2020-10-04 - Oh This Fucking Place

Joey is in a room with Aidan all the more unfortunate for having his grumpy ass as a roommate. Mostly he's been sleeping. Kidna drowning will do that. There are a coupe cards from the school board actually and one from the football team. That's nice of them. The city's still lost its mind and Joey's been ardently going along with it. But there is a visitor and he is groggy but awake for that. His hip, part of his collarbone both with damages. more broken ribs. That's fine. That's not new. The concussion is not new either but seems to be fucking with him.

Aidan wasn't underwater quite as long, but he hasn't got Joey's athletic constitution, either. What he does have is a similar collection of injuries -- broken ribs, a serious gouge to his chest, arm badly fractured, and possibly a mild concussion as well. The rest is a collection of bruises and smaller cuts, things that probably won't leave a mark. The painkillers mean he's been sleeping a lot as well. No cards for him yet; it's possible people don't even know he's here, really.

Nicole has been treated and released. Her right arm is in a cast and currently in a sling as well. She has been visiting Joey, and therefore Aidan, since she was released. Hospitals being as they are, there is a steady flow of doctors, nurses, and other staff not giving them much privacy. She is fairly tired, but there is no way she is going to leave Joey's side for long. She is currently sitting in a chair near his bed, but between the two, so that she can easily converse with both.

Last time she spent time in here with Joey, she heard Byron and Lilith talking about Lilith helping Joey heal faster, so when she does have a moment without foot traffic, she tries to focus what energy she has within her to see if she can do anything to help either of them. She closes her eyes and breathes in slow through her nose, then out through her mouth, softly, sending out healing thoughts in the room.

Joey's voice is hoarse from the episode of his lungs being turned into saltwater balloons. He's also loopy as hell from the antibiotic slurry and the meds they have him on. Clearly he's recalling the event, the clergy, the kids, the water, and Nicole because the first thing he says is, "Christ, you're alright. You need to be okay. I still wanna have nuns with you." Being injured and doped to the gills is a bad habit, as is stealing nuns. "Whose car wassat?" The one that took Thomas? Anyone get a plate on ghost accomplice?

Aidan is only half-awake, and gets maybe two-thirds of the way there at the voice: whose is it? Is it talking to him? It takes a second or two to determine a) Joey and b) no, but by then he's hitting maybe three-fourths. "Oh, hey," he greets, a drowsy and slightly hoarse sound, though not quite so badly as Joey's. He really needs to thank August for that, sometime soon. "Are you okay?" he asks, trying to focus on Nicole, though there's nothing he can currently do about it if she isn't. He's already made his attempt for the day, when he and Joey found themselves in here. "And. Um. What do you wanna do with the nuns?" The latter is possibly more for Joey, though either of them are surely welcome to explain. His brain is trying to do something with penguins, and failing.

Nicole looks up at the sound of Joey's voice, blinking. "Have nuns with me?" The look on her face is one of pure confusion, but she assures him, "I am okay. Just a hurt arm.. I'll be fine." She shakes her head though. "I don't know about the car," she says softly. "Me?" She turns her head towards Aidan. "Yeah, I'll be okay. More worried about you two. How are you feeling?" Nodding, she adds, "that is what I am also trying to figure out. Did he just tell me to 'get thee to a nunnery'? I am not sure if I should be offended or not..."

Joey is so damn out of it. His hand without the IV flips over laying palm up for hers. Blearily he clarifies (but does he really?) "Don't die, N'cole. I still wanna have nuns or whatever with you. You're too nice to be a ghost." Yup. Swimmy brain is swimming. He pauses and shakes his head, "I'd marry you but you went to vegas with Sparrow and I didn't even give you a gift." Now the sigh. "Goddamn I'm an asshole." He's also hallucinating slightly. Looking back to Aidan and Nicole he wonders out lout, "We did crash on a big wheel full of nuns right? Douche ghost drownin our ass? How stoned am I right now cause I can't feel my balls at all."

"Don't die," Aidan agrees, because that much is clear enough. He can think through that. The rest has him looking decidedly confused, glancing to Nicole as though hoping she might translate -- or maybe just checking whether his lost-ness is because of Joey's swimmy-headedness or his own. Which, to be fair, is also fairly significant. "Why're you an asshole? And. I dunno. Definitely Ferris wheel. With nuns. And kids..." He trails off as that tries to settle into his mind, bringing in mental images he'd likely rather lose; it lightens his complexion a shade or so, even with the sedating effect of the painkillers, and he goes silent a moment. "I dunno if there was a ghost. I've got a ghost. He's an asshole. But not-- not that big an asshole."

