After Brent’s visit, Angel had tried to feed herself with what remained of the fried chicken he had brought. However, after all the emotional torment she had gone through during their discussion, a metaphorical noose formed itself in Angel’s esophagus, cutting her appetite short and refusing to swallow anything for now.
She had tried to go to sleep, like Brent suggested, but with the WishAlloy preventing her from removing her clothes, take a shower and head to sleep, Angel couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, her mind drifted to what happened today and her classmates. Were they alright? Was she the only one hospitalized?
In the end, curiosity killed the sleep cat and made Angel leave her room. She headed towards one guard patrolling the corridors, seemingly on high-alert. However, he was diligent enough to point her towards the rooms of her hospitalized classmates, who were really not too far from each other.
Angel's feet brought her in front of the door to one of her classmate's room, Siena. Out of all the ones that got injured in this fight, Angelique was worried the most for her friend. She blamed partly herself for having let Siena go help Evac Team without proper healing first. Hopefully Siena was in there because of the 'superficial' wounds she had sustained before leaving the fight.
The door was already open, but Angel didn't want to intrude into someone's room unannounced. She knocked on the frame of the door, hoping that her brunette friend wasn't bedridden with life-threatening wounds. Christmas would have healed her anyway, just like he did to her face, right?
After Brent's visit, the unwelcome feeling of isolation had been lifted briefly off Siena's shoulders, even if other troubles had risen in its place. Though she was far from bedridden, the brunette had been hesitant to show herself as capable of leaving. Not when she didn't have her usual sources with her, and especially not when the only thing she had was the handwritten book tucked away on the side of her coat that had been spared from Hazel's disintegrating sweep.
'The one you should have used, you mean?'Jeering, hateful, bitter. She should have. Hand picked names from one of the two people in the
world that she trusted without batting an eye. Even if she'd never dared to break the seal of the cover before, Siena was aware that whatever had been placed in the little thing was likely more useful than any name she'd taken herself in combat. A surge of guilt rushed through her at the idea. She could have done more. Maybe she could have helped finish their fight sooner.
Maybe she could have helped Savannah.Her fault again.That was why she didn't want to be alone.
That was why the knock at her door pulled her in so easily. Why it would
keep pulling her in without a hitch.
"
Oh, it's...it's open...!" Siena called while pushing herself up. Her mind was still buzzing with the events of the battle. With emotions attached to events that she knew didn't belong to her. Not her. The mantra that she repeated while using a name that could threaten her control. The mantra that she continued to use long after the presence had faded. "
P-Please, come in!"
After hearing Siena's invitation, it didn't take long for Angel to slowly slip inside the room. At first glance, the girl looked alright on the outside, not a single wound had been left behind. But then again, she had been healed by Christmas. What was her condition before being healed?
The wounds inside are harder to detect than the injuries of the flesh... Siena probably had been there when Savannah died, when shit happened on Evac Team's side. Angel didn't know what happened on that side of the field. But if anything bad happened and was tormenting Siena, then Angel felt compelled to make sure her Arbiter friend was alright. There was always this lingering feeling of unease concerning Siena. She was a capable girl for sure, but the scene of both being crying messes after overdoing it on their first training session kept replaying in her mind.
"Hey Siena. Are you alright? Is everything okay?" Angel was genuinely concerned, but nagging at the back of her mind were the words told her she should stop caring. It was what made her weak, the worthless piece of shit that couldn't do anything useful in battle. The reason why she hated herself so much.
Are you alright? No.
"
O-Oh, I'm fine. Most of my injuries were taken before we got here.Is everything okay?No...but it was too hard to let on that it wasn't. So the brunette gave a tired smile as she spoke.
Her problems, not theirs."
I'm not entirely sure they thought it was necessary to use additional healing on me...but I guess I wasn't a good judge of my own condition." Siena thought about Christmas's unconscious body being carted to her room. To the syringe of blood. To the fact that they treated him like a human medicine pack. She didn't like the idea, but she hadn't opposed to it. The same bitter voice that mocked her had whispered that it was his
job as a healer. Because he could do something that would make a difference and
last unlike her. "
...I'm glad that it seems you were healed though. I...I was worried."
