Human Behavior

[Waddle]

The full moon glowered down on the rooftops, burning them with light that was normally gentle and soft. Ryan hid behind an air conditioning duct, crouched in the shadows. His question was why the moon seemed so unusually cold tonight. It was always a pretty thing to look at; pure, wonderful, so far from the touch of human hands, so far from the tarnish mankind would put upon it. The moon was his friend. It had always been there, every night. Even when it was gone, he knew it was there. He could feel it. It was something so clean and so dependable that it simply fascinated him. He had yet to ever find anything to keep his attention so long. Sure, he could spend longer compulsively cleaning or sharpening his knives than he could sitting and watching the moon. But he only deftly handled his knives (hence many scars on his hands and fingers), while he watched the moon with all his attention. The memory of trying to treat the sun the same as the moon brought a deep frown to his face.

So, the question was, why was the moon angry? Poking his eyes over the duct, he watched the moon for a few seconds, scanning its surface and trying to see if there were any gigantic scratches or cracks along it, anything big enough to make the moon upset. His head cocked sideways as ideas raced, all flitting into his brain and back out before Ryan could register them, much less contemplate them. And he stayed that way, for much longer than he thought, until the muscles of his neck had stiffened and were begging for release. But the request never made it to his head. Not until a bird sprang from its hiding place and took off into the air, causing Ryan to jerk around. He cursed loudly as his neck popped and fell onto his side as pain seared down his back and side. Sitting back up, he shook his head to loosen the tight muscles, then watched the direction the bird had been before taking flight. Not much would make a bird take off that quickly at this time of night. Most likely, something or someone had disturbed it, and Ryan had alerted the disturber of his whereabouts by cursing.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August crawled out of the window. It was so awkward when Ant brought someone home, and the noises from the other room weren't helping. She thought about just going through the lobby, but Rubin was a huge tattle-tell. Not that Ant would care that she left, but he wouldn't want to be disturbed. August climbed down most the fire escape, and dropped down the rest of the way. She took a sip from the carton of milk she got from the fridge, debating on what to do. It didn't take long for her to decide. August had been wondering about the man on the rooftops whom she had so cleverly nicknamed him 'Rooftops'. She wandered aimlessly, not really knowing where he'd be. She finished the last bit of milk, and feeling like a real rebel, she littered. Then August felt bad, picked it up and recycled it. Continuing her search, August kept her head up, scanning the sky, every now and then getting distracted by the moon. She noticed him, sitting on the roof like he always was. His silhouette was outlined thanks to the moon. It was a perfect moment, and August cursed herself for not carrying a camera. She stared for awhile, before scaling the loose bricks of the building. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. Hesitantly, she peeked over the edge, the only thing visible were her eyes. August narrowed her eyes in concentration. He looked familiar. "Oh!" That's when it hit her. Rooftops was tree-puncher. Her little discovery startled a bird, which in turn startled her. August ducked, but had a bad feeling she was already seen. She heard him curse, and took it as confirmation. August's head perked up again. "Sorry.." She had ruin the perfect moment. Oops.

She threw her legs over the side, and walked over to him. August sat down, then remembered his knives and felt she was sitting to close. She scooted away, just out of arms reach. Now she felt safe. "Do you ever sleep, or do you just not need to?" She didn't really expect him to answer her question, cause Roofy didn't talk much, but she was curious, and couldn't help but voice the question. August tried to peel her eyes away from him, with limited success. He was probably the first thing that actually held her attention. August noticed his buttons were messed up. They were all off track. She pointed at them. "Your buttons.. fix them." August didn't know why it was so important to her. She wanted his buttons right. She tried to look back at his face, to see his reaction, but her eyes were glued firmly to the buttons. August realized she hadn't said please or anything polite, but she didn't care. The buttons were distracting her from what she wanted to focus on, Rooftops. He wasn't moving fast enough, so she crawled in front ot him, completely forgetting his knives. August narrowed her eyes in concentration at the buttons. They were completely messed up. No way of saving them now, so she decided to start from scratch. Her fingers picked at the buttons quickly. Working efficiently, she got them all undone. Now it was time to button them back up. August was a little suprised he'd actually let her practically undress him.

