The Reconstructed, pt. 1/?
Title: The Reconstructed
Pairing: None, at the moment.
Length: 3550 words
Rating: PG, but it will DEFINATELY go to NC-17
Summary: Set years in the future, which technology has been developed to allow brains to be rewired, to rid people of unwanted or criminal behaviors. But to every good side there is a bad, a black market that specializes in snatching people up and rewiring them to an extreme before selling them off into slavery.
South Korea hadn't been the first place on her list of exotic destinations she wanted to visit, but it worked well enough. While she might have preferred to lounge on the beach and soak up the sun rays until she was burnt to a crisp in Fiji, that was expensive and she wasn't exactly loaded with cash. But Korea... she could speak the language and it was only a short flight from Los Angeles.
She'd been surprised her Visa had even been approved, but she wasn't going to complain. She'd had her fair share of legal troubles and run-ins with the law, and while nothing had been serious enough to get her labeled a 'criminal', she was still on a first name basis with nearly every officer and judge within a fifty mile radius. The fact that they knew her so well and always seemed to keep an eye on her only served to irritate her further. She didn't think she had a problem, really. It was everyone else that was the problem. So what if she didn't hesitate to tell someone off, or to smack them upside the head if they were being stupid. It wasn't her fault they were stupid. It wasn't her fault they knew how to push every single one of her buttons the wrong way. Yet the police officers that were called never seemed to agree, and her file of simple assault charges kept growing. Each time the punishment became more severe, which only served to irritate her further because it was not her fault. After being reprimanded yet again by yet another judge and threatened with reconstruction, she decided perhaps a change of scenery was all she needed. Asian people were supposed to be more polite and well mannered, weren't they? Perhaps they'd leave her alone and not push her buttons and she'd be just fine. While she wasn't exactly thrilled with her life as it was, she wasn't unhappy enough to want to face reconstruction.
Though the prison system had at one time been horribly overcrowded, that was ages ago and technology had advanced far enough to provide the judicial system with many ways of dealing with their problems, the most popular easiest being what was called Reconstruction. While it wasn't a fool-proof procedure yet, it worked well enough. It was a 'simple' remapping or rewiring of the brain done while the patient was sedated. The areas of the brain related to the desire to disobey had been diagramed ages ago (along with the other parts of the brain, of course). The procedure could dull or destroy those parts of the brain, stimulate others that controlled good behaviors. It was said that Reconstruction could easily turn a bad boy into an absolute angel, without changing too much of their personality. Prison cells now held only those that committed the most severe of crimes, those deemed far too unstable to undergo Reconstruction. Sometimes Reconstruction was part of a criminal's sentence; sometimes the criminals themselves requested it when they grew tired of the circle of bad behaviors they kept running in.
But Mia, she didn't want to be reconstructed, she didn't want to be perky and happy, she just wanted to be left the hell alone. She'd packed her bags the day after her Visa was approved, booked her flight, and she was off. The advances in technology had made traveling much easier as well, and it was only two hours after she left Los Angeles that she landed in Seoul, South Korea. She could only hope that the advances in technology cut down time spent in line at customs as well, because waiting in line, packed body to body like sardines was one of the things she hated most, second only to people nosing through her things, and that was what customs agents seemed to like to do best. It wasn't that she'd packed frilly underwear or any other unmentionables that she wanted to hide, but the things in her suitcase belonged to her and her alone, and if they guys in customs wanted to fondle underwear they should just go buy their own. She tried to focus on being nice and polite though, even if she had to grit her teeth to do so. Just one small little hurdle to get through and she'd be off on her own and be able to start over again.
