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Several days ago, Ava got into a scrap with some vampires. The vampires are (now fully) dead, but one of them got in a good hit before she could finish it. She knows how to take care of her own basic first aid. She's been keeping the scratches across her ribs bandaged and clean. But she doesn't lead the most sedentary life, either. And she's still too wary of SHIELD to try to take advantage of their medical treatment.
So after they wounds broke open for the third time, Ava gave up and admitted she might need a little bit of professional help. Not badly enough to get it from SHIELD or anywhere near the YMCA in Brooklyn where someone might recognize her, though. Which is why she slips into the clinic here in Harlem, favoring her left side just a bit.
*
There's an inherent problem with pushing a mending body too far too quickly. Domino's impatience got the better of her, she didn't want to be visiting this clinic again so soon. Certainly not after what happened the last time she was here. But, beggars can't be choosers.
A black and blue-trimmed Dodge pulls up not too far from the facility, its lone occupant having a little difficulty in pulling herself out from behind the wheel. Under normal circumstances she'd look like another thug, all super pale skin and black road leathers. Today she just looks like another injured thug, all stiff in motion with one of those 'screw the world' expressions slapped across her face.
Fortunately: Free clinic. It looks like she isn't the only one with this idea in mind today, either. That is some -very- red hair.
*
Thea is approaching the clinic, sticking out just like she had her last time in Harlem. That attempt to visit the clinic about her practical rounds had been.. interuppted by an assassination, so here's attempt two. Blonde hair is up in a smooth, neat twist, rosy lip gloss, dark navy pants paired with paler blue blouse. She's faintly nervous as she slips inside the clinic, eyes closing just a moment to try and shut out extraneous information that will only distract her.
*
ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 43
*
While some may arrive, there are others that are departing through the door that separates the clinical rooms to the waiting room. A lean, wiry man is headed to the front window once again, his air of one that is used to the place. He's dressed down, looking that fine line between 'YMCA rat' and 'homeless'. The staff is chatty, all smiles, "Okay, Mr. Mullins. The doctor's given you another three months on your prescription, but you need to take it easy, okay?" It's that tone; the one that is just >< far from patronizing in its patience.
'Mr Mullins', that is, Barney Barton, manages to give a wan smile as he takes the slip of paper, nodding his head, full in the form and figure of his alias. "Yeah, I know.. thank you.."
"And stay out of trouble?" It's the final admonition from the desk nurse, her smile still so very professional. "You can't handle it."
"Yes'm.." Barney responds, turning towards the waiting room proper now, looking at everyone now within. Black and white.. and red. Time to go! And the blonde? Seems familiar, but just can't place her…
*
Ava hesitates for a moment inside the door. This clinic thing? Not something she has a lot of experience with. Where are you supposed to get in line? But there's someone leaving a counter, so maybe…
That face? Ava's seen Barney's face, or at least a sketch that looked like it. She doesn't react, looking past him toward the desk before starting in that direction, the angle off just enough that she'll bump into him if he isn't watching.
*
That hesitation almost results in an albino biker walking right into the other lady. A hand darts out to catch the doorframe with a *thunk* before her balance gives way. "High traffic area, keep it moving!"
..Huh. Domino may have been lucky (hah) the last time she ended up here. It had been quiet. So quiet that the door was locked and the one other person in the entire building was dead asleep with all of the lights off. By comparison this is the proverbial prime-time for medical treatment, though with the most recent attempt of drop-kicking that damn portal out of Central Park she shouldn't be terribly surprised at the amount of traffic here.
Part of her is already considering turning around and heading right back out to the car. Big fan of privacy, this lady. Though..darn her curiosity, 'Mullins' at the counter actually makes her pause. It's that sort of feeling like she maybe -should- know the guy even though she doesn't.
"Someone else with a conflict allergy?" she teases in a flat tone. Though, there's Red again on what sure looks like a collision course with the lone man. "Ah..hey, you've got incoming—"
*
Thea steps further inside to make room at the door for others coming or leaving. She'll need to wait until the front desk… but she wasn't quick enough. There's a glance of brown eyes up, a flicker before her expression resumes that calm expression, chin lifting. Eyes shift to the gentleman, a blink as there's a flash back. Blood on her hands, dead man at her feet, his face in a crowd. Everything about that moment is burned into her memory, if a bit blurry around the edges. She keeps her silence, taking another step to the side.
