62 | DAY FOUR (morning)

right after
[ A flash of light was all she remembered with how quickly everything unfolded. One polaroid shoots out of the compartment on the camera, capturing the utter blast of glass as Veronica ruins the wall. It was perfectly timed, but horrible as Elizabeth herself can't act quick enough. She's sliced above her eyebrow which gushes a red down part of her face as she stumbles back, dropping the photos in her hand but barely catching the camera as she lands straight on her butt with a thud. ]

like 30 mins later
[ She hasn't really gotten cleaned up. There's a collection of dry blood on her brow and the blood on the crook of her nose/cheek has been smeared away, but Elizabeth returns back with both a first aid kit and a sewing kit if anyone wants to get fixed up a bit. She's fairly good at basic medical skills, so please bug her to help out if needed! Idly, she'll catch glances at the ongoing investigation, but she's staying back... for a little while anyway. ]

[Well, Dojima hasn't really dared to pull out the glass yet. Yeah, he has been around for thirty minutes with glass sticking out of his leg. That's why as soon as Elizabeth comes by, he goes to her]

Of all things that could have happened this has to be the most inconvenient one.

[Someone is pissed off about not being able to go investigate]

[ The room was in panic and Elizabeth did what she did best - collect herself and move the hell on. When Dojima approaches her, she immediately points to a cleared section of the floor. ]

Sit down.

[ It was more of a command, not really wanting to risk hearing someone complain about hurting themselves because of Veronica's sudden choice. ]

It'll be more inconvenient if you don't get the glass out. Risk infection.

[Dojima obeys. At least he isn't complaining, but he's clearly in pain. He sits down slowly, grimacing all the way]

How much experience with things like these?

[Well it isn't like Dojima has many options as to who will deal with this, but he'd feel calmer if Elizabeth told him she had done this many, many times before]

[ She'll take the time to kneel down carefully, opening the first aid kit with a sigh. ]

Some. I've read about some medical procedures, but the fact is you need this removed and wound treated... Disinfect it and probably stitches. Same as sewing a dress.

[ It's....not... ]

The same than...I don't think it's exactly the same than that. Let's hope it won't need stitches.

[Disinfecting won't be a problem, but stitching the wound is going to be very painful. Is the wound deep enough to need it?

...it's likely]

Most likely? It will.

[ God, you got messed up. Elizabeth snaps out a pair of plastic gloves that rested in the first aid kit, putting them on with a begrudging look. She's not sure how this is going to work, but it needs to get removed. If he hadn't done it already? Chances are, he's not going to.

Elizabeth hovers her hand over the glass and barley pinches the end. ]

I'm going to pull it out on five, so steady your breathing.

[ It's a fairly large chunk and she's wincing between her own pained expression by then. Getting a firm grip, she talks - ]

One, two - five!

[ And with that, she really tugs the glass upwards, a slight resistance as she dislodges the piece from him. It stings like a bitch, no doubt and she tries her best to force her free hand over the wound to stop any possible bleeding. The glass is discarded and she's fumbling around for any cream disinfectant. ]

Shh.. see? Wasn't too bad.

[ Elizabeth certainly isn't the only one. Which, obviously, considering that list up there, but. Nearby, Jack only has time to half yell out the beginning of a "Christ," before it's cut off abruptly. He cries out in pain as glass slashes half of his face, and his hand immediately comes up to feel the gash. He breathes out a sound of pain through his teeth as he feels it, and anger bubbles up briefly, but—

At least it's put aside for now as he glances around to see he's not the only one.

He draws a bloody hand away and keeps that eye closed, but he approaches Elizabeth first, since she happens to be closest. He's still grimacing himself with a nice, bloody face to match, but he still offers his hand to her all the same. ]

Jesus— Are- Man, are you all right?

[ Elizabeth had encountered explosions, buildings erupting, and other such things, but there's a chilling sting that echos in her mind from this. Her hand found it nice to let the camera topple to her side as she doubles over, feeling the blood sink from her wound.

It hurt, but she was blinking through blood, favoring it soon after with one shut and the other opened.

Jack's words were the first that hit her and she's patting herself nervously before looking up to him in shock. Pretty honest in the sudden concern. ]

Fine - I'm ... I'm fine.

