Leave me here, Burning with you (Open)

[bloodalwaystells]

Who: Andrew Jaeger bloodalwaystells and Everyone!
When: Late April-May
Where: Various locations
Summary: Catch-all for post-assassination and TDM events
Warnings: Scars, hospital setting, burn wounds, mentions of violence, murder, and torture, burned bodies, more will be added as needed!

((OOC: Open to planning, just PM or brimstonemuse to discuss ideas and set up a starter! I will match brackets or prose, as desired!))




The Infirmary ((Approx April 23-30, after this thread)) CW: Burn wounds and other damage, hospital setting


It's not the first time that Jaeger has been hurt in the line of so-called "duty", and it won't be the last. Normally, it's something he can fix, but not anymore. Not here, especially since using his powers is partly what got him into this situation in the first place.

So, a hospital bed is home for a while, until he is steady on his feet and showing signs of good healing. He's being kept in the infirmary ward for some fairly severe burns, and some rather mysterious internal damage that has him occasionally coughing blood. Bandages cover one arm and his side and chest, and there's a quietly beaten, haggard look to him that the big man seldom allows to show. Painkillers help, and so do visitors, though his entirely inadequate hospital gown shows both a fine array of decorative-looking scars (well healed) on his arms, and the vicious mark across his throat that by now is starting to become common knowledge.

Visitors will be greeted with a wan smile, though, once word gets out that he's laid up. It's better than listlessly flipping through cable channels for something interesting to watch. Most of the time, he settles on a murder mystery or old western, though other times he'll simply doze through whatever's on the screen.


Well-Read - (May 1 - 12): CW: mentions of torture, murder, scars/scarification, Bad Magic

Being out of the infirmary is a relief for Jaeger, even if it means returning to something like chaos. He's still healing, though, still tentative and careful in the way he moves. A book fair, though? That's a good excuse to get out and about. Fresh air, a change of scenery, and hopefully, bringing back something interesting to read while he's still recovering a bit.

There's still bandages, but he's better. He'll continue to get better, he's resolute on that. He might be out of action for a bit, but certainly not too much longer. He hopes.

In the meantime, he'll be found browsing the offered books, especially the folklore and local history sections. Or, occasionally, hunched over a laptop, a rare deep scowl on his face as the questions flash by. Terrible, pointedly direct questions, that the computer has no business knowing.

Hello, Sebastian. May we call you that?
No.
Invalid answer. Hello, Sebastian. May we call you that?
No.
Invalid answer. Hello, Sebastian. May we call you that?
Yes.
Excellent! Welcome, Sebastian.

This is not the worst of the questions. Not even close to it. Do you still love your wife? gets a vicious glare, and by the time he gets to Why did you kill Claudia when she was already helpless? he's ready to throw the laptop. Or just wither and die on the spot...that's an option too. He's tired and overdue for his next pain pill and goddamn, sometimes this place is just awful.

Alternatively, he might catch a glimpse of your screen, even in spite of his best efforts not to pry. But it's really just a reading questionnaire, right? There's no harm in seeing what kind of questions they're- oh. Okay.


Training Wheels Off - (May 13 - 14) CW: burn wounds, burned bodies, claustrophobia


The Train

Jaeger has never been fond of flying, really. A train proves much more comfortable, even if it's slower, and he is still healing. Most of the bandages are off by now, but he's still just a little bit careful, a little bit tired. Three weeks is a good amount of time to heal, though, and his wounds are well on the way to becoming new scars across his chest and arm.

He's going to choose to take the time on the train to relax as best he can, to lose himself in the liminal space of travel. They're going to be on the train for a while so he may as well make the best of it.

Until things start getting weird, at least. Then he can be found on a slow patrol of the train, or standing sentry (or sitting sentry) at one of the ends of the train cars. Breaks are taken in the dining car, usually with a cup of apple juice or a bottle of water and gaze alert to the darkness beyond the windows.

At some point in the evening, after the chaos of the Tunnel Incident, Jaeger will return to his assigned sleeping car, and whoever his roommate for the trip might be. If it's someone he knows, he will be as cordial as ever...if it's someone he previously hasn't met, well, he'll still be friendly, if a bit reserved? But quick to introduce himself before stretching out his huge frame on the provided bedding with a deep sigh.



Burned Bridges

He's not hallucinating. He's pretty sure of that, and the sight of the body propped up by the tracks, contorted by intense heat into something barely human-seeming, is a strange and surreal shock after the night they've had. He's seen a lot of Weird Things In The Woods but a body always draws his attention right away. It's wired into him by now, with all the awful things he's seen, even though through the glass of a moving train car, it's oddly distant and surreal.

