tranquilforest | IC Contact: Atacalepsy

[Akira returns to the medical tent in the midst of the city battered and scraped, but victorious]

[he didn't do much. at least, not compared to those who traversed into the very center of the storm. all he did was stay on the outer edges of it, dodging flying debris and keeping an eye on his fellow circle members. it was almost instinct, the way he watched them, reminiscent of the days he'd observe the battlefield like a hawk to make sure his teammates were fighting to their best abilities. some habits are just hard to break. leader mode is one of them]

[his clothes are torn around his arms and legs, shallow scrapes slicing into his skin and trickling small drops of blood. he looks disheveled, hair windswept and wild, and as soon as he finds a place to sit down he is plopping right into it with a deep sigh. and because of that, it might take him a moment to realize Jing is here, too]

-- Jing-san?

[but he does address her when he realizes her presence]

[There's something almost disappointingly familiar about this, but she knows where her own strengths and skills lie, even in a place as strange as this one, and she'd rather be of use than a liability. So waiting in relative safety while other members of the Circle, which made her restless and anxious, at least meant she was more or less guaranteed to remain in good enough health to take care of them when they did return.]

Haven't you been seen to yet, Akira? [She asks quietly, a quick glance of assessment enough to note the extent of his thankfully minor injuries. The battles Lady Astoria had embroiled them in thus far had been relatively bloodless, a circumstance for which she can only be grateful while it lasts.]

[his response is instinctive]

Not yet. But don't worry about me-- there must be people who are worse off than I am.

[brushing off his own injuries for the sake of fussing over others. although even as he says that and takes a look around the first aid tent, he doesn't really see any other circle members in need of attention]

[She blinks at that, and then smiles slightly.]

If there are, they can be cared for by those with more proficiency or healing ability. In the meantime, I think you're still stuck with me.

[She didn't have any special ability - Astoria-granted or otherwise - for healing, after all. But injuries like the ones Akira seemed to have were well within her purview, and she has all her supplies with her already in anticipation of just this kind of circumstance.]

[opens his mouth to protest]

[then shuts it again with a click, looking a bit guilty, like he was caught with his hand in a cookie jar]

Can't really argue against that, can I?

It would probably be better for you not to try.

[She says with mock severity, her smile apparently teasing, but there is nothing about her bearing or her careful attention on him that suggests she takes the situation lightly as she pulls out her medical kit and uncaps containers of ointment and rolls of clean bandages.]

Pick your battles, and all of that.

[as Jing pulls out her medical supplies, Akira bends over to roll up his pant leg. he winces as he does so, a brief flicker of pain twisting his expression, and the reason why becomes clear almost immediately. he definitely has a nice, lengthy gash running up his calf. it isn't too terribly deep, but it's large and it's bleeding a little bit. whoops]

[She always does, after all.

She can appreciate Akira wanting to take a slightly more active, hands on approach to his own treatment, considering her experience with her son and his best friend as they grew up and trained for their respective armies, but even so...]

It would probably have been better for you not to walk on that for so long. [It's not quite a scold; there's some resignation in her tone as well, since there was little she could do to help it now. She wets a clean cloth and gently wipes away the blood so she can get a better look at the wound itself.]

Do you remember what caused this? What was it like so far out of the city?

[she's right, and he swallows the urge to argue with her and point out that he hadn't had much of a choice. he can tell by her tone that she probably realizes it, too. . . so reiterating the point would just be him being difficult, when she's here trying to do him a favor]

[he can be polite!!]

[Akira holds his leg out for her to work on while he inhales and exhales through the pain of wound cleaning]

I tripped over a rusted pipe while I was running back to the cart.

[. . . rusted pipe. uh???]

That was probably what cut me, too.

[MAN SURE HOPE HE DOESN'T GET TETANUS]

[ ~~/squints at~~. Her hands are steady and careful as she peers at the clean wound, and then starts to open one of her pots of ointment. The antiseptic properties of more modern concoctions were really extraordinary.]

I can't see any debris, though I'm surprised there's any metal in this place that was neglected to the point of rust. Even your friends beneath the city were worn, but not to that degree.

[And for what it's worth, with how little organic anything there is here, she's very much unconvinced that infection from something unknown in the environment will be an issue. Since it was a matter of what Akira might be carrying around with him, she was feeling optimistic.]

It was out near the storm. The city's in pretty bad shape over there.

[dilapidated, rusty, basically in ruins. . . he gives his head a small shake, dispelling those images from the forefront of his mind]

Was the damage caused by the storm itself, then?

[She unrolls her clean bandages and wraps them with neat, efficient movements around Akira's leg, just tight enough to provide some support for when he next tries to put significant weight on it.]

What else is there, at the edge of this world?

No. It didn't look like it. It was more. . . time, thinks.

[he winces a little bit at the pressure, but otherwise stays still]

We didn't really get the chance to look beyond the ruined city and the storm itself. But I'd imagine it's more ruins, as far as the eye can see.

This place is so big. [Not that she'd ever gone very much beyond the boundaries of the Liang empire, but with the strange new transports that the future offered.]

I wonder why they chose to settle in such a small portion of it.

[She did see that wince, Akira. But his leg is as well-wrapped as it can be for now.]

You should be able to walk on the leg, but I'll come find you tomorrow to change out the bandages and check on the healing.

[A slow, deliberate glance over him.] Are there any other injuries I should know about?

. . . I doubt it was on purpose. They probably just. . . settled here, and then never found much of a reason to venture beyond the city boundaries.

[he plants his foot against the ground and gently pushes himself up a bit with his injured leg. putting pressure on it definitely hurts, so with a deep breath he lowers himself back into his seat. for now. . . he'll rest]

[and as for her question, there's hesitation, before he decides to continue being a good patient and rolls up his sleeves. there are a few minor scratches on his arms, but nothing nearly as deep as the wound on his leg]

[She doesn't make any motion to stop Akira as he tests the leg, but there is a hint of knowing about her expression as he eventually subsides and shows her the rest of his injuries.]

I'm glad you didn't end up with anything more serious. [She notes as she cleans and wraps up the scratches, a far less painful process than fixing his leg had been.] I'd prescribe you some tea to help with the healing, but I'm not sure you would take it. [Also apparently people just had pills these days.]

[oh no. . . funnily enough, her comment on his obstinate nature just gets a grin from Akira]

Depends on the kind of tea.

[HE KIDS]

No, of course I'd take it. I prefer coffee, but I like tea, too.

[You still owe her a coffee, Akira.]

If you're not careful, I'm going to hold you to that.

[It's medicinal tea, which is almost invariably gross. Are you sure...]

Especially since you won't be able to run off for a little while.

[She's kidding right? Totally kidding.]

[he has coffee beans now!! and a percolator!!]

. . . why am I suddenly nervous. . .

IC Contact: Atacalepsy

post-storm

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