[Eventually, Eiji managed to catch a clean glimpse of the wound - in between dodging glares and making himself scarce. The bleeding had long stopped, but there was a pinkness around the bite that was nagging at him.
It shouldn't have been his fault if this grown man didn't have enough seek medical help, he told himself. Carelessness was Mallory's problem, and he'd deserve whatever happened. Especially after Eiji had advised him to get his hand looked at.. He'd already done his part, as far as he was concerned.
But he had still been responsible for that wound... even if he hadn't been feeling exactly like himself, it disgusted him to think that he could have ever fallen into such a depraved, irrational state. Eiji wanted to wipe that slate completely clean, and he couldn't if he had caused lasting damage to someone.
Still several yards away, he muttered (possibly to himself?):]
[A little bit of carelessness, a little bit of spending too many years having a skittish pharmacist slip antibiotics and other healing agents into his food and drink and giving him far more confidence in his own durability than he should have had. Either way, the wound wasn't shaping up to be a festering disaster zone or anything, but it was more irritating and longer-lasting than Mallory would have liked.
Other things that were pissing him off for far too long: BEING FOLLOWED BY THE FUCKER WHO DID IT. By supper, when he heard what sounded like the kid mumbling something to himself, he slammed his dinnerware down on the table.]
If you've got something to say to me, get it over with already!
[Or was he just trying to spring a sneak attack on him to make up for not being able to face off with him behind the kitchens? He'd still lose.]
[Eiji's face twitched reflexively, souring into a glare of distaste from where he was hiding. Yeah right, like he had anything to say to a thick-headed thug. Why did he even care again?
Right: the smallest, most minute trace of guilt over something that didn't have a high probability of happening anyway. Well, Mallory's temper certainly corrected that misguided urge.
As pissy and frustrated as ever, Eiji huffed called back:]
Forget it! Apparently, you're too stupid to listen!
[Before running away one more time. THIS TIME, FOR REALSIES, he was not going to bother checking up on him again. For realsies.]
Somehow - though he couldn't say how - he found himself loitering outside the door of room 001 when Luna conveniently wasn't around. Eiji had stormed back to the employee quarters earlier, intent on rage eating some chocolate alone in his room. Instead, he managed to find a small container of ointment he'd bought the month before, back when he'd been cutting his hands constantly whenever he cooked due to a spree of bad luck.
The misfortune had ended, and so had his use for this healing salve. He'd ended up staring at it for a long time, contemplating on the stupidity of giving a damn. Then somehow... he ended up here.
It took forever to actually knock on the door. Even when he did, he looked incredibly sullen about it, half-expecting to get punched the second it opened.]
How convenient it was for him to be in but Luna to be out, but not entirely unusual. Luna took on several more shifts than was healthy for him, after all. (And what the hell was Mal doing? Useless, useless, he should have been the one with guard duty-)
Predictably enough, he wasn't in the best of moods when he opened the door. He didn't greet Eiji with a punch, but his distaste was evident in the glare he offered instead. Again, really? What the hell was wrong with this kid?!]
[At least the distaste was mutual. Eiji wasn't even looking at him when he extended the salve towards Mallory. The words might as well have been dragged, kicking and screaming, out his mouth, and he sounded just as thrilled as he looked.]
If you're not going to see a doctor, you should at least be using something for that bite. I don't want you going around telling people it was my fault you lost functionality in your hand.
[Because. It still wasn't his fault. At all. He was only here because it didn't cost him anything extra to offer something to cure his own totally nonexistent guilt.]
[He took the container and held it between two fingers, turning it this way and that. Eve that simple motion was kind of sore in his palm, but he refused to give Eiji the satisfaction of having it show.]
How many ways did you want to kill me, again? Poison's one of them, huh?
[Ugh. Well, there was probably no convincing him that what Eiji had said in a fit of extremely uncharacteristic anger weren't true. He crossed his arms and huffed.]
If that were the case, I'd have better chances hoping the infection starts swelling, attacking your nerves or tendons to the point where your one good hand was no longer useable due to permanent damage. Depending on the bacteria, you may have to amputate, too.
That'd be a better 'death' for a boxer... But killing doesn't have a point here. You'd just be back, with a bigger debt tacked on for the resurrection. Which means we'd be stuck working together even longer.
