Night 65: F11-20 Hallway

[fourstonewalls]

To die for...

Was that idle chitchat? A red herring? The nausea making a convincing case for the chicken's immediate release and acquittal on all charges? Her stomach did a little flip as the gavel came down, pronouncing it not guilty. But wouldn't that mean it wasn't poisoned? Objection, your honor. This case makes no sense. She fell back onto her pillow for a second, head spinning. She was lightheaded, and giddy, and in no shape to be gathering her things in the dark -- she'd landed on the flashlight -- and heading out into it.

Nevertheless, she eased the flashlight out from under the small of her back and switched it on. A circle of light flickered into life on the ceiling, as the Head Doctor's voice came back on the intercom.

Five. How many were sick? She held the gun up into the light, probably thoroughly freaking out Ilia, even as she kept it pointed only at the near wall. What made a human? Guilt. Or innocence. A lawyer's answer, to pick both, but it was true. Animals didn't know what they did. Humans did. Temporary insanity, turned into a monster. It was a defense on legal grounds, but not on ethical ones. She wouldn't let it come to that.

Harrington's little interjection cut into the path her thoughts had wandered down. Another clue. This time, she was going to see it for herself. As long as she was still herself to do so. A good reason to hurry.

[to here]

Comments

[thecamellia]

As seemed to be his way, Scar was quick to take on the task himself. To Rapunzel's embarrassment, the uniform pants had to be pulled down to get at the injuries, and Tsubaki glanced at her for a moment before hurrying to Scar's side when he started to stand by himself.

"There's nothing to apologize for," she assured him, shadowing him closely. "Put your weight on me if you need."

Between yesterday and that night, the wounds were in much better condition, mostly because they were no longer raw and bleeding freely. The Institute's treatment, despite its sinister underbelly, was at least efficient when done right. Tsubaki held her breath, waiting as Rapunzel twined the coils of her hair about Scar's legs and settled back to work her magic.

She'd seen it in action a few times already, but it was always the visceral memory of Rapunzel using it on her that struck her first and foremost. Golden light carried on song notes that seemed to sink into the hurt spots, soothing, warming, strengthening... Magic, beyond a doubt.

[envy_the_sinners]

Maybe there was no need to apologize to Tsubaki, but he had certainly succeeded at making Rapunzel extremely uncomfortable. He was decently covered, he had thought... And Scar had stricter measures of 'decent' than most people!

Scar shook his head silently at Tsubaki's offer to help him stand. He was sick of using her as a crutch. He watched, eyes narrowed, as Rapunzel wrapped her hair about his legs, unsure of the exact moment his mouth fell open. It was unlike anything that existed in Amestris, and could really only be described as magic. That girl's hair was definitely glowing, and Scar could feel the muscles knitting themselves back together. It was becoming easier to stand with every passing second.

[hairraising]

It became easier to focus the longer she worked (and the longer her eyes remained closed). After running through the incantation, she kept the glow going, carefully trying to pinpoint the exact moment when too much energy had been used. She had never tried to be this precise with her healing times before, but it would be necessary tonight.

It took about five minutes before Rapunzel gave out and let the light fade. She knew if she went on much longer, she was going to get seriously woozy. At this point, in combination with what the Institute had already done for him, the man's wounds were just under half healed — closed, but with angry red scars still in place. He would be able to walk without much trouble, but running and jumping and other kinds of intense activity were going to be tricky.

"How do you feel?" asked Rapunzel, a slight faintness in her voice that wasn't there before. She hadn't realized yet that her eyes were still closed, either.

[thecamellia]

Tsubaki hovered close to Scar, gaze traveling back and forth between him and Rapunzel. She didn't know how badly Rapunzel's power had been repressed or how many people she was planning on trying to help with what energy she did have, but it undoubtedly had to be taxing. Sharing power with someone else had a cost.

As the glow began to dim, she exhaled, absently mimicking the slow departure of energy from the room. Her first instinct was to ask Scar the same thing, and she cocked her head questioningly. His body language definitely seemed less tense.

"I'll undo Rapunzel's hair if you want to try walking," she offered before starting to bend down.

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar nodded to Tsubaki, waiting curiously as she pulled Rapunzel's hair away. He immediately pulled his pants back into place, testing his legs. They still hurt, but not so much that he could no longer walk.

"That's..." He looked up to Rapunzel, mouth slightly agape. "You have my thanks." He wasn't going to ask for anything else. The girl seemed tired from that, and there were more people who would want to be healed, he was certain.

Scar gave a nod to both girls, thanked Tsubaki for bringing him here, and left the room.

[To here]

[hairraising]

"Thanks," she said to Tsubaki, glad to not have to bend down to grab her own hair. She would need a few minutes to recover, and then hopefully she would be fine enough to continue with the night.

To Scar she said: "Don't worry about it. Come to me anytime, don't be a stranger." She gave the man a faint grin and a thumbs up as he left.

Once they were alone, she turned back to her roommate. "Thanks for bringing him here. Sorry if I'm holding you up from being anywhere."

[thecamellia]

“Of course,” was her response to Scar. There was more she would have liked to say, and she had her mouth open to do so, but he was so quick to leave that the words were left hanging. Was he going to be all right? Did he want extra company for the night?

Tsubaki was sorely tempted to go after him and ask him what his plans were, but there was still Rapunzel to think of.

She looked away from the door to give the other girl a smile. “No, no, thank you for helping. I know he’s grateful even if that was a bit abrupt.” Rapunzel was another person who was going to need all the help she could get. Crossing to her own side of the room, Tsubaki picked up the cup sitting on her desk and brought it over to Rapunzel. “I’m sorry, you must be tired from doing that under these conditions. Here’s some water. I didn’t drink any.

In answer to the girl’s question, she smiled a little brighter and added, “It’s okay, I’d rather see you settled first before I go. Do you want me to wait with you?”