*He snorted irritably, snapping at the space in front of RED's injured leg. You wanna have a limp like he does forever?
He slowed down to keep pace with the slower moving man. Probably for the best since he was still stumbling occasionally when he forgot to pick up his front paws. This walking on four legs thing was not very intuitive. Which paw was supposed to move first? This one.. or .. maybe that one..*
I get it, alright? It was a piss-poor decision, but there's not much to be done about it now. What was I supposed to do, leave Ringo alone?
[Something in his expression shifted toward anguish as he turned away again, though whether it was from his leg or from the fight with his friend went unsaid.]
*If he could roll his eyes he would. Apparently dogs can't do that. He kept pace next to Sniper looking up at him occasionally, yeah, he can see through your line face. He makes another whining noise.
Then disappears as he steps into a patch of snow that was a lot deeper than he thought.*
[RED waited for BLU to reappear, his breath rattling through him, each accompanied by a cloud of steam in the cold air. He hadn't eaten in over a day, taken his medication in longer- both were undoubtedly catching up to him.
Spotting a bench a short distance away, RED headed for it, sliding onto it and rubbing his sore knee as he caught his breath. His mind was still stuck somewhere on Chibi, on how the pup would've probably helped him walk home had it not been for their argument. The fact that he'd managed to have an argument with a dog at all burned him even more, fueling his irritation with Paradise as a whole.
His only other viable choices were Miss Pauling, who he still didn't think capable of dragging him places, BLU, who was a dog and was arguably helping him to the best of his canine ability, or Pyro. Calling her was out of the question.
That meant walking and hoping BLU could drag him through the snow if he collapsed. Embarrassment like that was a wonderful motivator.]
*He struggles out of the deep snow and bounds over to where the RED is sitting. Not knowing exactly how to walk in the snow he ends up jumping like a jackrabbit through the snow drifts.
Jumping up on the bench he sits next to the Sniper and tilts his head at him. He looks terrible, like he might pass out at any minute, and BLU can't even ask him what's wrong or what he needs. He sniffs at the crutch, looks over at RED Base, and then sniffs the crutch again, giving a small nudge with his nose.*
[Pain etched onto RED's face; he shut it down with a held breath, a quiet gasp forced from him only seconds later. His eyes turned to BLU for only a second as his crutch was nudged. They set themselves on the distance ahead.]
I'm workin' on it, mate. Just... very sore at the moment.
[He took his crutch up again, pushing himself back to his feet. RED base looked so far away, but he wasn't about to collapse in the cold right in front of his rival. It was hard to think of him as a man when there was nothing more than a dog before him. His breath rattled in his chest as he spoke again.]
Haven't been taking my pain medication. Probably not my best idea, but they mess with my head. Poor timing again, if nothing else.
*He whimpered and set his head down on his paws, waiting for RED to get back up. RED base wasn't that far away, and then they could get warm and get something to eat. And most importantly RED could get off his leg.
When he mentioned not taking his pain medication BLU raised his head and snarled. What did you go and do a stupid thing like that for RED? They're gonna have a harsh conversation about this when he can talk again.
Okay maybe not when he's stuck in the body of a little girl. That.. may not be quite as effective as when he's 6' 7" and wielding a kukri in his rivals face.*
[He wheezed, coming to a stop as he was forced to readjust his hand on the crutch. That fall the day before had really left his knee in a bad state. He caught his breath, trying to shut it all out as he started trudging forward again.]
I can't think straight when I'm on 'em. Haven't had a clear head in weeks.
BLU stayed right next to his leg while walked along, starting to worry about what he would do if the other Sniper collapsed. He could try and drag him but that might do more harm than good, he certainly couldn't throw him over his shoulder or anything. He wasn't even a convenient height for RED to lean on, he really was rather worthless in this sort of situation.
