[OPEN to Hostel residents] and in your soul, they poked a million holes

[amessinside]

WHO: Walter and anyone who might run into him in the Hostel
WHAT: Walter's seen what the world is like without him, and he's not sure how to make it right.
WHERE: Inside the hostel, on all floors (but especially the main floor and the 6th floor). Feel free to catch him wherever, whenever. Even if it's when he's leaving food. :>
WHEN: The week of

Comments

Day Five, backlogging ftw

[fallsoutofbox]

The dragon, now more than four feet from snout to tail, lay snoozing with half her body on the bed and the other half draped down toward the floor. The Doctor's hand, the one holding the syringe, was starting to tremble. His other hand was already limp at his side, and dark blood was seeping slowly out to stain the forearm of his shirt

[amessinside]

Holding a few cans in the crook of his arm, Walter made his way back down the hall towards Rapunzel's room. He had no idea what to give the girl - he had no idea why he was giving her anything, except for the fact that his stomach twisted whenever he looked towards the small store he'd gained, that Daniel had never felt the need to stock up without him around - and so he'd grabbed what he first saw.

As he moved down the hall, he noticed movement by the Doctor's room; pausing, he looked down the hall and found himself looking at a half-collapsed man, bleeding from the arm and...

He hadn't realized the Doctor had a dragon. Should have left something for it. Walter took the time to set down the cans by Rapunzel's door before turning to move forward, frown creasing his features. "...Doctor," he finally said, coming to a halt a few feet from him."

[fallsoutofbox]

"Hi Walter," he said, casual as he could, giving off a sick smile. With a final push on the door, he got himself to standing.

...So what had that clatter been? He looked down and saw the cans. "Oh. Extra supplies. Very good. Your own stores? That's generous. Thanks." He leaned down - carefully, so as not to fall over again - reaching for the dragon's tail. "Couldn't lend me a hand?"

[amessinside]

It was hard to tell if the Doctor was being sarcastic or not - Walter scowled momentarily, but nonetheless moved forward.

"Not looking well. Hungry?" he asked, before glancing briefly to the dragon behind the other man, "Didn't know you had a pet."

[fallsoutofbox]

"Yes, clearly I tried to gnaw my own arm off." Could you tell he was being sarcastic now, Walter? "She bit me. Paralytic in the bite; fortunately it appears to be localized." He hefted Hellcat's tail. A thin film of sweat was starting to form on his forehead. "...Mostly localized."

[amessinside]

"Hear canibalism is popular in the city," Walter replied dully, moving forward to take hold of the tail himself. "Should go to the infirmary." Despite his flat tone, Walter... well, he wasn't necessarily worried for the Doctor, but. This was something he could do right.

[fallsoutofbox]

He waved his good hand; a dismissal. "I'll be okay. Get her chained up, get this cleaned..." He indicated his not-good hand. "Back on my feet in a couple hours, tops." Seeing as how he was already on his feet - technically - he figured he was already doing pretty well.

He looked down the hallway, toward the stairs. "Roof," he prompted, hefting the chain on his shoulder and beckoning toward Walter as he started to move. "Bring her, please." Hellcat was probably light enough that Walter could carry her on her own. The Doctor would've done it himself if both arms had been functioning.

[amessinside]

It took him a moment to decide if he should be picking the dragon up, or dragging her along as the Doctor had been; for now, he assumed it would be better to just keep a hold of her tail as he brought her. If she woke up, he wouldn't be in immediate range of her teeth. "Paralysis could spread," he continued, following him, wondering even as he did how Daniel would react to seeing him helping someone like this. He'd probably think it was a miracle.

And then he remembered that Daniel was better off without him. The less he talked and the less he interacted with the Doctor right now, the better off he'd be, too. But he was already committed to helping take the dragon to the roof, and so he continued to follow without another word.

[fallsoutofbox]

"If my other hand starts getting extra tingly, I'll let you know." He really didn't think it was going to. He knew his own body a far sight more than a human knew theirs, and he could feel all the things in it that weren't supposed to be there. His biology kept a close watch on itself.

He flinched when he turned around and saw Walter dragging Hellcat by the tail. "You don't have to drag her," he said, startled and a bit annoyed. "I was just doing it cause I'm minus an arm. What's your excuse?"

[amessinside]

Walter had plenty of good reasons. It would be safer than having his face right in the way of her teeth. He didn't know how to carry a dragon. He was helping the Doctor and the man should just be satisfied that he was getting help at all -

But instead, all he could think of was how frustrated Daniel got when he'd dragged Big Figure along the ground because he wanted him to feel more comfortable than up high. It had been funny then, and Daniel had gotten over it, but...

He didn't say anything; he just paused to pick the dragon up, carrying it more like a sack of potatoes than a living thing, but. It was off the ground. He wanted to glare or snap at the Doctor, but instead all he could really do was stare. He hadn't even needed to say anything to start ruining this situation, too. He could only hope dragging the damned thing hadn't caused it any damage, or else it'd be just like New York all over again.

[fallsoutofbox]

He wasn't totally happy with Walter's method of carrying her either, but circumstances being what they were, he'd accept it.

"Thank you," he said, earnest though a little cold.

He turned the corner toward the stairs. The door leading to the roof was locked, but he had the key.

[amessinside]

Walter kept silent as they started up the stairs, shoulders hunched as much as they could be with a dragon over one of them. He kept his eyes locked on the Doctor's wounded arm, though; he wasn't going to take the chance that the other was going to collapse from bloodloss or something similar. He couldn't carry them both - and he'd probably make a mess of that. He hated feeling unsure of himself. It was like having a pit of snakes in his stomach, chewing at his intestines.

[fallsoutofbox]

The Doctor was himself uncharacteristically quiet. It was a focused silence, one born out of the need to get something done, as quickly as possible. In a way, the hunger and pain had only sharpened his resolve.

They reached the roof, and the Doctor had to concentrate to keep the wind from knocking him off his feet. He staggered toward a sturdy metal pipe, dropped the chain and then started looping it around the pipe, one-handed.

[amessinside]

Walter watched the Doctor work for a minute; he was used to standing on rooftops, and his stance had immediately widened to protect him from falling over. Once he saw what he was doing, though, he moved forward, not yet setting the dragon down.

"Need help?" he offered, making no other move to actually provide assistance. He wasn't going to do anything without the Doctor telling him it was all right to. But if he was already up there - might as well try to be available.

[fallsoutofbox]

"Ah - yeah." He fished a heavy padlock out of his pocket, holding it toward Walter. "Here. Set her down, get the chain locked up." His eyes flickered back toward Walter before he could start putting the dragon down.

"Carefully," he clarified.

[amessinside]

Walter's mouth briefly flinched into a sort of grimace, but the expression didn't hold against his usual poker face and soon he was setting the dragon down, with more care than anyone would really probably expect from him, and moving over to help lock the chain around the pipe.

"Not sure what this is going to do," he decided to say, even as he quickly secured the chain to the pipe, tugging on it a few times to make sure it held. It seemed all right. If it didn't hold - he didn't really want to think about it. (Just one more thing Walter made a mess of, one more thing the mirror could show him if it ever turned its sights from New York. Not that it would.)