[This is were she speaks too soon. *cues Ryan to shove her*]

[Waddle]

Ryan watched her. It was Icefox. The little fox girl he'd met in the woods, then taken to Anthony. He hadn't been expecting to see her again, especially not out here on his rooftops. He had never met anyone on the rooftops, and had so claimed them as his semi-domain. He liked them. They were above everyone. It was surprising how people didn't think to look up. Before, he had gotten from one side of town to the other by going through the smallest cracks between buildings and through the darkest, smelliest alleys. Now, he simply climbed, jumped, and ran. It was much easier and much more comforting than the ground. To put it simply, he was startled to see Fox up here, though it didn't show on his face.

He refused to answer the question. He didn't know this girl. He would never get to know this girl. She was a nuance that shouldn't be on his rooftops. There were several solutions to this problem; first and foremost being to simply kill her. No, that wouldn't work. The hounds, as he liked to call the cops, were on his trail, and ever getting closer. An assassination, especially that of a young teenage girl, would be like a flaming arrow pointing his direction. His other option was to run. Run or chase her away. Right then, he felt like running. His thoughts were distracted as she mentioned the buttons of his trench coat were messed up. Half of them were buttoned correctly, the rest were open. He did nothing but look back at her in complete silence. Then she tried to fix them for him. Shoving her away none-too-gently, Ryan stood and strode to the edge of the building, trench coat billowing around his legs as it caught the wind.

The distance from this building to the next was more than he normally felt comfortable trying. He had made this jump once before, but had failed twice. Both the latter times could have ended in disaster. He could have broken something vital and been unable to move. But he hadn't, and he guessed this time he wouldn't either. He broke into a run the last five yards from the edge and jumped. He caught hold of the edge of the building, but the palms of his hands were sweaty and the slipped, even as he tried to catch himself. He tumbled down three stories, cursing all the way as well as hitting his head and back on the building, before falling in a pile of coat at in the wide alley between the two structures. Stunned, he couldn't move at first, and the fear that he'd just paralyzed himself trickles into his mind like poison. He managed a small moan and a twitch of his arms, but even that small movement sent pain searing down him torso, and he quickly stopped. He'd completely forgotten about Foxface.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

She watched him run, more upset she didn't get to fix the buttons then the actual shove. August's eyes widened when he started to run. He wasn't actually thinking of.. Yes. Yes, he was. Her hands flew to her mouth, and muffled her weird gasp. At first, August didn't move because she didn't hear anything. Hesitantly, she made her way over to the edge, and looked down. There he was, a crumpled heap. She was shocked at how much she actually cared. If he were dead, she'd be bored again. August couldn't have that. No, she just found Rooftops. She pushed down the urge to ask if he was okay. It was a stupid question. Roofy just fell down 3 stories. Of course he wasn't okay. August was too scared to scale down the wall. What if she fell too? Instead she walked down the stairs of the building, ignoring the weird stares she got from the residents.

It didn't take her long to find him. She walked over to him cautiously. August didn't know what to do if he were dead. Call the police? She didn't like the idea. She held her breath. He was still breathing, and she started breathing in beat with him. His breath was coming out all ragged. August wondered if it had something to do with his ribs. She wasn't any doctor, but something similar happened in Iceland. Except instead of a man, it was a doe, and instead of falling it got hit by a car. August struggled to remember what they did with the doe. Oh right.. They put it out of it's misery. August's eyes widened. No way was she going to kill him. If the fall didn't kill him, then God must have really wanted Roofy to live. She got closer, and took this opportunity to fix his buttons, then she rummaged around his pockets in search of his wallet. She only moved out the card far enough to see his first name. She poked his cheek. **"Ryan, If you don't move.. I'm going to rape you." If that didn't get him to move, August didn't know what would.

**[Honest to goodness, i got some friends that actually say that kinda stuff. xD It's pretty funny. *not sure if they mean it or not, but never sticks around to find out*]

[Waddle]

He could only watch helplessly as she approached. What was her name? She had told him back in the forest. He couldn't remember it, though. Something to do with weather... Or something like that. She buttoned his trench coat, then pulled out his wallet. He expected her to run off then, taking his money. Maybe she'd heard of him, and was going to take the wallet to the police and bring them back to him. At this rate, he wouldn't have been able to move far by the time they came. Not near far enough to evade them. But she didn't run. Ryan blinked at her once, surprised by the words. Who the hell was this girl? Ryan wasn't going to take a chance. Even though his legs were unresponsive, he dragged himself half a foot away from her, using little more than his fingernails. Even still, it hurt.

