undergrounds | August Adventures: A Catch-All Post.

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August Adventures: A Catch-All Post.

[A - Injury]

He'd panicked.

It was the only logical thing to do at the time. He'd gotten lax and cocky, going so far as to try to read a discarded newspaper at a public bench and someone had recognized him. And alerted the police. Considering how fast they were on him, Sirius still considered it a miracle he had gotten away. He hadn't even had the opportunity to shift into his faster form.

He'd launched himself into the first back alley he saw, hoping for a moment where he could undress and shift but that wasn't likely. His pursuers were determined, he'd give them that but Sirius's desire not to return to prison spurred him on and eventually he lost them. But not before he'd had to jump a fence and land funny on his leg. He'd sat in the alley for a long time, breathing hard and waiting for the police to catch up. But they didn't and finally he could breathe.

But not for long. The moment Sirius stood up, he knew he had a problem as pain shot up his leg. He'd definitely done something to some part of it. Assuming it was just a twisted ankle, Sirius had limped off to find somewhere a little closed off where he could rest.

That had been a weekend ago, and things still hurt. Sirius knew he would have to do something about it.

[B - Safehouse]

The events at the beginning of August served only to remind Sirius that he was in a pretty vulnerable position. He needed somewhere a little safer than the back alleys of London if he was going to get anywhere. He needed a safehouse of some sort. It didn't have to be big or particularly comfortable, but somewhere that he could stay if he needed to keep out of sight for a while, or at least rest for a couple hours without worry.

Not entirely sure how this place was going to manifest and assuming that he would know it when he saw it, Sirius wandered the streets of London, looking for something that might just work or just inspiration.

The fact that he's currently a large black dog certainly won't draw any attention now would it?

[C - Hillingdon]

It's been a long time since Sirius has been here.

Even though it's been a long time, the streets still seem familiar to him, as if he never left. He's not sure why he was reluctant to come back. Perhaps the presence of his family or just the fact that he let his connections to the Hillingdon Clan slide. He'd never sat well with the insular nature of things.

However, things had changed and Sirius had to see if his name still had any sort of weight around here. Surviving on his own was only going to get more difficult, especially since he was finding it very difficult to lay low. If he could just find someone he knew from the old days, convince them, maybe he might have a chance. It was a slim one and he was prepared to bolt the moment things went south.

But for now he had to try.

[D - Wildcard]

Feel free to set up something completely different.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The answer is obvious when she returns holding the first aid kit and an ice pack as she sports a pair of bright yellow gardening gloves.

"Ghost gloves! Er. That's what I call them though I'm sure they have a more meaningful name," she answers him as she opens the first aid kit when she's next to him. "They let me touch things more easily. It gets itchy after a while but it's an acceptable payoff."

The bandages, the splints, an ice pack. Okay. She thinks she had every thing. "How did they notice you? I thought you were hiding."

"That's useful. How'd you find them?"

Admittedly, Sirius is delaying. He doesn't really want to talk about his stupidity. It's just another reminder that his life is full of mistakes like these.

"I was, but I got a little cocky reading a newspaper. Managed to outrun the police though."

"Would you believe it if I said I found them in the lost and found box over there?" She gestures to the back where the employees only room would be as she gestures for him to roll up his pant leg so she can apply the ice, hoping this will deal with the swelling. "I wish I found something of use to you back there. Like a cloak that makes you invisible or something."

That will help him a lot. He can read a newspaper in peace without worrying someone calling the police to his attention. "I take it that you at least managed to shake them off for now, right? It seems to be the case."

"Something like that would be useful," Sirius agrees, vaguely remembering coming across a cloak like that way back when. "But I don't really fancy spending the rest of my life under one. The gloves are probably more useful."

He pulls up the pant leg, revealing the ankle, which is swollen.

"I did. Right after I landed on my ankle. I thought for sure they were going to catch me but I guess they didn't see or hear me."

Ohhh that looks nasty. Clara winces as she applies the ice pack, making sure to not add too much pressure on the injury.

"Good thing they didn't catch you," she states, pointing out the very obvious. "That's a good stroke of luck."

