By the time Julien speaks, Aaron has moved his hand. He is examining Julien's arm, checking for veins, and realizing that even if he finds one, it'll be difficult to tell if it's a vein or an artery. His circulatory system is just displaced enough to be worrying.

"I am," he says, and his voice sounds a little distracted -- understandably so, since he's shifting the feathers on Julien's shoulder to get an idea of if he'll be able to inject into the deltoid. He believes he can, and Julien will feel something cold and sharp-smelling smeared onto his skin. Skin that feels foreign, un-human, strange. As the alcohol dries, the gloves snap on, and Aaron prepares the syringe, clicking onto it a new, inch-and-a-half long needle that would give a child nightmares. Two fingers keep the feathers apart and the skin taut, and a moment later, with a "Hold still, now," the needle sinks into skin and muscle. It's sharp, very much so -- it won't hurt, not more than a light sting. A moment later, the needle is out again and a clean gauze is pressed to Julien's skin, and the needle disappears into a sharps container.

It'll take time for the drug to take effect. An IV injection would have been quicker, but the buprenex's effects will last longer this way.