[ She tries to insist, her knees buckling a bit, grinding onto the glass with a cry - okay, not smart. She clutches onto his hand and uses her upper torso to lift herself up instead of kneeling. ]

H-holy shit. Are you - ?

[ When Elizabeth takes his hand, he shifts to hold her wrist securely, since this isn't meant to just be a polite offer. He's genuinely wanting to help her out here. He'd started to murmur out a "hey," when she had started to get up alone, but it's quickly quieted as she reconsiders. He braces himself to help her up, though it does come with a half grimace at how the exertion makes that wound on his face throb.

Which, of course, she points out.

All stupid machismo, Jack cracks a cocky grin, and he laughs. ]

What, this? Hah- This is, I mean, got my nose broken the other day, so this is nothing.

[ Though, after saying it's nothing, he does let go her her hand to reach up and feel the wound again, though he winces. ]

...Wait, does it look that bad? Shit, wait, it's totally- Ahhhh crap, this is gonna be a scar, isn't it?

[ Elizabeth isn't prideful, but she's pretty much trying to be self-sufficient. After that nasty display, she picks and chooses her battles more authentically.

Elizabeth, through one eye, narrows to look at it with a mixed expression. ]

An inch or more to the left and you most likely would have lost an eye... You're lucky.

[ But, it was still pretty bad. As he winces, she instinctively slaps his hand away. Ignoring her own subtle pangs of sharp pain, Elizabeth tries to soothe his focus to where it matters. ]

Guess we'll have a matching set. [ Except his was much worse. She stands on her toes a bit, trying to see if there was enough of a gash to need stitches. ] Worry about the macho scar later. We need to get... get you cleaned up. If you're feeling trusting, we can stitch it.

Edited 2016-10-15 02:58 (UTC)

Oh— Ohhh, god...

[ When Elizabeth mentions that he could have lost an eye, his expression does twist up slightly to be a bit more horrified, since obviously, he hadn't thought of that yet. He groans out a noise of probably relief, then draws his hand away. ]

Well, uh- Good? God. Shouldn't have to say something like "yeah good thing I didn't lose a friggin' eye from a collapsing goddamn window." Wh- If it hadn't actually done something useful—

[ He trails off with a grumble, though his tone implies that it wasn't going anywhere good in the first place. He shakes his head. ]

...I mean, what the hell. I let Sakyou snap my nose back in place, why not let you give me some stitches. I'm on a roll here for forging friendships in blood. Like, literal blood, which is weird.

[ It was definitely an easy thing to be lucky for. All else considering, there was an improvement of their situation: they can access the body. Elizabeth wouldn't necessarily sacrifice the wall in such way but... it sure did happen. ]

Look, you're walking away. That's enough to be thankful for. In another universe, you were taken out by glass instead of a staff member - be happy that's not a reality.

[ It sounds really lame, doesn't it? ]

I won't insist to do so unless you want me to. It's going to hurt but once the swelling on the spot goes down, the stitches should heal it nicely - if we have the proper equipment for it.

[ THEY DO. ]

Blood pacts already? You've taken a liking to me.

[ She says through a wince. God, this all sucks and hurts. Not only did she have her own wound, but she had her knees slightly scraped too. Those almost hurt as bad. For now, she notions him to step carefully through the glass. ]

If not, there has to be a first aid kit here to clean the blood and wash the cut... jeez... it's pretty bad.

That's a little depressing, isn't it?

[ Jack comments automatically, but her words do seem to calm him down all the same. He sighs heavily and shakes his head, but it doesn't make much consideration before he nods. ]

But... Yeah. Yeah, I mean, someone's gotta stitch me up. Might as well be you, right? [ He smiles wryly, though it drops quickly. Dammit, stop trying to flirt. He has to keep reminding himself of this. ]

Let's- Let's work on making it less bad. Uh, for both of us. That... isn't too deep, is it?

Look around, handsome. This place is nothing but depressing.

[ She says calmly, given the circumstances. He seems to be taking it well - so does she. Maybe they're just trying to deal with the shock of what just happened... whatever, it's dumb. She smirks a bit when he tries to talk about stitching and she can confirm: at least she's good with a needle. ]

I'll be gentle. [ But, she'll carefully start to usher him away from the scene, at least towards a sink somewhere. Hey, we'll also handwave some fair share of getting the kits needed. ] It's deep, but if we can stitch it, you'll probably have a great story to tell the kids.

