[log] Scared of Lonely [closed]

[thewarningafter]

Characters: Stephen, Al, and Sylar
Location: Building 263
Date: Night 219
Summary: A space wizard, a suit of armor, and a serial killer walk into a bar....
Warnings: None yet.

[263: A small office building. It's the sort that looks like it should attach to some larger facility, but whatever it might have connected to is long gone. It's two stories: the first contains a small lobby area, a waiting room, and an area for secretaries. Going upstairs reveals a small honeycomb of eerily empty cubicles. There are desks and chairs in each one, but nothing on any desk or placed on any of the cubicle walls. There's one small one-person office in the back that's similarly empty, and two public bathrooms that work, though the water runs cold.]

Comments

[armoured]

Right.

[He shifts and begins to wrap it back up again.]

I can't think of anything else to do than just carry on, so-- thanks for looking, but I'm okay.

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen stands, brushing at his clothing with stiff, shaking hands. Yet again there's little he can do for anyone, though this particular problem is more complicated than most of the medical issues over which he kicks himself for his general lack of usefulness.]

You might start taking an image of it with your tablet each day. If there are any changes they might be too gradual to notice without an aid.

[armoured]

Well, it's definitely bleeding less than it was to start with, so there's some change, but I can definitely do that.

[He notices Dr. Strange's hands, and it's probably a good thing that his expression can't change.]

Um, are you okay?

[thewarningafter]

What?

[Stephen genuinely doesn't get where the question's coming from for just a split second. The pain ebbs and flows in its intensity, but it's part of the baseline of his existence now, even as the cold makes his joints ache and saps away what little dexterity he had left. His thought processes catch up quickly, though, and something in his expression closes off even as he offers Al a reassuring little smile.]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. This is from something that happened a long time ago.

[armoured]

I'm sorry.

[He hadn't meant to bring up something that had bad memories for Stephen, but there's something about that which niggles.]

Before you came here?

[Surely not.]

[thewarningafter]

Yeah. Yeah, it was before I came here. Car accident.

[Can they go back to not talking about it?]

[armoured]

Oh. I'm so sorry that this is an insensitive question, but haven't you died here?

[Why are they still messed up? He knows House's problems with his leg from home were fixed after death.]

[thewarningafter]

...Yep.

[He pops the 'p.' So they're talking about this. That's a thing. He knows exactly what Al's referring to.]

Legs yes, hands no. Apparently.

[armoured]

I'm so sorry.

[He feels horrible for bringing it up, but it's so fascinating and it could be important, so he doesn't feel bad enough to stop.]

I've not met anyone else who wasn't healed when they came back.

[thewarningafter]

Well, I've always been one to defy expectations.

[It's fine, he's fine, he can make light of it and everything. Still, pushed to talk about it this much, he slides more easily into voicing the thought that's come back to him again and again since his death.]

I think it's triage. Not being able to walk is a lot more likely to get you killed here than this is.

[armoured]

[That does actually make some kind of sense, but it's a horribly mercenary way of looking at things. It also says that perhaps their resources for revivals are finite, otherwise why bother skimping?]

Did you ever try to ask the Admin about it?

[thewarningafter]

[Stephen blinks at him. The option hadn't even occurred to him.]

Uh...no. I haven't.

[armoured]

Do you think it's worth a try?

[He knows that some people won't even deal with the Admin at all, and he doesn't want to overstep his mark.]

[thewarningafter]

Maybe.

[Definitely. It could shed light on their situation. And yet.]

It doesn't really matter. Getting killed isn't exactly the kind of treatment plan I'd recommend for anyone.

cw: suicide mention

[armoured]

No! No, of course not, but finding out why it didn't work could maybe help us figure out what happens during revivals, or even-- even stop other people doing stupid things to try and heal themselves.

[Not that he's saying that's what Stephen did, but he knows desperate people can make bad decisions sometimes.]

cw: suicide mention

[thewarningafter]

I kind of feel like I'm already a shining example of why no one should count on that to work.

[Though apparently not as many people have caught on to his situation as he assumed if Al didn't even know about the damage to his hands in the first place. His desperation to not be talking about this anymore is growing. He's liable to say too much.]

I'll think about it. Did you already sweep the upper floor?

[armoured]

[He can see that for a dismissal if ever there was one, and he's already put his foot in it enough for tonight, so he stands up.]

No, I should go and do that.

[He has, but he figures Stephen wants to be left alone.]

Just call if you need anything.

[And with that, he clomps away loudly.]

[thewarningafter]

Thanks.

[And Stephen will go back to the reception area instead of doing his own sweep like he'd originally intended when he headed up this way.]