07 // Action/Accidental Voice

[rain_of_bullets]

[Haine is feeling mostly better after his weekend in the rainforest.  The only outstanding injuries are on his wings, though they appear to be on the mend.  Still, it isn't what bothers him most.  There's the odd quiet in the house; something he used to appreciate, but now?  It's strange.  Badou's doorknob never did get fixed and his bed hasn't

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[rain_of_bullets]

[When he can finally see what the damage is, it's with a sense of relief and anxiety that he inspects it. Relief because as fucked up as it was that someone had taken her away to experiment on, at least it wasn't a collar that she'd returned with. Anxiety because... what the hell was it?

He catches her hand before it gets very far and shakes his head, leaning closer to survey the stitching. They're somewhat healed, not likely to pop open with just a little prodding, but he doesn't want to take the chance. What the fuck were they doing, poking around at her neck like that? Next time those ass-backward fucks came back, he was throwing everything he had at their ugly metallic faces.]

Stitches. They were doing something to your neck? Do you remember?

[Haine doesn't sugar-coat things, nor does he take the most optimistic route, but he'll take great pleasure in tearing whoever did this to her into little pieces.]

You don't have to-... They fucking- you don't have to remember it. Not if you don't want to.

[He wants to promise her it won't happen again. That he'll keep her safe. That he'll use his strength to- That's right Master. You can always borrow my power. Keep her safe...]

[manmade_angel]

[Nill jumps slightly when Haine takes her hand, ensuring she won't touch whatever was under the bandage. She can tell Haine is nervous, but something tells her that he was expecting something else. Maybe he had thought she had whatever was on his own neck. But they were only stitches. Stitches that closed her up after...]

[She shifts her hand and holds it, looking into Haine's eyes with a sense of urgency--because of anyone in Luceti, he'll know what this experiment meant to her. Nill's other hand hovers over her neck to start, then she opens her mouth and moves her hand to indicate something coming out. Then she moves her hand back to her throat, makes a fist and moves it away. Even if Haine told her she didn't have to remember, she always would. It would be easier if he knew, too. So she wouldn't feel so alone.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[Even without words, Nill has never had trouble communicating. While her answer is vague, it's enough.]

They were trying to make you talk?

[Even if they were both broken, he didn't want them trying to fix him. There wasn't a way to fix what he was. But maybe it wasn't the same for Nill. Maybe that was what she wanted. She'd spoken before, during another of their experiments, but that was hardly the same. ]

That's not- It doesn't make it alright. It doesn't make a fucking thing alright for them to steal you and all the others away like... like a bunch of broken toys that need to be fixed.

If you want to change then... that's for you to decide dammit. Not me, not some fucking doctor, not anyone else.

[He looks aside for a moment, jaw tight. The spine was his own decision, at least he'd had that much choice, even if the rest was out of his hands. But he couldn't stand the thought of them playing guinea pigs to this place. Not again.]

[manmade_angel]

[Truth be told, Nill never wanted to change. When she was younger, Nill had realized that she would probably never speak--and that wasn't the end of the world. She still lived a happy, healthy life that was full of good things, though. Her life was hard in some areas, but nothing that made it not worth living. And that was how she had come to terms with her inability to speak.]

[Nill knows that Haine is trying to be angry for her, because he's been angry over similar things for years. Being different, being 'changed', belonging to someone else... she doesn't want him to be angry, though. She's alive and home, and that's all that matters right now. She steadies herself with one arm, which clings to Haine's elbow, and reaches up weakly to hover her hand over the side of his face. Half of her usual gesture.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[Though he may not understand the intricacies of her thoughts, he can understand the gesture well enough to know that she's going to be alright. That she means to reassure him and doesn't want to see him upset.

He frowns, but covers her tiny hand with his own, looking down at the floor. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be careful, he was supposed to watch out for her. Was she even safe with him? Dammit.]

[manmade_angel]

[Haine's still upset, Nill can tell. He's looking at the floor, thinking this is his fault no doubt. She didn't want to worry him like this, ever. Not after everything he'd done for her, not when he was already upset about being trapped in Luceti. But she couldn't stop Haine from feeling bad--she just had to show Haine that he could help her now.]

[She squeezed Haine's elbow again, barely, just to get his attention, and then looked back at her room. Nill needed to rest, but she was so unsteady on her feet maybe Haine could help her there. And she needed her neck rebandaged, which Haine did for himself all the time, right?]

[rain_of_bullets]

[The touch on his elbow is enough for him to look up. Did she still need something? The bandages were probably old, and it wasn't doing her any good to stand here, looking like she did. He frowned a little, more in response to her condition than anything the girl could've done, but he rests his hand on the small of her back and bends to sweep up her legs. She doesn't weigh much, and it's not as if her nearness bothers him anymore. It's a comfort more than anything, and one he's been acutely aware of being absent.]

C'mon. You need to rest.

[He doesn't wait for a response, but starts carrying her to her room.]

[manmade_angel]

[It's alright that Haine doesn't ask: Nill is perfectly fine with Haine holding and carrying her. It's happened many times before, after all, and it gives Haine some sense of power over Nill's situation if he's actively helping.]

[Nill wraps her arms around Haine's neck and nods into his shoulder. She's sorry she left, but now they're both here for each other--like before.]

[rain_of_bullets]

[It doesn't take him long to carry her to the room, then set her carefully on the bed, like a doll that might break. After the last few weeks, he's not taking any chances. Nill is smart, she can take care of their mangy asses as well as herself, but recent events are enough to make him wary.]

Do you need a drink? Medicine?

[The bandages, right. Those stitches need to be dressed and- do they have any ointment? That's what people usually use, isn't it?]

[manmade_angel]

[Nill sighs softly in relief as she's set on the bed to rest. Until now, she really didn't realize how much effort she was expending trying to stay standing up. She smiles weakly at Haine when she realizes Haine's never actually had to deal with being sick or injured. He must not know what to do to make long-term healing more comfortable.]

[She mimes that she needs water, a blanket, some new bandages, and rest. Hopefully that will put Haine at ease.]

[rain_of_bullets]

Drink, blanket, bandages, and sleep.

[He recites the list and nods, pushing himself up from the bed and returns a few minutes later, tossing the blanket on the bed and handing her the water glass before he pulls the bandages and a small knife out of his pocket and starts trying to find the end of the gauze.]