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How did one try to reclaim a soul? And he just about choked on his tomato with Pippa's nonchalant admission of near-blown-up-itude. It was good to distract her with a joke, but his concern left his stomach heavy and ill at ease.

"It was worth a shot." He grinned, but it was a short-lived smile that fast wilted around the edges.

"Is your bomber out of the picture or should I be concerned?" That window was suddenly looking suspicious as hell. AJ was sure he could fit out of it, so someone else could easily fit in.

"The worst I've dealt with are active scenes not cleared. We're not supposed to be in places with active shooters or active danger, but crazy ninja ladies cross a lot of lines they're not supposed to, I guess. Kinda made me consider changing occupations." His usual partner had gotten shot and even now, months later, wasn't back in rotation. Whether he'd admit it or not, AJ did like the rush of a life-or-death situation, but he could likely get that in a safer space running ER shifts. Kind of.

Aiming to misbehave was great and all, but a plan was better.

"If we can get into the inside of the torch, then we can get to the outside of the torch unseen since the torch has been closed to visitors for... I dunno. A while?" He hadn't really been paying attention. Probably a pamphlet that he'd declined said, but it didn't really matter. It was closed to visitors because it swayed, but that likely wouldn't stop the two of them. "I think from there we can sit on top of the crown." He hung back from the huffing and puffing visitor ahead so she wouldn't feel obligated to snitch on them.

"Just. Caution. There's any number of cameras pointed at this thing between tourists and traffic helicopters shooting B roll and stuff." Even with whatever Mr. Hair had done, there were other ways they could get spotted.

The wha-? He started to look and then very clearly moved his eyes up to stay on the glasses part of the duo. That was a trap and he wasn’t falling for it. Her eyes were up there. And dangit she ate the tomato! She seemed to dither over something, and bought herself time to think by sharing a tomato.

He’d imagined her popping it into his mouth like a fair maiden feeding a god grapes, but in reality she just handed it to him so he could eat it himself. It was his ankle that was hurt and he wasn’t helpless.

Still…

It was a good tomato, even if it wasn’t hand fed.

”Oh cool. Like a mutant or something?” He wiped his mouth since he seemed incapable of talking and chewing. ”That stuff never worked on me. My brain’s probably too smooth.”

He didn't even know him now... And yet here they were running a trust building exercise. AJ ran interference and Stripey promised not to do permanent damage so long as AJ kept Mr. Security occupied. Thankfully it didn't seem like they got too much action in these parts and the Security guard was fully engrossed in helping AJ administer first aid to himself. The man had just popped into the staff lounge to grab AJ some ice when his not-friend who he didn't know popped up by AJ's elbow and scared the fire of damnation into him.

Once his heart had calmed down out of his throat, AJ wondered if he should maybe be a bit more aware of his surroundings when he was being sneaky.

"You got plans?" He was up, out of his chair, and dashing for the stairs before there would be time for regrets and hopefully before security came back with his ice. "I just want to go everywhere. Sit on top of the crown maybe. Or climb the ice cream cone." He'd heard that even the interior of the torch was closed these days. He wanted in there, yeah, but he also wanted all up ons the outside.

She pointed to an elastic bandage which was literally right in front of him.

Oh. He must be blind. Definitely not watching Pippa walk away for water, defiantly not distracted. Uhh. By the pain. Definitely the pain.

"Thanks. I'm not much of a drinker anyway."

AJ tossed the pills back and sat up as much as he was able to in order to drink them down. Then he grabbed the bandage he definitely didn't miss earlier and crunched up further in order to wrap his elevated foot.

He had to ease the shoe off and pulled tight enough that he made noises he couldn't stop. He also snuck the ice in before the last round of wrapping so that it stayed in place… then realized the shoe wassn't’ going to fit back on, even unlaced.

AJ flopped back and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Ice is ten minutes on, ten minutes off in cycles. Nsaids every 4 hours with plenty of water.” Or food. Food would probably help more, but he was already imposing. Hopefully he’d be out before 4 hours went by… AJ talked like he might be reading the instructions off a page, then moved one hand aside from his eye to peek at Pippa.

”You play nurse a lot?” He flicked his eye down towards her gloved hands.

He flopped down once he had permission. Like a man who was used to sleeping just about anywhere, which he was, he found his current accommodations to be more than adequate. He felt a smidge bad about putting his shoe on the couch, but it was a necessary evil. He put both feet on a cushion thinking that maybe if he didn't touch the bottoms of his shoes to anything, the germs wouldn't be so bad? Ugh. Shoes were so gross.

She rummaged around and apologized, for what he wasn't sure. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." AJ was focused primarily on un-lacing the shoe around his hurt foot. Once she brought him something to wrap with, he'd re-lace it extra tight. Until then, he should be taking something to help keep the swelling down.

Pippa came back in wearing gloves like he might be contagious. And the sounds he'd heard must've been hand washing. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should be touched or insulted. Did she not want to touch him that much? Or was she just taking his health that seriously?

"If you have a kind of anti-inflammatory OTC like Ibuprofen? That's Advil, Nuprin, Motrin... I'd be grateful if I could have two." He held out his hand for the ice. "Oh and an ace bandage or an extra sock? Panty hose would work too, I'm not above using a good compression stocking."

AJ hung back. Some other guy hung back too.

Not just some guy. Some guy with hair unique enough to stand out a mile in fog. Some guy who was tall enough to rise above the fog, too. Basically a lighthouse of a man. A cat god of some kind given life. Meanwhile AJ was a petit brick house. Sometimes life was just a little unfair.

AJ tried not to stare, honestly. He got enough stares as a human man, he just couldn't imagine being 6 foot huge with a tail and everything else too. So he resumed trying to be nonchalant.

The other guy seemed to be doing nothing in particular too, and now things were getting real awkward as the last of the super-sized tourists had made their lumbering way up from the bottom step. AJ hesitated. Was it possible this guy was also up to no good? Should he... stop him? Or care?

AJ drummed his fingers against his thigh. He could still get away with his own risky business so long as his fellow ne'er-do-well wasn't the "burn it down" sort of troublemaker. How was he supposed to ask that? The more he thought about asking somehow, the worse his ideas were getting: do the eyeball point thing? Tell him to F*$# around and find out? He shot every idea down until it was entirely too late. With one last questioning look, AJ took to the stairs.

If this statue got destroyed before he got to sneak around, he would be very put out.