She has your wallet... She knows where you are... You need to play it cool or your cover's busted. After he stopped moving, the only thing he could hear was his own panted breathing, and faintly that of the girl's. God, why did I have to hurt myself when she's around? Still unable to draw a full breath, he reached behind himself and gently pressed the space between his shoulder blades, wincing. Glancing at the girl, he realized he didn't like her staring at him with those wide eyes. Feebly, he snatched back his wallet and pulled himself farther away from her, using his elbows this time, so as to not lose sight of her. He had to get away from her. He could feel the door of the cage slamming shut in his face. He didn't like the cage. He didn't like being confined. He didn't like this girl. Through his pants, he was able to hiss, "Just - stay away from me."

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August watched him, completely ignoring how obviously he hated being watched. He reminded her of once again of an injured animal. This time it was a cat she had found behind her apartment building. It got it's tail stuck in a mouse trap. If it weren't for it's pain, she would have thought it was pretty funny, like an episode of Tom and Jerry. August smiled. This was kinda ironic. This man and his several tattoo's was backed against a corner, frightened by her. She laughed. "No can do, Ryan. If I leave you alone, you could die." August wasn't exactly sure if that was true. It seemed likely, but she'd never really seen anyone else fall off building, so she didn't know for sure. Either way, she didn't want to leave Ryan.

August had already made a mental note about the pain between his shoulder blades. She started wondering what else hurt. "Take off your shirt and coat." August remembered what she said, and could understand if he was reluctant. Heck, she wouldn't take off her shirt if someone asked, but she was a girl, and that's a whole different story. "Um, and I'm not going to rape you." Now that she was thinking clearly, and wasn't worried if he was alive, she fully understood what she said. August was embarrassed she said it, and turned on her selective memory. In her head, that sentence had never been said. August got closer, not sure if he could take his shirt off by himself. It's not like he would, if he could. Gently, she tugged it off. His body was already bruising. August didn't really know what to do. She could see his spine. Something looked.. off. Her fingers trailed down it slowly. It felt.. wrong. She couldn't tell exactly what though. "Where does it hurt?" August guessed everywhere, but that answer didn't help.

[Waddle]

Many thoughts were racing around his head. They were playing the same game they had been when he had tried to figure out why the moon was unhappy. He couldn't register anything but what she said for him to do. He refused to move, hoping that she would become frustrated and leave. But he had no such luck. She pulled off his coat and shirt, and he winced as it moved muscles in him that didn't want to be moved, but simply refused to give her, the cage, the satisfaction of even letting a small whimper escape his throat. He wanted so badly to just hit her, to make her go away, to run away from her. None of which he could do, since he couldn't feel anything but a dull ache in his entire body. He couldn't even feel the cold, hard ground under his hands. It made him feel weak, and feeling weak made him afraid. When he was afraid, he did things he normally wouldn't. When he did things he normally wouldn't, he regretted it.

But he couldn't help it. It clutched his heart and lungs like an iron fist, making the former beat at three times its normal rate and the latter to be unable to get full. "Everywhere..." he gasped, then coughed. The cough helped to get his breath back as the fist around his lungs loosened its grip. He took several deep breaths, eyes closed, to calm himself down. The pain eased as his muscles relaxed; something they rarely ever did. August. That was her name. August... something. August Winter? That was stupid. August... something else to do with weather. Without realizing he was doing it, Ryan took his shirt and coat back, rolled them up together and set them in his lap.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August bit back on what she planned on saying. He was telling the truth. He did hurt everywhere. She was only mad because she didn't know what to do. His answer didn't help, and she decided she wouldn't ask anymore questions. Ryan was obviously not planning on being helpful. Maybe she shouldn't have gone looking for him. He'd never have run, and they wouldn't be in this mess. She started feeling a little guilty. Her eyebrow started twitching, a sign she was thinking. If it was his muscles, then maybe she could help. If it were his bones, then they were in trouble. His shoelaces was untied, and she fixed that. Not understanding why she cared so much. August opened her mouth to ask something, then remembered she wasn't going to ask anything anymore. Instead, she'd do things without his permission. It's not like he could stop her. August started rubbing his back. It was like a massage, but without the pressure. She watched his face intently, making sure she wasn't making his pain worse. August opened her mouth to ask if it felt good, but remembered she wasn't going to ask anymore questions. She frowned. Not talking is hard... She never realized she asked so many questions until now. August let out a little huff, figuring she had to settle with his facial expressions. She got distracted with small things though, and stopped monitoring his expressions. He has nice eyebrows.. Her hands moved up to his neck and shoulders, slowing down a bit. She wasn't sure what the red X tattoo was suppose to be. August practically jumped when she was sure of it. He was a treasure. It'd make sense if he knew some pirates. Or he could be a pirate himself. She forgot to watch his face. His muscles weren't stiff though, so she assumed it didn't hurt, that or he found pain relaxing, which was unlikely.

