|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:18 pm
On the one hand she could understand his want for preserving the coat, sure, but on the other... oh good god exposing that arm just made it look ten times worse, and her stomach gave a twisting lurch of (hidden) horror when she made the mistake of glancing over too far when she reached over to reclaim the little 'note'.
... Her own 'health' situation wasn't actually much better, but it was more easily hidden, which was all for the better.
Indeed, it was easy for her to reach the same conclusion-- and with record timing, too, frowning lightly as she scanned meticulously over every little scribble and side note.
Assuming that the "pissing off" of whatever party had been a relatively recent happening... there was a rather unsettling amount of detail already fished up about the three of them.
"... To gather this much in such a short amount of time..." Nope, it didn't bode well at all. "I... I could only guess that Mister Yossarian has gotten into ill standings with something powerful-- o-or widespread, at the very least..."
But that was still a secondary concern at the moment, seeing as Kanda's arm was snapped in half and bleeding and in rather obvious need of treatment before t just FELL OFF or something.
"Ah, Sir, should we... maybe put this matter on hold to seek medical attention, though?..."
That, and it was rather difficult to slip through a city without detection while sporting horrific open injuries.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:27 pm
He didn't seem to be totally against the idea of getting his arm patched up, but at the same time, he wasn't jumping with joy that the limb was going to be repaired.
It'd be like giving a, for a bad analogy, cat with one front leg a ball of yarn to play with. It was nothing without the blade that was an extension of it.
Which earned an almost sad glance down at the blade which, with some repair, would be as good as new, but..... it seemed almost like a dying child to him now.
"Very well."
While any other being would have made a suggestion for their companion to also get a look at a clinic of some sort, Kanda knew better than that, instead setting his energies to frowning and giving the area a glance over. Clinic... clinic... clinic.
s**t, he wasn't as familiar with Salig, that meant he had to actually seek stuff out.
Which, after about 10 minutes, had yielded some results in the name of a less-than-mainstream but, for Kanda, adequate enough, little place.
"Do you wish to join me....?"
He looked at Shae, not really implying a specific favor for or against the idea or not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:53 pm
Granted that it was unpleasant to deal with one's injuries, but... well, Shae (despite her hypocrisy on the subject) knew better than anyone how disastrous it could be, putting off the treatment of something for too long. Best to just get it 'fixed' and done with as quickly as possible.
Clinic... clinic... clinic. Ah. There it was.
It was a small and out of the way little place, the kind of office that probably only had one doctor and a short staff and rarely saw anything worth calling 'exciting', but it was something, and she figured Sir wasn't pi--
... Oh, that was right; they had to go in. Or rather he had to go in and she... was suddenly facing the choice of whether or not to follow, with no clear direction.
Tick, tick, tick, t-- ...COUGH tick.
"O-Oh, of course..." But she forced herself to comply (even if he wasn't pressing her at all), ultimately giving in to the old 'follow along' reflex instead of waiting outside like a coward.
Sure, the environment was horribly unsettling and made her ill just to think about (or maybe that was something else), but... a part of her felt almost at fault for what had happened, and failing to see it rectified was inexcusable
No matter how nerve-wracking it was..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:11 pm
It was almost surprising how quickly it seemed that upon Kanda's entry into the clinic he received an audible gasp of horror and disgust at the sight of his horribly mangled arm which, was more or less, functional at the moment.
That hadn't prevented him from being carted off at five million miles per hour to have the 'resetting' of the bone fixed and for Kanda to be told off while the doctor was fixing up his arm.
Which he practically ignored, tapping a finger on the table then pausing, a look suddenly forming on his face.
s**t.
It seemed as though, now that he thought back on it, that the beings 'targetting' him knew exactly where it was that the three of them had been staying.. and that Asteria was a 'recluse'....
.....
That meant they lik-...
"DAMMIT!"
He half-rose before the doctor tugged on his arm, causing him to hiss in pain and sit again until they were finished. Oh how hilariously gimpy he looked with his bandaged-and-splinted arm, swallowing the directions he was given for its care...
..
Then storming over to Shae's side to whisper a very valid thought to her:
"What are the chances they know that we've left the 'third' unguarded?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:53 pm
Well it was probably rare that the little clinic saw such grotesquely mauled 'victims' hobbling in the door, so it wasn't surprising that they'd drag him off in so quickly for "emergency" treatment. Hell, that arm looked so bad that it was even still cringe-worthy after the bones had been re-aligned. Ick.
