[Video/Action | OPEN] you know I give my love a f-f-four letter na-na-name

[black_black_heart]

xxxxx[VIDEO]

[ The camera is shaky, held in an unsteady hand. It catches the entrance of the Cirque du Vrai, briefly, then there's Tannusen. He's... against a wall? The camera's too close to see that he's sitting on the ground, but the angle suggests it. Skull mask pulled free of his head... glazed-eyed and trying to catch his breath. Blood on his lips, dotting down the side of his throat to the black robes that had been a costume. ]

Cass...

[ Couldn't be more obvious of an accidental public broadcast. He's trying to send this in private, but he can't see his fucking screen-- ]

I'm not... safe...

[ Labored breathing only picks up, like something's trying to throw him into a panic. Ramping up his heart-rate, whether he likes it or not. He definitely does not, right now. ]

Jethro... can... Enchant you... get...

[ Get him out here to the tiger faster, and help get Tannusen back to safety. ]

Haaa...

[ Nope, not doing great. His head lolls against the wall behind it, rolling on a neck that's slowly starting to not hold it up. He's visibly fighting to stay conscious, glazed eyes barely open. Then the feed clicks off. ]

---

xxxxx[ACTION]

Tannusen's sitting back against a wall somewhere near the entrance to the Cirque du Vrai, not doing well, as the video above suggests. He's hung up the phone, maybe on purpose and maybe not. Shallow, quick breathing, dilated pupils, fighting to stay somewhere in the middle of the unconsciousness that drags temptingly at him from one side, and the panic attack that's trying to set in from the other.

(( OOC: Cassian Lynch is going to show up to help him, so he's not going to willingly go anywhere, and he may react... poorly, to anyone else. This prompt's just here in case anyone wants that CR flavor! ))

Comments

[black_black_heart]

[ Tannusen flinched back from the crouched stranger, though he doesn't get far since his back's already against a wall. His eyes are wide, unfocused, his breathing rapid. Just staring at Garrus.

Is his costume just that scary?

Maybe, with all the hallucinations he's starting to have, creeping in around the edges. ]

Who--

[reachnotflexibility]

[Garrus holds his hands up in front of himself in a way to show that he means no harm.]

I'm Ar-

[You know what? Screw it. This guy is obviously scared shitless right now, and there's no way the mask is helping. Garrus hadn't done anything as Archangel in front of the guy (so far as he's aware), so there's no harm in showing himself. Hopefully his actual face frightens him less than the mask.

He pulls off his hat and mask, slowly, lest he spook Tannusen.]

My name's Garrus Vakarian. I'm a Deputy of Nova City. Can you tell me your name? Do you know where you are?

[He's figured out that this isn't normal behaviour, so asking if he was alright would be a dumb thing. He just needs to know what he's dealing with here.]

[black_black_heart]

Oh good... the law.

[ Tannusen wheezes in a painful breath, throat no longer actually bruised and swollen but still plenty tender, especially with the drugs in his system ramping every sensation, every sense, higher and higher.

And his pulse. ]

Tannu...ssen.

[ Half-slurred. ]

A... shitty circus.

[reachnotflexibility]

[Garrus lets out a dry laugh.]

You're not wrong. Can you tell me what happened? Are you hurt?

[He's pulls out his phone and begins to record their conversation. Always good to have a paper trail.

He's assuming this Cass he called is coming soon, or at least that paramedics should be on their way since it was a public broadcast, so he's content to try to gather some background intel for now and maybe try to figure out if the guy is just super drunk or what. If they don't show in the next few minutes he'll have to do something, though.]

[black_black_heart]

Know 'm... not.

[ Tannusen is an actual former troupe member of three different circuses. That, and he's an actual Faerie... and had been Unseelie most of his life. His opinion is pretty grounded in fact. It's a shitty circus, and it smells like trap to the tiger.

He'd tried to leave the moment he'd realized it was digging its fingers into his mind.

Hadn't gone far enough, though. Not far enough to not run into an enemy. ]

Poisoned... drugged... something like that.

