Assessments
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| Players | Chicago Hospital Andi drags an unfortunate to the hospital. Ben is helpful. Razi is uptight. |
Irony is a bitch. Just a day prior, Andreia was discussing a plan to systematically disassemble a pack of fire-worshipping Undercity fiends, and now she's sat in the foyer of the Chicago Hospitals burns unit, idly flicking a long-nailed finger across the screen of her phone. She's barely even looking at it, the wolf's share of her attention diverted toward a blinded window nearby, where her ward for the morning is being examined by a nurse. It's taking too long, and she's /on edge/. It's hard to tell at a glance whether the Brazilian woman is more concerned, or simply very annoyed to be here, constantly shifting in her seat, which she's yanked around to be able to sling her legs up onto another chair opposite. She's clad in denim shorts and a white tank top that was the absolute worst choice for the day; it's singed and spattered in blood that most likely isn't her own. Her knees are pulled halfway toward her chest, her bare legs also dotted with crimson and bearing several fresh bruises. There's no reason for this woman to be waiting for attention in a burns unit - but she's definitely an alarming vision all the same, in spite of her casual air. For reason unknown, Ben decided to check the burn unit of the hospital and makes a face upon seeing someone he've met before. Getting close, though, makes his hesitate for a second, stops and looks around, suspiciously. Then he hurries to where the other Lost is sitting and cleaning his throat, he looks at her pretending to be a very casual meeting between a patient and a doctor. "Hi. Is everything okay here?" He asks. The nostrils of the Black Wolf flare as Ben wanders in her direction, that faint floral tinge to the air momentarily irritating, and then immediately familiar as her dark eyes snap from the window to the handsome doctor. An eyebrow arches, and then she rolls out a lazy half-grin, her lips twisting to reveal a flash of a canine. It's not a particularly notable expression where the mask is concerned, but in the mien it's downright chilling. She /heats up/ too, the air around her rippling into humidity, moist and cloying. "Ah," she murmurs, stowing her phone beneath her butt. "The posh doctor." Andreia doesn't look ashamed to be appropriating hospital resources the way she is, and she doesn't seem to even register he might be concerned for /her/ - bloody and bruised as she is. She simply shrugs at his question. "I mean, it's a hospital," with an upflick of her chin, she stares him down, a gleam of mirth in those near-black eyes, "A lot of things here ain't okay." Another shrug, and her gaze rolls back to the window she's been watching. "Bit of trouble at work, someone got real feisty and someone else remembered whiskey is /flammable/. Figured I'd help an asshole out, for once." Askance, she glances at Ben once more, her eyes narrowing. "My good deed for the day. Shouldn't /you/ be off helping people?" Ben tries his best to look chill and calm, but there is that twitch on the very corner of his mouth that shows he's very cautionous and nervous to be in the presence of a predator."Well. I was on my way to my lunch break, actually, after a 4 hours long surgery." He says and his eyes wander in the same direction as Andreia's."But what about yourself? Do you need me to look at those bruises?" When Razi steps into the waiting room, he does not look like a man in particular need of medical attention. He looks pressed and tailored and precise in a light grey three-piece suit, a briefcase recently drawn from his shoulder to hold at his side instead after passing through the threshold. (Can't upset the line of his suit jacket, naturally.) No visible sign of trauma. He steps up to the nurse on duty first, having a brief, polite exchange with her, before he turns back to the room to wait. Which is when, of course, he notices that he's not the only Lost in the room. Three at once is noteworthy enough for a subtle tick of one brow, and he directs his path to the seating in their vicinity. "Hello," he says, his voice mild and even. He clearly notes the blood and bruises on Andreia, although his features remain composed. "Everything all right?" For all her raw aggression and seeming disdain for being out in public, doing an unrepentantly kind thing for a relative stranger, Andreia is essentially enjoying herself. She shifts her position sinuously, craning her neck around to ensure she's staring right down the line at the discomfited Mirrorskin. "Four hours," she echoes, whistling low, her lips pursing around an oval before she indulges him with a messy smile, once more just barely flashing those teeth as she adds, in the tone of a starving man waxing lyrical in anticipation of an all-you-can-eat buffet, "Must be tired. Poor thing." Poor, to rhyme with 'delicious'. She drags it out, the teasing, the playing, but she's human enough to wrinkle her nose and shake her head at his query, a perfectly disarming gesture that's bizarre to see from her slavering