(no subject)

[theresnodoor]

Rachel has been busy. Actually, Rachel hasn't been seen much around Metropolis. In fact, Rachel hasn't been seen much of anywhere... aside from Detroit.

She comes back to the apartment in Metropolis at night, because Tobias sleeps there, too, and would worry if she didn't. And while she's never seen him, Rachel has a sneaking suspicion that she's occasionally followed to Detroit, and watched. Even though all she's really doing there is watching, too.

Unless, you know, something happens. And she's in a position to do something about it. Things like that happen, you know.

(very often)

Sometimes, they happen a little more unexpectedly than she'd like, where she's not in a position to help someone being targeted but is actually the target. The things attacking her rarely ever know exactly what they're getting into and she's yet to deal with any serious damage from any of them. But today, one of them got lucky and surprised her. And the morphing power, while useful and incredibly powerful, is not an exact science.

Rachel has been unable to morph or demorph without reopening a four inch gash across her collarbone and chest. In her human body.

It's getting complicated. Not to keep it covered - her wardrobe has always been modest, if stylish. And not to keep it clean - Rachel is nothing if not fastidious in her appearance.

It's that she literally cannot morph until she heals and it is taking too damn long.



It's only been about two hours since she got the cut, of course. And right now, she's standing in an abandoned drug store back in Metropolis, in the back room of the pharmacy. She's stripped off her outer shirt, standing there in jeans and the top half of her morphing outfit. The gash is large and ugly but not dangerous, not when she's surrounded by bottles of alcohol and sterile bandages.

No, the real problem is... the gash is going to require stitches. Rachel has only performed stitches twice in her entire life, both times on someone else.

She's eyeballing the sealed pack of needle and thread with a deep frown. There's no way she's coming out of this without a scar.

Stupid Andalites and their imperfect science.

Comments

[hector-aframian.livejournal.com]

Dean is looking for ...


... uh, bandaids. That's all. Nothing else, for sure. Which is why he wanders into the pharmacy and stops, surprised to see someone else there, and then more surprised at who it is. And then wary at the bleeding.

"... That looks fun."

[theresnodoor]

Rachel...



... bleeding or not, she wasn't really hoping for company. And between the two people who have helped her learn to perform stitches, Dean was not the one she would have liked to see.

Her expression is caught somewhere between wanting to ask for his help and wanting to demand he go jump off a cliff.

"Great," she quips, because sarcasm is easier than sincerity, scowling and ripping open one of the packages to get at the alcohol wipe. "Then you can have the next one."

There is more than a little hesitation in actually applying the wipe.

[hector-aframian.livejournal.com]

Dean smirks, dropping the box of tissues back to the dusty shelf and coming over.

"Sure, all right. Look, if you sew that up yourself you're gonna have a fucker of a scar."

[theresnodoor]

"... I know."

She wasn't going to ask Tobias to try. She wasn't going to go stick blood and stitches in Jo's face without knowing how she was doing yet. She really wasnt going to seek out Dean. She's not exactly welcome at the farm.

But Rachel only glances over to Dean, a flicker of blue eyes, still holding the alcohol wipe in one hand.



Well, he can't be expecting her to ask.

[hector-aframian.livejournal.com]

No, but he wasn't going to ask permission either. He confiscates the wipe and looks around, frowning a little. "Okay, sit down on the floor and lean back against the shelf. Do you want something to bite on or something? 'Cause this -" a wave of the wipe - "is going to hurt even more'n getting it did."

[theresnodoor]

She glares at him because he didn't ask and just assumed she'd need his help and is horning in on HER INJURY.


But Rachel still walks over to the shelf, sliding to the floor with a little hiss when her shoulder pulls at the cut.

"No, I don't want something to bite," she grumbles, irritable.

[hector-aframian.livejournal.com]

"Make sure your tongue's outta the way, then."

Dean pauses, realising he's treating her like ... like she's Sammy. Most women, he'd be a lot more reassuring, more careful.

... then again, Rachel isn't exactly a civilian.

His hands are big and calloused, but gentle, not clumsy. He dabs at the area around the wound, cleaning as much as possible, and then frowns at the gash itself.

"Wipes aren't gonna sterilise this."

[theresnodoor]

Rachel just scowls at him, especially when he gets close. The only people outside of Tobias that get this close to her usually get attacked a minute later.

The dabbing is-- bad. Really bad. Enough to deepen her breath, coming sharp and heavy through her nose even as she turns her head to the side and tries to set the wall on fire with her mind.

His words? Not helpful.

"Then what will?"

[hector-aframian.livejournal.com]

Dean glances back at the ransacked shelves, and frowns.

"I've got a bottle of Grey Goose in the car."

It would be a shame to waste quality vodka. On the other hand, it would be much more of a shame for Rachel to get hurt or infected.

"Back in a sec."

