(no subject)
Who: Emilia Galmar and Howard Link
When: Backdated to the middle of week 104.
Where: 3C
Summary: Emilia is in need of some spiritual guidance, among other things.... not those things, you perverts. >:|
Rating: PG
Warning: Vague references to the torture chambers. Religion.
Link grunted quietly as he shifted slightly in his seat on the bottom bunk, shuffling slowly through the papers in his lap. The healing he’d received so far had been quite the relief, allowing him far more movement and even the ability to properly dress himself again... though not without some difficulty. He was able enough, it seemed, that Allen no longer felt the need to linger in the room with him constantly.
Strange that since Link had finally made the conscious (though still private) decision to give Allen some space, now the boy was the one following after him.
Link’s silence was soon to be disturbed, however, as Emilia made her way down to his suite. It had been a difficult time for her, since she was released from the torture, and time had not healed the wounds left in her mind. She felt lost, unsure of everything she’d trusted in, and so she was off to seek the advice of the only person from her world who she knew believed as much as she did.
She tapped on his door when she arrived, hoping she wasn’t disturbing him. It would have been better to call ahead but she had acted on impulse, heading down as soon as the idea took her.
Link looked up, blinking at the door when the knock came. He hadn’t been expecting any visitors... not that he ever did. Most who came knocking came looking for Allen.
He called out his permission to enter, shifting his papers off to one side and straightening his shirt as much as he was able. He might still be unable to rise quickly enough to meet visitors at the door, but he could at least attempt to look presentable.
Emilia came through the door, looking somewhat hesitant as she glanced around the room, seeing if Allen was present as well. She hadn’t expected the Inspector to look as well as he did. A man able to sit, dressed, was a very different situation to a bed-bound man and there was a now-familiar feeling of dread welling up in the pt of Emilia’s stomach.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Inspector.” She said, pushing that feeling firmly down. Inspector Link was one of the most proper and upright men in this place. She had nothing to fear.
“Do you have the time to speak to me? No, I see you’re working on something, I’ll come back later.”
Link reached up to pull off his glasses, folding them up and setting them off to one side before studying the girl in the room with him. She seemed nervous, but he couldn’t pinpoint just why. It couldn’t be because of him, could it?
“No, it’s nothing pressing.” He gestured to the chair by the desk, motioning for her to take a seat. “Please, sit.”
Emilia nearly turned down his offer, before catching herself. Running wouldn’t solve her problems. If it had, she’d have far less now. She repositioned the chair a few feet from the Inspector, crossing her hands in her lap.
“You’re recovering remarkably quickly, Inspector.” She commented, keeping her eyeline somewhere around his tie. “I feared you’d be bedbound for weeks more.”
“The healers here are quite remarkable,” he replied, looking down at himself briefly. It was true enough. Without the help of Sora and his friends Link would very likely still be stuck on his belly. He was very grateful to be somewhat self-sufficient again.
“... Are you alright, Miss Galmar?”
“I...” Emilia looked away, clenching her hands together. “It’s nothing to worry about, Inspector. I’m fine, I just... need some advice from someone who shares a similar understanding.
What happened to you in the chamber, Inspector? If that’s not too hard to answer.”
Link hesitated for several moments, a pensive expression filtering over his face. What had happened in his chamber, while not particularly difficult for him to overcome after the fact, was not something that he’d planned on sharing with the general public. Not for his own sake, but for Remus’.
“... I was held in the chamber with a younger boy for several days before any “experimentation” began. He was allowed some small measure of his usual abilities, but not enough to truly be of any use when they began to torture me.”
He sighed lightly. There was no need to mention Remus’ affliction. “I believe they meant to turn me against him when it was all finished with.”
“Did his responses affect the torture you received?” Perhaps Link would understand more than she thought, if he’ received the same punishment as she and Reno had. “Reno... he has the same sort of injuries as you do.”
The inspector paused again, still working through his mind for the words to present the situation without alluding to anything he wouldn’t want to explain later. “...They insisted that he could ‘save me’. That my hurt was on his conscience, and the more we fought the ideas presented, the more severe the torture became.”
