[She exhales, trying to clear her head and shake off her unease as she checks him over, herself. He looks fine—mostly fine, until she spots the blood, oddly stark against his skin, and her heart skips a beat.]
Your wrist!
[It takes a second for her to remind herself that he's fine, that it was just a small incision, but what if it gets infected? There's no more asking the admin for medical help, and if it gets bad, there'd be absolutely nothing they could do. She brings her legs underneath her, wincing slightly as her muscles protest. She'll just have to clean it up for him and hope for the best.]
[Glancing downwards and away from her, he finally allows himself to take in the sight of his wrist. It looks far worse than it truly is, he knows, the blood marring the skin and making the incision look bigger than it was. He would have to be careful, would have to keep it clean and dressed until it healed. If it were to get infected, if something were to happen, they would be on their own with what limited resources they had available.]
Guess they really did have them all counted. [Moving to sit upright was painful, muscles screaming in protest, but he did so anyway, slowly bringing his leg's out in front of him, stretching them outwards in hopes of easing away the ache.] We still have those bandages, right?
[Reaching for his wrist, she scoots forward, stretching out her own legs as much as she can even as she brings herself closer.]
Yeah, we do.
[The whole thing was unsettling. She's always known they were being monitored, but actually having it confirmed so intensely was disturbing. And whatever that thing was...
She tries to shake it off, focusing on his wound instead. This close, it really doesn't look too terrible.]
[It was far more than unsettling, in all honesty. To know that not only were they being monitored at all times, but that who ever was currently in control of this place also held such a high level of control over them. Images flashes before his eyes as the memories of the moments before they'd fallen asleep came rushing back, of the giant unseen shadow lurking above them, of the feeling of terrible dread that had come crashing over them right a split second before the world went black.
And then waking up, cold and stiff where they had dropped, multiple hours having passed and some unknown medical procedure having been performed without his consent.
Normally he wouldn't have argued, would have pulled out of her grasp. But it wasn't going to do him any good to be stubborn at the current moment.]
Probably a good idea. [It goes unspoken just how angry he is that it had been reopened and the chip taken in the first place.] Sure you can handle it?
[She gives him a look, although there's no real heat behind it.]
I can handle it.
[She's seen worse, and even if she's not exactly comfortable with sewing his skin together, she can do it. Tifa lets go of him and finally stands, slower and far less gracefully than she'd like. Her pack isn't far, and as she digs out their soap and a water bottle, then grabs the sewing kit from where Cloud had left it, she keeps an eye out for any microchips that might have been missed. They'll have to search more thoroughly later, but she's almost certain there are none left.
Settling down beside him again, Tifa takes his wrist as she tries to ignore her frustration. After all that, they couldn't even keep one chip. Hopefully Rhys and Angel had some luck at least.]
[It won't be pleasant. Just as he's certain watching him create the wound hadn't been pleasant, knowing exactly what was at risk. Infection, the wound not healing properly, any number of things that could have potentially gone wrong. After everything, they hadn't even been allowed to keep that singular chip, and the knowledge that it had been taken from him, without his consent, without him even being aware is enough to make the anger flare back up. At the very least it would have made their actions worth it, would have made the risk worth the potential gain. Now all the could do what hope that everyone's combined efforts had been enough.
Body twisting, he shifts until he's facing her entirely, allowing her better access to the freshly opened incision. It's going to sting, going to bite and ache, but it's a pain that he had taken on willingly, had accepted without a second thought.]
[Cold water and soap is better than nothing, but she still finds herself wishing they had something better to disinfect the wound with as she cleans it. She's trying to be as gentle as possible, even though she knows there's no real way to keep it from hurting.
At his comment, she glances up, biting her lip. It's a sweet thing to say, but it was dangerous to stitch that microchip into his skin. They had no idea how the admin would react, or how she'd go about removing it.]
[It's difficult to hide the way his nose wrinkles as the stinging burn of the soap settles into his skin, cleaning whatever dirt and debris may have settled into the wound. Thankfully, the harsh chill of the water has a slightly numbing effect, easing away the ache and leaving the surrounding area tingling.
Electric blue lift, seeking out wine red under the thick fall of blond bangs.]
[They both do stupid, reckless things, and she wasn't about to wrestle the knife out of his hand. Still.]
I guess so.
[She peeks up at him again, then grabs a needle and a length of thread from the sewing kit, and falls silent as she threads it. Giving him stitches is going to be so much fun.]
[Silence falls over them, like a thick veil, heavy with all of the things that could have been said, should have been said, but would instead become buried, never to see the light of day. Eyes flicker downwards, taking in the sight of the wound, far less ghastly now that it's been properly cleaned. A deep intake of breath, followed quickly by another, mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen, for the feeling of cold steel moving repeated through wounded flesh.]
Could've been worse. They could have shuffled us all again.
[And he highly doubts he'd be lucky enough to wind up next to the grocery store twice in a row.]
[She hears him inhale as she takes his wrist again, and she lightly brushes her thumb against his skin, an attempt at silent comfort. It's true that things could have been so much worse. At least they all did something. She's been feeling like they've been spinning their wheels for a long time. There's no real point being frustrated about it, at least not right now.]
Mm. Maybe Rhys figured something out. [Then, more softly:] Ready?
