[ 004 ] Open || It's an animal thing

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IT'S OKAY I NEVER THOUGHT YOU DID + A-AWW I'M SORRY NOW MY FIGHT WHORE SELF FEELS BAD D8

[zerosuitjill]

Her sweeping blow having missed, Jill again carried through with the movement to slip her legs back beneath her body before she touched down, resuming her crouch only long enough to redirect her energy and launch at the target's back

[zerosuitjill]

There was, for an instant, the briefest of wary looks from Jill as the other approached -- but it quickly faded, and given that she'd seen the movement long before she drew near, Jill didn't tense or react or try to withdraw. She only watched, not saying anything just yet, and at the touch she exhaled heavily but quietly, her eyes slipping closed for a moment. That contact helped keep her conscious

[lightning_fists]

Very unintentionally, her brows knitted lightly together. Because Tifa had never asked for thanks. Never even expected there would be a reason to receive such gratitudes here in what seemed like the very belly of the earth. They were in a prison, for whatever reason, after all. And they were all doing their time.

So was this simply part of the other's punishment, or a byproduct of her crime?

Caution was an easy creed to follow in the thickness of such suspicious circumstances.

"Don't mention it."

And despite what she thought and despite what she didn't know, Tifa reached out her free hand to give the other woman a gentle and assuring squeeze on the shoulder. Because while there was not much that the barmaid did know of her companion, she could at least trust in the momentary reprieve as the other took time to recover.

[zerosuitjill]

Jill appreciated that gesture as much as she had anything else so far, if not more. It was a source of comfort, an expression of... something like camaraderie. Something she was used to, something she missed -- a gesture that she and Chris had both fallen into the habit of exchanging with hardly a conscious thought, once upon a time.

Things were different now, of course. That had been back before then, when every instinct, habit, and tic of hers had been reset, wiped clean, and reprogrammed. Jill Valentine was still herself, but her body sometimes forgot, tensing more often than not when he touched her, pumping more blood than necessary in the presence of nonlethal threats, alerting her to every little thing that was out of place

[lightning_fists]

They could've been companions, Tifa thinks. In another lifetime, they could've even been friends if the circumstances were right. But while the fact remained that they were inmates in a galactic prison, she could find relief in the way the other's shoulder relaxed under her touch. And even if it weren't a show of trust after their battle to regain the woman's body - her life - Tifa would take it as a show of trust for the moment. Things could get sorted out after the fact, preferably without more fists

[zerosuitjill]

Jill looked at the offered hand, studying it for only a second before meeting the other's gaze again. She nodded her gratitude this time, the notion accompanied by a gentle smile as she reached up, gripping the other woman's forearm -- habit more than anything, a gesture between comrades that was second nature.

She tried to keep most of her weight on her own feet, gauging her balance and strength; in the end, she could only support about half of her mass by herself and had to hold tight to keep from collapsing again. Once standing, she swayed slightly but stayed upright, nodding a second time to say she'd managed that much.

"What d'you say we get out of the open?" Her voice was intentionally just as light as she swept a glance at their surroundings, her tired but friendly expression lingering. Jill's current condition aside, she didn't need to intimately know the place to guess its dangers -- especially not when it had managed to twist her so easily. Getting behind some cover was priority.

[lightning_fists]

Tifa couldn't help but think... how nice it was to see a smile in a place like this. There wasn't much of it, as far as she had seen. The walls were made of rock, metal pipes and steel walkways weaving through the darkness. And the only source of light they were given were from oil lamps and service lights littered sparsely through the cavernous space. Only when they would pop open the skyline and refill the tunnels with fresh surface air twice a day did they ever receive any natural light. And that was only in ten minute intervals

[zerosuitjill]

Jill's smile faded into a more neutral look. It was a step above the guilt-stricken, apologetic expression from before, but now her features took a few similarities from the look before that one, even: serious, alert, her eyes a little harder as they did an instant sweep over her shoulder. The look wasn't quite as blank as it'd been when under the virus' hold, but it was a reflex all the same, an immediate acknowledgement of the circumstances and the potential (or probable) dangers that lay ahead

[lightning_fists]

It wasn't exactly personal experience that pitted her to be cautious. Not technically. Tifa was simply a person who tended to be protective of others, especially when they had no means of fending for themselves. And she had been unfortunate enough to witness what happened to those who weren't lucky enough to be within range of someone's aid

[zerosuitjill]

Jill didn't respond right away, instead taking precious time to focus on her movements, her motor functions, assessing which pains were worst and what physical actions she needed to try and avoid. She heard the other's words all the same, though, and thought them over just as seriously.

