Fancy That [Open]

[In an attempt to be more active, drat it all. Don't be scared. ;_;]

There were times when she earnestly believed she had made a mistake in pursuing this. All of it. She would go home to her tiny apartment, alone, and always tired. She would entertain being an author occasionally, mostly when reading - whenever she got the time for that these days. The usually cool demeanor Natalia had perfected was being chipped away as this cursed day went on. Anything that could go wrong had.

Well, she hadn't killed anyone, so that was a plus. That didn't mean it had been easy, and for that she was enthusiastically annoyed, telling whomever was concerned enough about her whereabouts that she would be getting a bit of fresh air, thank you very much. That was much more appealing than making a beeline for the nearest bathroom to have a good old fashioned cry, because Natalia just didn't do that.

She'd been staring ahead of her at nothing in particular for the past ten minutes, trying to make her mind just as blank as her stares. What she'd succeeded in was only sitting on a cold stone bench, teeth grit in quietly repressed anger. If she had it her way she'd walk out then and there, claiming she needed a vacation. Sighing, she slumped forward a bit (in an effort to stay warm of course), frowning to herself. There was no way she could.

((I hope you don't mind me popping in? >>;; ))

This time, he actually did have permission to be up and about.

After a lengthy conversation with one of the nurses about how being stuck in a hospital bed all day was making him sore and restless, Yong Soo had been able to convince her to let him out of his room, just for a little bit. “Oh yeah, I’ll just go down the hall and wander around a little! I just need to stretch my legs; won’t be gone long at all, da ze.”

Well, ‘down the hall’ had turned into down the hall, down the elevator, and down several more halls until he had himself almost totally and completely lost. He knew he was on the ground level…but that was about it. The crutches were beginning to feel uncomfortable under his arms by now, and for once he actually did just want to get back to that little room. Biting his lip, he casually began to look around for someone who could help him. Mostly, he just didn’t want to ask a nurse who might recognize him. They might rat him out to that other nurse after all! And he didn’t want her finding out that he’d gone much farther than ‘down the hall,’ or else she might not let him out again.

As he passed by a set of windows, something caught his eye. It was a little courtyard that he hadn’t really noticed before—he must really be in some far-flung part of the building by now! But it was actually the person in the courtyard who had caught his eye. There was a woman with long, light hair sitting all alone on one of the benches. Just by standing near one of the windows, Yong Soo could tell it was kind of chilly out. What was she doing out there in the cold all by herself? Intrigued, and a little worried as well, the Korean hobbled over to the door and pushed it open with his shoulder, flinching a little when a blast of cold air hit him. He hadn’t planned on going outside, so of course he was not dressed for such weather. But he couldn’t just leave that poor person out there all alone! He should give her some company! And perhaps convince her to come inside as well.

He limped over on his crutches, then peered down at the woman curiously. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

(No way <3 Always welcome.)

The fresh air had been a good idea on her part, convinced she would have have resorted to a game of homicidal darts if she'd simply gone to the staff room. This was much safer... Honestly, whose bright idea was it to put a game involving sharp projectiles? She wasn't complaining as it was her second favorite thing to do in this damned place...but that was beside the point. Fresh air, crisp and turning her pale skin a light pink, was the right thing here. It had cleared away the immediate urges.

In that, it had left her cold and twitchy, neither of which were appealing in the long run and she was sure this was cutting into any free time she had allotted or the day. Shit... She scrubbed at her face to help bring a little warmth to her cheeks and went back to zoning out. Aldrich could get on her later, and frankly she just didn't care.

While she was busy thinking about how to cater to her mentor the boy in crutches had sneaked up beside her, causing a visible twitch to come over her when his voice drew her to stare at him. Realizing it was a patient, and one that shouldn't be anywhere NEAR the courtyard, she sat up a bit with a mild frown on her face. He looked fairly innocent. "What are you doing out here? You're going to freeze, kid."

Wrapping the coat around herself a bit tighter she looked at the crutches. Had he really hobbled that far out? Sighing, Natalia relaxed; demeanor going from her standard unfriendly to carefully neutral. "Which ward did you come from?" She wasn't going to divulge that shed had a premature midlife crisis, or well... whatever that had been, but she did feel responsible for the return of the temporarily crippled boy.