[ Teasing, of course. ]

It adds some rawness and mystery. [ Oh god, she's not sure if she could do this but she still puts on a front, trying to deal with her own shortcomings. Someone needs to stitch him for sure. ] Almost suits you.

[ Jack is literally only taking this well out of a combination of adrenaline and not looking in a mirror. When he does, he'll probably cry because he's a stupid baby. Even so, as Elizabeth leads the way away from the immediate and somewhat bloody scene, Jack is reaching up to touch the wound tenderly even though he winces every time. It's at that point that it's starting to sink in, so by the time she starts to describe it, he groans out a noise like he's been deeply emotionally wounded by this turn of events. ]

I don't want a story to tell my kid! Ughhh, Liz, this is awful, I'm- I'm gunning for CEO! How- How can I be CEO with a face li—

[ Oh, that compliment shuts him up quickly. Jack pauses and draws his hand away from his face, then just finishes lamely: ]

...Wait, d'you think so? [

]

Edited 2016-10-17 04:11 (UTC)

[ It's okay, he will have a few people to be a stupid baby with.

Elizabeth is curious as to if they really have the proper medical treatment for this. There are people worse off than them, injured in ways that can put them at a disadvantage. Getting him cleaned up and taken care of us a priority too. Poor guy is getting his face messed up! However, if he keeps touching his wound, she'll stop and smack at his arm, like he's some kid picking a scab. ]

It's better than - [ Okay, he's totally falling for the bait. She stops and orders from the commissary and points to the floor immediately. We're doing this right here. ] Can't know so until I get it tidied up. I have to clean it and see what I'm working with. I'm not a medic, but - I won't hurt you too badly.

[ It's reassuring, but she's uh, sadly kneeling down and flopping onto her ass instead of knees this time. She sits side saddle, rummaging through the first aid kit for the wipes, disinfectant, bandages, and looking to the sewing kit for needle and thread. Sweats. ]

We'll get you taken care of. Promise.

Hey—

[ Jack responds petulantly when his hand gets smacked away, but he doesn't push on it, at least. He's just having angst about his beautiful face, leave him alone...

As Liz points, he follows the line of her finger to the floor with surprise, but he still takes a seat obediently all the same. He's not saying that this is usually in a way different context, but. Maybe. But he also mentally kicks himself for even beginning to go there. Don't make it weird, Jack. ]

Eh, I trust you, Liz. I mean, obviously, otherwise I'd be like "nah, it's cool, I'll just bleed everywhere and deal with the consequences." [ Even if it's lightly passive-aggressive, that first sentiment seems genuine. He looks to the needle, to her knees, then up to her. ]

What about your knees, by the way?

[ When they're both seated, her innocence far too still.. in tact dive into what could be going off in Jack's mind. Elizabeth smiles a bit when he mentions trust and she wishes she could fully say the same. It's clear now that there's reasons to keep guard up. Whatever it's worth, she didn't mind his company, though. ]

Even if you didn't trust me, you'd be stupid to let this go untreated. [ Concern??? Annoyance??? Whatever she felt, that's what she expressed with her firm tone. Luckily for Jack, he gets the easy part first!

Her hand dips into the cleansing wipes that were long since dry, but lucky, she's wiping away very wet blood. ]

Just stay focused on me. [ In regards to her knees. ] I did that to myself in my fluster. That can wait.

[ They...hurt, but she's repeating: 'stay focused on me' to him softly, hushed as she begins to drag the wipe against his face. Following the line of his cut, she's close enough to her where he can hear every steady, cautious breath. She won't stop until she at least cleans the blood from his forehead, cheek, and nose to get a better look at the cut. ]

You're most likely going to need stitches. I can do this, but it probably won't be the best. Do you trust me on that?

Edited 2016-10-18 15:38 (UTC)

Well, yeah, but I'm known to do stupid things. Occassionally.

[ He cracks a grin, because even though Elizabeth hasn't exactly known him long, it's probably still pretty clear how blatantly untrue that statement is...