*
ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 35
*
'Mullins' keeps his head about him even with those coming in. He's a loner; doesn't like being around a whole lot of others, even if it's sharing a space in a waiting room for a few moments. He looks back over his shoulder at the screening/desk nurse before he looks back to the others that actually took his attention.
It's when the black and white… woman speaks to him that he mutters, "Heart." For those eagle-eyes, before he folds up his paper, it's a scrip for … nitroglycerin tablets. (Ain't medicine in the 60s great?!) "Doc tells me to move.. like he'll pay me to get out of the city?" Surly.. does he sound it? Probably, and he gives a cough in fist, just to underscore, perhaps.
Ava is the consummate agent; playing it cool, so there's absolutely no tell from her. Thea? There's that hint, but… still no cigar. But, to be honest, once the shot was taken and he was down on the ground, he wasn't paying full attention to the medics. He was looking for his way out…
*
Perfect, just the excuse Ava was looking for. Domino chides her for pausing in the doorway, and she half turns to apologize. "Sorry, I've never-" It means she's not looking, trusting the not looking to cover the fact that she's headed right into Barney's path. In fact, when Domino tries to warn her about that very thing, she turns back to front just in time to slam her injured side into him.
"Ah!" she hisses, hand coming up to her side as the other grabs at Barney's shoulder for support. "Agh, I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz, and this…" The pain is real enough to wipe the color from her face, freckles standing out. Harmless teenager here, nothing to see.
*
Dom could make some comment about demons and vampires being bad for the heart. She might have done just that if Little Red didn't just run right into the guy, causing the albino to slowly drop her forehead into an awaiting palm. People… Maybe Red's here for some anxiety meds or something, who the heck knows.
With a long breath claimed and released she looks around to the rest of the room, spying Thea not far away. "This may be a while," she openly suggests. The joke may be on her, however. She doesn't know any of these people, though that may not hold true for all of them.
*
Thea pales and flinches as the young redhead grabs at her side, a hard swallow in her throat. It's a little too close for comfort, and having that little flashback let it through. Damnit. Dark eyes slide aside to the pale woman in leathers, a brow arching. There's nothing wrong with her… except the pain of other people.
*
ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 47
*
There's lean muscle under that grab of a hand. Barney gives way under the handhold as if he'd be rolling with a punch to mitigate the damage a strike would do. It's learned muscle memory, to be sure. Clear blue eyes look to the remarkable redhead as a hand reaches out, "Steady, darlin'.." comes in a clearly Midwestern accent. Contrive or not, who knows. Raising his voice, but still couching it in that 'Mullins' tone only moments ago when talking to Domino, he calls out, "Nurse! This little girl's gonna need help."
Yeah, the chances are good it'll be a wait!
*
"Sorry," Ava says again, looking around with an uncomfortable smile, inwardly cursing the fact that she doesn't have a tracer, doesn't have the privacy she'd need to try to take Barney down and bring him in without giving herself away. Cover is the most important thing. SHIELD may forget that from time to time. The Red Room never did.
Still, she leans against him as much as is feasible. If she can make a connection, maybe she can get him to stick around. Gather more information. "My friends said I should get it looked at, I didn't- Couldn't really afford…"
*
If the silent blonde lady is an empath then her side is probably -really- hurting around this group. Red's side is injured. So is Domino's! Not that long ago she took a horn clean through it, just under the ribs. The wound been cleaned and stitched only for the albino to pull some of those stitches just recently and set the whole thing right back into agony. She's dealing with it like a real pro.
Having to wait..annoys her to no end, but at least there's something interesting going on in the meantime. The way that the Midwestern guy moves when grabbed onto..he's had some training. Or a lot of first-hand experience. Which means she's not letting him out of her sight if she can help it. Then there's the Redhead suddenly hanging off of his side. Hmm…
There's also Dom's patience, or lack thereof. Sooner or later it'll get the better of her, though so far she keeps herself in check.
*
ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 57
*
Thea moves to take the redhead's arm gently. "Let's get you to a seat, all right?" The blonde already has the patient nurses voice down, as she tries to help the girl find a seat. Her color is back, and while she takes another look at the man. Ava may feel an odd warmth along her side, an almost tickling sort of tingle over her scratches as pain eases. There's a faint smile for the redhead again.
