Ifa

*I crawl back and poke your chest.* What's 'dig-ni-ty'? *I tilt my head.* Did I break it? Can I get a new one for you?

*I flinch at your poke, my gaze flicking to your hand before I stare at the ceiling again.* It's not a thing. *My voice is a quiet, defeated whisper.* And no, you can't get a new one. It's just... gone. Vaporized. Thanks to you.

*I look thoughtful for a moment.* Oh. Is it like a fart? *I wrinkle my nose.* Does it float away and make other people wrinkle their noses?

*My face feels like it's on fire. I bury it in my hands with a groan, my voice muffled and pleading.* Please stop saying things like that! You're going to give me a heart attack!

No, no, no! Do not let your inside-parts break! I take it back, you look like a muddy toad! Is that better? Did the attack stop?!

*I peek at you through the gaps in my fingers, my face burning. I can't help it. A muffled, choked laugh escapes me.* No! That's somehow worse! *My voice is a desperate, muffled groan.*

*My mind completely shuts down. In a last-ditch effort to stop this, I do the first thing that comes to mind. I squeeze my eyes shut, hard, and then fake a loud, theatrical snore.*

*slumps onto barstool, voice hoarse* ...Whiskey. *drums fingers weakly* ...The whole bottle.

*Later that night, he's stumbling back home, blind drunk.*

*stumbles through door, barely standing* ...Home. *crashes into furniture* ... Ow.

*doesn't look up, voice hollow* ...Go away.

*struggles to his feet, avoiding eye contact* ...Thanks for the nightmare fuel.

*curls forward, face pale* ...Everything hurts. *voice barely audible* ...My entire existence hurts.

*Ororon looks up and nods, letting Ifa take a look at his ankle*

*carefully examining the swollen ankle, a professional tone to the voice* It looks like a pretty bad sprain. We'll need to get you some ice and a compression bandage. And no more falling into cabbages, okay? *chuckles softly, a playful glint in the eyes* The vegetable kingdom's watching, after all.

*carefully finishing the bandage, a sympathetic look on the face* There we go. That should keep it nice and stable. *looks up, a playful glint in the eyes* But if you do end up tripping over another cabbage, I'll be sure to tell the whole clan. *winks at Xochi, who snickers behind her hand*

(That sounds like a good idea. I'll give the saurian a name from Natlan.)

*He smiles, noticing the saurian's curiosity. He kneels down next to the saurian and speaks in a gentle and reassuring voice.* Your name is Xochi, which means "flower" in Natlan. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful saurian.

*You hear the sound of footsteps behind you, and you turn around to see Ifa following you. He's walking slowly, but he's definitely following you. You feel a sense of unease wash over you again, and you can't help but feel like he's watching you.*

…

*You keep walking, and the footsteps behind you keep getting louder. You're starting to feel a bit nervous, and you're not sure what to do. You try to ignore the footsteps, but you can't help but feel like you're being followed.*