Arrival; Backdated to 8/1 - OPEN

[not_that_sasuke]

[Castle]

[Hello there, castle friends. You're getting at least one new buddy today, and for some of you, he might even look familiar.

When Sasuke wakes up, his school uniform - a sailor shirt and black pants - are still dirtied by soil, along with his hands. A thin cord of rope remains loosely circled around his neck, though there's marks on his neck that suggest it was much more snug previously. Unsurprisingly, he looks pretty alarmed at all of this, although a completely black cat soon shoots to his side, investigating him and making sure he's okay.

The sight doesn't calm him entirely, but he does relax enough to pat it on its head, scritching behind the ears.]

Kurou? Where...?

[Hirajiro]

[And then some stuff happens. It's very upsetting. But it's fine. He'll be fine. He's just got to get out of the castle and find the town, which he is capable of, because even if he was terrible at it he still had training all his life in a mountainous forest. He can find his way.

There's just... other problems with that plan. Which is why people in town might find themselves looking at a black cat that, if approached, keeps walking just out of their reach - and yet, it will stop to make sure they keep following it nonetheless.

The reason for this becomes abundantly clear soon enough, because the cat is leading them to a teenager collapsed on the street. There's dirt on him from a forest, though not necessarily this one, and if they look closely enough they might even see a little rope burn on his neck, though he at least had the sense to remove the rope from his shoulders.

He. He probably needs some help. Please help him.]

Comments

[not_that_sasuke]

[The good news is, he's pretty light! The bad news is he's probably a little underweight, actually. But that's much less pressing than the fact that he sure is warm, even for having been out in this heatwave.

He does stir a little when he's picked up, eyes cracked open.]

...Who...?

[It's a mumble, but given she's carrying him, it's not hard to hear. The cat, meanwhile, is going to follow.]

[16lab]

[ Unfortunately, RO is also pretty warm... a little warmer than what a human should be. Probably from being out in the heat for some time longer than she'd like. But if she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to find Sasuke. ]

Don't talk. I'm taking you to the hospital. Save your energy.

[not_that_sasuke]

[Unfortunately, while Sasuke is usually a smart boy, he's very dumb when it's about himself. Which is why, even though she says that, he's going to try to gather the strength to look around a little in spite of feeling fairly sick.]

Wh-- Who are you? And Kurou...?

[This would work a lot better if he actually had energy, but apparently that's not stopping him.]

[16lab]

[ Boy... RO doesn't say anything in response for a while, only focusing on getting Sasuke to the hospital. Unfortunately, it's a fairly long trek from where he was found, so it'll take a while. However, she doesn't mind the silence and holds a fair grip on him so that he doesn't try to escape. ]

Are you suffering from heatstroke?

[not_that_sasuke]

[Well, at least he falls silent for that time, though he pushes himself to stay conscious as best he can. Kurou is a silent kitty, so he can't even know for sure the cat's still there.]

...Maybe?

[He's not. And in his current state, he can't really put forth the effort to lie all that well. So, between the slight pause before the response, as well as the tone - she can probably put together that he's not being honest.]

[16lab]

[ RO isn't a lie detector, nor does she have one installed, so she'll just take it as him not knowing the symptoms of heatwave and being too faint to realize what's currently happening rather than Sasuke trying to lie.

His answer only quickens the pace, which never faltered once and she eventually makes it to the hospital, opening the door by pressing the handicap button so that it can open itself. ]

I need a nurse here, stat! This boy is suffering from heatstroke!

[ With that, the nurses come with a stretcher and everything to carry Sasuke away to get treated. She's glad that at least some people can react urgently when they can, considering the state of Hirajiro at the moment. RO follows, since he's not going to an emergency room or anything. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[And away he goes! He's not really in any state to fight it, plus the hospital people really don't deserve that kind of disruption in their lives. Interestingly, the cat just sits outside, apparently knowing better than to try to walk in itself.

But eventually the staff do return to let her know- it seems he was dehydrated, exhausted, and hadn't eaten recently to boot. He does seem to be conscious, however, if she wants to check on him.]

[16lab]

[ She did bring him here, so this might as well be her responsibility. RO thinks that the cat staying outside is normal... but goes to where Sasuke is. She sits on the chair next to the bed, wondering if they'll hook him up to an IV if he can't eat for some reason. Giving a dehydrated human a bucketful of water is just asking for trouble and she wonders... despite how he didn't have much energy to begin with, he's certainly more life-like than some of the others in the town. That's really saying something.

RO will quietly wait until Sasuke regains consciousness. After all, she doesn't really have anything else to do, and she might as well make sure that the boy gets proper treatment after the intial one. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[They do have him on an IV, he definitely needs that. He just got here and he's already racking up hospital bills, this is going to potentially suck for him later, but then again almost all times suck for him, so maybe it's not so different from his usual life anyway.