[no-guardian-i.livejournal.com]

The problem with staying in a city you've never been to in your entire life is that you really have no clue whatsoever where anything is. Food, medicine, entertainment, transportation, clothing and more. Ichigo has no clue where to find any of these things, and since Jane works odd hours and Ichigo sleeps half the day away anyways, he doesn't really have anybody to help him. Today, he's decided to help himself, perhaps forgetting that while he may be able to speak it, reading English is NOT one of his strong points.

It's funny how much less fun exploring can be when you're tired, alone and more than a little nervous. Still, it's something Ichigo needs to do. Staying indoors all day is only going to make him want to sleep, and Ichigo does not want to sleep these days. So Ichigo finds himself out exploring Metropolis today, trying to remember where he's going even as he becomes more and more hopelessly lost. By the time he stumbles upon the drug store, he's not sure he'll ever find his way back, but he carries on nonetheless.

After a tentative look through the window, Ichigo pushes open the half-broken door and walks inside. The little bell above the doorway chimes as he enters, causing him to jump halfway out of his skin before he realizes what made the sound. Taking a calming breath, he walks further into the store, his stomach growling for food.

[theresnodoor]

The bell doesn't startle her that much but Rachel still hears it loud and clearr.


Which means that, by the time she pokes her head out of the pharmacy, she's fully dressed again, wound hidden behind thickly taped gauze and her t-shirt.

The newcomer is watched for a moment but as soon as she realizes how jumpy he is, Rachel decides not to let him see her first.

"Looking for something?"

Though this probably doesn't help his nerves any.

[no-guardian-i.livejournal.com]

That assumption is correct. Ichigo jumps for a second time, relaxing a bit when he catches sight of her. She doesn't seem to be brandishing a weapon, unlike many people he passes on the street, so that's a plus.

"N-no," he says, "Just looking. Is this your store?"

Maybe she's just a really bad owner, maybe she's just a looter. Who knows?

[theresnodoor]

No weapon. Just a woman, tall and willowy, though the way she carries herself doesn't look anything like 'powerless.'

Rachel shakes her head, blonde hair waving, but the wrinkle between her eyebrows doesn't ease, watching him. "No. I'm shopping."

Sorta.

[no-guardian-i.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Okay." Ichigo still isn't sure of how to deal with people from this world, but in general staying out of their way seems to keep them relatively happy. "Me too, I guess. Is that a pharmacy back there?"

He gestures towards the back of the store, trying to figure out if his suspicions are correct. It looks like some kind of pharmacy, but not being able to read the language makes it difficult to tell if any of the signs are particularly helpful.

[theresnodoor]

Considering Rachel is standing just under the big sign that proclaims in red "PHARMACY"...

Her eyes narrow on him. Confusion and suspicion that he's messing with her, as Rachel glances up at said sign, and points to it.

"Yeah."

The duh is implicit.

[no-guardian-i.livejournal.com]

Well somebody here looks pretty stupid.

"Sorry," he says, looking up at the sign and trying to memorize the word for later. "I can't read English, so it's kind hard for me to figure out signs and stuff here."

It's not like reading Japanese will help him much in this world, considering how screwed most of it was when he was there.

[theresnodoor]

Aaaaand somebody feels like a giant bitch.

"Oh," says Rachel, stubbornly ignoring the flush of her face and glancing up at the sign again. "Well, um... yeah, this is the pharmacy. Uh, maybe if you tell me what you're looking for, I can tell you where it is."

And save face. If it's possible at this point.

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

Outside the pharmacy, which she has to leave eventually, there is a hawk perched rather conspicuously. He's on top of one of the dozens of wrecked cars that still litter the streets, and while he looks like he might be sleeping... Well, he's not.

[theresnodoor]

Yeah, Rachel doesn't think so either.

But then, she's been injured. And the healing process was less than pleasant. And it still hurts.

So if he wants to talk to her about it, he's going to have to deal with being glared at for a moment before she starts stomping down the street toward the apartment.

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

<You okay?> is what he asks as he launches himself into the air.

Hey, it's better than his first two thoughts: "I told you not to go without telling me" and "who sewed that up?" Tobias isn't completely stupid.

[theresnodoor]

Which is important, if he wants to continue spending most of his time near Rachel.

He gets a glare anyway, though. That's not too surprising.

(it's possible she heard the two questions anyway, even without them being spoken aloud)

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

He's a hawk, so he doesn't sigh. And, as we mentioned, he's no dummy, so he doesn't sigh mentally either. Instead Tobias lets his glide path sink lower, bringing him in closer to her.

Just because he wants to be close to her.

[theresnodoor]

...yeah.

After a few minutes of walking, Rachel's expression gentles. She glances up when his shadow gets bigger, sees how close he is.

And very carefully, pulls her hair over one shoulder. So he knows which one he can land on without hurting her.

If he wants to.

[whoiwasmeant2be.livejournal.com]

That's an invitation. From Rachel. Tobias isn't about to let that go by without taking advantage of it. He glides in on a shallow path, landing far more gently than he might have if she weren't injured.

Then he leans his head lightly against hers.

[theresnodoor]

That's okay. She's leaning her head back.





"Were you watching today?"

Sometimes, she can't tell.