[PRP] Spinelany Tap (Horace & Melany)

[The Semblance of Unity]

He knocked on the bedroom Melany was using, a rag of cloth in his fist. He hadn't been snooping, but bloodied things in the trash can were worrying, to say the least. He sighed, rubbed his eyes, knocking his glasses askew, and knocked again.

"Hey, Mels, you in there?" Maybe she was dozing off in another part of the house again.

shibrogane

ps how bloody is it

 

[shibrogane]

Melany didn't answer until the third knock, and when she did open the door she was pale-eyed and terrified. "Horace, I think it happened again," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I can't get it to stop bleeding this time, I don't know what it's from, I didn't want to bother you--"

The Semblance of Unity

quentin tarantino would have been concerned on seeing her shirt in the trash

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace frowned. "I found your shirt." At least it was her blood, though it felt pretty terrible to even think that. "What happened - her coming out?" s**t, and she was so pale. How much blood had she lost.

"Mealny," His voice was full of worry. "You can always come grab me, okay. Do we need to go to the hospital? Have you bandaged yourself or anything?" Horace had stuff in his bathroom and he'd respect it if she didn't want to go to the hospital (to a certain extent, depending on the wound he assumed was there).

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"It's a bad spot for wrapping," said Melany, "I've been keeping pressure on it..." She stepped back to let him in. There was a wad that looked like one of her dance hoodies crumpled on the floor. It was definitely not going to be wearable after its ordeal this evening. She said, "Does it look bad?" She showed him her back.

It was really bad.

The wound looked like it had been carved out of her, a pattern of fractal squares forming a rose shape. In the depths of it was something white, and it was still dripping blood and something clearer. Melany shifted from foot to foot, anxious--"I tried to keep it off the floor," she said.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Floor doesn't matter," he said shortly. Floor could be bleached, ripped up, replaced. But he also understood how much easier it was to think about how badly the floor was getting stained than what was doing the staining. Her back... it looked awful, frankly. "We need to get you to the hospital or something - s**t, Melany, I think I see bone." If they went to the hospital, he was going to have to think up a cover story for the wound. They clearly weren't accidental cuts. Kinky party gone too far?

"Unless you happen to be one of those people with magic healing powers." He flipped his braid over one shoulder. "Sit down, okay? I can at least do a temp bandage. Try not to move around." He had enough stuff for that, even had some petroleum gauze somewhere.

Of course he had questions about the how and why, but that all could wait until Melany was taken care of.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I don't even know how it happened," said Melany. She sat carefully on her hoodie, hunched over herself like she thought her soft stomach bits needed protecting. "I answered the door and Temperance was there and then I..." She trailed off. "I woke up here?"

She evidently was not one of those people who had magical healing powers. "Why is this happening now," she asked, but it was in that kind of despairing tone that people got when they didn't have a good way to express what was really bothering them.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The how doesn't mat-" He paused. "Temperance was here? How - why?" Horace hadn't even told her or anyone on the listserv about it. He'd literally only told Shiloh, who he believed wouldn't tell a soul. Maybe.

"Ok..no, stay right there, okay." He dashed out and was back quickly, hands full of supplies. "I'm going to get you patched, then we are going to the hospital." Horace knelt behind her, glad that blood didn't make him squeamish. "So, Temperance was banned from the listserv. With that and, um, this... Mels, I don't think she'd good for you. I didn't tell her you were here, so how does she know?" He tried to be gentle, and dress her wound. It needed to be packed, right? Luckily, the petrogauze wouldn't stick and... medical tape was wonderful.

"Sorry!" he said, feeling a shock across his skin and into hers. "I think... if you see her around, you should maybe avoid her for now..."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany made a soft, distressed sound at the shock, but only tensed up for a heartbeat. She dropped her shoulders, relaxed what she could, let him do what he needed to. "Okay," she said. "I don't know. I thought she was maybe looking for you, but she said she'd gotten a text, but I threw my phone out a window, it can't have been from me? I'll stay away from her, I don't want this to happen again--"

God, her life was just ******** Fight Club, but worse.