She didn't expect her passing through customs to be easy though. Long ago a world wide database listing anything about anyone was created, which the world government said would help to cut down on crime and terrorist activities. Each person had been assigned a file and a number and issued a global I.D. card. It hadn't really bothered Mia all that much, save for her numerous altercations she thought she was a rather boring person, and if the government really wanted to waste time looking through every purchase she made and noting down that she spent every single Friday night renting movies and ordering pizza, or that she had Indian food every Tuesday evening at the same restaurant for the past two years, that was their problem, not hers. But that also meant that the Korean government was probably well aware of her numerous arrests and altercations, which customs would no doubt try to question her about. While standing in line she'd been debating with herself on how best to explain it when she was asked, should she be sweet and apologetic, explain that she really was trying hard to turn over a new leaf? Or should she just tell them what was on her mind... the government had approved her request for a Visa after all, why should she be questioned again?
The South Korean government, like almost every other government, was corrupt to one degree or another. After facing the second mass worldwide recession - near depression, world governments had been desperate to get money flowing into their countries again. Though they of course would have preferred to do it the legal way, desperate times called for desperate measures and sometimes they were forced to turn a blind eye to things, just to get money flowing in so they could take care of their people. Reconstruction was proving to be quite a profitable business, and not just for those in trouble with the law. Like any booming business, there was the legal side, and then the black market, comprised of people who'd worked with law-abiding businesses for a time until they became money and power hungry. Have a mean boss you just can't stand? A husband or wife that's boring in bed? A nagging ex that just won't leave you alone? Anything could be taken care of, for the right price of course. Sometimes people went willingly, like lovers eager to do anything to please their mates. But more often than not the victims of Reconstruction were unwilling and unknowing, hauled in unconscious from a drugged drink or something of that nature, reconstructed, and replaced back where they were found being left none the wiser. It was simple enough, really, but that wasn't what provided the most profit.
Slavery was still illegal, but there were always loopholes, especially now that technology was involved. Reconstruct someone well enough and sell them off as a slave (though the industry didn't prefer to use that term, of course), and should they ever be questioned they'd quite honestly say they were perfectly happy scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets with toothbrushes, or whatever menial task they'd been sent to do. While it could be a bit tricky to just up and snatch random people off the streets, snatching people that no one would miss made it a breeze. There was a distinct lack of homeless people in Seoul; more often than not they could be put too much better uses, given the right programming. There was little in the way of petty crime as well, and even the more severe crimes had become fewer and far between, because the criminals knew of the black market industry, they knew it well, and they knew that even if they weren't faced with the 'legal' reconstruction, it was only a matter of time before they were snatched off the street and sold for a profit.
Mia though, was quite unaware of the darker side of things. She just wanted some peace and quiet, that's all, and if she had to come to Korea to get it, so be it. She smiled as sweetly as she could when she finally stepped up to the counter at customs, sliding her passport and paperwork through the little slot at the bottom of the plexiglass window separating her from the customs agent.
"Please place your hand on the scanner for fingerprint identification."
Mia smiled again at the agent's request and placed her left hand on the scanner. That was another one of the joys of the global database, though Mia supposed in a way it made things easier. Nearly every place had them nowadays. Forget your I.D. at home? No problem, one quick scan of your hand was proof enough of who you are. Forget your debit card at the grocery store? No problem there, either. Long ago all banking information and transactions were linked with the global identification system as well, so one quick scan of your hand was enough to have the funds automatically deducted from your account. Some people had been against it of course, saying the government was trying to control everything, but Mia was just fine with it. She'd never been a girly girl with a desire to lug around a purse filled with unnecessary crap, so one less thing she had to worry about trying to stuff into her pocket was fine with her.
The customs agent watched her computer screen as the scan of Mia's hand was transferred to her computer, the computer taking a moment to run it through the database before all of the information popped up onto her screen.
"Mia Leonardo?"
"Yes ma'am, that's me." Mia smiled again, hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt.
"Age twenty-six, from Los Angeles?
"Yes ma'am."
The agent didn't even flinch as she clicked through the numerous documents in Mia's file; they'd been trained not to react to things like that. So when the message 'Candidate for Reconstruction' flashed upon her screen, she didn't even bat a lash. It wasn't her business what the government did, after all. As long as she got her paycheck that was all that mattered. She instead continued to click through a few more things, processing Mia's arrival, and then smiled as she looked up to her.
