smash_logs | Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

Who: Sick animals and you
What: Hospital visits!
Where: FDC's Pokecenter
When: Anywhere between the 13th to the 21st!
Warnings: Guys being guys. Mons being mons.

For the next few days, everything was a blur for the both of them. Sasha felt sick to her stomach from everything, being unusually quiet apart from the small talks to the people online. But she was afraid no one would ever want to talk to her again after what happened. Guilty didn't even begin to scratch how she felt, especially after fights broke out in school that seemed to imply her attack was the catalyst. It felt terrible.

Most of her days, she spent watching the IV needles run down and drip, looking over at Vinnie but moving her head away before he could look at her and trying to replay the scenario and see what she could have done otherwise.

She could try to learn from this.

On the other hand, Vinnie had no regrets about his own actions. He was convinced that if he'd personally done anything different, pulled any punches, the results of that day would've been much, much worse. Inevitable as it was, it was the consequences that followed which weighed on him, as much as he tried not to show it.

His sister was tearing herself apart. His trainer was disgraced and his family worried sick. And he had disappointed anyone who might've been his friends. Somehow, he had to make it better. In comparison, his own grief felt irrelevant. Maybe even selfish.

It was probably why he was spending more and more time in his human form, even if it kept opening up his wounds. That way, he wouldn't have to be reminded of what he'd lost in Volgin's mutilation. Two leaves, amputated. It was enough to cripple him as a Venusaur.

Vinnie wanted out of this bed. To stop feeling nauseous and weak and get back into action as soon as possible. Maybe then he'd feel less helpless against everything.

[OOC- please post your date of the visit at the start of each log post 8Dc Also Char shows up after the 15th due to a gun shot to the tail. Green team is facing Red Team after that.]

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Sasha was indeed sleeping at this hour. The last few days had given her a bit of improvement in terms of health and now she breathed without a sleeping aid, but her wings were still clipped to prevent infection, and her half gone amputated damaged horn had been covered with a fresh bandage. In fact, most of the white bandages contracted strongly against her black-skinned body.

Her breathing was slow and raspy, as if there was water in her lungs.

Edited 2010-12-17 13:25 (UTC)

Oh. One of 'em was awake. Char shuffled his way into the room, settling down on his haunches by Vinnie's bed. He was quiet at first, just studying the pair. Vinnie looked rough, but with the missing leaves effectively concealed, Char really had no way of telling just how deep the damage ran. Not... that Char was the most sympathetic of individuals, anyway.

His stare lingered a little longer on Sasha. It was... uncomfortable to see. Having empathy for someone of the same species was a lot easier, even if he happened to hate said individual's guts. Having adamantly refused any sort of proper care for his own various wing injuries in the past, seeing her wings pinned up like some kind of bug in a display case left him feeling squeamish in a way he didn't want to admit. And that horn... exactly how Sasha had managed to snap off something that was made of bone was beyond him, but just looking at it made him wince.

"You guys got fucked up," he remarked, keeping his voice as low as Vinnie's. Nothing smug or gleeful about it. Really, he was still kind of in a state of disbelief that something like this could even happen to some of Red's team.

Vinnie raised a brow every so slightly at the lack of animosity in Char's voice. This was very probably the first time he'd ever talked to them without, well... being a bitch. (Although to be fair, Vinnie's attitude didn't exactly help when it came to smooth conversation. He had to admit that much too.)

His eyes flicked over to the Charizard's tail, trying to gauge the damage, then back up to Char again. Still hadn't heard the story about how the guy managed to get himself shot right after they'd landed in the hospital. It wasn't surprising that out of everyone on Green's team, it was him that managed to catch a bullet.

Begrudgingly, Vinnie empathized. He wasn't exactly the darling of the Red team either. Never could step away from a fight. Hated feeling weak.

That was both of them, right now.

He grunted, more tired than annoyed for once. "No shit. What about you?"

"Had worse," Char replied, and left it at that. Vinnie'd grown up with Sasha; he could probably read the message that shrunken tail flame was broadcasting. The less that was said about it, the better.

