Locked to notsouledyet please, and <user site="livejournal.com"

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Post locked because mun is low on energy tonight. House will be on duty (against his will) in the clinic tomorrow night and randomly throughout the weekend for any students/faculty needing his assitance. Thank you!]

After receiving a phone call from Lisa, House abruptly leaves the main area of the clinic (and don't think he's not grateful for the interruption and the excuse to leave the chaos), and limps into one of the back rooms.

His eyes sweep across the room, taking in the sight of the young man on the cot. His clothes are tattered, splotches of purple and bruise blackened skin underneath.

"Nice shiner," House comments, with a nod toward the patient's face.

Comments

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

There's a flicker in Angelus's eyes as he assesses the newcomer. "Nice limp," he comments in return.

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

House's eyes flicker to his cane. "It's a ploy. The ladies love a man with a visible weakness."

The intensity of those eyes darts back up to the patient. "Angelus, is it? Nurse Cuddy didn't tell me anything, so start talking."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Never heard that one before," Angelus says. He leans back against the wall, wincing and pressing a hand to his lower ribs as he does. "You want the long or the short? Short version is I got my ass kicked."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"You should try it. Works every time."

House moved into the room, shutting the door to give them privacy.

"I like short. Less to lie about. Did my competent assistant run any tests or offer any suggestions? Or did she call me so she could split?"

He was beside the cot at this point, piercing eyes assessing the injuries.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Had a physical exam," Angelus remained where he was, his eyes following House and his chest reasonably visible through the tears in his shirt. "Said I narrowly missed getting hit on two of my favorite body parts. Also suggested this might not be my week to try out for the wrestling team."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"Looks like she had her ducks in a row. She dumped you, pal." House leaned on his cane. "Nothing I can do but offer you a copy of PlayBoy now."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Thanks, but," Angelus gave a rueful grin towards the very precise way he was sitting on the cot, "maybe not just now if it's all the same. Have I mentioned this hasn't been my proudest 24 hours?"

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"I've heard rumblings of the sort," Houseresponded and sat down on the cot, stretcihng his legs to cross at the ankles with the cane held between his knees.

"So you got beat up. It happens. Especially in high school. What I can't figure out, is why Lisa felt the need to drag me in to it. You're sore, sure, but you look like a tough guy. A shot, maybe a perscription of pain killers to get you through the weekend, and you're good to go. As painful as a knee to the nads is, it's temporary."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"That was my feeling on the subject," Angelus's shoulders relaxed just a hair, as though he were letting go of wary tension. "Heck, I wasn't even sure if I should bring it up. But there was a whole - " Angelus made a circular gesture in the air " - thing and I didn't know how to handle it. Lisa said you were the guy to talk to."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angelus cocked his head at that. "Most adults around here would say I shouldn't be talking about knives."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

House shrugged.

"I'm not 'most adults'." He sets the cane between his legs and with an almost imperceptible shift of his hand, the handle of the cane produces a small knife.

"Dual purpose, as I said." Just as quickly, the blade is retracted and the cane looks innocent enough.

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

This gets perhaps Angelus's first real smile of the evening. "Nice. That from a store in town? Tell me you use that on patients."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"Special order." House shrugged. "You're only the second patient I've showed it to. First one wasn't quite this...friendly."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Who was the first?" Angelus asked.

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"Some dumbass back in New Jersey thought the hospital clinic was a perfect place to try to get a fix."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Not a student then," Angelus said. "Which of course is good. Seems like too many of them are dangerous. I'd hate to hear about another one who might terrorize the local population."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"I'm trying to avoid getting to know any of them. Met a werewolf the other night, a furry blue guy, and some of my staff have healing powers."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Fascinating that you would say that," Angelus inched forward on the cot, resting his hands on either side of him. His demeanor was that of one rare hobbiest meeting another who spoke his language. "I find it interesting to observe the truth. Those fleeting, tiny moments when you find the real person... and when you see everything around them that they've deluded themselves with."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"That's how I feel about medicine. Not people. I don't like people."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I can appreciate that," Angelus said. "Studied a bit of internal workings in my day. What makes 'em tick, what makes 'em stop ticking. People I rarely like. But once you get that pesky emotional problem out of the way there's a whole body of knowledge that opens up to you."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"I guess." House shrugged. He leaned forward to rub his head on the smooth handle of his cane.

"Sp what makes you tick, Angelus?"

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angelus gave him a long and measuring stare. When he spoke, his tone was that of honest answer, not threat. "Pain. Mine. Other people's. I'm obsessed with it."

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

House nodded. He sighed and rubbed at his thigh with both hands, gently massaging the soreness.

"That's the sort of hobby that can keep a man in business his entire life."

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I'm not bored yet," Angelus nodded in the direction of House's leg. "Who did your work? Probably not you, right?"

[gotcanewillpoke.livejournal.com]

"It was a blood clot, a few years ago. Misdiagnosed. Inept idiots thought it was muscle strain, gave me muscle relaxers, sent me home. By the time..." His eyes closed and he shook his head. "They wanted to amputate. Lisa was barely out of diapers, but she's the one who suggested removing the dead muscle and trying to restore blood flow."