[OPEN]

[soul_mods]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Death City Clinic
Rating: ?
Time: February 5 onward
Description: Event links list.


There's a grim silence in the clinic, broken only by the complaints of some patient that is still there or the adjustments the medical staff makes on the numerous stretches, supplies, and furnishings prepared for today's mission.

A handful of guards are stationed outside, both to function as runners and to keep an eye on the mirror in case something less welcome than their agents coming home appears. Some of them are Australian, the promised agents from the Oceania branch from Deathscythe Mjolnir.


[ooc: Feel free to put up your own threads with the subject line [Characters][Date/Time][Open/Close].]

Comments

[Kanji Tatsumi][February 5th, post-entry][Open]

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji sighed, giving his communicator a careless toss. It landed in a small bin to the side of his clinic bed, the force of its impact nudging it across the table's surface by just a quarter-inch.

He'd been stuck in a dark, cold cave for three days, and was happy just to see a light on, to see something beyond three inches in front of his face. What he saw now were blank white walls, curtains, the occasional nurse or medic that walked past. The jittery part of him wanted that Grand Canyon cavern again, if only because everything about where he was right now made his skin crawl. Even the smell of this place unnerved him. It was too... sterile?

It was stupid to assume he'd never end up here, however, and not as a visitor. There was a broken limb the next room over, internal bleeding down the hall... but he was here for something else, something that had the nurses glaring in disapproval.

Not that he cared. Kanji leaned back and let his mind drift elsewhere. He was stuck here tonight, but he didn't have to like it.

+One kitten and detective

[pishirogane]

Following their conversation, Naoto had gone by to collect Iza from Kanji's apartment. Technically, she needed to recuperate from the caverns as well. Going into a heavily, Witch-infested area like that after being exposed to black blood wasn't necessarily a good idea. Still, that same black blood had allowed the captives to be manipulated and tortured. Compared to them, she was just suffering some minor scratches and fatigue all of which could be fixed up by a few bandages and some rest.

Getting into the clinic was a bit more difficult than she had anticipated with Iza. The white wolf was a worker and therefore, allowed free roam of the hallways and patient rooms working for both therapeutic reasons and delivering supplies should they suddenly be needed from the nurse's station. Somehow though, she managed. Signing a document saying she wouldn't let the kitten out of her sight and clean it up a bit gave her clearance.

The moment she reached Kanji's room, she lightly rapped on the door, alerting him that she was there with one slightly fussy kitten in a small carrier.

The best combo ever.

[topgun_textiles]

He didn't know potassium even came in a tablet form. All he knew was that it was absolutely disgusting. Not wanting a nurse to come in and shove one down his throat, he begrudgingly took it upon himself to take it and get it over with.

In went the tablet - he made a face - and he snatched for the cup at his side to drink. Thankfully, this pill didn't stick to his tongue like the last one.

He was just setting the cup down when there was a knock on the door, and he lifted his head. Shit, she got here quick.

...He looked down at himself, and was a little pink in the face. They'd thrown his dirty clothing in the wash for a time, so he was stuck in this stupid gown until he had something clean and dry to wear. His hands went up, tried to fix his hair, but without a bit of gel to slick it back it just fell back into place as it normally would.

Kanji sighed. He thought he looked kind of dumb, but he wasn't about to shoo Naoto away.

"...Uh, come in," he called, pulling up the blanket to cover up more. Gotta face this like a man, right?

Oh good

[pishirogane]

Naoto stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was necessary if she was going to let Iza out in the room; if the nurse had a problem, she could take it up with a superior. Seeing Kanji like this was... strange. He still had his piercings, but none of his usual attire and his hair was falling in his face rather than staying slick back. It was odd on him, but not bad; actually, nice in a way.

She approached his bedside, placing the carrier by his side. "Seems as though I arrived at an inconvenient time for you." Iza was already pawing at her little door, mewling noisily.

[topgun_textiles]

"Huh? N-no, you didn't!" He shook his head. He was practically dying of boredom in here, and it didn't help that hospitals still gave him the creeps.

"They just got my stuff in the wash, so I went n' got cleaned up. I don't like how thin this shit is," he groused, moving the open the carrier, silently glad his hands weren't shaking anymore. He hoped Iza wouldn't be too rowdy today, being in a strange place like this.

"What about you? You holdin' up okay? Knockin' Witch heads together sounds tiring."

[pishirogane]

"Ah..."

Yes, that's right. They did that with her own clothing and she had barred having guests until she had a jacket at least. "Yes, the gown is thin... but you do clean up well."

Iza wasn't so excited about being in the new environment as much as attacking her owner's hand with tiny claws. Perhaps punishment for disappearing all of the sudden.

"Yes. I have some mild fatigue, but I just need to rest later."

[topgun_textiles]

Careful to mind the IV line from the back of his hand to the holder at bedside, he rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Did... did she really think so, or was it just something people say? He merely bowed his head briefly, a silent gesture of thanks.

His attention was snapped back when the kitten decided to take out what passed for frustration on his hand, latching on. Game on: He'd wrestle the little furball for a bit. She probably had a lot of energy to burn without someone to wield the laser pointer or put the catnip in the scratching posts to tucker her out for the last couple of days.

