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+---- Thread: cut our teeth and make our bones right here (/showthread.php?tid=7764)
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 08-24-2023
[say]"Absolutely. When you get up to 8 hours of serum, maybe."[/say] Ronin grins, trying not to relax automatically into the arm that comes snaking around his waist, though it's a difficult thing when he knows Remi is not quite as frail and injured as he's portraying. (He's just been fucked by the man twice, so he should know). Heading carefully down the stairs with his partner, he scoffs and racks his brain for a monster that might suit.
[say]"We can always just say it's a very racist witch,"[/say] he considers, half carrying Remi through the doors and out into the open. [say]"What?"[/say] he adds, with a crooked smile, about his hearing being useless. [say]"I didn't catch that, sorry."[/say] He'd nudge the other man, if it wouldn't ruin the image they're portraying.
Speaking of his rotten hearing, he has to strain to hear Remi when he next speaks, Ronin nodding gently. [say]"I'll make sure I find out for you,"[/say] he murmurs.
Except, he won't. As the two men reach the medical wing they're all but swarmed by white-coated scientists and deafened by blaring alarms, because clearly their near-tardiness has put the whole department into a panic. Remi is almost wrestled out of Ronin's grip, and before he can so much as say goodbye to the wendigo, he's whisked away for testing and locking up in preparation for the change back.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
[say]"Hey, I held my own."[/say] Remi argues, raising his eyebrows. They know that having even gone twice that afternoon had been a stretch for them both. [say]"I'm sure you have some fae bullshit that could help?"[/say] He adds wonderingly, before suddenly imagining having to chew up a pinecone or sleep with one under his pillow or some nonsense.
[say]"Even post-apocalypse, racism is still alive and well."[/say] The wendigo mutters under his breath, not wanting to sound too amused about it for fear of ruining his portrayal of Very Wounded Man Limping Home. [say]"Ha-ha."[/say] Remi huffs dryly, though his fingers pulse his amusement against Ronin's hip as they walk.
Torn from Ronin's arms, the wendigo mumbles and grumbles quite believably as he slumps into the grip of the interns who are forced to bear his weight. Wishing he could turn and look at Ronin if only to mouth a goodbye, instead he's hauled inside and into a room where he's stripped of his clothing, sprayed down, prodded, poked, and measured. All of it's done with unusual haste if only so that they might capture Remi's data before he switches back. As the timer counts down the interns become more and more frenzied, before finally throwing Remi into his room and slamming the door shut.
They make it with seconds to spare, because as soon as the latch closes and the sound of compression hisses out from the door, the wendigo is on his knees, snarling through the change that has him feeling both strengthened and entirely hollowed out in the worst way possible.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
Luckily, or perhaps not, Remi isnt alone for very long. Isla hasn't been banned from her project, so to speak, for the two days where Grimm has been given free rein, but other than the absolute basics, she's only really been able to observe him through the windows overhead. And now that they've manhandled him back into his room, his clothes damp where they've dressed him without really caring if he's dried off, she can finally get a chance to see Remi for herself.
Still, Isla isn't an idiot (likely the reason she's made it to this position to begin with), and she gives it a good five to ten minutes before opening the doors to come and see Remi. With her, she's got some fresh clothes, a towel, and her usual medical kit (which normally heralds blood for an IV). [say]"Do you want some company?"[/say] she asks quietly.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
When Isla opens the door, she'll see Remi in a more or less familiar position now, post-serum. Sat on the edge of his bed, unmoving and with his head in his hands, the wendigo might as well have been a statue for all the life he displays. Turning to look at the doctor with eerie swiftness, golden eyes devoid of emotion, Remi tries for a smile as he shifts slightly to turn toward her. [say]"If it's you, then sure. If anyone else is asking, tell them I'm in a meeting."[/say] He says, aiming for lightness and hearing the hollow sound of his voice despite his efforts.
Itching his fingers across the top of his head and rubbing at a section slightly longer than the rest, the wendigo waits for Isla to pull up her chair as she normally did. Already his time with Ronin felt like a lifetime ago, the sensations and hope he'd felt with the hunter already buried deep within the oppressively emotionless body he now possessed.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
[say]"It's me. You can be in a meeting with me, if anyone else asks,"[/say] Isla says with a gentle smile, stepping across the room to deposit down her bag and to set the towel and dry clothes next to Remi. She doesn't sit at first, returning to the console to close the blinds overhead and reposition the cameras - a regular habit at this point, because who the fuck is going to tell her she can't put herself in 'danger' if she wants to.
