parodeity | WEEK ONE: WEDNESDAY, THE POOL

[Yeah that's. Terrifying, frankly? And he looks at Dave with some deep concern.]

No, we're not. I brought back medical supplies for our use. If we set and wrap these, no one will have to know exactly how bad your fingers are. We can say you broke them explorin' with me. Maybe I was climbing on a bookshelf at the lodge to see about the ceilin', I fucked up my steppin' and when you caught the bookshelf you smashed up your hand a bit. Or I was trying to get under the fountain in the gardens and knocking it over smashed your hand up, or a grocery shelf, or you just twisted and fell while we tried to climb up that one unmarked building and landed badly on your hand.

Any of those would work as long as we make sure we make the area it supposedly happened look the way it should. Hell, we can even get the supplies from the medical center while we're out stagin' the scene. We do not need to get you any more hurt.

[ which part is terrifying, the being freaked out or the being clinical because he is kind of super leaning hard on the neutral-calm shit and has not yet said goodbye to it. whatever the hell he did kind of forced him to retreat into that particular brand of survival mode for the time being. like. he is freaked out? he is totally freaked out. but he seems dead set on ignoring it and pretending he's 100% fine. ]

We have to go do it now, though, because my roommates are actually probably gonna notice this shit. They're not unobservant, unfortunately.

[ apparently the alternatives to "so can we have a fight or something" are acceptable though because he won't argue that part. step one is still "find a way to hide this". ]

It just has to cover both hands gettin' hurt.

[ since.......................it's the left index finger and the right pinky why the fuck did he manage to hurt both hands this is ridiculous ]

[Oh goddammit.]

Any other injuries we're going to have to account for here?

[He has let Dave have his hand back but he's already walking to Dave. This time, he's walking... protectively? close to Dave? There's a way he's moving that implies he's ready to step in front of Dave and move him out of danger if anything happens.]

No, the only other shit I have is that bruise.

[ ON HIS ARM. STILL. that dirk didn't know about, but uh whatever. he will...let dirk select whatever scene they're staging here because honestly, he might not be thinking straight, and dave's at least self-aware enough to know that.

it's week one and the 14yo strider broke two fingers what will he do next week ]

What bruise?

[Dirk doesn't know?? about this bruise??

Anyway Dirk starts heading to the locked building first to scope it out and see if they can find a set-up that will account for both injuries. At least it's a pinky and an index finger, since those are more likely to break than, say, a ring finger.]

[ oh okay dirk didn't realize. about the bruise.

... ]

...Nothing...? [ if dirk glares at him or anything though: ] The one on my arm.

[The locked building also at the far side so they can start checking out the exteriors of other buildings. Now that he is looking at them, injuries from outside the Burned Building might be easier to insist. They're stupid enough to want to get in, and the crumbling bricks leave a lot of space for excusing injuries. That still means they'll have to cover up the kinds of scrapes you'd get from that kind of fall but they can do wraps for that. Unless Dave decides he wants to go for verisimilitude.

Then maybe the bookshelves would be best? Actually, you know what: he'll check that out first, and his course changes to head that way instead. Falling books would account for the weirdness of the bruises and Dirk would not insist on extra damage. As long as the bookshelves can be knocked down, they should be able to do that

He did give him a 'come on Dave' look so he gets the elaboration and he's. Still. ???] From the same thing that got your fingers?

[ dave just kind of follows along in the same direction, still kind of distant and strange but settling the further they get from the motel. ]

From when I scared you.

[ he hand't flinched back then to give warning. but then, he doesn't seem to be really reacting to the pain broken fingers are presumably causing him either, so. ]

[Ok now Dirk stops in his tracks and his eyes are wide behind his shades.] Holy shit. I am so sorry. Can I see it?

Uh, it's fine. [ he has never gotten an apology for that kind of thing before and seems taken aback, but will after a second just. hold out his arm? he guesses? like usual dave's in long sleeves.

rolling it up will pretty much show the bruise - a day or so old now - and probably a few of the "various scars" that are clearly sword-inflicted, but w/e. ]

[He frowns a little at the various scars but the bruise bothers him more.] I'm sorry, Dave. [The voice is monotonous, but compared to Bro's lack of emotion the contrition is practically on loudspeaker.] I should've been more careful.

[He starts walking again, but yeah he seems even more protective now the way he's moving near Dave.]

