Forward dated to After The Water Event because something something something

[feckinboomstick]

Who: Cassian (Now as one person) and Amberdrake
Where: Attleton, at Drake's office
Why: We've all learned an important life lesson about punching tigers.

So... returning to one body was actually a lot less painful than one would imagine. Rather it sort of happened while both halves were asleep.

The painful part, on top of clashing memories, was the insane amount of physical damage. All of it. Just all the physical damage ever. Is his jaw broken? Shit there's holes in him too holy fuck how did those get there- Oh his ribs were broken again.

... Welp.

There was always Drake, but as Cassian recalled... Drake didn't much care for Everglade. And he really didn't need this to be more trouble than it already was.

Which was why, a good... hour or more later, Amberdrake would get a visitor.

In Attleton.

In a very thick obscuring cloak, not that it'd matter due to the fact that one of them was an empath and the other one was walking around with like more than three broken bones at a time.

Not even a voiced answer to alert or greet him, just a text-

I've cocked some things up

Comments

[amberdrake]

It was a good thing for everyone involved that Drake was usually at work in the middle of the night. Yes, he would have gone to Everglade if he'd had to, but no, it wouldn't have been fun or pleasant for the Empathic human to do so. Especially in the dark.

Drake came to investigate without getting to look at his phone, first, pushing open the work-room door with his hip so that he could peek into the lobby. He gave a nod, and then ducked back in to wrap up what he was doing.

Ten minutes later, a very relaxed fake!human dozed away on the massage table, covered up to stay warm. Now, Amberdrake was able to come out into the lobby properly, wiping oil off his hands with a spare towel. "Cassian? Is that you?"

[feckinboomstick]

Still no verbal answer. Look it's... it's pretty hard to talk right about now. He just indicated his communicator and answered in text.

Yes, it's me. I've made some very poor personal life choices.

A beat.

I'd hate to bother you but I've gotten a touch tired of drinking my meals.

[amberdrake]

Whelp. Drake pulled his phone from his belt and read all the messages, now that his hands weren't coated in oil. W h e l p.

"You didn't ask someone else to punch you, did you?" the Healer asked, a touch wry, tossing the towel onto one of the numerous seats in the room as he approached. "Well... let's see the damage, then," meaning Cassian's rather ominously hidden face.

[feckinboomstick]

You're very funny.

Jerk.

In any case, he tugs the cloak off and... yes indeed that is a well broken jaw, and some very distinct bite marks on his shoulder.

I had an unexpected visitor.

[amberdrake]

"Hey, you're the one who apparently signed up for it, last time," Amberdrake said after glancing at his phone. It was a reasonable question, to him! He frowned slightly at the state the guy's jaw was in, and glanced at his phone for the second comment. "I... see."

Everglade was the worst, okay. This wasn't exactly proving him wrong.

"Alright, have a seat," Drake gestured at the numerous chairs and the couch against the wall. Lots of spots to choose from. "And I'll get your mouth working again."

[feckinboomstick]

He was also the idiot who refused to leave Everglade despite it having 0 redeeming qualities. BEST IDEA EVER.

Cassian took a seat, couch for necessity of just in case Amberdrake had to get close to him. Wanted the healer to be comfortable after all.

He couldn't help but delicately poke at his own jaw though. His idiotic half had decided he didn't need any fucking help and self treated with beer and herbs. He hates himself.

[amberdrake]

Drake sat down beside him, indeed, and lifted a hand to shoo Cassian's poking fingers away. "This isn't exactly a fresh break," he noted, looking at all the inflammation, and the bruise pattern, without having to use the Gift at all yet. "Hold still."

Very carefully, he set his fingertips against Cassian's jaw, and his eyes immediately unfocused. That whole chunk of Cassian's face suddenly went partially-numb as Drake temporarily shut off most of the local nerves. Not enough to make it feel like his face had vanished, but enough to bring the pain down to a dull roar.

He set to work quietly, draining inflammation, setting and splinting the bone, and repairing the tissue around it. About five minutes of work went by in silence before he withdrew the Gift and then his fingers, offering Cassian a smile.

"There, how's that?"

[feckinboomstick]

He'd answer but he didn't really want to interrupt the process. Amberdrake just got a look... the look that implied he'd be getting a story later, as he went to work, taking his hand off the break and letting him repair it.

