[log] scrap wall shenanigans [closed]

[armoured]

Characters: Al, Steph, Vasquez, House, Ecks, and Castiel
Location: WW8 - the scrap wall
Date: Day 234
Summary: Al and co join in the attempts to get over the scrap wall
Warnings: Possible blood and injury

[Oh no, the scrap wall is big and sharp!

Make your own top levels in here.]

Comments

cw: gore

[armoured]

[After Al's initial arrival, once he's figured out what's going on, he's quick to jump in and try to help. He is, after all, made of metal and should be able to get up the scrap wall more easily than the others. Not that a couple of members of the party know this secret about him, but he can just pretend the armour will give him protection.

Until he starts to climb and the wall literally cuts through his hands like tin foil. He lets out a sharp cry and tumbles back, hands basically shredded with deep gouges that show both blood and literal nothingness beyond.]

cw: gore

[ecks]

[This plan seemed logical all of a minute ago, when Al's armor looked to Ecks to be at least as strong as the scrap wall that has so far defeated all of their efforts to dismantle or climb it. Anyway, it's only armor; she's already damaged her own leather armor in the attempts but that's sort of what armor is for.

Except quite suddenly there is blood, and what sounds to her like a scream, and that is not how armor works. Ecks stares at him in horror, backing away as an understanding of wrongness crashes through her so strong that it's momentarily beyond her to do anything to help.]

That is not how armor works.

cw: gore

[rubikscomplex]

[Well, crap. House's eyes widen slightly as the shrapnel just goes straight through Al's metal body. He'd been annoyed when the kid turned up to nanny him, but there had been a use for him. Now? Now, House is still as his mind flashes briefly back to the fight with the Joker months ago, learning that Al can bleed. And then learning that Al can be blinded.

It's only a few seconds before he pulls himself together. He's already discarded the useless heat suit, and he drops his tablet into the snow to pull his pack off and pulls out a pair of cloth napkins followed by a pair of hand towels.]

Doesn't matter how it works. Elric, lie back and get your hands out on either side, Castiel, tie these tight around his left hand. I'll take the right. [Whether it's Cas or someone else, House holds out one of the hand towels and one of the cloth napkins before taking the other pair and going to bind them around Al's hand to stop the bleeding.]

Just had to be the literal tin can, kid. [We're joking about this now. Yes.]

cw: gore

[godsspeed]

[ Castiel is less alarmed than the others when Al falls back, bleeding. Up until now he'd been assuming the boy was a kind of golem - less human-like in his form than most tend to be, but even the crude figures sculpted by less artistically inclined rabbis were granted flesh and blood beneath their hardened clay exteriors. That isn't to say he's not surprised, though. Quite the opposite. The armor had certainly looked sturdy enough to resist being pierced so easily.

Fortunately, following orders under pressure comes easily to Castiel, and he takes the makeshift bandages and has them wrapped around Al's hand as soon as House tells him to. He's not personally experienced with tending wounds this way, as someone who can normally call upon the power of Heaven to repair them instantly and perfectly, but he's spent long enough watching humanity to have picked up a few things. Carefully, he applies light pressure to the area where the cuts are deepest. Whether that will actually help a man made out of metal is debatable, but it does seem to be standard procedure at times like this. ]

[armoured]

[He doesn't argue about being pushed back and worked on, he's sort of in shock at how easily the scrap cut through his hands. That shouldn't be possible, he's made of thick steel, it should at least have given some resistance first. His hand twitches under House's ministrations, the odd sensation of pain and yet nothingness extremely unnerving.]

Hey, Ecks-- hey, look up here, at my head, not my hands.

[Focusing on someone else is an easy way not to freak out.]

It doesn't matter how it works, okay? I promise that it's nothing to be scared of, I just got a bit hurt, that's all.

[ecks]

[Ecks is adrift without orders of her own to follow, nothing to refocus her away from the thoughts that chase themselves in circles. Al is a small, bony boy in large armor, regardless of how improbable the scale of one to the other -- it's the abrupt need to shift a basic understanding she had taken for granted as much as his injuries that upsets her.]

Nuh. Nuh-uh.

[She clings to the instruction, though, meager as it is, refocusing her gaze on the helmet he has in place of a face.]

[rubikscomplex]

[House makes a mental note of the fact that Castiel can be efficient and useful when needed. More specifically, he isn't fazed and can follow orders. The doctor finishes tying things off for his side and applies pressure with his own hand like Castiel is doing.]

While you're looking, get out any other rags or spare cloth you have. We'll need more.

[Because he honestly doesn't know how they're meant to stop the bleeding here. It's not like skin where they could theoretically stitch it up. He's metal.]

I was told to skip Castiel

[armoured]

We need metal.

[At least he knows how to fix himself. It can't be done with alchemy, but it's the same principle, even if it'll probably hurt a lot more.]

