entrancelogs | harry and simon [complete]

Who: Simon Tam and Harry Mason
Where Library
When: 8/30/07
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harry goes to the library to hide -- but finds an injured Simon instead. Politely, Harry escorts him somewhere safer.
the Story:

It had been an exhausting day. From a bounty hunter pulling him out of bed in the middle of the night and nearly losing his sister again, to being shot in the leg and talking Zoe through a minor operation to remove the bullet, and instead of resting peacefully in the infirmary to recover, he wakes up in a library... Jayne is apparently here, which isn't comforting in the least, and all he can do is wait until Sora gets back to him with an available room. ...he can't even reach the bookshelves from his seat in the plush armchair.

There's an abrupt noise, the sound of a door slamming. There's loud breathing, someone panting and gasping for air. Tired footsteps, dragging along -- could it be, friend or foe?

What eventually goes into Simon's view is a tired-looking Harry Mason. Quite frankly, he's exhausted from the lack of sleep and running around all over the mansion. Hopefully, that red pyramid thing won't find him immediately here. He plans to hide as long as he can--

But he spots Simon, and his eyes go wide.

...Crap. He didn't think anyone would be here.

"Damn it," Harry mutters to himself, looking a little defeated. He doesn't seem to spot the injury that Simon sports, since he says, "I'm really sorry, but you need to get out of the library. I mean it, right now."

Simon jumps when the doors bang shut, resulting in a wince of pain from his leg. He doesn't have time to linger, as the abnormal footsteps attract his attention... A feeling of helplessness settles like a chunk of ice in his stomach.

It isn't Jayne, he's certain. The thug is too loud for his own good and would no doubt announce his presence with something unimaginably crude. The man that does come around the corner doesn't look like a 'Sora' either. Especially when he tells him he needs to leave.

"I'm...sorry, um...I can't. Is there something wrong?" A quick look tells him this man isn't doing well. He looks like he hasn't slept for days, and he's probably dehydrated as well. Medical instincts kick in. "Are you feeling all right?"

"You can't?" Concern crosses the man's features immediately. "Why not? Oh... me...?" Harry smiles hesitantly. "I don't know how to explain it. And I really don't know if I have the time to, but things are... a little crazy for me right now."

As he approaches, Harry looks startled. "No wonder-- you're bleeding!" Immediately, he gets closer to Simon, crouching down a little. "This isn't good, that thing -- I don't know when it'll get here..."

Harry glances nervously over his shoulder. Damn, he was sure this place would be okay!

"Look, I'm not a doctor or anything, but I have a first aid kit with me. I'll help you, but as soon as I do that, I need to get you somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Something... very unpleasant is following me." Harry looks very distressed.

This man is unstable, is the first thing that Simon thinks. That shouldn't be a problem, Simon has had a lot of recent experience dealing with mental illness. Of course, this man isn't River, with luck he won't be as (he hates to think it) damaged.

"It's okay, relax." Simon uses his best reasuring voice. "I'm a doctor. My leg will be fine, I just need a place to rest and recover." He wants to know what, or what this man thinks, is chasing him more than he wants rest.

"What's following you?"

For a moment, Harry chews his bottom lip nervously. Somehow, it seemed no problem killing the red pyramid thing's MOM of all things, but this Red God just... doesn't go down. He lets out a sigh. "I'll get you somewhere safer than this, then. It's really important that I get you out of here."

He frowns. "I guess you haven't heard. There's this thing here, it goes by different names. But I kind of... I kind of pissed it off. So it's ... it's going to kill me. If you're here, I don't know if it'll decide to kill you, too. And whatever it's going to do to me... I really don't intend on letting you watch that."

Harry is being perfectly honest at this point. He left sort of a farewell post days ago, but by now he's aware that people are suspicious. They probably heard the scrapes, saw him running, found his notes...

"Come here. I'll help you find someplace." Harry gently offers to place Simon's arm around his shoulders; in turn, the author will bear the weight more than the doctor. "I'll try not to go too fast, but I am... kind of in a hurry. Sorry."

Very unstable. He listens to Harry carefully, the man seems lucid enough, but what he describes just...it sounds like the results of a bad drug trip. He lets Harry help him up out of the chair, putting as much weight as he can manage on his good leg and letting this kind stranger take the rest.

"I haven't heard anything like that, I've been here for a few hours at most." He lets the man help him walk towards the exit, he's in no position to use anything other than his words.

"Listen, you can't just let whoever this is come after you... There are good people here, you don't have to face this alone. Whatever you've done, you don't deserve to die." Simon still doubts that whatever Harry claims to be chasing him is real. He sounds more confident than he feels, however. If he can just convince Harry to let him help...

