Nightshift 35: F21-F30 Hallway

[neutral_jing]

Okay, so the day more or less completely sucked. The only consolation Toph had was in regards to the conversation with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and the upcoming meeting with Renamon for her file and possessions. That is, if she could even find the woman. Renamon never got a chance to tell her the location of her room; the staff had intervened too

Comments

Re: F21

[himetsuru]

Sometime in the middle of their intimacy, Falis had reclaimed the katana and when the princess detected the presence of another moving into the room, she'd shifted her arm out just enough that the sword was quite clear to whomever was entering the room. A warning one would say, but given the princess hadn't been intending on there being anything more than a good luck kiss (which had consequently become more) she wasn't about to threaten said person.

And then said person identified herself and Hokuto almost cracked her head off the closet door with as fast as she pulled out of their kiss. Falis' lips curled up into a smirk seeing how red her girlfriend's face was. She could imagine the various things running through the other girl's mind right about then.

Her smirk soothed out a little as she stepped back to let Hokuto up off the closet door. "Aa. It seems I've distracted you far too long." Her eyes shifted to Signum. "My apologies," she said to the knight, actually meaning it. The bounty hunter had a job to do anyways and so did Hokuto.

"Until tomorrow then," she said before heading to the door. She met Signum's eyes as she passed by the knight on her way out, smirk gone. If something happened to Hokuto while under Signum's care, she was going to be very unhappy. And yet, she had the confidence in the knight's ability to do as a knight does.

Re: F21

[blazing_general]

Signum, so far as she was concerned, owed nothing to Falis except possibly a lecture on threats against her fellow prisoners and returned the look with a cold one of her own. Falis' estimation of her was correct- as a knight, she would gladly risk her life for any who stood by her side- but if she failed she was answerable to no one but herself here.

"Enjoying yourself?" Signum asked when the mercenary had gone, ignoring Hokuto's attempt to report in for the time being. Her tone didn't give much away, but coming from someone as perpetually serious as the knight the question was obviously loaded.

Re: F21

[akarusa]

"U-um..." Hokuto almost wished the floor would open up and swallow her--almost because she wouldn't put actually doing that past this place. Somehow I don't think I should just say 'yes' to that question!

"I'm really very sorry." She bowed--Subaru used to do it all the time, and she'd become a lot like he was, so... "I should have--restrained myself." In the dim light, maybe her face didn't look as red as it felt. "It won't happen again."

She had every intention of spending her rare nights off with Falis, but generally those were planned.

Re: F21

[blazing_general]

"You shouldn't feel an obligation to continue doing this work if you no longer want to, you know. If this is more important to you, I won't object to you pursuing it." Signum's words were still flat, giving little hint as to whether this was more in the vein of a test or a genuine offer.

But she was certainly serious. The stillness of the knight, standing in front of Hokuto with her sword stood on its point before her, made that at least perfectly clear.

Re: F21

[akarusa]

"N-no!" Hokuto flinched, worried she was in more trouble than she knew. "We just... I..."

She fell silent, taking a deep breath. After a moment, she looked at Signum again. "I'm very sorry. I need to be useful here, but I can't go out every single night, either. All work and no play..." she smiled, weakly. "The last time I saw my girlfriend at home wasn't long before I..." How much did Signum know? "...found the man who was threatening my brother."

The knight should remember what happened after that, even if she didn't know any details. Hokuto did mean to tell her someday, but not during Nightshift.

Re: F21

[blazing_general]

"In my opinion," Signum said, "It would be better to concentrate on one or the other. Either commit yourself to the destruction of this world, or to building yourself a life here. Trying to do both will create conflict."

"Or," she added with a raised eyebrow, "At the very least, distraction."

The knight sighed and shouldered her sword. Well, that was how she saw things, but then she was an old knight whose few friends were, if not quite as set in their ways as her, still workaholics from a very young age. No surprise that Hokuto thought differently.

"It's more dangerous than you realize." The words were obviously an extension of the previous thought, but the force behind them had gone. Yes, she was supposed to be the wise old voice of discipline and resolve, and she was supposed to protect Hokuto, but neither were supposed to mean telling her how to live her life.

Re: F21

[akarusa]

Distraction?? "It's not building a life," Hokuto said, trying to keep her voice even. Signum knew very well there would be no going on with her life after this. "But it's more than a distraction. It's--something to hold onto." Her gaze, still holding Signum's, hadn't wavered, but a hint of fire was growing in her eyes. She knew very well what she needed to keep herself ready and willing to fight, and what she did in her own time was none of Signum's business.

She didn't feel nearly as strong as some people thought she was, it didn't take much to knock her down--but while she was still able to get up, every time so far, if she was going this alone that wouldn't last for long. "I couldn't survive here without having friends to help me through it--I don't know if anyone could. Even you." Some would argue that, but she didn't know a single person who'd been here for long without forging some kind of connection to a fellow prisoner, be it romantic, friendship, or a strategic alliance.

"Is that all?" As far as she was concerned, the topic was closed.

Re: F21

[blazing_general]

"It is all of those things." Signum spoke calmly, but she was beginning to get annoyed. Fire was good, especially in a warrior, but over this? To Signum it seemed a childishly defensive reaction that only confirmed her worries.

And she presumed such weakness on Signum's part... "I'm not like you. My friends are those peers I respect, not those I need." Not crutches. Camaraderie the knight felt easily, but for her friends were few and far between. She knew she could survive without them because she had.

"That's all. Do with it what you will."

Re: F21

[akarusa]

Hokuto wondered if that was true; Signum wasn't exactly human, and definitely not of Earth, so it might be... but that was still a much lonelier life than Hokuto could even think about having.

And my friends are not a crutch--they're a lifeline, when I need it. Which isn't all the time. Differences weren't bad in themselves, but she still couldn't imagine shunning people so easily.

Imagine if I told her I miss the man who killed me, too...

"Understood."

Re: F21

[blazing_general]

"We should get going." Signum moved on without missing a beat; the conversation might as well have never happened. She didn't want to cause the same trouble she'd been trying to stave off. You needed a clear mind for the work they did, and carrying tension from an argument over into their mission was a sure way to loose that.

Without another word, the knight walked out the door.

[[To Main Hallway 1-Center.]]