Until Jaeger sees the lower portion of a leg, and the whole thing snaps into focus. Untouched, unscorched, just laying there amid the charred, leathery mess of the rest of the corpse. "That's human."

Comments

Well Read

[bindlestifflost]

He has a small handful of books he has currently tucked into the well of his hat that he's carrying up toward the front desk to check out when he spots Jaeger at one of the computers, scowling in a way he hasn't seen him look before.

Aside from checking in on him a few times while he was laid up and bringing him a few magazines, he has kept his distance. Not many men he knows like to be fussed over, him included. But since he's out and about on his own, there's no harm in taking a quick detour and seeing if everything's OK.

Glancing over his shoulder, he sees the question and the flashing cursor.

Why did you kill Claudia when she was already helpless?

|

"Jaeger?" he asks, settling one hand to a broad shoulder. It's almost like he didn't even see him coming.

[bloodalwaystells]

Jaeger has given up trying to answer the screen and just stares at it in focused hate, until a hand lands on his shoulder and he glances up with a twitch- surprise that gives way quickly to guilt and shame.

It's just...book questions, right? Certainly no reason to think it's in any way relevant to Jaeger's life. Except, it is, and normally he'd be better at hiding it but he's just raw from the past few weeks. Months, even. This place has slowly been grinding away at him and while he's made some progress, it's also torn its share of new bloody wounds, too.

"...George." He's not sure what to say. His mind isn't on niceties, and "hello" seems stupid, inane under the circumstances. From down in this well of thought, everything seems a little glassy, surreal, and he knows it's not the modest dose of painkillers he's on so it's got to be the blinking cursor and those stark words on the screen.

[bindlestifflost]

Something is definitely not right here. He sets his hat on the table next to the laptop and leans himself on the edge of the same table so he's more in his line of vision and he's not having to twist up like that. "How long you been out? You need company back to the campus? I was gonna finish up here with them books and head out. Ain't nothin' at all to have company. Fact is, I'd welcome it."

He's thinking medication. He's seen guys zoned out like this after getting hurt, those who could afford the treatment. The rest of them drank themselves into this kind of haze.

As for the question on the screen, he's not sure at all what to make of that, or if it's personal at all.

[bloodalwaystells]

Jaeger's gaze flicks to George, and for a moment he's willing and able to believe that everything is okay. Everything, of course, except for his tight, pain-filled posture and the expression on his face. Jaeger tries to school himself into something more neutral, more friendly because this isn't George's fault.

"Just a couple of days," he answers after a second, forcing himself to sit up straighter. It hurts, but hunching wasn't good for him, either. He might be healing well, better than expected, even, but he's still got a ways to go. "I'm still on partial bedrest but I needed some air."

He glances back to the screen without realizing it, uneasy with leaving it for even a moment. He can't leave the screen like that. Not for someone else to come upon, even though there's no real connection between him and Claudia. At least, not here.

"I just...need to finish these questions, and then I'll head back." He moves as if to start typing, but then his hands drop again.

Burned Bridges

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Aelwyn's own reaction is a disgusted grimace more than any outright fear, she's notably looking at a different location, though she herself hasn't really taken notice of that.

How predictable is it that even on a train ride to go stop a situation, they'd still be subjected to horrors like this.

More importantly, it's very clearly a message to them. The Shadowcats. It's cute, really. No doubt they expect her to be scared. The enemy is inside, she's certain of that by now. Of course they'd find out about the operation and use it to knock them off guard.

She shakes her head.]

Well, of course. It wouldn't be anywhere near as effective if it was a charred pig.

It's cute, really. They're trying so hard.

[bloodalwaystells]

[Jaeger makes a noncommittal but unhappy sound, tearing his gaze from the little horror show to follow Aelwyn's line of sight. The train is chugging by, but entirely too slowly, though of course he sees nothing of her phantom.

Playing tricks, maybe. It wouldn't be the first time and probably won't be the last. He lets his breath out in a weary huff, more exasperated than worried.

He doesn't like it, but he's played this kind of game before. Stay calm, stay steady.]

It seems like they are, yes.

[He goes quiet again for a moment.]

It's still probably worth staying on guard, between this and last night. But from the sound of it, we're going to have work to do when we get there.

