"I was looking for firewood-- guess I wasn't watching where I was going." He adjusted how he was standing a little bit, letting out a quiet hiss. "Don't think anything's broken, but I cut up my leg. Can't get back up on my own."
All things considered, he sounded pretty calm about the situation, despite the fact that he barely had any feeling left in his extremities and his leg seemed to be actively trying to punish him for screwing it up.
JW heaved a foggy sigh of relief. Good. Cuts he could help with. Broken bones? Enjoy your new life as Ginko Gullyman.
"Alright, don't go anywhere. I'll be back."
The antlered man disappeared and he was gone for quite some time. When he did return, he walked at a stoop, his footfalls heavy. He'd brought his backpack. He'd learned the importance of a first aid kit ages ago and Nowhere Japan wasn't about to get shrugged off.
"Look out below!"
He threw his bag over the cliff and then began his descent. And as he climbed and carefully picked out handholds and ledges to shimmy along, he scolded Ginko the entire time.
"It was still dark! It's still almost still dark! I gave you a flashlight! Why were you looking for firewood IN A FOREST we were literally surrounded by potential firewood! And don't give me that 'but it's wet' bullshit. We had kindling! Remember! God damn it, you poff-headed--"
"Don't worry, I'll be here." He sighed quietly and sat back down to wait, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling his good leg up close to himself.
He jumped a little when the bag landed near him, then tilted his head back to look up at JW as he made his way down the cliff face.
"I can see in the dark, that wasn't the problem. And kindling is one thing, but the more dry wood we have, the stronger the fire will be."
He will absolutely argue with you while he sits here and bleeds into his scarf, JW, do not even test him.
That was new information. But it didn't stop the barrage of insults. Finally, JW's sneakers touched down on snow and he wobbled over to Ginko, legs shaky from the climb. He was used to walking, not using his whole body. With a wheeze, he sank to his heels and leaned over Ginko like a vulture.
"Yeah. Something about this eye, I guess." Which probably sounded like a weirdly obvious thing to say, but sometimes the idea of context kind of went right over Ginko's head.
He leaned over silently to untie his scarf before going ahead and rolling up the torn, blood-soaked leg of his pants, flinching and gritting his teeth at the sting of cold air on the wound. The jagged gash ran from halfway up his calf to just above his knee, bright red against his pale skin.
"Can't quite tell how deep it is. Hurts like hell, though, and it's been bleeding a lot." Thank you, Ginko, that was not obvious enough yet.
"Huh. Mine just gives me shit depth perception and makes renewing my driver's licence a pain in the ass. Wanna trade?"
All joking was set aside when the wound was revealed though. JW sucked a hiss through the gap in his teeth and he leaned close, inviting himself to prod carefully around the widest part of the cut.
"Not good...doesn't look like you've got anything lodged in there though. Alright. Well. I can't haul your enormous ass up the mountain, so we're gonna play doctor."
JW reached behind him and dragged his pack over and then made a show of laying all the parts of his kit out carefully in the snow. He always brought a water bottle with him but he never imagined using it for this.
"Big sting. Don't cry." He dumped the water over the cut and started to brush away what bits of grime he did see with a handkerchief.
Ginko winced again, biting back a sound of complaint when JW prodded at the injury. He watched uncertainly as the supplies were laid out in front of him, then nodded at the warning. "Somehow, I think I'll be able to--"
OW shit okay so much for smarmy comments for the moment. He gave a pained grunt, his hands clenching involuntarily into fists by his sides.
"What was that?" JW, meanwhile, could make all the smarmy comments he wanted! This was one reason JW would never be a doctor. He dove back into his work, leaning close to the wound to see it better. The cold bit at his bloody fingers and he often had to stop and tuck his hands under his arms to warm them back up.
First came the cleaning. Then came opening up some terrible smelling anti-septic pads that stung worse than the rocks had in the first place. As he administered treatment after treatment, JW's grin faded. He could feel Ginko tensing under his fingers and while he was half blind, he wasn't deaf. He heard all the half-started and choked out swears. It put his nerves on end. What was he doing? What was he DOING? He should have gone and gotten Shirley! She could haul them both up the cliff on one arm.
