Rita awakened in a cold sweat that morning. What the hell was that all about!? It had to be a trick, like the moving shadows from the other night... It just couldn't be real
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Thank you again for your patience, bb! <3no_dont_goMay 1 2011, 20:52:50 UTC
Aigis stumbled out into the bus loading area, fighting the groggy feeling still dragging at her mind. Just minutes before she had barely registered Lieutenant General Berg's words of caution when the soldier in charge of her had told her to strip and handed her somethingdistinctlyhideous to wear for the day. Aigis' only saving grace was her complete lack of taste when it came to clothing, though she certainly felt how threadbare her shirt and pants had grown over the years of their use. The snowy conditions did help to bring her more awake, more than she would have been had they stayed in the institute but she had never liked the cold.
Her hand absently went to the bandage at her neck. Someone had covered the bite wounds from the night before with gauze, though Aigis did not remember anyone administering any type of aid on her last night. And that boy, the one who had attacked her, she doubted he had come back to help. Why she had been targeted by another patient was not something she could guess. She certainly didn't recognize him, but perhaps that had been the reason she had been attacked. He held no connection to her, therefore she was expendable. Slowly, an objective was forming in her mind. She would seek him out and discover his reason for attacking her, then decide how to proceed from there. If his attack had been a one-time thing then she would let it go, but if it was habitual then she needed to put an end to it. Something in her mind tickled at her subconscious, saying she should recognize this scene from somewhere before, but she couldn't place it. And deja vu was not a phrase in her current vocabulary.
Aigis hadn't taken two steps into the bus when her sleepy eyes focused in on a familiar face. Barely managing to form a smile on her pale lips Aigis stepped forward and bowed her head, nearly falling over when a wave of dizziness descended on her at the sudden movement. She gasped, managed to righten herself, then shook her head slowly. Last night's bloodletting was taking its toll.
"Good morning. May I sit with you today?" She managed to stay on her feet and give the other woman a chance to answer, holding herself stubbornly in place despite her body's wish to sit. The world was tipping oh so slightly, but rudeness was not acceptable even in the worst of times.
"Of course," Maya replied as she half-stood, reaching out for Aigis before the girl collapsed. Hm, though... If there was one thing to be said, it was that Aigis would not go unnoticed if she did collapse sometime down the line. Commitment to monochrome only worked when the clothing in question was black. Definitely not something that made its poor victim resemble an unfortunately nuanced fruit. If Maya hadn't already been convinced that this new regime was just as dastardly as its predecessor, there was no doubt now.
But enough of that. Almost on instinct, Maya's palm gravitated to Aigis's forehead, though she knew a fever wasn't entirely likely, as Aigis wasn't exhibiting the other usual symptoms. Still, it made Maya feel better, and Maya knew of the benefits of satisfying irrational anxieties in order to get it out of mind, and then committing that energy towards the problem that was actually at hand. "You look terrible. What happened?"
<333 Later than I wished to respond, but now most of my deathly final projects are finished~no_dont_goMay 6 2011, 05:13:45 UTC
"Thank you," she sighed as she sat, easing back into the seat. Aigis was grateful for both the allowance and the assistance. She caught the concern on Maya's face and realized a bit belatedly that she probably looked worse than she had imagined. She did know that 'terrible' was a terrific word for how she felt. The palm on her forehead was a different sort of touch. It was warm, but otherwise peculiar compared to how others normally touched her; hand to hand, or an arm around the shoulder.
"I was attacked," she said at last. Her hand reached up again and she touched the bandage on her neck that concealed the bite marks. "And the attacker was--"
She stopped herself from admitting it was another patient. Something held her back. Unlike normal monsters that mindlessly preyed on the patients, he was certainly sentient enough to deal with on her own. No need to get another, unrelated person involved. She switched gears, though tried to remain truthful. "It was not something I had ever encountered before."
Aigis took a moment to study the other woman's face. She had a reason for coming over here. "You. I have met you before, haven't I?"
"Yes, you have," Maya replied in acknowledgment of the question before moving onto the more important matter. "Attacker?"
Though, from the way Aigis had framed the next part, it seemed to have been one of the famed monsters. Especially the usage of 'it', unless it was common for Aigis to speak of undesirable or unreasonable things this way. "What did it look like? How did it occur?"
Where did it occur. Going out to berate it with her pipe seemed a impulsively rash thing to do, perhaps. However, having ascertained that Aigis did not have a fever, Maya found there was little else to do, or even entertain the thought of doing. Discussing the merits of being human was one thing. Seeing Aigis reach for the bandage at her neck was quite another.
"I am sorry. I never did catch your name." Aigis did her best to be polite when she could afford it, and now that she was sitting down it was much easier to focus on what she was saying.