But Shae was a good little 'partner' and stuck it out, forcing herself to sit around the little 'waiting area' in a chair just close enough to the back room door for her to catch the occasional hissed expletive... and waited.
The white walls and faintly bleach-fouled air left her with a distinct urge to fidget... or it would have if she wasn't completely focussed on something else right then, finally given the opportunity for a frantic 'damage assessment' when the nurse at the counter wandered off to peek in on their patient.
She slid one hand discretely under her collar and felt around, relieved at first when she found no dents on the circular metal 'rim', but then, brushing her fingertips across the glass-- Ow, dammit, what had that been?
... Her worst fears were realized when she pulled back and frowned at the offended digit, feeling her heart sink (oh irony) at the sight of what would otherwise be passed off as a horrific paper cut.
But it wasn't anything of the sort, it was--
She'd dropped her hand back in her lap just in time for Kanda's (not so) epic return, pausing briefly as the question sank in... and oh, yet another frown. Or maybe the same one with a different excuse.
"I... doubt that they would seek her out so immediately following the initial incident," she reasoned slowly, uneasily. "Hopefully that failure hasn't reached whatever network they're using to pass along information, but... a-at the same time, it might be wise to... return as quickly as possible..."
That, and probably press Yossarian to spill his guts whenever he returned from... wherever he'd inevitably slunk off to by now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:21 am
Kanda, frankly, wasn't sure (and would never have admitted to it) he was up for another 'friendly meeting' with the neighborhood monster man. Well, that one was deader than dead, but he was sure there was more where he'd come from.
And without his sword or any other convenient weapon, that left him, to his awkwardness, defenseless.
It was almost surprising that, in comparison (at least from his point of view) that Shae was in 'one piece', having yet to have observed a wince, limp, or any other sure-sign of gimpiness to confirm a need for her to be checked over.
"Unless they were seeking us all out individually as was." he replied, but outside of that logic he was willing his pessimistic thought to be less-than-the-truth to allow for some safety for the 'other woman'.
He didn't want to blame her lack of safety, or even death in worse case scenerios, on all parties present having taken to not 'coddling her'.
"If there's nothing else, we'll leave now."
Which prompted a momentary (20 second) wait for any suggestions before he was out.
Better to be back before Yossarian could make the situation for the rest even worse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:58 am
... 'One piece'.
Oh, ha.
HA HA HA.
But it was true that Shae had skillfully avoided any outward signs of distress of "injury" in his presence, keeping her sentiments controlled and her face neutral even while her mind secretly raced.
"... Coming, Sir." No objections, no protests, no mention of anything that would prompt them to linger ay further. Nope, she just stood and quietly trailed after him, holding her tongue like a good girl and falling into place just a step behind, shoving both both hands discretely into her pockets as they breached the doorway and slipped out.
The air felt chillier than she last remembered it, shivering a little despite the thick jacket she wore. It was getting a little darker as well, with the sky misted over in hazy tones of bluey-gray to signal the overcast night ahead.
... What an appropriately brooding atmosphere for all the trouble to come.
And without any weapons left to their name and visibility fading fast, they two of them could only hope for the best as they went.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 2:27 pm
The walk was, fortunately for the pair, uneventful, and the sight of the Inn was as plain and in-tact as ever. That hadn't prevented Kanda from going over the place with a proverbial fine-toothed comb.
Yes, checking to make sure he knew everybody, scaring the crap out of a good chunk of people and asking about the nature of an overthrown chair (Apparently Asteria had come out of the room, some man had made some lewd comment, and she'd thrown it at him only to storm back into hiding again) as well as if anybody new had come in.
Nobody had asked about them and apparently the most 'eventful' thing had been the chair.
Which was both good and unnerving for Kanda who had (somehow) managed to not get them kicked out, getting a cup of tea and sitting down to think.
A few minutes passed and he looked to Shae with a frown.
"Should I tell her, or do you want to?"
Yes, even the chair-throwing girl deserved to know at this point in time. Perhaps she would go into a state of emotional trauma and stay in hiding or..... or maybe she'd throw herself out there into more danger as was with the murderer whom had stabbed her previously.
