ArchivedLogs:Dumpster Bite

Dumpster Bite
Dramatis Personae Dante, Iolaus, Jane, Melinda	2013-03-13 '
Location <NYC> Village Lofts - Rooftop - East Village
It tends to be windy, up here, but the presence of plastic table and folding chairs suggests that nevertheless building residents occasionally make their way out to this rooftop. With a good view of Tompkins Square Park less than a block away it's a good spot for city-watching. There's a railing around the edge, though it might be possible (if /unwise/) to climb over it to the narrow concrete ledges beyond and from there to the fire escape. Centrally, someone has broken down crates and constructed a small raised-bed garden up here, barren in winter but filled in three other seasons with a small assortment of herbs and vegetables. Wednesday night, after dinner, Melinda lets herself out onto the roof smelling a bit like peppers and onions. There's a faint whiff of cayenne and garlic that follows, but they are soon eradicated in the evening air. The tall woman pulls her coat on as she walks, looking around the roof top for an empty space to sit and breathe and air out her hair a little. She finds and discarded chair on the empty rooftop and slouches into it, her gaze directed upward to the shining lights of the taller buildings down town and all around her. She draws in a deep lungfull of the New York air, keeps it inside for a few heartbeats and the lets it out with a sigh. She looks bone weary and tired, but content and perhaps a little pleased with herself. As the chill begins to melt off the smell of food, another aroma, one imbedded in her skin becomes apparent again - the woman must bathe in coffee and cream to smell this sweet. The relative silence and serenity on the rooftop is disrupted suddenly by the sound of metal clanging and creaking. Irregular footsteps tap away at the fire escape a few floors below, growing louder as they near the top of the building. As the sound of the clinking metal grows nearer, another sound can be heard; the deep, panting breaths of someone climbing the ladder...Two gloved hands grasp the edge of the rooftop, as a man clad in black tactical gear pulls himself up off the fire escape. Grunting and panting softly, the figure stands slightly hunched, clutching his side with one hand, while pulling off the thick snowboarder's mask from his face...it seemsas if, in the man's haste, he doesn't notice anyone else on the rooftop. Melinda remains quiet, still, and does her best to breathe as quietly as possible. Perhaps, if she is lucky, this individual will not notice that she is here. Long, dark brown hair falls in front of the man's face, as he pulls the mask off, tugging slightly at the hood that covered the top of his head. He drops the mask haphazardly onto the ground with a 'clunk' and slumps down, still clutching his side. "Oh, son of a bitch..." he mutters, a familiar voice escaping from his lips, as he uses his free hand to pull his hair out of the way of his boyish face, and looks down at his side. "Nice going, Dante...all the martial arts training in the world, and you get cut from the side of a dumpster?" He complains to himself as he examines the large, bloodied tear in the vest. Melinda can hear her heart pounding in her ears. Her hair rubs against the back of the chair as she turns her head to get a slightly better look at the figure, gauging from a distance how bad the cut in question is. Dante winces slightly as he pulls at the vest's fabric, revealing a good sized laceration along his ribcage. Though not terribly deep, it's a good 5 inches in length. "Shit...Gonna need stitches, aint it? Damnit..." Slowly, he makes a move to stand, grunting again as he does so. Trying his best to stand tall, he searches the ground for his snowboarder's mask...when his eyes catch a glimpse of something...He looks up, directly at the chair on which Melinda is sitting. He pauses, a look of worry washing across his sweat-stained face... "Uh. Yeah. Stitches are a pretty good idea. Probably a tetanus shot, if yours isn't up to date." Melinda raises a hand slowly and gives a small finger wave at the gentleman staring at her. helloooooooo. Her hand slinks back down to her lap as she attempts to look casual. She throws in a fake stretch as well as she straightens up in her chair. "Nice night." "...Hi..." Dante stands there, still motionless as she speaks to him. A few moments of awkward silence pass, the only sound being the wind, and cars honking on the streets below. "yeah, I suppose it is..." he replies once more...All pain seems, in the moment, forgotten, as his mind races. He looks the woman up and down, knowing he'd seen her from somewhere..."This