"As for my attacker it... was a strange thing," she said at last, shaking her head. No. Aigis couldn't burden her with this. It was her problem. She offered a smile, weak but determined. "I do not remember much of the attack itself. I barely caught a glimpse of the attacker with my flashlight. I do know that it happen when I was near the female holding quarters. I had only made it to the second hallway."
Much closer to the rooms than most monster attacks Aigis had heard of, but then again, this hadn't really been a monster. Or at least, Aigis hoped that kind of face was not the face of a monster.
Aigis took a deep breath and leaned back in the seat, opening the bag of breakfast. Ah, the welcome sight of actually palatable food. She took hold of the muffin and brought it to her lips. So... so much better than the vile gruel they were served in the institute now.
Hm? How careless. "I'm Maya." She supposed she had been quite forceful in their previous meeting. However, fortuitous meetings don't simply occur by sudden and mysterious means, so she had no apologies on that front.
"Feeling better?" she asked as Aigis seemed to perk up at the sight of food. Hunger, as well as exhaustion (Maya assumed). A safe explanation for Aigis's state, if it were not for the audacious attacker. An injury to the neck? Near the women's rooms? It played out like a perverse vampire fantasy novel. "Have you a weapon?"
"Maya-san, then." Aigis nodded to herself, determined to retain the name as well as her memory of this woman. She considered herself the one at fault here. She ought not have been so selfish as last time, talking only about her own problems.
"Indeed, much." The muffin did taste heavenly, though she did her best to not allow herself to dwell too closely on the flavor. She couldn't let herself give in to base pleasure while there was discussion to be had. "I do have a weapon, some claws. However, I have only just begun to acquaint myself with them. I was caught off guard."
Being surprised was no real excuse. She had felt the attacker just before he had made his move, and done the wrong thing by merely turning to look. She ought to have fallen into a defensive position immediately.
Realizing that she was quickly becoming the only topic of conversation yet again, Aigis turned her gaze back to the other woman, smiling. "I do hope your night was safer, and more successful, than my own, Maya-san."
"It was safe enough. Nothing happened." Which meant it had been quite boring. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up for debate. Though it would be nice if she never had to discover how much of a good idea it might be.
"Claws... Short-range, yes?" Maya asked, thinking back to what Senna had told her. In tight quarters, short-range might be a good idea, but in this case, it seemed as if it had rather been too short. "I know a place to get something longer," she continued, "should you need a longer reach."
Though, Maya had to admit that someone who had managed to sneak up on Aigis was hardly going to be allow himself to be noticed from a wider distance. Should Maya ask if there had been fog at the time? Hmm. She didn't suppose she could hunt around for signs of grave dirt or dirty paw prints anywhere near the bedroom halls.... But enough with fanciful thinking. "What kind of offensive object would suit you best? Perhaps we can find something that fits you better."
"That is good to hear." Aigis would rather a friend be bored and safe than excited and injured. She understood the need to feel accomplished, and sometimes battle was the only way to achieve that feeling, but safety was important for survival. Accomplishment was nothing without survival.
"Correct." Aigis took another bite, considering the offer. She would normally not have needed such a thing, and had she been able to keep the Evoker rather than returning it to Yukari she wouldn't have needed it at all. But as it stood, "I would not mind knowing. Is the reach further than that of a Louisville Slugger?" In the meantime, she did still have the bat Junpei had given her.
Aigis sat up a bit straighter. This was a topic she could indulge in with confidence. "I am proficient with projectiles. Pistols, hand canons, grenade launchers, rifles; basically firearms of all kinds. If there is a way for me to obtain any such weapon, I would be most interested to learn of it."
Her hand absently went to the bandage at her neck. Someone had covered the bite wounds from the night before with gauze, though Aigis did not remember anyone administering any type of aid on her last night. And that boy, the one who had attacked her, she doubted he had come back to help. Why she had been targeted by another patient was not something she could guess. She certainly didn't recognize him, but perhaps that had been the reason she had been attacked. He held no connection to her, therefore she was expendable. Slowly, an objective was forming in her mind. She would seek him out and discover his reason for attacking her, then decide how to proceed from there. If his attack had been a one-time thing then she would let it go, but if it was habitual then she needed to put an end to it. Something in her mind tickled at her subconscious, saying she should recognize this scene from somewhere before, but she couldn't place it. And deja vu was not a phrase in her current vocabulary.
Aigis hadn't taken two steps into the bus when her sleepy eyes focused in on a familiar face. Barely managing to form a smile on her pale lips Aigis stepped forward and bowed her head, nearly falling over when a wave of dizziness descended on her at the sudden movement. She gasped, managed to righten herself, then shook her head slowly. Last night's bloodletting was taking its toll.
