Sieh: ich fühle, wie ich mich entferne, wie ich Altes, Blatt um Blatt, verlier.

[apaintingdarkly]

[ Infirmary Spam ]

[ Dying, Dark has learned, sucks. Of course he had died once before, but he didn't think of that as such. Being shot with a magic bullet was totally different from being stabbed in the back and left to bleed out.

More importantly, death tolling sucks. He already has to deal with the shame of letting Omar sneak up on him and having lost all of his combat magic. Now he also has to deal with being bedridden, weak as a puppy. It is not a good look for him, he thinks.

There is one thing that's good though: nobody else is dead because Dark got them into trouble or failed to protect him. He's really thinking for the first time about the fact that he has his own body now, for better or for worse. A real, proper body that belongs to no one but himself.

It doesn't mean he won't brood though, staring into the distance like the tragic lead of a film. ]

Comments

[tucky]

[Ugh, this guy.

But he's in the infirmary and she's on duty, and she takes that seriously. Being petty and rude is tempting, but if she succumbed to those impulses, she'd be letting down her warden and doing badly at a job she's actually pretty proud to have. So instead, she walks over to Dark, her expression fairly neutral.]

Y'all need anything?

[apaintingdarkly]

[ Ugh, this girl.

He doesn't actively dislike her. Honestly, he just finds her to be really obnoxious. Nothing worth being nasty over, so he restrains a grimace. ]

A team of pretty nurses in skimpy costumes?

[tucky]

[She is really obnoxious; sorry Dark. She actually snorts with laughter at his comment, though.]

We're kinda short on those. Don't even get uniforms in here.

[apaintingdarkly]

[ Well lookit that, she didn't even snap at him. He offers a wry half-grin in reward. ]

People like soup when they're sick, right? Got any of that?

[ He's never been sick. When his host is sick he can always just sleep. ]

[tucky]

Up in the cafeteria, probably. What kind you want?

[apaintingdarkly]

[ He shrugs. ] You pick. I don't care.

[tucky]

Fine, but if I get something you don't like you ain't allowed to complain.

[And she goes off, coming back about fifteen minutes later with a mug of the old standby, chicken noodle.]

[apaintingdarkly]

[ The mug is a surprise, but what does he know about chicken soup? Nobody ever invites him to family dinner - it would mean missing it themselves. ]

...Thanks.

[ It's hardly even grudging. The soup actually smells mostly appetizing, which is impressive when you're sick from death tolling. He takes a quick sip, too small to burn his mouth much, and hums thoughtfully. Chicken soup. Now he knows. ]

[tucky]

Yeah. No problem.

[And she busies herself by straightening up around the main clinic room, though she continually glances at Dark out of the corner of her eye so she can either take the mug or get him a refill when he's done. He's the only patient awake right now; he gets all the attention.]

[apaintingdarkly]

[ He's not feeling at all well, so he decides the best way to cope at the moment is probably just to ignore her. He goes back to staring into space, drinking his soup.

He does get a little confused when at the end he's left with basically all of the solids that were in the soup to begin with. He tries to roll with it. ]

[tucky]

[She's fine with ignoring, and just sits there flipping through one of her school books.

Eventually, she looks up.]

Anything else?

[apaintingdarkly]

[ He eyes her uncertainly. ]

Are you just gonna stare at me all day? I know I'm good looking, but it's starting to get weird.

[tucky]

Fuck off. I'm doing work, and sometimes I'm looking after you - cause you're a patient. I brought you soup, so you can can it.

And you ain't good-looking, either.

[apaintingdarkly]

[ He's definitely never been a patient before. ]

You're in denial, I understand.

[tucky]

In denial about trying to do my fucking job, or in denial about you being nothing special?

[apaintingdarkly]

You'll understand when you're older, sweetheart.

[ At least being an ass makes him feel more like himself. ]

[tucky]

[She gives him an incredulous look.]

I'm twenty-four.

[apaintingdarkly]

Give it a few centuries.

[ He does not expect her to take that as literally as he means it. ]

[tucky]

[But she, of course, will.]

I'm a human so I'm not gonna live that long.

Now, you gonna be civil to the person who's just trying to help you out?

[apaintingdarkly]

I'm being civil.

[ No, really. This is Dark being civil. ]

[tucky]

Nah, it sounds to me like you're taking your sexual frustration out on me.

Do you want more fucking soup or not.

[apaintingdarkly]

How is it that I'm being lectured on manners by a rude little pipsqueak?

[tucky]

I asked you what you wanted and I brought you food!

[apaintingdarkly]

So you curse at me and call me a pervert? I've been arrested by people with better manners.

[tucky]

I curse at everyone. And you started it by talking about how I was staring at you, which I wasn't.

Just giving back what I'm getting, is all.

[apaintingdarkly]

Then you can stop. I'm not going to waste any more of my time trying to talk to somebody who doesn't know how to have a conversation without throwing insults around.

[tucky]

I didn't until you did!

[apaintingdarkly]

[ Nope he is not talking to you anymore. Not even looking at you. This here, this is the Cold Shoulder. ]

[tucky]

... You're fucking nuts; you got something wrong with your head.

[apaintingdarkly]

[ He manages to roll his eyes without actually looking in her direction. Way to prove his point. ]