thebastion | Day 161 - Something's nasty...something's foul...

Entry tags:

Day 161 - Something's nasty...something's foul...

Who: Raile and whoever wants to stumble over this sick kid.
When: Day 161
Where: The Monument, and perhaps other places in the Bastion.
What: Raile is really, really sick and needs help badly.
Format: Any you can think of is fine with me.
Warnings: Body squickiness, sickness, serious discussions most likely.

[There was something incredibly off, Raile could tell the minute he opened his eyes that things weren't normal about him; the right side of his face felt like it was being crushed and stabbed at the same time...like someone had covered a hammer head in zulwood oil. As well, his entire body was hot to the point where he was sweating profusely and that same crushing feeling extended down to his chest, making his breathing nothing short of a labored chore; everything part of him ached and his insides felt like they were on fire. Simply keeping his eyes open hurt and caused his world to spin right along with his stomach. Against his better judgement, Raile stood up from his bed roll--only to fall flat on his face without any help from the Skyway; it took him a few tries, but he eventually got to his carbine which he used as a crutch as he began to walk towards the center of the Bastion.

If anything, his mind was so wracked with pain and the urge to be sick that he could hardly have come up with any solid plan on where he was going; but his body sure as heck knew where it needed to go...at best, he was heading in the general direction of Zulf's tent, not that his body would be able to carry him that far. Every step his took made his world spin harder and sent an ache that pierced right through his bones; Raile was a tough kid, but even the strongest man alive had his limits...he only got as far as the monument before he collapsed once again, his rifle clattering off to the side. He could no longer keep his eyes open out of the pain the light of the sun sent through his head, so he shut his eyes and used the last of his strength to prop his back against the metal construct that rested in the center of the Bastion.

It's hum was somewhat comforting, but it did little to ease his pain as he sat against it and did his best just to breath deep, ragged breaths. He'd never felt like this in his life...and if someone didn't find him here soon, this might very well be the last time he felt like this...or felt anything at all.]

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[Completely unlike his normal behavior, Colin's face seems to be set in stone, his right eye flickering as he studies Raile's face]

AZ, keep that up. Rosethorn, with me, we need to scrub. He's got a horrible infection, his heart rate is erratic, and he isn't breathing. AZ will keep him alive.

I'm going to need towels, a compress, suction if we have it, bandages, and a... No, we don't have laser scalpels here. I'll improvise there.

What genius stitched up that wound without making sure it was clean?

Also, everyone who isn't seeing to Raile, get out now.

[The strangled noise from behind Colin should probably answer that nicely.]

[At least, however, the sound of the door being flung open should be some reassurance as that's one less person clogging up the room and getting in the way.]

[Rosethorn winces, although the description is nothing she wasn't expecting. She's already set down jars of a much more potent cousin to her infection preventers next to Raile. This one doesn't see use narly as often. She's just glad she made some and boosted its power before the trip to the Observatory. Rosethorn seconds Colin's evaluation, voice sharp.] Infection is a whole lot easier to prevent than to treat. He should've been brought to the hospital in the first place.

Ryu, if you're going, I need a favor. [She grabs teas by feel with a tendril of magic out of her bag, not needing the labels to recognize them, but she's going for bandages at the same time. Multitasking rather than actively taking time away from Raile. Rosethorn passes both packets of tea to Ryu.] Zulf's panicking, and he's going to wind up in the hospital right alongside his friend. Watch him. Take some of the water you boiled and make tea. Give him this one first, and if he doesn't calm down, try the other. I have mugs in the corner cabinet. He'll fall asleep if you have to use the second one.

[She's familiarized herself enough with the facility to know where everything Colin asked for is, except of course for that laser, and she starts gathering all of it while still finishing her instructions.]

Colin, you said improvise. I don't even know what a laser is, and I've never had anything other than a blade to work with for something like this. How much are we improvising?

[As he does another round of compression, he fishes a Pokeball out of his pocket and releases Torkoal into the corner of the room.]

You can keep the water warm on his back. He can boil it hot enough for sterilization, too.

[He keeps up the CPR, and Floette follows behind Ryu and Zulf, shaking a little. She can't take seeing this kind of thing anymore.]

That will probably help quite a bit.

[Colin knows basic field medicine, but his scanner is telling him more than enough to at least give him an idea of what he needs to know. He steps aside to scrub up.]

The infection has been festering inside that closed wound. We need to open it, drain it, and clean it...

[He gives Rosethorn a worried look.]

Can what you've got treat the infection? Or am I going to have to break out the nano-tech?

...

As for the improvisation, I'm going to use my laser cutter. A cutting beam of light is the ultimate in sterile tool. It's a very narrow beam, and it will get that wound open cleaner than any blade. ... We need to get him stabilized, though, and ... I have no idea how to do that. AZ is keeping air circulating, for the moment...

[It was dark. Everywhere Raile looked was just dark, dark, and even more dark as far as the eye could see...or couldn't see as the case was. He knew he was standing on something solid, so he started to make his way forward as best he could...he had no idea where he was or why he was here; everything in his head felt fuzzy at best and all he could do was see if moving forward would take him to someplace he could get answers from.

