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 Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 8:17 pm
3 days had passed, and it hadn't gotten much easier. He was feeling a little better, though breathing still hurt. His pokemon were back in his possession, Swift Wing was recovering in his room, where he would return shortly. He really shouldn't be up and about; Shade hovered by his side, protesting quietly and making sure his human didn't strain himself. Shade had heard Cal say broken ribs, and was extremely worried about his human.
Shadow had also decided to fallow invisibly, secretly worried about his human. He would behave, mostly. But then he saw where they had gone, that girl! He recognized her. As Agent panther slowly opened the door shadow slipped though and hovered above the girl becoming visible once more. A combination of Gas and happiness, he floated above her.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:19 pm
Plane... the plane had been freaky. She didn't like being in that thing. It could fall. It could drop out of the sky. Luxury didn't want to fall. So she focused on Panther.
Panther. What could she say? She hated him. Why? He was a guy. She hated guys. Plain and simple. So why did she stay close to him on the mission? She knew him. Why did she follow him when he grabbed her? He is an Agent. Why did she ignore her ankle to check on him? Agent. Put him on Nioshii? Agent. Helped him in the plane? Agent. Luxury would die before she ever admitted otherwise. Besides, her Trae liked his Sebastian. She'd be mean to keep them apart. Yep.
Panther's ribs were broke, that much was obvious. After she spazzed over her ankle for a second, and Hayes got it all wrapped up, she turned her attention to the man beside her. As she examined the bruises of his ribs, she could see something wrong out of the corner of her eye. Aila. She was so pale... Charmant looked worried. Of course, most of her team were pale and worried... But then Nakura pulled her to him. Oh no. No. No no no, Nakura didn't act like that. No, not Nakura. Something was really wrong. Arceus... No. Swallowing, the grunt put her full attention on the green eyed Agent beside her. She ran her fingers over every rib, taking note of ever bump, every bruise, ever hitch in his breath and every spot she touched that caused him to suck air. "Breathe, deeply," She told him over and over. "It's gonna hurt, but you have to." She had tended her brother's ribs, she knew. Not an expert, but enough to count.
Luxury kept her eyes on Panther the entire time, until an agonized wail echoed through the plane. The grunt's heart broke at the sound of Charmant, and she found herself clinging to Panther's shoulder. No. She couldn't be. No...
Denial. Until that wail she kept telling herself Aila was going to be fine. Until that wail she kept her mind away. Until that wail, she was in denial. Turned out to be quite the bad habit she was forming.
When they got back to base, the grunt was numb. Numb from pain, inside and out. She'd had to pry her fingers off the Agent's sleeve, then he was gone. They were all gone. She was gone. Pain... knives shot up her leg over and over, and then a black overtook her. A few times she woke up, once to see Panther. A few choice words had him scurrying back to his own bed. Stupid. So freaking stupid. He was hurt! He needed to rest! So did she.
Colors had danced through her head. Lights, sounds, things. A few times she'd seen black snakes curling around the floors. Once she'd seen a yellow dog, a Growlithe? Laying at the foot of her bed. She asked the nurse if she had let him out later, when she woke to find him gone. The nurse seemed confused... She went back to sleep. Slowly, her waking state came back to reality, her doped up illusions failing to stay in her memory. What must have been a few days later, the grunt woke up sober, stretching, and happy because she remembered she could leave today. With a small smile, she opened her eyes.
And screamed bloody murder.
"SHADOW!" She cried when she realized who it was. Throwing her arms around the familiar ghost, she sobbed. He'd scared the daylights out of her, and brought all the horrible memories rushing to the front of her mind. The fighting in the hanger, the doom that hung over the plane, Sebastian falling to the lightning, others falling once inside, the gunshots, the explosions, Chora, Panther, Aila...
Chora was shot. Panther was hurt.
Aila was dead.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:09 pm
There she was, the girl who had saved his a**. Ignoring her own wounds, she had kept him focused through the worst of the pain when he felt like he couldn’t breath on the way back. He didn’t need to tell her how badly he hurt. At the time, he couldn’t have, he didn’t even know how bad it was. Her own leg was badly injured, but she managed to get both of them out of there in quick thinking. He’d have to thank Noshii later.