When the base came into sight he ran off to the door, barking and pawing at it, hoping Pyro was in to let them in. Or Medic had miraculously shown back up. He tugged on the door knob with his teeth.*
[Though it was a slow and arduous climb, Sniper made it up the stairs to the building, pushing the door open. Surprisingly, Pyro either hadn't heard the noise or still wasn't home. RED looked down at his fellow Sniper, exhaustion worn into every feature.]
I don't think she was here when I left. Odd.
[He passed by the dog, heading into the ground-floor kitchen. No sign of her in there, either. Barely able to stay on his feet even with the crutch propping him up, Sniper made his way to the table, collapsing into a chair. Food and drink could wait- he needed a minute.]
Pyro?
[No answer to his call. He took a shaky breath and tried again.]
Oi, Pyro!
[He listened, but only the sound of his own rasping broke the silence.]
*BLU trotted up the staircase and looked around the top floor, barking in case Pyro was hiding somewhere. Huh, no Pyro.
Back downstairs he walked up to RED and shook his head, sending his ears flapping into the sides of his head.
Well Pyro or no, at least it was warm in here. Using his paws and his nose he pushed another chair near RED for him to prop his leg up onto then walked into the kitchen, opening all the cupboards within reach with his nose. He padded back over and put a bag of jerky on RED's lap, then headed for the fridge, hoping there were bottles of water. There was no way he was going to be able to maneuver around to get a glass.*
[RED rubbed his eyes as BLU headed off toward the cabinets, a groan escaping him.]
Where the bloody hell is she when I actually need her?
[His eyes remained beneath his hands until the bag of jerky was set into his lap. He uttered a word of thanks to the dog, working with his cold fingers to try to open it. When success finally came, he tucked a piece into his mouth immediately, digging out another and holding it down for BLU to take upon his return.]
*Of course she wasn't there when they needed her. At least BLU could try and help as best he could. He pulled the blanket off the bed upstairs and painstakingly dragged it down the hall and through the kitchen and tried to nudge it onto RED's lap.
Oh hey jerky! He takes it and lays down, nomming happily.*
[The blanket was accepted, but remained more in RED's hands than his lap for several seconds, the expression on his face an odd mixture of weariness and outright depression. Too tired to mask it, he pushed his hand over his face, his glasses riding up to his forehead as he took a deep, unsteady breath.
It wasn't the blanket so much as everything associated with it that bothered him: Chibi had given him that blanket at the party. The dog had been his only companion in Paradise for some time, the only one he felt he could fully trust with anything. He could no longer turn to his parents, no longer had to consider their well-being. While he often touted he liked his solitude, to lose everything and be truly alone was a terrible, deep-seated fear within him, one he could neither deny nor combat with any weapon.
Having Chibi around reminded him of better times, of Norman, of when he'd had someone loyally looking out for him and watching his back. They were days long-gone, but his affinity for dogs drew it out of him again, pushing him to trust the canines more than any people. People were backstabbers. Murderers. Most wouldn't know loyalty or obedience if it hit them in the face. None of them were capable of such faithfulness, not even himself.
And apparently, not Chibi either. Perhaps with his greater understanding came worse. RED couldn't sort it out in his mind fully- all he knew was that he felt betrayed in the worst way.]
*BLU snapped up the small pieces of jerky that had fallen from his rather messy gnawing of it then looked up at RED for more. Instead he found RED looking uncharacteristically depressed with his hand over his face. He stood up on his hind legs, putting his paws on the arm of the chair, giving a small whine.
Come on RED, it's not that bad. You made it back to the warm house, there's jerky, a blanket, a bottle of water.. what more do you.. oh right.
With a soft woofing bark he headed back upstairs, digging through Pyro's room, pulling drawers open with his teeth and pawing through some bags. With a small pill bottle clenched firmly in his jaws he returned to RED's side, standing up again and offering him the bottle with perked up ears.*
[RED remained stationary as BLU headed upstairs, the blanket still more in his hands than covering him by the time his rival returned. Try as he might to not look as devastated as he felt, it showed in his dulled eyes behind his glasses. Everything running through him— pain, frustration, despondence— numbed him temporarily, his mind completely elsewhere as BLU returned with the pills.
