A Vulnerable State {August}

[kayla]

Kayla's day had gone so far down the drain she couldn't remember it ever being good. And it was all that girls fault too. Kayla owed her big time. "Yes you do." her devil thought seriously. He was extremely worried now. Kayla's vision was quite blurry and her head was pounding. It was the worst headache she'd had, and that was saying something. She always, always payed for getting drunk with major hangovers. But this... this was the worst her head has ever hurt. As she stumbled her way out of the forest, Kayla kept up a constant string of cussing, violent and vehement words directed at anyone who dared come close.

After a few minutes of walking like this, with a few falls here and there, Kayla finally made it into the clinic. Her side was bleeding heavily now and her headache was worse. A nurse rushed to her side, asking what happened. Kayla was to disorientated to think straight but knew she couldn't tell the lady what had actually happened. Instead she mumbles something about a dog attack. She hoped the bite marks were close enough to that of a dogs.

She was forced onto a gurney and wheeled into a room, everything around her a blur. For the moment her devil hid, making himself scarce. This moment was to human, to surreal for him. Instead he comforted Kayla, trying to sort out her muddled thoughts. There was just a blur and the voices all muddled together. A sharp stab of pain made Kayla cry out but then everything went numb. She sighed and then everything went dark...

Sometime later...

Kayla woke up to a quiet beeping and bright lights. She shifted slightly, a sharp pain ripping through her side. "What the hell?" she thinks to herself, not remembering where she was or why her stomach hurt. Her devil helps her remember, up to the point of August stepping on her head. The rest is blank. Kayla cusses out loud, not caring who heard. "It's ok." her devil thinks quietly. His temper was out, his anger gone. Now it was concern for his partner in crime. She smiled slightly and looked around the room, cussing as a wave of nausea sent her head pounding once again.

[/blockquote]

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August walked through the streets, ignoring the stares and gasps. She smiled politely at the questions being tossed at her, but ignored them like she ignored the speaker. August counted each step she took, wondering how many it would take to reach the clinic. Frost had settled down by now, and counted along with August.

Pulling the door open with one arm, August entered. The eyes behind the desk went wide, but only momentarily. A smooth mask of professionalism took it's place. She worked with ease, making August wonder what was the worst she had seen. The doctor worked with the same calmness as the nurse behind the desk. August was escorted to the ER and cleaned her up. A gauze was wrapped around her arm, and a splint set in place. The doctor babbled on about a clean break through her arm, muscles being shredded, and multiple lacerations. He said something about sharing a room, "It's been a busy night. She's asleep, so i advise you to use your indoor voice." His footsteps echoed in the silence of the hallway as he led her to her room. The doctor's efforts were laudable, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"I know it's none of my business, but what on earth happened to your arm?"

August let out a laugh, "A meat-grinder." She nodded in affirmation, "I shoved my arm into a meat-grinder." She had chosen an unbelievable excuse on purpose. It made things more interesting. The doctor nodded understandingly, and it made August once again wonder what this clinic had seen.

One glance at her roommate, and August burst into amused laughter. The doctor resumed his quizzical stare, but left the room. August's laughter disturbed him. Hey, Frost. Look who it is. Frost roused from her half-sleep, lifting her head drowsily. All weariness left her, and laughter much like August's escaped her. Imagine her face when she wakes up and gets a good look at the two of us. August laughed at the thought. She picked up the clipboard by her bed. "Hello there, Kayla Merlot."

August watched Pride sleep, but that got tiresome. She went to the restroom to wash her face, and when she returned, Kayla was awake.

"Lo and Behold! Sleeping Beauty awakes."

August's smile split into a grin when she got a eyeful of Kayla's face. Frost and August laughed simultaneously, only one of them could be heard in reality.

"Didn't expect to see me so soon, eh?"

((OOC: So sorry, i still don't know what happened to my original post..))

[kayla]

It took a while for Kayla to realize someone was in the little bathroom on one side of the room. Then she noticed there was another bed in the room. She sighed, not wanting anyone to see her like this, to see her so vulnerable. It was an odd, irritating feeling she didn't want to experience, ever. But it seemed she had to as the door opened. She glared at it, hoping the person would just shove off.

But when she was who her new roomie was Kayla's frown turned into a sneer, and her headache was momentarily forgotten. She glared as August burst into laughter, her devil waking up as well. His snarls filled her head and she mentally snapped at him. She wasn't in the mood to listen to anyone, talisman or no. Instead she sat up slightly, another string of delightful words spewing forth at the pain in her stomach. "What are you doing in here? Get out!" She wanted this brat gone, that was most definite.

