View source for 2026-02-18: The Key to Trust: Goth Punk

*'''Log: The Key to Trust: Goth Punk'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Tae Takemi]], [[Niko Kirisaki]]
*'''Where:''' Takemi Medical Clinic
*'''OOC Date:''' February 18, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' September 27, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Following [[https://www.velvetroom.wiki/index.php/2026-02-13:_Portrait_of_Nyarlathotep the altercation at the art gallery]], the lingering pain in Niko's arm prompts her to visit a doctor. Dr. Takemi is the one to diagnose her injury - and makes quite the impression on Niko in the process, resulting in her being a little more honest than usual.''

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 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>The Takemi Medical Clinic in Yongen-Jaya may be out of the way, a little dingy and shady, and not frequented by most people, but it is cheap and more importantly, no questions asked, basically ever.

The entrance hallway takes one towards a divider window, adorned with posters and fliers, including public service posters with morbid designs, such as teddy bears stabbed with syringes. A red plush couch is to the side for waiting, underneath a bulletin board.

Past the divider sits a woman, boredly looking at paperwork. This is Doctor Tae Takemi, who is dressed more like a goth punk in a white medical coat than she is an actual high-class doctor. She wears a spiked choker and too many necklaces, her legs are completely bare in her short dark green dress, and those heels look killer. She has short navy blue-black hair, and reddish-brown eyes.

At one point, she takes a sip of a canned coffee, but otherwise, she's waiting for either appointments to come around, patients to show up, or time to close up.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
"Go to a doctor??"

It may be the most incredulous Niko ever sounded in response to something anybody told her. Even though it had been a perfectly sensible suggestion. And more likely to have actual results than Niko's solution to suffering discomfort: whining about it, constantly. Even now, she still hasn't acknowledged that crashing through a wall may have caused a serious injury. In her world, pain is supposed to go away quickly on its own, not keep getting worse.

But, Jin got tired of listening to it, so now she's here, in alleys far from the ones she's used to hanging out at, double-checking the address she was given. She makes a face. "Really? Here? You sure about that?" As if anyone could answer, she came here by herself. She sighs, and shakes her head. Might as well, now that she came all this way. If it sucks, she can always walk out.

Upon entering, the immediate surroundings don't really do much to boost her confidence. So much for putting patients at ease. She's just gonna ignore those posters now and just look straight ahead, marching directly up to the service window. So here's this absolute punk of a girl with muscles for days, walking up with an expression like she wants to punch somebody--

Only for her eyes to go wide when she sees the person sitting there. She was only given a basic description of Tae Takemi, enough for her to put together that she must have the right person. This ''style'', though. Almost makes her forget to say something, it takes her a few seconds.

"...Oh. Hey."

She's still not entirely there. Way to leave out the important parts of who she's going to be dealing with. Right, focus, Niko.

"Man. They told me you were cool. They didn't tell me you were like, ''cool'', cool. Hell of a look you got rockin' there, doc."

Normally, this is where she'd fingergun using both hands. She only uses her right to do it, this time. To a trained eye, it's probably already obvious that she's consciously sparing her left arm before she gets around to saying anything about it.

"So, uhh... I don't have an appointment or nothin', but, guess I busted up my arm somehow." 'Somehow', indeed. "That something you could take a look at?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>Maybe it's not the most reassuring. But Tae's never been the most reassuring.

As the door opens, and someone walks down, she snaps her head to attention. She's not unused to getting punks, though she's somewhat unused to the compliments about her style.

Niko gets a wry grin in return for it and the fingergun, before an answer to her issue. She's noticing she's sparing her arm, so Tae instead puts the paperwork down and looks over to her.

"You're in luck, I have an opening for right now," she says sarcastically, because no one booked for this time slot. There's a pause.

She's getting the vibe this is less than legal. To be fair, she gets that with &#42;most&#42; patients.