mien. "Pssh, these?" She reaches out and slaps the worst of them, a big purple morass on her upper thigh. "You've been away from home too long, Benedict. I'll lie down under those distorted skies..." She leans forward as she describes Arcadia, and has her attention immediately distracted as two become three. Thumb and index finger fly to her lower lip, toying with the flesh as she mutters, mealy-mouthed, "And be fine in a few minutes." Is everything all right? "Weird question to ask a stranger," she replies to Razi, brusquely challenging, releasing her lip but leaving her hand to hover, guardedly, in front of her mouth. "I'm fine." She's smiling, but it's bleak and humorless. Her pupils are darting around, covering every entrance and exit to the waiting room. "Ever feel like you're being set up?" Upon hearing a third voice in the vicinity, Ben turns to look at the other man and grins to him poletely, but thankfully too. The relief in not being alon with the predator is visible is his semblance."Hi. Welcome to Chicago Hospital. May I help you, sir?" He offers with a trained voice and a hand is offered to a shake."I'm doctor Benedict and this is...Andreia." "Andi," comes the quick, distracted correction from the Black Wolf, her dark eyes smoldering. "There's few of us in the city these days that I find it difficult to remain strangers for very long," Razi replies, allowing the challenge of Andreia's voice to glide easily over his shoulders, although a particularly keen gaze takes in a slow study of her. As to her question, there's the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth. The barest of upturns. "Naturally," he says. "If any of us have never felt such a thing, I'd posit that they're not being wary enough." He looks back to Ben, extending a hand with instinctive professionalism to clasp in a firm, businesslike grip. "Razi Andreas. And no, I'm quite well. A meeting for work, some legal research and interviews to clear up a few items." Something about the introduction of Andreia -- and the correction of her nickname -- pings in his memory and has his gaze sweeping back to her. "Andreia," he echoes, clearly flipping efficiently through his memory. "Satin and Savagery. Fiametta mentioned you." "Satin and Savagery? Is that a new place in town?" Ben asks to no one in particular."Sounds like a cool place. These last few weeks at work had me so badly tha a night out would be cool." Two things are true about those who use their mien and manner to issue challenges; first, that if you can't meet that challenge, they will find a way to enjoy themselves at your expense. Second, that a challenge met is equal to respect earned. On edge as she is, Andreia's attention rides back to Razi with a wild snap, those eyes faintly widening before settling into a narrow frown of approval, her lips pursing. This one's smart, careful, and not afraid to speak. She watches him differently now, sweeping head to toe for his approach, fixating even upon the way he shakes hands with the good doctor. His remaining words seem to go disregarded, until he returns her watchfulness. She meets his stare, pulling again at her lower lip, radiating more of that uncomfortable warmth, and then her expression abruptly changes. "What?" It comes out flat, hard, almost as if she's /angry/, and the uncoiling warmth becomes a surge of heat. Were she any stronger, it might verge on being overpowering - but to most, it's certainly unpleasant, her mantle flaring. This alarming moment coalesces into something else, as her lips tweak sidelong, dark eyes softening in a manner that's almost certainly against the Black Wolf's will. "She did? I mean--" She cuts herself off, clearing her throat with a growl, getting her figurative mask back in place with an upflick of her chin, "You... know Fiametta?" Ben gets a quick, additional aside, another thoroughly-distracted reply, "Yeah. Best club in town. 'Course it'd be cool." Everything about Razi is controlled. Methodical. Not immovable, because nothing else, but certainly the impression of implacability. When Andreia's mantle flares, there's a subtle narrowing of his gaze, and he takes a purposeful step back as he smooths a hand down the front of his suit. His gaze is steady on her, though, and there's a sense that he's simply making room for her, if she's going to fuss. Like maybe she went and spilled her drink and he'd prefer not to step in the mess. "Yes," he says simply. It seems impossible that he's missed the slight softening in her features, brief as it is. "We're family. She was speaking about her interview and the plans. She mentioned meeting one of us there." When his attention shifts back to Ben, it's with a hint of apology. "It's due to have its opening this weekend, as I understand it," he says. "My attendance has been categorized as 'non-optional,' I think, although she wouldn't put it in those terms." "Okay. Maybe I should check it out with my plus one on the weekend, then." Ben says as he tries his best to ignore the Summer mantle of Andreia."Or is it a community-only kind of place? That way I'd have to go on my own." It's somewhat cowing for