And nails, or something sharp enough to go through, or I don't think the bleeding will stop.

[Don't ask how he's sounding so calm, it's the shock.]

sorry!

[ecks]

[Was that command meant for her? Ecks's heart isn't pounding so hard now that the bleeding abyss is out of sight under the cloths. She can't pretend it's not there now that it's out of sight; that isn't in her nature. She can, however, begin to process it...or rather, ignore it in favor of allowing herself to be told what to do. Her words come out in a rush.]

There is cloth and aluminum foil and also very small nails in my bag. I think that the nails are too small.

[Considering she means thumbtacks, she's probably right. Ecks drops her bag and paws it open, digging for the supplies.]

[rubikscomplex]

Aluminum rips. Give it to me, but then look around in the rubble for a couple of flat, thin pieces of metal. I have nails and a hammer in my pack.

Elric, you're literally the most annoying patient I've ever dealt with.

[For many reasons. But having to hammer metal into him to get him to stop the bleeding is currently top of the list.]

[armoured]

[He really isn't looking forward to someone literally hammering nails into him when he can feel pain, but he can't see another solution here.]

I bet you say that to every patient you work on.

[He gives a shaky sort of chuckle.]

Hey-- hey, Ecks, it's okay. Just try to take some deep breaths, it's going to be okay.

[ecks]

[Ecks is relieved to do Dr. House's bidding; the roll of foil is in his hand within moments and she's quickly skittering away to look for good pieces of metal.

She glances toward Al, surprised to find that her breaths are still shallow and short when he points it out -- and with a nod she draws in a deeper one before she gets back to work. It'll take her a couple minutes to find what is needed.]

[rubikscomplex]

Nah, the unconscious ones are great.

[He rips off a few sheets of aluminum foil and hands the roll over to Cas.]

Pull the bandage off and try wrapping three sheets of this around his hands like the bandage.

[spoileralert]

Al!

[ Steph had a bad feeling about this to start with, but it was worth a try. Now, not so much. She rushes forward to pull him away from the wall on instinct, not really concerned with his size or the fact that he's probably backing off on his own. ]

[armoured]

[He wouldn't have tried this with her watching if he knew it would go south so quickly, the tentative peace after the grief feels so fragile and he doesn't want to be the one to break it.

Except he is.]

H-Hey-- it's okay, I'm okay.

[spoileralert]

[ She turns him around to look at his hands. Injuries she can cope with, especially when she's well supplied for them. ]

Jesus Christ. Okay, I've got bandages in my bag. We're gonna need to stop the bleeding and I have no clue how clotting works for you.

[armoured]

I'm not sure it works at all, and I don't exactly have skin to grow back over the cuts.

[His stupid body is a hindrance even here.]

It's okay, Steph, I'll be fine. I'll ask Dr. House, he's a jerk, but he's a doctor, he won't let me keep bleeding.

[spoileralert]

You'll be fine, once we get your hands bandaged.

[ She lets him go to pull her bag around and dig through it for her cloth strips. ]

For now, hold them together. Apply as much pressure as you can.

[armoured]

[He tries to press the palms of his hands together, but the pain is sharp and keen, enough to have him pull them apart again on instinct.]

I-- I can't, I'm sorry.

[They're cut up too much, he can't use them to put pressure on one another.]

[spoileralert]

Just try, okay? It'll just be a second.

[ She has to pull out some of her rations, but she finally produces the first aid kit. Inside, among other things, are several long strips of cloth.

She takes one of his hands and starts wrapping it, having very little mercy for the sensitive cuts. She needs pressure and she needs it now. ]

This is gonna hurt. I'm sorry.

[armoured]

[He grunts quietly when she takes his hand and applies pressure to it, the sharp metal that's been cut away probably at danger for cutting her too if she's not careful about how she wraps his hand.]

It's so strange.

[His voice is quiet, a mixture of awed and tense.]

I keep forgetting what real pain feels like, even with how different I am here. Isn't that stupid?

[spoileralert]

[ She's careful. More careful of the cloth, but she gets away without more than a couple of nicks.

Once she's done with the one hand she moves on to the other. ]

It's not stupid. I've broken dozens of bones. You never remember exactly how much it hurts until it happens again.

[armoured]

I guess I keep forgetting that I can even feel pain and bleed here.

[Even after all this time, it still feels like an impossibility brought to life whenever it happens.]

[spoileralert]

[ She hums thoughtfully as she finishes wrapping up his hands. ]

It was important to try this, but... don't forget you're not invulnerable, Al.

[armoured]

Don't worry, Steph, I'm not about to leave you.

[He knows he's not invulnerable, even if he forgets that he can bleed sometimes.]

But this-- what do you think the wall is made from? Nothing should be able to cut through so easily.