At least now he could think a little clearer. Hard to collect your thoughts through a haze of pain after all. He was patient, sat perfectly still as Drake worked, and of course, didn't have a damn thing to say until he was done.

And when he was finished, he gently worked his jaw a little, poking it and prodding it again just to make sure it felt right, before answering.

"Broke a couple days ago. Had a right pissed off tiger pooka in me house." A pause. "... Tis a type of shapeshiftin' fairy. I wish I could say I'm upset about it but..." Well at the time the one who was getting punched and bitten also sort of deserved it.

"Feelin' much better. Thank ye."

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake's smile grew a little, pleased that they could converse normally again instead of Cassian having to message him on his phone. That just added a level of clumsiness to talking that it was nice to do without. Plus, if there was to be more Healing, he couldn't read his phone screen while he worked.

"Are there any other injuries?" he asked, folding his hands in his lap, "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume it was quite the fight, for you to get hit that hard."

Drake hadn't scanned the rest of him, focusing just on the broken jaw. The bite wasn't obvious with clothing over it, and neither was the re-broken ribs. Although he suspected the latter, simply because an intense brawl made quick work of his energy splints.

[feckinboomstick]

Yeah, that'd been awkward. At least he could talk now, at least. That was a pleasant return to the norm. And yes, this made healing at least a little easier. Now he could answer the questions at least.

"A bite on me shoulder, and I'm fairly certain he fractured a few of the ribs ye so kindly set not too long ago." Dull and annoyed, that's what he was.

"Sorry about that, mate."

[amberdrake]

A bite... that several days later, was bad enough for Cassian to ask for healing? Was it infected?

Drake shook his head at the apology. "Trust me, I'm used to this." Between his brother back on his world, and Sanzo on all the others, having to re-visit his patients' old wounds was just standard procedure for the kestra'chern. "We can go into the back room, if you prefer," there was another work-room, not presently inhabited, "but I'm going to need access to all of that."

Cassian was going to have to do more than undo a few buttons to let him get at his shoulder, unless he wanted the Healer to cut open that part of his shirt.

[feckinboomstick]

"Aye. I know." At least he wouldn't kick up a fuss about it this time. Had to get it healed. Honestly, if it weren't as deep as it was (though still not yet deep enough to kill) he'd be fine with it. But a professional really should be poking at it.

He slowly heaved himself up off the couch with a grunt, and headed for the back, already fiddling with his shirt to unbutton it.

No he didn't want it cut open, thanks for the offer anyway, Drake.

"Just the bite and the ribs. Nothing else there to attend to."

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake gets up and follows after him, and closes the door behind them for privacy. The second work-room is in its default configuration, set up for therapy more than for massage. Cushions are scattered around a low table near the middle, and the room's massage table is folded up and pushed against a far wall.

The canvas panels hang several inches in from the walls, instead of closer to the drywall like in the lobby, and the mage-lights are set to be duller. That last bit is easily fixed, the lighting brightening up so that Drake will be able to see the damage more clearly.

[feckinboomstick]

Tannusen couldn't hide forever.

Together as one person now, there were a few memories to be dealt with, and for a while he gave the tiger his space, if only so he could collect his own thoughts. Two dueling versions of the pooka came and went in his mind, and he weighed them against the other.

Against past meetings.

Against past conversations.

He couldn't let it go. He couldn't let this go. He couldn't just never talk to him again. This was something that had to be discussed, whether Tannusen wanted to or not, and he didn't care if he had to track down every new teleportation location every single goddamn time, he'd have this talk with him.

See him hang up on a face to face conversation.

It wasn't hard to find the club, he'd even politely waited until the night, because he could respect the fairy's territory, but come nightfall it was open ground, and in he went.

He wasn't subtle, because the patrons weren't subtle, and if he didn't find Tannusen first, no doubt the good owner would be alerted to his presence by a loud series of violent swears coming from the passage between the upper club floors and lower bar room.

They were all deeply inventive and somewhat disconcerting, and chances were, he probably wasn't lying about any of them to his unwanted beau of the evening.

[black_black_heart]

"Bryant, if you don't stop harassing the patrons, I'll throw you out myself and this time it'll be permanent," that was a very tired-sounding Tannusen from the top of the stairs, the club's flashing lights spinning past behind him. "Leave him alone."

