-4.2 ml- [Voice]

[pilot_princess]

How the hell did so many people show up so fast...?

I... really hate that everything's happening so fast... my headache's just going away, and already it wants to come back, but...

...Old Lady doctor... um... if I lost the old headache stuff, what would I have to do to get more? I mean, I know it's somewhere, but if I never find it...

Shimbo, I'm going to go out for a little while. If you need me, just tell me, okay?

Ty Lee, you too. You're okay, right?

Anyway, um... Wolfwood, are you busy?

Comments

[church-man.livejournal.com]

...

[Wolfwood sighed as he set his communicator aside for now, redirecting his focus back to the roof. By the time he heard Anemone's named, he nearly flinched as his attention was taken away from his task. He stared at her a moment when he looked over. He hadn't expected to see her in such a strange getup.]

Yeah? What did you want to talk about?

[pilot_princess]

[Anemone cautiously stood and walked closer to him, stopping a few feet away and kneeling carefully. She wasn't sure what still needed fixing and what didn't, so she settled for not touching anything for the time being.]

I wanted to ask you... about the other night.

I know you said you didn't like talking about it... but... Wolfwood... I'm really curious. Can't you tell me anything?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[He considered continuing to work while he talked to her- but when she told him what she wanted to talk about, he set down his tools and looked at her with a guarded expression.]

That's what you came out here to ask me?

[Maybe it had been a bad idea to open up to her at all that night... he hadn't expected her to actually be curious and come asking.]

...Why do you care?

[pilot_princess]

Yeah... it is.

[She almost regretted coming to talk to him, but she couldn't deny trying to figure it out. Shinji said it was okay to ask questions, after all. And boy did she have a lot.]

I just... I just wanted to know what sort of things... you went through. I told you so much about me, and... I thought... It's... it's only fair.

[church-man.livejournal.com]

...It's only fair, huh?

[He'd pulled that on Shinji, at least once. He sighed and reached for the hammer again, but left his hand there without picking it up yet.]

Yeah, I went through surgeries and shit, same as you. Except not by choice. That's about as much as you told me, isn't it?

[pilot_princess]

Y-yeah... [She looked down, keeping her eyes on the roof. Reaching forward idly, she touched a few shingles and sighed.]

But... what did your surgeries do? You... look really normal, and I... well, don't.

[church-man.livejournal.com]

Does it look that way to you...?

[He nearly bit his tongue for letting that slip out, but just picked up the hammer and started working on the next shingle.]

They made me stronger. Enhanced. For killing.

[pilot_princess]

...well, yeah. You... you do.

[Inching her way closer, she moved next to Wolfwood and reached for a tool. Well, she did agree to help. Though, she wasn't quite sure what to do with the hammer. Just start beating it? Or grab something else first?

She settled for just looking at it.]

Oh... so... you're stronger... did it do anything else to you?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[He glanced over when she picked up the hammer, pausing.]

...My senses are sharper. Quick reflexes, speed, faster healing... Some of that was the training, but...

[He didn't want to tell her what the most notable side effect was. He looked normal to someone who didn't know, so why not just leave it at that?]

You don't have to help. I've got it.

[It hurt his bandaged hand sometimes holding the nail, but that would be healed up soon enough, anyway...]

[pilot_princess]

[She shook her head, hand gripping the hammer tighter.]

I said I'd help... I don't mind, really.

[No, she didn't mind, but she had no idea how to begin, either. Her hand reached for a nail, and she held it awkwardly, inspecting it for a moment.]

But... what, Wolfwood? [She turned to look at him, eyes wide and inquisitive.]

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[Watching her taking up the nail, his brows rose skeptically.]

Do you even know what you're doing? You'll just mess it up if you don't.

[He looked away from her, back at the nail that he now resumed hammering in.]

Nothing. That's it.

[pilot_princess]

...that's why I haven't started yet. Can... can you show me?

[Her eyes narrow at his obvious lie, and her hands rest on the shingles in front of her as she frowns.]

Wolfwood... I never told anyone about my eyes.

[church-man.livejournal.com]

You'll probably still mess it up if you're just starting out...

[He was starting to get short with her, he knew. But he didn't like her nudging him like this.]

Shinji's the only other person I've told any of this to.

[pilot_princess]

Not if you teach me properly. I'm a fast learner.

[After a moment, she glances back at the shingles and sets the hammer down, propping up the nail carefully. She wasn't even sure if she was holding it right, but she was trying.]

...oh... I was just... curious...

I've never met anyone else who was... changed... like I was. I just... wanted to know more...

[At this point, she wanted to apologize for prying, but he said not to. So she bit her bottom lip and continued staring down at the nail, grabbing the hammer again.]

Do I just hit it here?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[He watched her prop up the nail. He didn't really want to teach her, especially if she hurt herself and he had to deal with it. Maybe that was rash and selfish of him; he didn't really care right now.]

