High Heels And Broken Streets

[butterfly_kiss]

WHO: Tae Takemi, You?
WHERE: Hospital, Hotel, Whale Comb Sent Her
WHAT: Hospital Evaluations, Residence Consideration, Replicator Poking
WHEN: February 20th-25th
WARNINGS: None

I. A New Workplace | Temba Hospital

The map had led her here, across the snowy city, out in the cold in only a short dress, a leather coat, and high heeled platform shoes. Really, Tae was not often the sort to regret her fashion choices, but as she entered the hospital, shivering, she was already mentally aching for any of her pairs of leggings to help. And socks. Oh her kingdom for socks.

For now, though, she walked slowly through the hospital the map on the communicator had led her to. Even now she had it in hand, taking notes.

"Could use a couch for the waiting room. Chairs are too uncomfortable."

Then she moved down the hall and through a door, inspecting an actual exam room. This earned some nods and more notes. And, with time, she entered something that made her pause, lowering her communicator, to stare.

"Well well, somehow I wasn't expecting a proper lab in a place like this," she said, and yes, she was almost cooing as she looked at some of the machines in here. "It's almost like someone was preparing for me."

II. Temporary Residence | Temba Hotel

"These stairs are ridiculous," Tae grumbled as she made her way carefully up the stairs from the lobby of the hotel. "Who lived in this place, seven foot tall people? Ridiculous."

Even with her heels these stairs were definitely going to work out her legs some. That was, in its own way, a good thing. Tae had always been proud of her legs, but even this was ridiculous.

"And there's not even a subway to get around. How can people even consider this as a reasonable city for a supposedly advanced species?"

III. What's This Do? | Whale Comb Sent Her

Research was important in a situation like this, and Tae had done her research. She'd gone back through the social network here, something like a forum system she thought. Which didn't matter so much as learning the important thing which was that there was supposedly a device that could be used to synthesize other devices. It was that knowledge that brought Tae here today.

And of course she hadn't tried to interact with the machine yet, paused as she was in looking at the way it appeared.

"Seems like someone is stuck in victorian era sci-fi styles. I wasn't expecting a steam-punk horror here."

Comments

[the_freak]

He shifts a bit, wincing and definitely using the conversation to distract himself.

"Eh, punk's all right," he acknowledges, high praise coming from Eddie, who's not regularly willing to admit to the positives of any genre outside of metal, but the two have a pretty close history and sound.

"And hey, I appreciate the mild attempt of creativity on their part. I mean, I got stuck with the Freak since middle school. I'd kill for something a little more inventive."

He glances down at his chest and frowns. "Fuckers messed up my tattoos," he laments absently, brushing over the marred skin.

[butterfly_kiss]

Punk was better than metal, because punk was about healing as much as it was about non-conformity and self-acceptance, and of course the music. So yes, she definitely thought it was better.

"Yes, because looking like a reject from some 80s hair metal band you probably watched on tv is so creative," she counters as she continues her work. "And when it heals, I'm sure someone can help you with that again. Have you been tested for Hep A, B, and other blood-borne illnesses since you got the ink?"

[the_freak]

"Woooah, hey, hey- first off, the fuck is hair metal?" he starts with an incredulous look, fully missing the '80s' drop to continue- "And second- I'm not some fucking reject. I play. Our band plays at the Hideout on Tuesdays, to just...wild acclaim, so- yeah," he adds. What is she going to fact check? He can embellish a little bit. The five drunks the place usually got didn't complain.

It takes a moment to come back down, redirect that heated energy, and his answer comes out a little bit sullen as an after effect. "Uh...no?" he laughs, like that much should be obvious from looking at him. He got the ink from 'some guy' in the kitchen of his trailer. He wasn't exactly thinking about his health.

[butterfly_kiss]

What is hair metal? She can't believed he's saying that. She gestures to his hair.

"Big hair, metal music. It's a further subset of glam rock, which was a type of most often metal. Think Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Van Halen."

Not all of them were fully hair metal, but they were definitely glam, and the kid was going for the look.

"And 'Hideout' sounds like a bar name. People that play bars once a week haven't made 'wild acclaim'."

Sorry Eddie, Tae's bullshit meter is pretty high for people lying flat out to her face that she doesn't see as authorities over her. And even those people she doesn't buy all the lies of, just the ones that hurt the most.

"Seems like we're going to need to do some blood work too. I'll have to check the samples by hand, so the results will be delayed."

[the_freak]

Okay...he knows most of those names. Which only adds to his confusion about subsets, but the expression is at least softened some by her naming off some metal bands.

"Yeah, okay. So it's more like very moderate to non-existent acclaim," he admits with a shrug, and he follows it with a soft smile, "It's comin'. We'll make it big, we got time."

He doesn't protest the bloodwork, but he looks a little anxious about it. "It's uh...safe, right?" he asks awkwardly, thinking to the recent cases of infection during blood transfusion and wrong conflating the two, hoping she understands his meaning.