*
There's an itching feeling that he might have been made; wouldn't be the first time, and it's almost always with strangers. It's not concrete, however, but Barney isn't willing to give it time to play out. Patience is not one of his virtues; not in the least. As Ava leans against him, looking for that support, here comes Thea, ready to take the weight off him and lend her support.
'Mullins' is more than willing to take that hand that leans on him and lead her to one of the very uncomfortable waiting room chairs in preparation to extricate himself as he shoves his scrip into a pocket.
(Thea may take notice there isn't a damned thing wrong with Mr 'Mullins', by the way…)
Domino? Well, he takes a look at her, at Ava again… and there's that flicker behind blue eyes. Easy enough to take out the injured. No faking there.
"Yeah.. they'll take good care of you here, darlin'.." is given while divesting himself of Ava's hold. "No bills." Of course, nowhere to send it. Forwarding addresses? Ha!
*
"Thanks, mister," Ava smiles weakly back at Barney, though she turns her attention to Thea when the woman offers her assistance. Don't be too eager. Be cautious. She settles carefully into the seat, brows furrowing slightly at the feeling in her side. It's not a bad injury. Not as most go. Not enough to need stitches. But the four raking wounds across her side from a vampire's talon's are just deep enough that the scabs aren't doing the job, leaving it to break open with exertion.
"It can wait, really," she says, glancing toward Domino. That does not look like a woman you want to make wait. "I just wasn't sure where to sign in…"
*
ROLL: Domino +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 65
*
Patience… Arms folded together. Glance at the clock. Glance at the door. Head slightly tilting to one side. Domino doesn't know which person to stare at so they all get their turns in equal measures. She's normally not real keen on drawing a lot of attention to herself but nobody enjoys being hurt, and lately that's been happening quite a lot with her!
(The treatment is free, the treatment is free… Keep quiet and stop bleeding, already.)
That guy, he's losing patience as well. She knows that feeling of needing to duck and run as quickly and subtly as possible. Something's going on here. Something which other people might be concerned about.
Not her! She couldn't care less! It's only going to be her problem if the guy takes her at scalpel-point and tells her to be the getaway driver. Which..would certainly liven up her day.
*
Thea releases Ava's arm once she's in a chair. Those scratches are easy enough to heal, and Thea steps away. "I'm waiting to speak to a nurse about practicals, so no one waits on me." There's a smile at the pale woman. "If you want to go first, of course. I can tell you're hurt." It's all too obvious to someone of Thea's…predicament. And that warmth and tingling will fade from Ava's side, and to try and find a home at healing Domino's injuries.
*
Thus divested of his 'charge', Barney is free to make his way over towards the door again, dropping both hands into his pockets. Time to go. Twisting around to the duty nurse behind the window, he pulls a hand free again in order to wave at her before he looks at the others within.
One step, two gets him to the front door, and with that free hand, pulls at the door between himself and the wide city beyond. Seriously.. time for a beer. Or three. And a relaxing game of darts in a quiet corner somewhere.
*
Son of a bitch. Opportunity lost.
On the other hand, when Ava reaches a hand for her side, there's…suddenly no more pain. She frowns slightly to herself, pulling up the hem of her t-shirt to get a look at the bandages, then starting to pull the bandages aside to look at the skin underneath.
*
ROLL: Domino +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 33
*
Dom's never really experienced the powers of a healer before. This might be a good thing, too. When she feels a warmth and tingling at the injury site she's thinking that it's just bleeding a little more. The area's suffered considerable trauma, the local nerves are confused and sparking over every little thing. That Thea is able to remotely help mend the wound, and gently so, is a very cool gift.
By comparison the albino flinches at first then frowns somewhat as she tugs the jacket zipper down and reaches around to put some light pressure on the healing puncture. Pressure stops bleeding, bleeding is what she thinks she's feeling, she's no stranger to the basics.
The weird part is that the longer she feels this way and the longer she has to wait..the better the injury is feeling… Maybe patience has its use, after all?
Once the line to the desk starts moving she's suddenly left wondering if she even needs to be here at all. It isn't leaking, not that she can tell. Though the -really- weird thing here is that Red's looking at -her- side now, too. What's going on here..?
