[h2][center] YESTERDAY: Oswald Connoly- Team....Whatever's Dorm[/center][/h2]

Oswald had managed to get himself into a chair and was doing some work on designing a set of new equipment. Friday's mission taught him an important lesson: preparing against the Creatures of Grimm and enemies he was ready to face was a fool's errand- he needed to prepare to fight well beyond his level, or else he'd be at risk of yet another tragedy like the ones he'd already faced. 

And it was about then that Emerald burst in with...some new, scantily-clad girl. [i]Great, just what he needed. An audience.[/i]

"Might as well get it over with quick. We're, uh...we're not Team CODE anymore, Emm. Cobalt...left. He had something from his past come up and he needed to go face it." Under his breath, Oswald muttered, hoping that only Emerald would hear him. "[s]Fucking bastard.[/s]"

Plastering on a fake smile, he slowly turned to their guest. You must be Emerald's new friend. Hello....I'm Oswald." He couldn't think of anything clever or witty to say, a bit too distracted between the [i]debilitating pain[/i] and trying not to stare. Would she want him to stare? 

[i]NO! NO MATTER WHAT, DO NOT STARE AT A GIRL YOU DON'T KNOW, OSWALD, THAT PATH LEADS ONLY TO RUIN.[/i]

"It's nice to...meet you." He paused for a moment to cough, checking his hand to make sure he hadn't let any blood out. He hadn't since last night, but he wasn't willing to risk getting complacent, only to lose more of his lung as a result. He was already down a chunk of respiratory tissue, even though most of it was expected to heal in due time. 

He looked like hell, only more so now. He was only wearing a loose tank top and a pair of shorts, revealing some of the bandages his torso was wrapped in in order to keep his chest cavity from suffering any further complications. His nose was still a bit swollen, though it had been set expertly, and his thumb was no better, also wrapped in a horde of bandages and a small splint meant to stabilize it. 

"Sorry I look like shit. NDE's tend to get ugly..."

[@AbillionCats] [@FlitterFaux] [@Lucius Cypher]

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[h2][center] PRESENT DAY: Oswald Connoly- Moving to Armory class[/center][/h2]

Groaning in pain as he navigated his way out of the cafeteria, Oswald took a moment to lean on the cane the medical staff had given him. It was an ugly, "modern" thing, all a dull black metal rather than finished and lacquered Ash like he was used to seeing. Part and parcel of the Kingdoms, he supposed. Some elegance was lost to the presumption of mechanization, automation and "progress". 

Emerald had been rather frazzled by all the news she'd received the day before, and he couldn't blame her for practically abandoning him in the cafeteria. She'd had too much dumped on her, especially for somebody so apparently unused to such major changes. He and Diamond had already gotten out a lot of their frustrations as well, but Emerald was too bubbly for that. 

Or at least, he suspected, she wanted to [i]appear[/i] that way. He knew all about hiding pain from loved ones. 

Still, if Emerald didn't want to explore those emotions, he couldn't force her to. All he could do was work on his new gear and pray they never had to face one of those....[i]things[/i]...before they were better prepared to kill them. 

And by the gods, the spirits, the Sun and Moon, when Oswald got his hands on those [b]monsters[/b], he'd slaughter every last one of them. 

Blaine deserved that much, at least.