'Bryant' grumbled and backed off, going back down the stairs. Tannusen just shook his head, and regarded Cassian in silence.

Well, you found him...

Now what?

[feckinboomstick]

Well. Good. He was worried he'd have to break a man's nose tonight. He watched as 'Bryant' left, before turning his attention on Tannusen.

One might imagine it would be awkward. Maybe a long silence, some thoughtful pondering on what to say next-

"I imagine ye'll want some privacy for this conversation, it's not one for a staircase."

[black_black_heart]

It wasn't like Tannusen was really hiding, per se. Velvet Lust was his territory, and he was hard-wired to not abandon it. Besides, even if he did, this world wasn't very large. He knew how much space he needed to disappear effectively, and there just wasn't... enough of it here.

Not with, what, a hundred 'real' people around, at most?

The Fae gestured back down the stairs and started down that way himself, letting the club door swing shut behind him. It muffled a lot of noise!

No fancy suits, today, just simple jeans and a t-shirt.

[feckinboomstick]

And he followed, without batting an eye.

No gun on him, just the dagger, but honestly that was almost always at his hip, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise. Cassian was... well dressed as per the usual, probably why he even attracted attention in the first place here.

"Right."

RIGHT.

"... I want to start this off properly."

SO.

"... Your good side's a lot taller than I expected him to be."

[black_black_heart]

"...Uh-huh," Tannusen lead the way into the kitchen, then through another door into a tiny, cramped office. The desk and chair folded up and stood against a bookcase, tiny. Tannusen chose an empty wall and leaned back against it, arms folded. He'd noticed the lack of a gun, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with that.

"Pretty sure both halves were the same height, but sure. Real tall."

[feckinboomstick]

There was an attempt. Pushing on nevertheless.

"There's a lot that forms an opinion of someone, Tannusen. There's a lot that makes someone. A man is neither black nor white, but varying shades of gray, and to purify both sides into their most concentrated form would make a saint and a demon of anyone."

He didn't sit or relax, maintaining eye contact, his tone soft, but clear.

"Tis not the action of one side in one moment that I should judge you, as I'd hope ye wouldn't judge me for the actions of a beast I try to tether.

It would be unfair. Unjust."

[black_black_heart]

"I quite liked your mean side," Tannusen smiled a thin, weak little smile. "Very focused guy, he was."

Focused on eating tiger, but whatever. It could be worse! And Tannu had beat him to the punch as far as looking for trouble went.

'Looking for trouble'. Ha. The thin smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Good luck with meeting his eyes, Cassian, Tannusen was of a mind to avoid that. He stared at the wall across from him, instead.

[feckinboomstick]

"He's a tit, I had to rebreak a few ribs to put 'em back where they belong because of him." That's right, not you, Tannusen. Him.

"Planned on some lovely acts of terrorism, actually. A few exploded political buildings here and there, some dead real people, didn't much care if they were adult, child or otherwise. I'd say if it wasn't for those broken ribs, smashed jaw and puncture wounds, Everglade would be on fire right now, and a lot of people who didn't deserve it would be very dead."

A pause.

"In that vein, if it wasn't for him, I suppose a few people would have suffered quite a fate as well."

Another pause.

"I'm tryin' to tell ye, neither of us were good people that night."

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen couldn't help but look at the mention of puncture wounds, his gaze settling on the shoulder he'd bit. Cassian didn't seem to still be injured, so he must have gotten it taken care of through magical means. Good.

"I meant what I said on the phone," he said quietly. "Just because I have my pretty bow back in place doesn't make me less of a piece of shit. I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, here. Is this some priesty thing you're doing?"

[feckinboomstick]

"I meant what I said too, even if it was jut fifty percent of me sayin' it." And with that fifty percent bolstered by the asshole fifty percent with all the balls here-

"I'm sayin' it because I like ye, ye daft, stupid, self loathin' fleabag. Least now we can both admit to bein' pieces of shit."

[black_black_heart]

"There's nothing to like," Tannusen shook his head, and he un-leaned from the wall, "it's just a bunch of bullshit I use to bury the rest. That's it. That's my whole charming personality. If you're not here to stab the shit out of me, I should go back upstairs."