August reached over and took his clothes again. She folded them, and set them back on his lap. She was stumped. August never acted this way. Details weren't her thing. It was a miracle if she noticed anything, let alone fix it. Things like that didn't bug her, well, not until now. She went back to rubbing his muscles. Her hands were on his Lattimus Dorsi. It was one of the few muscles she bothered to remember, gastrocnemius being the other. They were the only two muscles that caught her attention in biology class. She smiled at the memory. Their names were so funny. The smile washed off. She wasn't sure if this was helping. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital..?" August wasn't exactly sure how she'd manage that, but she wasn't going to think about that. There was no way she could pick up Ryan, and no way Ryan could walk there. It was dark, and she didn't know her way to the clinic. She raised both eyebrows. Oops. She wasn't suppose to ask questions. August mentally shrugged. Oh well. She knew that was a decision that wouldn't last. She stopped rubbing, and dug around in her pockets, pulling a carmel and chewing on it thoughtfully. What was she suppose to do now? August wasn't about to leave him, because she basically cause his injury. Her eyebrow started to twitch. "..We're in trouble.. aren't we?"

[Waddle]

Ryan found himself relaxing under the girl's hands. It was a very strange reaction. He never relaxed. He was always tense and ready to jump, any which way, any time of day, whether he was asleep or not. But he found his eyelids drooping, his vision almost completely black, and his head hanging loosely on his neck. Her putting his clothes back in his lap and tying the laces to his combat boots didn't register in his brain until she asked him a question that made him jerk away from her. "N... No," he said, hastily. If she took him to the hospital, he would end up in jail. She knew his real name, and she would tell them that. His fake name had enough fake history behind it to make even the machines believe he was James Fletcher. If August even mentioned Ryan Sean, he would be a dead man.

But her massaging quickly calmed him down. When her warms hands left his aching back, Ryan's muscles tensed again. He glanced behind himself to watch her. Candy... Yes, she had liked candy. Ryan realized he was extremely hungry when his stomach gave a very audible growl. Glancing down, he told his stomach, "Shut up", and it obeyed. At least some part of him listened to him. He looked back at August again. "You ask too many questions," he grated. "And it depends." Whatever happened, she could not take him to the clinic. Whatever happened, he could not stay around her. She was a liability; something that he needed to stay away from. She knew his real name. She might hear about him. She would reveal him. He would be in big trouble. He had started to like this town; it was small, but large enough to have hiding places. But if the cops got after him, his only choice would be to flee. To leave Scar behind... Again. To leave Anthony. To leave... What else would he be sad to leave behind? Nothing. It's bad enough that I would miss two people... Why am I searching for more to miss?

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August shut her mouth. She was about to say something, but then he told her to shut up, or at least she thought he did. She didn't get what was wrong with the hospital, so it had that nasty smell and a couple of needles. August thought it was absurd for Ryan, the man who played with knives, to be afraid of needles. A little smile curled on her lips. Ryan, afraid of needles. Her smile got a little bigger. She hadn't even asked half the questions on her mind. Ryan wasn't going to like her, at all. August wondered what Ryan was. He couldn't be human. He was like the exact opposite of a human. She went back to rubbing his muscles, cause that's all she could do to help. August chewed on her lip as she thought. It was a good ten minutes before she came up with a good, believable theory. Ryan was a robot. That's why he wouldn't want to go to the hospital, because they could tell he was a robot and send him to the government to be tested and eventually dismantled. He'd probably be considered a defect, since he wasn't anything like normal humans. August started wondering who else could be a robot. She didn't really get anywhere, since a working robot doesn't act any different that normal people. Rubin could be a defected robot, though. He was grouchy, and sometimes August saw him stealing batteries from the apartment complex's emergency closet. She frowned. Ryan's stomach had growled, meaning he had a stomach, meaning he wasn't a robot. August was way more dissappointed than she should have been. She was certain she sussed him out. August dug in her pockets, and found one of those big Willly Wonka chocolate bars. She'd been saving it, but figured Ryan would want it more. She set it on his lap then went back to rubbing and thinking. August entertained a lot of thoughts, but only momentarily. They came and went so fast she couldn't enjoy them. One stuck, though.