He had hardly had time to think any more when Shadow appeared.
She screamed.
He dropped to the floor. In his mind there was the sound of an explosion. Rockets were running, around him, shards of glass flew by his face. In his minds eye he saw how they struck the other rockets from all sides. Them falling, Swiftwing a mess of tangled feathers a few feet away. He couldn’t breath, his chest was on fire.
Hands touched his shoulder. He looked up and saw Luxurys face, asking him if he was ok but it was fuzzy and faded into Shade’s figure. “Gar?” he asked, clearly worried.
Panther shook his head, he was fine, and got up with Shade’s support.
“Shadow! Knock it off!” he coughed just a little at the tight squeeze that accompanied yelling.
When she screamed, he laughed evil, but was suddenly hugged. That wasn’t a normal reaction. “Haunt?”
She was crying, he moved too fast, taking a step forward. “Luxury. I’m sorry.” weather it was for shadow or something else may have been unclear.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:38 pm
Panther.
His voice cut through her sobs and Shadow's laugh. He was there too, right beside her. He was ok. Hurt, but alive. Panther lived. Aila didn't, but Panther did. Panther was alive. And watching her bawl like a baby.
Sniffling, she drew back from Shadow and covered her face. She knew she looked like a mess. Of course, that never mattered to her. Who cared what she looked like! Wiping her eyes she tried to choke back everything. She couldn't cry now. She needed to get a nurse, sign her discharge papers, get out and go see Chora.
The grunt shook her head, took a deep breath, and looked up. "Yeah. Me too. I'm just... jumpy." Had she seen his reaction to her scream, she wouldn't have felt so silly about it. Still looking at Shadow, she thought about asking the Agent if he would mind getting a nurse. She could change out of this stupid gown when he left.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:59 pm
And he wasn't? He was surprised, but she must have missed his kiss to the deck, not that me minded, he didn't want her to see him like that. Well, she could laugh at him dropping like that, he didn't care, it was the memories.
"I don't blame you... That mission was hell." he said matter of fact, walking over with Shade still hovering at his side, almost like a seeing eye growlith and sat down in the chair next to her. "Besides that, how are you holding up?" She had been bad when the left the plane. Alia's death had left a haunty silence in the plane on the way home. He had seen the color drain from Luxury's face, felt her hand squeeze on his arm. The pink Arcanine's howl of morning was unmistakable. Alia had been one of the first to be carried out, and he had walked with Luxury to the infirmary.
He suspected she needed to talk about it, even though he had been able to talk a little about it, it was almost unbelievable. "That doesn't usually happen." he whispered. his sunglasses firmly reattached to his face did not hide the tear that slipped past it. He quickly wiped it away with his scared hand. he hadn't bothered with the uniform, it was too much work to get on, all he managed was a button up top, that shade had buttoned for him, and jeans.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:11 am
Luxury took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm..." And that was all she could say. She could tell him she was ok, but she didn't want to lie, not to him. She could tell him the truth, but she didn't want to sound weak. Instead she just looked at him when he spoke again, not missing the tear that was quickly disposed of.
"Yeah..." It didn't. Not since she joined Team Rocket had anyone died. There had been a mission or two before, that she had not been called on, but everyone came back.
Just not this time.
Looking again at Panther, she sighed. He looked good out of uniform, and she was happy to see he'd gotten a button-up shirt. Pulling one over his head would have been hell. "Hey. You shouldn't be up." Her tone was soft, one that only he had ever heard. "Let me get dressed, and I'll walk you back to your room, er, dorm room." Ok, limp but that was beside the point. With a small smile she hit the button to call a nurse, so she could get those papers and get out.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:22 am
Again with people telling him not to be up. Was it too much that he'd just get the few things he wanted to do done? "I can manage. I just came to check on you, last time I was by... you seemed a bit out of it." more like high on drugs. "Besides, I have two escorts. Shade has been taking care of me, so much so I think he's half miltank."
