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Lying on the bed in Morax's room, Azhdaha knew he was dying.
What he was dying of, he hadn't figured out yet, but the pain in his belly was so great he knew something must be killing him. It was quite a shame too, because Morax had only recently helped him to take on this humanoid form, and already Azhdaha had unknowingly done something he shouldn't have...
The first thing that crossed his mind was poison, but there were only two times today when somebody might have tricked him into ingesting poisoned food: when he shared lunch with a blacksmith he had befriended, or when Guizhong invited him over and gave him tea. And he didn't believe that either of those people would want to kill him.
Morax's people knew of Azhdaha's friendship with their god; they respected him and saw him as another protector who would keep them safe from monsters. Surely they wouldn't want to poison him. Azhdaha felt sure that Guizhong wouldn't have done it either. She was far too kind, and would never wish to harm anyone. So Azhdaha quickly disregarded that idea he had been poisoned.
As a new wave of pain made him clutch his belly and whimper pathetically, Azhdaha wondered what was wrong with him, if not poison. What else could be the cause behind him dying in such a painful way...?
The sound of footsteps caught Azhdaha's attention, and he turned his head to look at the door just as Morax entered the room. Any other time Azhdaha would have felt embarrassed to be caught resting in Morax's bed without permission, but such things hardly mattered now.
"Ah, hello, Azhdaha. I did not expect to find you here." Morax sounded surprised, but still smiled kindly in greeting. He didn't seem too bothered that Azhdaha was lying in his bed.
Stepping further into the room, Morax's smile vanished when he got a good look at Azhdaha and saw how miserable he appeared. A worried frown appeared on Morax's lip as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Are you alright, my friend?" he asked, furrowing his brow in concern as he lay a gentle hand on Azhdaha's shoulder. "Does your stomach hurt?"
The sight of his friend was comforting for Azhdaha. He was glad for the chance to see Morax one last time before succumbing to...whatever was killing him.
"Ah, I..." It was humiliating having to admit he was dying, without even knowing why, but he had to tell Morax. "I'm afraid I...must have eaten something that I shouldn't have today, and now... I believe I'm dying, Morax."
For a moment Morax looked taken aback by this statement, then his frown and the furrowed wrinkle in his brow both grew deeper. Not with concern, but with confusion. "You're...dying?"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I know you entrusted me with the power to take this form, because you wanted to help me get to know your people better." Another strong pain caused Azhdaha to groan while clutching his belly tighter. "I feel like I have let you down, wasting your gift by dying so soon..."
"Now hold on, please slow down." Morax held up his hands, motioning for Azhdaha to calm down. "Start at the beginning; why do you believe you're dying? What are you dying of?"
The questions caught Azhdaha off guard. He might have thought Morax would be more upset, but instead he seemed calm, if somewhat confused. It almost felt like Morax wasn't taking this situation seriously, which was a bit hurtful, to be honest. Still, Azhdaha answered his questions as best as he could.
"I...don't exactly know what the cause is," he admitted. "Ohh… But my stomach... It hurts so much, Morax. This pain must mean something is very wrong with my body. Perhaps I unknowingly ate something that isn't safe to consume?"
With a soft hum, Morax just looked at Azhdaha for a few seconds. The confusion on his face had faded, being replaced by a thoughtful expression. "Here, let me see if I can help ease your discomfort."
He reached out and placed a hand on Azhdaha's belly, just under where Azhdaha's hands were already clutching at it in pain. Morax rubbed slowly in a comforting fashion, and all Azhdaha could do was stare at him in wide-eyed surprise. This felt like a rather intimate gesture, one that he wouldn't have expected from a god. Not even a god he was friends with.
But the rubbing felt really nice. It was...soothing. Even if he wasn't stunned into momentary silence, Azhdaha wouldn't have objected to Morax doing this for him.
"I don't think you're dying," Morax said, ignoring Azhdaha's shock over his actions. "Can you tell me everything you've eaten today? Maybe I can figure out why you're in such pain."