[That was not the kind of image he wanted in his mind, like, ever, but Eiji put so much loving detail into it Mallory was positive he'd been fantasizing about that very scenario for quite some time. Just the thought of losing his other hand made his stomach burn with anxious nausea, but he grit his teeth and reminded himself just which hand it was that shattered Eiji's skull in the first place. He hoped the punk remembered, too.]
Finally, something we can see eye-to-eye on. But watch it with the graphic descriptions. Unless you've already forgotten last time.
[The last time he had a run-in with Mallory's metal fist hadn't gone forgotten, but Eiji still seemed largely unfazed. If anything, he looked more bothered by Mallory's misinterpretation of his descriptions.]
That wasn't graphic... that was just an explanation of what could happen. I wanted to make sure you understood how severe it could become.
Cat bites are the worst, due to their fangs acting like needles that can deliver bacteria deep underneath the skin - their infection rate is 80%. Human incisors aren't as well designed for puncturing, but the odds are probably around 10%.
[Still graphic enough that if those stupid kids were around he'd be down another hand, he's sure. Although now that Eiji was going on about cat bites instead, it was becoming a lot harder to tell just what his intentions really were. He raised an eyebrow.]
Really into clinical stuff like that, huh...?
[Or just morbid and edgy? If it was the former, that could make him really useful. Even if death didn't mean much here, it still wasn't a great thing to go through, and preventing long and complicated ones sounded ideal.
He was just going to rub some of that in right here, right now. Might as well do it when he had someone around to close the damn container for him because he knew that was going to be a pain in the ass with his present circumstances.]
[It didn't strike him as morbid or cold, the facts simply... were. Regardless of whatever dressing people wanted to interpret them with, they'd still be true. But it wasn't information that maybe most teenagers would rattle off, maybe.]
I was studying to get into med school... my parents are doctors too - surgeons.
[It was with an air of hesitation that he disclosed that, but if it gave Mallory context for this clinical-ness, then maybe that would help ease suspicion off his motivations.]
[Was studying. Another one pulled out too early by the Witch? Obviously it had to be that and not something stupid like becoming a dark gritty seinen protagonist. Then that made Eiji exactly the kind of kid Luna would be interested in. Especially with such a useful skill... It only occurs to him now that not having Seiko around is probably going to bite them in the ass in the long run.
It is a good thing Luna's much more of a people person than Mal is. Maybe if he pretends not to be involved they can hit it off.]
Alright, so you know your stuff. Fine. How many times a day do I need to put this crap on?
[He hands the tub and cap back to Eiji, hoping he doesn't have to point out that one sore and slimy hand and one false one of limited mobility does not make for easy closing.]
I'd guess twice a day, at least until the redness goes away.
[He wasn't a real doctor, and he wouldn't claim to be considering... none of that was going to be happening anyway. All he could give was a best estimate.
It took a second for him to pick up that Mallory needed help screwing the cap back on - of course. So his prosthetic hand really was that limited. That was a nugget of information he'd tuck away. Eiji did so without much fanfare, then handed it back.]
[That wasn't him. At least, it was so unlike him that Eiji had a hard time believing he actually tried to pick a fight with someone he couldn't win. He looked somewhere between offended and confused, unsure of how to explain it.
Even just the idea of his emotions not being under constant lock and key was frightening to him. Being someone whose anger and rashness ran off with them... that was exactly the kind of person that Eiji had molded himself to not become.
With a huff, he grew defensive and muttered:]
Tch. It's probably your fault for rubbing off on me.
[Yeah, he could hear it in that disdainful tch. He could take offense to it, but he'd pretty much exhausted his reserves of raging outbursts for the week. ...Maybe.]
Yeah, you really looked like you were taking after me back there. If it makes you feel any better- [Worse? He didn't care.] -you're not the only one who was acting off.
[Him. Riye. Probably other people, who knows.]
Those ingredients were supplied by the spirits, right?
Eiji's eyes widened suddenly at the revelation. Is that why he starting acting so weird when he ate Mallory's chocolate? All pissy and aggressive, just like the boxer...! (The self-loathing though, and the feeling of emptiness and fear - actually you know what, Eiji did not want to think about the implications of that now.)
Instead, he exclaimed - both vindicated and accusatory:]
That's why I was acting like YOU. The chocolate were mind-altering!
[What was with that tone, like somehow it was his fault? Excuse you, kid, he didn't go around biting people. Since, like, elementary school.