August was wondering what kind of treasure Ryan could be. Maybe the treasure was a shiny gold coin implanted on the back of his neck. Her finger traced over the 'X' without thinking of what she was doing. One hand was still working on his muscles. She was torn between uranium and a diamond. August settled on a diamond, cause Ryan had so many sides she could never get bored of thinking about him. He was so quiet and never answered any of her questions, leaving him open to thousands of possibilities. She still hadn't figured out his talisman. August thought it was unfair that he got to know hers but she didn't even get a hint at his. She was going to ask, but decided to save her breath. Not like Ryan would give her an answer that didn't involve the words "Shut up." or "None of your business."

Ryan was pretty cold, seeing as she made him take off his coat. He was hungry too. The chocolate probably didn't help much. He could get food at the hospital. August started thinking about the hospital. Her doubts about the rubbing started to come back. He didn't say anything, so she didn't know if he wanted her to stop or not. She thought it was silly for a grown man who just fell off a roof to avoid going to the clinic, because he was afraid of a little ole needle. August stopped, and picked up his coat but left the shirt. He could put that on; it'd help him with the cold. She slipped the coat on. August stuck her hands into his pockets, looking for his knives. He was going to the clinic whether he wanted to or not. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt of his knives. August's skin crawled. She had tried to get over her fear of sharp things after their encounter in the forest. She hated to feel so weak.

It was silly, but she had decided to slowly get use to sharp things. August had started out with a just being in the same room as a screwdriver. After a long time, she worked up the courage to pick it up, and then she poked herself with it. The next step was an actual knife, and she had planned on giving herself a little cut, but had passed out just by holding it. Her head started feeling light, and she pictured all the pain these knives caused. It was strange how she was more afraid of the inanimate tool rather than the man who used them to cause the actual pain. August kept the knives in his pockets, afraid of seeing them and passing out like a sissy on the floor. She wanted to blame Ryan for making her touch it, but it's not like he was directly forcing her to. August tried to think positive. This was good for her. Ryan was unintetionally helping her to get rid of her pointyphobia. "Ryan, i'm going to the clinic. If you want your knives back, i suggest you follow." She gave him a polite smile, but it spread to a grin. Ryan was stubborn, and willful, and he liked his knives too much to let her just take them. August hadn't completely abandoned the robot theory. If he got up and followed, it'd prove how inhuman he was. Only a defected robot could get up and walk away from a three story fall. She turned and walked slowly away, thinking up an explanation for his stomach. His stomach hadn't growled, because robots don't have stomachs. That noise was just his gears grinding. August fixed her theory and made him a robot with an iron shell and diamond innards. She made a mental note to bring a magnet and test her theory on Rubin first, seeing as he would be least likely to kill her if she discovered his secret. August leaned against a wall and waited to see if Ryan followed. She didn't want to get too far ahead of him in case he couldn't keep up. Her fist were clenched tightly around his knives. Despite the feeling they gave her, she didn't want to let go. What if one accidentally stabbed her? Movies always made stabbing look painful.

August started mapping out Noatak in her head. The clinic would be near-by if she remembered right. Oh well, it was a small town and she'd find it eventually. She wondered if Ryan could make it. His legs might be hurt. She fingered the hem of the coat's sleeve. It was old, and well-used, but it was comfortable and warm. August pulled up the sleeves so her hands could peek out. She was starting to worry about Ryan, not sure how long it would take for him to get up. She started wrestling with the idea to go back and see if he could move. It'd be tragic if she had paralyzed him. He wouldn't be able to go to walk, or kill, or hang around the rooftops anymore..

[[Holy heifer! 1231 words...]]

