ArchivedLogs:Chem 101

Chem 101
Dramatis Personae Joshua, Tag, Tian-shin
In Absentia	2015-03-01 "You might die...but unfortunately for all of us, we're very good at what we do." (Takes place immediately after Three Flowers in a Vase.)
Location <NYC> {Funhaus} - Harbor Commons - Lower East Side
The house might have started out looking capacious and respectable, but it has since moved through various incarnations, always colorful, but never colorful the same way for longer than a few days. There is little in the way of what most people would call furniture: a sectional couch buried in fluffy cushions, three bean bags of varying sizes, a scattering of bookshelves, what looks like a human-scale cat tree in one corner, and a low, square table surrounded by zafus. The floor plan is largely open, criss-crossed by rope bridges linking small elevated platforms to the landing of the second storey, beyond which lie the bedrooms. The kitchen is separated from the living room only by a long counter, lined with stools. Even the appliances are decked out in unexpected hues, edged with designs that change on a daily basis. A row of tins and jars runs the length of the breakfast counter, none of which match and all of which bear brightly colored text describing their contents: teas, coffees, mates, and various herbal blends. Throughout the length of the Lunar New Year festival, Funhaus has gone through several color schemes, all heavy in red and gold. Presently, however, the walls looks somewhat more sedately decorated with plum trees in bloom. The dark brown of the trunks look stark against the snowy landscape, and pale pink petals drift down from outstretched branches. Goats of various colors cavort in the snow while dragons and phoenixes dance in the clouds above. In addition to the painted walls, a wealth of red paper lanterns hang from shelves, the second storey balcony, and the rope bridges spanning the living room. Scattered throughout the living room, several lotus-shaped bowls in vibrant rainbow colors hold oranges, persimmons, rice crackers, and candy in shiny metallic wrappers. Tian-shin paces back and forth, hugging herself tight, mobile phone clutched in one hand. She wears a tight black button-up blouse trimmed with thin red piping and tight black jeans with red contrast stitching. Her hair, bound up, in a bun, looks a little messy her standards. Every time she passes the couch, she stops to check on her brothers, the lines of worry on her forehead growing deeper. Tag is slumped on the couch, holding a wad of gauze to his neck. The collar of his flame-colored hoodie show recent bloodstains. His breathing is faintly audible and his eyes bloodshot. Beside him, their younger brother Tian-yi looks significantly worse for wear. His breathing is rapid and labored, and groans of pain follow his frequent coughing fits. Somewhere outside there's a wail of a siren drawing up to the curb. Heavy booted footsteps outside, a solid rap of knock on the door. "Hello? This is -- wait, fuck it." Perhaps Joshua has suddenly remembered whose goddamn house this is, because in lieu of actual introduction he just turns the handle and comes /in/. There's an EMT with him, a young woman in similar uniform, nappy dark hair cut very short. "Fff --" There's a twitch of muscles as he hesitates in the doorway, eyes instinctively jumping to Tag. But he doesn't come /in/, just tightens his grip around the large bag he carries. "Tian-shin, what happened in there? S'it safe to breathe?" Tian-shin had almost made it to the door by the time Joshua comes in. "Uh, it was a--" She glances at the kitchen. "--chemistry experiment gone awry." The phone finally goes back into her pocket. Deprived of something to hold, her hands open and close repeatedly. "It's safe now." She sounds /exceptionally/ certain of this, at least, as she heads back over to her brothers. Tag perks up a little when Joshua enters, the mess of rainbow tresses on his head brightening almost imperceptibly. He waves and looks just a touch sheepish. "Hey. Yeah, you know, my kid siblings with their science fair projects." His voice is hoarse and he winces when he speaks. "I was hoping you'd take the call, though." Joshua gives a small nod to his partner, heading into the house once he is assured of its safety. His eyes scan the room once more -- his mind scans it as well, drifting light and brief over the three already there in quick assessment of the situation. He and his partner are getting their gloves on as they enter; his partner is moving over to Tag as Joshua deposits his bag and a rolling tank of oxygen near Tian-yi. "Chemistry experiment. OK. What chemical? How're you feeling, man?" He's already getting out an oxygen mask, lips slightly pursed. "How long ago was this?" Tian-shin does not seem to know what to do with herself, but finally settles