Once things are as private as they can be given the wendigo's circumstances, Isla does return to her usual seat in front of him, but this time, she reaches across to press a hand to his knee. [say]"That woman is absolutely unhinged,"[/say] she hisses, something dark in her eyes. [say]"And I'm sorry for every second you had to spend with her. What do you need right now?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
Watching as Isla repositioned the cameras as if it was old hat now, the wendigo tilted his head somewhat speculatively to the side, though Isla would be forgiven for thinking it was a rather predatory movement instead. Unlike how things were with Ronin, Remi found Isla incredibly hard to predict and to understand from one moment to the next. There were of course many reasons for this, but none seemed to make an impression on the wendigo's mind just now, as he watches her flutter around the room before sitting down before him.
Smiling somewhat hesitantly, he looks down at the hand on his knee as if it were some strange illusory trick performed by a magician. He could see and feel her touch, but not in the way he'd so recently been reminded he was still capable of. Still, with a small quirk of his lips he covers her hand with his own. [say]"She is. Ronin has a theory that either she is in love with me and does not know how to show it, or that she utterly despises me. I am not sure which I would prefer."[/say]
As for what he needed? Given that he couldn't feel the discomfort he ought to thanks to the wetness of his clothes, the wendigo just shook his head ever so slightly. [say]"I wouldn't say no to a snack if you have one."[/say] He says, eyes moving to her bag wherein he could smell something overtly sterile and vaguely copper.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
Snorting in a very unladylike fashion, Isla can't help but give a shrug of acknowledgement. [say]"Perhaps it's both. She's in love with you and hates herself for it, so... here we are."[/say] Does it help or make it worse, though? Isla suspects the latter. Turning her hand beneath his so she might give his fingers a warm squeeze he probably won't feel, she follows Remi's gaze towards her bag.
[say]"You know, it's like you can read my mind."[/say] Smiling a little easier and reluctantly releasing her grip on him to fetch the IV pouches, Isla nods towards the towel and dry clothes. [say]"I know you don't feel it, but I'd feel a lot less like a monster if you didn't have to sit around in wet clothes,"[/say] she says. [say]"I can set this up if you want to change?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
[say]"Well, if it ever comes up, you can let her know that varying levels of torture is not my love language."[/say] He says dryly with a slight role of his eyes. The touch of Isla's palm against his is a distant thing, something that registers but is unable to stir any warmth or meaning in the wendigo's body. Still, his fingertips press against her own as if she's the one in need of reassurance about this entire ordeal. And, given the sort of thing he is at this precise moment, that's probably accurate.
[say]'Oh, didn't I mention that's one of the side effects of the serum?"[/say] He wonders, raising his eyebrows. Glancing at the clothes, Remi considers for a moment. Had this been Ronin he'd have made some snarky comment about not caring at all what the hunter did or didn't want, or maybe accusing him of just wanting to see Remi naked. Isla of course receives no such sass, though she will receive a bit of nudity if only because as a wendigo, embarrassment isn't the sort of emotion he's capable of feeling.
Besides, it's nothing she hasn't seen before.
Standing, Remi strips off his clothing. Had it retained any of the smells from Ronin's apartment he'd have been tempted to try and hold onto them. Unfortunately the sanitization he'd endured had broken down anything that might have lingered in the fibres, such that as he stripped, he merely tossed everything into a basket by the door. Knowing he was nothing to look at and so not lingering, Remi, for the second time that day, dressed reluctantly before sitting back down on the bed.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
[say]"If I ever go into a room with her, we will be talking about much more than love languages,"[/say] Isla remarks almost under her breath, and for the first time perhaps there's a little insight about the two doctors' relationship, or lack thereof. Given they are both part of the same project, Isla speaks directly to Grimm only when absolutely necessary. (And they might be approaching that point, honestly).
Chuckling and glancing across at Remi - only to realise he's stripping off in front of her - it's with pink cheeks that she's trying to hide that she finishes hooking up the IV. [say]"Well if that's the case, the next time you get some of the serum, we'll need to send you on some recon missions."[/say] Or not, given how fragile he is as a human.
Once Remi is dressed again, and seated comfortably on the bed, Isla sets up the IV for him like it's old hat, (because it is, at this point). [say]"I hate that she even cut your hair,"[/say] she mutters suddenly, her fingers twitching as if to reach out and touch him, but she stops herself.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
Remi does pick up on this bit of insight, though he only frowns in response and gives his head a little shake. [say]"Much as I appreciate you going to bat for me when it matters..."[/say] He doesn't need to breathe enough to warrant his hiss of inhale, but he does it anyway. [say]"Don't let your emotions get her the upper hand."[/say]
Though Isla might succeed in hiding the flush on her cheeks, the wendigo is clearly able to hear the subtle increase of her heart rate. Wishing he could care about it in a way more sincere than the predatory calculations running through his mind, the wendigo chuckles as he sits down. [say]"Is that so? You know, I can probably get to the truth of most things like this, when you get down to it."[/say] Intimidation could be just as effective as mind reading in many cases, depending on the subject matter.
