( text | un: jbb )

[traumatology]

if you know this guy —

( here, he presents a picture of lan wangji, looking pretty beat up and battered, holding up some scales. wangji does not smile, doesn't say cheese. )

he might need a little help when we get the hell out of here. i forgot my first aide kit and the things down here keep tossing him into me like a lawn dart.

and if anyone needs these lake scales, he's been talking like their important. i'm just making sure he stays alive.

Comments

[somebadnews]

[ Seriously? Five raises an eyebrow and tries to get a look at what he's refused to let go of, even half-dead. ]

You always trust secondhand information? [ Now the debate becomes if he wants to pry one out of his fingers. ] ...I have a scale, from the last place we were holed up in. I wanted to compare them.

[traumatology]

What the hell are these scales for?

( he's not saying no but he's new here and he wants to know how important they are. )

They part of something bigger?

[somebadnews]

I doubt he even knows, but probably. [ Or they're cursed. One or the other. ]

The scales I've seen glow when they're near the undead. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to figure it out.

[traumatology]

So what? They're zombie detectors?

( he's not even surprised anymore. )

[somebadnews]

Something like that.

[ He crouches down near Wangji, still debating. It seems odd that he'd be so attached to something that doesn't do more than what they've already seen. ]

Did these come off of whatever what throwing you around? What did it look like?

[traumatology]

Nasty little thing with tentacles. I didn't really get to see it because it threw the guy at me.

( but he remembers it slithering out of a lake and having tentacles. )

Guessing it either came off the thing or it came out of the lake. But, they were both located in the same place.

whatever *was, ahem

[somebadnews]

[ So not a dragon. Five could have wrestled one free by now, but he halfway expects a fight if he grabs them and Lan Wangji recognizes him. And then there's that other thing about the lake. ]

...Did it sing?

[traumatology]

Did it...what?

( bucky eyes him like he's gotta be putting him on or some shit. )

Did you ask me if it sang?

[somebadnews]

[ That's a 'no', but it doesn't discount the possibility. ]

What about him? Did he seem like he was in a trance?

[traumatology]

No, he seemed like he got the crap kicked out of him and like he had a concussion.

( didn't seem like a trance. )

[somebadnews]

[ Oddly enough, that doesn't spark the kind of satisfaction it likely should have.

Not the same thing then. Still weird it involves another lake, but it doesn't sound like the scales themselves are cursed. So he looks back up at Bucky. ]

Lucky for him you were there. [ Being helpful. And fairly calm and agreeable during this whole thing. ] In that case, wrestle one of these loose for me. If I do it, he'll just get more confused than his concussed brain can handle, and we don't want to tempt fate.

[traumatology]

So, you want me to get into some shit when he remembers eventually?

( because that's how shit always went for him. he grumbles a little and tries to reach for the scales. )

What are you gonna do with this anyway?

[somebadnews]

[ He just smiles in response to the first question and moves back to give him plenty of space that he's not associated with. For the other: ]

Depends. If I can't figure out what it does, I have people who can look into it. And if it's ultimately useless, it'll probably still work as a bargaining chip for some local witchdoctor.

[traumatology]

So, is this like the currency of this place?

( scales instead of money? )

Grab some scales and get you a brand new car?

[somebadnews]

[ He makes a face. ]

What? No. [ Does he not see how inconvenient that would be? Although it really speaks to how recently he arrived. ]

Nobody's told you anything, have they?

[traumatology]

I kind of just got here.

( so no, not really. )

And as soon as I got here, it was all undead and stuff like that. Are they related?

[somebadnews]

[ And the first thing that happens to him was Lan Wangji literally thrown at him. Poor bastard. ]

Are what related? [ To the thing in the lake? ] ...If you want to know about the undead, that's a longer story than I have time for. But tangentially, you could say it all ties back to that, yeah.

[ They'll probably be here soon, but he is one of the few who will give him the correct information. So he takes pity on him and makes an offer. ]

Any other burning questions?

[traumatology]

No, the scales and the undead.

( but good to know there's a bigger story here. he couldn't have landed somewhere easy and quiet, could he?

god, he misses wakanda and the goats. can't he go back there? )

But no, not right now. If I have any later, I'll come find you.

[somebadnews]

[ He seems mildly surprised at how casually he says that. Everything about Bucky has been oddly calm. He's moving around fine for having a grown man slam repeatedly into him, and then there's that arm...

Five was raised by a robot, so it's not a crazy theory. He hums and nods to the scales, waiting to be handed one. ]

The other scales were tied to the undead, so maybe. I won't know until I look into it. [ Everything is tied to them one way or another. But since he has no other questions: ] I'm sure we'll run into each other again. Now if you don't mind, I'll just get what I came for and be on my way.

[traumatology]

Be my guest.

( he's not a babysitter and if five wants to do what he's going to do, bucky's not going to stop him. he's too old and he knows when to pick his battles. )

Anyone asks me, I'm not covering for you.

( just so they're on the same page. )

[somebadnews]

[ And they were getting along so well. A minute ago he was going to grab one for him. ]

What do you think I'm going to do with them? [ The only one who could make that leap is Wangji, and that's more likely the longer he stands around talking about it. — But now he's made it weird to steal something from a concussed ally, who has been noticeably quiet. If Bucky is wrong and he does die before the others get here, it'll probably come back around. ]

...Fine. I'll ask him when he wakes up. [ He sighs and shakes his head, then turns back around. ]

Make sure he does.

[traumatology]

You can do whatever you want with them. I'm just not gonna be a fall guy.

( you do the crime, you do the time, five. seems fair, isn't it?

he shrugs. )

He seems like a reasonable guy. I'm sure he'll share.

[somebadnews]

[ Another second and he would have blinked away empty handed, but that gives him pause. He looks back at the man who still looks like a tragedy on the ground clutching a fistful of scales. ]

He dove into a lake like a maniac after a shiny object, and you think he seems reasonable?

[traumatology]

Maybe my perception is skewed.

( he smirks. )

But I've known a lot of people like that so guess I'm used to it.

[somebadnews]

[ He's getting that. No one would be this casual unless it was a regular occurrence, or they were on something. ]

Case in point. [ Said like that same impulse doesn't apply to most of his siblings. He’d continue vaguely insulting Wangj , but he’s wasted enough time, so instead he turns his gaze behind him. ]

About time they got here.

[ Either he heard something or is he’s bluffing to get him to turn his back. Don’t think too hard about it, Bucky. ]