1644/Radiant Infirmary Episode 1644: Give the Boy a Hand.

Radiant Infirmary Episode 1644: Give the Boy a Hand.
Date of Scene:	06 June 2024
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy - Infirmary
Synopsis:	After some minor surgery thanks to Setsuna and Mamoru, Ikuto and Mamoru and Setsuna and Usagi go to WcDonald's.
Cast of Characters:	Setsuna Meiou, Usagi Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba, Ikuto Tsukiyomi

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Setsuna Meiou has posed:
It's technically after hours in the Infirmary, as some quiet, off-the-books healing needs to be done.

The relevant parties have been brought in, the Infirmary swung into lockdown mode so that nobody can really tell there's people there...and Nurse Meiou has been behind the curtains with Mamoru and Ikuto for very nearly an hour.

Fortunately for the last person who is waiting, the sounds of someone washing up started a few minutes ago...and then Nurse Meiou steps out by pushing one of the curtains aside just enough for her to slip through and then close behind her.

Unlike her normal attire during the day, instead of her labcoat over presumably casual wear, this time she's actually wearing medical scrubs.

Granted, said medical scrubs are printed to look like a starscape...and here and there one can spot reasonably famous starships flitting about. All Starships Enterprise all the way up to the NCC1707-F, The Millenium Falcon, a Star Destroyer, a Police Call Box and a few various others.

On her head, she's wearing a matching surgical mask as well as a matching scrub cap that somehow manages to contain all of her hair.

After pulling off her surgical gloves, she pulls her mask to hang off one ear before turning to the waiting Usagi, "You'll be happy to know that everything went fine."

She pauses, then tilts her head a little, "...better than fine, actually. All we needed to do was fix the ligaments in his hand. I noticed his skin is actually still healing. I figure at this rate, he'll be back to one hundred percent in a few days."

Nurse Meiou pauses and looks back at the curtained area, "Anyway, they should both be out as soon as they're done washing up and getting their shirts back on."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
It might seem strange to say that Surgery Day has been highly anticipated but - it has been. Mamoru's healed himself to the fullest extent he could; but surgery - reopening the wound - is the only way he's going to be able to get full function in his hand back, as Usagi has painstakingly understood, and she supports him in it.

Of course she does.

It doesn't mean she hasn't been nervous, and it doesn't mean she hasn't brought an assortment of post-surgery snacks, as well as the ever-judging eye of Tuxedo Kuma, with her to wait.

So, all said and done, there's a very tense girl sitting in their 'waiting room' in a long-sleeved pink shirt and black miniskirt combo when Setsuna emerges, and all that tension rushes out when confirmation is granted that everything went well.

"Oh, that's amazing," Usagi breathes, squeezing poor Tuxedo Kuma. His judgement is mercifully aimed elsewhere, his softness comforting. "Thank you, Setsuna-san. For being able to do all of this. I don't know about Ikuto-san, but Mamochan really needed this, and... I'm just really glad this part is over."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"'Shirts back on,' she says, as if we were having a no-shirt party back there," says Mamoru, sounding amused as he calls out, washing his own hands.

There were no 'ow!' sounds, but the anaesthetic effect Mamoru tends to do first and foremost is undoubtedly what kept that from being a thing, so much. Mamoru himself, on the other hand, still has the local wearing off on his own hand, since he can't anaesthetize himself.

So when he comes out, stretching his fingers all the way out and grinning, he's also shaking his hand out. "It's finally starting to get less numb. I felt like a cartoon, or a dentist smile."

His own hand is actually all the way healed, the incisions gone and the new skin grown there between the scar tissue. "It's not still healing, Setsuna-san... I mean, the skin got healed completely, fast but natural, while I had no magic at all. So it makes sense. But it's all right, I was mostly really fussed about the parts that made it unworkable."

He shows it off. "All better!" he says, his grin even wider, and then he slings his arms around Usagi (and Tuxedo Kuma). "Just need to do some strengthening exercises so I don't get tired writing. Not with that history paper due Monday."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto washed up, staring down at his hand and the dried blood going down the drain past it. He could move his hand again, almost as if it had never been injured. There was some soreness and his hand was a bit stiff, though that seemed fairly normal to the catboy considering the state his hand had been in.