"I...don't think I ate anything weird," Azhdaha managed to say after a few seconds. He tried to concentrate on his thoughts instead of Morax's presence, so he could remember all of the foods he had eaten during the day. "Let me see... I got up early this morning and took a walk to help familiarize myself more with the area. When I started to get hungry, I ate some wild fruits I saw growing on the trees."
"And you're sure the fruit wasn't under ripened, or starting to go bad?" Morax asked. "Eating fruit before it's ready, or after it's begun to rot, could certainly cause your stomach to feel bad."
Azhdaha considered this, but he felt fairly confident that he would have noticed while he was eating it if the fruit had been off in some way. Surely it wouldn't have tasted as good as it did, if it really wasn't fit for consumption. He was glad to have Morax asking him questions though.
It felt good to know he was being so thorough in getting to the bottom of this, that he was taking the situation seriously after all.
Shaking his head, Azhdaha said, "No, the fruit was fine. I'm sure of that."
"Very well. Then what else did you have to eat today?"
What else...? Azhdaha thought about what he had done after taking that walk, going over everything he had done today, in order, so he wouldn't forget about anything. While Morax kept rubbing slow, soothing circles over his stomach, Azhdaha recounted the rest of his day up until this point.
After aimlessly walking around a human settlement for some time, Azhdaha ended up stopping to watch a blacksmith work for a while. The process of forging and making new things out of iron fascinated him, and the blacksmith didn't mind having an audience.
The two had a conversation about different ores, and the blacksmith even invited Azhdaha to join him for lunch when he took a break. They shared a dish Azhdaha had never eaten before, but he liked having the chance to try different human foods. This dish had a lot of Jueyun chilies in it that hurt his mouth a little, though he still found it quite tasty.
Not wanting to hurt the blacksmith's feelings by saying his food had more heat than Azhdaha was used, he simply gave his thanks for the meal and said farewell before going off in search of something to cool his burning tongue. The cold water of a flowing stream did little to help, but chewing on some mint growing near the stream finally brought him some relief.
The final noteworthy thing that happened was when he ran into Guizhong while walking back from the stream. She had insisted Azhdaha come with her to her domain, so he could see the invention she had been working on.
Guizhong had spent a long time showing off her work, talking about what she trying to make. She also offered tea and snacks, which Azhdaha had enjoyed while politely listening to her enthusiastic ramblings.
It wasn't until Guizhong finally let him leave, and he was returning to visit Morax, that Azhdaha first started to noticed something wasn't right in his belly. There was a strange discomfort that only grew worse over time, leaving him nearly doubled over with pain and nausea by the time he stood outside Morax's home.
Azhdaha had searched for Morax to ask for his help, but by the time he reached the bedroom Azhdaha felt too much discomfort to continue walking around. That was when he chose to collapse on the bed and rest, not long before Morax found him.
"It sounds like you had quite an eventful day today," Morax commented when Azhdaha finished speaking. "You must have enjoyed yourself, getting to try different human foods. But it also sounds like you ate quite a lot this afternoon..."
Azhdaha winced as his stomach let out a loud, unhappy sounding noise, finding sensation of his belly growling like that to be unpleasant. "But I still don't know...what I ate to cause this pain."
Maybe it was the Jueyun chilies. They were probably too intense for someone like him, still getting used to eating human food. This human form, still so new and fragile, was likely being destroyed from the inside by the heat of those damn chilies. That would definitely explain why his stomach was hurting so badly.
"I'm glad to have you here with me," Azhdaha said quietly, putting one of his hands over Morax's. "Knowing that I won't die alone makes me feel a little better. Thank you, Morax, for being my friend, even if only for a short time..."
When Azhdaha turned his head to look up at Morax for what might be the last time, he was surprised to find that Morax didn't appear to be upset at all. Rather than looking distraught or even sad about his friend's predicament, Morax's expression was strangely amused.
"Oh dear, do you still believe that you're dying because of this?" Morax did look sympathetic, but his lips were twitching like he was struggling to hide the fact he found this situation funny. If he wasn't so good at keeping his emotions in check, he might even be laughing now.
Speaking gently, Morax continued by saying, "My friend, you just have a stomachache from eating so much. It's quite likely that the mixed combination of foods you ate is also contributing to your discomfort. It can be painful, but you will be fine in a while."
