[ 76th consult | voice | desert city - safe zone ]

[dr_conscience]

[One Doctor James Wilson has arrived in the safe zone, checked in to help with the injured, gotten his bearings, and is finally taking a moment to try to find a space outside of the overwhelming crowds to sit for just a moment.]

Well, it is preferable to the open desert, but there's a lot to be said for having room to breathe, or a moment's quiet to think. Still, it has walls - something I doubt I'll ever take for granted again.

[As he shifts, he pauses a moment.]

Crowded is an understatement, though; it's a bit of a challenge to find individuals in the masses, and it would be nice to know who's here - who's safe, who's still out there. And the other city... all I can really do is hope everyone there is holding up all right.


[Private to Penny]

This does feel a bit like cheating at "looking for you", but... if you're here, I'm sure I can take the time to see you.


[ooc: open to action if you like]

Comments

[vicodincrutch]

It should because it's sterile.

[dr_conscience]

I think the streets of Camden seem sterile compared to the last... well, however long it's been.

[vicodincrutch]

This whole time I've been getting reminders to rewatch Mad Max and not a VCR or DVD player to be found.

We truly are living savagely.

[Feel his pain, Wilson. Feel it.]

[dr_conscience]

I can only begin to imagine how deeply the pain of this tragedy must burn.

Are you hunting a gang or joining one?

video;

[oceantrauma]

You were over here as well? I'm holding up okay. [He has a giant flying whale. No one needs to worry here.]

video;

[dr_conscience]

I was out there until very recently - the deities have set up a camp of sorts, which is where I am now. It provides a bit more protection against the elements and the creatures in the desert.

[Well, that's... probably very useful, actually.]

video;

[oceantrauma]

I'm glad to know you're safe...safer, then. I haven't heard much about the safe zone, other than everyone wants to meet up there. I think I'll be there soon.

[Very useful. Ken's well taken care of.]

video;

[dr_conscience]

Good. It's... not ideal, but it is better than the open desert. It's certainly safer, even it's not entirely safe.

Just make sure that you're careful getting here.

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[No worries, Wilson; Penny's all over the looking. And finding. And now that she has found you, you get a surprise hug because you're in one piece and that's how she likes her friends.]

Hey! I'm so glad you made it here!

[She makes it sound like he made it to a party and not through a desert, although the affect is kind of ruined by her sunburn and the makeshift bandage around once calf.]

How're you doing? Have you heard from all of your people yet?

action;

[dr_conscience]

[There's just a moment's lag on the response, before he realizes who's just surprised him with the hug and returns it.]

Penny -- it's really good to see you.

[He's very obviously relieved to see her, even - or rather, especially - considering the circumstances. Of course, he's more than sunburned enough that he can't judge that area, but he does frown with concern at the bandage.]

I'm fine, really, and I've heard from most of them. What about you? Are you alright? How's the leg?

action;

[anunluckypenny]

You too! Your poor face, though... that sunburn looks awful. And you haven't heard from everyone yet? Are they in the other City?

I'm not eaten, which is great. [She perches on a--well, perhaps it was part of a building at one point, or maybe it's just an oversized piece of garbage and removes what had been a cardigan before its service as a bandage. The injury on her calf looks rather raw, the skin an angry red and the bite itself untidy and purpled.] And that's that. There wasn't much to do with it in the desert.

action;

[dr_conscience]

[He shrugs slightly at the sunburn, a sheepish half-smile along with it.]

Oh, it'll be fine... I just don't usually get quite this much sun. The City could do much worse.

[As she gets up there, he does extend an arm just in case, to make sure she's stable and that she has it to grab if she's not. Once she's secure, he kneels and frowns at it. Even as he does so, he answers her questions.]

Almost everyone I've been looking for. I know at least one person is in the other City, but she's all right, from what I've heard.

[He's got a small pack of medical supplies still with him, out of which he pulls a real bandage and some antiseptic. Purple's not good, but it could be worse. No puss or secretions mean it's probably just at risk and not infected yet. They'll need to keep an eye on it, though.]

