79;

[gottaknockhard]

[Things have changed from the days when getting into bloody shootouts and being thrown out of windows were all part of a routine procedure for Spike. When they had the technology to treat severe injuries, and he could bounce back from broken bones in a matter of weeks or even days. Now he has to experience the whole damn thing. It's out of sheer stubbornness that he doesn't get impatient and put out an open call for a "magic" doctor to speed up the process of regaining use in his hand. (Whatever they're really called. As many times as he's had to use them before, he should probably know that.) Too bad the only ones he could trust aren't around anymore.

For a while he had daydreamed about jumping off of the castle; which isn't the most original idea, and yet never seems to happen. Something always holds him back. The spectacle of it all, maybe. Spike is generally a private person, and the last thing he wants is to have his name blasted over the journal after he made a mess on the castle steps. Still, in two weeks he could be as good as new. If he were less experienced with the whole process, it would have been an easy sell.

Instead, here he is, slumped in a chair in the clinic lobby. Bored out of his mind.]

Hey. [He hasn't opened the journal once in weeks, and he doesn't bother to look back at what he missed when he dictates to a blank page. The only reason he has it open now is to put off walking up to that counter and have them berate him for leaving in the first place. Small steps.] What's the next holiday? I need to start marking this shit down.

[LATER --]

( Queen Anne )

[After his prognosis he has the journal on him again. He thinks about doing this in person, but he does a better job at faking good health this way. He has a feeling he'll be doing a lot of that in the foreseeable future.

She doesn't deserve to wait.]

I haven't forgotten.

Comments

Spiegel

[lucre]

[ Maybe she should feel more guilt for taking that magic doctor option from him and for causing his need for one. But guilt is alien to her, just like forgiveness. It might be merciful for her to leave him be, but then she was never in the habit of denying herself of whatever she happens to want at the moment. Mercy is just as alien. Some Christian she is. ]

My birthday. [ Clearly a holiday. ]

Lucrezia

[gottaknockhard]

[He won't assume guilt has her filtering to him. It's possible that she takes it as lightly as she does everything else, and considering how badly he must have wanted to die, it's hardly worth mentioning. A favor gone wrong.]

I wonder what they're planning for that.

Spiegel

[lucre]

[ Calling it a favor gone wrong is being very generous indeed. But then Lucrezia has always thought Spike was the giving kind. ]

Something kinder for you, one hopes.

Lucrezia

[gottaknockhard]

[...

She really is hard to take sometimes. Even for him.]

It's not my party.

Spiegel

[lucre]

[ Most days she tries her very best to be liked, loved, but that's a moot point when it comes to him. So why bother? ]

I could make it so. And no fighting this time.

Lucrezia

[gottaknockhard]

You have other games in mind?

Spiegel

[lucre]

[ That earns him a long pause from her end. ]

No more games.

[Spike]

[hasmommyissues]

I believe it it is Saint Patricks day next.

Perhaps we will all wake up with green skin or with silly Irish accents?

Silva

[gottaknockhard]

[Silva doesn't want to be seen talking to him either, huh? What troublesome friends he has.]

Just what I always wanted.

[Spike]

[hasmommyissues]

[ You love a bad boy Spike admit it.]

I judge from your tone you have had a pleasant Valentines day?

Silva

[gottaknockhard]

[Maybe he relates to them.]

The theme went a little over my head this time. I'm not sure the castle is sticking to the classics anymore.

[Spike]

[hasmommyissues]

[Who doesn't?]

You think the castle is having creativity problems?

There's a troubling thought.

Silva

[gottaknockhard]

I think the castle lost its damn mind.

[--Whoops, that came out a little strong. You'd think he hates pandas or something.]

Master Spiegel

[ensorceler]

[ Having seen his injuries first-hand, any attempt at faking health is lost on her, but she also understands somewhat of a man's pride.

If it can come close to rivaling that of a queen's. ]

I am riveted by your wasting of my time. Is that all you have to say, then?

Queen Anne

[gottaknockhard]

[That little barb doesn't bother him at all, even though he's well aware that he's been taking his sweet time in becoming marginally functional. If anything, he's amused that she's still using titles, so he keeps it up on his end. He must at least be feeling better to gain back some of his humor.]

