At 6'6 it is very difficult for Giles to ever look small but somehow he does now. Suit torn and ragged, covered in a fair amount of blood that's had a poor attempt at being washed off, scratches all over that he still hasn't finished bandaging, and trying to push himself into as small a space in the corner as he possibly can.
When he finally forces words out of his mouth it's a breathless sob "Please don't kill me"
Bash exhales heavily, taking in the sight before himself quietly.
"Fuckin' hell. I'm not going to kill you. You're not trying to trick me into fucking you by pretending to be my boy--and I don't even plan to kill that one, just exorcise the fuck out of him. Now, lemme see where you're hurt, and talk to me."
He'll move to grab bandages and antiseptic, to do the proper work of cleaning Giles off, wrapping him up.
"I- You're... You're not?" He blinks, wide eyed and disbelieving and still whimpering a little, but at least he's not trying to push himself into the wall anymore.
"I uhh... I don't- I don't know what you want me to say really. I just-" He stops, tries to do some of that breathing exercise rubbish he's found in the depths of Giles's memories but gives up on that before he's even really started. Turns out all he really needed anyway was one deep breath to make the dam burst and words tumble out of him in a flood that's only occasionally interrupted by hiccoughing, "Well I was going to try and sell you some shit about Ossie being all weird but you said you can tell and then I was talking to this uhh... I'm not sure... A friend? I suppose? Who found out and was not so murder-y about it as I was expecting and I thought maybe I should... I don't know. Practice what I preach I suppose, darling"
Bash reaches out to touch Giles...not-Giles...on the cheek lightly.
"I'm glad you've chosen to be honest with me. The asshole wearing Jeff's body, he killed Crichton and then used his blood to call me to gloat. You're not planning on any of that kind of shit, right?"
If he is, well. This may be about to go differently.
"I don't know I'm not- I'm not good at fighting. Ossie already tried to kill me- or well, Erin Peters did, but it was on his orders. I don't-" he whimpers again and looks at the floor, losing what little steam he had. The rest comes out in pitiful murmur "I just don't want to go back to Nothing."
"Alright. Well, once we get you bandaged up, you're welcome to sleep in the cabin. No sex, but if you want to share the bed and cuddle, I'm good for that. Anyone who wants to hurt you there will have to get through me."
Yes. Yes he knows making promises, or even strong statements to someone who's wearing a lowercase-f fae form is a Bad Idea. He's doing it anyway.
"But that's tonight, and that's as long as you don't lie to me or try to hurt nobody."
He nods vigorously, and — not having Giles's persistent guilt on the subject — binds the words into a Pledge. A night of protection and comfort in exchange for the truth and something he really wasn't going to try any time soon anyway sounds like the best of all possible deals to him right now.
"Thank you, I'm just- I'm so tired"
He scrubs his face with his hands, trying to collect himself into some semblance of something. Finally gathering the courage to step away from the wall and sit on one of the hard medical beds instead, putting himself into far more capable hands. Not that that's exactly a hard ask.
He'd managed to stop the bleeding before he'd been interrupted at least, but there's a lot of scratches all over him, especially on his arms and legs where the vines had him restrained. Some are largely superficial, but there's a lot that are worryingly deep too. As well as two deep cuts — one on each arm — that look a few days older. And quite probably self-inflicted.
"I tried my best, but I've never been especially good at healing, darling, not without magic anyway. Even then all I ever really did were hangover cures."
"I'm not a healer either. Not really. Death, darkness and running away, that's what I'm good for, in terms of my purviews." He pauses and leans in to brush a butterfly kiss on Ginger's forehead. "But I can clean and bandage these. Alright?"
He Notices those deeper cuts, but doesn't say anything, instead tending gently to the changeling wearing Giles' face, as if he's an old, dear friend.
He bites his lip at the forehead kiss, really unsure what to do with all tenderness he's getting. It's quite the change from what he's used to. Even without the whole possession thing throwing more than a few spanners in the works.
"Yes, please"
Ginger hesitates, takes breath to say something, stops again, frowns, and tries again.
"You're rather different than I expected, darling. I mean, I knew you were nice enough of course, his memories are testament to that, but I- well. He thought Erin Peters was nice too, and look where that got me."
Bash laughs quietly. “I’m gentle because I choose to be. Spent my childhood getting my shit kicked in and fending for myself a lot, and like. I coulda took that and gone bitter and tough, right? But instead I decided to be ruthlessly kind, whenever that’s an option. Which is a different thing from just being nice.”
A pause, he runs his thumb along one of those deeper cuts, acknowledging it and not commenting on it aloud.
"I don't know many people who would make that choice. Not any more anyway. I think there were a few back home like that, but that was a very long time ago now."
Not that he especially wants to think about that. About people he was already missing before he became a ghost, let alone now.
"She's uh... She's-" nope nevermind, he'd really rather not think about that either, Thanks. Ginger is not one of Autumn's children, no matter what the body he's inhabiting thinks, he does not need to live with or confront his fear thankyouverymuch.
You know what's much easier to think about?