For a moment he wondered what sort of magic Nurse Meiou had worked on the mess that the burns had made, but then he remembered that she had -actually- used magic and found himself laughing as he got his shirt back on. 'Free Hugs' was printed on the plain white T-shirt.

As he walked out past the curtain, he gave Usagi a wave with his newly-fixed hand and smiled. There was a scar on the top of his hand, looking like he'd been tagged with a small branding iron. It didn't -feel- any different from the skin around it, but it seemed he'd now always have a reminder of the cost of heroism.

Ikuto was about to start musing on heroism and how it related, or didn't relate to him when he saw a small, dark shape rapidly approaching from the corner of his eye. Yoru impacted the side of his head with a quiet "thunk" and then the little catboy Chara was hugging his face as best he could manage. "It worked nya?! YAAAAAYYYYY! YOUR HAND IS FIXED YAY YAY YAY! MEIOU-SAN THANK YOU THANK YOUUUUUUUUU!"

Ikuto nodded to Setsuna, still smiling. "Thank you, truly. You as well, Mamoru-san. Without your help, well...I think my musical ability would have taken quite a dip in quality. More than that, a busted hand would have made being a h-. A h-heeeeee...guh." His tongue fumbles the word. Is it -really- that hard for him to say this? "Hero. It would have made being a -hero- much more difficult."

Yoru nods with a smirk. "Not that you wouldn't have tried anyway. It's bad enough that you took off from the hospital without even letting them make sure you were healthy enough to make your way around alone, nya!"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Nurse Meiou smiles at Usagi, "Anytime Usagi-chan. Frankly, I am too. I'm also glad that everyone managed to pull through this with nothing permanently worse than a few scars here and there."

She pauses, then puts her hands in the small of her back and leans backwards, "...and maybe a bit of a backache..."

Nurse Meiou straightens up fairly quickly though as Mamoru and Ikuto come out of the work area, and Usagi will get a closer view of her hand as she twists her wrist...producing a pair of tennis balls that she quickly lobs at each of the boys, "Mamoru-kun, your hand may not be a mass of scar tissue, but until it doesn't look odd sitting next to your other hand AND your strength and dexterity is at LEAST as good as your other hands, then it is, in fact, still healing."

An amused look is sent over towards Ikuto as his Chara impacts the side of his head...and she puts a hand over her mouth to conceal a smile at the antics, "You're more than welcome, Mister Tsukiyomi."

After a few more moments, Nurse Meiou shakes her head, then she waggles a finger at each of the two young men, "Now, I want each of you to spend at least half an hour a night for the next few nights squeezing those tennis balls. After that healing, you should be physically fine, but the brain is a funny thing, so a little bit of reinforcement that everything is actually working normally is to the good."

Then she reaches up and pulls off her surgical cap, letting her hair fall free again, "...that all being said, is anyone else hungry? I skipped lunch today, I'm hungry, and I have a car now."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A few days before, Usagi would have bristled at a few scars. As if there was anything few about the scars, and the memories, and the way they permanently marked what Hinoiri had so carelessly, callously, ruthlessly done -

But today, Mamoru has had surgery, and he will be okay, even if the scars will always remain, and there is too much relief and love in her heart for the anger that hasn't yet unknotted in her chest.

Instead she smiles a little ruefully.

"You'd better rest up, after all this. Coco-chan mentioned she was getting help from you, so you've probably been awfully busy in all of this.

But then, Mamoru is coming around, and she leaps up to hug him tight, pressing a kiss to his cheek. And then his words register.

"Ugh, not a paper due on Monday! I probably have a paper due on Monday!"

She should really know if she does, but she doesn't, and who's actually surprised by that?

She shakes her head, leaning against Mamoru as Setsuna offers tennis balls by... throwing them. She yelps and absolutely does not catch one.

"I think the scar is going to make sure it always looks a little different," nod odd, "But the physical therapy will definitely help!"

A pause, and a squint, and she looks carefully at Mamoru. "You hungry?"