What he described didn’t ring any bells. “On the first day, I had to tell the truth. If I gave a negative answer, or lied to give a positive one, Reno was hurt.” Her eyes hesitantly made their way to his face, looking for any signs of recognition. “Some of my answers were used the next day.”
Link’s eyebrows furrowed as he processed the offered information. Speaking like that, Emilia’s ordeal couldn’t have been as simple as mere questions and answers. He wasn’t the only person in the room with information he wasn’t willing to share, and knowing the kind of woman Emilia was, how she’d always interacted with Reno...
A sort of recognition flickered in his eyes, but he only nodded. He wouldn’t press her for anything further on the subject.
“They tried something different on everyone, I think.” Emilia looked away, embarrassed that she’d given away that much. Even if the Inspector had witnessed such a humiliation in his cell, it was still too unseemly to discuss bluntly.
“The torturer told me something troubling. He claimed that we were clones, bought on the slave market. He claimed this meant we’d mean nothing to God, as we weren’t fashioned by him. Then again, he made it clear he thought little of our faith.”
Link’s eyes slid closed, one arm rising slowly to brush his bangs out of his face, suddenly thankful for the vulnerability that his long sleeves spared him. That tactic was something he should have expected considering the amount of times it had been used against him.
“... It’s not the first time they’ve made that opinion quite clear.”
“It doesn’t make sense any more. When I first saw the akuma, I was shaken, but it all fitted.” The words began spilling out of Emilia’s mouth as she tried to blurt out everything she’d been worrying about. “How can any of this fit with what we know? All these different worlds, with demons and creatures and magic like nothing we’ve seen. Did God make them all? When? Why didn’t we know? How does it fit? Why don’t they know about him? Where do these Doctors come from and how can the have so much power over whether we live? Why are we going through this?”
This was eerily similar to a conversation he’d had with Komui not long after his own arrival. Almost two years earlier Link sat in a very similar position, hunched in a chair and going through his worries and insecurities... perhaps not as openly as Emilia was, but he might as well have, and even as conflicted as the inspector remained, now it was his turn try and come up with an answer.
“... I have never claimed to understand our situation, but I think that there are some things that we aren’t meant to understand completely.” He rubbed a hand awkwardly over the back of his neck, shoulders slumping in a very human, almost worn sort of motion. “Anything is possible if God wills it, and we... we are too close to this to see things for what they are.”
Emilia nodded, concentrating on his words. Though she’d been telling herself the same thing, it sounded less hollow coming from another’s lips. It was a test. She wasn’t abandoned. She couldn’t be.
“Do you think he punishes us for our pride?”
For their pride? Were he answering just for himself, Link might’ve said yes outright, but there were so many others here that didn’t deserve the torments of the facility. Emilia certainly didn’t from what he knew of her.
“I think... the akuma present in our world make us forget that monsters aren’t the only threat out there. Sometimes there are just... bad people. Bad people find themselves in positions of power, awful things happen. In the very beginning He gave humanity a choice, and now it is up to us to weather the consequences of that choice.”
“Accepting the doctors are human might be one of the harder parts.” And yet, she was feeling lighter than she had when she arrived. A little bit of the burden had been lifted. She opes her eyes, able to look Link in the face more calmly.
“What do you make of our deaths and resurrections? If he was telling the truth, we don’t even have souls.”
Link met her gaze, his expression as steady as it usually was. Conflicted and shaky as he might’ve been on the inside, his training still held firm when he really needed it to.
“Their technology is incredible, admittedly, but do you honestly believe that we don’t have souls?”
The conviction Link displayed was helping buoy up Emilia’s own confidence.
“I honestly have no idea how a soulless person would feel, but I know, despite all of this... I’m me.”
The inspector nodded firmly. It helped to hear the words, to make them more solid in his own mind by speaking them from his own mouth. “They will tell you whatever it is they think will break you. They wants us unsettled, unsure, and unwilling to fight, but as long as we hold on to ourselves, we will persevere.”
“We’ll persevere together.” Emilia smiled for the first time since she entered the room. “We’ll be the surety and strength for our friends. If I had a pistol, I’d be of some use for the fighting as well.”