Shade let out a small gar of annoyance and shook his head. His human shouldn't be up. The Gengar had watched him make sure all of his pokemon were ok first yesterday before finally managing to get him to bed and stay there. It had been a long argument today of getting dressed just to come down here. Shade knew Panther was in no condition, but no amount of gesturing and voiced complaints stopped him, there was nothing to do but help him least he hurt himself worst. When they got back, Shade would see to it that he stayed there.
A loud laugh came from Shadow where he floated. He had backed off just a bit, looking around at all the medical care but Shade being called a miltank was too good. Shadow flew over and poked at the Gengar who waved him off.
"Shadow knock it off.... ugh, his ball is in my room. He was in it I swear." Shadow's habit of doing what he wanted was not something he wanted to deal with today. He was willing to tough out the pain to check on a few people but the truth was, he was tried, and wanted to go back to his room as much as Shade wanted him to. Through out all of this he had been careful to not show too much pain. He had a feeling that if he did, he would wind up riding back in a wheel chair. His pride just couldn't handle that.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:30 pm
The grunt raised her brow. Out of it? By the look on his face she had to wonder exactly what on earth she said or did. Frankly, she didn't want to know.
She was shaking her head at the amused Haunter when the nurse came in. After she was all signed out, the nurse handed her her clothes, gave a skeptical look at Panther, and scurried out. "If you're going to be in here while I change, at least put a pillow in front of your face." Of course, when you're in high school you learn how to change clothes on a bus full of people without an inch of skin being shown, so by the time she had finished her sentence her shirt was already halfway on under the hospital gown. The pants... She would need help getting the leg over her ankle, seeing as how it was in a big cast at the moment.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:21 pm
Everyone was giving him that look today! He looked away from the nurse letting Lux fill out the paperwork. He understood the need to get out of there. He had practically lived there when Cal got hurt, but he still was able to roam at will. It was his choice to be there.
"Change? Oh, I'll leave." He stood, the force of getting to his feet so fast causing him to cough. Before he could scurry across the room she was already half way done, so he simply turned his back to her instead.
"Gar!" a surprised squeak came from the purple pokemon and he put his hands on Panther, making sure he didn't fall over. once he was sure he was ok he turned to the grunt. "Gar?" he saw her having trouble and assessed the situation and then took her pants slipping them over that ankle so she could manage the rest, only to find he did it wrong. he pulled them off and then put the other leg over her ankle, and then patter her leg before turning back to Panther admonishing him for his recklessness. Shade was of course ignored.
Shadow laughed and floated out of the room on his own, disappearing through the cracks in the door.
After she had managed herself up and on crutches, Panther got quiet. Walking talking and breathing was too difficult for him, so he didn't say much as they went first to the pokemon side of the medic’s ward to check on chora. He waited outside, letting her do what she needed to, leaning discretely against the wall.
As they walked to the elevator, his breath came in shorter gasps, until he paused for a few minutes trying not to lean on the wall. He didn't want to show pain, to show how much effort it took him to do simple things, but he had to rest.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:33 pm
Luxury couldn't help but laugh as the pokemon tried, failed, and tried again to assist her. "Thank you," She giggled when her jeans were finally on. "That was really sweet of you!"
The grunt hated hospitals, and she was happy that the majority of the time they had an IV in the back of her hand she was out of it. Sadly, twas not the case with Chora. The kitten was out like a light, but Luxury had to see it all. The wires, the monitors, the giant bandage that swallowed up her side. For a short time, all the grunt could do was stroke Chora's ears and cry. She wished Panther had come in with her, she was happy he didn't. She didn't want to be seen in such a weak state any more than she had already. Still... Chora was her baby, her darling, her world, her everything. Brave little s**t...
Before they got to the elevator, Panther paused for a second. Luxury was instantly alert, she had been listening to his breathing the whole time they walked. "Panther," Her tone was strained, a fake calm plastered on to try not to show how alarmed she was. "Panther do you need a wheelchair? Please, we can get someone to push you to your room, I know it feels silly but you can't keep pushing yourself like this!" Carefully she maneuvered her crutches so she could stand by his side, let him lean on her if he needed to.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:50 pm
"Arceus!" His fist found the wall with a solid thwap. "Give me a minute! I don't need no damn wheel chair." Yelling only agitated his condition and he coughed, and then leaned on the wall, taking a few moments just to get that steady and not as painful again. When was the last time he took the medication? He couldn't remember, Shade forced it upon him sometime that morning.