He just grunted and tilted his head forward a bit, neither confirming nor denying, since it was just a theory. But one that felt valid in the face of all the other inexplicable bullshit he'd seen in his short time in Koriko, and the fact that even in the real world there was o shortage of stories about how much spirits and youkai and the like loved to just mess with people. And if someone with more experience was able to draw the same conclusions, well...
It was more than enough for Mal.]
That's why I'll give you a free pass on that particular outburst. [But watch your step. He put a hand on the edge of the door.] Anything else?
[Eiji wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more infuriated now. Whatever it took to make it not his fault, he'd take - but the idea that his mind could be so easily tampered with shook him.
He prided himself on his discipline, his rationality and smarts. He'd wrapped his whole sense of worth and identity around them. They were steel walls that held his sense of self in place, and of all things, a single chocolate could cause the ground beneath them to crumble.
What's more, the things he felt... he could remember the intensity of it, how it drowned out all other thoughts in his head. It was awful.
He should be glad that wasn't really him. And he was. Absolutely...
But it was a lot to think about. Eiji briskly shook his head, too distracted now to linger any longer.]
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It shouldn't have been his fault if this grown man didn't have enough seek medical help, he told himself. Carelessness was Mallory's problem, and he'd deserve whatever happened. Especially after Eiji had advised him to get his hand looked at.. He'd already done his part, as far as he was concerned.
But he had still been responsible for that wound... even if he hadn't been feeling exactly like himself, it disgusted him to think that he could have ever fallen into such a depraved, irrational state. Eiji wanted to wipe that slate completely clean, and he couldn't if he had caused lasting damage to someone.
Still several yards away, he muttered (possibly to himself?):]
Did you even see a doctor yet...?
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Other things that were pissing him off for far too long: BEING FOLLOWED BY THE FUCKER WHO DID IT. By supper, when he heard what sounded like the kid mumbling something to himself, he slammed his dinnerware down on the table.]
If you've got something to say to me, get it over with already!
[Or was he just trying to spring a sneak attack on him to make up for not being able to face off with him behind the kitchens? He'd still lose.]
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Right: the smallest, most minute trace of guilt over something that didn't have a high probability of happening anyway. Well, Mallory's temper certainly corrected that misguided urge.
As pissy and frustrated as ever, Eiji huffed called back:]
Forget it! Apparently, you're too stupid to listen!
[Before running away one more time. THIS TIME, FOR REALSIES, he was not going to bother checking up on him again. For realsies.]
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HE HATES TEENAGERS SO MUCH]
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Somehow - though he couldn't say how - he found himself loitering outside the door of room 001
when Luna conveniently wasn't around. Eiji had stormed back to the employee quarters earlier, intent on rage eating some chocolate alone in his room. Instead, he managed to find a small container of ointment he'd bought the month before, back when he'd been cutting his hands constantly whenever he cooked due to a spree of bad luck.The misfortune had ended, and so had his use for this healing salve. He'd ended up staring at it for a long time, contemplating on the stupidity of giving a damn. Then somehow... he ended up here.
It took forever to actually knock on the door. Even when he did, he looked incredibly sullen about it, half-expecting to get punched the second it opened.]
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How convenient it was for him to be in but Luna to be out, but not entirely unusual. Luna took on several more shifts than was healthy for him, after all. (And what the hell was Mal doing? Useless, useless, he should have been the one with guard duty-)
Predictably enough, he wasn't in the best of moods when he opened the door. He didn't greet Eiji with a punch, but his distaste was evident in the glare he offered instead. Again, really? What the hell was wrong with this kid?!]
What.
[Please. He was so tired.]
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If you're not going to see a doctor, you should at least be using something for that bite. I don't want you going around telling people it was my fault you lost functionality in your hand.
[Because. It still wasn't his fault. At all. He was only here because it didn't cost him anything extra to offer something to cure his own totally nonexistent guilt.]
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How many ways did you want to kill me, again? Poison's one of them, huh?
[Seriously, did he think he was an idiot?]
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If that were the case, I'd have better chances hoping the infection starts swelling, attacking your nerves or tendons to the point where your one good hand was no longer useable due to permanent damage. Depending on the bacteria, you may have to amputate, too.
That'd be a better 'death' for a boxer... But killing doesn't have a point here. You'd just be back, with a bigger debt tacked on for the resurrection. Which means we'd be stuck working together even longer.
Any way you look at it, it's stupid.
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Finally, something we can see eye-to-eye on. But watch it with the graphic descriptions. Unless you've already forgotten last time.