[aelwyn_aberration]

[She's hardly happy about it either, she'd worked hard to keep it under wraps. And this? It feels like a personal slight to her frankly quite bloated ego. She tucks stray strands of hair behind her ears and sighs.]

Definitely. So far it seems like the entities use cheap illusions more than actual violent threats, but I think we've been here long enough to remember that that's not exactly a guarantee in any sense of the word.

[She seems to notice they were looking in different spots and hums.]

Do you mind telling me what it is you saw specifically? We might have had different mind tricks. I saw mention of "The Shadowcats."

Infirmary

[failedpromise]

Cortana had also been involved in the assassination plot, though strictly in a supportive, non combat role.

When she hears about her roommate, she comes to visit as soon as she's able, bringing a couple books and some snacks-she's heard the Human stereotypes about hospital food-with her.

"Hey."

[bloodalwaystells]

Things are still a bit hazy, touched at the edges as they are with blood loss, pain, and medication, but Jaeger recognizes his visitor right away (hard not to!) and he gives her a small nod, a briefly raised hand of greeting.

"Hey. I probably won't be back to the apartment for a few days." It's subdued and apologetic, the first thing that comes to mind when he sees Cortana. He shifts slowly, very carefully to get a better look at her and what she's carrying.

"Is everything going okay out there?"

[failedpromise]

"In your current condition? It better be more than a few days." He's gonna need at least a week to recuperate, stubborn man. She sets the books and snacks on the bedside table. Some fruit, some sweets, and a couple paperbacks that seemed like they might be interesting. "I'll try to keep Tony from wrecking the place while you're gone."

She smiles at him. "Everything's fine. Actually, aside from our little raid on the circus, this is probably the calmest things have been since I got here."

infirmary!

[lesbeau]

Beau was busy tussling with Fenix when everyone else was going after Roderick and Penny, and all things considered, she's... fine. It's a bit hard to tell with a girl already so covered in scars and old injuries what's new and what isn't, but whatever the case, her injuries aren't dire enough to keep her down for too long. Or at the very least, none of the medical staff can physically do so, so here she is.

Ultimately, she's got her robes on, but the bandages around her hands are different than the usual tape she's got for fighting. There's also some marks around her stomach and what looks like a bigger cover somewhere around a shoulder, but otherwise, she looks as confident as ever.

Which is why she walks into where Jaeger is with a little smirk on her face to see him so laid up. "Wow. Fire not your thing, huh? Looks like you really got your ass beat." Beau doesn't wait for a greeting to come and sit nearby, flex one of her legs just a bit until something in her knee pops before she sets it back down. "Who were you after?"

[bloodalwaystells]

It seems a lot of them are a bit banged up, but Jaeger is always relieved when someone else walks into his room. None of them are dead, from all he can tell, and the injuries might take some time but the matter is, at least for now, dealt with.

Whether it stays that way, they'll find out eventually, but for now, he's taking what he can get.

He looks up when Beau comes in, giving her the faintest crooked smile before reaching for his cup of apple juice. Of course he notes the bandages: few of them got out of this whole mess unscathed and he expects that Roderick and Fenix were just as rough as Penny.

"To be perfectly fair, some of it is internal bleeding. They just want to keep an eye on me for a few days," he returns amiably. Of course he didn't get his ass beat: he's not the one in pieces in a shallow grave full of sawdust somewhere.

Also, he's got painkillers, which are really nice right now. He appreciates chemistry so much at the moment.

"Winter and I dealt with Penny. The one with the fire whip." He winces, shifting to put his cup back on the little bedside table, then settles back into the nest of pillows. "It was a bit more complicated than planned. It turned out she was held together with wax."

Which is exactly as disturbing as it sounds.

[lesbeau]

"Oh, totally fair that the blood is still in your body, sure." She's grinning at him as she says it, but lets it go just as quickly. "So you were whipped, got it. Did Aelwyn not tell you about the whole wax thing? Apparently that's what's up with the whole Desolation guys. Turns out that also hurts." She wiggles her fists back and forth, as if to suggest exactly why she has these burns. As it turns out, trying to punch a human candle is very, very painful. Who'd have thought?

"'Ss probably how Roderick was too. So far seems like we all got 'em without losing anyone, though. So that's good, I guess."

Infirmary

[whisperedone]

The first time he's in here, it's for his own injuries and the breathing of his companion is his only tell he's not alone. His own injuries are manageable. Still probably the worst he's suffered in recent memory, but not so bad to keep him in the room when they're through patching him up.