Of course, that cocky smirk is quickly wiped off his face when Elizabeth starts to tend to him. At first, it's just because the process doesn't exactly feel great, even if his pain tolerance is surprisingly high. For his personality, you'd probably expect him to be less tolerant to pain, but he'd sarcastically thank grandma for that one if asked. Still, his face twists up slightly as her hand follows the line of the cut, and his jaw tenses.

Though it's how she does it that really gets to him. Those soft words and how gentle she was in tending to the cut is. Something. New, maybe? He's not sure, but he's becoming more aware of that tone of voice each time she repeats the phrase. He closes his eyes, and it might seem like it's him focusing to ignore twinges of pain, but. No. No, Jack is honestly cursing himself that he finds her so attractive, but she is so young. There's definitely math being calculated in his head for the "well she's not half my age justification," quickly followed by "no, you're an idiot."

When she speaks to him again, he cracks open one eye, though it is with a partial grimace. ]

Ughhhhh, what the hell, seriously? That's- God, that's definitely going to leave a scar... [ Yeah, there's the whining that probably would have been more fitting for the pain. Apparently he's pretty concerned with his personal appearance. ]

Yeah, yeah, I do... Doesn't have to be the best, I'll just go get plastic surgery when I get back, I guess. Right after- After I paid for the friggin' body double too, godddddammit.

Edited 2016-10-20 15:17 (UTC)

[ Elizabeth is firm when she needs to - to get against the curves of his face - and soft when she tenses up around the cut. Her breath is steady, close enough to add that tension that fucks us both up oocly. She pulls back, and begins prepping the next step, especially when he's talking about scars. ]

You know, ancient vikings adorned their scars with pride and joy. They said each scar told stories that honored their dead and scorned their enemies. It was a badge of honor and a terrifying warning.

[ Liz, please don't encourage him?? Either way, he can see the way her fingers take the crude sewing kit - sterilizing it with alcohol in the first aid kit. When she finally preps the needle and thread... ]

Uh - you have a ... body double? [ That's a uh... story. ] How did that happen?

[ And now the process begins! Elizabeth is pressed close, cautiously clutching a pair of tweezers with one hand and the needle with the other. It's a dull pain on the top of the cut, the wound far more painful towards the center. Inward she goes, piercing the sub-dermal layer of the skin to begin the sutures snuggly. ]

Tell me about yourself. What were you doing before you woke up here?

[ She tries to get him to focus on something other than pain as she begins to weave the needle in and out of the cut line. ]

[ Yeah, and so do bandits, Jack thinks, and he nearly says as much, though watching her prepare the needle gets him to decide that maybe sarcasm isn't the right approach at the moment. She's already going to be jamming a needle into his face, so he probably should give her any reason to be less than gentle. Still, he breathes out: ]

Ohhh boy.

[ That part is pretty dry, but otherwise, he'll try to keep his reactions to a minimum. Emphasis on "try," since no promises there. She leans close, and Jack briefly meets her eyes as he starts to laugh at the first question, though the laugh stops quickly when the needle is pressed to his skin. It's really not much compared to the throb of the wound itself, but there's something about the anticipation but also the trust in letting someone do this that gets his breath to catch.

As such, he's thankful for her distracting question. ]

Yeah, luckily, the two- The two are kinda related. [ A pause, and then: ] Well, uh. More or less. The body double, that's- That's because my boss is trying to assassinate me? Which, eh, normal office politi—

[ His cavalier attitude about Hyperion is cut off as the needle hits a spot that gets him to seize up a bit more, but as he tries his best not to move, his response is a bit odd. He smiles, cracking a grin, though it doesn't seem very genuine. ]

Unrelated to question number two, though, minus the fact that the body double is kinda helping. Before here? I was saving the moon. Aaand the space station I work on, but, uh, moon has way more innocent people. It's- Well, getting murdered is just a workplace hazard at Hyperion. This crazy bitch with a stupid name took over Helios and is trying to destroy the moon, so, y'know, gotta stop that.

[ He pauses in his story thoughtfully, though that's also covered up by a partial wince as she heads towards the middle of the wound. ]

So... gotta get outta here quick as we can. Otherwise there won't be a moon left to save.

