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Dr Elinor Lisa:
Elinor walks the halls of her facility, a study of blood and the pathogens within. It was finally closing time, and while she was a work aholic Elinor preferred to not be around when the night shift janitors came in the morning to find her dead corpse in her office.
She walks out of the facility's back entrance and locks the door before heading down towards an alleyway, a winding backbone of the city where darkness and light meet. She steps around a corner only to be greeted by a mugger. Holding his gun out beneath his jacket, any lesser person would be afraid but Elinor had other things in mind...
"You will hand me your gun." The command rings out in the head but... something was wrong, something in her words. The man instead pulls out the pistol in full view and points it at Elinor's head.
"I'm not playing lady... hand over whatever you have in your wallet." Elinor seemed unphased. Not by the failed command but by the will and strength of the man in front of her.
But it did allow a stranger to arrive and 'help' her out.
Josephine Byrne:
Just as he finished speaking, the gun falls out of his hand, accompanied by a loud yelp as he gripped that hand to try to stop the bleeding. T'was just a flesh wound, really, but it was enough to change the dynamics of the situation, because now he was bleeding AND unarmed. It isn't likely that he'll be holding a gun anytime soon.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
Elinor flinches back at the sudden bright light that shot out from her side. The loud bang in the ear bringing her predatory senses into overdrive. She snarls and whips her head towards the source of the loud explosion, bringing her caine up and smacking the mugger on the tip of his foot. Causing a loud crunching sound to ring out as it was crushed beneath her cane.
"Who's there!" She commands.
Josephine Byrne:
Mugger was down for the count. He ain't gonna be walking either for a while too. Poor thing probably didn't expect such an outcome.
A shadowy figure stepped out from behind a corner. "Heh. I'd been following him for a while. Thanks for making it so he can't run." they replied smoothly. Jo came out of the shadows to approach the whimpering man on the ground.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"A fractured foot? That's only a couple of months at most in the hospital." Elinor replies, lifting the cane up as the mugger falls to his stomach. Trying to crawl away before the blood loss and pain made him go unconcious.
"...That's more a concern though."
Josephine Byrne:
"What, the bleeding? Pfft, I didn't hit any major bones or nerves. I think. He'll be fine. Or maybe not. Depends on the police, I suppose." they chuckled.
Without much effort, they reached down, grabbed his wounded arm and hoisted him up to his one good foot. "C'mon, bounty."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Well, whatever the bounty is worth is going to be low if he's dead."
"Wanted 'Dead or Alive' went out of fashion centuries ago."
Josephine Byrne:
Jo paused to look back at Elinor with a grin. "Thanks for your concern, but his bleeding has stopped. See?" as they pulled his arm up to show that his wound was indeed beginning to clot already. Not that they were helping by jerking him about. He was the only one actively trying to stop his own bleeding.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"..." Elinor pauses, how was such a thing possible. Did she have the saliva of a Kindred? No she could hear her heartbeat. She wasn't a kindred... or maybe something else.
"At least let me take a look at him." She offers. "I am a doctor... I doubt you want to explain to police why you have a dead bounty in your car."
Josephine Byrne:
"Eh. Fine." they shrugged and let go, unceremoniously dropping the man back to the ground where he yelled and sobbed in pain.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
Might be a kindred after all, a low humanity one at that.
Elinor leans down and checks the man. First the wound. She lifts the hand up between her fingers and squints. How did she do that? Gun shots don't cloat like that...
Josephine Byrne:
Perhaps it was the way the bullet went through his hand. It looked more like a superficial wound than a serious one, now that the hand was up close.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Hmm..." Elinor says. "He'll be fine, provided the shock and previous infections doesn't kill him."
"...What?" The mugger asks.
"Shut up." Elinor stands up with the man in her arms. "Do you have a car or van for your bounty?"
Josephine Byrne:
"Nah. IWas planning to walk him to the station. It's just a block away. Why?"
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Well, you know." She gestures to the man and his blood. "Don't need to get a seat dirty, and of course the cops seeing you walk inside with a bleeding man might raise a few eyebrows."
Josephine Byrne:
"I've done it before." they chuckled and crossed her arms. "Why so concerned? Just a moment ago, he was about to rob you and who knows what else."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"I would have been fine." Elinor says, and by her tone she 'meant' it. "I'm quite use to these streets after all."