It was good to see the smile back on Emilia’s face, and Link’s expression softened just slightly. “You already have a rather impressive kick if I’m remembering correctly.”
Emilia let out a faint laugh of embarrassment. “Father insisted I learn that to defend myself. I practice everything I learnt as often as I can.” She gives him just the lightest of teasing looks. “And yet I can still only jump down four stairs at a time.”
“Being able to jump down a flight of stairs is usually not a necessary skill for the general public.” Or even for someone like him, but conflicts like the one at the orphanage did not allow for his normal reservation. It was often in situations like that that one learned just what they were really capable of.
“Have you continued your practice here?”
“I try to practice in my room every morning, though I admit I’ve been slipping lately.” Her face droops again as she looks back down at her hands. “The thought that it was useless the week before is somewhat... discouraging.”
“There will be times when the situation does not allow you to fight back like you normally would, but a good, solid base is always beneficial.” He lifted one hand, flexing his fingers a little. “My talismans were taken from me in the chamber, but I was still strong enough to survive. That’s what’s important.”
“Strength wouldn’t have helped.” She spoke without thinking, before the sudden pain of her nails digging into her palms made her realise how thoughtless what she’d said would sound.
“I’m sorry, Inspector!That was so rude of me, I...” The familiar feeling of awkward embarrassment she’d been experiencing as she’d made her apologies since leaving the chamber welled up, and she scrabbled for a way to change the subject. “How did you learn to use those talismans? They’re like Innocence and akuma to me, something I never imagined would be part of the modern world.”
“It’s quite alright, Miss Galmar.” He waved her apology off, settling his hand in his lap once more.
“I began training, physically and with talismans, when I was very young. Very few people know of the techniques, even within the Order.”
Emilia nods, interested. Though she’d agreed to join the Order, she still knew very little about it. “I could hardly see what was happening during your fight with the akuma. Are the talismans made of something special?”
“Just paper.” He reached off to one side, pulling a single talisman out from beneath his pillow and holding it up for her to see. He had several different types, and this one bore a complex black symbol.
Emilia glanced at Link, seeking permission before she reached out to take the paper. “Then is it an inborn ability, like the Innocence?” She asked, tracing her finger along the ink design.
He let her take the talisman, sitting back to lean against the wall once more. She could do no harm with it. “... Not exactly. I was not born with any special abilities. If I could learn, then I imagine many could given the right training and enough time.”
Emilia turned the talisman around in her hands, pondering. In a facility full of witches and demons, the power to bind an enemy without having to touch them would offer a small advantage, compared to knowing only normal attacks.
“Do you think it’d be something a person like me would be able to master?”
Linked blinked up her, pondering for several long moments. He had considered taking young Syaoran under his wing, so to speak, but that was only because the boy already showed potential with the use of his own talismans. To teach secret techniques to someone with no experience at all...
“... I’ve never thought to try and teach someone else before.”
“I’m a part of the Order now, Inspector. No matter how little I learn, I could be of some help.” The more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. She offered him back his talisman, looking very earnest. “You’ll find me a very willing pupil.”
He took the talisman back, turning it in his fingers much like Emilia had. It had always been a given before, that his techniques were secret and should stay just that. He did not abuse them carelessly, did not explain them any more than he absolutely had to. Honestly, it was the most intelligent way to operate in a place like this with enemies in such close quarters, but...
This woman was from his world and a part of his organization. Someone he trusted... as much as he trusted anyone within the facility. Someone who could benefit greatly from any sort of training he could give her and who wouldn’t remember said training if she were to be returned home anyway.
“I could not make any guarantees. I’ve never heard of someone beginning training so late in life.” As if someone his or Emilia’s age could truly be considered that old.
“Of course.” Emilia answered, but her face lit up in a smile anyway. “At any rate, we’ll know for sure if it’s not possible. I won’t slack in learning and I am sure you wouldn’t slack in teaching. As a teacher myself, you strike me as someone who’d be competent at the job.”
Link nodded, frowning just slightly. No, he couldn’t be considered a slacker in anything he did, especially where training was concerned.
“... I would require more advanced physical training as well.”
