[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

[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.

[godsspeed]

[ Castiel nods, carefully easing off the pressure and pulling the bandage away in order to wrap the thin sheet of metal around Al's hand, peering inquisitively at the wound and the void it reveals as he does so. ]

Have you been injured like this before? Will your shell repair itself?

[armoured]

It's not my shell.

[He can't help but sound a little nettled, especially since it's obvious with the rents that there's nothing inside.]

And no-- It was always repaired with alchemy at home, but that doesn't work here and the metal isn't going to grow on its own.

[ecks]

Will it join with other metal? Like a skin graft?

[Ecks finally speaks up again as she comes back to deposit the one piece of flat metal she's found so far, stares at Al for a long moment, and then turns to go look for more of them.]

[rubikscomplex]

No. We'd need a soldering iron to graft metal onto him. [House finishes wrapping Al's hand as best he can and lets go long enough to grab his pack and pull it over. He takes out the hammer and his pack of nails, pulling one of the nails out and testing it against the metal Ecks has brought. He can probably get through it.]

This is gonna hurt, Elric. Like hell. Luckily, you don't have a tongue to bite off. Try not to scream, though.

[armoured]

Mm.

[He doesn't sound like he's looking forward to it, but he knows what has to be done and he won't flinch away from it.]

I'm ready, Dr. House, I can handle it.

[ecks]

[Ecks comes back with another piece just in time to see Doctor House testing a nail against the first one. She stops where she is, clutching it in her mittened hands, and watches with wide eyes.]

[rubikscomplex]

[House places the small plate of metal over the foil on Al's hand and takes a breath. Then pauses.]

I can give you a Vicodin now or later, kid. You're gonna need it.

[armoured]

[He doesn't think he's ever taken Vicodin before, but he's not a masochist.]

Maybe give it to me after, if it messes with me too much, I might not be able to tell if something is wrong.

[ecks]

It will hurt if you are awake when he does it.

[Just...pointing out. Is Al aware of that fact? Maybe he hasn't ever had parts added or taken off before.]

[rubikscomplex]

He knows. [And House has some measure of grudging respect for the sentiment and the fact that Al wants to ensure he's useful in some capacity as a patient.]

Could of three, Elric. One, two... three.

[The first blow strikes down, piercing the metal that Ecks has brought and driving just the tip into Al's armor. It's going to take... more than a few hits here, but House will work as quickly as he possibly can to avoid prolonged agony.]