"Welcome to Korea. Please come this way. Once your luggage has been checked and approved you'll be on your way. Enjoy your stay."
Mia blinked, looking at the woman oddly. She had expected it to be more complicated than that. She wasn't going to complain though. She smiled once more and took her papers when they were offered back to her, stepping away from the window to follow the path that the woman had pointed to. It lead her to a waiting room, or a 'Holding Area' as it was labeled. She folded her papers back up and stuffed them in the back pocket of her jeans along with her passport, dropping down to sit in one of the plastic chairs that were provided. For a moment she thought it was a bit odd that she was the only one there, but as the moments passed and she saw no one else pass by the room with their luggage, she thought perhaps she was one of the lucky few that actually had all of their customs paperwork in order for once. She'd read the instructions twice when they came with her approval in the mail, once in English and then again in Korean. She'd made sure to follow every step to the letter as well, she knew how she reacted to irritating people and she wanted to start her life in Korea off right. If she had all of her stuff in order and didn't irritate them, maybe they wouldn't irritate her. She slouched down in her chair a bit, glancing up at the television that was mounted high on the wall playing some prerecorded video welcoming people to Korea and listing off all the wonderful attractions it had to offer.
She'd lost track of time and was just about to doze off in her seat when a nearby voice startled her, causing her to force her eyes wide open as she turned her head to look at the source of the sound. It seemed to belong to a young man, she assumed he was a staff member, judging by his uniform, and he seemed to be waiting for some sort of response from her.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening." He seemed a bit surprised when she spoke Korean, but it only caused his smile to widen as he continued on in Korean instead of the English he'd tried the first time.
"I'm so sorry you've had to wait, we were delayed in getting all of the luggage off of the plane, so it will be a few moments more before you are cleared to go. Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"
"Oh... tea, I suppose." The man nodded and headed off without another word. She looked back to the television screen, arching a brow when she heard the woman babbling about the same thing she'd been babbling about when Mia first sat down. It left her wondering if she'd just zoned out or if she really had fallen asleep, though she wasn't able to get too far lost in her own thoughts because the man soon returned with a steaming cup of tea, in a real cup no less, not a cheap paper one. Though it was a simple gesture it made Mia smile, and she straightened herself up to sit properly as the man handed the cup of tea over.
"We will try to return your luggage to you as quickly as possible; again I'm so sorry it's taken so long." He bowed politely and then he was gone, leaving Mia alone to listen to the woman on the television screen again as she sipped at her tea. Nearly half the mug was gone before she realized just how sleepy she was getting, and how far down she'd slouched in her chair again. She tried to push herself back up, but her legs had gone numb from sitting so long, and it seemed like it'd almost be easier to just slide right on out of the chair and flop on the floor. She lifted her arm to look at the watch on her wrist to see how long she'd been waiting, only to realize she didn't quite remember what time she'd gotten in there. She shrugged to herself and brought the cup of tea back to her lips, lifting her eyes back to the television screen to listen to the woman babble about Jeju Island again for what seemed like the fourth time, or perhaps the fifth? Maybe it was only the second. She shrugged to herself as she sipped at her tea, slouching down a bit further in her seat until her head was resting against the top of the hard plastic. Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt... surely that nice man who brought the tea would wake her up and not let her sleep all night in the airport.
When her eyes opened again it took her a while to realize she was staring at a ceiling, though for the life of her she could not remember what building the ceiling belonged to, she couldn't really remember much of anything. She remembered she'd been on a plane, but anything before or after that was quite fuzzy. She was trying to force her brain to function when the face of a woman appeared over her, smiling down at her.
"Oh, you're finally awake! We were wondering when you would come around. You must've been really tired."