Andreia, to be methodically analyzed rather than emotionally reacted to. There's some satisfaction in the backpedalling, but straightforward as she is, she has the observational skills to realize Razi's not precisely scared or even discombobulated; merely cautious. When you thrive on blood and fire, caution is anathema. Caution is the enemy of fun. If she's about to make any kind of beef over that fact, it simmers down - along with the sticky blaze of her mantle - when the writer of contracts confesses his relationship to Fiametta. Positively disquieted, she manages only, "Huh." The Black Wolf is curiously thoughtful, lacking the careless abandon already familiar to Ben, at least. She's both deep in thought and plainly hesitant, for a moment or two, and then she tightly swallows. A slightly blood-spattered hand is run to and fro across the rough denim of her shorts, and she gives it a cursory inspection before sliding to her feet, extending her rough, long-nailed digits to Razi. Her words are mechanical, dissonant, and clearly come with some effort. "Pleased to meet you." If he reciprocates the gesture, her shake is substantially too firm to be proper, more of a GRIP, that she forces herself to relax from what seems an initial instinct to bruise flesh and break bone. In short, perhaps nothing he wouldn't expect, in his caution. Whether he takes it or not, she withdraws her hand and drops back into her seat with an amused snort at the doctor. "Place is /all about/ community, but that means everyone's welcome. All kinds. That's the whole idea. Break boundaries, put us all on some kind of level. Whether you're in for a drink, a dance, or an ass-kicking, you get treated the same." The defiance of affectionate pride runs through her words, and she can't quite keep from smiling. "Boyfriend'd be welcome," she adds, for Ben's benefit alone, mirth back in dark eyes, examining him with a knowing air. "Guess you worked out that whole flirting thing, yeah?" It's difficult to tell if it's reward or punishment when Razi smiles at her. Politeness or amusement. But he does so when he reaches to clasp her hand with every appearance of being unbothered by the potential remnants of dried blood that might be caught there. Perhaps he's already come to expect it from the brief study he's been afforded. "Likewise," he says, inclining his head in turn with the clasp. He waits, patiently, for her decide whether she's going to attempt breaking his hand or only bruising it, although he perhaps takes a touch of care with the exchange; his hands are graceful and long-fingered, stained eternally with ink, and the glow and whisper of the words written across his skin do wind all the way down past the sleeves of his suit, here. He allows Andreia to answer Ben's question, first, as the natural expert on the subject. But, perhaps in offer of further clarification, he adds, "I understand that there will be a VIP room more specifically for the larger, varied community. But that the rest of the establishment will be open to the public." He has no comment for Ben's dating life, naturally. That /would/ be weird of him to do. Ben watches the other two shaking hands and exchanging niceties. When they're done and he is addressed, the nods and grins politely."Thanks. A new place is always a good idea for the weekend. Unless I get my hands completely full of work and house chores. Especially the last." If anything, the Black Wolf of Summer seems more uncomfortable at having exchanged the nicety, than to have been sat here spattered in mortal blood. She can't help but steal glances at her cleaned hand, as if - of its own volition - it just did the strangest, most outlandish thing. She does her best to settle herself with a wriggle, kicking a booted foot up onto the opposite chair, idly easing out the knuckles of each hand as if preparing to swing for the fences. She probably isn't, save in the sense that she's always ready to do so. "Satin's got a VIP, yeah," Andi bobs her head as she affirms Razi's statement, "Part of being open to all is respectin' that some of that 'all' needs a little privacy from time to time. But that's Satin." Her mouth twists, curling into a wicked little smirk, and a fire blazes anew in near-black eyes. "Savagery, we got one room, and a fighting ring. You come as you are, and leave the same way - unless I have to take you out on your ass. Or--" Her nostrils flare, and she shoots a glare at the shuttered window nearby. "You write a check that ass can't cash, and you end up here. Hopefully keep that to a minimum." To Ben, she adds, "Man like you could do some good down there. Or maybe find your own little slice of bad." "Ah, of course." Razi dips his chin in an acknowledging gesture at Andi's further clarification (to his clarification). "Fiametta has mentioned some details here and there, but mostly I am left with the impression that she is excited about the establishment and her place there." And there, perhaps, a hint of approval; so long as Fiametta is happy, he's content. "It is not the sort of place I am in the habit of patronizing--" It is very, /very/ easy to imagine him at