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That wasn't graphic... that was just an explanation of what could happen. I wanted to make sure you understood how severe it could become.
Cat bites are the worst, due to their fangs acting like needles that can deliver bacteria deep underneath the skin - their infection rate is 80%. Human incisors aren't as well designed for puncturing, but the odds are probably around 10%.
[Please shut up you nerd.]
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Really into clinical stuff like that, huh...?
[Or just morbid and edgy? If it was the former, that could make him really useful. Even if death didn't mean much here, it still wasn't a great thing to go through, and preventing long and complicated ones sounded ideal.
He was just going to rub some of that in right here, right now. Might as well do it when he had someone around to close the damn container for him because he knew that was going to be a pain in the ass with his present circumstances.]
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I was studying to get into med school... my parents are doctors too - surgeons.
[It was with an air of hesitation that he disclosed that, but if it gave Mallory context for this clinical-ness, then maybe that would help ease suspicion off his motivations.]
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[Was studying. Another one pulled out too early by the Witch? Obviously it had to be that and not something stupid like becoming a dark gritty seinen protagonist. Then that made Eiji exactly the kind of kid Luna would be interested in. Especially with such a useful skill... It only occurs to him now that not having Seiko around is probably going to bite them in the ass in the long run.
It is a good thing Luna's much more of a people person than Mal is. Maybe if he pretends not to be involved they can hit it off.]
Alright, so you know your stuff. Fine. How many times a day do I need to put this crap on?
[He hands the tub and cap back to Eiji, hoping he doesn't have to point out that one sore and slimy hand and one false one of limited mobility does not make for easy closing.]
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[He wasn't a real doctor, and he wouldn't claim to be considering... none of that was going to be happening anyway. All he could give was a best estimate.
It took a second for him to pick up that Mallory needed help screwing the cap back on - of course. So his prosthetic hand really was that limited. That was a nugget of information he'd tuck away. Eiji did so without much fanfare, then handed it back.]
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I'll keep that in mind. And maybe don't bite people next time.
[Control your temper, kid, sheesh.]
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[That wasn't him. At least, it was so unlike him that Eiji had a hard time believing he actually tried to pick a fight with someone he couldn't win. He looked somewhere between offended and confused, unsure of how to explain it.
Even just the idea of his emotions not being under constant lock and key was frightening to him. Being someone whose anger and rashness ran off with them... that was exactly the kind of person that Eiji had molded himself to not become.
With a huff, he grew defensive and muttered:]
Tch. It's probably your fault for rubbing off on me.
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Yeah, you really looked like you were taking after me back there. If it makes you feel any better- [Worse? He didn't care.] -you're not the only one who was acting off.
[Him. Riye. Probably other people, who knows.]
Those ingredients were supplied by the spirits, right?
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[Wait.
...
Were the ingredients magic?
Eiji's eyes widened suddenly at the revelation. Is that why he starting acting so weird when he ate Mallory's chocolate? All pissy and aggressive, just like the boxer...! (The self-loathing though, and the feeling of emptiness and fear - actually you know what, Eiji did not want to think about the implications of that now.)
Instead, he exclaimed - both vindicated and accusatory:]
That's why I was acting like YOU. The chocolate were mind-altering!
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He just grunted and tilted his head forward a bit, neither confirming nor denying, since it was just a theory. But one that felt valid in the face of all the other inexplicable bullshit he'd seen in his short time in Koriko, and the fact that even in the real world there was o shortage of stories about how much spirits and youkai and the like loved to just mess with people. And if someone with more experience was able to draw the same conclusions, well...
It was more than enough for Mal.]
That's why I'll give you a free pass on that particular outburst. [But watch your step. He put a hand on the edge of the door.] Anything else?
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He prided himself on his discipline, his rationality and smarts. He'd wrapped his whole sense of worth and identity around them. They were steel walls that held his sense of self in place, and of all things, a single chocolate could cause the ground beneath them to crumble.
What's more, the things he felt... he could remember the intensity of it, how it drowned out all other thoughts in his head. It was awful.
He should be glad that wasn't really him. And he was. Absolutely...
But it was a lot to think about. Eiji briskly shook his head, too distracted now to linger any longer.]
No.
Bye. [And swiftly, he left.]
1/3
[And he shut the door as Eiji left, glad to get that over with.]
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And he shouted down the hall after Eiji:]
Never compare yourself to me with a punch like that!
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For realsies.]