Mia blinked slowly as she looked up at the woman, trying to think of something to say, though all she could bring herself to mumble was a soft 'mhmm'. Still the woman smiled, holding out her hands.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's see if you can sit up, alright? Take my hands and I'll help you."
Mia was fully aware she should've been able to sit up on her own, but still her hands came up to take those of the older woman, letting the woman tug her up. It was then that she realized why the woman had to help, as soon as her head was vertical instead of horizontal it began to spin, leaving her feeling horribly dizzy. She groaned, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, head in her hands, and didn't even see the need at the time to question why she seemed to be in bed with a hospital gown on.
"Dizzy? It'll pass in a few moments. You've been lying down for quite a while." She stepped away, though in just a moment she was back at Mia's bedside, two pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Take these, sweetie. It'll help you feel better." Mia took them without question, chasing the bitter tasting pills down with the cold water, realizing only then just how thirsty she'd been. The nurse raised the back of her bed up then, taking a moment to fluff the pillows before she had Mia sit back. She was still dizzy, but having something to lean back against to the worst of it away.
"What am I doing here?"
The woman looked up from where she'd been looking over her chart, a sweet smile gracing her face once more. "You don't remember, honey? You're having a make-over." She leaned over, reaching out to lightly ruffle Mia's hair. "Brown is kind of boring, what do you think about red hair?" Mia lifted her eyes skyward, as if she could see her own hair.
"Red is okay, I guess..." She was still so foggy headed she wasn't too sure about anything, but she wasn't really against it. She didn't remember signing up for a makeover, or why she would need to be in a hospital bed, but at the time she was so loopy it all seemed perfectly logical. The woman just smiled, going back to looking at the chart.
"So if you could change any two things about yourself physically, what would they be?"
Mia blinked again, drawing a complete blank for a moment. Things about herself? She couldn't even remember how many legs she had at the moment, how could she remember what she liked and didn't like? Despite what had happened though Mia was still a woman, and most women had the same insecurities.
"I... suppose I want bigger boobs. I mean not huge ones just... bigger. And not the droopy kind... I want the pretty kind." She nodded her head to confirm her own statement, as if it'd made absolute, perfect sense, because in her mind it did. The nurse just chuckled, making a few notes on her chart.
"What else?"
Mia's brows furrowed as she tried to think, though she continued to draw a blank on any major improvements that she thought needed to be made.
"I don't really like to shave... it takes so much time..." She was sure there should have been something more important, but that was really the only thing that she could think of at the time. The nurse just smiled, making more notes on the chart.
"Don't worry, sweetie, we can take care of that too."
Mia nodded as she listened, as if it all made sense. She still didn't remember signing up for a make-over, didn't remember paying for one either, but surely they wouldn't be doing this if she hadn't requested it and paid for it. The woman reached out to pat her knee through the hospital blanket, smiling once more.
"Go on and get some rest, honey. Your next round of treatments is scheduled to start soon."
Mia nodded once more as the nurse lowered the bed back down so she could sleep, flipping the overhead light off as she slipped quietly out of the room. The more she thought about things, the more they seemed to make sense, the more she thought she remembered, though really it was just her brain trying to cope with the massive gaps. Mia had always heard plastic surgery was cheaper overseas, so it seemed perfectly logical to come here to have something done. Though she couldn't ever remember being unhappy with herself... she couldn't exactly remember being happy, either. Or perhaps she'd won a contest of some sort? Maybe that was it. A reality television show? They were always making people over. She was still working through jumbled thoughts as she dozed back off, getting some much needed rest. She had no idea how long she had slept before, but she felt exhausted as though she had run a marathon, so drifting off again wasn't all that hard.
A/N: *gasp* I'm writing after so long, OMG! And for any of you reading this who read my old series, I'm sorry, but it's not going to be Suju-related. I just haven't felt the desire to write about them much lately. This is going to be a 2pm fic, though they haven't shown up just yet, and it's going to be so full of smut... to those of you who are disappointed, I'm sorry.