"Normally, I'd technically need some paperwork done, some prior medical history, but if it appears to just be an arm injury, I can just take you to the back right now, and we can discuss everything relevant there."

It's better to work with the patient than let them avoid medical care. If they're coming to her... they must be in real need.

"I'll need a name, though, just to make it easier for both of us. Last, first, or both, whatever you prefer." Another wry smile. "I'm Doctor Takemi, for the record."

As if that wasn't obvious.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Niko answers the grin with the brightest of smiles. What a stark contrast with the thundercloud that walked in here moments ago. Looks aren't everything, but they do appear to weigh considerably strongly for the purposes of Niko's immediate disposition. She had an entirely different mental image for the word 'doctor', which... well, there probably isn't anyone in Strega who couldn't imagine being a little apprehensive about doctors.

Apparently reassured enough that this is going to be fine now, Niko's abruptly dropped all tension, giving a thumbs-up with her good hand on getting the affirmative. "Rad."

She probably isn't helping the 'is this legal' vibe by her casual, "Yeeeah, checking it out here's fine, I'd appreciate things to be off the books if you don't mind. That's the regular 'cool' part, you're cool like that too, right?" Clearly she was told Certain Things about Dr. Takemi.

Names, though, that's no problem. "I'm Niko! Niko Kirisaki, but, I prefer just Niko." Apparently she's not going to insist being on a -chan basis in this particular circumstance. She does still make an attempt at her own brand of Friendliness, all the same. "Gotta say, Tae is an incredible name, it'd be a waste not to use it. Love the sound of 'Tae-sensei', don't you?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>Well, that was a change. It turns out being goth punk is the key to certain people trusting doctors. Tae thinks maybe more doctors should embrace it...

"Off the books... I can arrange that," Tae says with a nod. That is indeed how she's cool. She'll stand up, moving to go around the divider wall through a door and start to lead Niko through the side door, to an examination room in the back. There's a large dingy boiler, there's more of those morbid posters, and there's medical posters and such on the walls that do make it moderately at least seem as if she's a doctor.

"If it makes you more comfortable, feel free to call me that, Niko." Tae says, very laissez-faire. "Don't worry, I don't bite too much."

She'll take a seat in her chair, gesturing to the bed for Niko to take a seat herself. "So, tell me the problem. How long has your arm been hurting, and where does it hurt?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
"Cool," goes Niko's confirmation of the coolness. Best to not leave tracks, unless you specifically want people to know you've been somewhere. Avoiding as much hassle as possible is a good policy. And nobody likes paperwork, anyway, isn't she nice to spare the good doctor some busywork?

Niko's bright and cheery demeanor does dim a little bit going into the examination room, nervousness shining through. Don't think about the last time you saw things resembling certain elements of the room. Just focus on the cool doctor. It'll be fine. Telling herself these things only works somewhat. But for her money, Tae's bedside manner is excellent, finding herself grinning at Friendliness Confirmation, and then chuckling at the joke.

"Yeah, I know the rules. If I want more biting, I'll ask." ...Well, presumably they're both joking.

Relaxed enough to hop onto the table without complaint, Niko brings her painful arm to the fore. The fact that there's a problem and where it is, that much is easy enough to see at a glance, due to a very visible swelling on her lower arm, near the elbow.

"I kinda fell on it a couple days ago," she only tells half the story, "Ever since then it's hurt like hell. Swelled up like that, pain just kept getting worse."

She is silent a moment, internally debating whether to say anything about her more... unique circumstances. But she's already decided this doctor is cool. Best to come clean now, make sure she's got the full picture.

"...Since this is all off the record and everything... I'm kinda, built different, if you couldn't tell. Not for nothin', but I'm not used to this sorta thing. Injuries normally go away quick, like real quick. This isn't... normal, for me."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>For her part, Tae grins lightly at Niko's return joke, before taking a look. That's definitely swollen. There's things she's not being told about how it happened, but she doesn't care.