rooftop is usually empty, especially this time of night..." he pipes up once more, after another few more silent moments. "Usually, maybe. But my friends downstairs are kind of hosting a convention, if you will. Have been for the last few days. It's going to be a bit more busy than 'normal.'" Melinda rises and moves toward the edge of the roof. "I should probably also point out the roof top garden. Once it starts to warm up, that will become more of a thing too." She smiles and tilts her head to one side. "I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I won't tell anyone?" Dante raises an eyebrow slightly, his body still slightly recoiled backwards. He breaks his gaze from the woman, finding his mask on the ground. He takes a moment to pick it up, tucking it gingerly underneath the arm holding his side, and takes a step forward. "it's never really been an issue before...but i'll keep that in mind." He walks slowly towards the door, seemingly invonveniently placed just beyond the girl, forcing him to walk past her...he keeps his head tilted away from her, until he realized where he knew her from. His eyes widen and he looks he up and down once more... "Melinda, right? From Montague's?" "Huh." Melinda straightens up and looks at him directly. "Yeah. You're never going to keep your secret identity like that." She shakes her head as she walks over, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, it's me. You're Dante - though, I gathered that from when you were talking to yourself." She tilts her head and starts eyeing his wound, lips pursed. "You okay going to hospitals? Because... well, you're bleeding." Dante smiles slightly. "Yeah, I tend to do that sometimes...usually when I'm alone...or think I am," He adds, shruggins slightly. He relaxes slightly, seeming to drop his guard a little bit as she speaks. He looks down as she mentions hospitals, however, and shakes his head slightly. "You're kidding, right? I've been hurt worse than this. Besides, I'm not the biggest fan of needles." He chuckles slightly, then grunts again, wincing as he holds his side once more, as another wave of pain shoots from the cut. "I'm not kidding." Melinda looks up at him. "You need stitches. Antiseptic. Antibiotics and likely a vaccination. You cut yourself on a dumpster." She straightens up. "Do you at least have bandages? I can get some, if you don't, but you need to clean this out and take care of yourself." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone, looking through her phone book for a number. In a flash, he moves swiftly towards her, his hand reaching up and pushing the phone down from her vision. He seemed to move much faster than normal, though in the relative darkness, was too hard to tell. "Please...No hospitals." He stops for a moment, taking his hand off hers that held the phone, before speaking again. This time, it was a much lighter tone, "I've got needle and thread in my apartment, it's worked pretty well for me so far. I've actually been getting pretty good at stitching myself up...as much as it sucks..." "I wasn't calling a hospital." Melinda eyes him, shaking her hand a little when it is released. "Look, I know doctors who treat special cases. I think they could handle a masked guy with a dumpster bite. You really seriously need to get that treated for infection. I work with homeless people all the time that think they can handle cuts like that. Do you really have time to go through the fever, aches, and pains of a poor healing process, with the possibility of tetanus - lock jaw - which could kill you?" Dante backs away a step or two, not taking his eyes off her phone, a slight look of concern spreading across his face as he shrugs slightly. "Really, I don't think it's nearly as bad as that," he replies, as yet another shot of pain sears through his body, and he winces loudly... "Put your mask on and be quiet. I'll call in a doctor." Melinda scowls at him for a moment and eyes him before she looks back to her phone and presses dial on Iolaus's contact screen. Slowly, she moves it back to her ear and lets it ring. "What do you want me to call you?" Dante rolls his eyes slightly, taking a moment before fitting the snowboarders mask back onto his face, and pulling the hood up, covering his long hair. He looks up at her through the tinted goggles, and speaks softly, his voice slightly muffled by the mask. "Just call me a friend..." Iolaus' phone rings several times before it picks up. There is the faint sound of traffic outside and the soft sound of music playing. "Hello, this is Iolaus." he says, and a moment later, muffled and quieter, "No, take a left up here and then two blocks down." A pause, and