retrospec | POST ✦ ( OLD RAZZLE DAZZLE. )

POST ✦ ( OLD RAZZLE DAZZLE. )

A quick question:

What are the confirmed symptoms for spontaneous combustion?

I remember reading in some books that before some people exploded into flames and died fiery horrible deaths, there were reports of seeing sparks around the person before the combustion occurred.

Is this true or not? I really need to know right now. As in ASAP as in now as in really right now.

[ ooc; ainsley has been given the subset ability of her prestidigitation - triggering a shower/rain of sparkles and glitter and stars around her when she's happy. it activated today so feel free to have your character see this happening to her in public before this post came up! ]

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I suppose one could say it was less of courage and more of desperation to make sure it was real.

And oh you're right! I should get out of here just in case something does catch on fire. I would hate to burn down the coat I borrowed from my mother. Give me a second, will you?

i suppose appealing to collective knowledge is much faster than trying to find expert knowledge on human combustion...
i'll be here!
is there anything else i can do to more concretely help?
i could... call the fire department? they have those huge high pressure hoses

[ after a minute or two, presumably when she was moving from the closet to the doorway, ainsley finally responds. ]

I don't think using a high pressure hose on me or anyone will be safe. Plus I don't want you to get in trouble since explaining this situation might be considered a prank call by the department.

For now, I don't think we can stop the sparks or such. While I do have something in mind that I need help in that maybe(?) related to this, I don't want to be too much of a bother as is.

it's an emergency though... they'll probably dispatch immediately, without waiting for an explanation, but i don't mind getting into trouble as long as there's somebody there with you that can keep you safe
so there's no way you're a bother, especially in a case like this where there's a fine line between life and death, i want to do anything i can to be of help
you've always been a great help to me
let it be my turn

[ oh she feels awful for trying to turn turn him away. the last thing she ever wants to do is let somebody down. this is probably trouble for them both but- ]

I would hate to say no to you over anything. I want you to be safe is all.

Maybe calling them won't be such a bad idea. I am getting rather faint right now while typing this. It's probably for the best someone with possible medical experience is here? [ she isn't lying about the lightheaded feelings. her head is starting to spin again. what now? ]

that's not a bother at all, it's a serious problem!
i can call for an ambulance-- even if it turns out to be nothing, you should get sparks checked out
in the meantime, make sure that you're sitting, that you have nothing sharp around you, if you do need to get up then get up slowly and holding onto something
low blood pressure? low blood sugar? what other symptoms besides sparks?

I'm just in the closet so just boxes of junk and books I've been meaning to give away.

But now that you mentioned it I do feel a bit lightheaded now because something just happened. Give me a second to see if it passes or not.

[ and after that she never replies back. ]

[ "Give me a second" always throws Ryoji into a panic when the person stops replying after the promised second. He tries to give Ainsley the benefit of the doubt and waits a minute, two. Five minutes with no reply and he's dialing for an ambulance—

A team of paramedics, three in total not counting Ryoji hovering anxiously behind them, knock on Ainsley's door within fifteen minutes, then tests the handle to see whether it's unlocked or how much force it would take to break down. ]

[ the front door of her apartment offers no reisistance - she's forgotten to lock the door the first time she rushed in and she had a guest come by to check on her so she thought it'll be wise to leave it open in case anyone else visited.

opening the door will reveal her apartment in all of its neatly disorganised glory: books here and there, kara's toys ready to trip people if they don't watch the floor at one crucial point. and, just down the hallway, is the closet ainsley had holed herself up in.

they can probably tell that due to the muffled moaning coming from inside it, the sounds part-pain, part-confusion. ]

[ The closet door is where Ryoji herds the paramedics to first, relief washing over him to hear Ainsley's voice and know that she's still there, so close. The professionals crowd in while he stays back, knowing that there isn't enough space for him and he's best to step in towards the rest of the apartment to keep the path to the front door clear if needed.

