some people are better at surviving than living

[sassguard]

WHO: Joker & Shepard
WHERE: Whichever hospital Joker's gotten laid up in.
WHEN: Tail-end of the Road Not Taken plot.
WHAT: Shepard's memories aren't all there, but he can still check up on a crewmate.
WARNINGS: Physical injuries, probably Joker's foul mouth.

There were only a handful of people in Heropa that Shepard actually recognized, though there were more that treated him like he should know them. Learning about what Jacob Taylor had done to Joker didn't do much to endear the apparently ex-Cerberus agent to him.

It's taken some tracking down, and apparently Joker wasn't in any condition to receive visitors for a couple of days at least. One way or another Shepard manages to find his way to the right hospital, and the right door. He's come alone, mainly because it feels a little weird to have Kaidan along for this when things are still a little awkward between them.

He's also holding a fruit basket with a get-well card ('LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE EXCEPT FOR BROKEN BONES') jammed haphazardly beside the oranges and fruits, because that's the kind of thing you do, right? After a sharp rap or two at the door, he shoulders it open, realizing as he does so that he's not even certain how much Joker's appearance might have changed from what he remembers.

Kaidan had seemed surprised enough by his appearance, although as far as Shepard's concerned, a few years can't have changed that much. Without the weight of the past two years on him, death and the Reaper War and everything else in between, he does almost seem younger, though, even his voice lighter when he calls out.

"Joker?"

Comments

[boneitis]

It's probably a good thing that Shepard's shown up now, because Joker is a.) bored, b.) hates hospitals, and c.) has already managed to track down some normal clothes to wear instead of a hospital gown that shows his ass. If it weren't for the fact that he's still waiting for the doctors to get back to him with the rest of his brain test results, he'd be out of here faster than you can say 'let's do one more scan'.

He's sitting on the bed when Shepard comes in, flicking through the channels on the TV with his brain. Because fuck finding the remote.

"Hey, Shep."

He looks... different. Kind of better, actually, but there's been a lot of weird shit going on with people and alternate timelines and shit, so excuse him for being ever so slightly wary. But the fruit basket at least makes this whole thing seem a lot more innocuous. It's not like he's going to bust his head open again with a pineapple or some shit.

"Is that for me? Because I've got it on good authority that you should never give me anything that I can use as ammunition."

He's bored and he has a completely unreasonable but not unfounded dislike of doctors, he will try to lob grapes into the pockets of their white coats or some shit.

[sassguard]

Considering the last time that Shepard remembers seeing Joker was shoving him through the door of an escape pod, this is more than a little disorienting, but the way Joker greets him is familiar enough.

"That's assuming you've got any aim or range with your throwing arm, which I think is pretty generous." He advances into the room, balancing the basket on his hip as he shuts the door behind him, and steps forward to drop it on the table by Joker's bedside. Within arm's reach, of course. Despite the ribbing Shepard isn't the kind of jerk who'd deliberately make him struggle to reach for something and risk tipping out of bed and shatter something).

"Guess I don't have to ask how you're holding up." He looks ready to break out of the hospital already; Shepard can sympathize. He's never been good at sitting still, especially when he's supposed to.