I need to clean this out, alright? It's going to sting a bit.

[boutant]

I think I'd rather get kicked by a horse again then repeat this little adventure.

[ But she's grinning. ]

[dr_conscience]

I might be careful saying things like that. I doubt they're mutually exclusive.

[Punctuated with his own little grin in return.]

[boutant]

Well, I did get punched in the face by the person who was riding the horse.

[ She has to laugh. ]

But hey, the horse bruise is gone. Now I just have new ones to replace it.

[ Nothing from that punch, though. ]

[dr_conscience]

You-- what? But-- well, I... I'm glad that's one healed, though I can hardly say that replacing it with a crop of new ones was ideal...

[And stepping back a moment because it seems really messed up - ]

But. Why did they punch you?

[intheblanks]

[Chase requisitioned the ground floor of one of the central buildings as a makeshift clinic, and with a little help from a grand dowager of a witch has even managed to clear the area of sand. Not even the wizarding world can help where equipment has crumbled away and supplies won't last out, though. The whole week has been one of hard decisions.

With the cool of a desert night setting in, Chase - half in scrubs, half a wrecked button down shirt, the sleeves unrolled to flap at his wrists and (out of place) leather gloves - lightly nudges Wilson as he walks by.]

Interested in some air that doesn't smell like bleach and vomit?

[dr_conscience]

[Wilson's not looking too much better himself, though his largest needs are a shower and a change of clothes. He's badly sunburned from having a far too fair complexion that's spent far too long in the sun (the irony of the sunburn does not fail to darkly amuse the oncologist, of course). He's wearing a now-discolored button-down shirt that's gone ratty at the bottom, the not-quite-whole remains of his sleeves heavily creased where they'd been rolled. His tie is long gone, and his once-neatly-pressed dress pants aren't holding up much better than the shirt.

He glances up with a furrowed brow at the nudge and shrugs to the inquiry, slightly tilting his head to a side with the motion. He hasn't noticed the interesting handwear, not just yet.]

That's hard to say; bleach and vomit do have a bizarrely comforting familiarity.

[intheblanks]

[Couldn't everyone around here use a shower (it would certainly help with the smell). The best the clinic has to offer - better than most places in the camp - are large buckets of water in which the various patients and medics have to do their best to wash, or scrub up. Far from ideal, and the poor little rich boy of three years ago would probably be complaining more loudly about it than he is now.]

As much as I'd like to join you breathing in the nostalgia - I need a break.

[Wilson can catch up then, or they can catch up later, but Chase is heading out and around to the back of the building where the sloping terrain looks out over the walls onto sheer desert, and there are fewer people to come looking for help.]

[dr_conscience]

[For his part, Wilson only takes a few moments to give the interior a quick look around before he heads out after Chase. There may have been some truth behind his typically deadpan quip, but the limited sense of familiarity is about the only comfort there is to be found here.

As he reaches the back of the building, he slows his pace, taking a few steps away from the structure before he stops and looks out over the desert. It's deceitfully pretty, this way, in stark contrast to the time he spent out there.]

Does anyone even know what day it is anymore?

[entangles]

Thank you for all your help, Dr. Wilson.

[dr_conscience]

Well. Medical degrees do make fantastic interior decor, but I like to use it now and again.

Really, though, I'm sure I'd be much worse off right now if I didn't have something useful to do.

text | from glass, and backdated ;;

[as_damaged]

W▓▒son?

Yo░ f▒▓nd so▓▒wh▒░e s▓fe? A▓▒ Ch░▒▓ and H▓░▒e wi▒▓ y-░?

text

[dr_conscience]

Ca▒▓ro░- ye▒. Th▓▒'re h░▒e. We▓░e sa▓▒.

A▓e ░▒u al▒ ri▒▓t?

text

[as_damaged]

I'▒ g░▓▒ to ▓▒ar th░▒.

I'░ f▓▒e. T▒▓░e se▒▓ to b░ ▓wo C░▒▓es; it's ▓n░act ▓▒re, b░▓ m▒d░ of gl▒▓s.