Emilia nodded eagerly, leaning forward. “I’d want that too.” She responded. “I’ve got such an advantage with one kick, knowing more physical techniques will help me immensely.” After a long week of feeling completely helpless, being given a way to take back some power was a giddying thought.
“Thank you, Inspector. Thank you so, so much for even considering this.” She caught his hands, giving them a grateful squeeze.
Link glanced down at their hands, eyebrows raised slightly. Someone initiating physical contact without violent intentions was still something rather uncommon for the inspector... at least since Celena’s termination. But the strength had returned to Emilia’s face and posture, and teaching someone how to better defend themselves... what harm could there be in that?
“You’re welcome, Miss Galmar.”
Emilia flushed, letting go of his hands. This wasn’t a child she could coddle and touch as much as she wished, but a grown man and a colleague. She sat back in her chair, clearing her throat. “I need to thank you as well, Inspector, for listening to my worries. It was a lot to burden anyone with, let alone a man still recovering from an ordeal.”
“We all need someone to confide in now and then.” Even Link, as rare as it was for him to indulge that particular need. “And I’ve dealt with far worse in the past. Please don’t worry over it.”
Emilia gave him a grateful smile. “If you ever need a person to confide in, Inspector, I’ll be happy to be that ear.”
Link returned that smile with something that might’ve been one of his own. Subtle, more visible in his eyes than his lips, but a smile nonetheless.
“Thank you, Miss Galmar. I appreciate that.”
“I should let you get back to your papers now, Inspector.” Emilia stood, stretching her back slightly. “Would you like me to fetch you anything when I go?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you, Miss Galmar. I can move relatively well on my own now.” Sort of, anyway. Either way, he wanted to accept as little assistance as possible at this point in his recovery. Dependency would help no one.
Emilia nodded and went to leave, her spine straighter and her step far more confident than when she arrived.
“Once again, Inspector, thank you. Let me know when you’re ready to begin teaching me and I’ll come straight away.”
Link nodded back in confirmation. “You’re welcome. Perhaps next week, once I’ve healed fully?”
Emilia gave him one last smile. “Next week. I look forward to it!” She answered before leaving, off to finally get some work done.
When: Backdated to the middle of week 104.
Where: 3C
Summary: Emilia is in need of some spiritual guidance, among other things.... not those things, you perverts. >:|
Rating: PG
Warning: Vague references to the torture chambers. Religion.
Link grunted quietly as he shifted slightly in his seat on the bottom bunk, shuffling slowly through the papers in his lap. The healing he’d received so far had been quite the relief, allowing him far more movement and even the ability to properly dress himself again... though not without some difficulty. He was able enough, it seemed, that Allen no longer felt the need to linger in the room with him constantly.
Strange that since Link had finally made the conscious (though still private) decision to give Allen some space, now the boy was the one following after him.
Link’s silence was soon to be disturbed, however, as Emilia made her way down to his suite. It had been a difficult time for her, since she was released from the torture, and time had not healed the wounds left in her mind. She felt lost, unsure of everything she’d trusted in, and so she was off to seek the advice of the only person from her world who she knew believed as much as she did.
She tapped on his door when she arrived, hoping she wasn’t disturbing him. It would have been better to call ahead but she had acted on impulse, heading down as soon as the idea took her.
Link looked up, blinking at the door when the knock came. He hadn’t been expecting any visitors... not that he ever did. Most who came knocking came looking for Allen.
He called out his permission to enter, shifting his papers off to one side and straightening his shirt as much as he was able. He might still be unable to rise quickly enough to meet visitors at the door, but he could at least attempt to look presentable.
Emilia came through the door, looking somewhat hesitant as she glanced around the room, seeing if Allen was present as well. She hadn’t expected the Inspector to look as well as he did. A man able to sit, dressed, was a very different situation to a bed-bound man and there was a now-familiar feeling of dread welling up in the pt of Emilia’s stomach.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Inspector.” She said, pushing that feeling firmly down. Inspector Link was one of the most proper and upright men in this place. She had nothing to fear.
“Do you have the time to speak to me? No, I see you’re working on something, I’ll come back later.”
