99 Near Disasters

[cal_sitter]

Audio/Action Post

[Behind the closed door of his bedroom, Niko's body warms, his heart stutters into motion, and his lungs compress, expelling stale air. He coughs and chokes his way into a proper rhythm, frightening the cat that had been keeping watch from a far corner of the room.]

[OOC: Action if you're in the apartment or wind up coming over

Comments

action;

[captainshort]

[And Holly, true to her word, stayed after Robin had left. She had reluctantly left the puck to deal with Ishiah and resisted the urge to check the Network again. And despite the worry, Holly had also fallen asleep on the sofa. But all those years of training and field missions weren't for nothing-the distant sounds of Niko coming back to life are enough to prick her awake: she's down the hall and opening the door before she's even fully coherant.]

[Softly, warily.] Niko?

action;

[cal_sitter]

[Niko holds up a hand in the universal gesture for "Give me a minute" as he catches his breath. He's sore and stiff from being a corpse for almost two days, but eventually he pushes himself upright.]

Holly.

[His voice is low and rough, also to be expected after what he's been through.]

action;

[captainshort]

[She does wait a minute, using it to go back into the kitchen and fetch a glass of water; when she returns, she goes to the bedside, glass held out. Holly's no healer warlock but she knows enough to look over Niko with a critical if concerned eye for anything worrying, any injuries she might have missed healing. Not that she didn't check before.]

How're you feeling?

action;

[cal_sitter]

[Thin smile.]

Like I took a bullet to the chest.

[He accepts the water with a nod of thanks and cautiously drains half the glass. He's still sore where the wound from the alternate Darkling was, but it's the knowledge that in another world he might have failed his brother that bothers him most.]

set after they've been drinking;

[theredreaper]

... Niko. What happened to you during the curse?

Private

[cal_sitter]

It seems money got a little tight.

Private

[theredreaper]

What's that supposed to mean?

Re: Private

[cal_sitter]

It means that kevlar is expensive, and my brother is an excellent marksman.

[Later, At Lux:]

[tehpuck]

-think it was Darkling. You may recall, I told you of the Kevlar thing-- another fine example of my inherent genius in the art of keeping myself in the right number of pieces, namely, one-- and I would assume this played-out scenario was if he hadn't inspired me with that brilliant idea. It-

[Interrupted mid-monologue, Robin, walking down the stairs and onto the main floor of Lux, spots the subject of their conversation, the man they were going to see. A b-line is made for Niko, with Ishiah receiving an insistent tug to the belt buckle for guidance. Usually, he'd get a vague 'follow now, yes?' gesture, but after the last few hours... best to stay in contact.]

[Sitting down opposite Niko at the booth he occupies, Robin smiles. It's nice to do that, again.]

Ah, the man of the hour. And how are we, on this fine morning?

[Later, At Lux:]

[ishiah]

[At some point they're going to have to talk about Robin's current steering system. Ishiah remains wary whenever the Puck's hands roam too close to his belt in public, and it's not the most dignified way to be lead. He suspects, however, that any alternate option offered will involve holding hands.]

[Perhaps he'll bring it up tomorrow.]

[For now he, too, is keeping decidedly close. He slides into the booth, shoulder to shoulder, and nods at Niko. He himself looks tired and freshly showered, and the elder of the Leandros brothers appears to have styled himself similarly. Well, it wouldn't be the first time.]

[Later, At Lux:]

[cal_sitter]

[He'd meant to go up to Ishiah's apartment to check on the pair, but Holly had been right. Niko'd been dead for two days. That didn't contribute a great deal to stamina and mobility. He was stiff, sore, playing host to the type of bone-deep fatigue that seemed to gnaw at you from inside out, and the energy to haul himself to his final goal had simply vanished before he could get there. He was nursing a glass of something, and it wasn't wheatgrass.]

[His friends' arrival was greeted by the barest nod, which was immediately followed by a swift, visual examination of Ishiah. No evident injuries, at least, but Niko noted the signs of a stressful weekend.]

I'm afraid I'm going to need the night off.

[The statement was an indirect method of answering Robin's question. The puck would have to read the meaning behind it, because how Niko was feeling was a complicated affair that defied polite, concise explanation.]

[Later, At Lux:]

[tehpuck]

[Niko's drink recieved an eyebrow quirk and the barest of tilted heads before it was shrugged off-- Niko'd drank after that hypnotism fiasco, hadn't he? And being dead was much worse than that.]

[Robin flags down one of the waiters-- possibly by help of making Ishiah's presence readily available to all-- ordering something light before he nods to Niko, atempting to get across that he understands, is worried, and sorry he had to leave without... actually having to say that he understands, is worried, and sorry he had to leave. Would squeezing his shoulder be too much? Probably.]

Though that would rest upon the head of our brave and glorious manager-in-charge, here, I can only say I agree whole heartedly. I think we all could.

[In the only sign of wearyness he's willing to show, Robin takes his water and presses it lightly to his temple.]