So a few days later, he returns, bandages still around his left arm and some hidden under his shirt, but on his feet and with a book in hand as he settles in a chair he finds next to Jaeger's bedside. It sounds like he might be dozing, so he's quiet until he hears movement and a shift in the man's breathing.

"Good morning. I think."

[bloodalwaystells]

Jaeger's particular injuries are best served by as much rest as possible, complemented with a careful diet and fluids and everything else prescribed for someone suffering the injuries he is. The cause of the exhaustion might be a bit suspicious, but the burns? Those are clear enough, where the bandages cover his arm and chest in a broad swath.

He's not comfortable, but too tired to resist the lure of painkiller-laden sleep, and he wakes slowly, roused to reluctant consciousness by nothing in particular but his own restless mind.

"Mmph." Eloquent. He's going to try that again. He turns his head slowly to regard Garner, to take in the other man's presence and condition. There's the rustling of bedcovers, but only faintly: he's not going to risk more pain than he has to.

Morning? Time is kind of fuzzy right now, but Jaeger will go with that. "Mmph." It's a more nuanced grunt, this time, and followed a moment later by actual words. He'll reach for his water in a minute, but one thing at a time. "Think you're right. Morning. How are you feeling?"

[whisperedone]

Garner listens, his smile gently aimed at the bedding near Jaeger's chest. The grunts are entirely understandable and coherent enough to him, he spoke in 'half awake' fluently enough. His voice sounds rough, the kind of scratchy that came from a dry throat, but he didn't dare go looking for water he couldn't see, he'd be just as likely to knock it over as to help.

He does, however, reach a hand out to feel along the edge of the bed to find a place to set the book down. It's a murder mystery, he knows that much, to what degree it was any good he couldn't begin to say. He'd found it while he was out on his walk that morning and simply purchased it on whim and desire to offer his friend something to keep his mind engaged while laid up.

"I should be asking you that, shouldn't I? I am...healing. I have burns from tangling with Roderick and a lingering pain in my knee from talking with Fenix...aside from what wounds I expect to earn in a fight."

The Train - Roommates?

[10billionpercent]

His experience on the train has been unusual to say the least, but despite all of that Senku couldn't help but figure rest was better than sitting around trapped on the train. Investigative work was all well and good, but sitting around idle was not.

As much as his sleep could suffer, there was no reason not to take the opportunity for rest when given the chance.

When his unknown roommate returned he offered him a smile. "Hey."

Senku had already removed his shoes and tucked them under the bed and was in the process of removing the cape he normally kept secured around his shoulders. An odd choice for a man that was just wearing a suit without a jacket beneath it, but from the tattered state of the cape it was something he'd worn a long time. He sat on the bench and raised a leg up, lifting his pant leg to untie a piece of rope that had been interlaced with red and tied in an unusual knot.

Roommates!

[bloodalwaystells]

Waiting to get to the actual action is tough, Jaeger has done more than his share. He should be happy to have the time to heal, and he is, but the anticipation of what they might find when they get to their destination makes him restless, uncertain.

Especially with that little bout of darkness in the tunnel. Jaeger retires to his sleeping compartment not long after that, and he's only vaguely surprised to find someone already there.

Jaeger's a hard man to miss in nearly any circumstances: Well over six feet tall and broad in build, he towers over most people in a room, and over his new roommate in particular. He's amiable enough, though, tilting his head in a small nod of friendly acknowledgement.

The cape and cord both get a thoughtful look, brief and eccentric details to be filed away but certainly nothing alarming.

"Hey. I, ah. Don't think we've been introduced? Though I'm sure I saw you at orientation. I'm Andrew Jaeger. Investigations and Security."

Introductions. That's a good place to start.

[10billionpercent]

Senku didn't really bat an eye at Jaeger's height, after all he had friends like that at home. Not everyone could be built like a house. He had never been bothered by his slight build, it had really come in handy at times.

He held the rope with his teeth and pulled his hair back into a ponytail before using it to tie it off snugly, with the same kind of knot.

"We haven't. Dr. Senku Ishigami." He responded. "Ah, but call me Senku, I don't give a shit about titles or whatever. I'm working in Equipment and Information Technology." He was more than happy to take on two roles and devote a good amount of time to both. He may have been a workaholic.

The cape got folded and tucked under the pillow for safe keeping, and that was as far as he was willing to go with disrobing on a train.

"Have you been working for ADI long?"

Post-Infirmary

[worthallthis]

Jaeger escaped his scolding directly after the trip to the circus, largely because by the time they got back to the car, both of them were too exhausted and hurt to speak coherently let alone give and receive a proper rant.