She sits up more, pushing various tubes out of her way, cussing all the way. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Other than here? I'd like to sleep off this damn headache that you gave me! I have a freaking concussion because of your little stunt." She said, glaring at the girl for a while. And then she sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Can you reach in the pocket of my jacket there, at the end of the bed? I want the bottle of Rum." She was sure the doctors would throw a fit but she was past caring. Her head hurt too much.

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[Augustus is a SWOObat]

She dug around in Kayla's pockets. The rum smelled horrible. "Unfortunately, i won't be able to leave for awhile. Something about complications with my X-rays. To be honest, i wasn't really listening." August passed the little bottle of nasty to Kayla, eager to get rid of it. Kayla would be here for awhile. Her wounds were pretty deep. August was sorry for inflicting them, but not enough to apologize. "You were the one itching for a fight, so don't start whining about your headache." Frost started to moan about their arm. The pain-killers were starting to wear off, and August was feeling a small discomfort. She wanted to go to sleep, but didn't trust Kayla enough.

Something Kayla said came back to August. "Hey, who's Tristan?" August knew he was an Innocent, one so convincing he got someone like Kayla to seriously consider becoming one. August hadn't heard from an Innocent. She had just joined the side that talked to her first. She wasn't regretting her decision. August was just curious about the other side.

((Sorry, I'm not too proud of this one. I'm kinda distracted..))

[kayla]

Kayla took the rum gratefully, grinning at August's expression. Kids. She drank what was left in one gulp before dropping the bottle to the floor, making a great crash, as agony exploded in her stomach. She gritted her teeth, barely hearing the girls words. A string of cuss words once again escaped from her mouth, accompanied by a grimace.

She listened to August's next words with a scowl. The pain had ebbed and was just a dull ache now. So she glared at the girl. "I did. But I didn't think you'd try to eat me." Her words were hard, almost disgusted. She would never get that feral, that wild. Even though she thought she'd had, on several occasions, she'd never lost her self control.

She sighed as August asked about Tristan. She knew that was coming. She didn't want to talk about, not with her head so screwed up. She'd probably say something she'd regret later on. It wasn't worth it. So instead she discreetly pushed the button on her hospital bed, the one that called the nurse before answering August. "He's just a friend. No one you need to worry about."

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August didn't flinch at the shattered glass. "You know, someone's going to have to come and clean that up, then they're going to see you've been drinking." Guilt flooded her, She didn't mean to hurt Kayla that bad. Yes, August had planned on letting loose a little, but only to a certain degree. She only wanted to use Frost's instincts but leave behind the lack of self control. Stop that. You smelled blood, it happens. We are blood-thirsty little beasts. You can't change that. She could have stopped it. But you did. Pride still has her side. You didn't completely bite it off.. That wasn't good enough, not for August. She shouldn't have bit her in the first place. Stop that! She's the one that caused the blood. Look at your arm!

Frost had a point, but August wasn't entirely convinced. "If you didn't want to lose your side, you shouldn't have tried to rip off my arm. Blood.. does strange stuff to me." She looked away from Kayla, already imagining the face she'd make. It wasn't that hard. "Don't look at me like that. Blood probably tastes bunches better than your rotten juice." Little bits and pieces of the fight came back to her. Her mouth began to water when she remembered her arm. Frost began to stir. "I didn't intend to bite you. It was a mistake and it won't happen again. Pinky Promise... But you did taste good." She gave a little laugh; August was kidding.. partially.

"If he convinced someone with a talisman like yours to join the Innocents, then i think i have a lot to worry about. Despite all that happened, i still think you should join the Hunters." August had to keep her mouth shut when the nurse walked in. She let out a frustrated sigh, the nurse was in the way. It hit August hard, and she couldn't help but blab it. "WAIT." She threw her head back and laughed "You like him." August didn't suppress the excited smile that crawled onto her lips. Of course. Why else would she join the Innocents when she was so.. not innocent.

((..LOTS of dialogue.))

[kayla]

Kayla noticed August's guilty look. Her devil piped up, tired of being in the back ground, though he was still quite drowsy. "Finally. Maybe you could play on that..." Kayla's thoughts were to muddled for her to be manipulative. She was finding it hard to stay sitting up, never mind come up with lies and plots. She couldn't even begin to ask herself for that much thought control. This was all August's fault though... she should feel guilty.

She listened to August's words with the, now familiar, look of disgust on her face. She knew she could easily become the same way, do the same thing that August did. In all honesty she didn't know why she hadn't become someone just as crazy as August. At the girl's mention of Kayla's 'rotten juice' a genuine grin flashed across Kayla's face, though it was soon wiped away. She loved her rum, though she loved alcohol in general. And besides... she didn't exactly care who saw her drinking. She never went to great lengths about keeping it a secret.

