jigokulogs | semi-open 👹 beauty of the night

[ Somehow he felt like this was how he predicted the night would end, with the only unexpected factor being the brazen way the assassination itself was carried out and the ensuing chaos and panic.

He gave chase but, after one of the culprits vanished into thin air, Bishop had not much to go on save a few curious things which amounted to virtually nothing right now. He needed more information and his only clue just got away.

His chase led him close to the red light district, breathing heavier and head full of questions. He needed drink, but instead he found a familiar face limping along. ]

Monts! [ He jogs over to her side, automatically crouching by her injured ankle for a cursory check. ] You okay?

... Oh! Bishop?

[She stops when the voice of Bishop calls out to her. Monts turns her head around and before she can say anything, he's crouching down. Automatically, her hand pulls at the skirt of her kimono so that its length obscures her ankle.]

I got pushed around, but it's fine. I'm just trying to make it back to my apartment room in one piece.

You are very not fine if you're limping like that. Let me see.

[ He pulls the kimono away so he can see her ankle, the surprise on his face clear as even recoils a bit. ]

Christ! Monts! What the hell were you thinking???

[ Her ankle maybe be sprained but it's swollen and red, an injury Bishop has seen many many times over but nonetheless still bad. Immediately, even through his scolding, he picks her up in a princess carry - he'll hear her objections later - and goes to look for someplace to have her sit. ]

I know shit is bad now, but c'mon! Walking on that foot - You should have gone to a doctor or called for help!

Hey!! Don't just—...!

[But he's already lifting up her kimono to see her wrapped up ankle. Instead of flinching or expressing discomfort, Monts grunts in exasperation, pulling away from Bishop even more.

Her voice, shriller than she wants it to be, protests against Bishop.]

It doesn't bother me okay!? Just—...! Whoa!!

[And before more words can escape, he scoops her up into his arms. Frustrated, with one hand curled into a fist she hits him in the chest (but it's weak, it's nothing really).]

Put me down! It'll get better on its own, just... I wanna be alone! No doctors!

[ Okay he'll hear her complaints now it seems, but she'll have to deal with it. ]

Oh hush, you baby.

[ He continues to walk through the district, stopping at clinics that are full one after the other. It looks like more people were hurt from the stampede that followed. Thankfully, he eventually found a bench where he could sit her with a drug store nearby. ]

Wait here. No buts or trying to walk off, I will find you. [ A beat. ] That came out creppier than I intended. I'll be right back.

[ He rushes off to the drug store and buys all he needs, a cold compress, bandage, ointment, some pain killers, and some bite size chocolates and a bottle of water. Hopefully, she listend to him and when he does come back she'll be sitting on that bench. ]

Here, eat these. Slowly.

[ He says handing the chocolates over to her. Sweets help with shock after all, and if she's chewing on something maybe she won't complain as much when he goes to check on her foot - gently lifting to the modest amount of light provided by the street lights and examining the damage done. ]

Definitely inflamed....not broken through....just a very bad sprain. Consider yourself lucky.

[Monts is silent the rest of the trip and when Bishop is able to find a bench to set her down, she's still wordless. In fact, she's basically refusing to talk or make eye contact with Bishop. Apparently, someone is irate.

But she doesn't move from her spot. When Bishop returns with the items and offers her the chocolates, she reaches out to take one, but simply places it in her lap, not opening it. The painkillers are also ignored and it's only the bottled water that she fully accepts by opening it up and taking a sip as Bishop examines her ankle.

And at this assessment, she finally replies dryly.]

I could have told you that for free.

That so?

[ She's getting a free treatment from a former agent and soldier, so she doesn't get to whine. ]

This is going to get uncomfortable, but just bear with it.

[ He means painful. He goes onto his knees and lifts her leg until her heel is resting on his thigh for support while he takes the cold compress and bandages, pressing the compress close then wrapping it tightly several times until its almost like a cast. ]

Nn.