There's a small but rather sad smile on Harry's face as he assists Simon out of the library. "I don't know; people might argue with you on the... deserving thing. I don't want to die, trust me on that. I don't want to, but I can't stop that thing chasing me."

He just... really hopes that everyone will be okay. Does everyone really come back after they die?

How much better is it if he just accepts death?

Not that he expects the Red Pyramid ... thing... to make it quick. Oh god, he doesn't know...

"The kitchen isn't too far," Harry says quietly. "You should be safe there. Everyone goes there. Someone's bound to find you, uh... I'm sorry, I didn't ask for your name." He smiles sheepishly.

"Can I ask you something? Have you seen what's chasing you? Or heard it maybe?" Determining if Harry's halucinating or not would help him make some kind of diagnosis. He might have been wrong about the suicidal tendencies...if only he'd been a psychologist instead of a surgeon.

"Oh, Simon Tam," he answers without the usual hesitation. The Alliance simply isn't on his mind right now. "What's yours?"

"I've seen it and heard it, yeah. Mostly heard. Ask anyone else here, they've heard him, too." Harry shifts his grip a moment before continuing down the hallway. "He... to me, he looks like someone wearing a butcher's smock. Wears a red helmet in the shape of a triangle. He carries a big knife. Kind of hard to miss."

Damn, if he had to choose between the Red or Yellow Gods, it'd be Lobsel Vith. At least he made necklaces out of flowers.

"Harry Mason," he says quietly. "Sorry we had to meet like this, Simon."

He turns the corner in the hall and begins to head down to the kitchen.

Mass halucinations are a far more unlikely scenario, and the 'something in the drinking water' theory just doesn't sound right. Simon is afraid to think he's starting to believe Harry Mason. Together the two men limp towards another set of doors as the doctor tries desperately to think of something.

It isn't until they reach them that he tries, his usually calm, authoratative voice barely holding together. "I don't think it's wise for you to be alone right now, Harry."

With one hand, Harry reaches out against the door and pushes against it, stepping into the kitchen with Simon. He doesn't answer the doctor immediately; to be honest... he doesn't want to be alone. He doesn't know how to depend on others, but God damn it he does not want to be alone right now.

But the smartest thing is to avoid everyone until the moment arrives, until the Red God comes to punish him.

"I really wish I had a better choice than this," Harry agrees, smiling a little. "But thanks, Simon. I appreciate the concern." He helps him to a chair, easing the doctor down before he reaches into his jacket, pulling out the first aid kit.

"Here. I'm probably not going to be able to use this." He sets it on the table. "Anyway, there's a console nearby if you want to ask for someone to come down and help you out, okay? But you should be okay in here."

The smell of real food almost throws Simon's mind completely off track. He shakes his head to clear it and focus back on the situation at hand. Simon can't protect Harry by any means. He doesn't own a gun or any kind of weapon, and if he did he wouldn't know how to use it to save his own life. But still, he wishes he could do more to help.

He reaches for the kit but doesn't open it yet. "There has to be something I can do," Simon says, brows furrowing together. He doesn't want to beg, but Harry has to understand that he simply cannot just let him walk out of here to die.

Awkwardly, Harry rubs the back of his head. "You can stay safe for me, Simon. That's all I want you to do." He smiles at him, looking a little relieved in a way. "But thanks for worrying about me. Even though we just met. You should just worry about staying safe. And... and if you hear any scraping, see if you can get help, but I hope you don't hear it."

Gently, he pats Simon's shoulder. "But I hope we can talk again when I'm not about to... yeah. Um." He pulls away hesitantly. "Stay safe, Simon, okay?"

Harry turns to leave, slowly pulling out his gun. He's got to load it, got to get ready. Even if he loses, he's got to try.

He doesn't want to say it's because of his job, because that's not entirely true. Simon would never have become a doctor if wasn't good at it. Part of being a good doctor is being able to care for people he's never met before and might never met again. He stands, using the chair to balance himself as Harry turns to leave...it just doesn't feel right sitting down when the man is on his way to die.

...wait.

"What do you mean talk to me again?"

"Oh. Um. Someone will explain it to you better, I hope, but people don't stay dead here or something. I don't know if that's always true, though." Harry smiles a bit timidly. "I hope it's true for me, too. ... Damn, this is one depressing conversation."

He turns and steps to the door. "I'm sure there are people who will explain everything to you about this place. Um. Take care, Simon. I'm glad I got to see someone before... you know."

Without another word, Harry exits, closing the door quietly behind himself.

Simon sits back down, perhaps a little heavier than he should have. Reaching for the first aid kit he searches through bandages and antiseptic...taking out a bottle of common painkillers. Popping the cap open he empties two little white pills into his hand and swallows them dry. Maybe he is going crazy too.