But no, he wanted to be the one to do it. Him with his shaky hands and bad eyes wanted to be the one to patch up Ginko. He sighed as he pulled out the needle and plastic-like thread. He didn't start work, he just stared at them. Maybe...butterfly bandages would be better.
"What do you think...?" He fished out the white folded bandages and held up yet another choice.
At some point, Ginko had squeezed his eyes shut in order to keep from actually seeing the damage to his leg, but he opened them again when JW spoke up. He glanced between the needle and the bandages for a moment.
"...'S going to need stitches anyway." His voice was quiet and strained, but he kept it as steady as he could. "Might as well do it here."
It couldn't be worse than trying to stitch himself up, after all.
JW let out the breath he'd been holding. Ginko was right. Conflicting emotions crashed over him as he threaded the needle and made a knot in the other end. This man trusted him. He trusted him enough to sew him up.
This man trusted him.
If he fucked up, JW was sure he'd never get that back. He wondered if Ginko would feel the same if he knew Shirley was only a few hours away. JW shook those thoughts away to fret over later.
"I'm sorry."
He began. The stitches were further apart than they should have been and they were shallow. He'd sewed up Deuteronomy a hundred times but she was dead. She couldn't get any deader. If he wound up tearing her pelt they just went into the attic and found an old stuffed beaver or part of an old coat. Anything brownish that could be gone over with woodfinish marker and made to match.
Not here.
As the stitching continued, JW found that if he stayed quiet much longer he'd start shaking again. "Got some legs, huh? I guess you'd have to."
To be fair, Ginko wasn't sure he wouldn't be unconscious or worse if they waited a few hours. But even if that weren't the case, he would take JW over someone he didn't really know any day - even someone who would theoretically have a better idea of what she was doing.
Once again, his hands clenched into fists, crumpling the fabric of his coat under his fingers. Until JW spoke again, he just focused on that, on keeping his breathing as slow and steady as he could - basically on anything other than the brief jabs of pain in his leg, and the deep, ongoing ache of the cold-numbed wound.
The sudden comment gave him something else to think about, at least. He blinked, his brow furrowing for a moment as he tried to process that. "Uh... yeah, I... kind of need them."
Sorry, JW, he's not really in any shape to be processing attempts at compliments.
JW made a distressed noise in the very back of his throat and shut his mouth. He was so bad at this.
Eventually, he tied off his work with a square knot and rested his bloody hands on his knees. "That oughtta hold. We can put the bandages back on..."
At least with it being cold, there was less chance of it festering, right? Right? JW had no clue. He'd never seen this much snow in his life. He lifted a hand to brush the hair out of his face but caught sight of it. And just stared at the red caked under his nails. This was not the kind of intimacy he'd been hoping for.
"I need a smoke." He reached back into his bag and started to dig."
"No problem." He made quick work of lighting up and after a thought, lit one for Ginko and handed it over. It wasn't the ditchweed of his youth, but it was still good. Almost medicinal but not quite as well-bred. "This is for you. It should help with the pain. Then we can figure out a better way up from here. I grabbed all the important stuff from the tent."
He then joined Ginko in leaning against the steep wall behind them. He tipped his head back, antlers keeping him from looking straight up at the sun rising over them.
"...Thanks." The first breath of smoke set him coughing, covering his mouth with his forearm. It wasn't like his usual cigarettes, that was for sure. But the smoke wasn't as strong or as bitter as his mushi repellent, either, and it didn't take him too long to get used to it.
He looked around with a quiet hum of thought, quickly picking out a few glowing forms around them. "Yeah. None that'll do us any harm."
JW continued staring upwards, wishing he could see what his friend saw.
"Good...you know, I'm starting to think I might be bad luck for you." He glanced at the bandages and tried to clean his hands on the snow that had settled at the bottom of the gully.
"...That might be a good idea. Thanks." Even with his leg stitched up and the pain receding a little as the smoke he's breathed in takes effect, he doubts he'll be able to get back up there unassisted.