"I know what you're thinking, darling, but it's not that. I- or rather Ernest- Giles, I mean, can remove other people's injuries. But it's tit for tat. You have to bleed first."
It’s the use of the name Ernest, as of Jiles thinks of him as that first, that makes Bash most curious, and least willing to ask. He is loudly going to pretend he never ever heard that!
“An exchange. That makes sense. I think there’s divine magic in my world that runs along a similar…hehe. Vein. That was not intentional, I am so sorry.”
no subject
Date: 2022-10-12 06:52 am (UTC)oh.
fuck.
wait.
really?
no subject
Date: 2022-10-12 07:02 am (UTC)I uh
I can't go back to the cottage
So I was rather hoping you wouldn't mind having a proper roommate
no subject
Date: 2022-10-12 07:04 am (UTC)And then Bash shows up at the infirmary. Looming in the doorway.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-12 07:12 am (UTC)Suit torn and ragged, covered in a fair amount of blood that's had a poor attempt at being washed off, scratches all over that he still hasn't finished bandaging, and trying to push himself into as small a space in the corner as he possibly can.
When he finally forces words out of his mouth it's a breathless sob
"Please don't kill me"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-12 07:19 am (UTC)"Fuckin' hell. I'm not going to kill you. You're not trying to trick me into fucking you by pretending to be my boy--and I don't even plan to kill that one, just exorcise the fuck out of him. Now, lemme see where you're hurt, and talk to me."
He'll move to grab bandages and antiseptic, to do the proper work of cleaning Giles off, wrapping him up.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 01:44 am (UTC)"I uhh... I don't- I don't know what you want me to say really. I just-" He stops, tries to do some of that breathing exercise rubbish he's found in the depths of Giles's memories but gives up on that before he's even really started. Turns out all he really needed anyway was one deep breath to make the dam burst and words tumble out of him in a flood that's only occasionally interrupted by hiccoughing, "Well I was going to try and sell you some shit about Ossie being all weird but you said you can tell and then I was talking to this uhh... I'm not sure... A friend? I suppose? Who found out and was not so murder-y about it as I was expecting and I thought maybe I should... I don't know. Practice what I preach I suppose, darling"
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 01:57 am (UTC)"I'm glad you've chosen to be honest with me. The asshole wearing Jeff's body, he killed Crichton and then used his blood to call me to gloat. You're not planning on any of that kind of shit, right?"
If he is, well. This may be about to go differently.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 04:00 am (UTC)Yes. Yes he knows making promises, or even strong statements to someone who's wearing a lowercase-f fae form is a Bad Idea. He's doing it anyway.
"But that's tonight, and that's as long as you don't lie to me or try to hurt nobody."
cw: mention of self-harm
Date: 2022-10-13 05:19 am (UTC)"Thank you, I'm just- I'm so tired"
He scrubs his face with his hands, trying to collect himself into some semblance of something. Finally gathering the courage to step away from the wall and sit on one of the hard medical beds instead, putting himself into far more capable hands. Not that that's exactly a hard ask.
He'd managed to stop the bleeding before he'd been interrupted at least, but there's a lot of scratches all over him, especially on his arms and legs where the vines had him restrained. Some are largely superficial, but there's a lot that are worryingly deep too. As well as two deep cuts — one on each arm — that look a few days older. And quite probably self-inflicted.
"I tried my best, but I've never been especially good at healing, darling, not without magic anyway. Even then all I ever really did were hangover cures."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 05:28 am (UTC)He Notices those deeper cuts, but doesn't say anything, instead tending gently to the changeling wearing Giles' face, as if he's an old, dear friend.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 06:22 am (UTC)"Yes, please"
Ginger hesitates, takes breath to say something, stops again, frowns, and tries again.
"You're rather different than I expected, darling. I mean, I knew you were nice enough of course, his memories are testament to that, but I- well. He thought Erin Peters was nice too, and look where that got me."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 06:28 am (UTC)A pause, he runs his thumb along one of those deeper cuts, acknowledging it and not commenting on it aloud.
“Dunno who this Erin is yet, though.”
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 06:52 am (UTC)Not that he especially wants to think about that. About people he was already missing before he became a ghost, let alone now.
"She's uh... She's-" nope nevermind, he'd really rather not think about that either, Thanks. Ginger is not one of Autumn's children, no matter what the body he's inhabiting thinks, he does not need to live with or confront his fear thankyouverymuch.
You know what's much easier to think about?
"I know what you're thinking, darling, but it's not that. I- or rather Ernest- Giles, I mean, can remove other people's injuries. But it's tit for tat. You have to bleed first."
no subject
Date: 2022-10-13 07:02 am (UTC)“An exchange. That makes sense. I think there’s divine magic in my world that runs along a similar…hehe. Vein. That was not intentional, I am so sorry.”
no subject
Date: 2022-10-14 06:36 am (UTC)"Don't you dare apologize, darling. I think I needed that."
He rubs at his face, trying to wipe away tears and pull himself back together. He only succeeds at one of those.