cut our teeth and make our bones right here

we're always running scared but holding knives

A taser and enough sedative to put down a yeti, but that's neither here nor there. "I suppose I do - then again, I've been a vegetarian for years. Meatless burgers are trash, though, I promise." Scoffing and shrugging, Isla watches the last of the IV bag drain through the tube before beginning to remove it - and the other monitoring equipment - from Remi's arms. He'll be left with some colourful bruises, but that's the least of his problems.

Her gaze doesn't follow his to the camera, but the small tilt of her head suggests that they both know someone is up there. Even on the occasions where Isla would prefer it not to be the case, sometimes someone has to toe the line. As for risks, now it's her turn to look sad and honest, and she reaches out to lay a hand on one of the shackles against his wrist - not removing it though, not yet.

"You're worth the risk," she assures him, before gesturing to the restraint. "I can take that one off and let you do the others," she suggests. "I'll even leave the room."

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

"Ugh, have you really?" Looking properly disgusted now, Remi gives his head a stern shake. "Is this because of that empAthee thing, again?" Not that it's that sort of story, but at least Remi can remove "steak house" from the list of possible date places he'll never take Isla, or even go himself.

As Isla's hand nears him, the cause of Remi's flinch is something the doctor can speculate about later, if she wishes. On the monitor, his heart rate spikes while his blood pressure drops a few points before stabilizing. "I am not worth your life, Isla." Remi argues in a low voice before his gaze slips down to the restraint. "That would be the smartest thing to do." He agrees without actually confirming it was what he wanted her to do.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"Oh absolutely not," Isla says, barking out a laugh. "I've just seen what sort of quality of meat is down here in Undertown. I'll take my chances with the genetically altered vegetables instead, thanks." Is this flirting? Are they flirting? Who can tell, really. (Everyone - everyone can tell, and she ought to stop it right now). And yet as she notices the spike in the monitor - just before she unplugs that bitch, thank you - she does little more than wait for it to calm again.

"It would be," she agrees. "And if I thought my life were in any danger, I would absolutely agree with you. But you are coherent and calm, your vitals have stabilised, and you have never shown prior aggression towards me." All that is to say I'll take the risk, thanks, as she carefully unbuckles the first restraint.

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

"Oh, I see. She's arisk taker." This latter bit is said as if it's being added to some sort of mental checklist in Isla's file. Which, actually, it is.

Clearing his throat slightly, a more suave iteration of Remi might have said something like, does this mean you're going to monitor my vitals by hand? but the wendigo only shifts slightly on the cot as the first restraint is undone. His lips flinch into a quick smile as he waits to see if she'll back away toward the door. Although this is the perfect setting for Remi to reach out for Isla's hand, to tug her down against his lips and kiss her in a way that capitalizes on the tension that's meant to have been building between them, instead he simply raises his wrist and gives it an experimental roll.

'Haven't I?' He wonders, of having never shown her aggression. "Well next time you need something new for your report, let me know." It's meant to be a joke, but given that Remi really only has Ronin as a comical influence these days, it likely falls flat. Undoing the restraints slowly but with ease, Remi takes a moment once he's entirely free to stretch his arms over his head. This isn't the display of muscles and physique it would have been were this a movie, and it isn't anything Isla hasn't seen before, but gods does it feel good to stretch.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

"She's a doctor and a scientist," Isla corrects, and were they not who they were, this would have been followed by a diatribe about calculated risks, cause and effect, and quantitative evidence. Sexy, right?

She doesn't move back towards the doors, but she does take a couple of steps back so she's not awkwardly hovering over Remi while he gets himself free, watching for any signs of dizziness, discomfort, or - worst case scenario - that the effects of Susan's home brew are going to come back for another round.

When he seems fine (and it's not so much the perfect setting given the literal muzzle, and all the froth and vomit and blood that's come out of him in recent hours), Isla allows herself a smile and begins to pack away her equipment. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind," she says with a soft laugh, straightening up with her bag and letting out a soft sigh as she gazes across at him.

"It has been highly recommended that you are contained in a straight jacket tonight," she tells him. "I can't say that they won't force it on you tomorrow morning, but I am quite happy to forego it."

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

So sexy. Instead, what it's actually followed by is Remi huffing out a laugh and shrugging. "She always has to have the last word." He adds to his list of Isla's characteristics.

Oh right, the muzzle. Well, there goes that scenario, though with his hands free Remi could always tear it off before he tears off Isla's lab coat. Or wait, no, she should definitely leave the lab coat on. "Just here to help." Remi calls over his shoulder as if he were nothing more than some idiot here volunteering his time. Stepping off the side of the cot, he wanders over to his dresser wherein, thanks to a certain internet, there are 5 perfectly folded and incredibly starchy white shirts to choose from. Similar comments apply to the underwear and paper-thin sweatpants in the lower drawers.

Turning toward her, Remi itches at one of the straps holding his muzzle in place. "If anyone it should be Ronin wearing a straightjacket." He jests. "I heard he very recently got into a fight with another Hunter, so..really, it would be for my own safety."

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

As if to prove him wrong, Isla does not respond to that little quip, though if expressions count, the smile she's failing to hide definitely gives her away. While he moves about the room, she packs everything up and onto the gurney so she can simply wheel it all out when they're finished doing... whatever they're not doing in here.

"Mm, that's true," she agrees about Ronin, casting a glance over her shoulder at him and tilting her head. "Maybe I can arrange for you to have matching jackets? You are hunting partners, that sort of thing is quite common, isn't it?" Ah, levity. Let's not think about the next time Remi will ever go out hunting with anyone, shall we?