And Jaeger escaped it for all his time in the infirmary, because Winter escaped the medical wing at ADI after less than 12 hours and refused to go back.

But now. Now. As he makes his way back to his own apartment. He'll find someone waiting for him outside, expression as dark as it ever gets. It seems Winter has been holding on to his rant for all this time.

[bloodalwaystells]

Sometimes, hospitalization and painful medical procedures are, in fact, the lesser of trials. Jaeger has had a week to lay in bed and mostly zone out, but in his more lucid moments, the entire fight is still on his mind. A nagging, tugging sense of unease, of blooming guilt as he realizes that he did, in fact, cross a line.

Not a big one, and he might not even consider it, except for the fact that it had risked Winter's safety as well.

He's still on bed rest after being released from the medical ward, but the walk back to his apartment is...pleasant enough. Fresh air after the stale, sterile atmosphere of the ward. Time to just exist, hanging in that gauzy headspace of painkillers and pure bone-deep relief.

Any illusions of pleasantry die when Jaeger spots a familiar figure lingering by his apartment, though. He takes a deep breath, slowly, leaning on his cane and bracing himself for what's to come. He doesn't need a degree to know that the man is not happy, and that there's something coming between them like a dark wall of stormclouds.

Jaeger looks at Winter with weary blue-gray eyes and just...waits.

[worthallthis]

Winter pushes himself up from the wall, makes himself stand up straight, though most of his weight is on his good leg, and the metal arm hangs heavily, fingers occasionally twitching a little.

"You didn't follow the plan," he starts with. "You put yourself in danger. For no fucking reason."

God this tag would NOT come out, lol... Sorry it took so long!

[fightinginfinity]

[ Look, Tony knows he annoys Jaeger more often than not. While it's partially just by virtue of knowing that he annoys most people more often than not, there's also the fact that Tony hadn't exactly ran it past his roommates before he'd converted their apartment into his makeshift workshop and started, well, working in it, often loudly, and often at truly hellish hours of the night. Andrew is a quiet guy, but Tony learned to tell the difference between surly and pissed off a long time ago.

But hey, they get along well enough day to day, don't they? The guy hasn't tried to throttle Tony yet, at least, and that's more than he can say about some other contentious relationships he's had. Either way, maybe Tony can earn a few points by bringing Jaeger a get-well gift at the hospital; buying things for people is usually how Tony smooths things over with them, after all, though typically his gifts are a little more, uh...pricey.

Oh well. It's the thought that counts.

Tony makes it to Jaeger's room and just...sticks the box he's holding through the open doorway, wiggling it a little. Then he steps into view, and tries not to look alarmed once his eyes fall upon his busted-up roommate. ]

Missing you around the apartment, André the Giant. It's even quieter now. [ Not hearing any objections, Tony invites himself in. ] Brought you something.

No worries!

[bloodalwaystells]

[Jaeger is half-asleep and high on painkillers, which certainly doesn't hurt Tony's cause. He stirs when the door opens, not inclined to sit up but opening his eyes and turning his head toward his visitor.

Hey, moving hurts. Kind of a lot at times, so he's going to just lay here and heal like he's supposed to.]

Mph.

[His eyebrows rise at the mention of a present, and he shifts a little more, regarding the other man with question.]

A present? ...Should I be worried?

[fightinginfinity]

'Worried?' [ Tony gasps, mock-offended, then lowers himself into the chair near Jaeger's bed. ] How rude. I'll have you know I had to actually budget to get this thing. You know I've never budgeted for anything before in my entire life? Yeah.

[ Jaeger most definitely knows by now that Tony is an Actual Billionaire back in his home world, though he doesn't bring it up all that often other than for jokey theatrics. And he ceases those pretty quickly, even, scooting his chair a little closer so he can hand over the box. ]

Careful, fragile contents.

[ There's no wrapping or anything; it's just a plain box, and inside is a bit of crumpled paper for padding which, when removed, will reveal a ceramic coffee mug. ]

Figured I owed you for the one I broke. And see? It's complimentary.

[ If Tony seems a tad anxious (or more anxious, rather), it's because he's fully, uncomfortably aware that 1. the mug-throwing incident happened ages ago and 2. that + the fact that he can't apologize without flirting or buying people things = still more to add on to the already mountainous pile of evidence that he is phenomenally shit at human interaction. Not that he really needs reminding.

Thankfully Jaeger seems too high to notice. ]