Forum Thread

Kaori watched all of this in the corner with a smile on her face. Finally she got what she had wanted.

But she rushed over to help Cath wipe off the blood :)

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"Yeah." Just...emotionally scarred. "Yeah, I'm...fine. today's just been exhausting..." He said, finally starting to calm down.

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Kendo's laugh was weak.

"Thanks Cath. I really don't deserve y'all..."

The world was spinning. He felt lightheaded. He stumbled and blacked out, collapsing on Theo.

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...it's fine, everything's fine. The ambulance will be here- curses, why didn't I call the ambulance? He glanced at the blacked-out Kendo, trying to smile. he'll be fine, everything will be fine...

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Cath continued to survey the scene in front of her with worry. Her heels were discarded on the side of the pavement. Kendo had passed out, which wasn't altogether unexpected, but still worrisome. He had lost a lot of blood, and the bandages Theo had used as a temporary fix were stained crimson.

Luckily, it was then that the ambulance pulled up.

"Break it up, people. Let the ambulance through! Don't you all have somewhere else to be on a busy morning?" Cath yelled at the rubberneckers. Slowly they started to clear away.

"Miss, what's your name?" An EMT had come up to Cath. Two others were carefully lifting Kendo onto a stretcher.

"I'm Cath," She said.

"What can you tell me about the incident? And are you or that man related to the victim?"

"I'm not related to him, but his name is Kendo Sato. He's a twenty-four year old university student. He seems to have collapsed. I just got here, but it doesn't look like he's been involved in a car crash. He's lost a lot of blood, and fell unconscious about three minutes ago. That's Theo and he is Kendo's-" she paused. "Step-brother. He luckily owns the coffee shop on this block, and was able to provide a positive identification and bandages. We've been trying to stem the blood."

American EMTs would rarely let anyone unrelated to the victim ride in the ambulance, and Cath knew that Theo would want peace of mind.

"Okay. Tell your friend he can ride with us to the hospital."

Cath strode over to Theo. "Take him to the hospital. They legally cannot deny him treatment. I'll be over as soon as I can; don't worry about paying for anything. And also, you're Kendo's Step-Brother now." She shot him an exhausted smile, and shoved him in the direction of the ambulance. "Go!"

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Percy slowly woke, grumbling. “Oh… Right, something’s happening.” He stood, stretching. Percy then sat back down, staring ahead thoughtfully. He took a moment to think.

First he was left behind for his safety, then any other places he’s lived in were terrifying enough to get him to leave. Now he’s here, unharmed. Percy pulled his legs close to him. Even so, he had to admit it still felt lonely, having to hide so much, even here. He felt his bruise finally healing and sighed, still staring.

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"...really? step brother?" He muttered, but now wasn't really the time to complain. He could tell Cath was a little confused. If Kendo wanted to, he could tell Cath what actually happened. Theo didn't wanna, mostly because he didn't want to think about it anymore. He picked up Kendo in one of those like, really romantic ways but now's not the time and brought him to the ambulance.

also totally not me not knowing how an ambulance would treat this kind of situation so if my posts are w little off just correct me lol

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kendo was out cold. mans dying. clearly it wasn't a car crash but whatever.

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*The bell above the door would ding as the small form opened the door, walking in, her beak casting a shadow*

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Percy lifted his head, hearing the bell. "Someone's here?" He moved back a bit, a little tense. Even with feeling comfortable, at least sort of, he still had his nerves.

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Kaori wimpered, her bottom lip quivering. This was such a dangerous world! Why couldn't Earth be just a happy, soap opera-like place?

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Shaking his head, Percy tried calming himself. "Oh right, I'm still on the counter." He realized he couldn't climb down. Percy walked around in circles, a bit overwhelmed.

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Cath walked back to the shop. She supposed she would make sure everything was alright, and then have Kaori or someone watch it while she joined Theo at the hospital. She was not expecting a plague doctress to be standing by the doorway.

"Hello!" She said, still cheerful, even though she had been startled. "I'm Cath. Are you looking to get some coffee? Because Theo, the owner of the shop, just took his, um, step-brother to the hospital." She smiled at the masked individual.

"Kaori?" She said to the Neko. "I know you're a regular and you kind of understand how this place works... We can either close the shop, or you can generate some income for our Theo, your choice. This is Percy, he might be able to help you." She pointed to the small borrower on the counter. "Be kind to each other. Recipes I believe are in that first drawer."