There were a lot more things he could have been saying. Wry remarks about how even he, the biggest instigating, troublemaking douchebag in all of Smash Academy, had never managed to fuck up even half as badly as those two. About how nice it was to bask in the knowledge that the perfect, almighty Team Rocket Kid's team was the one causing this giant clusterfuck. Make a few accusations about Sasha's bullshit being the catalyst that lead to Raikov pulling the gun on him. But frankly... none of that really felt like it was worth the effort. Being Char was, frankly, kind of exhausting: he just didn't have enough juice left to be all piss and antagonism tonight.

He let out a tired little sigh, glancing over to Sasha again. It was just as hard to not look at her as it was to look at her, apparently. As curious as he was about how Captain Sunshine McBestfriends had ended up such a mess, he didn't bother asking. He didn't think Vinnie wanted to talk about their fight with Volgin and Raikov any more than Char wanted to discuss his own injury, and he'd probably explained the story so many times he didn't ever want to say it again.

So he just settled for a simple "...I bet they started it."

Vinnie responded with just grumbling, "Doesn't matter who started it."

It felt stupid to keep rehashing how the whole thing started - it felt like an excuse, and he hated making excuses - but it really was just a misunderstanding turned ugly. There was nothing else Vinnie couldn've done in that situation, but he knew that Sasha had been killing herself over regret. Things she could've said, things she shouldn't have done. He glanced over in his sister's direction as well, just to make sure she at least had some peace of mind in sleep.

She was alive. That was the mantra that made seeing her in this condition bearable. The memory of Volgin waving her around by the neck like a limp ragdoll was enough of a reminder of how much worse it could've gone.

He was willing to talk about anything other than how his sister landed in such a state. But it wasn't as though he had much to talk to Char about, ever. Other than, you know, insults. Fighting.

"...I'll need another raincheck on that spar."

Char let out a wry bark of laughter. "Like I'd even wanna take you on while you're this gimpy." He probably wasn't going to be the most fearsome of opponents for a while, either... but no need to go saying that. He was a Charizard, after all: no matter how sad and sputtery the light at the end of his tail got, that stubborn nature of his wouldn't let him ignore a challenge. "Just don't think I'm gonna go forgettin' about it or nothin'. Don't matter how long you put it off, you still owe me a real fight."

The irony of talking about picking a meaningless fight when he was here because he'd picked a meaningless fight was not lost on him.

A meaningless fight, at this point, would've just been a happy distraction. Better that it was in a magic sci-fi stadium than out there scrambling, struggling in the snow, desperately trying to stay alive. Trick himself into thinking he wasn't as weak and pathetic as he felt.

Not that it was really possible right now. Or... for a long while, really.

Char's words seemed to drift right through him, barely registering. Vinnie looked lost in his own thoughts. As someone who pretty much lived to fight, the Charizard might understand the gravity of what he was feeling. Or maybe he wouldn't. There was a heavy pause.

"...You know, since you pretty much think I'm weakling anyways, I feel a bit better tellin' you this. It's not like your opinion of me's gonna change.

"I can't fight anymore. Not unless my leaves grow back. If I do, I'll probably die."

Char had been expecting a response more along the lines of "you sorry sack of meat I will kick your ass 'til Tuesday", so it took a second for that to actually sink in.

All Char could think to do was stare. He couldn't imagine why Vinnie was telling him, of all people. Let's be honest: this was a guy who would probably spend every waking moment tormenting Vinnie once he found out the guy had been all but neutered.

Honestly... he couldn't believe Vinnie was telling anyone at all. If he'd been in Vinnie's shoes, he wouldn't have even been able to admit it. The mere thought of such helplessness was utterly abhorrent to guys like him. If he couldn't fight, he might as well not be burning at all. A Pokemon who couldn't fight was a Pokemon who had no purpose -- a burden, a problem, dead weight. The sort of Pokemon that got left behind. Even Char knew that Red wasn't the sort of trainer to cut the strings when a Pokemon was dragging him down, but... that couldn't have made what Vinnie was facing any easier.

"Shit," he hissed, a little louder than he'd meant to. "You're not just fakin' me out? You're serious?"