RED cast a sideways look toward the dog, patting him on the head absentmindedly as he took the bottle and gave him a low word of appreciation.]
Thanks, mate.
[His hand was shaking as he opened the container, pulling out three pills and swallowing them whole. Setting the open bottle on the table, he pushed another piece of jerky into his mouth with a choked noise, tossing some to the ground before burying his face in his hand again.]
*BLU didn't even pull back from the head pats, something was very, very wrong here. He dropped back down on all fours and paced back and forth for a minute, nails clicking on the linoleum floor.
He didn't have much else to do so he ended up tugging the blanket around and out of RED's hands, making sure it covered his injured leg. He didn't know what he should do for the man, other than get help. Of course he was currently in the body of the person who was supposedly a medic. Though how she healed people as a dog he had no idea.
What else could he do? He paced around some more before deciding on bringing RED a pillow from the couch.*
[Eyeing the offered pillow for a moment, RED finally reacted, nodding his head and rubbing his eyes. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke, his voice a low rasp.]
Right. I should try and get some rest before she comes back. Can't sleep with her next to me.
[He carried the blanket and cushion with him, hobbling to the couch in the den. He worked his way onto the seat, the physical pain from his knee only a minor problem in his mind at that moment.]
*Good. You get some rest and don't die right in front of him when he can't do anything about it. He'll question RED about the whole 'sleeping next to Pyro' thing when he's back in his own body. Which can't happen soon enough for him.
He gobbles up the bits of jerky on the floor before following RED into the den and plopping down on the rug. At least being furry made everything comfortable, and warm.*
[Lying on the couch, RED spent a good twenty minutes just staring at the ceiling; while the constant throbbing from his knee was dulled by the medication, his mind was still plagued. A betrayal by someone he thought he could trust- it was something he'd thought would never happen to him again, that he'd thought he wouldn't allow to happen to him again. It was his reason for being who he was, for being so averse to the very concept of attachment: it only created ways to be injured, wounded in a way no hospital could heal.
He kicked himself inwardly for being so foolish, for thinking for half a second he needed anyone but himself in Paradise or anywhere else. He'd told the pup a lot that didn't need repeating, and never before had he said anything. Chibi had always been content to listen, allowing him to empty his head and clear his mind. With his parents gone and no one else to turn to, he'd thought he could trust the dog. They were loyal creatures, obedient until the end.
There was something off about Chibi's behavior, but RED was so appalled by the apparent backstabbing from the only being he considered somewhat of a comrade— maybe even a friend— that he was blind to it. All he felt at that moment was ire burning a hole in his chest, coupled with melancholy that pressed him down.
RED closed his eyes. The sooner he recovered, the sooner he could leave the city. Dragons or not, the woods were a far better alternative to staying near people.]
*BLU flicked his ears back and forth, watching RED stare at the ceiling. He didn't know what was wrong but he had worn that same expression himself a time or two before, whatever had happened was worse than usual and RED was taking it pretty damn hard. No matter how much RED wanted to blame the pain medication or his injuries, BLU had a hunch this was more personal and emotional than the other Sniper would ever let on.
He sighed through his nose, wondering what he was going to do if he woke up on the floor back in Cassidy's human form. This was already weird enough. On the other hand he might wake up as himself, in which case Cassidy would be the one to deal with an angry RED in the morning.
He curled up into a ball, eyeing his tail that he still couldn't figure out how to work. He spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to get it to move, but he still had no idea what muscles he needed to flex to make it move. Not that he needed or wanted to be able to wag his tail, but it would probably be helpful to balance and keep him from crashing headfirst into the snow some more.
