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Thjazi notices the kid the second he walks into the mess hall. Azune is flushed pink with fever, birthmark almost blending into his face as his hands shake and sweat drips down his forehead. He looks for all the world like that lost kid they had first taken in, stumbling and quiet and insecure about his place. When the scent reaches him and he realizes exactly whats happening he jerks to his feet in alarm. Several other soldiers look his way in worry but he's to busy making his way over to Azune to care.
"Thjazi?" Thimble asks concerned, the fae don't have designations the way those on this plane do; and while she's gotten the crash course she doesn't have the senses to pick them up.
Still, she flutters beside him as he slides up next to Azune. Normally he wouldn't get so close, especially not to a presenting omega, but he's half convinced the kid is going to fall over if someone doesn't get him to sit down. And the confused-panicked-help-me scents he keeps putting out makes him want to bury the kid in blankets until he feels safe and relaxed. Or at the very least as relaxed as Azune ever feels.
"You okay?" He asks, trying to keep his tone quiet and light. He can see when he registers in the kid's eyes because they go almost all spooky orangish-yellow pupil, obscuring those sunset iris'. Then he really does collapse, legs giving out in confused alarm as he manages to catch the kid on the way down. He's all stick anyways, even with the food and training he's gotten. He doesn't remember Alogar being so small at that age, but war rarely made for healthy growth.
"Thjazi?" Azune questions, dazed and clearly trying to get his limbs to function; flush becoming just as much about embarrassment as fever.
"It's okay, it's okay, you're fine, you're fine."
The fall does attract attention. Most are dismissed with a head shake, all except for Teor, ever stalwart, who helps him get Azune back on his feet.
"Now what is—Oh! You should be in bed little one."
Azune just looks confused, "But I have training in an hour?"
"Pretty sure you get time off for things like this." Thjazi comments, although he's not entirely sure. Everyone else in the Torn Banner had presented long ago, and something inside him aches at another reminder of just how young this kid is.
If anything that just makes Azune panic even more. "No! I don't miss training. I've never missed training, it's just a fever. I can work through it, I swear! I can be useful, I can be useful." The last part comes out closer to a whimper, new omega scent coming out distressed, distressed, distressed.
"Seems like a party over here—-Woah." Kattigan, who Thjazi hadn't even noticed approach gets out before being growled at by Teor. Not a full Nama war cry but nothing to sneeze at either.
"What's wrong with the boy?" He asks, nonchalance tinted with worry.
"Presenting fever." He says quickly and Kattigan whistles.
"And he's still up and going?"
"Well not for much longer at this rate, can you get him some bread? Teor and I are going to get him back to the bunks."
Kattigan nods and turns to join the line before pausing to look at Azune. He hesitates for a second before shrugging off his coat and draping it around the kid.
"Hold onto that for me won't ya?" He asks rhetorically before running off, cutting ahead of a few people with a quick smirk and a gesture towards the kid.
Azune lets out another whine under the increased attention, sending a shot of adrenaline through him. He can feel eyes on them as the tension in the room jumps. This kid is going to cause a brawl in here soon if he doesn't get him out and somewhere safe.
"Okay, lets move kid."
The halls are relatively clear for the time of day, likely due to Thimble's scouting, and between him and Teor it isn't hard to get the kid back to his bunk still wrapped up in Kattigan's jacket. His cot is pathetic, with only one thin blanket covering the tiny bed; barely enough for a cold night and definitely not enough for a presenting omega to nest with.
Azune balls up, pressing his knees to his chest and letting out quiet self-soothing whines that makes the alpha in Thazji want to fight everyone.
In Orcish culture presentations were sacred, the presenting child got the pick of whatever blankets in the home they wanted with whatever scents on them they desired. They got whoever they wanted to hold them and an armed guard at the door, a remnant of a tradition from before they struck down the god of war that bound them tight.
Azune has none of this, Thjazi doesn't even know what tradition the kid comes from. Teor rubs his fingers through the kid's hair and the sad whines are replaced with slight purring.
"Teor?" Azune croaks out.
"Yes child?" The Nama rumbles out, steady purr building alongside Azune's.
"I don't feel good."
"I know, I know. But it will pass."
Kattigan comes in with a couple slices of bread, an apple, and a canteen hopefully containing water .
"Well you look cozy. Think you can manage some water?"
Azune groans, shaking his head. "Hot, dizzy, don't feel good."
"That's why you need to drink, will you try?" Teor asks and with the help of Teor behind him and Kattigan also holding the canteen he manages a few sips before shaking his head, leaning into Teor's massive paws.
"You feel nice." He mutters, rubbing his head into Teor's large paw.
"Would you like me to join you?"
"Mmm I don't—what's going on?"
"Presenting fever kid, don't worry your pretty little head about it." Kattigan answers as he rubs the kid's back.
"Your jacket." He tries to wiggle out of it but everyone moves to keep him still.
"I told you to hold onto it, didn't I? You can give it back when you feel better."
The kid opens his mouth to respond to that but all the comes out is a whine when Teor tries to move his arm away.
The Nama just chuckles, "It's okay, it's okay. Would you like me to hold you?"
Azune nods and they all once again pretend the flush on his face is solely due to fever.