he is back on the phone. "Sorry about that," he says, lightly. "Who is this?" "Iolaus, it's Melinda. Sorry to call you out of the blue, but I was looking for help or a referral in the sensitive medical department." Mel explains quietly, keeping her eye on Dante as she speaks, not letting him disappear on her. "Masked fellow, gash on his side, says no hospitals, but needs stitches. You know anyone available?" "Melinda." Iolaus pauses for several seconds, and when he speaks, his voice is deeply puzzled and confused. "The coffee shop. Yes." he says, slowly. "Gash on his side. Are we talking a little cut or a big stab or a huge bullet?" he says, carefully. "A little cut... fine, but anything larger, he might need surgery, and he should go to the hospital. If he doesn't have insurance, I can recommend ones that I know have good financial assistance...." "He apparently cut it on a dumpster. Sideways slash, about five inches. It's bleeding and causing him pain, but I don't think it's very deep. Again, not a doctor." Melinda wets her lips and considers. "I really am sorry to call you out of the blue, but I'm over at Jax's apartment, on the roof, and he seems like your type of client." She draws in a deep breath and then wagers a guess. "Might be that Shaolin guy from the news. I could wait until he passes out and take him some place, but I'm trying to avoid a stir downstairs." "I'm not passing out anytime soon," he replies from under the mask, a wry smile creeping across his lips at the thought, though it couldn't be seen. "Knocked off a fire escape, if you must know. You could say the dumpster broke my fall..." He shifts in the chair uncomfortably giving up on the meditation. It wasn't doing any good anyway. His ears perk up slightly when she mentions 'his type of client...' and he tilts his head slightly, staring at Melinda... Iolaus pauses for several seconds before he lets out a pained sigh. "Jax's apartment building, you said? Alright. I'll be there soon. I'm only a couple blocks away." he says. "See you." With that, he hangs up the phone, the beginning of his next conversation audible as he pulls the phone away to hang up. "Jane, change of--." "What?" Melinda puts the phone away when Iolaus hangs up and turns back to Dante, kneeling down beside his chair to investigate the wound. "Dr. Saavedro is a good doctor, just a bit quirky. I might have said some things to get help. They don't have to be true. Just. You know." Mel takes off her coat and takes off the sweater underneath, then takes off her shirt and puts back on her sweater and her coat. She folds the shirt so that the cleanest part is out and leans offers it to Dante to press against his wound. "He's on his way." Dante looks away for a moment out of courtesy as Melinda undresses, then looks back at her as she offers him the shirt. He remains motionless for a moment, before removing his hand from his side, and takes it from her slowly. He places it upon the wound, exhaling deeply as he presses it hard against his ribcage. A moment of silence passes before he speaks again. "Thank you...I'll wash it and get it back to you." He hesitates for a moment, the goggles of his mask pointing directly at her eyes. "He deals with mutants regularly, then?" he asks, addressing the obvious elephant in the room. Obvious due to the fact that "Shaolin" had often been reported to use superhuman-like tactics to subdue criminals and the like. "Don't worry about the shirt too much." Melinda settles back on her heels and relaxes. "Oh, did you want to use the M word now?" She smiles a little, hoping to lighten the mood. "Yes. He does, and I've been told he's highly recommended, by both of the private investigators I've spoken to about him." She rubs her hands on her thighs. "I hope you don't fall too often in your line of work. It can't be... well, healthy." Obviously. Dante chuckles slightly, smiling once more under the mask. "Can't think of a better word for it, honestly..." He shrugs slightly, his gaze breaking from hers and looking up to the sky. "I don't often lose the upper hand in a fight, if that's what you mean," he replied dryly, obviously miffed about the fact that he'd gotten injured. Another moment passed before he scoffed slightly. "Like I said before..all the martial arts in the world sometimes can't save you from a rogue dumpster." The door to the rooftop opens, but the person who steps through it is most certainly not Doctor Saavedro. It is a woman with fierce eyes and a stiff stance. She glances around the rooftop for several moments before she opens the door and lets through the next person. This is the much more familiar - and friendly - Iolaus, carrying a black bag