SoS B1 C4 X1: Waking Up
Allarah and Tskhan were resuscitated from chemical sleep by an equally chemical remedy. Lingering grogginess aside, they felt good—great, even. Their aches and wounds were gone and they felt refreshed and renewed (if not a bit stiff from the hospital cots).
Immuena sat waiting as she’d been sitting all night: half in and half out of sleep. Laemon leaned, arms crossed, against the wall. Once the two had roused his shoulders fell, his smile rose, and he left with a satisfied nod.
There were other patients too, behind soundproof glass and curtain veils. Immuena had overheard that one of those rooms had a Pact member in it; the other Pact member was missing. She had also picked up that the Syndicate had returned empty-handed. No news on the Sleepers.
"Hey you two, it's nice to finally see you up." Immuena spoke softly, "Need anything?"
Allarah looked over to Immuena and sat up in the bed. "How long have we-" The the blanket fell away, revealing the warped skin of her right arm. The scar started at her fingertips and glided up and over her shoulder. It wound its way around, like smoke from a flame, leaving her skin pitted and puckered wherever it touched. She yanked the blanket up and turned away. "Can... Can you please get me a coat? Something to cover..." Her voice caught in her throat.
Immuena immediately took off her long coat, she wasn't wearing much underneath; a tight black tank top and tapered slacks. Standing up, she and wrapped it around Allarah, which resembled a medium cape from the daunting stature difference between the two Verin. "Oh. Right." Immuena spoke slowly, "I'll go grab your clothes."
"Thank you." Came the murmured reply.
Immuena promptly stepped out, glancing over to Tskhan with a sorrowful smile and a nod.
Tskhan roused next from his sleep and looked around easily spotting Allarah in the adjacent bed. "We won right? I hope we did. I feel like I was ran over by a bull sighre." He said, working himself to a sitting position.
Allarah glanced at him. "I'm not sure if we made it back first. And with 6 power cells, I'm not sure how much of a victory that is. We all lived though, I think." She clutched Immuena's coat, pulling it tighter over her burned arm. Her knuckles turned white where she gripped the fabric. "At least I know Laemon is alright..." Everything she said was stiff as her eyes finally drifted to his from her lap.
Tskhan studied the Verin next to him with growing concern. "Are you alright? Did something happen to Immuena?"
"No, she's fine. She's bringing me a coat of my own... And I'm okay. It's just... The scar, my shame... I wonder how many have seen it since I've been asleep." It seemed her eyes would burrow through her lap as the silence enveloped them.
"Scars don't have to have to be associated with shame, don't let it own you. You were you before it and are still you now." Tskhan smiled. "Besides it's the only you I've ever known."
She let the coat fall with a sigh. "You sound just like K'skir. A friend of mine. He would constantly admonish me for associating this with…” Her face twisted and she shook her head. “Thank you for your words. Maybe one day I will believe them."
Immuena waltzed in shortly after Allarah finished her anecdote with a pile of clothes in her arms. "These are for you," she handed Allarah some clean clothing with a smile, "and these for you." doing the same for Tskhan. "Anything else I can do or get for either of you?"
Allarah stood, turned around. and began dressing. "I only have a few questions." As she pulled on her shirt, the two could see her scar traveled all the way down her back to the base of her spine. "Did we win?" She pulled on her pants, "How long were we asleep?" slipped on her boots and coat, "And where are Don and Ulysses?" and picked up her gloves. She looked to Tskhan for just a moment before putting them into her coat pocket, leaving her marred hand uncovered. "I wanted to thank them. If it weren't for Don especially, I might've plummeted through the tunnel... I'm sure I would have broken more than a rib or two then."
Immeuna sighed, "I don't know if we won, but on the flip you've only been out for a few hours." Pausing, she sat down where she'd spent the night. "Don and Ulysses were called back to Victoriana for an emergency. This is something I'm sure we all know is scary by itself, let alone the fact that neither of them were completely unscathed." Her tone fluctuated with concern, and the sleep deprivation prevented her from staying composed. "Hopefully you can relay a message of thanks to them." Her thoughts trailed off on how poorly she thanked Laemon in the previous hours.
"Right..." Allarah turned away. "I'm going back to the room then, if it's all the same to you. Hospitals creep me out. I'll swing by the Hedon room and give my thanks to them at least. Maybe I'll visit the dining hall once I've updated my journal as well." She smiled to the both of them. Immuena nodded to Allarah as she left.
Tskhan looked over to Immuena and asked, "How are you doing? We've all been through alot in the last day."
"Good enough, I'd guess. I didn't get hospitalized, you two are alright, and... hm... There isn't a positive about Don and Ulysses. How about you?" Immuena ended her reply on a softer note with a smile.
"I could be better..." he said as he looked away. "I failed to protect anyone from that monster; I didn't take action and got too cocky with the beast. Then me and Allarah got injured and I couldn't do anything. I failed to act, Don and Ulysses are off somewhere else, and I doubt that beast is the worst of what this place has to offer." Tskhan covered his face and fell back into his bed.
At the sight of Tskahn, Immuena couldn't restrain herself to formalities, especially since she already broke them earlier; so she leaped over and embraced Tskhan, cradling his upper body in hers. "It's not all your fault, hell almost none of it can be said to be your fault. None of us knew what was waiting out there, beyond that I can't even protect myself. The fact that you tried, regardless of success or failure, is more than I can account for. Without you, some of us might have died rather than be injured." Her voice was a whisper in the Sheljt's ears.
Tskhan looked over at her and removed the arm covering his face. He was captivated once again by the porcelain Verin that now highlighted the significance of their relationship with an embrace and sweet words. "I would personally feel better if we were looking out for each other." He said while looking into her eyes.
"I couldn't agree more. Maybe we three can become in tune before we have to do anything more. Make damn sure we have our bases covered better." Immuena smiled cheerfully.
"Oh... Yeah… The three of us." He looked away in disappointment. With his hopes thoroughly dashed, Tskhan took some comfort by wrapping his arms around Immuena.
Giving Tskhan one more big squeeze, Immuena asked, "You hungry?"
He simply nodded. "I can't remember the last time I ate."
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