[05]

[decrypts]

[suffice it to say that a lot has been happening back home.

when york next appears on the plane, anyone that sees him will notice a rather drastic difference in his appearance. there's a long scar trailing down the left side of his face that looks still-fresh and tender, red around the very edges. and if one were to pay very close attention, they would notice that his left eye itself is cloudy-white.

he's lost ninety percent of vision out of that eye, and it's all due to a haphazardly-thrown in a training session that he'd volunteered for. of course, he hadn't been expecting to come out of it half-blind, but .. well, what're you gonna do? shit happens, and at the end of the day, sometimes .. grenades happen.

fucking grenades.

at first, he doesn't know where to go. something in the back of his mind says that he needs to find north, or south, or even wash - because they were all there when it happened, they'd seen what happened, and .. he just doesn't know where else to go. he supposes he could have talked to them back on the mother of invention, but as soon as they'd let him out of surgery, his first thought had been to come here.

it's getting more and more natural the more often it happens.

there's another part of him that says he needs to find jacqli, too - but he isn't exactly sure if that's the best idea. they may have unloaded on each other about some things in the past, but something like this .. he doesn't think she deserves to put up with him when he doesn't exactly know what to think about the situation as a whole.

as he most often does - or has, in the past - he finds himself drifting toward the bar, but he isn't sure he's going to actually drink. mostly, he .. hell, he doesn't even know. let's be honest, here.

he's just basically lost an eye due to a really stupid mistake, and .. and he ..

he wants to put his fist through a wall.

but for now .. he's going to walk.]

((ooc: totally forgot to mention this when i was typing it up last night AHA but this is york's canonbump to just after the grenade incident that leads to his eye injury. he's not very happy.))

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie is coming in from off on the beach, a set of bagpipes tucked under one arm. Even hallucinating the Phantom Piper on the Plane not so long ago is enough to keep him from playing - but he's much less likely to get complained at about it if he does so here rather than the TARDIS. Spotting York in the distance, he lifts his free hand to wave a cheerful greeting. It's not until he gets closer that he sees the man's face, and the cheerfulness quickly vanishes.]

York? What happened to ye, man?

[decrypts]

[it's been a while since he's seen jamie - really, they haven't spoken since that last conversation in the bar, and it has him wondering why that is.

because it isn't like he isn't friendly .. it's just .. why is he even thinking about this right now?

he's about to wave back when he sees the look on the other's face, and he tries to crack a smile despite how odd he feels returning here like this.]

Training session gone .. really fucking wrong.

[bonnypiperlad]

Och. [He can't quite help the wince that comes from hearing that, but the expression that's there afterward is a sympathetic one.]

Do ye want to go get a drink and take your mind off of it, then?

[Because he can't imagine York actually wanting to talk about that. Jamie wouldn't, if he were in the man's shoes.]

[decrypts]

[yeah, he's expecting that wince .. because really, how do you hear about someone getting a grenade to the face and not wince?

but jamie .. jamie is a good friend. he's more than come to realize that ever since his first encounter with him - even if it had been a little odd at the time - and he answers the question with a sort of lopsided smile, and nods.] Seems like every time we meet, now, one of us is ready to get drunk. Kinda funny, isn't it?

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye, well, I'd not say so much as I'd call it funny, but...

[Oh, wait, that wasn't the point, was it? He chuckles a little.]

Could be worse, aye? At least there's a bar here to actually go to. I've been a few places where there's nothing of the sort. Or things that are called bars but aren't any place of the sort.

Come on, let's head over that way.

[fallbythesword]

[Jacqli is actually on her way to the kitchen, but of course she stops when she spots York. But when she gets a bit closer and catches sight of his eye...

Oh Goddess.

She hurries over to him, eyes narrowed - concerned, worried (not that she recognizes that one so much) and... honestly, ready to kill someone if he so much as breathes a name of anyone responsible.]

What happened?

[decrypts]

[well, there's one thing he isn't going to have to worry about. she's found him.

and he can see that look in her eyes - the one she isn't familiar with - and it has something clenching tight in the middle of his chest as she moves closer to him.

i'm really glad you're here.]

Would you believe me if I said I got in a grenade fight, and won?

[fallbythesword]

[She can feel her stomach drop when he explains, but she doesn't have time to worry about why she's feeling this way, that way or the other way, because York is hurt, and something happened, and she swears if she can do anything about this, she is going to, consequences be damned --

Her eyes narrow even more.]

If you walked away from a grenade fight with only that much, then yes, I would believe you won. When did this happen?

[Yeah, sure, it's snapped, but that worried look in her eyes isn't going away.]

[decrypts]

[he doesn't know what's going on inside her head right now - what she's feeling, why she's feeling it - but the fact alone that she's concerned for him has him thinking that maybe .. maybe he hasn't been thinking too much about things, that there really is something -

but now isn't the time to think about it.

he tries for yet another smile, and when it only comes about halfway, he gives up.] I've been in the infirmary for a while .. technically, I'm still supposed to be in there. Just so they can keep an eye on me - well, if that isn't ironic.

[ha.

there's a pause, and when he looks at her again, there's something unfathomable in his expression, and his one good eye focuses on her with everything he has in him.] I didn't want to be in there anymore. The second I got out, I came here. I wanted to find you.

[fallbythesword]

[Wow, that joke was so lame it might as well be one of hers. She twitches, just slightly - normally, she'd appreciate the humor a bit more, but right now, she's too worried.]

They should have kept an eye on you before you could lose yours.

[And then he's going on about wanting to come here. Understandable. And wanting to find... her. Why? Ugh, humans make no damn sense sometimes! And yet... I'm glad you did. I'm glad you came out of it alive. I...