Though, her eyes are confused as Niko says she's built different. She's not attuned to the supernatural at all, but she does nod once. Faster healing on the level Niko is talking about is impossible to picture, but Tae is taking her at face value, at least.

"I'm gonna need to ask some questions, then. Just some stuff to see where you're at."

She straightens up and wheels closer, looking over how badly it's swollen. If it's near the elbow...

"How badly does it hurt? Throbbing, sharp, aching?"

"What's your range of motion like?" she then asks, and will do some basic tests, see how Niko can stretch it and bend it, when it hurts. "Any feeling in your fingers gone?"

Finally, she'll gesture. "I'll need to check it. It shouldn't hurt too awfully, if we're lucky." If Niko agrees, she'll move to feel the injured area acknowledged, doing palpations for the sake of seeing just how badly it hurts, and if there's any specific point it hurts the worst.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
The fact that Niko is 'built different' is if anything, more of an indication that she's far from telling the full story here. Exact circumstances aside, there's reasonable assumption for it being more serious than a sprain.

Questions, then. Niko nods, questions are fine. Though she has a visible reaction to Tae wheeling closer. It's only a mild start, but still, there's a nervousness there that hasn't entirely gone away. Asked to describe the pain, Niko takes a second to think about how to best describe it.

"It's mostly a sharp pain when I move my arm, it does feel like it's throbbing a bit after that. But it aches constantly, more like a dull ache when I keep still." That's the real torture for Niko. Having to sit still.

As for the range of movement, "I can move it fine, but... not without it hurting when I do this." There's a clear wince when she bends the arm, stopping short of doing so all the way. "...Doesn't feel great bending it back, neither." She flexes her fingers without issue. "Hand and fingers feel pretty much normal. Just the arm that feels kinda weak, in general."

Next is... ah. A physical examination, of course. That makes sense. Niko doesn't object to it, only taking a breath before nodding. She braces for it, tensing up slightly as Tae starts touching the area. It's immediately obvious that the pain is fully centered around the swelled area - when the point of swelling is nearly reached, Niko's jaw tightens and there's a slight instinctive movement to pull her arm back, though she ultimately keeps it mostly in place. "...yeah that's where it starts to really hurt," she needlessly confirms.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>Tae isn't unused to people being nervous around doctors. A lot of the patients she sees are. But she's only trying to help.

After the tests and the physical check, which thankfully ends soon after Niko shows real pain, she takes a moment to consider.

"You said you fell on it," she says with a voice of 'if that's close enough to the truth, fine'. "Did you hear any snapping, cracking, things like that? It could be a microfracture, if not just bruising and soft tissue injury. Unfortunately, I can't do scans to confirm either way, &#42;especially&#42; off the books, but if that's the case, it's easy enough to deal with for now."

A pause, as she considers. "I'll prescribe an ice pack, a sling, some light pain medicine like loxoprofen, and you minimizing activity. You'll need to rest it, or it'll get worse. If it does get worse, come back to see me and we'll consider our next steps."

Tae wheels back to her desk to consider payment. She'll take cash, luckily, which is probably the best way to handle it in this situation.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Even if she couldn't say she likes all aspects of it, Niko at least seems interested in Tae's approach. Tae may not know it, but it says a lot that she's stopped joking around and being so cooperative. She's also very curious about the assessment, not taking her eyes off the doctor while she self-deliberates.

And then she asks about the sound at the time of the incident. There's a very telling, sheepish 'ummm', the kind you just know is going to precede some kind of wild excuse for not noticing.

"...I couldn't really hear anything over the sound of the wall collapsing."

Why not, might as well be honest about it. Even if that might raise even more questions, Tae hasn't been the asking the ones she was really worried about. It's probably fine.

Still, Niko's more than used to taking lumps, and being just fine. To hear that it could be a fracture of any kind actually has her chuckle. "You're kidding, right?"