[She falls silent once again but lets Bishop get it over with. She can feel the chill of the compress, the tightness of the bandages, and the caution in his fingers as he takes care of her.

But beyond the strain, there's nothing. It's empty, it's hollow, she can only feel her existence in the coolness of the night air on her skin and everything else except that one thing.

Her expression doesn't change until she tilts her head to see his work.]

Done yet?

[ He looks up at her with a raised brow. Not so much because of her tone but because, she didn't seem bothered at all.

His treatment is flawless but even the most hardened of vets would show some signs of discomfort. She didn't. ]

Uhhh, yeah just about. Let me just fasten the clip.

[ He does as he said and secures the bandage. ]

There. That should get rid of some of the tension in around your ankle. Now, no walking on that leg until the swelling goes down, call a doctor to come and examine you again. No driving, no operating of heavy machinery, you can drink - but drink responsibly. Or not, I dunno, I'm not your mom. Lollipop? You know, for being a good patient.

[ He says pulling out a bright red lollipop from his coat pocket. Yes, he also sneakily bought one for sake of a dumb joke. ]

[She doesn't take the lollipop. Bishop instead, receives a blank stare from Monts.]

... I don't want to see a doctor. Like I keep saying, it'll go away by itself.

[Eventually. After all, everything else about her abilities has been dumbed down including her fast healing factor. Closing her eyes, Monts sighs before continuing.]

Look, I'm sorry. I'm being childish and you're taking your time to help me out. It's been a long night.

[ He looks at her and listens, noting the aversion to a medical professional. Why? He's knows some really don't want to see one because of finances or just plain stubbornness, but this didn't feel like any of those. Well, not completely. ]

Childish? You're not the one with a lollipop!

[ He tears the wrapper open and pops it into his mouth, grinning like the looney he is, to imply there's nothing to forgive. ]

It has been...quite a night.

[ He takes a seat next to her, finally letting out the long and heavy sigh thats been caged in his chest since hitting that dead end. ]

... I really need to decide on what I want here.

[As Bishop sits next to her, she takes some time to think. Why does she keep hiding? What is she afraid of whenever she's confronted with her the things that make her inhuman, or at least when it's outside of her context?

She ruefully thinks to herself that she hasn't grown up at all. The Midnight Grind was a safe place where she can be plain and upfront to anyone who could sense the abnormality in her. Here, Marianna has been building more barriers around herself than before. She had decided that she would be friendly, she would play nice and by whatever rules were here and adjust as needed. That was her survival strategy, but it's in that moment she realizes that she's trying to live as she did before.

It doesn't have to be that way, not when there were people like Bishop who could yell at her for not taking care of herself.]

... Hey.

[Here it goes. She looks down at the injured ankle, swinging it back and forth idly.]

Have you ever heard of congetial analgesia?

Congetial analgesia?

[ He thinks, the term familiar only in the sense that its a medical term of some kind. One of millions he just doesn't have the brain capacity to store. ]

Can't say I have.

[There's a crinkling sound in her lap as one of the chocolates becomes unwrapped.]

Congenital analgesia is a condition where a person has an insensitivity to physical pain.

[She takes a bite of the chocolate and swallows before continuing.]

That's basically what I have to an extent. I didn't always have it.

[ The words hang in his head and some pieces fit together like a puzzle, though he feels some way about it. ]

So...your body can't feel pain? Is it to a certain degree or....sorry, I know I shouldn't pry but...

[ A life without your body telling you something is wrong sounds dangerous, even for him. It almost sounds like a dream, not that he'd say it out loud, but also a nightmare. ]

Mm-hm.

[When she finally turns to look at Bishop, she has a friendly smile on her face; calm and casual. She holds up her hand to wiggle her fingers. ]

I do have my other senses like touch, taste, and smell. But something like a dangerous temperature on either side of the spectrum, I have to be careful like everyone else. If I get bruised, well, I'd be kind of aware I've bumped into something, I just wouldn't bother to check.