Pairing: None, at the moment.
Length: 3550 words
Rating: PG, but it will DEFINATELY go to NC-17
Summary: Set years in the future, which technology has been developed to allow brains to be rewired, to rid people of unwanted or criminal behaviors. But to every good side there is a bad, a black market that specializes in snatching people up and rewiring them to an extreme before selling them off into slavery.
South Korea hadn't been the first place on her list of exotic destinations she wanted to visit, but it worked well enough. While she might have preferred to lounge on the beach and soak up the sun rays until she was burnt to a crisp in Fiji, that was expensive and she wasn't exactly loaded with cash. But Korea... she could speak the language and it was only a short flight from Los Angeles.
She'd been surprised her Visa had even been approved, but she wasn't going to complain. She'd had her fair share of legal troubles and run-ins with the law, and while nothing had been serious enough to get her labeled a 'criminal', she was still on a first name basis with nearly every officer and judge within a fifty mile radius. The fact that they knew her so well and always seemed to keep an eye on her only served to irritate her further. She didn't think she had a problem, really. It was everyone else that was the problem. So what if she didn't hesitate to tell someone off, or to smack them upside the head if they were being stupid. It wasn't her fault they were stupid. It wasn't her fault they knew how to push every single one of her buttons the wrong way. Yet the police officers that were called never seemed to agree, and her file of simple assault charges kept growing. Each time the punishment became more severe, which only served to irritate her further because it was not her fault. After being reprimanded yet again by yet another judge and threatened with reconstruction, she decided perhaps a change of scenery was all she needed. Asian people were supposed to be more polite and well mannered, weren't they? Perhaps they'd leave her alone and not push her buttons and she'd be just fine. While she wasn't exactly thrilled with her life as it was, she wasn't unhappy enough to want to face reconstruction.
Though the prison system had at one time been horribly overcrowded, that was ages ago and technology had advanced far enough to provide the judicial system with many ways of dealing with their problems, the most popular easiest being what was called Reconstruction. While it wasn't a fool-proof procedure yet, it worked well enough. It was a 'simple' remapping or rewiring of the brain done while the patient was sedated. The areas of the brain related to the desire to disobey had been diagramed ages ago (along with the other parts of the brain, of course). The procedure could dull or destroy those parts of the brain, stimulate others that controlled good behaviors. It was said that Reconstruction could easily turn a bad boy into an absolute angel, without changing too much of their personality. Prison cells now held only those that committed the most severe of crimes, those deemed far too unstable to undergo Reconstruction. Sometimes Reconstruction was part of a criminal's sentence; sometimes the criminals themselves requested it when they grew tired of the circle of bad behaviors they kept running in.
But Mia, she didn't want to be reconstructed, she didn't want to be perky and happy, she just wanted to be left the hell alone. She'd packed her bags the day after her Visa was approved, booked her flight, and she was off. The advances in technology had made traveling much easier as well, and it was only two hours after she left Los Angeles that she landed in Seoul, South Korea. She could only hope that the advances in technology cut down time spent in line at customs as well, because waiting in line, packed body to body like sardines was one of the things she hated most, second only to people nosing through her things, and that was what customs agents seemed to like to do best. It wasn't that she'd packed frilly underwear or any other unmentionables that she wanted to hide, but the things in her suitcase belonged to her and her alone, and if they guys in customs wanted to fondle underwear they should just go buy their own. She tried to focus on being nice and polite though, even if she had to grit her teeth to do so. Just one small little hurdle to get through and she'd be off on her own and be able to start over again.
