(no subject)

[tptb-in-ltsh.livejournal.com]

Date/Time: 20 May, early evening
Location: Lobby, and wherever this takes us
Summary: Let the new plot commence


A taxi came to a halt in front of the manor. The driver looked at his passenger with concern. “Sir, are you sure you don’t want me to take you to a--?” he started to ask.
The man in his back seat interrupted him hoarsely. “Yes!” he snapped. “Here.” He dug some folded bills from his pocket and shoved them into the driver’s hand before he pushed open the door and got out of the car.
The driver stared at the money, both because of the bloody fingerprints left on it and because the man had much overpaid him.

The nameless stranger he had brought here was already moving towards the building. His gait was lurching, and he kept his right arm pressed close to his side, covering a spot where blood seeped steadily through his tightly buttoned jacket with his hand.
He barely made it up the few steps that led to the door, and stumbled into the lobby. For a moment, he stood at the door and looked around, his breath rattling and labored. Anyone looking at him had to see that he was in pain and at the limits of his strength, hardly able to remain upright. The traces of a recent beating were livid in his face. Judging by the scraped knuckles of his hands, he had at least managed to get in a few good punches of his own.

Comments

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose looked up from the reception desk when the front door was opened and froze for a moment in surprise. She could smell the blood clearly and that man looked awful. She jumped up from her chair and ran over to the man, but Raphael was even faster.

She went to the man's other side to be able to catch him in case he fell and looked up at the newcomer, waiting for him to answer Raphael's question. Raphael was, after all, the one who had healer knowledge...

[tptb-in-ltsh.livejournal.com]

A girl and a red-haired man had come running to his side. He tried to focus on each of them in turn.

"I need..." he said, as the room started to spin around him."

"...your help." He wasn't sure if he managed to say the last words out loud or not as he feld his body collapse and darkness rose up to claim him.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael grabbed the man when he collapsed. "Sir? Sir? Can you hear me?" He carefully laid him down on the floor, pulling off his own jacket to pillow beneath the man's head. He turned to Rose. "Rose, can you... can you bring me a washcloth and a bowl of water?" He thought a moment. "And if you can't find disinfectant a bottle of Vodka will do. And... and some guaze. We needto stop the bleeding."

You are the Healer of God!

One of the Seven that stands before the Lord!

He started removing the man's shirt. Internal bleeding... Oh this isn't good...

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose nodded, asking "There should be disinfectant in a first aid kit, shouldn't there? We replaced the used ones after your arrival..."

She really didn't know, but she went to the storeroom. She'd find everything there - well, everything apart from the vodka and maybe that wouldn't be needed. Grabbing a first aid kit and a washcloth she tucked both under her arm, then took a clean bucket - she couldn't find a basin here - and placed it in the sink to fill it with fresh water.

As soon as the bucket was filled to two thirds of its height she turned off the water faucet and carried bucket, washcloth and first aid kit back to Raphael.

"I couldn't find a basin but the bucket is clean," she said as she placed said item next to Raphael, kneeling down and holding out washcloth and first aid kit.

[tptb-in-ltsh.livejournal.com]

The unconscious stranger lay limp under Raphael's hands. A good number of his ribs were broken, and his torso spotted large, dark bruises. Some shallow cuts croscrossed his ribcage, and a deeper stab wound was still steadily oozing blood. It had an unhealthy tinge to it that looked like nothing a relatively fresh wound had any right to look like.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Despite his own denial of who he had once been, Raphael easily slipped back into his nature, his expert fingers knowing exactly what to do. "Hang in there," he told him, taking the kit and wascloth from Rose. He quickly found the guaze and disinfectant, going for the stab wound first, when in truth there were so many injuries on the man they all needed immediate attention.

"Rose..." He turned to her. "I need you to hold this guaze here, press really hard so that it stops the bleeding."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Nodding, Rose put her hand where Raphael indicated and pressed hard. She didn't use full strength yet, not wanting to break the stranger's bones, and looked questioningly at Raphael.

"Like this, or harder? I mean, I can press harder, but I'm not sure if that wouldn't cause him any more injuries?"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"That's perfect, Rose, thank you." He got to work on the other injuries, trying dsperately to move quickly but there were just so many of them! "This one too," he said, indicating another slash that he had quickly bandaged. He shook his head, trying to clean away the blood with the washcloth. "He needs a hospital, why didn't he go to a hospital?" He felt human, sothere should be no reason why he...

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose pressed her second hand on the other injury, using as much strenght as with the first. With every breath she inhaled the coppery scent of fresh blood.

"Do you think we can get one of the angels to heal him enough to get him safely to hospital? Or should we call an ambulance?"

She was afraid that calling an ambulance would bring unwanted attention to the manor. What if the police decided to start a thorough investigation at the manor?

