5th floor common room ; tuesday afternoon

[flickofthewrist]

Walking up five flights of stairs with a leg that you couldn't bear weight on was not fun. There were about a thousand activity Flick would have put before walking up stairs. They included: hunting angry bears, skydiving into a volcano and eating a live goldfish.

Going back to his room was just too far for right now so Flick took a detour into the common room and lowered himself onto one of the cushy couches. He propped his leg up and rested his useless arm against his chest. He kind of wished he could remember what Mr. Wilson had done to him because the guy knew how to fight and what areas to go after to make a man useless. The information would definitely be useful for future fights.

His birthday had been three days ago and between Italy and Mandel, he'd forgotten until just now. He was eighteen now, officially an adult and that meant jack to him right now. He was still stuck on an island that he didn't want to be one, still nursing annoying injuries and still tasked with instructions to sell out everyone he'd ever met.

"Happy birthday to me," Flick mumbled, reaching for the remote to turn on the television. Maybe he'd find something decent to watch until he felt strong enough to get up and either go to his room or elsewhere. That'd be a great birthday present.

[Open post, of course]

Comments

[shippedtomaine]

Emma had only come up to the common room on a food raid. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

"You look like hell," she said, heading to the fridge. You know, the normal kind of polite greeting. "Door jamb or stairs?"

[flickofthewrist]

It actually took Flick a second to figure out what she meant by that last question. Once he did though, he actually laughed though it was brief and quiet.

"Stairs," he answered, glancing up at her. "They're pretty nasty. Don't text and walk, Emma. Disastrous results."

He wasn't that uncoordinated but he'd seen PSA's on television about texting and driving so why not texting and walking? It could happen.

[shippedtomaine]

Hey, Emma was pretty sure the only reason she hadn't encountered the results of a texting accident before was that none of the 'clumsy' kids she'd known had owned a cell phone.

"I'll remember that." She rooted through the fridge until she found a bag of frozen...something or the other, which she offered to Flick. "Any particular set of stairs I should be careful around? There's a lot on the island."

The question was half self-preservation, half hell if she knew.

[flickofthewrist]

He took the bag of frozen somethings and nodded at her. A non verbal thank you since she was the first person (besides the nurse in the ambulance) who'd tried to help him out. He appreciated it.

"No need to worry since these particular stairs aren't on the island," he told her, trying to decide where to press the bag she'd given him. He had a variety of options. "So, I think you're safe here. I hope you are, at least. Because I feel like shit."

And she wasn't someone who he'd wish this on.

[shippedtomaine]

Just going off what she could see, Emma wasn't going to be in a hurry to wish it on anyone.

"Good to know the island stairs are safe." Currently, at least.

[flickofthewrist]

"If you stick one foot in front of the other, I think you'll be okay," he offered sagely, saluting her with the bag before he decided on settling it against his shoulder since he knew there was a mess of bruises there, hidden by his shirt.

He shifted slightly, grimacing as he did. "When I woke up, the nurse told me I wasn't as cute as I once was. Still trying to get over that."

[shippedtomaine]

"She did?" Emma made a show of scrutinising his features to cover a sympathetic wince. "I guess you'll have to learn to cope with being fairly good looking instead of ridiculously pretty."

[flickofthewrist]

Flick laughed and shook his head as he did that. "Don't make me laugh, I might have internal injuries that'll get aggravated."

No, he didn't have anything that nasty. Thankfully. "Hopefully I'll go back to the ridiculously pretty label once everything heals and clears up. I'd hate to just be fairly good looking for the rest of my life."

He didn't care all that much. But, it was nice, light conversation to have.

[shippedtomaine]

Emma figured that if he wanted to talk about it, he would, otherwise no amount of prodding would get him to. "It's a tragic fate, being only fairly good looking. So many more doors open if you're ridiculously pretty."

[flickofthewrist]

She was a smart, smart woman. He'd open up at some point. Maybe. Possibly.