Eventually he fell asleep, flopped on his side, occasionally twitching and making running motions in his sleep.*
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bye_to_yer_head) wrote2012-01-16 12:32 am
[action]
He slowed down to keep pace with the slower moving man. Probably for the best since he was still stumbling occasionally when he forgot to pick up his front paws. This walking on four legs thing was not very intuitive. Which paw was supposed to move first? This one.. or .. maybe that one..*
[action]
[Something in his expression shifted toward anguish as he turned away again, though whether it was from his leg or from the fight with his friend went unsaid.]
[action]
Then disappears as he steps into a patch of snow that was a lot deeper than he thought.*
[action]
Spotting a bench a short distance away, RED headed for it, sliding onto it and rubbing his sore knee as he caught his breath. His mind was still stuck somewhere on Chibi, on how the pup would've probably helped him walk home had it not been for their argument. The fact that he'd managed to have an argument with a dog at all burned him even more, fueling his irritation with Paradise as a whole.
His only other viable choices were Miss Pauling, who he still didn't think capable of dragging him places, BLU, who was a dog and was arguably helping him to the best of his canine ability, or Pyro. Calling her was out of the question.
That meant walking and hoping BLU could drag him through the snow if he collapsed. Embarrassment like that was a wonderful motivator.]
[action]
Jumping up on the bench he sits next to the Sniper and tilts his head at him. He looks terrible, like he might pass out at any minute, and BLU can't even ask him what's wrong or what he needs. He sniffs at the crutch, looks over at RED Base, and then sniffs the crutch again, giving a small nudge with his nose.*
[action]
I'm workin' on it, mate. Just... very sore at the moment.
[He took his crutch up again, pushing himself back to his feet. RED base looked so far away, but he wasn't about to collapse in the cold right in front of his rival. It was hard to think of him as a man when there was nothing more than a dog before him. His breath rattled in his chest as he spoke again.]
Haven't been taking my pain medication. Probably not my best idea, but they mess with my head. Poor timing again, if nothing else.
[action]
When he mentioned not taking his pain medication BLU raised his head and snarled. What did you go and do a stupid thing like that for RED? They're gonna have a harsh conversation about this when he can talk again.
Okay maybe not when he's stuck in the body of a little girl. That.. may not be quite as effective as when he's 6' 7" and wielding a kukri in his rivals face.*
[action]
[He wheezed, coming to a stop as he was forced to readjust his hand on the crutch. That fall the day before had really left his knee in a bad state. He caught his breath, trying to shut it all out as he started trudging forward again.]
I can't think straight when I'm on 'em. Haven't had a clear head in weeks.
[action]
BLU stayed right next to his leg while walked along, starting to worry about what he would do if the other Sniper collapsed. He could try and drag him but that might do more harm than good, he certainly couldn't throw him over his shoulder or anything. He wasn't even a convenient height for RED to lean on, he really was rather worthless in this sort of situation.
When the base came into sight he ran off to the door, barking and pawing at it, hoping Pyro was in to let them in. Or Medic had miraculously shown back up. He tugged on the door knob with his teeth.*
[action]
I don't think she was here when I left. Odd.
[He passed by the dog, heading into the ground-floor kitchen. No sign of her in there, either. Barely able to stay on his feet even with the crutch propping him up, Sniper made his way to the table, collapsing into a chair. Food and drink could wait- he needed a minute.]
Pyro?
[No answer to his call. He took a shaky breath and tried again.]
Oi, Pyro!
[He listened, but only the sound of his own rasping broke the silence.]
[action]
Back downstairs he walked up to RED and shook his head, sending his ears flapping into the sides of his head.
Well Pyro or no, at least it was warm in here. Using his paws and his nose he pushed another chair near RED for him to prop his leg up onto then walked into the kitchen, opening all the cupboards within reach with his nose. He padded back over and put a bag of jerky on RED's lap, then headed for the fridge, hoping there were bottles of water. There was no way he was going to be able to maneuver around to get a glass.*
[action]
Where the bloody hell is she when I actually need her?
[His eyes remained beneath his hands until the bag of jerky was set into his lap. He uttered a word of thanks to the dog, working with his cold fingers to try to open it. When success finally came, he tucked a piece into his mouth immediately, digging out another and holding it down for BLU to take upon his return.]