At first Azhdaha didn't reply. He stared up Morax, blinking as he processed what he had just heard. As the realization of Morax's words dawned on him and the truth of the matter became clear, embarrassment began to set in very quickly.
"I'm...not going to die?" Azhdaha asked, suddenly starting to feel very, very silly.
"No, no, of course not." With a soft chuckle, Morax shook his head and smiled. "It's just a bit of belly pain from overeating. I know it must be very unpleasant for you, but it shouldn't last for too long. It's also unlikely you will suffer from any long-term side effects afterwards. I can assure you, stomachaches are a common thing to humans, and you have nothing to worry about."
"Oh..."
With how much pain he had been feeling, it seemed only natural to assume the cause of it was something serious. Especially since he had never felt pain like this in his belly before. Azhdaha was glad to know he would be okay in the end, though he did felt quite ridiculous now for feeling convinced that he was dying...
He would likely not hear the end of this for a long time, especially if Morax shared the story with his Adepti friends.
"I never would have expected you to be so dramatic about getting a little tummy ache," Morax said with a teasing grin. "I didn't know you could be so adorable, Azhdaha."
Before Azhdaha could get defensive and explain himself, Morax stroked his hair slowly to soothe his feelings before they could get too hurt. The amusement in Morax's expression was replaced with a more understanding look, and it was hard to feel annoyed at his teasing for very long when Azhdaha knew he didn't mean any harm.
"But you are still getting used to this human form, you know. You have a lot to learn yet, and it's only natural that you may draw incorrect conclusions in unfamiliar situations." Morax smiled reassuringly as he spoke. "There is no shame in being worried about something you don't understand. I hope you will remember this."
Although Morax hadn't been able to resist teasing him just a little, at least he also understood that Azhdaha didn't mean to be dramatic over something so small. Azhdaha would hate for his friend to go on believing he was some melodramatic person who freaked out over any little pain he felt.
"It's been a while now since you first started feeling bad," Morax commented. "How are you doing now? Feeling any better yet?"
Thinking about it, Azhdaha was surprised to realize he did feel a little better now, at least compared to when he first had to lie down. His belly still didn't feel so good, but it was somewhat less uncomfortable. Telling Morax about his day had kept Azhdaha so busy he didn't even notice his stomachache was slowly going away.
"The pain is starting to get better." Laying one arm to rest by his side on the bed, Azhdaha kept his other hand over his belly to give it a gentle rub. "But I still don't feel very well..."
Morax responded by giving Azhdaha a comforting pat on the shoulder before continuing to slowly rub his belly.
"Then please, try to rest some more. Take a nap, if you wish." Morax's voice and the look on his face were both as soft and gentle as his touch on Azhdaha's stomach. "I will be right here if you need anything, my friend."
From the day they first met, Azhdaha had always known Morax was a kind individual. And it was moments like this which only further strengthen that belief. These moments where Morax cared for him and tended to his needs without question. It made Azhdaha feel safe even in this still unfamiliar form, and so very lucky to have a friend like Morax.
Taking Morax's advice, Azhdaha shifted around a little to get more comfortable so he could rest. He tried not to focus on the sore, heavy feeling in his belly, and instead concentrated on the feeling of Morax's hand. Focusing on the repetitive motion of Morax rubbing his belly not only kept Azhdaha's mind off of how bad he felt, it also made him feel a little sleepy...
"Morax?" Azhdaha murmured as his eyes struggled to stay open.
"Yes, Azhdaha?"
"Are you...going to tell anybody else about this?"
A soft chuckle escaped Morax's lips. "No, I won't embarrass you like that. I'll keep this little incident between the two of us, I promise."
"...thank you."
It was a relief to know none of the friends Morax had introduced Azhdaha to would learn that he had thought a stomachache would kill him. They would all laugh at him for being so ridiculous. It was bad enough for Morax to see him like that, but if someone like Cloud Retainer or even Guizhong found out, he would surely be teased about it for the rest of his life.
With a quiet yawn, Azhdaha allowed his eyes to close as he settled more comfortably against the pillows. Then, soothed by Morax's gentle belly rubbing, he soon fell into a peaceful sleep.