home with a book instead. "--but it's important to her." And, therefore, important to him. "She is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I was still pleased to hear about management taking the care of its staff seriously." Which, if anything, sounds like it /might/ be a compliment. (Or an expectation.) He looks to Ben with the subtle hint of humor in the set of his mouth. "Hopefully you won't find your visit interrupted by demands for your professional capabilities." "Man like me? Like, a doctor?" He asks with mild confusion in his words as he turns to look at Andie after nodding to Razi."If the place needs someone to sticth people back together after the fights, maybe I could help with it, yes. Or you mean I could fight? Because I need to say, I can't. I'm terrible at that and I'd rather be watching the fights than taking part on them." And with tha said, he does look a little bit ashamed for the lack of skills to defend himself. There's that lazy-intense measure of Razi once more, as Andreia absorbs his sentiment regarding Fiametta and the ensuing... approval? She flip-flops momentarily between wary, guarded, and then eases out a slow breath, admitting, "She's important to /us/." In a way that couldn't more plainly be more personal than professional, a sussurous growl in the hard syllable, the tilt of her chin carrying a repetition of the same challenge. First they're clarifying clarifications, and now the chain of importance grows link by link. "Means you are, too, I suppose. She never mentioned family." That last comes out almost airy, but there's no hiding the gleam of suspicion. Or a note of something else; injury? Guilt? Andi's brows knot together, and abruptly she shakes her head to and fro, messy hair bouncing against her shoulders. "Whatever," she murmurs, flicking out her wrist, taloned nails easing inward as she tosses a tight smirk toward Ben. "Not trying to obtain your services, just saying. Rowdy, violent people benefit from a little compassion now and again. Some 'cuz they're out of control, and a kind soul goes some way to rein that back in, some 'cuz..." She starts to trail off, then snaps her attention back to Razi, finishing defiantly, "We're trying to better." Her lips twitch, into something briefly resembling a feral grin. "But mostly, we want to put on a show. Give people a good time. Maybe show 'em something they didn't know they liked." Razi's gaze lingers on Ben a moment, catching that hint of shame, and he notes, "Those who excel at fighting will likewise struggle with things you may thrive in. It's the nature of these things." It's a mild thing, really; he lacks a certain effusiveness or warmth of empathy for a relative stranger, but he's clearly observant in his attentions. He looks back to Andreia, unbothered by any challenge or suspicion she may harbor, or the possibility that Fiametta's never mentioned him. "I imagine there wasn't particular cause," he says. "People speak of work to their family more often than they speak of family to their work, in my experience." His gaze shifts slowly between the two of them as Andreia, listening to her words with a certain attentiveness. And when she turns that feral grin on him, he smiles. Politely. Ben looks like he doesn't quite get what Andi says, but he nods to her once before turning his eyes to the other man."Thanks. And take one of these. It has my number on it if you ever need a doctor off the books." He then offers a simple greeting card with his full name and a phone number."I can use unconventional...treatments to help anyone." "You say work and family like they're separate things." It's a blunt observation from the Brazilian, her stare remaining steady upon Razi. There's that hint of anger again, a brewing annoyance she's actively working to temper, her breathing controlled but a little too deep to be relaxed, her chest swelling with each breath. Wiry muscles twitching in her shoulders and forearms, as she restrains the physical display of emotion. "Not to us. That means she's my family, and it means /you/ are," her head cants with that, a wave of dark hair brushing her cheek, "Reckon you'd have found that out in a few days, but I'm tellin' you now. Want you to know she's getting in deep with us, and that's not always gonna be safe or easy. Sunstone's got her own notions and her own will, and I'm..." She pauses to wet her lips, sinking her teeth into her own flesh with a firmly-phrased, succulent sound. "I'm worried about her. Maybe you should ask her why I would be." Andreia breathes in, nostrils flaring, and casts her attention back toward Ben, mustering up a smile that seems to bear some genuine warmth, distant as it is from the comfort of her bestial countenance. "You should come meet Bash, you two'd get along great. He's like you. Nice. Soft. Helps people, prob'ly the same kind of way." Smile shifts to smirk, as she props an elbow on her knee and leans her chin against her hand, "Master of the orgasm in a glass, too. Might loosen you up a little." And now, the arch to Razi's brow is...well, no, it's not dramatic. But it /does/ edge its way /just/ beyond subtle. "I