"Is this place as bad as it looks?" she asked finally, having caught her breath enough to do so. "Or is there anywhere that can be called relatively safe?"

She had her doubts about that, but it didn't hurt to ask. Jill was thorough, and in that regard there were no stupid questions except for the ones that wasted time -- and while time wasn't exactly on their side, they had a little bit of it as long as they were moving. She could be thankful for that.

[lightning_fists]

Glancing upward at the question, her wine-red eyes traced over the circular plate that marked the guard's tower. It was true that appearances could be deceiving. She was walking proof of that. Perhaps they both were. But there were no misconceptions to this place. In the people who were imprisoned in the rock, perhaps. But not the planet itself. At least none that Tifa had ever seen.

"We make due with what we can. But there's only one real safe place on this place. And that's up there."

Gripping on the rail tight at a steeper part of the ramp, the young woman paused for only a moment to stretch out her hand towards the top. Her finger circled in the air high, and Tifa waited for the other's eyes to follow before continuing.

"That's where most of the guards are stationed when they're not disciplining or feeding down here. [ Wipes at her forehead and resumes their trek upwards. ] It's the safest place you could ever been here. And that's not saying much

[zerosuitjill]

Jill followed the gesture, eying the indicated place with a narrow look and no comment. That was as much detail as she needed for the moment; her imagination could fill in some blanks.

"Makes you wonder why a place like this would exist in the first place," she murmured. It was low, but not inaudible to her companion. This place's purpose aside -- its faulty purpose -- everything about it felt like overkill. Jill had her demons, her skeletons, whatever she wanted to call them, but her guilt aside, she knew she didn't deserve an end like this -- neither did this young woman, she was sure.

"And no simple way out, either," she guessed, loud enough for it to be conversational.

[lightning_fists]

[zerosuitjill]

Jill's eyes followed the other's reflexively, taking in that sight just as briefly.

She gave a sharp exhale at that comment -- irritation, exhaustion, skepticism, maybe a little of each -- but instantly regretted it as fresh pain shot up her side. Wincing, she paused mid-step and leaned more heavily on the wall.

Sent here to disappear.Why? If they had that power, why not just kill them outright

[lightning_fists]

"It's alright." She understood the fatigue. She understood the process involved in getting your life back together in the midst of this prison - that it was probably nearly impossible to even manage that. Hope was a scarce resource down in the pits, even for someone so full of it like Tifa. When everything seemed so bleak and dark, a little bit of light was hardly enough to combat against it. While not quite as bad, it had been a similar revelation for her when the realities settled in.

Tifa was stuck there. And short of some miracle or saving grace that would free them all from this hellish nightmare, it was likely that she, as well as the rest of then, would spend their last days just waiting for the next breath of fresh air. And that was a sobering thought for anyone.

So it was a good thing that the young barmaid wasn't just anyoneReaching out, she paused for one brief moment before placing a hand against the other's arm, offering without words help if Jill wanted it, or simply a chance to decline if she didn't. "Come on, it's

[zerosuitjill]

Jill was about to voice her thanks when the alarm pierced through her head like a fine needle, earning another wince but at the same time sharpening her concentration. She didn't need the grip on her shoulder to tell her the nature of what it meant, but the touch confirmed the unspoken and added another level of urgency.

She would have nodded, or agreed, but instead chose to save every bit of the little strength left by just stumbling along after the other. She didn't fall, but her limits hadn't been pushed this far and stretched this thin in a long time -- each clumsy step made her ache all over, her throat was dry and her lungs felt like they were full of ash, and she was certain she was going to end up twisting an ankle in this stupid heels. She managed to stay upright and keep going, though, directing all of her focus to the person in front of her to try and block out the pain. It didn't exactly work in numbing the agony, but it kept her pushing on.

Just a few more, she told herself every few steps. Just a little more and you