She didn't expect her passing through customs to be easy though. Long ago a world wide database listing anything about anyone was created, which the world government said would help to cut down on crime and terrorist activities. Each person had been assigned a file and a number and issued a global I.D. card. It hadn't really bothered Mia all that much, save for her numerous altercations she thought she was a rather boring person, and if the government really wanted to waste time looking through every purchase she made and noting down that she spent every single Friday night renting movies and ordering pizza, or that she had Indian food every Tuesday evening at the same restaurant for the past two years, that was their problem, not hers. But that also meant that the Korean government was probably well aware of her numerous arrests and altercations, which customs would no doubt try to question her about. While standing in line she'd been debating with herself on how best to explain it when she was asked, should she be sweet and apologetic, explain that she really was trying hard to turn over a new leaf? Or should she just tell them what was on her mind... the government had approved her request for a Visa after all, why should she be questioned again?
The South Korean government, like almost every other government, was corrupt to one degree or another. After facing the second mass worldwide recession - near depression, world governments had been desperate to get money flowing into their countries again. Though they of course would have preferred to do it the legal way, desperate times called for desperate measures and sometimes they were forced to turn a blind eye to things, just to get money flowing in so they could take care of their people. Reconstruction was proving to be quite a profitable business, and not just for those in trouble with the law. Like any booming business, there was the legal side, and then the black market, comprised of people who'd worked with law-abiding businesses for a time until they became money and power hungry. Have a mean boss you just can't stand? A husband or wife that's boring in bed? A nagging ex that just won't leave you alone? Anything could be taken care of, for the right price of course. Sometimes people went willingly, like lovers eager to do anything to please their mates. But more often than not the victims of Reconstruction were unwilling and unknowing, hauled in unconscious from a drugged drink or something of that nature, reconstructed, and replaced back where they were found being left none the wiser. It was simple enough, really, but that wasn't what provided the most profit.
Slavery was still illegal, but there were always loopholes, especially now that technology was involved. Reconstruct someone well enough and sell them off as a slave (though the industry didn't prefer to use that term, of course), and should they ever be questioned they'd quite honestly say they were perfectly happy scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets with toothbrushes, or whatever menial task they'd been sent to do. While it could be a bit tricky to just up and snatch random people off the streets, snatching people that no one would miss made it a breeze. There was a distinct lack of homeless people in Seoul; more often than not they could be put too much better uses, given the right programming. There was little in the way of petty crime as well, and even the more severe crimes had become fewer and far between, because the criminals knew of the black market industry, they knew it well, and they knew that even if they weren't faced with the 'legal' reconstruction, it was only a matter of time before they were snatched off the street and sold for a profit.
Mia though, was quite unaware of the darker side of things. She just wanted some peace and quiet, that's all, and if she had to come to Korea to get it, so be it. She smiled as sweetly as she could when she finally stepped up to the counter at customs, sliding her passport and paperwork through the little slot at the bottom of the plexiglass window separating her from the customs agent.
"Please place your hand on the scanner for fingerprint identification."
Mia smiled again at the agent's request and placed her left hand on the scanner. That was another one of the joys of the global database, though Mia supposed in a way it made things easier. Nearly every place had them nowadays. Forget your I.D. at home? No problem, one quick scan of your hand was proof enough of who you are. Forget your debit card at the grocery store? No problem there, either. Long ago all banking information and transactions were linked with the global identification system as well, so one quick scan of your hand was enough to have the funds automatically deducted from your account. Some people had been against it of course, saying the government was trying to control everything, but Mia was just fine with it. She'd never been a girly girl with a desire to lug around a purse filled with unnecessary crap, so one less thing she had to worry about trying to stuff into her pocket was fine with her.
The customs agent watched her computer screen as the scan of Mia's hand was transferred to her computer, the computer taking a moment to run it through the database before all of the information popped up onto her screen.
"Mia Leonardo?"
"Yes ma'am, that's me." Mia smiled again, hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt.
"Age twenty-six, from Los Angeles?
"Yes ma'am."
The agent didn't even flinch as she clicked through the numerous documents in Mia's file; they'd been trained not to react to things like that. So when the message 'Candidate for Reconstruction' flashed upon her screen, she didn't even bat a lash. It wasn't her business what the government did, after all. As long as she got her paycheck that was all that mattered. She instead continued to click through a few more things, processing Mia's arrival, and then smiled as she looked up to her.