So yes. After a while she does indeed get to see him wake up, looking kind of quietly confused as his eyes search the room, because where is he? And how did he get here? And really, just what is going on in this place, in general?

His gaze inevitably makes it to her, and when he speaks, it's quiet.]

...You're the one who found me.

[16lab]

[ Fortunately, Hirajiro's hospital is much more lenient than America's, so Sasuke will have an easier time with bills... unlike someone that's knee-high in debt from hospital bills. ]

I am.

[ It's a direct answer, though that's just how she normally is. ]

Are you feeling better? I'll stay until I see that you get proper nutrition. An IV can only do so much.

[not_that_sasuke]

[He could use any and all small blessings at this point.]

...Yeah. I guess I needed to rest more. ["""Guess.""" Like he wasn't warned about it back at school. But at the time, he just wasn't that hungry, and it was hard to sleep knowing Yuusuke was up to his usual tricks...]

Um... Did you see a cat...?

[16lab]

... There are many cats in this town, but if you mean a black one, it stayed behind. It should be outside the hospital.

[ Perhaps that one is his and not a stray for once? ]

If feeding it is an issue, I can do that while you stay.

[not_that_sasuke]

[Oh, good. At least Kurou's still here.]

...He should be okay on his own, as long as there are animals to hunt in the forest.

[Sorry about your wildlife population, Hirajiro.]

Kurou's really resourceful like that.

[16lab]

... Even bears?

[ Because there was totally a bear in the forest, and she's not sure if a cat can handle killing a bear for food.

Or maybe it's not even a cat at all. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

...He knows better than to pick fights with bigger animals like that. But he can hunt any birds or rodents in there.

[16lab]

[ RO gives it a thought. Since there are so many stray cats here, she can't imagine there being a single rat being available to hunt in the town. The crows, while plentiful, are annoying because they're hard to catch.

So she'll just decide to feed the cat in secret. ]

If you say so.

[ It's a tone not of disbelief, but acceptance. Cats can be scary sometimes. She's not the one that knows much about animals. However, she does know things about humans. RO gets a water bottle from the bedside drawer, opens the cap, and holds it out to Sasuke. ]

Drink this, a little at a time. It'll help you stay hydrated. Unfortunately, they ran out of water that contains electrolytes, so this will have to do.

[not_that_sasuke]

[Cat is sneaky, but will probably be sneaky around wherever Sasuke happens to be at the time. If she can catch him, the food will be appreciated.

Sasuke on the other hand looks reluctant, but he'll take the water bottle and drink. Just a sip at first, until his body reminds him that hey, we're super dehydrated.

He drinks about half of it after that.]

...Thank you. I don't think you ever told me your name...?

[16lab]

RO635. [ Pronounced as are-oh-six-three-five. It's definitely not Japanese in any way whatsoever. ] RO is fine. [ Again, as are-oh. ]

Please be sure to drink a lot of water, keep yourself in the cool room, rest, and eat balanced meals. You will be staying in the hospital until you fully recover.

[ Normally, if Sasuke appears to be fine he'd be allowed to leave, but RO specifically requested that he stay until he is at his 100%. Someone died under her command last month. Things are hard. Though... no one in the hospital is going to stop Sasuke if he sneaks out when no one is looking.

Of course, she won't be telling him, but she's footing the entire hospital bill. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[...That's an interesting name, but he nods at the first part before starting at the second.]

...I don't think I can afford that.

[Truthfully he can't even afford this much, and the fact that he's probably going to have to work this off has already occurred to him. The alternate option is he slips out with no one the wiser, but that seems cruel to the people who went out of their way to help him...]

[16lab]

You don't have to. It's already being paid for.

[ She won't say it's her though, since people seem to get defensive about this sort of thing. ]

They want you to be healthy, so at the very least, recover well for the sake of that person.

[not_that_sasuke]

[Good idea, because he's already looking defensive as is.]

Who paid for it...?

[He doesn't really know anyone here. The list of suspects is pretty narrow.]

[16lab]

Unfortunately, that matter is confidential. I'm just the person who carried you here. I can't pry into medical records and such. You'll have to find out on your own...

[ She'll just. Let him think for a bit. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[>Doubt.

He can't really argue though, so he just sinks back into his bed a little more, screwing the cap back onto the water bottle so he doesn't spill it on himself.]

I just need to rest a little, so I shouldn't be here too long...

[He's going to pass out for the rest of the day once he gets a chance.]

[16lab]

Alright then, I shouldn't keep you. I'll be back tomorrow to check up on you.

[ And feed his cat, should she find Kurou somewhere. ]

Rest well. [ And then she'll get up from the chair to leave. ]

[not_that_sasuke]

[Tomorrow...

He definitely wants to be out of here by then, but he gives a slight nod.]

Thank you.

[He's still uneasy, but given how exhausted he is, he falls asleep pretty quickly once she's gone.]