[butterfly_kiss]

With the damage to his body, she wonders about that. But hey, she'd get him patched up so he could go home whole.

Of course then she was looking at him offended before tapping where a tattoo was under a bandage.

"These tattoos were likely less safe than what I'll so. My needles will be sterilized."

[the_freak]

Whole would be nice.

Eddie ducks his head with a grin, and quirks his head faintly in acknowledgement. He didn't always make the best choices.

"Appreciate it, Doc."

[butterfly_kiss]

Yeah, she could tell.

"Don't worry," she says with a sigh. "You're clearly a bit silly, hound, but I'm still your doctor."

She finishes wrapping around his torso and she gentle pats where she anchored it.

"No more smoking."

[the_freak]

Eddie pulls at his hair and hides a grin behind it with eyes that say that's not a promise he can make.

"Not in the hospital," he compromises.

[butterfly_kiss]

"You're worse than an old man," she says, heavy disappointment in her voice. What a young fool. "You'll need to understand something. I have none of the medicine that will help when you ruin your lungs. I can't help you when it starts to sap your energy, or your lungs rot."

[the_freak]

He puts on a soft little pout at that, ever the dramatic. It's good she doesn't know any of the other crap he puts in his body. Still, that possible future seems far too unlikely and far off for Eddie to take it seriously.

"I'll get a few more miles out of them," he assures.

[butterfly_kiss]

As if she wasn't used to that sort of look from patients. Even cuter ones than him too. She reached over to tap the comm to stop recording.

"You'll get a lot more miles if you're not an idiot about it."

[the_freak]

"Eh...I come from a loooong line of idiots," Eddie laments with a laugh, like it's an inescapable fate.

[butterfly_kiss]

"I can tell," she noted as she rose and pocketed her comm. "You're going to be a pain in my ass, aren't you?"

[the_freak]

"Oh, the biggest," Eddie agrees with a fond look. It's something he's heard again and again, but at least the Doc had a nicer delivery than some.

[butterfly_kiss]

"Don't see that as a personal goal," she told him as she put away the remainder of the tools she'd used to wrap him up.

"You're doing fine for now. I see no reason to keep you in observation unless you've got things wrong you weren't telling me about. Return in two days for me to check those again."

[the_freak]

Things wrong he's not telling about? Only about a thousand things spring to mind, first and foremost what if those fuckers really do have so sort of extra-dimensional rabies like Buckley wouldn't shut up about when Harrington lost his pound of flesh to the things.

But he can't begin to explain that any of that, so he gives an easy nod, shrugging his shirt back on.

"Guess we don't have a drugstore in this place, huh?" he notes regretfully, "No point in asking for a prescription to take with me."

[butterfly_kiss]

Well, no, she doesn't have that. Still, she looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What would you want a prescription for? Are you experiencing pain? Nightmares? Insomnia? Oh, I suppose I should also take you to the lab to draw blood. We'll do that."

[the_freak]

"Heh, uhh, all of the above?" he ventures with a small grin to distance himself from it. You know...just a little trauma. Super casual.

He pushes off of the bed and gathers his shit, not sure how far this lab might be and still not confident enough in the layout of this place after all his extra one on one time here to be sure he can find his way back. "Sure thing, Doc."

[butterfly_kiss]

"I haven't been here long enough to mix up sleeping pills," she said with an admitted shrug. "After I draw blood I'll have you come back here so I can look for any medicinal stocks there are."

Damn, she would need to start experimenting very soon on new medicines.

[the_freak]

That isn't typically part of a doctor's job, is it? Eddie looks impressed, maybe a little curious. Part of him wonders what else she might be able to mix up, but it's not like a doctor's going to become his new supplier. Or like there's even a market for that here...

"preciate it."

[butterfly_kiss]

Not a normal doctor. But medical researchers? Yes, definitely part of their job.

"Show the appreciation by trying not to get attacked by whatever did that again. Because it wasn't a bat."

She turned and strode right on out of the room. Time to find the lab.

[the_freak]

"..." Eddie blinks innocently, lips parting as his mind tries to catch up with some sort of protest. She's moving before one's come, and Eddie shuts his mouth again, jogging a few steps to catch up with her.

[butterfly_kiss]

What a good little hound, following like he should. Very good. She smirks to herself as she moves through the hospital, looking through doors until she finds the well appointed lab she'd seen earlier. Yes, here.

She needed to get used to the layout here.

"Sit there," she says, pointing to a chair. "Are you left or right handed?"

[the_freak]

Despite never having seen this lady before today, Eddie follows after her without questioning whether she knows the way or not until he sees her looking through doors. At least he isn't the only one.

He sits and flexes his fingers, knee bouncing faintly. "Right," he answers absently, neck craning as he turns to take in the rest of the room curiously.