[Waddle]

Looking down at the candy bar, all Ryan could do was wonder what the hell it was. He lifted it with his less numb hand and turned it this way and that, head cocking stupidly to following the movements so he could read the writing. He looked quite dumb doing that, but he was too intrigued to care. Eyes wide, but lacking the normal excitement someone else - August - might have if they had a candy bar thrown into their lap, it took him several minutes of studying to find out that it was, indeed, a candy bar. "Oh my God!" he said, more loudly than he'd meant to. "It's candy!" He almost opened it, then hesitated right before he ripped the wrapping. He hated candy. If it took him more than five minutes to figure out it was actually candy, and not some sort of bomb, as he had thought, then why waste his energy... opening it? Why not?

So, just to spite August, he ripped it open, then took a sniff, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Chocolate. How he hated candy. He'd never had any as a kid. His father had never let him. But, then again, his father hurt him when he found out about Ryan's smoking. Ryan much preferred cigarettes over candy. Candy was just... He couldn't actually find a word to describe how candy was. One second, it was just nasty, the next, it was evil and plotting to rule the world. Wait... How could candy plot? Well, if people were what they ate, how could August think? A sudden picture of a hot dog, since he couldn't think of any other candy off the bad, with August's face popped into his head. Then someone stabbed the hot dog with a giant fork and began cutting it up with a knife. His amusement didn't show on his face. He didn't have an expression to show how much that would please him.

August's finger tracing the tattoo on the back of his neck sent a shiver down his spine. At the same time, he tossed the candy into a dark corner of the alley, and watched it slide underneath a dumpster.

He pulled the coat tighter around himself, wanting to protect himself from August rather than the cold. He could walk around in cold weather easily, and this didn't bother him in the least. After her tracing his X tattoo, he didn't want her to touch him anymore. Just something in his brain clicked back to normality, the shock ebbed, and is brain screamed for him to run away. He was preparing himself to stand when she put her hands in his pockets. "Wait," he tried to stop her. But, with a smile that looked more like a smirk, she stood and walked away. Ryan reached out with both hands, trying to grab her. Every step she took sent physical pain through him. Last time someone had tried to walk off with his knives had been sent to the nearest hospital in critical condition. He would let people play with his knives, tough them, whatever. But no one got away with taking them. Ever.

He struggled to his feet slowly, leaning on the wall. His body felt... strange. Part of it was numb, part of it was just pain, and part of it was normal. Some numb parts would be stabbed with pain, some parts that were in pain would dull, the parts that didn't hurt would go numb or start hurting. But he felt none of it, because, hell, someone was walking away with the only thing in his possession that he cared about! His mind narrowed to a small speck, to where she had just turned a bend. He had to get them back. Nothing else in the world mattered. He was so obsessed with those knives that he didn't even try to NOT be obsessed. They were a part of his body, and she had just ripped that off him and run away with it. He was going to get it back.

He had rounded the corner and saw her standing there, her red hair reflecting the moonlight. "You little bitch..." He didn't know if she had heard him, for he was panting very hard again, but he didn't care. He just knew that he was going to wring her little neck. "You're a dead girl walking... But not for long."

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

August was actually relieved when he showed up, despite the threats. They actually made her feel good. Maybe it was sick, but they excited her instead of scared her. "Ryan. I don't see how you'll accomplish that if you can't even keep up." She pulled the knives out, feeling braver. "You want them back, right? Well.. you're going to have to do better than that." With that, she turned around and calmly headed to where she was almost certain the clinic was. August didn't want to go too fast, but it'd be fatal if she went too slow. She laughed out loud, but frowned right after. Ryan was messing her up. Why did she find her life in danger anything to laugh at?

August rounded a corner, and waited again. She could hear his footsteps getting louder, and decided to keep a good distance between her and him. She only walked a little bit before realizing she had just passed the clinic. August took a few steps back, and was at it's door. She walked right on in. Ryan would know where she went. August pocketed his knives, suddenly liking the feeling of them. She ran her thumb over it. It was weird how her feelings for them could change so fast. At first, she was scared to death of them, but now here she was, practically cuddling them. August snapped out of the trance she didn't know she slipped into. The woman behind the counter was smiling, but the smile looked strained. It was late at night, and she probably didn't enjoy giving up her sleep for this. August walked up, feeling a little sorry for her. Maybe she could end it for her.. she had Ryan's knives. She could do it.