Unease squirmed in her chest like a serpent. Angel's condition had been far worse than her own when they'd been transferred to the separate transport. Siena didn't like seeing the end results of battle, and never would. The fact that Angel and Hazel had been injured to the point of unconsciousness...maybe she should have stayed. She might have been able to do something more. All that leaving had done was hurt people. Hurt the Evac team, let the Offensive Support team get hurt...she didn't arrive quickly enough to help anyone.
"
I'm sorry I left. I...I should have stayed with the team."
Angel walked further in the room, pulling a stool and setting it right in front to Siena, so they could talk face to face without tiring herself out standing up like that. Feeling that mutually feeling worried for each other brought both some ease and unease at once in the singer's mind. Glad someone was caring for her, but hating that she was leaving others to worry about herself, a self she wanted others to look up to as a strong woman.
She shook her head negatively
"No please, don't say that. We both agreed we should help the others as soon as possible. If anything, I should have pushed forward onto that thought instead of staying behind to get healed and play hero. I... got the others into a mess they shouldn't have been involved in the first place." She should have known better than looking out for herself. The safety of her teammates should have been a priority instead of making sure civilians were alright and getting herself patched up.
"Don't be sorry. We did the best we could. We... just need to be better prepared next time."Angel's approach brought up conflicting emotions that Siena wasn't sure she could separate. Relief. Concern. ...Anxiety? She masked them all with a welcoming smile, still tinged with a sense of fatigue--she wasn't sure whether it was mental or physical, but one usually bled into the other regardless. "
could say the same thing about myself. I...if we hadn't had the WishAlloy... Memories of being flung upwards. The fact that she had still started to
fall. What would have happened if the others hadn't had the magic armor? All because she hadn't
killed her target. "
But...you're right. Maybe with better preparation, we can avoid a repeat." Because there was going to be a "next time" whether Siena wanted it or not. Instinctively her hand tried to reach for the remaining booklet tucked away, but Siena changed course. Swapped to twisting the strands of hair in her fingers. Act normal.
"
I'm glad it's over." But Savannah was gone, and Siena was too busy trying to sort through the shambles left in the wake of people stronger than her to feel the grief she wanted to feel. Instead, she felt hollow. Different from when Padma...when Padma... A flicker of pain came to life, cracked through the facade for an instant before the seams melded back together. More memories. More events, but these were...these were undeniably things that she experienced...just like other tragedies and joys that she'd also thought belonged to her.
What if they got lost in the sea too?
"
...I'm glad you're still alive too."
Angel looked at Siena while she was hearing her talk. She never was good at picking up the faintest hints, or really understanding people. She always had been a good spokeswoman though. A lot of people were drawn to her speeches, but it was a shame that the idol wasn't great herself when it came to understanding the feelings of others.
She watched Siena twisting the strands of her hair, a habit a lot of people would usually associate with anxiety. But in her state of mind, Angel simply assumed it was just a bad habit as anyone toying twiddling their fingers. Her tired eyes and blurry vision from the ambient light further tiring her eyes didn't pick up the jagged end of Siena's hair.
"I'm glad you are safe too. I feared the worst when I learnt you were hospitalized. I... blamed myself a bit for letting you go without being healed first." Angel tried her best to steer away from the subject of Savannah's death as it went in that direction. She already cried in front of Brent earlier. It won't happen again in front of Siena. She promised earlier to herself she'd stop being weak, as she screamed her hatred to her earlier visitor.
"Do you remember that guitar you bought me the week before last week? I still haven't got the chance to play that something I promised you.""
Oh..." Grateful for the change in topic, Siena felt her smile grow faintly. Part of it felt forced, even for her. "
Now that you mention it, you're right." It felt like an eternity ago that they'd gone shopping together in town. Shopping with Aaron, who'd been missing ever since, and Savannah. Another flicker of pain, once again fading back into the mask. "
Though I don't think that we can make good on that here. They might think we're rowdy teens trying to rile up the patients."
Letting her visage brighten a bit further, Siena tried to slip away from the thought of their comrades no longer with them. "
But...maybe once we get back, I can take you up on that offer."
"That would be... pleasant." Angel only replied to the idea, preferring to think of that rather than everything that had happened today. It was something to look forward to for when she'll return with the others, a small reason to live up for tomorrow, to push herself into becoming better.