...Actually, come to think of it, the smoke will probably make it harder. He may not know what, exactly, he's smoking here, but it's definitely not making him any less tired.
Meanwhile, JW, who was used to operating under a fine haze most days, stood and started looking around for a promising sapling. Finally he found one that wasn't too bendy and pulled out his pocket knife.
While he worked, his guts decided that it was time to loudly proclaim that neither of them had eaten breakfast. JW had not considered this when he lit up and he made a face as he carved out a cradle for Ginko's arm.
"Say, Ginko, you ever come across a dead person before?"
Why was that the first distraction he could think of? He wasn't sure. Maybe because with Ginko's white hair, the rest of him would have blended in with the snow eventually.
Ginko blinked and looked over at him, his brow furrowing. "...What kind of a question is that?"
A moment later, though, he sat back against the slope again with a sigh, watching JW work. "...Once or twice. Not an experience I'd like to have very often."
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theattic2015-08-13 03:59 pm
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All things considered, he sounded pretty calm about the situation, despite the fact that he barely had any feeling left in his extremities and his leg seemed to be actively trying to punish him for screwing it up.
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"Alright, don't go anywhere. I'll be back."
The antlered man disappeared and he was gone for quite some time. When he did return, he walked at a stoop, his footfalls heavy. He'd brought his backpack. He'd learned the importance of a first aid kit ages ago and Nowhere Japan wasn't about to get shrugged off.
"Look out below!"
He threw his bag over the cliff and then began his descent. And as he climbed and carefully picked out handholds and ledges to shimmy along, he scolded Ginko the entire time.
"It was still dark! It's still almost still dark! I gave you a flashlight! Why were you looking for firewood IN A FOREST we were literally surrounded by potential firewood! And don't give me that 'but it's wet' bullshit. We had kindling! Remember! God damn it, you poff-headed--"
And so on and so forth.
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He jumped a little when the bag landed near him, then tilted his head back to look up at JW as he made his way down the cliff face.
"I can see in the dark, that wasn't the problem. And kindling is one thing, but the more dry wood we have, the stronger the fire will be."
He will absolutely argue with you while he sits here and bleeds into his scarf, JW, do not even test him.
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That was new information. But it didn't stop the barrage of insults. Finally, JW's sneakers touched down on snow and he wobbled over to Ginko, legs shaky from the climb. He was used to walking, not using his whole body. With a wheeze, he sank to his heels and leaned over Ginko like a vulture.
"Lemme see, jackass."
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He leaned over silently to untie his scarf before going ahead and rolling up the torn, blood-soaked leg of his pants, flinching and gritting his teeth at the sting of cold air on the wound. The jagged gash ran from halfway up his calf to just above his knee, bright red against his pale skin.
"Can't quite tell how deep it is. Hurts like hell, though, and it's been bleeding a lot." Thank you, Ginko, that was not obvious enough yet.
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All joking was set aside when the wound was revealed though. JW sucked a hiss through the gap in his teeth and he leaned close, inviting himself to prod carefully around the widest part of the cut.
"Not good...doesn't look like you've got anything lodged in there though. Alright. Well. I can't haul your enormous ass up the mountain, so we're gonna play doctor."
JW reached behind him and dragged his pack over and then made a show of laying all the parts of his kit out carefully in the snow. He always brought a water bottle with him but he never imagined using it for this.
"Big sting. Don't cry." He dumped the water over the cut and started to brush away what bits of grime he did see with a handkerchief.
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OW shit okay so much for smarmy comments for the moment. He gave a pained grunt, his hands clenching involuntarily into fists by his sides.
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First came the cleaning. Then came opening up some terrible smelling anti-septic pads that stung worse than the rocks had in the first place. As he administered treatment after treatment, JW's grin faded. He could feel Ginko tensing under his fingers and while he was half blind, he wasn't deaf. He heard all the half-started and choked out swears. It put his nerves on end. What was he doing? What was he DOING? He should have gone and gotten Shirley! She could haul them both up the cliff on one arm.