You need to stop getting yourself into trouble then. [ Elizabeth says with a sternness that was more akin to the kind you'd hear out of concerned. She has no context of what he did - what he meant when it comes to his job, but it all sounded fascinating, at least. The skin was tied tightly together, the blood barely dripping from the wound on the top of his face. It was not as "pretty" but it was definitely secured. ] Going to bite you in the hide some day.

[ Reckless men, why does Liz have to take care of you? The sudden jab hits a sweet spot and she stops, immediately blowing air on it with a hushed 'shhhhh' shortly after. ]

Sorry.

[ She apologizes, stopping to give him an honest, but awkward look. He continues on, so she'll resume. He seems to have a characteristic that... well, she hadn't much encountered. She would have considered him a silver-tongued grifter if he didn't come off like a weenie immediately. Ah, it's alright, the time difference was worse than the age difference. ]

So you were higher than the atmosphere of whichever planet you were from? Actually in space? How was the view? [ She's not too impressed, sorry. Elizabeth was from a floating fucking city. However, she cares less about the murder and more about the view - typical girl. ] I'm sure we can get you back to where you need to be.

[ In and out, she has only a few more inches left.

Stitching his wound not sexy stuff, ya friggin perv. ]

Heh, probably will, not gonna deny that. But- Maybe at least I'll go in a blaze of glory surrounded by beautiful women, right?

[ He cracks a joke casually, though of course, it's a bit more true than he knows. When he dies, it'll certainly be with fire and with at least one beautiful women hanging around. Of course, she's the one to kill him if you choose that option, but. His jokes aren't quite that prophetic.

Though of course, as she leans closer to soothe the sting of the rough stitching, he's again reminded of the beautiful woman right here, though. It does help that she can't contour quite as well as that first day, which he is. Honestly thankful for. Good lord. But it's still a lot, especially with that more honest look. Sometimes, she really does remind him of Mox, because for all that sexy bad girl thing she has going on (well, both of them), it's these moments he likes more.

Which, dammit, he's not supposed to think about her like that. Stupid sexy Elizabeth. ]

Yeah, uh. That's right. I was leading one of the teams to build a space station in geosync with Pandora, but kinda looks like it's orbiting with the moon. The view... That's...

[ He considers it for a moment, since objectively, he knows that view is supposed to be beautiful, but every time he looks at Pandora, he just sees his vision of how much more beautiful it could be. Utopia will come to that planet just as soon as he wipes out the garbage on it. But. Step one there is getting back Helios, since no station, no utopia. ]

I mean, your choices for view are the lava-filled moon, so when it's a dark cycle, whole moon's covered in cracks where you can see the lava lighting it up. Last people that came to this corner messed it up, Crackening happened, et cetera, does look pretty cool, though. And then Pandora, it's... Ehhh. I mean, it's got a big crack of its own, but it's more like an ass crack. Not really as pretty. Also farting out Eridium. If you like purple, it's pretty sweet, but that stuff will super mess you up.

You're morbid, mister. Even if you twist it with humor, your universe seems snarky.

[ He cracks and joke and then she does. It seems like there's a steady, smooth transition. She keeps herself well-mannered, especially when she's stitching his skin with little resistance. Patching up Booker's bullet wounds came in handy for sewing part of his face back together? Who knew.

He may be sprung on some girl on the moon, but Elizabeth has moments where she just shows that she's doing her best. She's really doing her best. He can scorn under his breath and apologize, but there's important things - like his face - that carry precedence.

She's nearing completion and anticipating this gorgeous, poetic explanation of the view. She's picturing deep oceans, bright lights, maybe even talking about the different terrains but - no. He talks about farts and ass cracks. Elizabeth pulls back once she finishes the end of the stitching. It's a tight job - it'll just need to be cleaned thoroughly. ]

Admittedly, that was one of the most gross things I've ever heard but. Alright, I suppose it does paint a visual... just... not the one I was expecting.

[ Elizabeth upturns her nose when she begins giving one last clean to him before letting both hands settle on her lap. ]

If it's not pretty ... and you don't speak fondly of it, why are you there? Do you have the capability to go elsewhere in your universe?

Edited (wtf good job minster typo smh) 2016-10-21 15:35 (UTC)

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heroizes - 2016-10-24 00:52 (UTC) - Expand

DAY FOUR (morning)

after veronica superboy primed the wall

30 mins later

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right after >:]

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kicks down door

fucking hits panic button

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