How long will it last, though? She doesn't want to hear the news of him being caught. Goodness knows how they'll treat him after that. It nags her as she tends to the ankle, trying to recall how she did this in the past. "Have you been able to rest since then? Have a bite to eat? I can make something here if you want. It won't be a five-star meal but it's better than nothing, right?"

Sirius winces as the ice pack touches his leg. It's cold but it is helping.

"It really was. I've been lying low ever since and keeping out of sight. I've slept here and there, but it's not like I've gotten very far on this."

Mostly a couple hours at a time. Long enough to get some energy back before he moves onto another location. Eating hadn't really been a big concern and he's about to pass when his stomach growls.

"Finding food was a little harder."

She gives him a little look when she hears both the growling stomach and the admission as she begins to check the swelling and the tenderness. "After this-- Breakfast. No questions. Since Karl isn't here yet that means no 'fresh baked goods' but there should be premade meals in the back."

After this is seen to. They should be able to patch this up without much issue. Fingers crossed no one notices the missing items from the kit when they open the shop later.

Maybe they'll blame her again for the missing items and they'll be right this time, the bandages and the splint going to a cause she thinks is worth the attention and care this calls for. "Tell me if the binding is too tight or lose, okay? I'm rather rusty in this."

"I'll take whatever I can get," Sirius replies. He has a feeling any further arguments he makes just aren't going to work, although it is his first inclination, and he's too used to providing for himself. Not relying on people.

"Feels okay so far." He's still got to walk, at least until he can find somewhere safe to rest so tighter is probably better.

"Good! Hopefully you can see someone who can do that proper." And soon. It has been a while since she did this.

It should hold up until he gets proper care. Just in case, she knocks on a table as she passes by to get him a meal. No use of jinxing the poor man with the way his week has been. "Do you have a place in mind to go after this?"

"I'll see what I can do." He doesn't know a lot of doctors, save for the one he ran into a few weeks ago. And even then, he's not sure he wants to visit him unless he has to.

"Hadn't really gotten that far, so I can't say that I do."

"Oh! That's awful to hear."

She's clearly trying to think of a place he could go after this but her mind is drawing a blank. Her go to answer, the Redbright school, is probably not a place where an escaped convict should be spotted at.

"Are there any hold hangouts you used to visit?" Clara now asked him as she returns, the meal in tow with her. "Or secret places only you and your friends had?"

Clara had that in the past. Between her and Francisco. But it's located somewhere in Bromley so meaning it's almost impossible for her to go and visit these days.

"There's a few old places, yeah, but I don't want to trouble them with public opinion being pretty much against me," Sirius replied, "As for secret places, I can't really think of any off the top of my head. We were usually at each other's flats and I can't imagine mine is still being held for me."

Although it might be worth checking, somehow the idea of returning there didn't sit well with him. It wouldn't be returning to the scene of the crime, but it was probably guarded regardless.

"I am looking for a place though. A safehouse of sorts."

Probably better than hanging out in a back alley.

"I wish I could offer you a place somewhere but--" There aren't a lot of places she can really think of. The place she and Francisco had was merely a tree and hardly a place for a person to take shelter under. She knows better than to push the school's generosity by offering him a place to stay inside the school.

It would only be a matter of time before someone found him and both of them would be in trouble. Not the best scenario for either.

She sets down the wrapped up sandwich, the bag of chips, and bottle of water on the table closest to him as she thinks of where else he can go. "Who were you with back in the day? I mean-- I assume back then the city had its groups still given how old everyone is so you must have been with a gaggle yourself."

"I'm managing well enough for the time being," Sirius replies. The weather's been decent enough that it hasn't been too bad staying outside. A little chilly but he has ways of staying warm.

He grabs the sandwich, taking a few large bites a little less than gracefully before responding.

"I have connections to the Hillingdon Clan, but I can't say they'll mean much now. I sort of dropped contact with them after I left home."

She 'sits' next to him as he eats, dwelling what he's told her so far. "The connections still have to count for something, won't they? Especially since the hunters wouldn't mind another pair of hands to help them out."

Their numbers weren't alway that much ever since Clara ran across them years ago but, recently, they've been quiet thanks to a lack of active members in their ranks and other things getting tied up. Maybe they'll be willing to look the other way if he could help or find a way to change his appearance.