Just... don't tell anyone else what I've told you.

[He barely glanced at what she was doing; hell, as long as the nail was in the right place, she could figure it out herself.]

...Careful not to hit your fingers.

[pilot_princess]

[From what Anemone was guessing by observing yesterday, this looked about right. She really wasn't sure, but she was going to go for it anyway.]

I won't tell anyone. Not even Shinji.

[It would be like Shinji's cooking secret. With a careful nod, she lifted the hammer, eyes focusing and calculating for a moment, before bringing the hammer down on the nail. It went down a bit further than she had expected, and she pinched her fingers with the blow. But she didn't wince, and only moved her hand back, turning to Wolfwood.]

Like that?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

Well, you can tell Shinji I told you, if he asks...

[He sighed again. Was she even any good at keeping secrets...?

He watched her at work, pretty sure he'd seen her hurt herself, but she didn't show a reaction.]

Yeah, that's fine.

[A questions came to mind, similar to one he'd asked Shinji when telling him about himself, so long ago now. He hesitated, not sure whether there was any point in asking. He didn't care so much what other people thought of him.]

...Do you think of me any differently, now that you know what I've told you?

[pilot_princess]

...only Shinji, if he asks. I don't know... maybe I won't. Like about Shinji's special kitchen secret...

[She let out a soft giggle. Lifting the hammer again, she brought it back down on the nail until it was flat against the surface. Well, that looked about right. Her finger and thumb throbbed dully but she didn't care. She felt too helpful to care about a minor problem.

At Wolfwood's question, she shrugs slightly but doesn't look up.]

Differently... yes, and no. You're still Wolfy, and... you still don't really like me... but... the fact that we have a lot more in common is... I don't know, it makes me feel a little less weird, I guess.

Like... I'm not the only...

I don't know. [Her hand grips the hammer tighter.] Did I do it right, Wolfwood?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

Sure, whatever...

[He didn't bother to point out the flaw in the example she chose. He listened intently to her response, though he kept up a disinterested mask.]

...Like you're not the only freak?

[If she took offense to that, then they weren't on the same line of thinking. Didn't matter to him.]

Yeah, that's fine.

[pilot_princess]

[She nodded. She hadn't even caught her own flaw, but the point still stood. She wouldn't tell. Did Wolfwood even care, anyway? He seemed so apathetic, but she didn't let it bother her, focusing on the nails.

His description made her smile softly.]

Yeah. You're lucky, though... they'd only notice if they fought you, I think. I thought you were really normal! Until that night...

[Her smile took a quirked turn, but she grabbed another nail and placed it against the opposite side of the shingle she was working on.] I did bruise from that, by the way.

[Though she didn't hold it against him. Instead, she turned to look at him. She was completely oblivious to the new crimson trail that began running down her right cheek from her nose.]

You're really not as bad as I thought, Wolfy.

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[So he'd been right. He shrugged slightly, turning back to work on the shingles... though what she'd said bothered him a little. Of course, no one else would notice. But it wasn't that simple...]

If they didn't know me from before, yeah, they'd think I was normal.

[He looked up at her again at the- compliment, was it?- and was immediately distracted by the blood on her face. He blinked.]

...Uh. Your nose is bleeding.

[pilot_princess]

[She nodded slightly. Already, Anemone was fairly satisfied with her answers, and too much asking would probably come off as being overly pushy. Since this apparently wasn't.

She turned back to the shingle she was working on, and gasped.]

It is?

[Wiping her face with her hand, she looked at the blood and frowned. Placing her hand back over her nose, she sighed and continued to sit there.] Ugh, damn it...

[In a matter of seconds, it was already dripping past her fingers and landing on the roof. But she ignored it, turning to look at Wolfwood again.]

One last question, really. Do you know how old you are?

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[Well, great, she hadn't hurt herself, yet she still managed to bleed all over the place. He was searching his pockets for something that he could give to her to soak up the blood (and failing to find anything), though she didn't seem to find that very important. He froze at that question, nearly spitting out 'what!?' in response. He forced himself to calm down; it obviously wasn't about that.]

Yeah... why, you don't?

[pilot_princess]

[Even though the blood was dripping quite a bit, she was ignoring it. She had had so many, some which bothered her and some which didn't. Of course, bleeding all over one of Shinji's shirts wasn't what she wanted to do, but the sleeves were big and it dripped down her arm.

Still, she managed to shake her head.]

I don't, not really... Dominic wasn't sure either... how old are you?

[High chances were she'd move and get something downstairs once she had an answer, but until then, she was sitting, and waiting.]

[church-man.livejournal.com]

[Of course she had to follow up with just the question he didn't want to answer, simple and direct. If only she hadn't asked... For a moment he didn't move or speak, watching the blood run down her face... then he set his hammer down and shifted to stand up.]

Wait here, I'm gonna go get you some tissues or something.