"Welcome to Korea. Please come this way. Once your luggage has been checked and approved you'll be on your way. Enjoy your stay."
Mia blinked, looking at the woman oddly. She had expected it to be more complicated than that. She wasn't going to complain though. She smiled once more and took her papers when they were offered back to her, stepping away from the window to follow the path that the woman had pointed to. It lead her to a waiting room, or a 'Holding Area' as it was labeled. She folded her papers back up and stuffed them in the back pocket of her jeans along with her passport, dropping down to sit in one of the plastic chairs that were provided. For a moment she thought it was a bit odd that she was the only one there, but as the moments passed and she saw no one else pass by the room with their luggage, she thought perhaps she was one of the lucky few that actually had all of their customs paperwork in order for once. She'd read the instructions twice when they came with her approval in the mail, once in English and then again in Korean. She'd made sure to follow every step to the letter as well, she knew how she reacted to irritating people and she wanted to start her life in Korea off right. If she had all of her stuff in order and didn't irritate them, maybe they wouldn't irritate her. She slouched down in her chair a bit, glancing up at the television that was mounted high on the wall playing some prerecorded video welcoming people to Korea and listing off all the wonderful attractions it had to offer.
She'd lost track of time and was just about to doze off in her seat when a nearby voice startled her, causing her to force her eyes wide open as she turned her head to look at the source of the sound. It seemed to belong to a young man, she assumed he was a staff member, judging by his uniform, and he seemed to be waiting for some sort of response from her.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening." He seemed a bit surprised when she spoke Korean, but it only caused his smile to widen as he continued on in Korean instead of the English he'd tried the first time.
"I'm so sorry you've had to wait, we were delayed in getting all of the luggage off of the plane, so it will be a few moments more before you are cleared to go. Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"
"Oh... tea, I suppose." The man nodded and headed off without another word. She looked back to the television screen, arching a brow when she heard the woman babbling about the same thing she'd been babbling about when Mia first sat down. It left her wondering if she'd just zoned out or if she really had fallen asleep, though she wasn't able to get too far lost in her own thoughts because the man soon returned with a steaming cup of tea, in a real cup no less, not a cheap paper one. Though it was a simple gesture it made Mia smile, and she straightened herself up to sit properly as the man handed the cup of tea over.
"We will try to return your luggage to you as quickly as possible; again I'm so sorry it's taken so long." He bowed politely and then he was gone, leaving Mia alone to listen to the woman on the television screen again as she sipped at her tea. Nearly half the mug was gone before she realized just how sleepy she was getting, and how far down she'd slouched in her chair again. She tried to push herself back up, but her legs had gone numb from sitting so long, and it seemed like it'd almost be easier to just slide right on out of the chair and flop on the floor. She lifted her arm to look at the watch on her wrist to see how long she'd been waiting, only to realize she didn't quite remember what time she'd gotten in there. She shrugged to herself and brought the cup of tea back to her lips, lifting her eyes back to the television screen to listen to the woman babble about Jeju Island again for what seemed like the fourth time, or perhaps the fifth? Maybe it was only the second. She shrugged to herself as she sipped at her tea, slouching down a bit further in her seat until her head was resting against the top of the hard plastic. Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt... surely that nice man who brought the tea would wake her up and not let her sleep all night in the airport.
When her eyes opened again it took her a while to realize she was staring at a ceiling, though for the life of her she could not remember what building the ceiling belonged to, she couldn't really remember much of anything. She remembered she'd been on a plane, but anything before or after that was quite fuzzy. She was trying to force her brain to function when the face of a woman appeared over her, smiling down at her.
"Oh, you're finally awake! We were wondering when you would come around. You must've been really tired."