at his side. "Hello." he says, warmly, as he steps over to Melinda. Despite the smile on his face and the tone in his voice, there are bags underneath his eyes, partially covered by makeup. "My name is Doctor Saavedro. What seems to be the trouble?" "So, good looks and skills got you this far but..." Melinda stops when the door opens and two figures appear on the roof. She rolls forward slowly and stands up, lifting a hand to wave the pair over. She inhales deeply and purses her lips at the doctor. "I really am sorry about all of this." She steps back and lets the doctor see to his patient. The masked man looks up at the two figures, then steadies his gaze upon the doctor, before standing up slowly. He grunts slightly as he makes his way forward, slowly pulling the stained shirt from his side, and unzipping the tac vest. He opens it carefully, pulling the left side over his shoulder slightly, and pulling up the sweatshirt underneath to reveal the entirety of the laceration. "Honestly, I think all I'll need is needle and thread, and I should be fine. Don't you?" he asked, his voice rather emotionless. Iolaus places the bag on the ground next to him and unzips a compartment, coming out with two purple gloves. He pulls them on and then reaches forward, hands delicately placing against Dante's skin and probing along the edges of the laceration. "Mm. I can't be sure without looking in a hospital, but... yes, it looks like it just needs a couple stitches." He looks up at the masked man. "You understand if I treat you here, the level of care I can give is much diminished. I won't be able to properly clean the wound or prevent infection, and it is very possible that your injury will be much worse because of it, or you could die as a result. I strongly suggest you go to a hospital." He pauses, glancing at Melinda. "But if you don't wish to, I will stitch you here." "When you say hospital, you mean that you want him at the physical location - but not going through all the standard check points and legal issues?" Melinda asks quietly, lips pursing in concern. "Or are we just talking about turning him over to an ER?" She keeps her distance, giving doctor and patient room to work. She glances awkwardly at Jane. "Hi." Dante winces slightly as the doctor prodded at the cut. He looked down and shook his head slightly "The ER's not happening...but I don't think there's much to worry about. I've suffered much worse...and I'm sure I'm better off than the other guy," he added, muttering the last little bit slightly under his breath. He glances at the 'Jane' woman, unsure about both of these new people, but especially about her...He kept his gaze on her as he let the doc do his business. Jane turns her eyes onto Melinda, giving her a curt nod and a gruff, "Hello." Her eyes turn to watch Dante, carefully, the way a cat might watch a bird on the branch above it. Her eyes break and sweep around the roof, and her frown deepens slightly. Iolaus nods, once. "I think you will probably be alright, considering I doubt you want to go on the books with your name and all that." He reaches into his bag and rummages through it for several moments before coming out with a long needleless syringe filled with some kind of liquid. "Saline." he says, as he pushes down the plunger and spurts cool salt water onto the wound to clean it out. Melinda winces a little as Iolaus begins his work and purses her lips as she takes another step back. "I should go." She exhales moodily. "You're in capable hands and if I don't head back down stairs, it'll draw more attention up here." She glances at everyone's face in turn, finally landing on Jane and bowing her head. "I am sorry." She takes another step. "I'll see you around, Mr. Superhero. Try not to die." Dante smiles beneath his mask, and nods slowly to Melinda. "Catch you later," he replies, wincing again as the salt water hits his ribcage. "Just gimme a heads up when you're stitching up. Not the biggest fan of needles..." he adds to the doctor. The direction of his goggles turns to Jane once more, as he adds "And thank you for understanding my situation." "Some anesthetic first, then the needle comes next." Iolaus says, coming out with a tube. The doctor squeezes some of the gel out onto the tip of a finger and he rubs it gently around the edges of the wound, an icy and stinging feeling. Then he sets up a needle with a line of thread, hands carefully putting the fabric through the small eyehole in the metal. It is not the usual curved needle used for stitching but a rather plainer one, not too dissimilar from the kind you might use on a shirt. He snips the line and ties it off, glancing at the wound. "It's no problem. I've