As the woman stared up at him, Yong Soo stiffened. That initial look she’d given him had not been so friendly… Maybe she was out here because someone had upset her? Maybe he was just making it worse by bothering her. Suddenly he wanted to just casually make his way back inside, but he was torn between fleeing the scene and staying to see if he could cheer her up somehow.

Her expression seemed to lighten a bit a moment later, but it didn’t help make him feel much more comfortable. “I just saw you sitting out here in the cold all alone!” he replied, grinning nervously. “I mean, you look kind of cold and lonely just sitting out here all hunched over like that.” He shifted uncomfortably on his good leg, the nippiness of the air beginning to get to him.

And then she was asking which ward he was from. It hadn’t really occurred to him that this woman might be a part of hospital staff! But on closer inspection, it did look like she might be. At least she probably didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to have gone this far.

“I, uh…the children’s ward? Is that what you mean, da ze? Is there a fancy medical name for it?” Yong Soo asked, fidgetting more against the cold.

(I'm sorry I went hiatus on you there. Still mildly so...but it is a slooow night and I thought it'd be nice to tag while I have the time to.)

She frowned slightly at his reasoning, looking around quickly before returning her attention to him. Lonely? Cold? Okay, so he was correct with the cold thing, though looking at him she had to be infinitely warmer. The kid looked like he was taking a broken hobble about the hospital and his foot poked out. Upset or not it was her job to make sure some kid didn't get frostbite just because he was being unusually curious.

It wasn't usual for people to look after her when upset anyway, so she owed him a bit of kindness in return. A little. Too much and it would make her horribly washy and that was her sister. Not her. With a quiet sigh she stood and walked toward him, making an ushering motion to get him back inside before his bad foot fell off. Maybe she'd get brownie points and earn more respect for it? Hm.

"I appreciate your concern, kid. Get inside before you lose your toes and your balance is ruined for years to come." Slightly imposing in her lack of oh, sugar-coating, her words were meant with good intent and she forced him to sit on a bench, kneeling down to check his cast. Doctor and all. Job duties of course... "I am guessing your nurse is not knowing you wandered so far, hm?"

The whole while she was checking for cracks with practiced, thin fingers, her eyes trained on the toes barely sticking out with a neutral frown. Muttering a low looks alright, I suppose she looked up at him, leaning back a bit now that her impromptu examination was over.

(( That's fine! I've been a bit busy as of late as well. ))

He watched her curiously, taking a hobbling step back on his crutches as she sighed and pulled herself to her feet. Yes, yes! That meant that they were probably going in now. She motioned for him to go back inside, and he quickly followed her, happy that he’d succeeded in getting her out of the cold and more than thrilled to get back inside himself. The door swung shut behind them, sealing the cold out for now.

A moment later he found himself being plopped down on a nearby bench, holding his leg out the best that his limited range of motion would allow so that the doctor could examine it.

“Well…” he said, watching her look over his cast as he mulled over how to answer her question. He didn’t want to admit that he had in fact gone farther than he said he would, or the fact that he’d actually gotten lost by doing so.“…Maybe not this far.” He gave a wry smile, chuckling softly.

His eyes followed her hands as they probed his cast for cracks or imperfections. It hadn’t really occurred to him that the cold or his often rambunctious behavior might not be good for it, but it seemed that for now, it had withstood his adventuring. The doctor was muttering something under her breath, but it didn’t appear that she’d found anything wrong, at least.

Yong Soo looked down at her as she leaned back, his face brightening with a smile again. She seemed like the serious type, but he wanted to be polite anyway, since his nurse would probably find out about his little adventure from her anyway. He might as well make a good impression. “What is your name?” he asked, smiling.

There was something about cheerful people that unnerved Natalia. Usually she could manage the prickling of unease behind practical tasks and the fact that she was a damned brick wall. Unfortunately for her today was looking pretty glum and the boy was a ray of sunshine. Well… she’d comforted herself by sticking to her nitpicking evaluation. She would just have to man her way through the rest. Yes. Natalia could do this, or the stern internal reprimanding would never end.

A fine brow rose when he admitted he was far, far away from his bed. She didn’t spend time in that section of the hospital often but it was nowhere near the courtyard. Sighing in a clipped manner she stood, looking at the teenager with a small amount of confusion.