August's heart skipped a few beats. Maybe it wasn't Ryan that was messing her up, maybe it was the knives. It would explain why Ryan was so messed up. August ran her fingers down the hilt. The knives were old. How long had Ryan had them? Maybe it had permanently warped him. She grabbed it tighter. August wasn't afraid of them though. They wouldn't let her. She didn't want to let them go. "Um.. My friend's hurt. His name's Ryan Frost. He'll be here in a bit." The sound of her own voice shocked her. She hadn't even thought about Ryan's last name, and didn't know why she chose her own. August blinked. Ryan might have already made it. The only thing stopping him from strangling her on the spot was the woman behind the desk. She silently thanked her. August had zoned out for the majority of her time in the clinic. The woman was scribbling things on a chart, and asked her to fill out the rest. August stared at the clipboard blankly before taking it. She went to the sitting room thing and started filling it up with random numbers and fake details. Ryan was male, He lived on *Pity Me Rd. and was allergic to shampoo. The more details she put, the more believable the lie seemed. She didn't want to look up from the chart in case Ryan was there.

*[[No Joke. There's a road called Pity Me. August is in total Hobbit mode.]]

[Waddle]

Ryan doggedly trailed her, his mind so focused on her that he didn't even realize where she was leading him until the bright white of the clinic floor and walls nearly blinded him. He looked at the hand supporting him. It was on a door so clean it someone could have walked right through it without it clicking that it was actually a door. He backed up a little. He would retreat to think about a plan. But it was too late. The woman at the desk had spotted him. "Hello, sir." Her voice made him start violently in surprise. His left foot caught his right and he fell, cursing vehemently. The woman was at his side and helping him to stand before he could regain his feet on his own. "Are you Ryan Frost?" she asked while she rushed him into the clinic. He was too stunned to try to resist. "Yeah," he mumbled. His eyes caught August's red hair in the waiting area.

Of course. Ryan pulled away from the woman and limped to August. All thoughts of his knives were forgotten as relief rolled over him in waves. She had given him a fake last name. Wait a second... That was her last name! It didn't matter. They didn't know who he really was. He could be Ryan Frost for the time being. He stopped beside her and looked down at the sheet she was filling out. Pity Me Rd.? She was having fun with this. Allergic to shampoo? "Miss," said the lady on the other side of the chair, who was also looking at the chart, "can you be more specific as to what in shampoo Mr. Frost is allergic to?" Ryan answered for her. "Sulfate." He always liked to read labels when he was bored. Shampoo bottles, beer bottles, canned goods... The woman was giving him a strange look. "All shampoos have sulfate. No wonder your hair is like that." She smiled, but it was quickly lost at the look in Ryan's eyes. Ryan rarely ever washed his air with shampoo. It was always greasy and matted.

The woman cleared her throat and called to another nurse, who rushed over. "Show Mr. Frost here to a room, please, Claire." The younger nurse nodded hastily and began to walk off. Ryan leaned down to whisper in August's ear. "I will have revenge, girl. But thank you." The last few words were hard to say. He never thanked anyone, just like he never apologized to them. Just a nod was all they could hope to get. Ryan pulled his coat tighter around him as he leaned back up. He could bolt, now. He could run. Keep himself from a lot of danger. But if he bolted, they might chase him. He was in no shape to run. The young nurse touching his arm made him jump again, but at least he didn't fall down this time. "This way, sir." She waited for him to follow this time.

After a minute of walking, they stepped into an elevator and went up a floor. Stepping out, the nurse explained that some other nurse named Ms. Jackson would take him to his room before she turned and took the elevator back down. Ryan turned around to face a beautiful woman with flame red hair, and his mouth fell open somewhat to make a small 'o'. He was suddenly very glad that August had buttoned up his trench coat, so this lady wouldn't see his bloody chest. Even though the wounds were on his back, blood had trickled around to clot on his front. Even still, there was visible blood on his neck. Uncomfortably, he pulled his collar tight. He wondered where his shirt was as the trench coat scratched his back as he moved, then remembered he'd left it in the alley. And why was he suddenly... self-conscious? Was it the lady? He hadn't been with either of the other two. So it must have been her. Or the blow to the head. Yes, it had to be that. He hadn't noticed how much his head was hurting until he remembered the hit.

[Mothtoto.]