Link reached up to pull off his glasses, folding them up and setting them off to one side before studying the girl in the room with him. She seemed nervous, but he couldn’t pinpoint just why. It couldn’t be because of him, could it?
“No, it’s nothing pressing.” He gestured to the chair by the desk, motioning for her to take a seat. “Please, sit.”
Emilia nearly turned down his offer, before catching herself. Running wouldn’t solve her problems. If it had, she’d have far less now. She repositioned the chair a few feet from the Inspector, crossing her hands in her lap.
“You’re recovering remarkably quickly, Inspector.” She commented, keeping her eyeline somewhere around his tie. “I feared you’d be bedbound for weeks more.”
“The healers here are quite remarkable,” he replied, looking down at himself briefly. It was true enough. Without the help of Sora and his friends Link would very likely still be stuck on his belly. He was very grateful to be somewhat self-sufficient again.
“... Are you alright, Miss Galmar?”
“I...” Emilia looked away, clenching her hands together. “It’s nothing to worry about, Inspector. I’m fine, I just... need some advice from someone who shares a similar understanding.
What happened to you in the chamber, Inspector? If that’s not too hard to answer.”
Link hesitated for several moments, a pensive expression filtering over his face. What had happened in his chamber, while not particularly difficult for him to overcome after the fact, was not something that he’d planned on sharing with the general public. Not for his own sake, but for Remus’.
“... I was held in the chamber with a younger boy for several days before any “experimentation” began. He was allowed some small measure of his usual abilities, but not enough to truly be of any use when they began to torture me.”
He sighed lightly. There was no need to mention Remus’ affliction. “I believe they meant to turn me against him when it was all finished with.”
“Did his responses affect the torture you received?” Perhaps Link would understand more than she thought, if he’ received the same punishment as she and Reno had. “Reno... he has the same sort of injuries as you do.”
The inspector paused again, still working through his mind for the words to present the situation without alluding to anything he wouldn’t want to explain later. “...They insisted that he could ‘save me’. That my hurt was on his conscience, and the more we fought the ideas presented, the more severe the torture became.”
What he described didn’t ring any bells. “On the first day, I had to tell the truth. If I gave a negative answer, or lied to give a positive one, Reno was hurt.” Her eyes hesitantly made their way to his face, looking for any signs of recognition. “Some of my answers were used the next day.”
Link’s eyebrows furrowed as he processed the offered information. Speaking like that, Emilia’s ordeal couldn’t have been as simple as mere questions and answers. He wasn’t the only person in the room with information he wasn’t willing to share, and knowing the kind of woman Emilia was, how she’d always interacted with Reno...
A sort of recognition flickered in his eyes, but he only nodded. He wouldn’t press her for anything further on the subject.
“They tried something different on everyone, I think.” Emilia looked away, embarrassed that she’d given away that much. Even if the Inspector had witnessed such a humiliation in his cell, it was still too unseemly to discuss bluntly.
“The torturer told me something troubling. He claimed that we were clones, bought on the slave market. He claimed this meant we’d mean nothing to God, as we weren’t fashioned by him. Then again, he made it clear he thought little of our faith.”
Link’s eyes slid closed, one arm rising slowly to brush his bangs out of his face, suddenly thankful for the vulnerability that his long sleeves spared him. That tactic was something he should have expected considering the amount of times it had been used against him.
“... It’s not the first time they’ve made that opinion quite clear.”
“It doesn’t make sense any more. When I first saw the akuma, I was shaken, but it all fitted.” The words began spilling out of Emilia’s mouth as she tried to blurt out everything she’d been worrying about. “How can any of this fit with what we know? All these different worlds, with demons and creatures and magic like nothing we’ve seen. Did God make them all? When? Why didn’t we know? How does it fit? Why don’t they know about him? Where do these Doctors come from and how can the have so much power over whether we live? Why are we going through this?”
This was eerily similar to a conversation he’d had with Komui not long after his own arrival. Almost two years earlier Link sat in a very similar position, hunched in a chair and going through his worries and insecurities... perhaps not as openly as Emilia was, but he might as well have, and even as conflicted as the inspector remained, now it was his turn try and come up with an answer.