“I’m going to have to tie you to a wheelchair and demand you be sedated until you’re properly healed,” she murmured in that rather serious tone of hers. She even seemed to look slightly sympathetic for the boy’s supposed fate.

Then, as if she’d completely forgotten the mildly “Misery”-esque thought, the small woman smiled. “I doubt you’ll see me after this so there’s no shame in telling, hm? Natalia. Stay put while I get a wheelchair for you. Can’t be having you hurting yourself more.”

Yong Soo almost looked horrified when he was told he would have to be tied to a wheelchair and sedated. Sh…she was just kidding, right?...Right? He thought she was just joking but her expression confused him! She looked really serious and didn’t seem like the type to joke around, but surely she couldn’t be serious about the wheelchair thing! She seemed to be one of those people who was hard to read.

He was on the verge of deciding that she had meant it as a joke, but soon enough, he was distracted by her telling him her name. “Ooh, Natalia?” He let the name roll off his tongue, especially liking the pronunciation of the ‘lia’ at the end. “Nata-liaaa! That’s fun to say!” He beamed up at her, swinging his good leg cheerily as he sat on the bench. “Oh, yeah! Did I tell you my name? I’m Yong Soo.”

But again, the wheelchair was brought up. Had she been serious after all? “Ahaha…ha,” he laughed rather fakely. “It’s okay! I don’t need a wheelchair, da-ze! I’ve got crutches, see?” He clumsily waved one of them around as if to remind her they were there. “If you’ll just show me where to go, I’ll be fine! I won’t hurt myself. Promise, da-ze!” The Korean grinned at her once more. Maybe if he was charming enough she wouldn’t go get a wheelchair, whether she was joking or not! He didn’t want to take the chance.

The flash of fear in those dark eyes of his made the sadist in her give a mighty ‘mwahaha!’. She needed to get that checked out for her own sanity’s sake, more than likely. Meh; she’d survived as such for over twenty years… No use to change what wasn’t broken. Natalia didn’t know what went through the younger teen’s head but it was fairly accurate: She was indeed a serious person and no-nonsense. Unless she was the one provoking and then her nonsense was well-veiled by her usual stony appearance; it was good to be her in a decent mood.

Said thoughts of teasing him with the promise of sedation where ushered to the side at the fascination he apparently held for saying her name. A pale blonde brow rose a bit as she watched the strange boy test her name on his tongue. It wasn’t as if it was something usual for her to experience so she hadn’t developed a proper scowl for it. “Yong Soo? Pleasure…”

He was trying to get out of that wheelchair with impressive finesse for a cheerful boy. Unluckily, Natalia wasn’t easily swayed by that. Sighing, she reached for a crutch before he could clutch onto it. “Now you are having a crutch. If I promise not to sedate you will you let me wheel you back? Consider it a free ride, hm?” The small woman casually leaned against the stolen aid with a matter-of-fact air about her. “Legally I cannot do as such you see. I’m a surgeon and your nurses might be irate.”

Not that she cared.

“I don’t want you potentially falling on that cheerful face of yours, kid. Consider it thanks.”

Yong Soo blinked in surprise as one of his crutches was suddenly pulled out of reach. Well, there went his chances of making a quick escape on crutches. I knew he’d still be able to walk with just one, but the going would be much slower and more difficult with only one side supported.

He watched as Natalia leaned on his crutch. “A free ride?” he echoed, raising an eyebrow and looking up at her thoughtfully. “I…I guess,” he decided, saying so almost reluctantly. Despite his apparent reluctance, he actually wouldn’t have minded a free ride in a wheel chair. It was more the fact that he’d have liked to race down the hall in the wheelchair on his own without a doctor pushing him that made him sound reluctant. And he was pretty sure Natalia wasn’t going to push him down the hall as fast as she could…She was too responsible.

“Oh…so you can’t anyway, haha,” he laughed softly at her telling him she was not legally able to sedate him anyway. So she had just been joking! Haha, he’d known that all along…!

Wait, did she just say, ‘consider it thanks’? She was thanking him?

“Thanks?” he questioned, his looking at her even more curiously than before, actually leaning in a bit closer as if he wasn't sure he'd heard her right. “Thanks for what?” he asked innocently.