[action]
Oh hey jerky! He takes it and lays down, nomming happily.*
[action]
It wasn't the blanket so much as everything associated with it that bothered him: Chibi had given him that blanket at the party. The dog had been his only companion in Paradise for some time, the only one he felt he could fully trust with anything. He could no longer turn to his parents, no longer had to consider their well-being. While he often touted he liked his solitude, to lose everything and be truly alone was a terrible, deep-seated fear within him, one he could neither deny nor combat with any weapon.
Having Chibi around reminded him of better times, of Norman, of when he'd had someone loyally looking out for him and watching his back. They were days long-gone, but his affinity for dogs drew it out of him again, pushing him to trust the canines more than any people. People were backstabbers. Murderers. Most wouldn't know loyalty or obedience if it hit them in the face. None of them were capable of such faithfulness, not even himself.
And apparently, not Chibi either. Perhaps with his greater understanding came worse. RED couldn't sort it out in his mind fully- all he knew was that he felt betrayed in the worst way.]
[action]
Come on RED, it's not that bad. You made it back to the warm house, there's jerky, a blanket, a bottle of water.. what more do you.. oh right.
With a soft woofing bark he headed back upstairs, digging through Pyro's room, pulling drawers open with his teeth and pawing through some bags. With a small pill bottle clenched firmly in his jaws he returned to RED's side, standing up again and offering him the bottle with perked up ears.*
[action]
RED cast a sideways look toward the dog, patting him on the head absentmindedly as he took the bottle and gave him a low word of appreciation.]
Thanks, mate.
[His hand was shaking as he opened the container, pulling out three pills and swallowing them whole. Setting the open bottle on the table, he pushed another piece of jerky into his mouth with a choked noise, tossing some to the ground before burying his face in his hand again.]
[action]
He didn't have much else to do so he ended up tugging the blanket around and out of RED's hands, making sure it covered his injured leg. He didn't know what he should do for the man, other than get help. Of course he was currently in the body of the person who was supposedly a medic. Though how she healed people as a dog he had no idea.
What else could he do? He paced around some more before deciding on bringing RED a pillow from the couch.*
[action]
Right. I should try and get some rest before she comes back. Can't sleep with her next to me.
[He carried the blanket and cushion with him, hobbling to the couch in the den. He worked his way onto the seat, the physical pain from his knee only a minor problem in his mind at that moment.]
[action]
He gobbles up the bits of jerky on the floor before following RED into the den and plopping down on the rug. At least being furry made everything comfortable, and warm.*
[action]
He kicked himself inwardly for being so foolish, for thinking for half a second he needed anyone but himself in Paradise or anywhere else. He'd told the pup a lot that didn't need repeating, and never before had he said anything. Chibi had always been content to listen, allowing him to empty his head and clear his mind. With his parents gone and no one else to turn to, he'd thought he could trust the dog. They were loyal creatures, obedient until the end.
There was something off about Chibi's behavior, but RED was so appalled by the apparent backstabbing from the only being he considered somewhat of a comrade— maybe even a friend— that he was blind to it. All he felt at that moment was ire burning a hole in his chest, coupled with melancholy that pressed him down.
RED closed his eyes. The sooner he recovered, the sooner he could leave the city. Dragons or not, the woods were a far better alternative to staying near people.]
[action]
He sighed through his nose, wondering what he was going to do if he woke up on the floor back in Cassidy's human form. This was already weird enough. On the other hand he might wake up as himself, in which case Cassidy would be the one to deal with an angry RED in the morning.
He curled up into a ball, eyeing his tail that he still couldn't figure out how to work. He spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to get it to move, but he still had no idea what muscles he needed to flex to make it move. Not that he needed or wanted to be able to wag his tail, but it would probably be helpful to balance and keep him from crashing headfirst into the snow some more.
Eventually he fell asleep, flopped on his side, occasionally twitching and making running motions in his sleep.*