“... I have never claimed to understand our situation, but I think that there are some things that we aren’t meant to understand completely.” He rubbed a hand awkwardly over the back of his neck, shoulders slumping in a very human, almost worn sort of motion. “Anything is possible if God wills it, and we... we are too close to this to see things for what they are.”
Emilia nodded, concentrating on his words. Though she’d been telling herself the same thing, it sounded less hollow coming from another’s lips. It was a test. She wasn’t abandoned. She couldn’t be.
“Do you think he punishes us for our pride?”
For their pride? Were he answering just for himself, Link might’ve said yes outright, but there were so many others here that didn’t deserve the torments of the facility. Emilia certainly didn’t from what he knew of her.
“I think... the akuma present in our world make us forget that monsters aren’t the only threat out there. Sometimes there are just... bad people. Bad people find themselves in positions of power, awful things happen. In the very beginning He gave humanity a choice, and now it is up to us to weather the consequences of that choice.”
“Accepting the doctors are human might be one of the harder parts.” And yet, she was feeling lighter than she had when she arrived. A little bit of the burden had been lifted. She opes her eyes, able to look Link in the face more calmly.
“What do you make of our deaths and resurrections? If he was telling the truth, we don’t even have souls.”
Link met her gaze, his expression as steady as it usually was. Conflicted and shaky as he might’ve been on the inside, his training still held firm when he really needed it to.
“Their technology is incredible, admittedly, but do you honestly believe that we don’t have souls?”
The conviction Link displayed was helping buoy up Emilia’s own confidence.
“I honestly have no idea how a soulless person would feel, but I know, despite all of this... I’m me.”
The inspector nodded firmly. It helped to hear the words, to make them more solid in his own mind by speaking them from his own mouth. “They will tell you whatever it is they think will break you. They wants us unsettled, unsure, and unwilling to fight, but as long as we hold on to ourselves, we will persevere.”
“We’ll persevere together.” Emilia smiled for the first time since she entered the room. “We’ll be the surety and strength for our friends. If I had a pistol, I’d be of some use for the fighting as well.”
It was good to see the smile back on Emilia’s face, and Link’s expression softened just slightly. “You already have a rather impressive kick if I’m remembering correctly.”
Emilia let out a faint laugh of embarrassment. “Father insisted I learn that to defend myself. I practice everything I learnt as often as I can.” She gives him just the lightest of teasing looks. “And yet I can still only jump down four stairs at a time.”
“Being able to jump down a flight of stairs is usually not a necessary skill for the general public.” Or even for someone like him, but conflicts like the one at the orphanage did not allow for his normal reservation. It was often in situations like that that one learned just what they were really capable of.
“Have you continued your practice here?”
“I try to practice in my room every morning, though I admit I’ve been slipping lately.” Her face droops again as she looks back down at her hands. “The thought that it was useless the week before is somewhat... discouraging.”
“There will be times when the situation does not allow you to fight back like you normally would, but a good, solid base is always beneficial.” He lifted one hand, flexing his fingers a little. “My talismans were taken from me in the chamber, but I was still strong enough to survive. That’s what’s important.”
“Strength wouldn’t have helped.” She spoke without thinking, before the sudden pain of her nails digging into her palms made her realise how thoughtless what she’d said would sound.
“I’m sorry, Inspector!That was so rude of me, I...” The familiar feeling of awkward embarrassment she’d been experiencing as she’d made her apologies since leaving the chamber welled up, and she scrabbled for a way to change the subject. “How did you learn to use those talismans? They’re like Innocence and akuma to me, something I never imagined would be part of the modern world.”
“It’s quite alright, Miss Galmar.” He waved her apology off, settling his hand in his lap once more.
“I began training, physically and with talismans, when I was very young. Very few people know of the techniques, even within the Order.”
Emilia nods, interested. Though she’d agreed to join the Order, she still knew very little about it. “I could hardly see what was happening during your fight with the akuma. Are the talismans made of something special?”
“Just paper.” He reached off to one side, pulling a single talisman out from beneath his pillow and holding it up for her to see. He had several different types, and this one bore a complex black symbol.
Emilia glanced at Link, seeking permission before she reached out to take the paper. “Then is it an inborn ability, like the Innocence?” She asked, tracing her finger along the ink design.