"And what doors would those be, pray tell?" he asked, pretending to be very, very interested. "What am I missing out on?"

[shippedtomaine]

Emma pretended to think about it. "There's the lucrative world of male modelling."

[flickofthewrist]

Flick made a face and gave that a thumbs down.

"I would not make a good male model," he decided, shaking his head. "Too surly. And some of the things they wear are ridiculous."

He'd flipped through enough magazines to know he didn't want to wear some black cape thing with hot pants.

[shippedtomaine]

"If surly's a problem you're probably not going to be able to find a sugar momma either," Emma said with a shrug. "So I'm out of ideas."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle was on her way up to the roof for some air – it was necessary to have a clear head while choosing makeup components, see – but natural curiosity led her to poking her head into this common room.

Which in turn led to the astute observation, "Oh, you're still a mess."

Because yes, she had noticed that in class. It had been noticeable.

[flickofthewrist]

"And you're still a great purveyor of obvious statements," he said, glancing over at her. "Congratulations on noticing, though. I was completely unaware of my state of being."

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm just not used to persistent injuries." Because Shadowhunters were great big cheaters when it came to healing. She leaned against the frame of the doorway. "I probably shouldn't point out you look like someone roughed you up good, either, should I?"

[flickofthewrist]

"I already know that, Isabelle," Flick told her, sighing and glancing back at the television. He'd landed on a soap opera. He could feel himself getting stupider by the second.

He changed the channel.

"It was expected, anyway," he added after a moment. Going back to the academy and getting away with just a wag of a finger and a lecture? Yeah, no. "I didn't die, at least. Points for me."

He'd been ready to, though.

[seveninchmotto]

"Points for you," Isabelle agreed lightly. Hey, not all mundies could take a beating. It was worth some tiny little morcel of respect. "Fastest I've seen anyone go from a relaxed vacation to this, though."

Not that she'd seen a lot of vacations to begin with.

[flickofthewrist]

"Left right after we got back," he told her, shrugging a shoulder slowly. "Time works differently in my world, I guess. I was there for fourteen days but only a day passed here. Loki tells me that means I didn't miss anything fun and exciting."

He was really glad he'd gotten used to weird time shifts, though. That would have probably made him puke upon first getting back and he hadn't needed that. "Figured I didn't have a lot of excitement in my life. Needed a good beating to shake things up."

That was said sarcastically.

[seveninchmotto]

"As people do."

She sounded joking, but really, she knew people who seemed to sincerely think that way. Sometimes she even got where they were coming from.

"I trust you've been to a doctor and everything."

[flickofthewrist]

Flick shrugged again.

"When I woke up, there was a nurse," he replied, looking back at the television. "But, I think she was just there to make sure I made it back here."

He couldn't remember a doctor.

"I'm sure there was a doctor at some point. I had to have been bleeding from somewhere." And Flick figured some of the academy's alumni were doctors who owed Mandel a favor. "Loki suggested the clinic. I said no. He called me dull. C'est la vie."

[seveninchmotto]

And here was where Isabelle decided he probably wasn't going live until graduation. Or at least that his odds were not that great.

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't bother commenting on that. "Well, lucky you for apparently not needing it."

[flickofthewrist]

She wasn't wrong. His odds were not that great. But, he'd accepted that and knew it would probably happen sooner rather than later.

"Lucky me," he echoed with a small snicker. Not because it was funny or anything. Of course not. "It'll heal. I might look bad now but I heal quickly. Had a lot of practice."

Thanks, Dad.

[seveninchmotto]

"Hope you don't have a date for the dance thing this weekend," Isabelle quipped. It just went with what looked like her lack of empathy. "Because I don't think you'll heal fast enough. Poor girl would be disappointed."

[flickofthewrist]

Frowning, Flick spent a few moments trying to figure out what dance she was talking about. Eventually, he found it buried under several other more important things in his head.

"I don't disappoint girls." Joi didn't count. He wasn't thinking about her. "But no, I don't have a date. I doubt I'll even go. Don't miss me too much."