"What kind of music are you into? You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of the awesome Carlos Santana, would you?" Angel joked, trying to ease up, if not break, the tension that had built up in the last few hours.
She just wanted to leave what happened today in the past and look forward to a better moment. See the brightness faintly slipping through Siena's face transform into a genuine smile by the time she would leave.
"
Oh, no...though maybe he's somewhere in the family tree," Siena replied with a light chuckle. Twisting her hair around her fingers and snapping a few strands. It felt...unsatisfying, even when the faint popping sounds managed to reach her ears. "
Maya was a big fan of his, though she said I should keep up with modern music." A pause. Siena didn't really consider her own music tastes, having adopted her caretakers' when everything was said and done. Classical music that came largely from Gerwulf and his travels and....whatever it was that Maya thought was relevant and made Siena seem more in touch with the times than she really was.
"
I guess I haven't really explored much music myself though. I listened to classical music and alternative rock myself, but...most of the music I received was for culture training," Siena claimed with a thoughtful tone. She hadn't really ever considered looking for more--there was always plenty to listen to. "
It probably made me less cultured than if I listened to things as I found them, but once you reach a certain circle, everyone talks about the same movements."
“Awww, that’s a shame. I could’ve bragged to the others I would have been friend with someone closely related to one of the best and my favorite guitarists.” Angélique further joked, letting a giggle gleefully escape her lips.
Classical and alternative rock? Well that was a strange mix. But who was she to judge? Angel was an avid listener to metal, rock, blues and country music. While she never composed any blues song, she did wrote plenty of the three other genres of music. Pop music was something she had been playing too when she was younger, and country was something she had taken on her late teenage years before fully dedicating herself to rock and metal music.
“I can’t say I’m a big fan of classical music, but I do enjoy alternative rock. Maybe I could try to work something of that genre?” Angel pondered as she was trying to make out about the whole cultural side of music. Siena came from a rich family, maybe it was part of her ‘etiquette’ training?
Angel didn’t prod further into that subject. High-class matters weren’t really her cup of tea. Despite being someone largely successful financially due to her hard work in the musical industries, Angel had been standing on the opposite side of wealth. She simply enjoyed what small things life could offer her. The difference to the common folk was that if something ever happened, she would not immediately hit the bottom of the barrel, and could afford whatever she wanted. At least that was before the whole concert incident happened.
The black-haired Aberration stood silent. Small talk was good to escape this harsh reality, but there were times like these she couldn’t exactly find a lot of subjects to talk about. Initially, she just came to check up on Siena and see if she was alright.
"
Most people aren't that interested in classical music so much as the image it presents." Siena admitted with a nervous laugh. Well,
most people, at least. "
I wouldn't mind listening to more than what I did before. Gerwulf and Maya had decent taste, but I would like to expand my horizons a bit." Finally releasing the locks of hair from her grasp, Siena averted her gaze briefly, as if in thought. "
Though...now that I think about it, I'm grateful for classical music. Telling an entire story without a single word is something I've learned to appreciate since this showed up."
Motioning to the white mark on her cheek, the brunette let her hand drop back into the sheets with a soft noise.
"
It's nice not to think of a story as something that I might have to turn into a weapon. Maybe that's why I ended up liking it so much after the fact."
Angel listened to Siena with a solemn look on her face. It was good, to know a bit more about Siena. She considered the Arbiter as one of her friends, but now that she was thinking about it, they barely knew each other that well. Their likings, where they came from, even their personalities. That’s probably what compelled Angel to stay despite having nothing to say. She wanted to know more about her friend, and hoped the small sparks that were small talk would ignite into a more passionate and revealing discussion.
And her patience bore fruits. Listening to what Siena had to say about music, the raven-haired Aberration looked both genuinely interested and curious.
"That sounds... quite enjoyable, looking at it this way. I've got to admit, when I was composing music, it had always been the opposite for me. I used music as a tool, a weapon like you said, to convey my thoughts to others, my opinions or simply wishful messages." Angel started opening up, taking a strange turn into slowly revealing her old persona.
