The stairwell, Sunday evening

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

After leaving the clinic, neatly stitched but still in a fair amount of pain, Jan made his way back to the dorms.

The smart thing to do would have been to sleep in the lobby. Yet, here Jan was, struggling up the stairs. Normally, it would take him a minute, maybe two, to leap up each set of stairs to the third floor. Tonight, he was taking them one limping step at a time.

He was going to be here for awhile.

[ooc: open, sure, and that answers the question of how Jan usually handles the stairs!]

Comments

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"So that's how you do it!" Turtle, on her way up from her bogus little party down in the lobby, was always happy to see Jan, but that was because she didn't at first notice the limping. Once she did, though, she gasped a little.

"You're hurt! Are you...should I get some help? I mean, it's not like I can do anything, you're at least five times my size, but maybe I could go get Chad. He might be able to lift you..."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

Jan stopped, secretly grateful for the excuse to rest. "I will be fine. Usually, I jump up them, but not tonight." He flicked his ears at her with weary amusement. "I doubt there is anyone on the island who could lift me."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Turtle said, eying Jan a little bit more. "Chad's pretty strong. Get his boyfriend to help him, too, and they could probably lift anything. But he's very unreliable in these sorts of things, and I wouldn't be surprised if he only just made it worse. People always get hurt when you hire Chad into this sort of a thing..."

She trailed off a little, head tilted. "We really need elevators in this joint," she mused.

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"I don't know that I would want someone lifting me." Jan hauled himself up another step, placing his hooves carefully because they were narrow. "And I'm sure this is good for me - it will keep the muscles from stiffening." He curved an ear forward. "Elevator?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"It's this device," Turtle explained, with a slight nod, hands ready for demonstrating gestures, "mechanical, that they have in most modern buildings that works as a lift between levels. So, instead of climbing up all the stairs, you can take the elevator, and it's a lot less work, especially for someone like yourself, who's, no offense, not really built for stairs. I know Adah probably always had trouble with them, too, and just wait until we get someone in a wheelchair. Oh, man. Law suit waiting to happen."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

Most of that went over Jan's head. "I think I would prefer the stairs," he said, snorting as he climbed a few more. "I know how they work, and it is not so different from climbing a rocky slope."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Did you have to do that a lot back home?" Turtle asked, head still tilted as she wondered if maybe, at least, a conversation might distract Jan enough so that he didn't notice all the limping and climbing as much.

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

He stopped, chewing thoughtfully, and his tail swished. "I...am not sure. I know we lived in a vale surrounded by mountains, I know I must have climbed them. Moving fast over rough ground is part of a warrior's training."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

The pause had Turtle confused for a moment, but when Jan started to talk again, she recalled, abruptly, about what Jan had said about not remembering everything. She winced slightly, and her smile was faint and apologetic. "So you're a warrior, huh?"

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"I am," he said proudly. "It was how I was hurt, fighting on the other island." He arched his neck, curving his ears towards her. "We won, and we brought the island home." Even if Jan didn't really understand how that had worked, he knew that it had, and that was enough.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle grinned slightly. "Well, of course we won. We always win."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"Always?" Jan eyed her, before he started climbing the steps again. "We never lose?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle took a moment, trying to think back and go through all of the big dang events and raids and invasions and weird things that happened in this place, and then took a breath. "Nope," she said, "not that I can think of anyway."

And she made a quick little prayer that she didn't just curse them horribly with those words.

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"I hope that it may continue that way." He snorted contemplatively and climbed another stair. "Does it happen often, that we have to fight?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Every so often," Turtle admitted. "You kind of get used to it if you've been here a while like I have. But we've got such a great collection of resources and talents that there's always some way to handle whatever gets thrown at us, it seems. You have to keep on your toes around here. Or, I guess in your case," she tried a small smile, "hooves."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

Jan sighed as he reached a landing. "I will stay alert," he promised, letting his head droop. The stitches pulled at hip and shoulder, and he was afraid they might tear if he wasn't careful. To distract himself, he asked, ""Turtle? Would you help me find a job?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle blinked, looking at Jan with a bit of surprise, but it was a pleasant sort of shock. "A job? Really? Are you taking an interest in the industriousness of capitalism and knowing the pride and self-satisfaction that comes with hard, honest, money-winning work?"

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"I...don't think so." His ears tilted in confusion. "I wish to eat through the winter. The food comes from the store. Sokka said you need green money before you are allowed to eat any of the food there, and that the only way to get the green money was to find a job." He looked at his hooves. "Which may prove difficult, given I lack hands."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Oh! So you talked to Sokka!" Turtle nodded, giving Jan a sympathetic smile. "That's actually my store, you know...."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

Jan nodded, and turned towards the next flight of stairs, putting one hoof on the first step. "That is why I thought you might be able to help me."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Which was certainly an interesting perspective, especially if...

Turtle lit up very quickly. "I know!" she said. "I can hire you! You can work at the store and not only get the money to pay for food, but also get a student discount for it. I mean, you probably won't be very good at stocking and the cash register might be tricky, but that's what we have Apu for."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

"But, what could I do for you?" Jan asked, startled, craning his neck around to look at her hopefully. "Oh, I could drive away anyone who tried to take things without leaving money!"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"First thing that popped into my mind, too!" Turtle said with a grin. "I'd like to see someone try to steal with a warrior unicorn on staff! And you're very friendly, too, Jan, so you could help people find what they're looking for, once you've familiarized yourself with what we sell."

[firebringerborn.livejournal.com]

Jan's ears shot forward and he turned, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder, to walk over to nuzzle her. "Anyone who tries will get smacked with the flat of my horn," he promised. "Or shown my heels."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle giggled, always happy to receive a nuzzle from Jan, and lightly gave him pets back along the side of his muzzle. "We do already have Liz," she said. "She's a robot dog, and she watches the store, too. I love her, but I have to admit, I think you'll be a bit more intimidating. Although I think you're probably just a susceptible to petting as she is."