on standing behind the couch and keeping one hand on Tag's shoulder. "Hydrogen chloride gas. The exposure was brief, but it was pretty concentrated." She radiates worry and guilt and a fairly vivid mental image of the incident as it occurred: a pot on the stovetop belching the noxious fumes out directly beside Tian-yi, who holds Tag at knife point. "It was, um..." Fishing her phone back out, she swipes at the screen a few times. "...about seven minutes ago?" "Seriously, guys, I am /not/ helping you with your homework next time." Tag, despite his flippant demeanor, is not only frightened for Tian-yi, but /of/ him. "I'm pretty sure I'm okay," he's telling the EMT, "throat hurts and all, but that's nothing a little tea won't fix, right?" Tian-yi squints through tears to look up at Joshua. His eyes water continuously and his breath comes in noisy gasps. "It feels like burning, all the way down my throat." His voice sounds awful, and coughs several times after. "Am I gonna die?" For all that, he asks this with remarkable grace. He's thinking about revenge, though; revenge on his siblings. "Well, first I'm going to get you on some oxygen," Joshua answers Tian-yi. "You might die," he sounds remarkably deadpan about this, expression impassive as he straps the mask on the other man, reaches a hand to Tian-yi's wrist to touch fingers to its inside with a quick glance to his watch, "but unfortunately for all of us, we're very good at what we do." Over by Tag, his partner's lips twitch slightly. "Let me get some air started for you, too," she tells him, "and then I can take a look at that neck, okay? What happened there?" << ... Fuck does he want goddamn revenge for. >> In Tag's head, Joshua's voice is equally deadpan. And so very helpfully: << Could teleport him to Siberia, if you want. >> "No one's going to die," Tian-shin sounds less anxious than she feels. She has unlooped a string of black jade beads from one wrist and began running them through her fingers without actually chanting anything. "But you /did/ breathe in a corrosive gas," this to Tag, with a light squeeze on his shoulder, "that's not something /tea/ is going to fix." "If you think I need it? You're the professional." Tag flashes the EMT an uncertain smile and watches her work. "Oh, this cut? It's not that bad. I tripped and fell when the experiment went south and my brother was trying to help me..." << ...with a knife, >> he adds inwardly. << Revenge? He's watched too many wu-shia flicks. Thinks I killed our dad or something. Also probably wants to get back at Tian-shin for melting his lungs, I guess? >> He leans back and looks up at Tian-shin. "You /sure/, Mei-mei? Tea kinda fixes /everything./" << Tempting, but he's kind of a gangster and if he disappears after coming to see me they might /believe/ him about how I'm dismantling their Tong one family member at a time. >> Tian-yi groans into the oxygen mask, but seems to submit to his fate for the time being. He shoots Tag a sidelong glance at the explanation about the wound on his neck. Then he leans back and closes his eyes, which still weep continuously. "Tea /after/ hospital." Joshua doesn't seem particularly /inclined/ to fix the irritation in Tian-yi's eyes just quite yet, jotting down some numbers on the back of his glove in a Sharpie. << No-one's going to die /this/ time. >> It's in Tian-shin's head, this time. << Next time might be worse than just a brief lungful. >> "Can you walk? I want to get you both in the truck. Get you on better breathing support at the hospital." Almost kind of reluctantly, a little gruff: "We'll get those eyes flushed on the way." Tian-shin winces, looks over at Joshua, then back at Tag. << I've tried to get control of it, but sometimes it just seems to...happen. >> Her exasperation comes through clearer than her thoughts. << It's not as if I can take /classes/ on this sort of thing. >> She sucks in a deep breath and stands up. "I'll get you some tea after we get to the hospital, promise. I can come with them, right?" "Fiiiiiiine," Tag draws the word out, more evidently upset at the delay of tea than a trip to the hospital as such. "I got my pack all ready to go in case they wanna keep me." << You'll break me out, though? >> He snags his sister's hand before she can get out of reach. "Hey, it's not your fault. Science is just dangerous sometimes. We learned something and lived to fuck up another day." Here, finally, the corner of Joshua's mouth hooks up in a quick smile. Small, brief. "You sit quiet and don't get in Alysha's space," he's nodding to his partner, who is starting to help Tag and his oxygen tank towards the door, "you can ride with us." Though mentally his words are very different. << This is New York. You can take classes in every-fucking-thing. >> To Tian-yi, only a jerk of his chin. A tap on the shoulder. "Up."