soft mmm but she's already faded to a point of deadweight, silent as she fully drifts off, curled against him.

She might not entirely remember all of this tomorrow, but she certainly won't bring it up. ]