She is not kidding. When Niko figures that out, her face falls, momentarily. "No way." And yet, rather than concerned, she ultimately seems sooner fascinated, staring at that spot as if straining to see beyond it. "...That's what it looks like when you break a bone...? Wish I could see..."

Alas, scans are not in the cards, it seems. Not that that's typically possible outside of a hospital, but, Niko hoped, apparently. She doesn't object the conclusion, except for the predictable part.

"Minimize activity? I don't--" She reels her kneejerk reaction back in, nuancing it a bit more. "I don't know if I can, that's... not always up to me." Still, perhaps surprisingly, Niko is ill inclined to argue with doctor's advice. She'll just have to do her best, in taking it easy... hoping she won't be stuck like that for too long. Even if she's apparently aware enough to realize, "Man... this could take weeks."

Niko did bring cash, for the full non-traceability of her visit here. There's no complaints from her in that regard. However, she does ask a bit of an unusual question, right there at the end.

"Hey, Tae-sensei... was it hard, becoming a doctor?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tae Takemi has posed.
<poem>Tae's eyebrows rise as she says the wall collapsed. It'd be a weird lie, so she believes it, but chooses to push it out of mind a little bit rather than ask any of the thousands of burning questions. it might be more or less reassuring that she just nods.

As Niko glances fascinated at her arm, Tae tilts a hand. "If you could see it, we'd be in a lot worse of a situation."

But the kneejerk reaction to minimizing activity, the fact it's not always up to her, her demeanor and dress... is she in a gang? Or something like that? She looks the type, though her immediate thoughts are probably far from the truth. "I'm not going to encourage activity, but if you do have to use it, just be careful. You don't want to permanently damage it."

Though, as Tae rattles off the price and they start dealing with cash, a question is asked. Her eyes widen a little more, as she considers.

"...in many ways, yes. Besides grueling education, sexism, and the like, the state of the medical industry is, plainly, a mess and has been for a while." She's honest. Niko looks like she can take it. "Too focused on tradition and bureaucracy than actually trying to help people. Too focused on old men and their whims."

A pause, though, as she moves to answer the potentially unanswered question there. There's a lightly personal tinge, as if she's saying something dear to her heart, not just recited.

"But medicine can save lives. So I think it's worth it, if one can cut it."

She's still trying, even after everything she's ruined, after all.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Niko thinks it's for the best that Tae just nods. She couldn't relate, she's curious to a fault, and can't help but run her mouth more than she probably should. But it's nice, when people can just accept the things you say. She doesn't get that a lot.

When Tae does comment on her arm examination, Niko chuckles with slight discomfort. "Uh, yeah, not... quite like that. More like, with X-Ray Vision." That's probably a power that exists, why wouldn't it, there's some crazy ones out there.

Niko could deny being in a gang with a straight face. That's not how she sees Strega. Still, she can't always predict what comes on her path. If someone's looking for a fight, what's she supposed to do? Say 'I can't right now, my arm hurts'? That's just not happening, even if she thought she could get away with it. Might be best to try and lay low for a bit. "I sure don't," she says on risking permanent damage. This is no time to be stubborn.

Niko wouldn't ask questions if she wasn't looking for an honest answer, so that much is appreciated. Even if she's clearly dismayed by it sounding like so much of a struggle. "Damn. That's what it's like here, huh..."

And yet. Tae thinks it's worth it. Niko's expression brightens instantly. "Yeah! That's right, you're helping people, like every day, I think that's wonderful! For what it's worth, I think you're a great doctor, so I hope you'll keep at it!"

For a time, it seems as if that was all she's going to say about it. But as she finishes her payment, and turns towards the exit, she muses aloud, "You know, once upon a time... I was going to be a doctor."

'What might have been' is not something she much likes talking about. She was just reminded, that's all. She doesn't wait for a reaction before making her way to the door... where she briefly pauses again, as she places her hand on it, moments before exiting the clinic.

"If I can set things right... maybe it's not too late."
</poem>

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