Oh! That other part! "Do you-- Do you think you can find a way to change your appearance? For a limited time at least? So you can meet with others or go out without trouble?"

"I'm hoping so. Depends on if anyone I knew from back then is still around. They should be, pretty stubborn the lot of them." He pauses to take a few more bites. "I just hope my name's not complete mud."

Between his alleged criminal status and undoubtedly things his family have said about him, Sirius does have a few reasons to be concerned.

"You know, I hadn't really thought about that. It probably would be a smart idea."

It would probably give him a slightly cleaner appearance as well. If he shaved and cut his hair maybe? Just finding a place to do that might be tough.

"Fingers crossed in that regards! No one should be left all by their lonesome when they have somewhere to go." Maybe she's speaking from experience. Maybe she isn't.

Whatever the case, she's determined to help no matter what.

"We can start here if you want! The employees' only lounge has a bathroom and someone usually leaves their cleaning things here. You can freshen up for a bit." She pauses and adds quickly, "Don't worry about any mess. I'll deal with that."

She's, more or less, become conditioned to clean any mess she sees so this won't be a problem. Once again she finds herself thanking the existence of the ghost gloves.

Sirius nods, figuring that at the very least, he could wash up and try to improve the general disheveled look he'd managed to develop. He glances down at his leg.

"Is it alright for me to walk on it now? Or should I wait a bit more?"

"You should walk it out," Clara answers after thinking it over. "Test to see if my work will hold out for you."

It should. Hopefully. It's been a while since she's done this but an old dog never forget its tricks.

She 'stands' up from the chair and glides over to his side, ready to grab hold of him in case he stumbles or has too much difficulty. "Whenever you're ready."

It takes Sirius a minute to psych himself up, since sitting down and allowing the weight to be taken off his foot has been a huge relief. But after a mental count to three, he hauls himself up with a wince. His foot still hurts and he's reluctant to put weight on it but the bandage helps. When he finally does put weight on it, it doesn't feel as wobbly as it has.

"Looks like you've still got it," he says, taking a few tentative steps.

She smiles at the compliment, more relieved than proud that her bandaging will live to see another day or three. "That's good to hear! They should last long enough until you see someone proper.

"... If you can," she also adds, remembering that he's a fugitive on the run, accused of something terrible. Now that people were more aware of his presence, he'll have to be careful. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Sirius. This really isn't fair."

"Hasn't been fair for a while," Sirius admits, "But still, I appreciate it. I'm sure there's someone out there who can help me."

He still has that strange doctor's card, so he might have to look for him if it gets worse. Hopefully this will be enough, if he can just find a place to lie low again.

"I better go clean myself up."

"You should. I think there should be a razor or something like that," she told him as she floats to his side but lets him move all on his own. He can do it. She knows he can.

"--Oh!" An idea forms in her head as she's about to leave him be, wondering why she hadn't thought of it before. "Maybe I can pack you a few things while you're freshening up. So you're not emptyhanded while leaving here."

She'll make sure the items won't be missed or can be glossed off if found missing. She wants to help Sirius, yes, but she also doesn't want to be a pain for the poor staff here.

"Alright, but only if they won't be missed. Although, food's probably best if you're going to pack anything."

He can live without the essentials, has been managing without them for the most part, but food could get hard to come by sometimes. And there was only so many times he could go dumpster diving as a dog.

While he's in the washroom, he considers his options. It's been a long time since he looked in the mirror and he's a lot scruffier looking than he'd thought. An absolute mess really. He searches around for a pair of scissor. At the very least, this beard needs a trim.

While he takes care of himself in the washroom, Clara busies herself over at the kitchen to take some things she hopes the others won't notice.

Food they have to throw away today since it was baked yesterday for one thing. Breads, scones, sandwiches are a good thing to tuck away in the small knapsack she found in the lost and found box after poking at it a bit around said box. An untouched bottle of energy drink that's been left in the employee's fridge for a while so she thinks no one will miss it. There's also a bottle of water or two to put in, sneakily.

And, just in case, a roll of bandage wrapping and some painkillers. There. That should help him for... A week? Two weeks? She hopes long enough until he finds a place to settle down properly.

August Adventures: A Catch-All Post.

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