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Something was up with Pomni, she could tell. At first it had started last Saturday with a small amount of difficulty breathing. But each day it got progressively worse. It got harder to breathe when she stood up and her stomach felt like it shrank. She got so lightheaded when she stood up, she couldn't stand for more than a couple of minutes.
Pomni started coughing after the third day of being sick. By the third night her nose was extremely runny and stuffed, causing her throat to become very sore after she slept. The coughing got so bad that her stomach hurt each time she coughed, laughed, or took in a big breath. Her calves were sore by the second day, and she had no energy. She would get sweaty one moment then freezing cold the next.
She hid the symptoms from everyone the best she could, especially Ragatha. Pomni didn't want the ragdoll to worry about her more than she already does. The jester knew she couldn't keep this facade up for much longer. The “medicine” that Caine put in everyone's rooms hardly did anything, she was so sick and tired of taking horrible tasting “medicine”. Pomni even used her inhaler to almost no avail! All it did was provide short relief.
Today's adventure was the worst thing imaginable, a wacky version of tag. This was bad not only because of her being sick, but also because she felt like she couldn't use her inhaler in front of the others. Pomni was afraid of someone mistaking it for a vape, especially Caine. The ai was strict on what everyone did while out of their rooms, but whatever happens in their rooms he doesn't care about.
“Alright superstars, Jax will be the first one to tag! I’ll be watching over this time to make sure nobody gets hurt! Good luck!” Caine yells out, already irritating Pomni's headache even more. She weakly makes an attempt to run away while Jax immediately targets Gangle.
Pomni eventually finds a hiding spot with Zooble. She's panting hard, desperately trying to catch her breath. Sweating profusely as well.
“Dude, are you okay? You're sweating and breathing pretty d@#$m hard.” Zooble asks the jester, their voice laced with concern. Pomni catches her breath before answering.
“Y-Yeah, don't worry. Just. Out of breath.” Zooble looks at Pomni, not believing the jester.
Zooble sighs before saying. “Look, I can hear you coughing in your room when I walk by. You need to tell someone about this or it might get worse. If you don't after today, I’ll do it.”
Pomni knows they're right, but she doesn't want to tell anyone. The two of them are suddenly teleported to the dining table by Caine, causing Pomni to get very lightheaded.
“Good job superstars! Your reward is the delicious feast provided by my assistant Bubble!” Caine says before disappearing. Everyone gets into their seats and begins eating.
Pomni eats a small amount of the food on her plate before beginning to play with it. The jester catches Zooble staring at her with a knowing yet concerned look. Pomni shakes her head no but Zooble nods their head yes before telling Ragatha to meet them after dinner to talk. Pomni leaves for her room after a short while, having to stop every couple of minutes to get her blood pressure back up.
She lays down on her bed after finally making it to her room, immediately going into a coughing fit and having to use her inhaler. Pomni can only assume Zooble’s now talking to Ragatha about the jester being sick, after all it’s been around five minutes since dinner should've ended. She waits for the inevitable soft footsteps to make their way to her room.
Pomni hears the signature soft knocks that Ragatha does. “Come in.” She says with a rough and hoarse voice.
Ragatha gently opens the door and steps in, letting in the bright light. Pomni can feel the ragdoll looking at her, seeing how sick and disheveled the jester looks. Ragatha sighs before closing the door, going over to Pomni's bed and sitting down at Pomni's feet.
“Dear, how long have you been sick? Be honest with me.” Ragatha asks with a gentle voice. Pomni coughs before answering.
“A week now.” Ragatha looks at her with a mixture of concern and surprise on her face. The ragdoll gently strokes Pomni's forehead.
“Oh hun, why didn't you tell me?” There's no judgment or disappointment in Ragatha's voice when she asks Pomni.
“...Because I didn't want to worry you or seem weak to you. I'm sorry.” Pomni confesses, feeling somewhat disappointed in herself.
“Love, I could never think you're weak. And I could never not be somewhat worried about you, I love you too much.” Ragatha reassures the jester as she continues to gently stroke Pomni's forehead, feeling that she has a fever.
Pomni looks away in embarrassment, blushing heavily not just from being sick. She asks. “Could you uh-...Could you lay with me? I don't want to be alone right now.”
Ragatha nods before laying down next to Pomni, letting the jester lay on her. “Have you taken any medicine yet?” The ragdoll asks.
Pomni huffs in annoyance before nodding. “I have! But it isn't working at all! I’ve taken practically everything that could possibly help.”
Ragatha’s slightly surprised at Pomni's annoyed and upset tone but understands where the jester is coming from. She starts to gently play with her girlfriend’s short hair, soothing her.
“Pom, have you been drinking a lot of water at all or even eating properly?” Ragatha asks the jester with concern evident in her voice. Pomni shakes her head no, feeling guilty that she hasn't taken care of herself.
Ragatha doesn't respond, instead she gets up and leaves. Quickly coming back with a couple bottles of cold water. Pomni sniffles as Ragatha comes back, blowing her nose into a tissue before throwing it away. Ragatha lays back down next to Pomni, letting the jester lay on her again.
The two lay there in silence, occasionally being interrupted every so often by Pomni coughing. Ragatha feels Pomni go limp in her hold and realizes the jester has fallen asleep. The ragdoll lets Pomni sleep, smiling happily at her girlfriend finally getting rest. Internally promising to take care of her sick girlfriend.