Night 55: Recreational Field

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]The field stretched out, wide and empty. Moonlight, even through clouds, made it bright enough that navigation would have been simple, if it weren't for all the snow. It was coming down heavily now; she could barely make out the walls on the other side

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[ninelivesonce]

"Sharp, four-pointed, good with tentacles?" Or at least that's what Taura had started to growl, when a cloud of gas caught her mid-four. She could hold her breath longer than most people, but only if her mouth was shut. She slammed her lips closed, but it was too late. The gas was burning a trail of fire down her throat, threatening to bring back up what little dinner they'd been given. Her eyes stung, and the world blurred purple-and-white with gas and snow dancing alongside stars and explosions and the silent flickers that meant ships dying in space.

She blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, relying on her ears to see if he was going to attack again, but the only thing that came out of the chaos raging in front of her was a low chuckle and a final taunt. At least she expected it was a taunt; he couldn't know that human was precisely what they both were, and that what he might have intended as an insult was a compliment Taura had once gone a lifetime without hearing.

When her vision had cleared enough to see Asuka standing defiantly -- and the complete absence of any attackers in between -- she let herself cough, hacking gas and mucus out of her lungs. "Star-thing. Toss it over the wall, yeah?" At some point, trust was necessary. Asuka hadn't shown many hidden talents yet, but Okita had faith in her, so Taura would try. She scrambled up the wall, easily hoisting herself over the top and then just dropping out of sight.

[to here]