At a loss for what to do, Ryoji simply paces in tight rounds, listening in on the questions being asked— "Miss, do you know where you are?", "What is the last thing you remember?" and other questions leading into PQRST— but he can hardly concentrate on those, and actually does stumble on Kara's toys. But where is Kara? He doesn't want to intrude, but he peers around the living room anyways, trying to keep an ear out for whining or barking at the same time he strains to hear Ainsley's responses. ]

I am so sorry for this. Really. I, um, I know for a fact I'm in my apartment. And... I was talking to a former student of mine and-

[ at the very least ainsley sounds coherent as she speaks with the respondents. she's unfortunately used to this thanks to her past experience of having medical emergencies. she has a nasty bump on her head but the vertigo has passed and she's just trying to figure out a way to explain her current circumstance.

sooner or later, kara eventually comes back. hearing the ruckus from her home worries the dog and she slips out the moment she can, arriving at the front door and whimpering in hopes of catching someone's attention. ]

Kara? Is that- Ryoji! You're here. Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?

[ The relief seems to lift Ryoji's very feet as he makes an about face and nearly runs back to the closet upon hearing Ainsley's words, the dog toy skittering across the ground when his foot catches the edge of it again, but better that then the actual dog who gets underfoot to reach the closet at the same time he does. ]

I'm here! I'm alright. And you're— not sparkling? Ah, that's to say...

[ he glances over at the respondents, having given them only vague details on the ride over here, the fact that he hadn't heard back from his schoolteacher and worried about her health, but nothing about the sparks because he couldn't find the right words that wouldn't get him a laugh and ended call ]

When you wear your smile, you're beautiful and always look like you're sparkling. So... I want to see that smile again. People are here to help now, so you don't have to worry anymore.

[ she does smile when she sees ryoji is safe and sound, no harm apparent on him. oh thank goodness. for a second there was a fear that maybe something happened in her sleep and someone tried to check on her and-

but no. that's not the case. ]

Oh- I'm glad you're safe! Thank you so much for your help. Thank you.

[ and just as she finishes speaking, there's a shower of the all-too familiar sparks showering down her and the respondents. there's no way to explain these away as dust motes or the like. these are glittering in the air, slowly traveling down as they winked in and out of sight.

haha... whoops. there they are. ]

Um… I can try to explain this, I really can, but would you all please give me a moment to help my student here? I would hate to be an poor host to him.

[ and it would give her some time to think of an excuse for this. ]

[ Help... help how? Ryoji isn't the one who needs help here, having jumped back reflexively at the first sign of sparkling light, never expecting it even though he'd been talking to Ainsley about that very phenomenon.

All of them seem at a loss for what to do, never having encountered something like sparks showering down on a person— one of the respondents even looks up at the closet ceiling as if expecting a light bulb that had shattered, another rubs at his eyes as if the problem was with his own vision— but although wary, they can't see any immediate danger to Ainsley, and so they step aside to give her room to move and speak.

Ryoji steps closer to her, stops, then steps away. ]

The living room, or- fresh air outside, if you need it?

[ Where would you like to spontaneously combust? Because that fear of spontaneous combustion is very real and back in full force. ]

Um- The living room would be best, I suppose. I would hate to be not within sight for our friends here for too long.

[ she tries her best to stay upbeat because she can see the confusion and the bewilderment on the respondents' fates. the most she can do is hope they don't call the cops into this or something. her apartment is getting rather crowded as it is with everyone here plus all her unpacked items.

thanking them for letting her out, she smiles at ryoji and tries her best to exude an aura of calm friendliness while leading the way to the living room with kara in tow. (after taking an ice pack from one of the still shocked respondents to press against her head, just in case.) there should be less things there meaning less likely everything will go in flames!

… that was a terrible joke. thank goodness not everything comes from mind to mouth. ] -Thank you again. I really mean it. I have no idea what would have happened if you hadn't brought the respondents here.

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