i n [B] o x . // EXPIATION.

[abandonware]

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[abandonware]

[The kid gives away her pain with her fumbling. A2 is unrushed but efficient: she and Pod have observed and done research on these minor medical procedures in their great stretches of time without a mission. Pod no longer asks her of her intentions when the day starts. They have learned to operate in comfortable silence.

She's accustomed to varying levels of gore and violence. But even she leans back a bit at the sight of the injury, eyes going wide.] No shit. [A soft, frustrated sigh.] Pod.

[Pod hands Ellie a glass of water and the tiny cup of pills.] Hello, Ellie. Query: how would you rate your current level of pain?

[A2 huffs.] ... They've gotten into surveys lately. Ignore it if you want.

Rebuttal: Pain assessments are an important feature of the care and treatment of human beings in medical set—

OK, OK, Dr. Pod. Do your thing. [A dismissive wave. She focuses on getting the wound clean, beginning to flush it with a water treatment.]

[giraffic]

Like 500, this shit hurts like a thousand times more than I thought it would.

[ But she can still feel it, so based on what Aloy said, that's...good??? Maybe?? She downs the pills and water fast.

She swears under her breath, but manages to keep still, gritting her teeth as the wound is flushed. ]

Looked sooo gross.

[abandonware]

It still looks gross.

[A2 deadpans. She wonders if all human injuries were this gruesome. Androids and machines both got injured and experienced pain, they leaked coolant the color of blood and machines bled oil, but very few were this... wet, and spongy. But she continues her first aid unflinchingly.

Pod helps by keeping light on her work area. After flushing the wound, applying antiseptic is the next, painful thing.] You tried to burn it off?

[giraffic]

It smelled like pork.

[ an important detail. her next reply comes with slow, pained breaths and gritted teeth: ]

Was sick of looking at it after everything that happened.

[abandonware]

Mm.

[The idea of burning human flesh smelling like the meat they eat does not cause her nausea, exactly, but her face twists in displeasure nonetheless.]

...

This is a serious injury.

[She says it after a long stretch of working on the injury in stony quiet. It's not unlike A2 to point out the obvious, but there's something lurking in her clipped tone. Annoyance, maybe. Or perhaps she's troubled.]

[giraffic]

Wasn't supposed to be.

[ the pain killers help take the edge off of it, and she's finally seems to be able to keep still, leaning chin-in-hand over the table.

if she's bothered by A2 being bothered, the defiance hasn't come out just yet. ]

I probably should have done it with a lower temperature for longer, but I figured faster would be easier in the long run.