I had more. [-- But he isn't suddenly going to know how properly express gratitude to a queen. All he can do is keep his teasing to a minimum.] If the offer hasn't expired.

Master Spiegel

[ensorceler]

[ She feels the titles are necessary now, not only to keep a certain level of distance, but so that people don't forget what she is. It doesn't matter that her title was taken away by the time of her death, she can't see it that way. ]

Your apartment is not a long walk from my chambers.

[ Just down the hall! So she thinks he still has a lot of healing to do or he's elsewhere. Or both. But his answer pleases her, enough that she's going to reward him.

And not tell him about doing so. ]

Until you are presentable enough to pay your reverence before me, I wish to hear nothing on the matter.

Queen Anne

[gottaknockhard]

[Hey, they both know that he's not 'people'; but he'd understand her point. Distance is good for him. If he'd stuck with it, he could have cut his clinic visits down by half.]

Presentable, huh? [He's not sure what that means, but if she's waiting for him to fully recover, she might as well have bet on another horse.] You should know that's never been my strong suit.

Master Spiegel

[ensorceler]

You serve none with such dismal views. Fear not, I have faith that you will recover sooner than you think. In at least, well enough to be of proper speech and use.

But where the word is written is a good place for a tale. It is a shame to leave them unfinished.

Queen Anne

[gottaknockhard]

[They've been out of contact more than they used to be, so it takes him a while to deconstruct her way of speaking. It doesn't help that he's still on a fair amount of painkillers, especially after the last news he got from the clinic.

Is she asking what happened? That makes his response take longer, debating over what's a fairly complicated issue.]

I guess I'd better come up with one if I want to save my reputation.

Filter: Spike

[toobravehearted]

[After the talk with Queen Anne and after the Doctor has thumbed back through the journal by a day or two and compared handwriting from several months ago now, he's fairly sure it's the same man. Handwriting can be quite distinctive, and he thanks Anne's insistence that he kept the journal open to record their voices when exploring that ship. How he's going to handle this however, and what he might be able to do... Well, that he will have to play by ear.]

Otherstide. It's in March, actually. Hello Spike. It's the Doctor. Do you remember me?


((ooc: does this work at all for you, y/n?))

Filter: the Doctor

[gottaknockhard]

[Hopefully he's not too anxious for a reply. It takes a while for Spike to see the message, and then it takes even longer to process. He was just at the clinic, so his first thought is they caught him walking off with supplies.

But then he remembers Anne, and the connection between them. He should probably be grateful that he's being discrete.]

Yeah, I remember.


ooc: y! completely fine

Filter: Spike

[toobravehearted]

[He doesn't mind waiting for too long, patience he can employ when needed and he spends the time pottering about his lab. Waiting overlong however and he's aware he might have to seek Spike out a little more directly, and then,]

Good. Good. How are you doing? [He pauses a moment while choosing words carefully, showing he knows but not all of his hand.] Have you left the clinic yet?

Filter: the Doctor

[gottaknockhard]

[Funny how filters work. Spike still can't tell if that's a nickname, or proof that he really is a doctor. -- There's a chance that the pain killers he's on keep him from focusing on one thing at a time, but at least he's aware of it. He should be suspicious that the guy knows where he was coming from, unless he can chalk it up to a lucky guess.]

I didn't want to stick around for the bill.

Filter: Spike

[toobravehearted]

[It's funny how filters work, he can't tell if Spike is a nick-name or not, either. What he does know is that he doesn't recall Spike to be quite so laconic, although he was certainly of few words.]

Meaning you left of your own volition before the checkout time? Where are you now? I've been asked to look in on you, see how you're doing.

Filter: the Doctor

[gottaknockhard]

[Is it a coincidence that the castle moved his room just down the hall from the clinic? He has to wonder.]

It'd be rude to turn down someone she went through the trouble to find. [Even if he does ask too many questions. Not that it matters; being injured means Spike can get away with pretending he didn't catch them. Probably.

Either way, he's had too many people try to kill him lately not to fish around before he invites him in.]