Sasha's health had been the biggest concern on Vinnie's mind the whole time in the hospital, but it was obvious the reality of his injuries had weighed on him in private. Every Grass-type move, now off limits. It was a considerable list. "Well. I could probably still tackle things to death," he specified. "And vomit on people. Probably not a winning moveset.

"Doc said if they're ever gonna grow back, it'll be in spring. Otherwise..." Well, it was easy enough for Char to finish that thought.

The worst feeling of it all was knowing he was helpless to protect anyone he loved in his crippled state. That was the only reason he wanted to get stronger in the first place. Now what was he good for? If events with Volgin were to happen again, he'd be helpless and they'd both be dead. What could Red do with a Pokemon like that?

He felt numb, about the whole thing. "...Don't tell Bulba."

This was a guy who took seven years to let his team know his name. If there was one thing Char could do, it was keep a secret.

He couldn't say he'd ever been in a position, though, where the secret he was keeping belonged to the enemy. It wasn't that he hated Vinnie, as he'd explained to Sonny Moe, but... well, they were a far cry from friends, that was for sure. Any other day of the week, he'd be running off to tell the whole school of Vinnie's hilarious misfortune.

But as damning as it was, he understood exactly how isolating it was to be the weak one. It went against everything that was Char (or at least everything he wanted Red Team to think he was), but he found himself nodding.

"Ain't gonna tell nobody."

Vinnie, on the other hand, was pretty crap at keeping things under wraps. Probably the reason that every ghost on campus knew about his rampant phasmaphobia by now. He shrugged. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew the dull, feeble sense of frustration was only a prologue. Like he was a shadow, still catching up to his body.

Telling someone, seeing their reaction to it... seemed to solidify the reality of his situation.

"It's gonna get out anyway." Vinnie shuffled a bit uncomfortably, looking away from Char. "I just don't want Bulba to know yet."

Because goddamn. Venusaurs were supposed to protect younger Seed Pokemon. Even if Bulba didn't see it that way, Vinnie felt like he was obligated to be some sort of role model, if only by virtue of having evolved. Nevermind that Bulba made a much better den mother than he ever did a mentor - it was a role ingrained in his instincts.

Comparatively, it felt better knowing that this knowledge rested with an enemy and rival who would rub hell into his wounds than anyone who might've been simply disappointed.

Char knew nothing of how the Venusaur line worked out in the wild. Every interaction with Vinnie so far had mostly consisted of just trying to set him on fire as much as possible. There was Bulba, but he'd grown up with Green -- that sort of thing had never exactly come up in conversation before.

It might have just been a rivalry thing, but... well, this was Bulba they were talking about. The most reasonable, forgiving guy Char knew. He couldn't imagine Bulba embarrassing Vinnie over it. The kid was so used to handling Char and Green's inflated sense of pride that he couldn't have imagined that Bulba would be lacking in tact. Heck, he might have some kind of... Ivysaur-Venusaur... knowledge... to help Vinnie out with. He knew for a fact that Vinnie and Bulba got along -- a bit too well for Char's liking, considering his feelings about Red and his team.

If Vinnie wanted to keep his silence, then sure, fine, one less excuse for Bulba to keep getting all buddy-buddy with the guy. Char looked away from Vinnie, eyes inevitably settling on Sasha again.

"Why not him, Vinnie?"

A not looking at each other party. Vinnie was okay with this.

"Cuz I'm a Venusaur," he said, as if the reason were the most natural, obvious thing in the world. He couldn't imagine the role of a fully-evolved Pokemon being different for anyone else. Knowing that Bulba never knew a Venusaur for his father, or anything about the life that he had growing up in the wild, Vinnie wanted to make up for it. Somehow.

That didn't clear much up for Char at first. He had never really invested much in the concept that fully-evolved Pokemon had any obligation to their less-evolved kin. Wild Charizards, after all, only kept their young around long enough to ensure they could scratch, growl, and walk. Then it was get lost, good luck, have a nice life.

Charmeleons were usually beaten on sight.