Teor takes up the whole cot, with Azune being gently rolled half on top of him and half in the crook of his arm. He nuzzles in and almost immediately starts purring again, louder and more aggressively. Being surrounded by a safe, warm, soft presence apparently making up for the lack of nest. Scent finally changing to safe, comfortable, protected, sleepy. The honey, cinnamon, ozone, warm, smell of his newly presented scent becoming more apparent.
He runs his fingers through the kids hair, it had been the first bit of physical affection Azune had accepted when he'd started running with the Torn Banner. Back when an arm around the shoulders had made him flinch back, and hugs had made him go all still and nervous. He whispers to Kattigan, who hasn't taken his eyes off Teor and Azune. "I'm going to get some more blankets. Be right back."
Its on his way back that he runs into Loza, a mound of blankets piled high in front of him. Most were borrows from other members of the banner Azune was close to. Once he'd read them into the situation he had been inundated with soft things for the kid to cuddle up with.
"Aren't you a little high up to be doing everyone's laundry?" She asks dryly with a smile he can't see but he's sure is there.
"Az presented, everyone wanted to help." He explains.
"Oh, does he have a protector?"
"Kattigan and Thimble are with him, and Teor is being used as a living pillow so I think he's fairly well guarded."
"Does he have a door guardian?" She specifies, taking a couple blankets off the top and placing them under her arm so he could see where he was going.
"Door guardian? Loza, he's not an Orc. We don't even know what traditions he belongs to; and he is in no state to tell us."
Loza looks at him over the pile like he had just told her he wanted to go to the sundered houses and have a tea party before sighing.
"I'll take first shift."
They make it back with little incident. Loza dumps her load of blankets at the foot of the cot for Azune to look through. Now that he has more than one blanket (and seriously, Thjazi was going to have to figure that out because it wasn't okay when he was a pup and it certainly isn't now. Maybe some of the other omegas in the banner could help him out?) Azune's interest in Teor has been replaced with organizing and sorting through his new hoard. Setting some aside and weaving others along the base of the cot.
He hasn't spent much time with omegas, Hal and Thaisha were both alphas, so are a majority of the banner and Aranessa. But he knows the basics, has been selected as door guard for friends and neighbor's children often enough to know that Azune is not going to be paying attention to anything until he gets his bunk in order.
Loza, who also clearly knows this quickly rubs her wrist against the side of Azune's face before kissing him on the forehead and muttering the traditional words for taking door guard in Orcish.
"I will watch you when you are weak, guard the door that keeps your sanctuary. You will arise in safety or so have my blade."
Azune definitely doesn't speak Orcish and even if he did is way too out of it to understand what Loza is saying. But he does know that when Loza Blade says jump you better jump and so turns with a panic of not understanding what she want him to do.
She just chuckles, "Go back to what you were doing little one. I'll protect you." and walks out the door.
Seemingly lost on that front, he goes back to nesting.
Thjazi watches for a little while, Teor amused and trapped in the cot, his half-hearted attempt to leave having been thoroughly thwarted by a growl and the puppy-dog eyes the kid had turned on him the second he lifted his paw too high. Thimble having fallen asleep on his shoulder and Kattigan just watching with a sad almost wistful smile.
As much as he'd like to stay here, he does have things to do today.
He gets up and moves over to Kattigan, Thimble waking up with a yawn as he moved, careful not jerk his shoulder to much until he hears the fluttering of wings by his ear.
"You'll watch over them?" He asks, and Kattigan nods, stretching out in his chair. "You think I'm rejecting a free day off?"
He smirks, "Loza's outside, make sure they eat something today?"
"On it boss."
Thjazi heads back to the bunks in the evening. He had already checked in with Cas to make sure that Kattigan had lived up to his request, which he had. And strolls down to their tent; Loza is still kneeling outside, eyes closed and breathing deep. If he was a foolish man he'd assume she was asleep. Because he is not quite so foolish he knows that she's easily aware of everything within 50 feet.
"Quiet day?" He asks, and she smirks, eyes finally opening.
"No one dared cross my sword." She says, still the traditional words for the circumstances, and still in Orcish. Thjazi still thinks she taking this oddly seriously, but it won't hurt to play along.
"May I step into the sanctuary of those you guard? I swear no harm will come to thee or have my head." He requests, sticking to Orcish.
"You may." She nods but does not step aside.
He steps in to see what might be the sweetest thing he's seen since visiting Hal, Hero, and Shadia. Azune had finally gotten his nest in order, asleep in the center of the to small cot and bracketed by Teor and Kattigan on either side of him dead to the world and radiating safety, protect, rest so strong that it almost sways him into their orbit.
The kid looks better at least, fever having broken sometime during the afternoon and still purring heavily. He blinks one sleepy eye open sees Thjazi and tries to sit up. Before he can tell him it's not necessary Kattigan drags him back down, Az squeaks but otherwise doesn't try to resist.
"Just checking in on you kid, no need to get up." He says before the kid can stage another attempt.
"I think my fever broke." He slurs, barely awake now, eyes opening and closing in slow lazy blinks.
He smiles, "Think you're right. Still tired?"
"Yeah."
"Get some more sleep kid."
"You've got the watch?"
"Yeah kid, I've got the watch."