*
Ava's marks will still be there, but deep pink marks - like scabs have fallen off and deeper healing has happened. Thea's standing straight, looking innocent if a little too well off to be standing in a free clinic in Harlem. She's not even looking at either of the other women, seeming to be looking at the front desk, waiting for an opening. Domino's side is certainly not bleeding anymore, and slowly that warmth increases to heat. There's a faint tension around Thea's eyes as she glances at the pale woman in leathers.
*
ROLL: Barney +rolls 1d100 for a result of: 81
*
And Barney is out the door; the moment the door closes behind him is the moment that the man actually gets lost in the traffic of the sidewalk. Out and away.
*
Well that's weird. Ava brushes a thumb over the beginnings of scars on her side, then furtively back around the office. First in the direction the wanted man went. Then toward the nurse who helped her to a seat. They're the only people she's touched. But who knows if this sort of thing requires touch at all?
*
Dom's..not going crazy. Not in what she's feeling. Not in how she's responding to what she's feeling. Frankly she's not sure -what- is going on, or how she should feel, or why, or how, or—
A pale hand reaches up to the side of her head, rubbing the area as though suddenly getting a headache. There's the desk, open now, and…
Okay. Before anything else happens here, she needs to sort this all out. After all of the impatience she's now turning away from the desk and claiming an empty seat. It's even feeling easier to walk around. Sitting down doesn't pull and stab at her so much. There's still bandages covering the area but she needs to get a look at this for herself.
That other gal is still looking confused, as well. It's enough for Domino to call out "You alright over there, Red?"
*
Thea would explain she isn't a nurse…yet. Part of the reason she's here is she has to do time 'in the trenches' before she can become a licensed R.N., and where better than somewhere that could use her free of charge services? She blinks as the dark haired woman sits instead of checking in, brown eyes watching her a long moment before there's a shrug and the blonde steps up to the desk. There's paperwork pulled from an inner pocket of her coat to lay down on the desk, explaining herself to the desk nurse quietly.
There's a momentary drop in sensation as Thea's focus shifts, but it quickly picks back up, if not to the same level of warmth and tingle Domino felt before.
*
"Uh huh," Ava answers Domino, pushing the bandages back down over her torso as she gives the palm woman a long, considering look. "I think maybe it…wasn't as bad as I thought it was." It's rude to call attention to the things people can do, right? It's stupid to call attention to yourself at all, that much she does know. "You?"
*
Dom's slowly nodding in agreement to Ava's thoughts on the matter. "Yeah, like it ..worked itself out." Or is continuing to work itself out, at any rate. Though despite knowing that whatever is helping them out like this doesn't come from either of them, she's tempted to let curiosity hang on this one and ..just let the healing commence. She's seen enough strange things lately that this actually registers pretty low on the list, and it's just so -subtle.-
Not like being knocked out of the park by a condo. True story! She's still got the scrapes and bruises from it!
"Great service around this place," she says in a joking manner. As if she -wasn't- just about to yell at someone for making her wait in line before.
*
Thea is terribly glad she mostly has her back to the two ladies. There's a bite of her bottom lip as she chokes back a laugh. She proceeds to get her signatures, and a promise of a phone call about working her into the schedule. Her share of the paperwork to take back to her school is folded up, and tucked back into that inside jacket pocket. She'll bid desk nurse a good day, before she'll turn to walk back through the waiting area.
There's a smile for Ava, before she speaks . "I hope you feel better." Then she glances at Domino. "You too, of course." There's a moment where warmth becomes heat, that tingling almost like a tangible buzz as the blonde heads for the door. As she walks away…slowly heat and tingling diminish until it's just…gone.
*
"Uh huh." It's nice not to be hurting anymore, not to have to worry about the wounds breaking open again. But Ava's still pretty light on the trust. And not a big fan of owing anyone. Whoever it is she owes. What if they can just make the wounds open up again? "Thanks," she says slowly as Thea makes her escape, staring after the woman before she looks back to Domino. "Guess I should probably make room for someone else."
*
That..right..it's -her-! It has to be! That—WOW.
For that brief moment of time when Thea makes eye contact Domino's rocking the deer in headlights expression. Blink once, close the jaw, and she manages a lame "Thanks…" as the healer sees herself out.
Then she looks back over to Ava, complete with a slow, blank shrug. "Good energy around this place," she says in a sort of agreement while standing herself upright.
If there's a donation jar on the front desk it's about to be a hundred dollars more flush.
After all, she did just help rob a bank the other day.