She sees that expression, feels his gaze on her - heavy, and nothing she's quite sure she's felt before. For a moment, she's stuck just staring right back up at him. But then she shakes her head sharply, narrows her eyes again and clasps her hands together in front of her.]

Just... hold still!

[She begins to sing. Her words may be foreign, but they're powerful. She places every ounce of feeling she has into them, turns them into a force that she hopes will do some good. A bright, red-pink light settles around York, and though she has no way of knowing if her song magic can really restore his vision, she has to try. She just has to. ]

[most_feared]

[Grenades do happen. He notes the man's eye when he sees him on the plain, thinking of Leela who he's not seen in some time.

He doesn't bring it up, though. He just notes that it's a tired looking guy heading for a bar, and he has enough sympathy to join him and pour him a drink.]

What will you have? [He asks as he moves behind the bar.]

[decrypts]

[grenades really need to stop happening. because it's only happened once, and it's still more than enough for him. he doesn't think they need to happen more than once. seriously.

he isn't expecting the company, but he won't turn it away - because it's always kind of shitty to drink alone, and it's .. it's always nice to have a bit of company.] Whiskey. Every single bit of it. I don't even care that I'm probably still chock full of pain meds. Who knows .. maybe I'll have some really awesome hallucinations.

[most_feared]

Sure, Slick. I know there's some of that back here. [And he goes looking for it.]

You got a friend that can drag you home if you pass out? [Because that's a hazardous mix.]

[decrypts]

There had better be. I don't know what kind of magically-restocking bar this is if there's no whiskey.

[he makes himself comfortable, bracing his elbows on top of the bar as he waits.] I've got a few people I could convince to come get me if I can't walk straight. The only real place to go is home .. and that's not really somewhere I wanna be right now.

[there's a pause, and he snorts.] Push comes to shove, I'll go take a nap on the beach.

[most_feared]

Sand is a bad place to sleep. But at least you're not gonna get a sunburn here. [He slide York a half filled short glass a moment later.]

Looks like you had a hell of a fight.

[grip_on_reality]

[Menzies is in the bar when York arrives, idly drinking a pint with some of her everpresent paperwork spread out in front of her. she glances up when he enters and gives him a wry smile] Hullo, Agent.

[but before she can even make a joke or call him Montana again, she catches a glimpse of his face--and her eyes widen]

What the hell happened to you!?

[decrypts]

[at least she doesn't call him montana this time. but he has to comment on it.] What, I'm not Agent Uruguay this time?

[hey look he still has a sense of humor even though half of his face has been blown to hell! aces!] A grenade bit me.

[grip_on_reality]

[she scoffs, sliding easily into humour as a coping mechanism as well] More like Agent North Korea! That grenade must 'ave 'ad some teeth.

[as she's sitting close enough to do so, she grabs another glass] What do you want? What they've got on tap is blue, but the flavour's not bad, and the evidence so far suggests it's not poisonous.

[decrypts]

[humor is quite possibly the best defense mechanism he has, and he's not afraid to use it. quite frankly, he's been finding that he uses it quite often lately.] North Korea .. maybe that means I need to start getting better at martial arts. Coulda dodged that stupid grenade that way.

[but he's dropping down into a seat next to her, he rolls his shoulders in a shrug. blue has always been a good color for him - just ask him about blue popsicles sometime.] As long as it doesn't outright kill me, I don't really care what it is. So that sounds great to me.

[there's a beat of a pause, and he murmurs quietly under his breath:] Thanks, Menzies.

[grip_on_reality]

Either that or you should give tennis a go.

[she pours him a glass] Well, unless I'm dead and just 'aven't worked it out yet, I think I can promise that much. Here. [she sets it down in front of him] You should probably try it before you thank me. [and she takes another sip of her own drink because, seeing him up close, she needs it. even though she's keeping her usual wry tone and expression outwardly, inwardly she's a lot more concerned]

Joining in late, so it's up to you if you want to go with before or after Jacqli heals his eye o/

[betrayedtwin]

[After what happened not too long ago in his own reality, North is admittedly surprised--and hopeful--when he sees York. Actually, he feels pretty damn relieved. His York had had a bad training accident, and if that new agent hadn't done what she did... It wasn't something he really wanted to think about right then. Instead, he starts jogging after his friend and calls out to him:]

Hey York, wait up!

i'll stick with before, because i like the emotional turmoil. ;;

[decrypts]

[he still doesn't know that this north isn't his north, but he's still happy to see him whenever he does. because north has always been his friend, and will remain as much as long as they're working together. and hell - even after that, he doesn't think he could really fathom being without a friend like him.

he turns when he hears that familiar voice, and it just so happens that the damaged side of his face will be the one that north sees first. his smile is a little lopsided, a little strained - because everything is still raw - but he tries for it anyway.] North? Hey, what's up?

[acting like everything is normal? you betcha.]

[betrayedtwin]

[His jogging slows, his expression falling behind his helmet. It feels like his heart has dropped into his stomach upon seeing that wound. He actually hasn't seen how bad it truly is back home, so this really doesn't bode well.] Oh no... [He quickly closes the distance between them.] What happened to you? Are you all right to be up and around right now?

[decrypts]

[when north's question comes, his brows furrow a little. he'd been right there in the observation room along with everyone else. he'd seen the whole thing. why is he asking about it?] Memory that bad, man? I didn't think anyone could forget Texas kicking our asses that badly.

[still acting like nothing is wrong? YEP.] Technically, they're letting me out of the infirmary tomorrow. No big deal.

[betrayedtwin]

[Yeah, that news doesn't help.] No, I didn't forget. I was kinda...hoping that hadn't happened for you too.

[But with that, he can't help but crack a smile.] Oh yeah? Sure. [He doesn't quite believe that, but York's up and around, and really, it's nice to see him.] Where're you headed?