Josephine Byrne:
"I know guns and I know bullets. One wrong move and he might have shot you in the head. You wouldn't be fine then."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
Don't count on it.
"I don't know, there are records of people surviving headshots." Elinor points out. "I even treated some of them in my time." Well she didn't, but she heard stories.
Josephine Byrne:
"Uhuh. The chances of surviving a headshot is much much lower than dying from one. I should know, I've seen plenty of headshots. Given plenty of headshots."
The way they emphasized that confirmed that this person was obviously an experienced shooter.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Right... so you have experience hurting people, but you're a bounty hunter and not a cop. So I take it you're either an assassin of some kind, which is unlikely given that you shot someone in the hand from about." She turns around to look at the alleyway. "Twenty paces away... a very hard shot to take that not even a cop would make well. I take it you're ex military?"
Josephine Byrne:
"Very observant." she approved. "But clearly not enough to realize that you were walking into an ambush."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"There is a difference between a person ambushing you and being able to read a person my dear." The doctor states.
Josephine Byrne:
"Is it? I find no difference. It is a matter of paying attention."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Yes, in one scenario they are trying to hide from you. In another they are hiding something from you." She emphasis the from the make her point more clear.
Josephine Byrne:
"But if you pay attention, you catch both." they replied, smiling at the possibility that they might be frustrating this odd doctor.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Both require a different form of attension..." She states. "And people knowledge, of which you seem to lack."
Josephine Byrne:
"How so?"
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"One involves attension to the enviroment, to see the glint of the gun or scope involves use of vision, but not in the same way as seeing the glint of anger in someone's eye before they strike... or the kind of monster that would use a weapon to kill someone. It's easy to spot a gun after all... but it's harder to see what kind of monster is behind the eyes."
Josephine Byrne:
"I pay attention to both. And I was asking about what you mean by my lacking people knowledge."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"You might have the ability, but remember I am a doctor. I have seen less cold people then you in the morgue."
Josephine Byrne:
"That doesn't answer my question. How am I lacking people knowledge?" they asked again, the smile still on their face, and looking very sarcastic.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Maybe you don't... but you don't seem to have much sympathy for the man you just shot in the hand."
Josephine Byrne:
"Why should I? He is an asshole, preying on others to feed his addiction."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
Ouch, lucky this one had no idea just how terrible Elinor could be to such statements.
"Really? So I should shoot other assholes too?"
Josephine Byrne:
They shrugged and looked uncaring. "If they deserve it, sure. But of course, within the law."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Huh huh... and who 'deserves' it exactly? Who made you judge and jury of arseholes?"
Josephine Byrne:
"..." they stare at the doctor as though they were being stupid. "I'm a bounty hunter. This asshole is on the wanted list by the police. I am not judge or jury. I am simply following the law. I don't go around shooting kids who bully other kids."
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Sure, but what about the other people on that list? People who just wanted to feed a family." She leans uncomfortably close. "Remember girl... there are worse monsters out there then you, waiting to drag you down onto their level and make you just as bad as they are. Have some humanity for G_d's sake!"
Josephine Byrne:
Their eyes narrowed and their posture changes to stand taller, to puff out their chest intimidatingly. "First of all, I am not girl, and secondly, I know there are other monsters. I survived a war, I have seen things you would only dream of seeing." they hissed.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
Elinor snarls, actually snarls, stepping back from the military brat as she bares her teeth. Not her fangs... yet. Then she figures out a way to salvage this to really mess with this poor girl's mind.
"Well then 'Not girl'. Congrats... you managed to frighten one of the monsters."
Josephine Byrne:
They blinked and paused, going on guard immediately. One hand was already on their holster, which was undone to allow for immediately pulling the gun out if necessary. Their narrowed eyes examine the doctor in front of them. "Oh yeah? A doctor who is a monster. How ironic." they taunted.
Dr Elinor Lisa:
"Clearly you have never seen Doctor Frankenstein..." She grins before turning around. "I'm sure we'll see eachothrr again dear, but I don't want you wasteing you bullets."
Josephine Byrne:
Jo didn't reply back and just watched suspiciously as she walked away... When they were satisfied that the doctor was truly gone, they finally bent down to grab the whimpering fool to haul to the police station.
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