Once he's starchily dressed, Isla holds her hand out for the muzzle. "We both know you can take that off with your hands free, and you're only going to be able to bite yourself while you're in here sleeping," she says.

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

Snapping his fingers and pointing at Isla, Remi nods. "Now you're talking." It's all funny and ha-ha between them, but in the hours which follow Remi will think long and hard about these moments, and how they cover the truth of his situation like paint over a rotting baseboard.

Raising an eyebrow, Remi pulls at the straps of his muzzle and as he hands it back to Isla, he's mindful of where his fingers are in relation to hers making sure they don't touch. "And here you said you wouldn't be leaving me tonight." He murmurs, before rubbing his palms up his cheeks and over his eyes as if to remind himself of what his face felt like without the muzzle on.

"I think you want it back because you have a hot date tonight and you're hoping to get him to wear it at the end of the night." Remi suggests, grinning.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

Accepting the muzzle back and adding it to the equipment on the gurney, Isla is already thinking twelve steps ahead when what Remi says jerks her back into the moment like a dog on a slip leash. "You're right," she says, sounding very guilty and very human all of a sudden; in a matter of half an hour, here they are standing and joking as though the man (wendigo? man) standing opposite hadn't been tortured into a seizure. As if that didn't leave marks inside and out.

"I got wrapped up thinking about getting that bodycam," she confesses; and since they've already vetoed the muzzle and the jacket, she'd feel bad about rescinding that small freedom as well. "Give me ten minutes to go and fetch it," she decides. "I can review the footage and work while you get some rest. I'm sorry I forgot."

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

Remi laughs in the way you do when you've said something honest, gotten precisely the reaction you wanted, and then instantly regretted it. Or at least, made yourself think you regretted it. "I was only kidding. You are right, I am just going to be sleeping." He doesn't feather his jaw, there are no lingering looks her way, no dramatic tension. There's just Remi, looking more or less human now that he's free of his shackles and mask, shrugging away Isla's apology as he moves toward his bed.

"Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but you smell like you've been around someone covered in piss and vomit and it is rather offputting." He adds with a small laugh as he draws back the sheets of his bed.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

we're always running scared but holding knives

He wasn't only kidding, and Isla knows enough of the man behind the cannibalistic monster suit to have picked up on that much. Already moving to the door with the gurney (there are guards outside, waiting, and yes of course they have guns and tasers as well), she shakes her head to him. "Then I will be back in twenty minutes - it will give me time to shower, and you can listen to the rain," she informs him.

And what will follow, undoubtedly, is an uncomfortable night for them both. There will be no sneaking into beds for warmth, no unexpected romp beneath the sheets, no soft embraces to ward off stirring nightmares. There's only the soft blue light from Isla's laptop, the sound of keys tapping mingling with the sound of falling rain. And if there are nightmares, there's a sedative, latex gloves, and the sharp kiss of a needle.

Isla

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

Because Isla has unplugged his monitors, it's easy to feign sleep when she returns. Remi regulates his breathing as if it were a game, and actually, it helps keep his mind off of things like the smell of soap on her skin. Eventually, Remi does drift off, and when he awakens sometime in the morning, the emptiness of the room has him sighing with relief even as something heavy grows in the pit of his stomach.

///

In a straight jacket and a mask (at his request, actually), Remi has been placed in the center of the room so that when the door opens, he will be the first thing Ronin sees. When the Hunter is eventually allowed in, he will see the wendigo with his head slightly lowered so that he might peer creepily out from beneath his curls. "Ahh, Mr. Bond. I have been expecting you." He says in his best villain impersonation.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Ronin

welcome to the playground, follow me
tell me your nightmares and fantasies

"And you can absolutely go fuck yourself," Ronin says by way of a greeting to his partner, his accent rolling thick around the words as he already tries to shrug off the guards at his elbow. Walking into the room, he's only been allowed to keep the silver chain and a few of the other talismans on his person (the scientists have deemed these suitable for protection against Remi's ilk).

And if the wendigo looks like a Bond villain then Ronin is sorely letting down the costume department, unless 007 is rocking the beaten up Irishman who hasn't slept look these days. He hasn't tried to disguise his shiner, at least, and there are an assortment of cuts and grazes on his knuckles and bruises hidden beneath his clothes. And although he doesn't rush forward to clasp Remi by the shoulders or pull him into a rough hug, he seriously considers it.

"If this is how they're expecting me to take you out from now on they can think again," he continues, snatching the chair given to him by the guards to sit down opposite the wendigo. "How are you?"

sink into the wasteland underneath
stay for the night, I'll sell you a dream

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Remi

Welcome to the wild, no heroes and villains
Welcome to the war, we've only begun

Remi shakes his head and tsks dramatically under his breath as Ronin fails to play along. Honestly, it's like he doesn't even care to engage in a bit of meaningless fantasy in an effort to sweep the horrors of the last 24 hours under the rug. Some friend.

"Oh no, I asked them for this. I thought it would make you feel better if you were not the only one who looked like a complete asshole." Remi says with a grin, though if we're being honest, Ronin really did look worse out of the two of them.

"Me? Great. Got to try out some new vitamins last night, got a sponge bath by this super hot blonde, and a full night's sleep." He replies before glancing up to one of the cameras and doing everything he could to give it the finger with just his eyes on the off-chance Susan was up there.

Higher and higher you chase it
It's deep in your blood, go and take it

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!