[ Blood still flecked his lips, dotted, drying, down his throat. The back of his head was bloodied, too, but Garrus wouldn't be able to see the drying red stickiness in his hair with his head tipped back against the wall. ]

Should live.

[ And even if he didn't, he'd done this dance before on this world. A bargain would be struck, and he'd return to finish his work. ]

[reachnotflexibility]

Poisoned?

[Well that doesn't sound promising. Doesn't look it, either. He says he'll live, but honestly? Garrus isn't sure. The man looks pretty terrible. The medics have thirty seconds to show before he carries the guy to a medical center himself.]

Who did this to you?

[black_black_heart]

[ Good luck, Garrus. With all of that.

Cassian's on his way, and Tannusen said he'd stay put, so he's staying put.

Besides, hospitals are so banal that stepping into one is literally like dipping himself in acid. ]

Me.

[ Not inaccurate. He'd certainly participated in what had gone down. ]

[reachnotflexibility]

...You poisoned yourself?

[Garrus shakes his head. That doesn't make any sense.]

You said that you weren't safe. If someone's after you, I can help. Cop, remember? Tell me what happened.

[He's trying to keep his tone calm, but he's actually a little impatient. There's some scumbag out there right now that caused this, and could hurt someone else unless Garrus can find out who they are.]

[black_black_heart]

Mm, I helped.

[ It's a tactful way of putting it, really. ]

But if I black... out...

[ Painful, wheezing inhale. ]

Mmmight come back.

[ And, drugged as he is... ]

I would. 'N... his shoes.

[reachnotflexibility]

[Yeah, his time is just about up.]

You're doing great, Tannusen. Just give me a name. Who might come back for you? I need to know who to watch for.

[Seriously, where were the god damn medics? He'd have called a doctor himself if he knew any.]

[black_black_heart]

[ Tannusen's head just sort of lolled forward a bit, tacky half-dried blood in his hair attempting to stick to the wall for a moment. ]

Ain't... a thing for... cops.

[ But hey, if the guy's going to be so damn insistent, it's not Tannusen's way to stop someone from tilting at a windmill. ]

Szelhamos.

[reachnotflexibility]

[Not a thing for cops sounds like it's a thing for Archangel. Still, he should probably report this just to say he did and that way if Weiss somehow finds out he knew she doesn't get all "there are rules" on him again.]

Szelhamos. Got it. [He knows whom he's looking up as soon as he gets back to the office.]

Okay, Tannusen, it looks like something must have delayed the paramedics so I'm going to take you to the hospital myself. Can you stand? [He's caught a glimpse of the blood on his hair. 'Not hurt' his ass.]

[black_black_heart]

[ Considering Szel was an actual, fallen Seraph, if Tannusen had known about Garrus' secret identity he'd have probably laughed his fool head off at the combination. How absurd, all of it! ]

'Mm not going... anywhere... 'til Cass gets here.

[ Soft, painful wheeze. ]

Especially... no damn hospital.

[ Buddy, are you trying to add soul damage to his poison problem? Not that Garrus has a clue that he's dealing with a Faerie, or what that entails, but Tannusen's not really in a state to be explaining it right now.

Fortunately for them both, that's right around when a familiar -- to Tannusen, at least -- motorcycle pulls up. And a familiar albino catholic priest is on it, and then not on it, rushing to get ahold of him. ]

And there's my Cass.

[ Couldn't sound more affectionate about it, somehow, despite the situation. And if Garrus doesn't interfere, the priest collects Tannusen and away they go, back to Everglade and into Cassian's subarchway. ]

[reachnotflexibility]

[Garrus is ready to protest when the motorcycle appears and the supposed Cass appears. He can't be certain, having never met the guy, but Tannusen seems calm enough with him, so he gives Cass a nod of acknowledgement and lets them go on their way.

He keeps an eye on them and scans the area with his sniper to make sure they aren't followed before going home. He wishes he could stay, but unfortunately he's just there to change - he has a long day ahead of him.]