It's fine, I didn't mind. [ or really note it until he took off his shirt later that night, but. he trails along.

still freaked, but for once it doesn't seem to be directly caused by dirk, since it was, like, a state of being he was in from the start. he does still kinda seem like he'd willingly jump off a cliff about now but maybe a little less the further into town they get. ]

Still. It wasn't okay.

[Dirk isn't bothering him about the jumpiness yet; the decrease in the jittery willingness to jump off a cliff is a rewarding in itself.]

It wasn't like you did it because you were pissed off or...nothing.

[ nothing isn't a "nevermind". he means pissed off OR sociopathic. ]

Hurtin' someone because you're worried about them is, like, the prime in ironies that I fucking hate. [Since it's dumb. THEY GET TO THE BOOKSHELVES and Dirk checks around the backs. It looks like they should be able to shove one down; Dirk nods to himself.]

Okay, step back, and I'll climb up and knock it over. Do not catch it for verisimilitude. You are covered on that front, dude.

What, we don't wanna give me a few bookshelf bruises? Because verisimilitude is what sells a lie.

[ however he will roll his eyes and get out of the way. ]

[He starts scrambling up top!] You can throw books at your own torso if you want. I am not participating in that. [God it is super dusty up here. Yikes. He crouches to get his balance for the kick, and—

—with a huge shove, he manages to knock the bookshelf down. Fun fact: there is REALLY a lot of dust! It kicks up in a vicious cloud, getting in both Dirk's eyes and his lungs. He manages to land okay on top of the shelf, maybe bruising his palm a bit at worst, but he's left hacking something vicious with his eyes squeezed shut as the cloud dissipates.

Dave, according to the mods, will be mostly out of the dust range! So only Dirk will have a cough for the next day.

Verisimilitude!]

[ why are they both this way. dave actually comes closer, though, after the bookshelf comes down. ]

You okay? Shit, that could be...creepy eldritch horror dust, which is somehow worse than the normal kind, because fuck you is why I guess.

[ but yeah okay that. counts. as verisimilitude dave supposes. ]

I'm—[Yeah he was going to say 'fine' but HORRORTERROR DUST IN THE LUNGS provokes a coughing fit. Dirk waves his hand to try to say "I'm fine" as he continues to cough hard from his landing spot on top of the shelf. His eyes are watering and he yanks off his shades so he can rub at his eyes. While also coughing.]

—fine!

[This is convincing with how hard it was for him to finish that sentence and how he practically gagged out the word before more coughing continued]

Did you land on your hand weird?

[ he's like. leaning over dirk but not reaching out MOSTLY BECAUSE HIS OWN HANDS ARE STILL A LITTLE FUCKED FINGER WISE but. ]

I don't have water, fuck.

[Dirk slips himself off of the collapsed bookcase, shaking his head against the dust. His eyes are still watering and his shades gripped tight in the hand that has his glasses but now he's trying to blink the dust out. He shows Dave his hand: it looks fine, although yeah he'll have a bruise on that palm later but for now it isn't visible.]

Clinic—[He means to fix Dave's hand, but of course his words are truncated by coughs]—then motel—

[He knows he can hold his breath for a long time. Should he try that or will it just make this worse? He's pretty sure he's coughing for a reason, that's how it is whenever he gets water in his lungs.]

No way. [ dave actually takes dirk's hand to check, careful of his...own...fingers... ] We need to - wait, there's a bathroom here.

[ he's tugging dirk in that direction. it's the first time he's ever turned his back on dirk without dirk somewhere else, at least. apparently he is Not going to agree to go to the clinic until dirk drinks some water or something? god what do you even do for dust? at least they can probably flush out his eyes - ]

's fine, 'm fine—

[But he's too worried about hurting Dave's hand more to fight being pulled along, and he's coughing too much to successfully pull this off. DAVE WINS THIS ONE!]

[ yeah worry about dave's hands because he isn't, aside from avoiding using those fingers? he will just drag dirk into the bathroom, and go to the sink to start up the water. ]

Okay, let's...this is a really fuckin' awkward angle for this, just lean over the sink, will you?

[ so they can rinse his eyes out at least for that first? although dirk should also. drink water probably god dust is not in the repertoire of injuries dave has dealt with over his life. ]

[Dirk has not dealt with it either but he kinda shoves the shades Dave-wards for Dave to take while he leans over the tap and ducks his head under to try to get at the water, splashing if necessary. Coughing doesn't help his efforts but he is determined not to let Dave's hands participate in them.]

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