Before she looks over to Ikuto, taking in his scar, and nodding, "I'm glad you'll still be able to play! I'd be miserable if I wasn't able to play games, instruments are probably like that, right?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Mamoru squints at Setsuna's correction, then one-two catches the tennis ball. It bounces off his still numb and not-physical-therapied right hand and he catches it on the rebound with his left--

--around Usagi.

"I'm more thorough with my healing than all that," he says serenely. "It's done except for PT." He holds up the tennis ball. "Which, thank you for this, too."

"I could eat," he tells Usagi with a laugh, and then eyes Ikuto and Yoru. "You don't have to call yourself a hero, you know, if you have trouble doing it. I certainly don't call myself one. I'm a light-side magical boy. Or Tuxedo Kamen. Or a prince. Calling myself a hero seems presumptuous. It's a goal, you know? I do get told not to do anything stupid with a fair amount of frequency, but... that could just be my impulsive, reckless side."

He's grinning.

Looking at Setsuna again, he lifts his eyebrows and tries not to look too eager. 'I could eat' indeed. He just did some really finicky healing. "What kind of food are you thinking of? And will we all fit in your car? Will it involve folding up in the back seat?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
A second object is now flying through the air, and Ikuto has his magic back. A pair of cat ears and a tail appear on the catboy, and his 'good' hand darts up in a blur. He's a tiny bit slower than usual but catches it anyway, the cat ears perked up and tilting towards Setsuna as his tail swishes. "I understand, Meiou-san. Seems I need to work on my reaction time a bit, too. Yoru, we'll be training later." The Chara's own ears perk up and he grins mischievously. "Throwing stuff at you to work on your reactions? Count me in nya!"

Ikuto nods to Usagi, "Very similar. It'd be like not being able to reach one of the triggers on a gamepad anymore without straining. Doable, but not ideal." Turning to Mamoru, the catboy chuckles. "It's- no, I think I should try and accept that this is who I am now. Someone who will fight for the good in this world and protect those in need. Someone who my sister can hopefully see as a positive example. Maybe I can inspire her to stop working for Easter Company someday. You were right a few days ago, Mamoru-san. I can't just sit around thinking that my efforts aren't good enough to ever offset the things I did before. A hero in-training, perhaps..."

At the mention of a car ride, Ikuto shrugs. "I could always hop in the trunk if space is a concern. I've taken catnaps in much worse places." Yoru waves his paws around. "Wha- Ikuto that's -weird-! You can't just say you'd take a nap in the trunk of Meiou-san's car! You're a person, not luggage! Sit in the car like everyone else!"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna shakes her head, "Haruka wouldn't trust me with any of the cars we have that only have two seats."

There's a beat as she obviously ponders, "...*I* wouldn't trust me with any of the cars we have that only have two seats...they're all what I think are called 'supercars'."

Another pause, "...well except for the convertable."

A hand is then waved at the door, "No, I got a car just for me to drive around and it's got room for at LEAST four people in it to sit comfortably. Let's all head out and get something to eat. We can figure out what once we're on the way."

And with that, she waits for everyone else to file out before she closes and locks up.

Then she's leading everyone out to the parking lot where she walks over to a large black Nissan Rogue whose engine starts by itself as the group approaches, "Pile on in."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Mamoru catches the ball even with her leaning on him, because he's cool and athletic like that, and Usagi grins cheekily at him as she kisses the other cheek, so it doesn't feel left out.

"What are we eating? And Ikuto-kun, you can't be the guy who goes in trunks and who gets thrown out windows, people will think you're a perma-victim for a murder," she adds matter-of-factly. Her grin is teasing. As they walk from the infirmary, towards the parking lot, she takes in the - incredibly normal looking car.

"Huh... I almost expected it to have spaceships too," she admits as they all pile in.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And then oops! Both cheeks kissed means that Mamoru kisses Usagi's nose in retaliation! Then he's just laughing, and he nods to Ikuto, expression kind. "Being a good role model for your sister is a worthy endeavour. So is doing your best to help. That's the whole thing about doing things the wrong way, or doing wrong things-- once you stop, your job is to do better and look ahead. I think you're coming along marvelously."