"Good morning. May I sit with you today?" She managed to stay on her feet and give the other woman a chance to answer, holding herself stubbornly in place despite her body's wish to sit. The world was tipping oh so slightly, but rudeness was not acceptable even in the worst of times.
Reply
But enough of that. Almost on instinct, Maya's palm gravitated to Aigis's forehead, though she knew a fever wasn't entirely likely, as Aigis wasn't exhibiting the other usual symptoms. Still, it made Maya feel better, and Maya knew of the benefits of satisfying irrational anxieties in order to get it out of mind, and then committing that energy towards the problem that was actually at hand. "You look terrible. What happened?"
Reply
"I was attacked," she said at last. Her hand reached up again and she touched the bandage on her neck that concealed the bite marks. "And the attacker was--"
She stopped herself from admitting it was another patient. Something held her back. Unlike normal monsters that mindlessly preyed on the patients, he was certainly sentient enough to deal with on her own. No need to get another, unrelated person involved. She switched gears, though tried to remain truthful. "It was not something I had ever encountered before."
Aigis took a moment to study the other woman's face. She had a reason for coming over here. "You. I have met you before, haven't I?"
Reply
Though, from the way Aigis had framed the next part, it seemed to have been one of the famed monsters. Especially the usage of 'it', unless it was common for Aigis to speak of undesirable or unreasonable things this way. "What did it look like? How did it occur?"
Where did it occur. Going out to berate it with her pipe seemed a impulsively rash thing to do, perhaps. However, having ascertained that Aigis did not have a fever, Maya found there was little else to do, or even entertain the thought of doing. Discussing the merits of being human was one thing. Seeing Aigis reach for the bandage at her neck was quite another.
Reply
"As for my attacker it... was a strange thing," she said at last, shaking her head. No. Aigis couldn't burden her with this. It was her problem. She offered a smile, weak but determined. "I do not remember much of the attack itself. I barely caught a glimpse of the attacker with my flashlight. I do know that it happen when I was near the female holding quarters. I had only made it to the second hallway."
Much closer to the rooms than most monster attacks Aigis had heard of, but then again, this hadn't really been a monster. Or at least, Aigis hoped that kind of face was not the face of a monster.
Aigis took a deep breath and leaned back in the seat, opening the bag of breakfast. Ah, the welcome sight of actually palatable food. She took hold of the muffin and brought it to her lips. So... so much better than the vile gruel they were served in the institute now.
Reply
"Feeling better?" she asked as Aigis seemed to perk up at the sight of food. Hunger, as well as exhaustion (Maya assumed). A safe explanation for Aigis's state, if it were not for the audacious attacker. An injury to the neck? Near the women's rooms? It played out like a perverse vampire fantasy novel. "Have you a weapon?"
Reply
"Indeed, much." The muffin did taste heavenly, though she did her best to not allow herself to dwell too closely on the flavor. She couldn't let herself give in to base pleasure while there was discussion to be had. "I do have a weapon, some claws. However, I have only just begun to acquaint myself with them. I was caught off guard."
Being surprised was no real excuse. She had felt the attacker just before he had made his move, and done the wrong thing by merely turning to look. She ought to have fallen into a defensive position immediately.
Realizing that she was quickly becoming the only topic of conversation yet again, Aigis turned her gaze back to the other woman, smiling. "I do hope your night was safer, and more successful, than my own, Maya-san."
Reply
"Claws... Short-range, yes?" Maya asked, thinking back to what Senna had told her. In tight quarters, short-range might be a good idea, but in this case, it seemed as if it had rather been too short. "I know a place to get something longer," she continued, "should you need a longer reach."
Though, Maya had to admit that someone who had managed to sneak up on Aigis was hardly going to be allow himself to be noticed from a wider distance. Should Maya ask if there had been fog at the time? Hmm. She didn't suppose she could hunt around for signs of grave dirt or dirty paw prints anywhere near the bedroom halls.... But enough with fanciful thinking. "What kind of offensive object would suit you best? Perhaps we can find something that fits you better."
Reply
"Correct." Aigis took another bite, considering the offer. She would normally not have needed such a thing, and had she been able to keep the Evoker rather than returning it to Yukari she wouldn't have needed it at all. But as it stood, "I would not mind knowing. Is the reach further than that of a Louisville Slugger?" In the meantime, she did still have the bat Junpei had given her.
Aigis sat up a bit straighter. This was a topic she could indulge in with confidence. "I am proficient with projectiles. Pistols, hand canons, grenade launchers, rifles; basically firearms of all kinds. If there is a way for me to obtain any such weapon, I would be most interested to learn of it."
Reply
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