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael knew exactly of the concern of calling an ambulance. "Try to find someone who can heal him. Any of the angels... Atlan maybe... Even Crowley or Belial might be able to help but please hurry!" He would not normally have been so demanding but he knew given the circumstances that Rose would understand. He ripped another strip of guaze from the roll.

Please please... Father, please...!

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose nodded frantically, pushing herself up from the floor. Her hands were bloodstained but she didn't want to take the time to wash them. So she just rubbed them clean on her jeans and ran to the desk to write down the room numbers of angels, demons and Mr. di Arcone.

Note in hand she ran up the stairs and started knocking on the doors on the first floor. Belial didn't answer the door and so she went to Mr. di Arcone's room, knocking more loudly than she would have in a less urgent situation.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael didn't watch her go, only quickly pressed his fingers against the wounds to try to stop the bleeding.

You are the Healer of God! One of the Seven that stand before the Throne!

Father's just teachin' you to rely on others...

He's bleeding all over the floor and nameless faces and hands and voices help him, take him... Save him...

Try not to get that badly injured again, okay?

...

Father... Please!

He sees the young boy dead, the blood oozing from his skull. He sees the pain in Rose's eyes as she tell him her story... She sees Gabriel dead -Because of him- in a nightmare... A blade he had carried and eventually used to cut away at what remained of the angel he once was...

Raphael placed a hand on the man's temple. "Sir...? We're getting someone to help you. If you can hear me... please... try to stay conscious... I know it's hard..." And he would know, having been on his side of the situation not too long ago. "But please try... please..."

There was nothing more he could do except wait for Rose.

[excunningthief.livejournal.com]

Trilby still wasn't precisely spry after the whole debacle, but he was well enough when he appeared in the stairwell. "Good evening, Raphael," he said. "What is—ah."

He curled his lip a little, walking closer to the injured man. "Was he like this when he got here, or...?"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael looked up at him, panic visible in his expression. "He showed up like this, Rose is tryingto find someone to help him and I've done all I can do."

He shifted his gaze to the man, and back up at Trilby. "Can you... Can you help me help him?"

[excunningthief.livejournal.com]

"Of course." If it was killing him that he didn't really know what to do, he wasn't showing it. He knelt beside Raphael to look over the man.

"I'd say you've done as much as could be expeceted," Trilby said at last. "It's just a matter of keeping him comfortable now. How long has he been unconscious?"

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"Ten, fifteen minutes... I lost track of the time," he admitted. It showed on his expression that being unable to do anything for the man was distressing.

"Can... can you press your hand against his bandage here?" Raphael wasn't sure if he was squeamish of blood or not but somehow he had to stop the bleeding...

[kristallprinz.livejournal.com]

Following Rose, Atlan entered the lobby and took in the situation with a glance. Raphael was kneeling on the floor with two other men. One was obviously helping him help the third.

"Looks like you have everything under control here," he said as he walked over to them. "What happened?"

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose made sure she wouldn't be in the way of the others and kept watching the scene. She would have loved to help but didn't know what to do at the moment...

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

"I don't know, he stumbled in and collapsed. He said something about needing our help but I didn't catch anything beyond that."

Raphael turned to face Rose. "Can you bring me some fresh water and towels? There's so much blood..."

There's blood oozing from his skull

There's blood on the floor and handprints and gashes...

There's blood staining dying feathers as they are cut away...

So much blood...

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"Of course"

Rose nodded and sprinted to the storage room. There she grabbed a clean bucket and filled it to two thirds with clear water before she took several clean towels out of a cupboard.

Bucket in one hand, towels under the other arm she walked back to Raphael as quickly as she could.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael took the towels and bowl with a grateful nod, turning to do what he can to stop the terrible bleeding.

"Sir, can you hear me...? Please talk to us if you can, you need to stay conscious." He knew it was futile but he was determined to keel trying. He shook him carefully by the shoulder, just in case.

[tptb-in-ltsh.livejournal.com]

The stranger stirred, bit back a painful moan and fell heavily back against Raphael. His hand moved weakly as if to signal something, but he let it drop limply back at his side after a moment.

[halosphere.livejournal.com]

Raphael shot a desperate look to those around him. "Please... I can't help him... I've done what I can, but I cannot do more for him..."

[kristallprinz.livejournal.com]

Kneeling down beside Raphael, Atlan looked over the injured man. "Call an ambulance," he suggested. He thought he knew what Raphael expeted him to do, but he hesitated.

Did he really want to trust even more people with the secret of his cell activator?

Fool! His extra-sense scolded. It stopped being a secret the moment you had the great idea of using it to save that red-head.

Instead of giving an answer, he suppressed a sigh and fished the pendant out from under his shirt.

[tptb-in-ltsh.livejournal.com]

At the sight of another man moving closer, and fumbling with some device, the man panicked.

Actually, it might also have been the mention of "ambulance" that sent him down that road.

Somewhere he suddenly foudn the energy to shake his h ead and push himself back on the floor, away from the two.

"No," he gasped. "Stay 'way from me. No--"