Sigh.
"... or should we hold off until we've addressed the actual problem?"
Also known as use Aster's potential learning of the situation at hand against Yossarian (Kanda had a feeling that she was the one whom he'd want to know the least) when he returned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:53 pm
Oh, good, the Inn was just as they had left it. There were no signs of disturbance or break in, just a few ruffled pieces of furniture (yes, she was passing off the overturned chair via Aster as nothing more than ruffled) and little else to signify that anything had gone awry.
As for the task of questioning and nitpicking... well, she left that entirely to Kanda. Broken arm or not, he was still the more powerful, intimidating and interrogation-savvy of the two, and she was...
She had other things to concern herself with at the moment, like sitting herself down with a glass of tea (ha, she'd even pre-empted him there) and listening while she contemplated the cut on her finger.
Tick, tick, tick, t--... COUGHtick tick, tick...
Just a little sticking, that was all... The sound was still there, still mostly normal, right? Surely, the damage couldn't be that bad, right?...
... But it was so damn hard to keep herself calm and just sit there instead of rushing to the nearest mirror to check, forcing a few deep breaths and controlled exhales (plus a cough or two every so often when her chest felt a bit tight) before he'd returned to join her again.
And oh, the joyous questions he brought with him.
"I..." She stopped there briefly, lapsing back to that vaguely thoughtful frown and sipping at her glass (oh, warm liquids felt so nice with the draft). "... I think it might be best to hold off for the moment," she concluded, "to... spare Ma'am any unnecessary stress on the matter... until we're more aware of the situation..."
Yes, in her mind, it seemed most logical to wait for Yossarian to return until they did anything drastic. Best to hear the situation from the one who knew it best, right?
... If they could survive the wait. (Oh, IRONY.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:55 pm
Kanda seemed to notice the little 'tick' with her coughing (no pun intended), but made no commentary about it, instead focusing on his tea and offering a nod and a quiet "Very well then, that may be the wiser course of action in this case."
Yes, he'd agree to it unless the situation required him to do otherwise. Which meant for now he had to wait. Which had prompted him to rise to his feet, leaving the cup where it was.
"I'll check to see if he's still 'here'," doubted it, frankly, "and the-"
He cut off. It seemed the hellraiser (or chair thrower...) had returned.
She didn't even look at Kanda, barely regarding his broken arm as anything more than 'Karma', before looking to Shae with one of her almost-Shae-like-mellow-smiles.
"Didn't you two go out to run some errands?"
While the fact that they'd been distracted by not being killed had definately put a dent into their plans to pick up stuff.... but at the same time, it also gave him the opportunity to get the woman off and away for when Yossarian returned (whenever that was) so if yelling broke out...
...
Well, then she wouldn't overhear anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:06 pm
While Shae would have normally noticed that Kanda had noticed, she seemed to a little too distracted for that at the moment... which was probably for the better anyway. Ignorance was just bliss here and there for certain matters.
That, and she was soon challenged by an even greater distraction than her own mind, taking the form of one oddly mellow Asteria Georgelas striding out of her little 'cave' in the back. How... conveniently inconvenient of her.
Or was it inconveniently convenient?
No no, deep breaths, professional facade. Sip, set the cup aside, stand. Return the mellow smile.
"We just had a..." Oh how to make it sound benign. "A minor issue come up that prompted returning, Ma'am..." Yes, that was good. "... It will be taken care of before the night is over, I'm sure."
Not that she was feeling particularly eager to go out in the street again at risk of having to fight another horrible brute who...........
That was right, she'd actually killed him, hadn't she?...
Oh now THAT thought was enough to seize her chest up with a horrible feeling, one so sudden and awful that it turned her noticeably whiter looking and-- "... Ah, my apologies, if the two of you will excuse me for a few minutes ..."
She kept her polite smile and an easy pace as she went back in the direction Aster had just come from, but oh, that door couldn't be locked fast enough.
Dammit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:43 pm
Well, if she'd wanted to retreat back into the room, she was now locked out. Which left her in the company she was so not in the mood for.
"Hn. And I see you got your come-uppance."
Kanda found himself groaning at her way of putting it, his face crinkling a bit. Did she have to word it the same way Yossarian would? And since when had she been talking like that?
