IT'S SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY LOOKED WORSE THAN IT FELT: a lengthy gash just above the jut of his hipbone from a hit that had nearly missed all together .. were it not for such close quarters. so much for no guards. then again, it was still a knife wound, & the mere act of looking upon it ( once BLOODIED CLOTHING had been peeled away and placed aside, of course ) was enough to set off a sudden, sharp & stinging sensation simply from acknowledging it. or so it certainly seemed as much. it was nothing he hasn't dealt with before, however, & so as he stands in brightly lit bathroom of the dellamorte villa— needle & thread ready and waiting 'pon marbled countertop ( a simpler, not to mention preferable alternative to the cauterization tool ) —he brings dampened washcloth to where blood is caked 'pon his skin; cleaning it away so not to irritate it further.
he almost doesn't hear the approaching sound of footfalls from adjoining room, & it's only at the last possible second before bathroom door is being opened further that gaze lifts from task at hand to meet vibrant blues in the mirror; head turning towards them a moment later, brows furrowed in silent apology for the state of himself.
∘ @grtivas › ❝ you're bleeding. ❞
quiet comes the sound of their voice in the otherwise silence of the room; the telltale hint of, what he could only read as, concern laced in their tone. hands pause in their movements for a brief moment as he steps further from doorway so to make room for her, & only when gaze returns downcast does it pick up once more; brows knitting further in a wince as cloth finally brushes over open wound. ❝ —it's fine. i'm fine. ❞ his own tone hushed in the confines of the washroom.
more silence momentarily fills the space between them, save for the occasional sound of sharpened breath as he BITES BACK discomfort, before he's raising his gaze to look upon them in the mirror again. ❝ i thought i'd come in quieter. ❞ a pause, & this time silence is broken by the sound of the tap hitting on; an immediate rush of red flooding the basin as he rinses the cloth. ❝ —i hadn't meant to wake you. ❞