luckily for iota, malphas was never too far away. the medic had been struggling by himself recently, through attacks, relapses, and vows to be better. his post-traumatic stress haunted him every night, every vision scarring him deeper and deeper. he was getting worse, mental-health wise, but on the outside he had told people he was nicer now, so he was trying to keep up with that. he couldn't let them down.

on a whim, he decided to visit iota's greenhouse- why had she gone missing? every night, he prayed to a god he didn't believe in that she wouldn't end up like nayru. "hey, iota, are you here?" he expected no response, as it had been for a while, but then he heard a groan and suffering words.

he leaped over, sending soil scattering behind him, coming over to her. "hey, oh my god, you're alive," he said, exasperated. here she was, alive and pink, although clearly in pain. "hey. it's alright. i'm here- again. jesus, iota, you can't be healthy for one second, can you?" he jested, clearly joking. he loved iota as one of his closest friends, actually. "okay. what are your symptoms?" he asked cautiously. obviously, she was weak and dizzy, having trouble with standing up, but he wanted to know if she had anything not visible to him.