Adrienne walked hastily to the elevator. She was supposed to be meeting a patient to treat. Well, at least get into a room. She had been watching the people walk through the hall when she heard a ding. The elevator. The patient. Right. She turned to the two people who stepped out and smiled. But she hurriedly looked back down at the chart in her hand to avoid the man's gaping stare. What was with everyone today? Did she have something her teeth? Did she start her period. She didn't think it was any of those, but why else would so many people be staring at her? Realizing she was still just standing there, Adrienne loudly cleared her throat and focused on the chart.

"So," she began awkwardly. "So, what's wrong with you again?" she asked. She looked for it on the chart, but soon realized all she was looking at was a blank clip board. Great. She lost her charts again. Maybe the real question was what was wrong with her today? She slapped her forehead in angst with her clipboard. "I seem to have, um, misplaced your charts. So, uh, yeah," she mumbled to her feet. What a great doctor. But hey, she was only an intern. And all beginners make mistakes, right?

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

Thank you? A smile curled onto her lips. August had never heard Ryan say anything even remotely polite, not even a nice-sounding grunt of acknowledgment. She got excited and rambled mentally about the new robot theories that popped into her head at an alarming rate. Maybe robots could sense when manners were in demand, and used them appropriately so as to not arouse suspicion. But Ryan had never done that before.. Well, he was defected, but this showed that he was capable of acting like a normal robot/human. It puzzled her, but her imagination supplied an answer in the end. Ryan was capable of working properly, but chose not to. Now that her theories had been exhausted, August waited in the waiting room.. for about two minutes, then she got bored of tapping her feet and whistling. She stood up and walked over to the counter. The woman from before was still there, and August felt bad for her again. She looked even more tired than before, and her smile was so faint you could hardly see it. "When can I see Ryan?" Ryan had always been August's cure for boredom. It was a little upsetting to know he was broken, but that's why she brought him here, to get him fixed. The lady looked up from the computer screen, though she hadn't actually been typing. She was just staring blankly at the screen. "I'm sorry. What was that?" Her eyes were glazed over and she looked half-dead. "I wanna see Ryan.." There wasn't any sign of recognition. "Y-you know.. Ryan Frost.. Mr. Sulfate." Her eyes sparked momentarily as the nick-name rang a bell, but that spark suffocated under the heavy blanket of exhaustion. "I'm sorry. Only family is allowed to visit. Are you two related?" August gave her a smile, but it was lost on her. "Yes, Ma'am. He's my-" August paused for a split second. She was about to say father, but Ryan was far too young to be her father. "brother." She finished the sentence smoothly, almost as if she hadn't hesitated at all. Not like the woman would notice. She didn't even notice that August looked absolutely nothing like Ryan. She nodded absent-mindedly. "Up the elevator. Third floor.." The woman glanced at the screen briefly "Room 4." August thanked her, but she didn't hear.

The elevator ride took forever. As she walked through the white hallways, August wondered where all the nice animal drawings were, or the goofy posters about good health, like they had in the pediatrics section. She hadn't ever been to the grown-up section. As soon as she ditched her family, she hadn't gone to the doctors at all. She didn't like it here. It smelled odd, like chemicals trying to hard to cover up the stench of disease. It was gross. Her hands slipped into her pockets. She still had Ryan's knives. A smile slid across her lips. He'd be so mad when he realized. He might even hit her. August shook her head. Ryan would never hit her. He liked her. [Pff, no.]

She slipped into the room, noting the flaming red head. August wondered if her hair looked that bizarre. She grabbed a strand and looked at it. Her hair was an almost unnatural fire-engine red, while the doctors was more orange-ish. August sat down in one of the chairs that were pushed up against the wall. Hands in her pockets, she stroked one of the knives gently with her thumb. Ryan couldn't take them back. Not yet. He wouldn't dare try while the doctor was here, so for now, August was safe. The red-headed nurse-doctor woman caught August's attention. She was pretty, but young. Most doctors August saw were ancient, and mostly men. The only pretty doctors August ever saw were on tv. She glanced over at Ryan, and grinned stupidly. Apparently, he had noticed her pretty-ness too. His jaw was opened slightly. It made him look funny. August debated about leaving the two alone, but she was interested in the both too much to just get up and walk out. Ryan never reacted like to any lady. For a second, August thought he was gay, then she just decided he didn't like anyone. No.. August wasn't about to give up a chance like this. She'd stick around to watch. Unwrapping a piece of candy, she settled down in the chair and got comfortable.