Awake but at What Cost PV Leonardo Chiadovini

Leo had gone back to his work as Kels brumbled on about gut microbiomes. He was replacing the ink that just got cleaned up, and seeming like he was just going to go back to grading. After throwing up? He was so crazy negligent about his health, it could drive Kels mad. He droned on, saying he had been a duelist and that he had his own reasons for not addressing the problem. As far as mutations went, this was a pretty tame one, and it wasn't like Kels was out there telling people to consume more sugar. Frankly, it was nutritionally useless when compared to other things he could be eating. Somehow, he doubted this meant Leo was healthy.

Leo continued, though the words he was saying were nearly incomprehensible to Kels. In a super fancy, overly dramatic way, wasn't Leo saying that he wanted to get sick eating sugar because having weaknesses keeps his pride in check? Sometimes people were so weird. Still, it was interesting to hear Leo talk more about himself. Since he didn't get many chances to chat that weren't immediately rebuffed, this was the most he had ever learned about him in a single day. It was a lot, too, and he wanted to know more!

"Wowzers." He wasn't sure what else to say in regards to his views on strengths and weaknesses, but it did seem like Leo had accepted Kels' presence, consciously or not. "The way I sees it, people put all kinds'a fake importance on stuff when really they should be havin'a good time while they're still around to have it."

Kels grabbed at the homework on the top of the stack and started reading it, squinting. It was pretty good handwriting for a kid-- in fact, it almost alarmed him how nice it looked. Were there seriously kids out there with good handwriting? "Yo, this kid's handwriting is blowing my mind." If it hadn't been snatched from him, he'd put it back on the stack and sigh, taking a drink of the Leo-poisoning chocolate beverage.

"Gradin' is soooo boring. I can't believe yer forcin' yerself awake for this!" He gestured with both hands to the pile, like directing air traffic. "Speakin' of not bein' perfect, don't ya ever give yerself a break?"

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Why was Brumby still here? To be honest, the Seer had begun to block the presence of the man out of his mind, turning his mind inwards and away from the situation. Macbeth, bless the avian’s heart, was once again by Brumby’s side, clicking his beak and shifting back and forth on the edge of the table as he looked up at the nurse expectantly. What the critter wanted was anyone’s guess, but it was most likely that attention that was on the owl’s agenda, and lots of it.

“Indubitably.” He responded shortly to Brumby’s musings. “It is important to tell the different betwixt the two; what you desire to have happen and what is extraneous to your agenda.” Having a good time in Leonardo’s mind meant achieving goals. It was likely not what Brumby had been thinking when he had mentioned a ‘good time’. Leonardo’s goal right now was to make this interruption as brief as possible, to finish what he needed to finish by a reasonable time of night.

The Seer flinched slightly at Brumby’s snatching of a homework from the pile, but only watched with narrowed eyes as the Scotsman looked the paper over, commenting on handwriting. Leonardo made no initial comment on the topic, extending a hand to it and taking it gently away again to look it over for himself. Hm... lovely handwriting, no comprehension. Leonardo quickly slashed a ‘D’ on the paper, noted the name, and put it aside. “Yes, and their grade is the bombshell, it seems.” He dryly replied.

Brumby seemed to become more animated, and Leonardo put his quill aside and folding his hands in front of him as he disinterestedly listened to the Scotsman’s continued rambling. When the Seer sensed a stop, he voiced his reply. “Mister Brumby, I am always awake at night. It should be my place to ask why you find yourself up at this ungodly hour instead of taking your rest for the incoming day.” Grey eyes flicked to Macbeth again, who had now found the mouse again and was starting to make an end of it. “Holding myself to a high expectation is not the same as perfectionism, but I admit, sometimes I do have a tendency to take on more than what I should.” A small sigh as the Seer pinched the bridge of his nose and rested his eyes for a moment.

“My belief is that if I hold a job, I should continue to hold it until deemed unfit to operate or until I am ready to move on.” Leonardo averted his gaze towards the large window in order to observe the night skies. “Until I am finished completing what I have begun, I will take these ‘late nights’ in stride. Regardless,” The Seer picked up his quill again. “I would not want to feel that I am a source of worry to you. Go to bed, Brumby. I will manage just fine.”

Reducio

@Kelsey Brumby

Big Mac was back, so it was the perfect opportunity for Kels to try out the beak touching that Leo did. Mac was such an insanely adorable owl, he was so widdle and friendly. Kels couldn't think of another owl he had seen who was so affectionate. Kels always liked getting frogs and toads because they were squishy, and their croaking was a nostalgic, soothing sound for him. Owls were a lot less squishy, a lot more high maintenance, but he was starting to love visiting Mac. "Who's a little baby? Who's a cutie pie? It's yooouuuuu!!!"

Leo's answer was continually evading Kels' understanding, but he didn't want to give up trying to understand. Just because he and Leo were super different people from super different backgrounds didn't mean they couldn't understand each other. What he desired... and what is extraneous... was it like saying things that weren't productive weren't worth his time? He didn't want to assume too much, but Leo's words always came out like a puzzle. At least, to Kels' conversational aptitude it did.

"What you desire to have happen and what is extraneous to your agenda." Kels repeated in an uncharacteristically unaffected voice. He felt like he could repeat it a million times and still not understand it. "What to heck. Why aren't yer desires a part of yer agenda?"

When Leo commented on the student paper, Kels bust out laughing. He wondered how many professors he made groan before writing a D on his homework. "Maybe they gots a future in calligraphy! That's a thing, right?"

To his voiced concern however, Leo stopped his work again, and went on to point the finger at Brumby for being awake too, though afterwards also admitting Kels was right. Kels would excitedly clasp his hands with a joyfully surprised face, thinking the next words out of his mouth would be 'so now I'm going to go to bed!', but it was not so. Instead, he made some declaration of his work ethic, one that sounded hella toxic, then bid Kels to stop worrying. What kinda relationships was this guy used to that he thought he could talk about his pain and then have the other guy ignore it?

"I'm awake to see you! Duh!" He said, answering a question that was possibly rhetorical. "An' I don't know who told ya that workin' yerself to rubble was any good fer anybody. Take it in stride? Manage? Jobs ain't supposed t'consume yer whole life. You gotta have a LIFE!"

Kels didn't like to lecture, and the moment he felt like he was starting to, he was done. He knew himself well enough that he could tell when he was getting frustrated. Sleep was a good idea, and arguing about a deeply ingrained belief was not. They had time, after all, and moments after having poisoned him was not the best time to talk about health. So with that, Kels stood up and yawned.

"Welp, I am pretty sleepy. Jes' don't let me find you fallen outta yer tower from sleep deprivation, mmkay?" He'd stretch as he talked, his butt really hurting from that tiny chair, now that he stood up and realized it. "An' I'll worry about you all I want! You can't stop me!"

Snatching his thermos, he'd start to make his leave.