[log] Don't worry! [closed]

[equal_shots]

Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Franken Stein, Marie Mjolner, Death the Kid
Location: Building 235, and building 34...with stops in between
Date: Evening of 233; evening of 240. Potentially there will be some intermingling between as there is some travel time
Summary: Stein and Kid meet up with Marie at the aquarium. They then will double back and return to the hot water house to meet up with John, Sherlock and Mycroft for Kid's blood transfusion.
Warnings: Blood, sickness, general Norfinbury nonsense. Will change if needed.


235: A small aquarium. It has the feel of a small-town tourist attraction, the sort built to give people just stopping to get gas a reason to stay for an hour or two. There are various aquariums inside that, according to plaques beside them, once showcased various Alaskan fish, but they're all empty of fish now. Various fish names are carved into the plaques: catfish, dogfish, mousefish, and birdfish. A piece of paper stuck on the lip of the catfish-labeled tank reads, in childish text and red pen, as follows: "You have to put your own fish in the tanks. DO NOT put Birdfish, Mousefish, or Dogfish in the tank with the Catfish!" The water still runs here, and even runs hot in the sinks, though there aren't any showers or bathtubs to use. The whole atmosphere is kind of eerie, with the water casting rippling patterns on the walls, ceilings, and floors.


34: Most of this house is in ruins--to get to the door requires walking over some rubble of the ruined house, although it seems like someone has moved the worst of it, allowing easier access to the house. The intact door leads to two intact rooms, and therefore it can be used as an overnight shelter. The door opens to a master bedroom with a large mattress and a thick comforter--too thick to carry without trouble, but nice for staying overnight here. The master bedroom is attached to a functioning master bathroom; the most important thing to note here is that it has a working shower with about ten minutes of hot water every day. Some of the tiles in the shower have been shattered and broken away, revealing a metal wall beneath. One nightstand has been broken apart and burned.

Comments

[howdull]

Precisely, more than long enough to do the job they were initially intended for, any longer and you risk the possibility of your skin growing around the thread and making it impossible to remove without further incision.

[equal_shots]

[Kid pulls the blanket tighter around him, and his expression shifts to something even more reminiscent of panic. It isn't unlike the look on his face when he'd run into Sherlock briefly while running out of the aquarium almost two months ago.

But he's still a teenager. Which requires some level of stubbornness.]

Then perhaps they should remain in place.

[howdull]

Didn't you hear what I said?

[Surely not, because what imbecile would think that allowing the stitches to become embedded in the skin was a good idea? Even a non medically trained professional can see what a bad idea that is.]

[equal_shots]

[Kid winces, color draining from his face. When he answers, he's mumbling.] I heard you. And I know they should come out.

[Fidgeting under the blanket, he swallows.] I do not want...I can not allow anyone near--I am scared. [He sniffs, panic creeping into his voice and scrubbing his remaining eye.]

[howdull]

[Ah. There's a moment where he almost walks away and looks for John or someone else better equipped to deal with a child's fear, but he doesn't. He crouches down to put himself more on Kid's level.]

That's sensible, having had a traumatic experience with your eye, being wary is natural. It is a mark of bravery to be able to face such a fear for necessary reasons. John is a competent surgeon, it would be sensible to let him take a look.

[equal_shots]

[Even crouching, Sherlock towers over him; Kid shudders slightly and shakes his head.] I don't want him to look. If he looks, he will want to take them out and if he takes them out--

[He hesitates.] I don't want to be held down again. Do you think it's necessary?

[howdull]

Yes, it's definitely necessary.

[A bit gentler he might be at the moment, but he's still not about to lie about this.]

But you needn't be held down, as long as you can remain still then there's no reason for you to be.

[equal_shots]

Very well. [Kid blinks up at Sherlock, clearly uncertain, but takes the man's answer for what it is.

A few moments of hesitation linger, and Kid returns to the nervous sorting of his backpack. The various bits of food are left where they are and he removes everything again, starting the process over. It's better than nothing.

He doesn't look up when he speaks again.] I...ah....I apologize for being unreasonable. [He coughs, and if he were looking up Sherlock would see his expression is truly chagrined.] Thank you.

[howdull]

[He had been expecting more protest than that, so he's a little taken aback when he apparently succeeds so quickly.]

It's not unreasonable to fear that which can hurt us, it's the most basic of survival instincts.

[Even he's scared sometimes, not that he'll admit that.]

Now come along, we should get those stitches out immediately.

[equal_shots]

I--ah, I need to--

[What Kid really needs to do is not make excuses. What he is going to do is he is going to make an excuse.

One hand weakly gestures to his small collection of items on the floor, the other choosing an old sheet to unfold and then fold again. The coughing--a symptom of the MN poisoning that had brought them together in the first place--rattles his chest as he works through his "sorting" of items.]

[howdull]

[Sherlock is well acquainted with avoidance techniques, he uses them himself a lot of the time, but he isn't qualified to fight harder.

He simply nods and straightens.]

I'll make sure John comes to see you shortly.