It was all so confusing. Why did the coffee shop only have one employee?

"Lovely to meet you," Cath called to the plague doctress. "But I must run!"

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Still walking in her stockings, Cath took off at a quick pace for the hospital. Dodging around the suspicious city puddles and drainage grates, her feet barely touched the ground. At this time of day, her walking would still be faster than trying to find a taxi. Her stockings were completely ruined, but that was the least of her concerns.

She arrived at the hospital a half hour later, and all but sprinted up to the front desk. "Hi, I'm looking for a patient, Kendo Sato. He should have arrived via ambulance less than an hour ago?"

The elf flagged down a Neko nurse, who pointed her in the right direction. She padded down the long white hallways, navigating the maze of the hospital, until finally, she found Theo. He was sitting outside a sterile, pale green room looking nervous.

At that moment, the doctor came out of the door. "Hello, I'm Doctor Neyrwatu. Are you a friend of Kendo's?"

"Yes, I'm Cath. Any news?"

"We are still determining the cause of injury, but he seems to no longer be in life-threatening condition. Your friend is strong. He will make it." Cath could tell there was something troubling the doctor. He probably saw the injury on Kendo's neck. Doctor-patient confidentiality would forbid him from telling us anything.

Cath breathed a sigh of relief she didn't realize she had been holding, and thanked him. He strode off, clutching his clipboard, and began to delegate to the nurses. She turned to Theo. "How have you been holding up?"

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Kaori saluted. She decided that Theo would need some money anyways, so she kept the shop open until he would come back.

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Kitty strutted into the shop and hopped up onto the counter, next to Percy. "Who are you?" she asked, her bright cat eyes locking onto him.

"...tired, worried, y'know...the usual." He muttered. "Amazing to think this happened all within a day." He half joked.

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"I know..." Cath trailed off, and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Is there anything that you know that I don't? I've noticed Kendo has been out-of-sorts recently, but is there something separate? Aside from his feelings for you, and financial struggles?"

Cath knew that Kendo didn't believe in happy endings. Both he and Theo were world class worriers, and it often fell to her to try and reassure them. She knew she was lucky; a stable job with great pay at age twenty-eight was rarer than the world wanted one to believe. Cath had beaten the odds when she had come across a small apartment to rent at a cheap price. Hell, she had even been lucky enough to get a huge scholarship, and had paid off the last of her student-loans last year.

But in her heart-of-hearts, Cath wanted the two of them to be happy. So a wad of bills in the tip jar, and a reference letter every once in a while was the least that she could do. Although Kendo and Theo were some of the few people she considered her friends, there were so many more acquaintances that she loved.

Cath wanted to help the world, and hated all the injustice. She donated a part of her paycheck to charity each month. She volunteered at the local soup kitchen. She held regular "unofficial therapy sessions" for the coffee shop patrons. Cath wondered sometimes if she was selfish, and only helped people to make herself feel good inside. Her biggest fear was that she was a terrible person. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was taking this burden off her friends.

"Theo, he'll make it." She whispered quietly. "He's strong. Now it's our turn to be strong for him."

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"... He'll tell you in his own time." Theo said. "It's not my place to talk about something...personal." He muttered. "And...I know he'll make it. He has to. My exhausted brain just...doubts everything."

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It was... so dark. Everything was black. The pitch-dark void he was sitting in right now... it was silent. It unnerved him. The empty nothingness... it scared him. he was rooted in place, only vaguely aware of something warm trickling down from his neck.

He looked around. Nothing. It was so dark. So empty... it was making him sleepy. His eyes started to droop, He was so tired... maybe he should take a nap-

He slapped himself. Hard.

No time for naps. He needed to wake up and apologize to his boyfriend Theo.

But... it was so dark. All he could see was a black void. He couldn't even move, as if he were in a small room only letting him take a few steps forward. He grit his teeth, and punched the wall in frustration. Under his fist, the wall started to crack.

Oh. That's hw to get out.

He punched the wall again. And again. And Again. Finally, it shattered.

He sat up in the hospital bed with a start, breathing heavily.

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Sure, he had to admit it was a little startling to be watching his boyfriend Kendo laying down, and then suddenly he's up. But he breathed out a sigh of tiredness mixed with relief.

"...are you feeling any better?"

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