Once he got his bearings again, he pushed off the wall, a very worried Shade right at his side ready for an signs weakness. clutching his ribs with his left hand he made his way tot he elevator, ignoring the worried looks. Punching the wall was a very bad idea, he wouldn't be doing it again.
He remained quiet the rest of the way stopping again about half way to his room, ignoring Lux's complaints.
Upon opening his door, an orange blur fallowed by fire raced out and claimed his leg. "Char!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:40 pm
Luxury jumped when he punched the wall, winced, even, both from the pain it had to have caused his ribs and the stabbing knives that went up her leg. She was worried about him, she didn't want him to hurt, she didn't even care about her own injuries, and all he could do was b***h. Luxury narrowed her eyes, and spoke with a deadly calm. "Ya know what, Agent?" She paused, long enough for him to think 'what'. "Sometimes people give a damn about you, whether you like it or not."
The rest of the way she was silent, not speaking a word, not so much as flinching when her crutch hit or ankle or when she had difficulties with balance. She was mad at Panther, but she was still worried and wasn't about to let him turn the focus on her.
When a little Charmander came bolting out of his room, she merely raised a brow. Cute little thing. She'd have to make sure Chora never caught sight of that bandana, though. Chora... The grunt squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest of seconds. She couldn't think about her right now. She was being cared for, that was all that mattered.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:12 pm
"Nika. I told you I would be back." he sighed relaxing a bit and Nika's cheerful greeting though he was still feeling a bit grumpy. It wasn't that he though no one cared about him. He knew Cal did, after she had made sure he made it to his room alright, but he didn't want people telling him what to do.
"I haven't introduced you to the crew, have I?" he turned his attention to her. Her comment still stung, but it mean something deeper. That she cared about him, and she was still here, even now at his door, after he said something stupid. That had to mean something. "This here is Nika." he pushed the door letting it swing open.
Swiftwing was curled up in a corner of the room, curled up. Bandages wrapped around his back and shoulder, and another was along his face. An eye opened at them, stared at them both and then closed nestling into the blankets clearly tossed there as a make shift bed.
"You met Swiftwing briefly I believe." Panther waved a hand at the pidgeot and then paused, remembering.
A pair of wide light blue ears popped up from the middle of the bed. A yellow face shortly fallowed it.
From under the bed came a black nose along with a long fury body, that sprinted in front of them, tail wagging and yipping happily. "You know Sebastian, and the little one on the bed is Ayako. Damsel is in her pokeball, she's.... moody. I'll let her out when it's dinner time."
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:37 pm
The girl nodded to each pokemon in turn, smiling softly at Swiftwing when he looked at them. They could thank their lucky stars for that bird, he had kept them both from a much harsher fate.
Of course she knew Sebastian, the silly Flareon. He and Trae got along quite well, best of friends they were. She'd let Trae out another time, though, right now she didn't think neither her nor Panther would like them bouncing around the room. Instead, she reached down to scratch behind his ears, quite the balancing act.
She herself should be getting back to her room... but even though she was sure Panther didn't want her there, she wanted to make sure he was settled and comfortable, had what he needed. Still not saying a word, she kind of awkwardly balanced on her crutches, waiting for Panther to either kick her out or lay down and rest.
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:46 pm
Having finished introductions, he along with Shade, made headway to his bed. Had he been well, he might have flopped into it face first, as it was he sat on it carefully so as to not jar anything and then picked up the pichu.
"You can grab the chair if you want." The bed called to him, and he wanted nothing more then to curl up in the covers. Luxury was ok, his pokemon were ok, and no one else had died. "Shade?" his voice was kinder, a request as he lifted a foot. The gengar knew exactly what he meant and bent down to untie his shoes, tugging at strings and pulling them off, leaving them on the floor.
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