Leave a comment

avengingfists December 8 2011, 04:19:33 UTC
Ilia blew a puff of air out; another small sign of frustration. This was difficult. She didn't want to upset Anise more than the girl already seemed to be, but what could she say to make things right? Apologize? Try to steer the conversation to another topic? That might be better, though she doubted Anise would allow that if she was dead-set on encouraging Ilia to stay away from the sub-levels of the institute.

"I really can't imagine what would make you think resuscitation wasn't nearly so bad as what happened before." Ilia's gaze was filled with sympathy. Maybe there had been blood rather than drowning, or mental torture. Sometimes gore and pain seemed more frightening than death. If that was the case, then Ilia couldn't blame Anise's reaction.

She reached over and touched the top of the younger girl's hand. "It's okay. I know how to take care of myself, and I know better than to face off against something I can't handle."

She tried to give what she hoped looked like an encouraging smile. "If I see anything really dangerous, I'll be sure to run. Promise." Maybe that would set Anise's mind at ease on the matter.

Reply

gald_digger December 8 2011, 09:50:45 UTC
There were a lot of things that made the near-drowning incident less scary. Guy and Claude were there, and they could reach her. They saved her.

In the Coliseum, Anise couldn't reach anyone. She couldn't save anyone. It didn't matter how strong she was, or how hard she tried. And now Ilia was marching straight into that kind of hopeless situation...

Her eyes still looking downward, she watched Ilia place a hand over hers. There was warmth in the gesture, but Anise couldn't bring herself to feel comforted by it. She shook her head without lifting it to make eye contact. "It's not okay. It'll be too late by then."

Reply

avengingfists December 9 2011, 09:52:48 UTC
"Oh, Anise..." Ilia didn't know what to say to something like that. Anise didn't seem to want to talk about things further than saying how terrible they were. If only she had some specifics on what had happened before...

Not thinking to ask permission, Ilia leaned forward and attempted to wrap her arms around the younger girl in a comforting hug. Anise was still so small and young. If something had scarred her memory or emotions then she didn't have to speak about it. Ilia just wanted her to know she was there for her, and tried to show that rather than just speak the words.

Ilia wanted to try reassuring her again that she knew about the locking doors. She wasn't going to rush into a new place without trying to scope it out first. She would run. There should be time. But she didn't say these things, just attempted to comfort her friend until she could at least feel strong enough to look up again.

Reply

gald_digger December 10 2011, 01:17:15 UTC
Ilia didn't understand. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Anise's stomach as she realized it. Nothing she was saying was dissuading the woman from moving forward.

When the woman's arms slid around her, Anise was still for a moment, unsure whether to keep pressing or not. What more could she say...?

She found herself thinking back to Guy's death. One of her many regrets had been their last conversation before that night... when they had an argument kind of like this one. It hurt to think that the last conversation she ever had with a dear friend was an argument. Guy's case had been even worse, since Anise had been lying to him, but it didn't change the fact that she didn't want that to happen with Ilia.

The girl reached out her arms as well, wrapping them around the woman and pulling herself closer to reciprocate the hug. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of the back of Ilia's shirt, clinging as if afraid she might slip away.

Reply

avengingfists December 11 2011, 07:58:22 UTC
Ilia needed to wait only a moment before Anise reciprocated the hug. Anise still hadn't said a word and that was probably scarier than anything else she could have done.

"Anise. Everything will be fine, I'm sure." She rubbed the girl's back, hoping to give her a bit more solace. Ilia kept her voice as happy as possible, trying to sound convincing. "I have some great kids in my corner, too. We're not going to go down easily."

She leaned back, hoping Anise would look up. "I'll check in with you tomorrow first thing! I promise!"

Reply

gald_digger December 12 2011, 04:39:04 UTC
Great kids? Anise hoped she didn't mean 'kids' literally.

"It doesn't matter. You still..." A numb feeling stretched across her head, and her mouth froze before the next words could come out. She tried again. "One of...!" But it was no good. The next time she tried to speak, no words came at all.

The intercom sounded then; a noise that might as well have been a death knell for how Anise flinched at hearing it. She could tell from Ilia's body language that the woman wanted Anise to look at her, but how could she face a friend who was determined to walk into a death trap? Cautiously, Anise raised her gaze to meet Ilia's, her own eyes appearing to be on the verge of tears.

"Can you really keep that promise, no matter what?" Even as she said it, Anise felt that her own words were cruel. At most, Ilia might have taken them to mean Anise didn't have faith in her, but it was closer to the opposite. Keeping that promise could mean killing a companion to save herself. Could Anise really ask her to do such a horrible thing? She let her arms drop, and shook her head. "... Don't answer that. Just..." Don't go, she wanted to say, but it looked like Ilia was already set on it.

Reply

avengingfists December 14 2011, 23:15:57 UTC
The intercom was already ushering them into their next activity but Ilia didn't really want to leave Anise when she was like this. Even if she felt perfectly capable, it was obvious that Anise didn't think that was enough.

Her last question seemed to hold a heavier meaning than any straight answer could give so Ilia hesitated. Anise had already moved away but Ilia was still riveted in the same spot, unsure of how to proceed. Eventually, she figured the best she could do was continue her attempt to reassure her.

Smiling, Ilia tried to convey all her will and sincerity into her voice. "My plan is to stay safe and report back, just like I said. Look for my note, okay?"

The nurses began to usher them on, so Ilia couldn't stand around any longer. She moved along with her nurse, casting one more glance back at her younger friend before continuing on to lunch.

Reply


Leave a comment

Up