As he moved, lights began to shoot past him; lights of all shapes, sizes, and colors that wove together in front of him to make a beautiful collage. Eventually they began to move fast enough that they made discernible shapes, and then even faces that he could recognize, and finally scenes from his life that he could remember; it was like...]

M'life is flashin'...

[The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd always heard about that...dying and all from the others working on the Rippling Walls; how your life would flash before your eyes. He wasn't scared--disappointed and sad maybe, but not at all scared; he'd been prepared for his death for a long time, but there was so much he felt he still had to do, it left him standing in place, horribly conflicted. It was then he felt a hand on his shoulder and a feeling of warmth he hadn't felt in what felt like a lifetime.

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was, and just that knowledge alone caused the tears to flow freely from his eyes; there was so much he wanted to say...so many things he wanted to share, but he knew that now wasn't the time, the feeling of her grip tightening told him everything he needed to know. He felt the soft whisper of her voice rustle against his ear like a warm breeze as the lights began to pull away from his vision and things became blurry once more.]

"I love you...my little grand Raile."

[The breath shot out of his lungs like they'd been fired out of his carbine and his good arm rose up in a flash to grab AZ's arm hard as if he were worried he might suddenly fly away; his eyes opening like a pair of steel traps being released as they darted around the room with the kind of panic only a man who'd seen the other side could muster. He was back...but he was still incredibly worse for the wear and still in dire need of help.]

[AZ pauses, looking down at Raile. He stops the compressions, and leans down to listen and make sure that he's breathing on his own and his heart is pumping. Satisfied, he turns his hand to hold onto the other's, gently. His voice softens as he speaks to Raile.]

Good to have you back. Your cut got infected, and we need to treat it, all right? We'll take care of you. Don't worry.

[He squeezes the boy's hand a little, though not enough to hurt, before returning to his normal tone.]

Colin, I'm no doctor, but I'll do what I can. I doubt we have anesthesia here, so I can hold him while the two of you work. Just tell me what to do.

[He shut his eyes again due to his sensitivity to the light, but he gave AZ as good a nod as he could. He didn't have any voice left to agree, but the pain was so great in him that whatever they needed to do...he'd let them do; he doubted he even had the strength left to put up a struggle. If you were going to do anything to him Colin, now was the perfect time.]

[She nods at Colin's breakdown of the situation, returning to Raile's side.] I know we do. I can treat the infection. I won't be able to treat other things it may have done to his body in the meantime.

[Later, Rosethorn can be impressed by Torkoal. Colin mentioned the Pokemon to her once before, and he's as interesting as expected.

She exhales sharply in relief when Raile starts breathing again.]

I could get him unconscious easily enough. I hesitate to do it considering how recently his heart and lungs started working again. I haven't tested side effects on anyone in that situation. It could be worse for him to feel what we're doing, but I worry a little less about that.

We might need to put him out later, if we need to remove anything. But for the cut?

[Colin actually grins at that, and he shakes his head.]

No, he won't need anesthesia for this. People who've suffered laser wounds have observed that the only pain they felt was from doing something stupid to a wound they never realized they suffered. There's no pressure, no extra wounding to worry about. He won't feel a thing.

[He produces his multi-tool from his toolkit, and he actuallys beams.]

This part will be easy. It's what comes later that I worry about. Rosethorn, can you prepare something to clean the pus and blood? Once that's been taken care of, we can worry about the infection.

[He turns on the laser then, and with a flick of his wrist, the stitched wound is reopened to drain. So begins the medical process.]

(OOC: Since Rosethorn mun's going to be gone a couple of days, and since it's going to be a lot of medical stuff that I know I personally don't know enough to accurately RP, do we just want to handwave what's coming next?)

[AZ nods, and gently holds Raile's head still with his free hand. He's still got the boy's hand in his. He's not going to let him go unless he has to, and he figures a calming presence might help.]

[[ooc; For the sake of speed and not making everyone reading this thread throw up, I agree.]]

[Raile appreciated the gesture from AZ and took as deep of a breath as he could as he braced himself; no matter how this went down, it wasn't apt to be pleasant. All he could hope is that it would be over with sooner rather than later.]

[[ooc; I concur, we can handwave all the medical nonsense and go straight to the after everything is done part.]]

I'm not all that good with hospital work, but call me back if you think there's anything I can do.

[He takes the tea bags and nods, noting her instruction. He makes a note later to ask about her magic, as he's never seen anyone being able to manipulate things like that before. With a moment's preparation he has the first tea bag steeping in hot water. Holding a steaming mug of tea, he nods to Colin and Rosethorn.]

Good luck.

[And he slips out the door to tend to Zulf. Ryu figures he's going to have a little explaining to do later once everything calms down. First things first, though. Tending to Zulf before he literally worries himself sick.]

Your friends are working on him right now. I know it's hard to wait when someone is in trouble, but try to take a few deep breaths and steady yourself.