He let her take the talisman, sitting back to lean against the wall once more. She could do no harm with it. “... Not exactly. I was not born with any special abilities. If I could learn, then I imagine many could given the right training and enough time.”
Emilia turned the talisman around in her hands, pondering. In a facility full of witches and demons, the power to bind an enemy without having to touch them would offer a small advantage, compared to knowing only normal attacks.
“Do you think it’d be something a person like me would be able to master?”
Linked blinked up her, pondering for several long moments. He had considered taking young Syaoran under his wing, so to speak, but that was only because the boy already showed potential with the use of his own talismans. To teach secret techniques to someone with no experience at all...
“... I’ve never thought to try and teach someone else before.”
“I’m a part of the Order now, Inspector. No matter how little I learn, I could be of some help.” The more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. She offered him back his talisman, looking very earnest. “You’ll find me a very willing pupil.”
He took the talisman back, turning it in his fingers much like Emilia had. It had always been a given before, that his techniques were secret and should stay just that. He did not abuse them carelessly, did not explain them any more than he absolutely had to. Honestly, it was the most intelligent way to operate in a place like this with enemies in such close quarters, but...
This woman was from his world and a part of his organization. Someone he trusted... as much as he trusted anyone within the facility. Someone who could benefit greatly from any sort of training he could give her and who wouldn’t remember said training if she were to be returned home anyway.
“I could not make any guarantees. I’ve never heard of someone beginning training so late in life.” As if someone his or Emilia’s age could truly be considered that old.
“Of course.” Emilia answered, but her face lit up in a smile anyway. “At any rate, we’ll know for sure if it’s not possible. I won’t slack in learning and I am sure you wouldn’t slack in teaching. As a teacher myself, you strike me as someone who’d be competent at the job.”
Link nodded, frowning just slightly. No, he couldn’t be considered a slacker in anything he did, especially where training was concerned.
“... I would require more advanced physical training as well.”
Emilia nodded eagerly, leaning forward. “I’d want that too.” She responded. “I’ve got such an advantage with one kick, knowing more physical techniques will help me immensely.” After a long week of feeling completely helpless, being given a way to take back some power was a giddying thought.
“Thank you, Inspector. Thank you so, so much for even considering this.” She caught his hands, giving them a grateful squeeze.
Link glanced down at their hands, eyebrows raised slightly. Someone initiating physical contact without violent intentions was still something rather uncommon for the inspector... at least since Celena’s termination. But the strength had returned to Emilia’s face and posture, and teaching someone how to better defend themselves... what harm could there be in that?
“You’re welcome, Miss Galmar.”
Emilia flushed, letting go of his hands. This wasn’t a child she could coddle and touch as much as she wished, but a grown man and a colleague. She sat back in her chair, clearing her throat. “I need to thank you as well, Inspector, for listening to my worries. It was a lot to burden anyone with, let alone a man still recovering from an ordeal.”
“We all need someone to confide in now and then.” Even Link, as rare as it was for him to indulge that particular need. “And I’ve dealt with far worse in the past. Please don’t worry over it.”
Emilia gave him a grateful smile. “If you ever need a person to confide in, Inspector, I’ll be happy to be that ear.”
Link returned that smile with something that might’ve been one of his own. Subtle, more visible in his eyes than his lips, but a smile nonetheless.
“Thank you, Miss Galmar. I appreciate that.”
“I should let you get back to your papers now, Inspector.” Emilia stood, stretching her back slightly. “Would you like me to fetch you anything when I go?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you, Miss Galmar. I can move relatively well on my own now.” Sort of, anyway. Either way, he wanted to accept as little assistance as possible at this point in his recovery. Dependency would help no one.
Emilia nodded and went to leave, her spine straighter and her step far more confident than when she arrived.
“Once again, Inspector, thank you. Let me know when you’re ready to begin teaching me and I’ll come straight away.”
Link nodded back in confirmation. “You’re welcome. Perhaps next week, once I’ve healed fully?”
Emilia gave him one last smile. “Next week. I look forward to it!” She answered before leaving, off to finally get some work done.