"I-I got a chair on the other side here, yours if y'want it." She should probably get off her feet a bit.

"How'd it go out there after I hit the mirror?" He felt like such a lump for not participating in the fight as much as he wanted.

[heart_rhythm]

After getting Kanji's message, Tifa wrapped up what she'd been doing--checking on on a few others to make sure everyone had returned safely--and began on her way to the clinic.

She'd seen that Kanji had been brought back only to go to the clinic and already had it on her list to pay him a visit and make sure he was going okay. It'd been a bit of a surprise when he'd gotten ahold of her first, and especially with a message like that. Her mind ran through things he would need to talk to her about, but she was coming up empty on ideas. That alone made her worry. Maybe he just needed some company. She had some idea of what he'd been through there, and his message to the network told her what he'd been up to before that. It would be understandable if he just needed to talk about what had happened.

When she got to his room, she knocked softly first before peeking her head in a little at him.

"Hey..."

[topgun_textiles]

Why did medical tape itch like hell? He had to wonder as he scratched irritably at the IV catheter inserted at the back of his left hand, taped into place. He couldn't pick at it, though... he'd just get screamed at again.

His eyes turned to the IV bag as it was on its steady drip. He'd taken to counting how many bags he'd gone through... perhaps when this one emptied, he could be released. How dehydrated was 'severely dehydrated', anyway?

Kanji jumped a little when he heard the knock, and turned his head in time to see a friendly face.

"Yo," he greeted back with a nod, then waved her in. "Come in."

"One'a the patrols is due to come by in a minute, and I don't want 'em buggin' you, too."

[heart_rhythm]

He'd said not to ask, but she couldn't help it.

"What exactly are patrols doing here?"

As she stepped in and closed the door behind her, Tifa began over to his bed, trying not to let worry slow plainly on her face. He didn't look as worse as some, but he sure as hell didn't look good. What had happened to him in the caves?

She hesitated for a moment by his bedside before grabbing a chair and pulling it over to sit by him, feeling awkward to be standing over him like that.

[topgun_textiles]

He may have told her not to ask, but he expected her to do so anyway. At least here he didn't have to explain to an image on a mirror as opposed to somebody face-to-face.

"I... tried to leave a few times," he answered, looking away. That was when the door opened, the face of a nurse peeking in with a stern look.

"Still here! Mind your own damn business!" He snapped, folding his arms moodily. The nurse made a sound of disgust and the door clicked closed again, quick footsteps moving down the hall.

Kanji sighed, rubbing the heel of a palm over an eye. He reached then for a cup sitting at his bedside, swirling the contents. Phosphorous... something else he was depleted of. Unlike the potassium, this stuff was tasty, like a sweetened sports drink.

"...Anyway, 's been a while. You keep a count on how many'a those Witch pets n' zombies you wrecked?"

He drank, smirked a little. "'Cause I sure as hell did."

[heart_rhythm]

Tifa held back a little chuckle as he berated the poor nurse; she didn't envy either of them in this position. Kanji was certainly not the best patient, but she understood the discomfort of being stuck in a clinic. She hated it herself.

She had many tell-tale signs of fighting visible on her, bandages and bruises, the badges worn by those who had taken on the creatures in the streets. Her hand remained heavily bandaged from the encounter she'd had with Kadaj, a wound that wouldn't readily heal and would probably be tended for awhile.

At his question, she dropped her gaze with a forced smile; this last week had been one she would gladly forget and move on from. "I got enough," she replied, not feeling very proud when so many people, including Kanji himself, had been taken away and subjected to hell.

[topgun_textiles]

He set the cup down and pressed both hands to the sheets, shifting in his seat so he could slouch, drape his arms over his knees. He had his own fair amount of bandages on his person, though the ones to his head were mostly covered by his hair, which now hung down due to the lack of gel on hand. Couldn't slick it back into its usual style without it.

Still, he wondered what she'd been through lately when the Madness hit, when the Witches and their familiars attacked...

"Same. I caught some of the action before I went through that mirror n' ended up here... doesn't look like anybody really knows how to deal with those Witches." He sighed through his nose. The general rule was 'never face them alone' and 'run'... but not a way to defeat them. They were formidable opponents, crafty and relentless. He had to respect their chaotic moxie, even if they were the enemy.

"Even so, I wouldn't mind goin' toe-to-toe with 'em someday, instead of spittin' on one." Not his classiest moment, but Kanji wasn't much of a classy guy to begin with. Still, his action may have saved him from having his morals manipulated in that weird machine.

"Make sure none of this shit happens again, maybe take the fight to 'em." Kanji looked down then, and was a little pink. His stomach twisted in a little knot. He should ask. He should ask...

"There's... s-somethin' I wanna ask." He'd wanted to ask this for a while, but then everything happened. He hoped he wasn't too late.

[motherofthesun]

Later in the evening, a black nose appears at Kanji's doorway, sniffing. Hm! Another patient from the caverns she has to visit; apparently, the nurses and doctors have been having trouble with this one. She peers through the doorway and blinks. What? He's been giving them trouble?