Mia blinked slowly as she looked up at the woman, trying to think of something to say, though all she could bring herself to mumble was a soft 'mhmm'. Still the woman smiled, holding out her hands.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's see if you can sit up, alright? Take my hands and I'll help you."
Mia was fully aware she should've been able to sit up on her own, but still her hands came up to take those of the older woman, letting the woman tug her up. It was then that she realized why the woman had to help, as soon as her head was vertical instead of horizontal it began to spin, leaving her feeling horribly dizzy. She groaned, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, head in her hands, and didn't even see the need at the time to question why she seemed to be in bed with a hospital gown on.
"Dizzy? It'll pass in a few moments. You've been lying down for quite a while." She stepped away, though in just a moment she was back at Mia's bedside, two pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Take these, sweetie. It'll help you feel better." Mia took them without question, chasing the bitter tasting pills down with the cold water, realizing only then just how thirsty she'd been. The nurse raised the back of her bed up then, taking a moment to fluff the pillows before she had Mia sit back. She was still dizzy, but having something to lean back against to the worst of it away.
"What am I doing here?"
The woman looked up from where she'd been looking over her chart, a sweet smile gracing her face once more. "You don't remember, honey? You're having a make-over." She leaned over, reaching out to lightly ruffle Mia's hair. "Brown is kind of boring, what do you think about red hair?" Mia lifted her eyes skyward, as if she could see her own hair.
"Red is okay, I guess..." She was still so foggy headed she wasn't too sure about anything, but she wasn't really against it. She didn't remember signing up for a makeover, or why she would need to be in a hospital bed, but at the time she was so loopy it all seemed perfectly logical. The woman just smiled, going back to looking at the chart.
"So if you could change any two things about yourself physically, what would they be?"
Mia blinked again, drawing a complete blank for a moment. Things about herself? She couldn't even remember how many legs she had at the moment, how could she remember what she liked and didn't like? Despite what had happened though Mia was still a woman, and most women had the same insecurities.
"I... suppose I want bigger boobs. I mean not huge ones just... bigger. And not the droopy kind... I want the pretty kind." She nodded her head to confirm her own statement, as if it'd made absolute, perfect sense, because in her mind it did. The nurse just chuckled, making a few notes on her chart.
"What else?"
Mia's brows furrowed as she tried to think, though she continued to draw a blank on any major improvements that she thought needed to be made.
"I don't really like to shave... it takes so much time..." She was sure there should have been something more important, but that was really the only thing that she could think of at the time. The nurse just smiled, making more notes on the chart.
"Don't worry, sweetie, we can take care of that too."
Mia nodded as she listened, as if it all made sense. She still didn't remember signing up for a make-over, didn't remember paying for one either, but surely they wouldn't be doing this if she hadn't requested it and paid for it. The woman reached out to pat her knee through the hospital blanket, smiling once more.
"Go on and get some rest, honey. Your next round of treatments is scheduled to start soon."
Mia nodded once more as the nurse lowered the bed back down so she could sleep, flipping the overhead light off as she slipped quietly out of the room. The more she thought about things, the more they seemed to make sense, the more she thought she remembered, though really it was just her brain trying to cope with the massive gaps. Mia had always heard plastic surgery was cheaper overseas, so it seemed perfectly logical to come here to have something done. Though she couldn't ever remember being unhappy with herself... she couldn't exactly remember being happy, either. Or perhaps she'd won a contest of some sort? Maybe that was it. A reality television show? They were always making people over. She was still working through jumbled thoughts as she dozed back off, getting some much needed rest. She had no idea how long she had slept before, but she felt exhausted as though she had run a marathon, so drifting off again wasn't all that hard.
A/N: *gasp* I'm writing after so long, OMG! And for any of you reading this who read my old series, I'm sorry, but it's not going to be Suju-related. I just haven't felt the desire to write about them much lately. This is going to be a 2pm fic, though they haven't shown up just yet, and it's going to be so full of smut... to those of you who are disappointed, I'm sorry.