Thea rolls her eyes. "What, like, sterilize the wound, don't remove the bullet, go to the hospital? That sort of thing?"

"Yeah, bullet is in the sink, and I still don't think a hospital is the right decision here. Too many questions, needles, and bills and stuff."

Cynthia moves the desk chair sideways so she can view the computer and Thea.

"… I said don't remove the bullet, on account of it possibly blocking an artery and preventing you from bleeding out, but okay, I guess I don't know what goes into bullets so perhaps they're super poisonous if left near your blood supply?"

She sighs. "Ugh. I have no idea what people's problem is with socialist healthcare. But anyway. How did you get shot? Like, seriously, this isn't a ridiculously crime-ridden town or anything, and this was outside the Midnight Hour – how?"

"Not actually sure if guns are off during the Hour, kinda hazy on when I actually got hit... Focusing, I said I woke up in a tiny room with labcoats coming in and out. I broke out of this, like, government base thing. Outskirts of town, concealable entrance, mostly underground as far as I saw."

And as a side anecdote, "Shadows in government areas are fucking difficult."

She frowns disbelievingly. "Oookay, coming back to that later but that still doesn't explain how or when you got shot. Like, did you just go unconscious and forget when you got hit or what? I… I just don't get how you can be hazy on when you got shot."

Don't make a stupid joke about how firearms work, don't make a stupid joke on how firearms work...

"Well, when I was on the way out. Adrenaline kinda muddles that stuff."

"… So you tried to get out of a compound thing during the Midnight Hour, and you don't think you got out before the Hour ended, and you got shot somewhere on your way out?"

Awkward smile. "Yeah? I'm alright, you don't need to worry about it."

Thea looks down and puts her hand to her forehead. "Do you have any idea who these people are? Like, presumably they might come back for you, not that I'm trying to worry you or anything."

"I'm good, alright? You aren't worrying me. I dunno who they are, but I'll be fine."

She looks at her a bit suspiciously. "If you say so."