Nicole slips her hand into Joey's and smiles at him, though his string of words makes her tilt her head and regard him curiously. She is pretty sure she is not hopped up on meds TOO much, but she is now wondering if maybe she accidentally took an extra dose. "I promise to try to not die before I am meant to. Until, like, I am much older, I hope." His mention of marriage makes dark eyes go wide with shock and she seems to silently stammer as she tries to respond to all that. She eventually laughs a little awkwardly and clears her throat. "I haven't gone to Vegas to marry Sparrow babe. Not yet anyway. She's my eternal future wife I think." She brings her casted arm closer and pats the top of his hand in hers with her exposed fingertips. "See. No present forgotten. You aren't an asshole. Not to me." I mean, some people might think he is. She doesn't. She kind of skirts past the fact he said he'd marry her.

"He apparently thinks he forgot to give me and Sparrow a wedding gift," she answers to Aidan. "But he didn't, so he's not an asshole."

She looks back to Joey. "We did crash, yes," she nods in agreement with Aidan's words. "I don't know about the 'douche ghost' bit. Maybe?" She slips a glance down the bed to Joey's groinal region then back up. "Um... pretty stoned, I think, darlin'. But Aidan's here so I am not going to double check your statement at the moment.

Again she looks at Aidan but now with curiosity. "You have a ghost? Who? What kind of ghost? Is he here now?" She looks all around the room.

Joey lets his thoughts float having absolutely no filter right now. That's going to be fun for the whole family. Arching an eyebrow he murmurs, "Yours should meet ma. They can play Uno." Hey there's an idea. Tired, unfocused green eyes look back to Nicole with a hmm. of agreement. "Heeey ghostie. If you're an Addington you can ...ya know... fuck off." It hurts to talk so for now he just lets his free hand hold onto Nicole's "Your hand's so soft. That from drowning in saltwater, or the IV or soap?" Whooboy.

"He's not an Addington but he can fuck off anyway," Aidan says, then pauses. "Well-- I'm pretty sure he's not an Addington? He wouldn't ever tell me who he is, just stuff about blood telling and crap like that. He's not here right now, though. Not unless he's hiding to make me think so. If stuff starts, like, falling off things and stuff, he's prolly here." It's a sort of matter-of-fact rambliness, still spaced out but at least not lost on this particular topic. This one he knows. "...dunno if he'd play Uno. Maybe with another ghost? If it was with me he'd just. Throw the cards or something."

A sigh, and then a wince as he immediately regrets it, chest suffering from the not-accident in multiple ways. "Ow. So if you didn't go to Vegas with Sparrow then... you can get married!" Ha, logic! Take that, sedated-brain! Though he already looks a bit confused again, and watches the hand-holding for a moment as though it might explain something before a thought fully forms and escapes, quietly: "I miss Baylee."

"I wanna play Uno with your ma," Nicole grins. "I'd like, have to make sure she won all the time though. I wouldn't want to piss her off, and she seems competitive." Looking down at her hand joined with Joey's she murmurs, "just lotion I guess. Saltwater certainly isn't the best for skin. Better than like chlorine, if you are getting a pool... But um, I wash my hands so much I always use lotion." She pauses then considers. "IV might have helped though. We could all use drinking more water on a daily basis." Why is she rambling? He won't remember why her hands are so soft anyway.

"Blood telling? Hmm. I think we should have a chat sometime when we aren't all tired and loopy and shit. Well, let me rephrase. I would like to have a chat, no reason we should, other than my curiosity.... if you want. It's kind of a new fascination with me, the topic of ghosts." Her eyes go wide then and she says, "uh... yeah, I mean, legally yes. I could." Noticing how his gaze moves to their held hands and hearing the words upon his lips, she frowns. "I don't know who that is, but, I'm sorry you are having to miss them."

Joey boggles at Nicole, "She threw a table at me." Trying to take a deep breath he winces and sighs murmuring something about it being an old ass ugly table. His head rolls the other way and watches Nicole ask the roomie about ghosts. Squeezing her hand he sighs, "That lady... that was there. Died from the throat-o-slash? She's a ghost. Told us..." Looking to Nicole he boggles, "Goddamn you are pretty even glued back together... what's the Exorcizeist lady say about... the things? Ghost things?"