She trots into the room and stands on her hind paws, placing her front paws besides him. Amaterasu doesn't bark, but she simply tilts her head.

[topgun_textiles]

He was lying back contentedly, lost in thought. He'd accomplished a lot tonight, and once he gets the hell out of here, he can finally get back to all his unfinished projects. He owed Cinderella a doll, for one, but he had less than a week to get the other things he had planned ready.

Kanji thought he saw a movement, and turned his head, a brow furrowed curiously. He wasn't hallucinating, was he?

He visibly relaxed a bit when he saw the wolf poke her head in. That's right... she worked here.

"Yo," he greeted when she stepped in and planted her front paws on the bed.

"They send you in to check up on me?"

[motherofthesun]

Her tail swishes and she nods, giving him a small grin. That's right; the nurses said you were being grumpy and they couldn't deal with it anymore. Very stressed right now, you know, what with all the patients. She huffs slightly since they are doing their best dealing with the high intake.

[topgun_textiles]

"I know, I know... I should probably cut 'em a little slack, right?" He grumbled with a sigh, reaching up to ruffle the top of her head a little. Hell, if they just sent her around, he probably wouldn't have raised such a fuss.

He smoothed the fur down with his palm, and looked away.

"...Never liked hospitals n' clinics. They weird me out." Putting it lightly, but he couldn't shake the fear that has been with him for so long. The worst was when he could hear the EKG meters.

He could hear the beeping in his head now. Because of those chills, he couldn't suppress that shiver.

"Y-you're lucky you got that fur! 's kinda cold in here," he lied.

[motherofthesun]

She closed her eyes and nudged his hand, tail flopping a little more. They opened as he spoke and she listened quietly.

"..."

Using her paws as leverage, she hopped onto his bed and laid across his legs, staring up at him still.

[topgun_textiles]

He uttered a sound of mingled surprise and confusion when she moved, a white blur before his eyes before she settled atop his legs and stared.

She was warm, almost radiating from the moment the weight of her pressed atop his limbs. The sound of the beeping was gone from his head, and almost immediately, those awful chilled-to-the-bone feelings began to melt away.

Kanji's mind was set: No amount of quilts or blankets beat a fluffy wolf Meister.

He reached out and stroked between the ears. "...Thanks."

+One more detective

[timelessummoner]

Raidou had waited outside Edgeworth's room until he had been told the prosecutor would make a full recovery. With no visits allowed today, however, he had no choice but to wait for the morning.

There was one other person he needed to talk to before he went home, however. It was because of this that he located Kanji's room and, after hesitating for a minute, knocked.

He wouldn't blame Kanji if he was still angry, but either way, this couldn't be avoided.

Awww yeeeee

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji was without his knitting needles, his sketchbook, or any form of entertainment for himself. His chills left him feeling restless, the dehydration making his stomach turn over and over... he'd tried to get some sleep three times, but it didn't look like he'd be getting some shut-eye any time soon.

So he slipped out of his clinic bed and looked for odds and ends to fiddle with. By the time he climbed back into bed and heard a knock, he was wielding paperclips, rubber bands, a few pens, and a pad of sticky-notes. He looked them over, reaching for another saltine cracker from an open packet sitting at his bedside, among various other snacks.

"'s open," he called back before crunching down on the cracker. It was late... he assumed it was a nurse to come in and pester him again and check vitals.

Kanji can collect them all

[timelessummoner]

Raidou stepped in, mentally bracing himself for being shouted at if it came down to it. Kanji seemed to be recovering, but knowing he had ended up hospitalized at all gave Raidou a stab of guilt.

"Tatsumi-san..." He trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

PI-kemon!

[topgun_textiles]

He turned his head, ready to insist he be sent home for the umpteenth time. Instead, his expression went steely the moment he recognized who this was, and he snatched out for the IV holder. If he had to use it as a weapon, so be it. He would get one or two hits before the thing would be useless... he'd make them count if it came down to it.

"What're you doin' here?!" Naoto had told him the effects would be reversed 'in time'... but what did that mean?

Was Raidou back to normal, or had he come here to tie a loose end?

[timelessummoner]

The reaction wasn't unexpected, but it still made him stop in his tracks. Nevertheless, he made no move to defend himself from potential pummeling.

"I am not here to harm you," he said, keeping his hands where Kanji could see them. There were no weapons anywhere on his person this time.

"I only wish to apologize. If you would rather not hear it, though, I understand."

[topgun_textiles]

For a minute there, Kanji said nothing, only staring at him. Perhaps he expected Raidou to move to attack, or give some hint that he was bullshitting.

But after that minute, his fingers loosened their grip upon the holder, color returning to his knuckles.

"It ain't me I'm worried about," he finally said, his tone even. The man appeared unarmed... even a little sick, Kanji was still confident he could hold his own if the situation turned pear-shaped.

"You made a hell of a lotta threats back there, Kuzunoha-san. Said a whole bunch. How'm I supposed to know I'm talkin' to you, and not that asshole I met in the cave?"