Oh god, her coping-mechanism wasn't to turn into Yossarian, was it?
"....."
However, it was easy enough to aleviate the awkward, grabbing his 'errand list' (yes, he'd made a list...) from one pocket of his bloody coat (He'd have to get a new one) and shoved it into her hands.
Which, with that, left him to go up and 'rest' in his and Yossarian's room.
Oh, so now she got to do it? THANKS.
Aster looked over the list (and no, Kanda had not made the mistake of accidentally handing over the 'Hit list'), scrunching her face, then sighing.
She could do this easy.
Which was fortunate for the remaining parties, as she'd now, hopefully, still be missing when Yossarian returned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:09 pm
... A 'few minutes' had come and gone.
In fact, the better part of two hours had passed since Shae discretely excused herself, triple-checking that the door was locked securely behind her in the little 'cave' before wandering to the bathroom, locking that behind her as well, peeling off the jacket, then the over shirt, and staring at herself in the little above-sink mirror with a look akin to disbelief.
... No wonder her finger had been sliced open like that.
If there was panic or crying, it never left the room, nor did she make any sound loud enough to be audible outside the walls. It was all controlled, restrained, choked down, smashed flat and away. She'd removed the broken bits of glass only to have the hour hand fall off at her touch, studying it between her fingers with an air of disgusted fascination.
There had to be some kind of ironic symbolism to all this. It was just too much.
But she ultimately forced herself to leave that on the edge of the sink and walk away from it, tugging her shirt back on and just... sitting there on the edge of 'her' bed and staring at the wall.
Perhaps...
Perhaps Aster wasn't the only one who needed to walk another path now.
It was pitch dark outside save for the hazy gray cloud-cover... and among the creatures lurking about through the darkness, there was one in particular who seemed to be making a beeline for the little Inn.
Yes, a creature as dark and disgruntled as they came: none other than Yossarian-Lang Romanovitch Vandrooghenbroeck the Thirteenth, back from his... doings a little earlier than usual, and looking decidedly unpleased about it.
s**t, he was exhausted. Even his deep complexion was failing to hide the shadows beneath his eyes, posture a little less straight and scowl a little less tempered than usual as he graced the entryway with a huffy sigh.
This persistence was getting irritating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:18 pm
And Kanda (who held no qualms with allowing the other male to see his state of being) had been waiting, the woman having gotten the 'point' of his list long previous and gone out (at that time of night?) to run some errands.
A list which Kanda had purposely made rediculously long to keep her out as long as possible while he addressed the problem at hand, shoving a chair out across the way from him (as he'd taken to waiting at a table right by the entryway of the Inn), then giving the darker male a leer.
"Sit."
It was the most 'demanding' tone that Kanda had ever used with Yossarian, the demand followed with the producing of two rather hefty pieces of evidence.
With his good hand, Kanda had to first set out the 'indentifying' paper, then once that task was completed, set his now blade-only (a moment or five thousand of silence for Mugen) on the table on top of it, before, to add his own 'injury' to the evidence, placing his bound-up arm on the table.
And hissing a bit when he jostled it a tad too much.
"Now explain. Getting assaulted in a public street wasn't what was in our plans for the day."
No, he hadn't mentioned Asteria's involvement with the scenerio yet. Or rather, her lack of involvement.
For now he was aiming for it to stay that way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:38 pm
... Well, s**t.
Now, Yossarian's night had been a rather miserable and unfortunate thing to start with-- which was no different than any other night for the past week of course-- but to come limping home with every expectation of a quiet nap to regain some semblance of NOT-deadishness, only to be confronted at the door by his unhappy rival with a busted arm and a scrap of paper was just... just...
There went the left eyelid, even if his eyes were only half-open to begin with.
He was not a cheery camper.
"... And just what lunacy are you accusing me of, wretched swordsman?" he more or less snapped (though his tone was still restrained), striding over to pick up the note but failing to sit.
He wasn't in a mood for being 'bossed' around at the moment, nope... although a brief scan over the guilty scrap left him frowning, and deeply.
Double s**t.
"... I've simply been working an... independent mission, if you're so eager to know," he said at last, with a sigh that sounded positively forced to keep back the 'defensive argument' urges. "Nothing more."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