had a few weeks of very odd situations." he says, with a warm smile up at Dante. One gloved finger reaches forward and prods gently at the edge of the wound. "Does that still feel normal, or is it starting to get a little less sensitive?" A siren passing by below on the street takes the masked man's attention for a moment, turning his head towards the sound. At the doctor's question, however, he snaps back to the moment. "Huh? Oh, yeah, a bit...' he replies, taking a deep breath and readying himself for the needle. He was thankful to have his mask on, as his look of apprehension is hidden by the snowboarder goggles. After a moment, he piped up again, his voice still slightly muffled by the mask. "What kind of odd situations, if you don't mind me asking?" "Other patients needing my help in odd circumstances." Iolaus says, two fingers moving to pinch the edges of the skin together. His hands are deft as he begins to stitch the flaps of flesh together, needle and thread passing over and under each stitch in a locking, running single stitch. "I think I have done more work outside of the office and the hospital in the last two weeks as I have in the last month before." he says, tone calm and pleasant as he works. "How about this cut? How did you manage to get it?" he asks, though whether it is for curiosity or distraction is not apparent. "Something about... a dumpster?" Dante continues to breath deeply, exhaling each time the needle entered his skin. His hands curl slightly, turning his arms into a slight circular pattern as he begins a slight meditation. As he does so, his muscles relax slightly, the skin under the doctors fingers becoming slightly more maleable. He looks down at Iolaus and smiles again under his mask. "My father used to call it 'Boy-Scouting.' Though it seems a lot less saving cats from trees than it was in...where I'm originally from," he pauses, stopping himself before he rambled and revealed too much about himself. "Thug got a lucky shot in, knocked me off a fire escape. Dumpster was there to break my fall...though I think I would have preferred the ground." Iolaus lets out a hiss. "Are you sure you're not injured elsewhere? That kind of fall can do a lot of damage." he says, fingers nimbly working. There are, truth be told, not that many stitches needed - seven, eight, nine little loops and then Iolaus is tying it off and snipping the thread. "There we go." he says, dropping the needle into a small red plastic container inside the bag and pulling out some bandages and tape to cover up the wound. "You'll need to see a doctor to get the stitches taken out in about four or five days." Dante nods slightly, dropping the sweater over the wound and zipping up he vest once Iolaus finished bandaging him. "I know my body pretty well. Frankly, I'm surprised I'm not bruising too much. Not feeling anything other than soreness anywhere else. Like I said, I've been through worse..." He pauses for a moment, taking a step back and giving the doctor a little more space. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Thank you, though...it's rare I ask for help. Probably woulda done this myself if Melinda wasn't around..." He pauses again, before making his way to the corner of the rooftop. He pulls out a small duffel bag that was stashed away behind a planter, unzips it, and pulls out a wallet. Walking back towards the duo, he fingers through it and picks out a hundred dollar bill, and presents it to the man. "For your troubles..." Iolaus holds out a hand, waving the money off with one hand before peeling off his gloves and stuffing them, too, into the red container. "No need." he says, with a small smile as he stands up and slings his bag over his shoulder. "Take an asprin if the pain starts bothering you. If you see any redness or streaking around the wound, go see a doctor immediately. And change the dressing once a day." he instructs. Jane heads for the stairwell, opening the door and looking down the staircase for several moments, before turning to look back at Iolaus, expectantly, who is still speaking. "Does all that make sense? If you have any questions or problems, just call your doctor." The masked man nods slightly, placing the folded bill back into the wallet and keeping it in his hand. "Perfect sense, doc...You're a good man," he adds, before making his way back to the duffel bag and replacing the wallet within. He turned back to the duo, as if he was going to say something else, but hesitated. He nods instead, grabbing the duffel bag from the ground and making his way back to the fire escape on the side of the building. "Take it easy," he says, before climbing down the ladder and out of sight...