Very nearly able to hear the strain of her muscles as Isla restrains herself, Remi considers for a moment before nodding. [say]"It was not much of a cut, so much as I think she just liked slicing at something so close to my head."[/say] He murmurs, lifting the hand currently not stuck with a needle and rubbing his palm across his stubble.
Stilling suddenly, Remi suddenly lifts his eyes to Isla, trying to fix hers with an abrupt sort of intensity. [say]"Do you trust me, Isla?"[/say] He asks in a low voice, knowing that if she tried to lie her pulse would give her away. [say]"And not just...you know, to be in here without me restrained anymore. Do you really think you're safe with me?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
Giving Remi the closest approximation of a pout that Isla Lockwood is likely to achieve, she rolls her shoulders in a way that suggests the wendigo is absolutely right, even if she doesn't like it. [say]"Perhaps I'll write a paper on her breach of ethics,"[/say] she almost snarls under her breath. [say]"I could hit her where it hurts, then - her work opportunities."[/say] She's not sure it will matter in this new world, in the long run, but if Isla writes a paper long enough, it might do some damage when she smacks Grimm with it.
Huffing out a breath intended to calm her down a bit, she glances sadly to Remi as he explains about the 'haircut', emphasis on the cutting. [say]"No,"[/say] she says softly. [say]"She figured out we were discussing it, and she probbaly just wanted to take away an opportunity for you to feel human."[/say] Which is just as awful as Isla makes it sounds.
Still, as she's caught in the wendigo's golden gaze, Isla's pulse does quicken, but it's less because of any deceit and more because he's just very intense when he does that. Clearing her throat, the doctor doesn't need to think much before nodding to him. [say]"Yes,"[/say] she says. [say]"I really do. And not because of some fantastical oh, you could never hurt me idea. I trust that you'll warn me if I'm in a dangerous situation, with you or with anyone else. You've tried your best to keep the people here safe, me included, despite everything."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
Smiling now despite himself, if only because he can so easily imagine what such a paper might look like and what sorts of biting phrases would be sprinkled (professionally) throughout, he nods. [say]"You could also mention how the lack of cooperation from her test subject might have absolutely swayed all of her data as well."[/say] Remi adds with a slightly mischevious tilt of his head. [say]"Unlike all of your work, where your subject is usually perfectly cooperative."[/say] Usually, because there had been more than a hdnful of times where Remi's willfill disobedience had absolutely extended to Isla as well as Grimm.
Looking suddenly worried, Remi sits straighter on the bed. [say]"And...how did she hear about it..?"[/say] Had the cameras failed? Had the interns found some other way of listening in?
Not able to see the intensity of his own gaze but pleased that it had the result he'd wanted, Remi nods slowly. Parting his lips to speak, words shiver on his lips before a frown has them pushed together again. Regarding Isla silently for a long moment, the wendigo blinks a few times needlessly, before nodding again. [say]"I...think you are too. I want to believe that you are, but I need to know.."[/say] He says softly, and not just because there might indeed be more listening devices than either are aware of.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Isla - 08-24-2023
[say]"That serum really has given you mind-reading abilities,"[/say] Isla says with a wicked slant to her smile, because of course she's been thinking that exact thing as well. And in fairness, Remi's wilful moments are few and far between these days, and Isla can hardly blame him for acting that way when their relationship (working and otherwise) had still been fairly young. As for how Grimm had heard about it, Isla can practically sense the cagey worry closing around Remi, the doctor shaking her head as if to tell him not to worry.
[say]"They day I was meant to give you a haircut, I'd brought scissors, a comb, that sort of thing. She passed me in the corridor - I didn't expect her to put two and two together, but she is a doctor, I guess."[/say] Foolish of Isla, really, but then one might argue that she'd been careless because Remi hadn't returned early as planned.
But events take a markedly more serious turn even from there, and Isla finds her mouth suddenly dry as she tilts her head to Remi. [say]"What do you need?"[/say] she asks. [say]"To know, I mean. Do I need to spill blood around you? Or be here while you're in your wendigo form?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 08-24-2023
There would have been a boyish flush to the wendigo's cheeks if he was capable of it, alas, just now he could only return Isla's smile with as much warmth as he could muster. [say]"Oh, I see, so it is your fault I look like this."[/say] He teases, audibly chuckling so that she might know he didn't hold it against her.
Inhaling deeply despite not needing to, Remi nods stiffly. [say]"Both. The latter would draw too much attention I think, but..."[/say] His lips twitch before he looks down into his lap. [say]"And it isn't like in the movies, please don't dramatically slice your palm. If you have a scab, or even just a pinprick would do."[/say]
Raising his eyes, Remi hazards a glance toward the door. [say]"I'll stay here, and you go by the door. I'm fast, but you'd have time to set off an alarm if..."[/say] He didn't need to finish that sentence of course, and so he merely feathers his jaw as if restraint on his part now might somehow transfer to later.