But no, he wanted to be the one to do it. Him with his shaky hands and bad eyes wanted to be the one to patch up Ginko. He sighed as he pulled out the needle and plastic-like thread. He didn't start work, he just stared at them. Maybe...butterfly bandages would be better.
"What do you think...?" He fished out the white folded bandages and held up yet another choice.
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"...'S going to need stitches anyway." His voice was quiet and strained, but he kept it as steady as he could. "Might as well do it here."
It couldn't be worse than trying to stitch himself up, after all.
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This man trusted him.
If he fucked up, JW was sure he'd never get that back. He wondered if Ginko would feel the same if he knew Shirley was only a few hours away. JW shook those thoughts away to fret over later.
"I'm sorry."
He began. The stitches were further apart than they should have been and they were shallow. He'd sewed up Deuteronomy a hundred times but she was dead. She couldn't get any deader. If he wound up tearing her pelt they just went into the attic and found an old stuffed beaver or part of an old coat. Anything brownish that could be gone over with woodfinish marker and made to match.
Not here.
As the stitching continued, JW found that if he stayed quiet much longer he'd start shaking again. "Got some legs, huh? I guess you'd have to."
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Once again, his hands clenched into fists, crumpling the fabric of his coat under his fingers. Until JW spoke again, he just focused on that, on keeping his breathing as slow and steady as he could - basically on anything other than the brief jabs of pain in his leg, and the deep, ongoing ache of the cold-numbed wound.
The sudden comment gave him something else to think about, at least. He blinked, his brow furrowing for a moment as he tried to process that. "Uh... yeah, I... kind of need them."
Sorry, JW, he's not really in any shape to be processing attempts at compliments.
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Eventually, he tied off his work with a square knot and rested his bloody hands on his knees. "That oughtta hold. We can put the bandages back on..."
At least with it being cold, there was less chance of it festering, right? Right? JW had no clue. He'd never seen this much snow in his life. He lifted a hand to brush the hair out of his face but caught sight of it. And just stared at the red caked under his nails. This was not the kind of intimacy he'd been hoping for.
"I need a smoke." He reached back into his bag and started to dig."
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He sat back against the cliff face, letting out a shaky breath. "...Thank you for finding me."
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"No problem." He made quick work of lighting up and after a thought, lit one for Ginko and handed it over. It wasn't the ditchweed of his youth, but it was still good. Almost medicinal but not quite as well-bred. "This is for you. It should help with the pain. Then we can figure out a better way up from here. I grabbed all the important stuff from the tent."
He then joined Ginko in leaning against the steep wall behind them. He tipped his head back, antlers keeping him from looking straight up at the sun rising over them.
"Any mushi down here?"
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He looked around with a quiet hum of thought, quickly picking out a few glowing forms around them. "Yeah. None that'll do us any harm."
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"Good...you know, I'm starting to think I might be bad luck for you." He glanced at the bandages and tried to clean his hands on the snow that had settled at the bottom of the gully.
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"Don't worry about it. This stuff happens all the time; it's not your fault."
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Then again, Ginko was always bundled up head to toe. Or at least he had been since JW met him.
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He took another breath of smoke. At least JW seemed to be right about it helping with the pain.
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He shut his eyes and listened to the forest finish waking up. He wasn't looking forward to walking around the long way. He was pretty tired.
"How're you doing over there?"
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He tilted his head back and looked up at the cliff face above them. "...Least we'll be able to see our way back."
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Suddenly he got an idea.
"Both my legs still work. I'll find and carve you down a crutch."
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...Actually, come to think of it, the smoke will probably make it harder. He may not know what, exactly, he's smoking here, but it's definitely not making him any less tired.
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While he worked, his guts decided that it was time to loudly proclaim that neither of them had eaten breakfast. JW had not considered this when he lit up and he made a face as he carved out a cradle for Ginko's arm.
"Say, Ginko, you ever come across a dead person before?"
Why was that the first distraction he could think of? He wasn't sure. Maybe because with Ginko's white hair, the rest of him would have blended in with the snow eventually.
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A moment later, though, he sat back against the slope again with a sigh, watching JW work. "...Once or twice. Not an experience I'd like to have very often."
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