[Attempting to lighten the mood, as if turns out, was a complete and total failure. Perhaps this fog of seriousness and doubt was too heavy to be lifted quite yet. Perhaps they needed to allow it to linger, just a little bit longer, just enough to remind them that while what they had all done had been necessary, it wasn't without consequence. Luck had, for the most part, been on their side this time.
It likely wouldn't bee for the next attempt.
Another deep breath, glowing blue falling away, choosing a particularly interesting spot upon the floor to focus on instead.]
[Okay, well. Here they go. She just needs to be as quick and careful about this as possible. As least the wound isn't that big, and Cloud has been through much worse.
So she starts stitching, ignoring the fact that she's sewing through his skin and focusing on keep each stitch as even and straight as possible. It doesn't take long at all, at least, and by the time she's snipping the excess thread, she realizes she's been holding her breath and she exhales, a little raggedly.]
[Sharp, white teeth nip into his bottom lip as icy steel sears through warm flesh, bright, flashing pain quickly followed by the sensation of skin being drawn together, held firmly in place by strong thread. Slow inhales and exhales of breath, forcing himself to stay as still as possible, to hold his arm stable and steady.
And then it's over and all that's left behind is a barely noticeable sting.]
[She nods, leaning over to grab the roll of bandages from where they fell a few feet away. There's enough to cover Cloud's wound, at least, although they're already running low because Tifa insisted that Nathan take half.
Tifa shoots him a little smile before she begins to wrap the bandage around his arm, trying to be as gentle as possible while still making sure it's secure. Once she's done, set sets the roll aside again and then reaches for his hand, taking it a little hesitantly.]
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[She exhales, trying to clear her head and shake off her unease as she checks him over, herself. He looks fine—mostly fine, until she spots the blood, oddly stark against his skin, and her heart skips a beat.]
Your wrist!
[It takes a second for her to remind herself that he's fine, that it was just a small incision, but what if it gets infected? There's no more asking the admin for medical help, and if it gets bad, there'd be absolutely nothing they could do. She brings her legs underneath her, wincing slightly as her muscles protest. She'll just have to clean it up for him and hope for the best.]
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Guess they really did have them all counted. [Moving to sit upright was painful, muscles screaming in protest, but he did so anyway, slowly bringing his leg's out in front of him, stretching them outwards in hopes of easing away the ache.] We still have those bandages, right?
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Yeah, we do.
[The whole thing was unsettling. She's always known they were being monitored, but actually having it confirmed so intensely was disturbing. And whatever that thing was...
She tries to shake it off, focusing on his wound instead. This close, it really doesn't look too terrible.]
I can clean it and... stitch it back up.
[Which isn't exactly a welcome thought.]
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And then waking up, cold and stiff where they had dropped, multiple hours having passed and some unknown medical procedure having been performed without his consent.
Normally he wouldn't have argued, would have pulled out of her grasp. But it wasn't going to do him any good to be stubborn at the current moment.]
Probably a good idea. [It goes unspoken just how angry he is that it had been reopened and the chip taken in the first place.] Sure you can handle it?
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I can handle it.
[She's seen worse, and even if she's not exactly comfortable with sewing his skin together, she can do it. Tifa lets go of him and finally stands, slower and far less gracefully than she'd like. Her pack isn't far, and as she digs out their soap and a water bottle, then grabs the sewing kit from where Cloud had left it, she keeps an eye out for any microchips that might have been missed. They'll have to search more thoroughly later, but she's almost certain there are none left.
Settling down beside him again, Tifa takes his wrist as she tries to ignore her frustration. After all that, they couldn't even keep one chip. Hopefully Rhys and Angel had some luck at least.]
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Body twisting, he shifts until he's facing her entirely, allowing her better access to the freshly opened incision. It's going to sting, going to bite and ache, but it's a pain that he had taken on willingly, had accepted without a second thought.]
Guess it's a good thing I have you.
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At his comment, she glances up, biting her lip. It's a sweet thing to say, but it was dangerous to stitch that microchip into his skin. They had no idea how the admin would react, or how she'd go about removing it.]
What made you think of hiding it like that?
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Electric blue lift, seeking out wine red under the thick fall of blond bangs.]
Better this than what they did to Angel.
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That doesn't mean it was a much better idea.
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It was still worth a shot.
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I guess so.
[She peeks up at him again, then grabs a needle and a length of thread from the sewing kit, and falls silent as she threads it. Giving him stitches is going to be so much fun.]
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Could've been worse. They could have shuffled us all again.
[And he highly doubts he'd be lucky enough to wind up next to the grocery store twice in a row.]
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Mm. Maybe Rhys figured something out. [Then, more softly:] Ready?
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It likely wouldn't bee for the next attempt.
Another deep breath, glowing blue falling away, choosing a particularly interesting spot upon the floor to focus on instead.]
As I'll ever be.
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So she starts stitching, ignoring the fact that she's sewing through his skin and focusing on keep each stitch as even and straight as possible. It doesn't take long at all, at least, and by the time she's snipping the excess thread, she realizes she's been holding her breath and she exhales, a little raggedly.]
There. Done.
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And then it's over and all that's left behind is a barely noticeable sting.]
We still have those bandages?
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Tifa shoots him a little smile before she begins to wrap the bandage around his arm, trying to be as gentle as possible while still making sure it's secure. Once she's done, set sets the roll aside again and then reaches for his hand, taking it a little hesitantly.]
Are you okay?