The car's running by the time they get there, and again Mamoru's having trouble letting go of Usagi's hand (fancy that), but he looks askance at the car before getting in. "Eager, isn't it?"

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto jumps slightly when the car turns on by itself. "How did it-" Then he looks to Usagi. "A..perma-victim? Murder? Is this one of those drama show tropes? Utau is more into those...but I suppose it wouldn't do if people got the wrong idea about me because I act strange."

He smiles at the affection between Mamoru and Usagi. A thought crosses his mind of possibly having moments like that with Yuki, and he's smiling even more without realizing it as he gets in the car too. "Thank you, Mamoru-san. It's reassuring to hear that."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna snorts, "I need to get that as a bumper sticker. 'My Other Car is a Starship'."

Mamoru's comment and Ikuto's jumpstartle get a smirk, "Remote start is a WONDERFUL thing. It's going to be even better in the winter so that my car will be warm by the time I get to it."

She eases into the driver's seat and checks her mirrors, then waits for everyone to settle and buckle in, "I'm pretty much open for anyplace that either has a drive through or is quick. Which mainly limits us to WcDonalds or KFC."

She pauses, "...well, there's a taco stand I heard someone mention, but it's about a twenty minute drive."

She glances over at whomever climbed into the back seat, "...also let me know if you see any paw prints back there. I think I got them all, but when Cora-chan came and let me know Coco-chan was in trouble, she'd been in an alley and left some prints on the seating."

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
A kiss to the nose in retaliation and Usagi giggles, and these two, they're kind of insufferable, no matter which life. Ikuto gets another scrutinizing look, because Usagi remembers Utau's name, remembers her as the girl who ruined Chiyo's first date, and is entirely unimpressed. Somethings clearly run in families, though Ikuto, to his credit, had been a jerk on accident. Sheer natural talent, maybe, instead of concentrated effort, and he's trying now.

"Let's get WcDonalds! I'm craving WcNuggets." They aren't real food, but they're food for the soul, or something. Especially with WcSauce.

"You should. You could special print it!" Sliding into the car, graciously taking the middle seat because she's going to cuddle with Mamoru regardless of where anyone else sits. "Cora-chan being...?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Or would it be the right idea?" Mamoru teases, reaching to nudge Ikuto in the shoulder where there's plenty of sleeve.

Then he laughs at Usagi climbing into the back and says, "Looks like you've got shotgun, Ikuto-san," as he climbs in next to her and makes sure both their seats are buckled.

And it's a good thing Usagi's cuddling him because he hates being in the back seats of cars! There's an underlying nervousness she can pick up through the contact, a discomfiture that he doesn't let interfere with his interactions with everyone else there...

"I'm going to get a burger the size of my head," Mamoru says firmly. "I see no paw prints. And if I did, I'd sit on them anyway."

Ikuto Tsukiyomi has posed:
Ikuto nods, hopping into the front seat next to Setsuna. "That sounds like it could be really useful during winter. No more freezing hands while trying to buckle up." Yoru looks around for a moment before taking a seat in one of the cup holders. Ikuto looks back to Mamoru and Usagi. "WcDonalds, huh? Been a while...but that sounds nice. After this I've got someone I need to go see, now that my hand is better. Someone really important to me." There's a slight blush on the catboy's face at this.

The catboy buckles his seat belt, looks to Yoru and laughs. "Try not to go flying out of there if Meiou-san hits a bump."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Setsuna backs out, then reverses direction and heads for the end of the parking lot. After a moment, she calls out, "Niti-chan? Route to WcDonald's please."

And a moment later, the sythesized voice says, "Certainly, Nurse Meiou."

And the large screen on the center console of the car lights up with a street view map and directions which Setsuna starts following, "Oh, Cora-chan is Coco-chan's pet? ...mascot? ...companion?"

She trails off for a moment, "...I'm not really sure what the proper term is, but Cora-chan is an otter."

Setsuna smirks and shakes her head, "Off we go, then."

And thus, all head out to the drive through at WcDonalds, where Setsuna buys everyone dinner before dropping everyone off where they want to go and heading home herself...glad that the multiple cup holders mean she has someplace handy to put her drink AND her fries.