"Are you getting a pool?" For some reason Aidan's slightly-addled mind latches on to that for a moment, but he nods, when she says they should have a chat. "'kay. How come it's a new fascination? And Baylee's my girlfriend. She went back to England for." A pause, trying to sort out time, how long it's been, whether he even knows how long it's supposed to be. "A while." He shifts just a little in the bed, head turning to study the ceiling. It's not very interesting. "Who's throwing tables about Uno? That seems kinda. Excessive."

"Well, I mean... see. Competitive." Nicole smiles at Joey but then takes a breath as he winces. "Stop that... relax... Do you need anything?" Joey starts talking about The Exorcist, with a pause to compliment Nicole, which earns him another smile. "You mean, the part that said they can't do things on their own? Like, without us, they can't do anything at all. That, they can only affect us if we are there and like, allow it?"

"A pool?" She seems confused for a moment then realization dawns on her. "Oh.. no.. no. In Arizona there are pools everywhere. Saltwater is better for your hair too. Better than chlorine..." Her shoulders lift in a shrug. "Just, been a lot of ghostly like things around. I never really heard much before. It's all kind of interesting." Then... "Ah.. Well, I hope she comes back soon then. You seem like a pretty cool guy. I bet she misses you too."

Joey finishes coughing and considers the question, "I dunno. Cuba Libre? Cheeseburger? Hand job? Social balance to equalize the injustice to impoverished peoples? any of the above is a distinct improvement on now." At least the cheeseburger is highly accessible at present. Looking to Aidan he murmurs, "You don't flip a table in Uno. There be Draw Twos e'erywhere. Gotta pick em all up. Run outta cards that way." He really is just on his own planet. Looking back to Nicole he says "WEEEEE should go to Vegas. Vegas'd be cool. Make Byron dress like Elvis. It'll be great." More focused he come back to Nicole's statement and says "yeah man. We learned a lot about ghostses. If you got one... prolly be good to know. Listen to her. She's the smart one." There's a pause and a sympathetic look to his temp roomie. "Sorry about your girl though. That's a suck ass situation."

"That's why it seems kinda excessive," Aidan replies agreeably, apparently somewhere in the same solar system at least. Other bits have his brow furrowing more, though; the bits about what ghosts can do or not, specifically, but he can't quite form the thought that's bothering him as yet. "It... okay but..." A moment, and it's gone, with a small sigh. "'kay, ghost-talking sometime." He yawns, covering his mouth a touch belatedly, and then looks over to the pair of them again. "Thanks. For both I mean. I hope she's back soon also" Nicole gets a bright if somewhat out-of-it grin, and he adds, "And you guys seem pretty cool too. I hope you have a good Vegas. Vegas is fun."

"What's a Cuba Libre?" Nicole blushes when he mentions hand job, then grins devilishly. " You get out of here first, then we'll talk. But um, I can bring you a cheeseburger later." Smiling she nods, "and when you can breathe, we'll go to Vegas. Have you ever been? It will be a rush! Man, I haven't been in so long."

Back to talk of ghosts. "Right???" Nicole looks to Aidan. "That was my reaction too. Like... but.... it didn't make sense. I don't think I asked ghosts to do certain things... so..."

"Tired? I should maybe stop talking, let you rest. Be sure to give your number to me or Joey or something."

Joey wobbles his hand, "Half and half Cap'n Morgan an' coke. If you don't like someone you do 25% rum and 75% Coke Zero." He's mean. There's a long pause and he arches an eyebrow to Nicole murmuring, "Shit, only time I left Gray Harbor was Seattle a couple times and that doesn't count. yeah, we can go to Vegas."

There is a longer pause and he looks to Aidan, "You notice that wasn't a 'no?' You want a cheeseburger too? Fries? whatever?" Looking back to Nicole he says "Hook my dude up here too? You are the absolute best. "Kinney, you should bring your ghost over hte house sometimes. See how it goes. Call Alexander too. He'll wanna watch I'm sure."

"I can try... he doesn't like doing anything I want him to do, though," Aidan says, a bit apologetically. "Which, I mean. Yeah." Extra eloquent right now, but he might be trying to remark on that idea of ghosts only doing what the living allow. Maybe. He does, actually, look a bit drowsy again. "...'kay," he says, as far as the number thing, "you can both have it if you want. And a cheeseburger and fries sounds kinda... awesome. I can pay you back?" But for now, he might have to take her up on the resting offer, from the way his eyes are trying to close, and how he ends up settling a little deeper into the pillows. "'s nice seeing you." Even if it's maybe the first time. It has, after all, been a very long day.