Then the nurse came and started bustling about, asking Kayla questions and poking her. She was regretting pushing that button. Then the nurse saw the glass shards and suddenly she turned on Kayla, a very disapproving glare on her face. "You know perfectly well that alcohol is not allowed in the hospital. And who's cleaning this up?!" With that she rushed out, probably to find some janitor. Kayla sighed and laid back on the bed, ignoring the girl's new expression. "I don't like him... I've only met him once. It was just... at the moment I wanted absolutely nothing to do with you. Joining the Innocents seemed the only way to do that. And besides, I've only met him once." she sighed, hating the fact that she had to explain herself to this girl. Though... strangely, this girl wasn't all that bad too talk to. Kayla closed her eyes, not letting her mind wander down that path any more than it already had.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August laughed when the nurse left. "Who does she think is going to clean it up? My mangled arm and I or you with the hole in your side?" Sometimes, August could swear that the years of college nurses went through were wasted.

Kayla was more interesting then she thought. "I'm not done talking about this Tristan fellow." August laid down on her bed, staring at Kayla without blinking. She was feeling sleepy, but she wanted to know more about Innocents. "What did he say? You know, to make you actually consider being an Innocent." August didn't really like the idea of being an Innocent. They were too uptight, and they had too many expectations. She didn't mind their moral standards; they sounded like good people, but a slacker like August belonged to the Hunters. Kayla was vicious and self-centered. She was a lot of things, but Innocent was not one of them. "How does your talisman feel about Tristan and the Innocents?" Not good, she imagined.

((Sorry, it's short.. Hope you can work with it, though.))

[kayla]

Kayla smirked at August's words about the nurse. Though the mention of the hole in her side brought up a thought. Kayla sat up again, gritting her teeth against the head rush and the pain in her side. She wasn't about to be trapped in the bed. Rest wasn't something Kayla did. But she'd take it easy, do things a bit at a time. She wasn't that rash and stubborn... or at least not most of the time.

She glared at August as she asked about Tristan some more. Didn't this girl leave anything alone? "No." Her devil piped up, chuckling. He thought this turn in the conversation was hilarious. Kayla just sighed before answering the girls questions. "He didn't say anything. Unlike some I know, he actually thinks about what he says." She shoots a look at August. "I wasn't considering it... at all. I was and probably am going to remain neutral. Things just seem to work better that way. My devil? He puts up with Tristan and his horse talisman."

With that Kayla pushed herself to the edge of the bed and tried to get up, swearing as the world suddenly started doing 360s. She sat back on the bed, clamping her eyes shut. It seemed getting up wasn't possible. Not yet. Instead she sat there, swearing softly. Then the nurse came bustling back, followed by a janitor. She saw Kayla and came over, indicating the shards of glass as she went. "Get back in bed, Miss Merlot. You are in no state to be walking." Kayla glared at her, avoiding looking at August, who, she was sure, thought this was hilarious. Kayla laid back in the bed once more, tuning out the world. A nap suddenly sounded fantastic... especially if it meant she could avoid talking about Tristan.

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[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August huffed indigently. "I think before i speak, you just don't listen to what i say." August wondered what Tristan and his talisman looked like. Her imagination failed her. All she could picture was an Angel, because that's what all Innocents looked like. Kayla might look like an Angel, but an Angel she was not. "What's the point in staying neutral if you could get more accomplished as a Hunter? Innocents wouldn't approve of anything you say or do, let alone help you with your plans, whatever they may be, and as a Hunter, you'd have people to back you up, you know, in case someone tries to eat you... or something." August joked, but was serious in what she said. Kayla talked about going to the Innocents the second she needed help, just because of a little bite.

August bit her lip, trying not to smile. Kayla looked ridiculous. Frost was just as amused, if not a little fascinated. You have to admire her persistance. And August did. "Take it easy there. You're probably making it worse by moving around like that." Her eyes followed the nurse with contempt. Ms. Nurse bustled about, picking things up then setting them down immediately. All she's doing is making noise.. Frost chuckled, But the difference between you and her is that she's trained to make noise.

August frowned, Kayla was looking tired. "Are you going to sleep, because that'd be no fun." She flopped down on her own bed, cautious of her arm. August wondered why Kayla was here in Noatak in the first place if she was only going to use her talisman for self-gain. It'd make more sense to stay were she was, where she had a history.

[kayla]

August's words made Kayla think. She was suited to being a Hunter, it was in her nature. A Tasmanian Devil was, by no definition of the word, innocent. And neither was she. And really... August wasn't bad company. When she wasn't trying to eat Kayla. Being an Innocent just wasn't something that Kayla could see herself doing, it was just an idle threat that obviously didn't work. "Ah well." her devil thought, worried by her sudden head rush. She sighed and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

She waited till the nurse left before she spoke. "No, I'm not going to sleep." She sighed. "Should I?" she asked her devil. He smiled, nodding his head. He wanted this and was pushing for her to say what she was about to say. "Fine." "What would you do if I said I'll be a Hunter." Her voice was quiet, almost resigned.