[Ryu offers the mug to Zulf, hoping he wouldn't need to use the contents of the second tea bag. Because drugging someone to sleep, even if it's in their best interest, would probably make for an awful first impression.]

This should help you relax.

[It takes maybe a bit of searching to go find Zulf, although he actually isn't far- he's simply evacuated into one of the rooms right besides the one where Raile currently is. In the time it's taken for Ryu to get out of the room, he's already curled up on the floor, back against the wall and his face hidden against his knees. His fingers are digging into his skirt.]

[Still shaking.]

I don't want to relax.

[His voice comes out muffled.]

[Floette floats down to Zulf, stroking his hair gently. She doesn't look very well herself, but she's holding herself together for him. She looks up at Ryu, eyes wide and sad.]

Flo...

It's not going to do you any good to be all wound up like this.

[His tone remains gentle, but insistent at the same time.]

The lady you brought back with you asked me to come out and make sure you're okay. She made the tea. I know this might not amount to much coming from a guy you don't even really know, but please try to stay calm. If not for your own sake, then for the sake of your friend so he doesn't have anything to worry about when he wakes up.

[He glances to Floette, trying to offer both her and Zulf a reassuring smile.]

If there's anything else that can be done to help him, I promise you it'll be done. You just have to hang tight in the meantime.

[He takes a seat near Zulf, at least within arm's length. He's not quite sure what he can do to get through to him, but it's worth a shot.]

Zulf, right?

[But he figures the best course of action might be to get him talking. Get his mind moving elsewhere.]

[There's one good sign, at least. Zulf still doesn't move much from his current position, but he does shift just enough to get a little closer to Floette's touch.]

Don't want tea. [It's going to take a bit of convincing, it looks like. Drinking tea would require uncurling, would require facing the world properly again, exposing himself even though that hasn't done him any good lately. He's not sure how right now.] And just- don't tell him then. Lie. Say I'm fine.

[Even if he's the opposite of.]

[Another slight shift.]

...Of the Ura. A pleasure. [It's a hollow pleasantry born of habit.] I apologize for the mix up.

[She nuzzles into him a little, before turning to face Ryu.]

Floette!

[Floette strokes Zulf's hair a little more, and then twirls her flower.]

Floooooette!

[A sweet scent fills the room, strong but not overpowering. It smells like flowers in full bloom, and should at least be a little calming.]

I'd rather not get into the habit of lying to people, not after all that's happened. I'm Ryu... Of the Brood, if that helps you tell us apart any better.

[His lips curl into a gentle smile, and he chuckles softly. If he gets to talking, maybe he'll want a drink? Either way as long as Zulf is less shaky, that's fine by Ryu.]

If it makes you feel any better, it caught me off guard as well. When I saw him for the first time, I thought he was coming from something much more sinister.

[He has to admit, that smell is helping to ebb a little tension that Ryu previously felt during their initial ordeal.]

Unfortunately, I don't know much about why we look so similar.

[Because he's curled up into a ball, not as much of the aroma gets to Zulf as it would normally. Still, some of it gets through. It's enough that his shaking stops being so violent and harsh. There's some trembling left over... but it isn't as bad anymore. That's not saying much, of course.]

More mysteries.

[It's not much. Even with Floette's helpful move, he's not particularly in the talkative mood. He is uncurling one hand to blindly reach towards the direction he thinks she's in, however.]

Mysteries we can hopefully solve, one day.

[He glances in Floette's direction and gives her a nod of thanks. With her help he might get Zulf to calm down without having to resort to knocking him out with the tea bag he has been given.]

If you don't mind, I'd like to know a little more about you. I figure if we're all going to be living together, we may as well get to know one another, right?

[His gaze shifts to Zulf's uncurled hand, and his eyes trace a trail back to Floette, hoping she'll catch on.]

Or your little friend here. I've never seen anything like them before.

[Well, not counting Peco. But he was more of a mutant onion with legs and not a delicate thing floating on a flower.]

[Floette nuzzles into Zulf's hand a little. She's here, friend. She's not going to leave you.]

Flo. Floette. Flo flo flo!

[The language... might be a problem.]

[Normally, on any other day, Zulf would have readily agreed. The more they know about one another, perhaps more they can learn to trust one another. Bonds are a good reason for others to actually care about the rest of the Bastion. Besides, he likes talking about his life to some degree. He likes people knowing he's from the Terminals- proud of his homeland.]

[But right now, he just refuses to even look at Ryu, only reaching out in regards to Floette who he shakily starts to pet the head of.]

Ask AZ. His world.

[While it's true he doesn't understand anything Floette is saying, he does understand her intentions well enough. So far his efforts don't seem to be working all that well, but he's hoping Floette can make a bit more headway on the matter as she has been.]

The big guy, right? I'll ask him after your friend gets better.

[If there's anything Ryu will continue to insist on, it would be Raile's condition. Of course there's no way he knows for certain, but he doesn't let that slight doubt betray the tone of his voice. The thought might help Zulf continue to calm down.]

I'm sure they're doing everything they can to help him.

...My fault.

Day 161 - Something's nasty...something's foul...

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