Still, while they were Charmanders, they did live in packs. It wasn't the same as a fully-evolved Pokemon dealing with its junior, but he could at least understand that much. Sometimes, you had to look after your own.

...He couldn't stop looking at Sasha.

"I ain't sure I get it," Char answered, getting up onto his feet with a heavy sigh. "But what the hell do I know about Venusaurs, right?" He took a few slow, dragging steps toward Sasha's bed. "He's gonna figure it out on his own eventually, though. Y'know that, right?"

"'Course I do. He's a smart kid." Much smarter than him, in fact. Plus, much more even-tempered, just like how the rest of their kind normally were. Despite his forest-less upbringing, Bulba was strong specimen of the Bulbasaur line.

One day, he was going to make a helluva Venusaur. But that day had yet to come. He wasn't a Venusaur yet - and that meant he was still under Vinnie's jurisdiction.

"I might not be family, but it's still my job to look out for him. He shouldn't have to think about my fuck-ups."

Char glanced back at Vinnie. For a second, there was a hint of a sting to his grin -- something a little bit challenging. No, it wasn't Vinnie's job. Bulba had a brother who was doing just fine at looking out for him, without any intervention from the rival team. His tail gave an irritated twitch, ready to strike the ground in warning.

The sharp spark of pain that danced up his spine at the sudden movement, thankfully, seemed to knock the stupid out of Char. His expression faded, and he went back to shuffling his weary way over to Sasha's bedside. Man... she really was a mess. "Guess I can't fault you for followin' your gut," he told Vinnie. Even if he was of the opinion that Vinnie's gut was, well... full of shit. "You try and shut out your own nature, you just wind up like Charitard here."

Vinnie caught the look in his direction, no doubt of course that Char would be feeling territorial about anyone shoeing in on his team. But then, if Char had an issue with it, he could very kindly go and stick it up his bullet-ridden ass.

Between following his gut and following his heart, he wasn't sure which one was more reliable. (His brain, he could at least acknowledge, was mostly useless.) Neither of them had a stellar track record in the past, but at this point, he could at least trust his gut to be a bit more reliable in what it wanted.

Vinnie frowned disapprovingly at Char. Derogatory comments towards his sister still weren't okay. "And if you do follow it, you get shot anyway, huh?" Stare. "That's a helluva choice."

"Shut up, dude," Char snapped. "You'n I both know she's way worse off than I am." Definitely not an exaggeration. Seeing it up close was even more uncomfortable than seeing it from across the room. He'd never thought she'd acted like a Charizard, and now... seeing her all limp and helpless-looking... she didn't even look like a Charizard, either.

Sometimes you had to look after your own.

Char made up his mind before he even realized he'd been debating anything. He lowered the side guard on Sasha's bed and took a seat on the edge of it, breath coming out in a drawn-out, pained hiss as he pulled his tail up onto the surface. He wasn't sure that weak-ass, sputtery little candle-flame on the end of his tail had much to give, but he slid his tail back toward Sasha's, until the flames were mingling together (http://icequeen-aran.livejournal.com/83225.html?thread=691993#t691993).

He offered Vinnie no explanation as to what he was doing. With any luck, he'd just assume he was sitting down for the heck of it, and his tail placement was just. Accident. "You just ask yourself if this mess woulda happened if Charitard didn't go around actin' like she was too good to let off a little aggression now and then."

It only took a few seconds after the connection, but Sasha's horns moved for a few seconds and she stopped to breathe for a few seconds. When it started up again, it was a lot calmer than the erratic pusles registered from the machines. She then stood up. Well, it looked like she stood up, but her eyes were still closed and she didn't seem conscious of what she was doing. Almost like an automatic reaction.

Sleep...standing, her brain processed it as a natural animal reaction and she hung her head at Char like a cat expecting a pat on the head, rubbing against his skin for a few seconds and giving off a friendly growls and strange purrs before she fell back in bed, just as suddenly as she had stood up.

The flame on her end tail burned a little bit brighter. Maybe Char's did too.

Sasha couldn't tell them right now, but she was suddenly dreaming of flying around a volcano, surrounded by her own, the fire and heat healing her wounds. She had never felt this free before.

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Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

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