see," he says. "Fiametta will tell me whatever she needs to when she's ready to do so." There's a beat, and then he adds, "To worry about someone is natural and inevitable; it means you wish for a person's safety, and know that none of us are ever safe. I have been worried about Fiametta for a very long time." It all comes to a sense of conclusion, in the end. It's not an unfriendly conclusion, but he is quite steady in his position. And then someone is announcing his name, and his attention draws away for a moment. "It seems they're finally ready for our meeting. Andreia, Dr. Benedict. Very interesting to meet you both." He inclines his chin a final moment, and then he turns with his briefcase to go. "Have a good day." Ben offers to Razi and the other man departs and then turns his attention back to Andi."Bash? Is that a name or a nickname? And I'm already dating someone. I don't need someone else to loosen me up a little." The last phrase is said as he narrow his eyes in a light display of annoyance. "/Andi/." The correction is half-growl, half-sigh this time, and leads to a lazy roll of the eyes as her fingers lift away from her cheek to phrase a wave to the departing lawyer. His words linger in her thoughts, but he drew the conclusion - she's got nothing to add, no reason to run after him or pursue the conversation he so neatly summarized. There's an air of brooding about the Black Wolf, but in spite of it she sends a wry flicker of attention toward Ben and confides, "Probably no loosening him up. Bash is good, but he ain't a miracle worker." The subsequent annoyance just draws her into a grin, moving on from whatever bleak thoughts are bothering her. "Easy, cowboy. Not everything's a proposition to ride. I reckon you'd get on as friends, that's all." She shrugs, and moves to stand herself, gathering up her phone and sliding it into the back pocket of her shorts. "Nickname, though I don't much see the difference. He wants to be called Bash, he's called Bash. But Sebastian, if you wanna be posh. He's... like us. More like you, really." Upon hearing the man's name, Ben casts a bright smile and nods."Oh, right! I met Sebastian already. Just outside Sky Goddess Cafe, last week. Yeah, he's a very interesting person. We could be friends if I could manage to have a proper social life and get out to drink and meet people randomly while singing Rosalia's new single." The doctor grins and upon seeing the tall women to stands up, he steps aside from her path, just in case."Well. You have my number, I guess. Call me if you need my services. Or if...Sebastian is around." "Bash is always around," Andi shoots back almost immediately, leaning forward a little more than is /generally comfortable/ to bring her dark eyes level with Ben for just a moment longer. "Ain't doctors supposed to be smart?" She straightens up again, with a cold snort, glancing toward the office door as it opens, revealing the triage nurse and a glimpse of the man dragged here by the Black Wolf; laid out on a table, the flesh on his face blistered and burned. "Stop by Satin anytime, doc. He's our heart and soul. Guess I could... text you his shifts." She turns, both hands on her hips, dark hair bouncing as she tosses her head. "Or you could take a risk and just swing by. /I'll/ be there. First drink's on me, and one for your boyfriend, as well. Congratulations, by the way," the smirk slides back in, though she seems sincere, the expression a weak shield for the ghost that prances across her eyes, "Everyone deserves to find love or whatever. Not all of us are capable of that." "Miss... Lopes?" The nurse calls from behind, referring to her clipboard, and Andi starts to step away. Ben leans backwards just an inch or maybe two when Andi gets too close to him as he tries his best to not cow on her presence. His semblance only changes when she compliments him about his relationship and that gets a smile from his lips."Thanks. Today is the first day as officialy in a relationship. Have a good day, Miss Lopes." He says throwing a bit of unuseful/intimate information out in the air just because he can't hold it. The smile on his face gets even bigger and very bright if Andi cares to look at him once more. The Black Wolf notices, indeed, and there's a momentary battle on her face as she strives to resist smiling back. She succeeds only by talking, instead. "First day, huh? You got that glow about you. All fresh and shit." The smile lengthens, those canines bared once more as the expression easily turns into something forbidding and feral - her mien only growing more horrifying. It's bizarre, to see her then twist away, turning and skulking toward the nurse with all of that wiry, pulsating strength, her dark fur shifting, as in the mortal world she slouches over, arms folded, just a messy Brazilian woman covered in somebody else's blood. Not quite a monster, but still not great at seeming normal. "Later, doc," she throws over her shoulder, before she slips into quiet conversation with the nurse, a surprising veil of professional compassion falling across those dark eyes as she discusses the patient within. | |