"I'm Edward Norton in that terrible movie, aren't I?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"What -'You met me at a very strange time in my life'?" Please let that be a quote he remembered properly from that Ed Norton movie. Horace didn't remember s**t about the movie; he remembered things perfectly only when he wrote them down or read them, watching was an entirely different story.

"Nah, you're just Melany and that's fine. Wrapped for now. It won't hold long, though." He stood. "Look, if anyone else besides Shiloh comes around looking for you, don't answer the door, okay? Send me an email and I'll try to come home asap." If Melany couldn't even trust those she considered her friends... well, this was all super shitty and he should probably try to find someone better versed in magic. After they got going, he'd shoot Shiloh an update.

Rising, he ducked out of the room and was back in a moment with a hideous Hawaiian button-down shirt. "Wear this, it'll help put the wound less. Can you stand?"

Shibrogane"

 

[shibrogane]

Melany giggled. It was a watery sort of sound. "You did, though," she said. "You don't have to be Helena Bonham-Carter if you don't want to, though." She took the shirt and put it on. It was, perhaps, a testament to how out of it she was that she hadn't protested at Horace seeing her in her bra (which was a lost cause by now anyway). "I can stand," she said, pushing herself up to her feet. The movement had some hallmarks of grace to it, a sort of fluid muscle-memory ease, but it stuttered as she went to straighten.

"See? Just fine." She looked down at her feet. She hadn't taken off her shoes, however she'd gotten back to the house. "You really think we have to go?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He snorted at that. At least she was making jokes; that was always a good sign. Still, his hands instinctively went out as she stood - not - touching - but just in case she needed steadying.

"Just fine, my a**. You're not bleeding through shirts right now, but yes, we should go. I'll take you to Urgent Care if you don't want to hit the emergency room, but you've got to get a better patch than I can do." He swing his keyring around his finger. "C'mon." He gestured for her to go first.

"Do you remember if Temperance said anything else - or just that she'd gotten a text? If... if you start feeling funny, I want you to think about something else, okay?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany pushed herself the rest of the way upright with a wince. "I'd rather go to urgent care," she said, "I... if it needs stitches, they'll be faster, and there are probably people that need more help than I do."

She shook her head at Horace's Temperance question as she led the way out of the house, a little wobbly and stiff but mostly okay. Then she seemed to reconsider her stance. "She said... Don't you think you need to wake up, my lady. And everything went staticky and far-away, and... then I woke up here."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, Temperance is banned from this house." Horace hurried around and opened the car door for Melany, draping a towel across the back of the seat. He slid into the driver's seat himself, starting the car. "If anyone besides Shiloh comes to the house, don't let them in - we don't know who you can trust, anymore."

Horace was, in general, a careful driver, even when his mind was preoccupied, thankfully. "I'll take you to urgent care - that will need stitches unless you can magically heal yourself. Lords know that's not my skillset." He made a face. "Also... the woman who followed you before - you haven't seen her, have you?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany nodded. "I won't," she said. "I don't think I can magically heal..."

She didn't shrug but only because she was pretty sure she'd tear something and never dance again. "No, I haven't seen her. I've been really careful to stay crowded places so she can't get me, too, when I leave."

As the car started, Melany glanced askance at Horace. "Why're you being so nice to me," she asked. "I'm just being a pain."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Sorry - I don't mean to make you be, like, isolated. I just want a way to make sure you stay safe." He frowned. Where was the line between safety and isolation - especially when Melany needed to be safe from herself? He was at least glad to hear that they'd momentarily shaken off her stalker. However, she'd be back - they always were, if they cared about what was trying to run away.

Her question caught him off guard and Horace sighed. "I could tell you you're not a pain, but I don't think you'd believe me." She wasn't, not really. "I think you need someone to be nice to you, Mels. Haven't you had enough people be cruel?"

shibrogane