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((OOC- Sorry it's so short. I failed at this post. ))

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

"So that's a yes?!" August was ecstatic. She jumped off her bed and pranced around, her arm hung limply, morbidly. She'd worry about it later. It took a few minutes to calm down, but Frost finally managed it. If you don't settle down, the nurse is bound to come and see what's the problem. August groaned, and sat down on her bed, but not even a mention of the nurse could put her down completely. "By being a Hunter, the pressure of deciding is gone. Both sides will stop pestering you now that you've chosen. If you need something, you could just ask another Hunter. They're pretty nice as long as you're on their side."

August noticed where they were. She knew for a fact that some of the doctors had talismans, all of them Innocents. It made August think "Plus, if you get hurt or need help, an Innocent's conscious won't let them just leave you in the lurch." Sometimes, August wanted to be an Innocent, then she'd be reminded of who she was and the feeling would pass. "Hunters and Innocents fight though.. So if you aren't lying about your feelings for Tristan, then you shouldn't have a problem with becoming a Hunter." August watched her carefully, wondering if she had lied about her feelings..

[kayla]

Kayla grinned at August, chuckling at the girls sudden enthusiasm. Then the girl mentioned Tristan again, telling Kayla what to do. She realized that's what had pushed her buttons earlier. She hated it when people told her what to do, especially if they were younger than her. Her grin hardened a bit. "I'm not lying about anything." Just then the nurse came back, this time with the doctor. It was apparent from the frown on his face that he'd been told about the bottle. Her grin turned totally upside down.

He walked to the side of the bed, picking up her clipboard as he went. "Kayla... there was alcohol in your blood when you got here. And now you've been drinking again? Are you in any way an alcoholic? We need to know these kinds of things." His voice was stern and sincere as he looked at Kayla, a disapproving look on his face. She sneered, her hate for doctors seeming to be justified. "No doctor. I'd had some rum and coffee right before the incident. And then I figured I'd finish the bottle. That's all. Now I'm tired. Can you go?" Her voice was hard and inhospitable as she glared at the doctor. He sighed and nodded, walking out the door, the nurse following, though before she left she turned to give Kayla a disappointed glare.

Then Kayla looked back at August. "I'll be a Hunter... as long as you don't tell them you're arm was my fault, got it?" If the Hunters were anything like Kayla she knew they'd be furious about August's arm. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of that fury, not when she didn't even know those who'd be furious.

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[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August hadn't thought about telling Ant about her arm. He would obviously notice, and she was still thinking up an excuse. Meat-grinder wouldn't work, and giraffe attack just sounded stupid. "Do you think he'd believe in an angry old lady at the grocery store?" There was a large awkward silence, even Frost was looking at her stupid. "No. No way an old lady can do this much damage. By the way, you're handiwork is terrifying and if i hadn't been all feral, I'd probably run screaming." It was the truth.. sort of.

August wondered why she didn't think about telling Ant. It's because you're afraid he won't care. Frost was right.. Ant and her had fought. What if he didn't care anymore? She tried moving her fingers, and freaked when she couldn't. I think I'm going to be here longer than i anticipated.

She put her mangled arm out of her mind. "I didn't really take you as the sort who'd be afraid of the Hunters. You strike me more as stubborn and over-confident." It was the truth, and August wasn't feeling very tactful at the moment. Try as she might, she couldn't get her arm out of her mind. August was constantly trying to get her fingers to move, and her worry was growing when they didn't respond.

[kayla]

Kayla just snorted at August's words. This girl sucked at excuses. Not that Kayla could come up with any... not yet. Her head was still too jumbled for that kind of thinking. "You don't have to come up with an excuse yet... though don't you have to have someone informed.. since you're a minor and all that? If that's the case... I would most definitely work on a better excuse and fast." She smiled, knowing she didn't help much. "My work is pretty good, isn't it?"

What August said next had Kayla glaring at her once again. "I'm not scared of anyone. I just know that they wouldn't be very happy with me if they found out I did that. 'Specially not if they're like me." With that she winked, though she sort of meant those words. Not that was that attached to anyone to care about what happened to them. Only her little Devil. And her Rottweiler, Moto. But he was safe in her little cottage, with enough food and water to last the week. Hopefully she'd be out of here before that.

Then an idea sparks in her head, and she smiles slightly. "I have an excuse for the both of us. We were walking together, out of the cafe, and a dog attacked us. He did your arm and my side and then... I ran into a tree or something. There's plenty of witnesses to say we were walking out of the cafe if we needed them, though I don't know why we would." It seemed a sound plan and she grinned triumphantly. It seemed she was still smart, even with a severe concussion. "Someone has a big ego." her devil though teasingly.

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