[ He can't imagine living like that. He needs pain to survive, to fuel his instinct, push him when things get bleak. He needs it, though he would prefer less of it.

He's quiet through her explanation, nodding as she talks of her condition. ]

So, if someone were to accidentally hit you, you'd just feel like they gave you a little pat, yeah? How if they do this?

[ And the he pokes her in the side to tickle her. ]

[Monts rolls her eyes and swats his hand away from her side, but at least she's still smiling.]

I don't recommend making that a habit Bishop.

And it's not so much a pat, just... I don't really get what the impact is supposed to be like? That and my sense of danger, as a result, is pretty low.

[ He made her exasperated, but at least she's smiling. He can only imagine how difficult it must be for her to talk about this, especially when she's seemed so adamant to keep it quiet. "That explains the aversion to doctors" he thinks to himself. ]

Well, Monts. For starters - when a part of your body is swelling red, generally bad. If it's twisted in a way it shouldn't be, very bad.

[ He's being "funny" again. ]

And lastly, thanks for telling me. I'm not gonna pretend like I completely understand what it must be like, and I won't patronize you by saying "Pain sucks!" or "You're better off without it". I'm sure it must be...difficult, if not complicated for you. I only have my logic and imagination to help me understand. But you can count on me next time you need help. [ A beat. ] And maybe tell you how bad something is.

[Monts shrugs leaning forward to rest her cheek in one hand as her elbow sits on her knee. ]

Tell me something I don't know. [He can be funny about it, but she's kind of had that sort of thing drilled into her by her grandparents who raised her since she was a child and worked around her oddities as best as they could.

Not only that, her sense of danger is low because... Well, it's not like her healing factor currently applies. But if it did, her ankle wouldn't be as messed up and she'd be even more careless.

That's a story for another day.]

... You're welcome.

[She straightens up again, leaning her back against the bench.]

You did help me out after all so... Yeah. I'll impose on you again if I find myself in a bind.

[ He will always try to be funny about things when he can.

He nods and smiles at her, still pondering having to live that kind of life with no pain. ]

Well, lets wait for that compress to do its thing then I'll take you home.

[ He says while leaning back onto the bench and then sighing. He was feeling the weariness now, and he closes his eyes to rest though his mind is far to awake to even try to really nap. ]

Quite a night, huh?

Mm.

[Nodding in agreement, she turns her gaze to the night sky, wondering if it's even real in a place like this. Jigokucho is more of a neon-lit cage that gives the illusion of a large city.]

I doubt anyone got a good look at who shot the Daitengu, huh? Not that I'm all that observant, but... Yeah.

[She looks down at her hands instead.]

We're just part of their fights from now on.

Edited 2022-04-28 04:07 (UTC)

[ He thinks to his quarry, how he chased them down only to watch them vanish. ]

They had some kind of cloaking tech. I chased them down but then they just....gone.

[ He raised his hands and waved his fingers to represent how they disappeared. ]

No tracks, nothing.

[ Except the weird bullet casing he found when they shot at him, but she doesn't need to know that now. ]

I'm pretty sure we were always going to be a part of their fights. These yakuza types are constantly sitting on a powerkeg, and each one holding a match. Tonight, someone lit theirs and threw it, now we have to figure out how to defend against the blast.

[ A fact he's not going to even try to hide with sugar coated words that don't mean anything. ]

You're not with the onis so....who're you with?

[The question Bishop poses her seems to amuse Monts. Tilting her head, her the tassels of her hair decoration sway in the air.]

You can't tell who I'm with even with this getup?

[She laughs lightly but answers him anyway.]

Tamamo. I'm not sure what it's going to mean for me from here on out.

[ He chuckles to himself. ]

Give me a break, I'm tired.

[ Though, really, it should have been obvious. ]

I think we're all going to have to question that now. Toraguma isn't likely to sit this chance out, and I imagine neither is Tenkohime.

semi-open 👹 beauty of the night

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