"Maybe I ought to listen to more lyrics-less music? Bask into the rhythm of the music and make out those stories?" she chuckled slightly at the thought.
"Those people you mentioned... Are they your siblings? Members of your family?"It was...calming, to some degree, to be able to talk with Angel about music. It wasn't the same type of animated conversation she used to share with Gerwulf or the quick quizzing that she used to receive from Maya, but it was nice to talk about something that seemed normal. A faint ping of longing for the old days came to mind...something that she brushed aside. She chose to leave. Even if she didn't know exactly what she'd signed up for, even if she was going to be sent into battle after battle,
she chose to leave. The shattered wall, the panicked expression, the blood...
...something about that memory felt out of place.
"
I think that's still a good way to use music," Siena claimed with a smile. Brushing a few strands of hair over her shoulder, the brunette considered Angel's own thoughts. "
But maybe we can both broaden our views. It might be a little bland, but I'm sure there must be some classics that will interest you."
And then came the question. Ah, right. She'd never really brought up Maya or Gerwulf around Angel--mostly because there hadn't been a reason. Drawing from them during their last encounters had been the extent of her thought. "
Oh...no, they were my caretakers. You know how it goes with successful parents. Always globetrotting and never home." A lie, but at least a believable one. Her parents were never "home" as she put it--her concept of home had never really involved her parents. "
What about you? Do you have any siblings?"
“That would be an interesting experience. Maybe we could set up a musical evening when we get back? I’m intrigued by your view on music.” Angel smiled.
Ah, so that’s how it was. Stories of rich little girls left to themselves and an army of butlers and maids to raise them was not unknown to the singing Aberration. For just a glimpse of a moment, Angel felt a bit ashamed of herself. She always lamented herself about having crappy parents more interested in the fame and wealth of their daughter than who she was. At least it was better to have parents around than not seeing them at all, right?
“Nah. I’m an only-child.” Angélique paused, a crack of a faint wishful smile appeared.
“But… I’ve always wanted to have a little sister though. Show her around the world, teach her new things every day, sit behind her and groom and make her all pretty, cuddle the heck outta her until we both fall asleep, look out after her well-being, punch her boyfriend in the guts for making her sad, that sort of things.” The raven-haired imaginary elder sister chuckled with a hint of melancholy behind it.
Just how she wished to have a younger sister to hug her pain away at this moment.
'Ah...' Something lit up in the back of Siena's head, triggering a faint alarm that tried to drown the rest of her thoughts out, feeling a surge to correct what was wrong. Gray eyes flitting to the dark-haired musician beside her, Siena's mind immediately began to cut through ideas. The mask began to form, and quickly. Maya's words poured relentlessly into her ear, feeding her lines, telling her what to do, how to act, honing in on a specific course of action even as Siena gave a nervous smile.
"
Ah, I see..." Carefully, Siena readjusted her position so she was sitting in a more upright position, attention fully focused onto Angel. Another flurry of mental whispers that came to mind, quieted only when her mental filters accepted one at last. Sweeping her hair behiind her ear, the mage gave a weak smile. "
I...maybe it's a little presumptuous for me to say it, but...you seem like you'd make a great older sister." A pause as she twisted a few locks around two of her fingers. "
If I had a choice, I would have liked to have a sister like you...though, I think you'd have to get in line behind Gerwulf on punching any unsavory suitors."
Angélique giggled slightly in answer to Siena’s statement. The pale tone of her skin slightly reddened in embarrassment at this sudden revelation. The compliment made her feel somewhat whole inside, filling a bit of this hollow and lonesome part of herself. Ah… if only they would have met earlier in their life. Become childhood friends before the whole world had become hell. At the very least, they were together here in now, going through the same hell and fighting it with everything they had.
“I’m sure that…” Angel carefully weighed her own words, wondering if this odd sisterly discussion would not be freaking the brunette Arbiter out. Unfortunately for the both of them, the raven-haired rockstar’s honesty and direct approach was always something to count on to create those bizarre situations
“I would’ve liked to have a sister just like you. You look always so calm and focused… I could actually learn some things from you.” Angel let out a soft but nervous laugh.
A sudden knock at the door heralded Marcus's arrival. Thanks to his fight with the lizard boy earlier, he didn't have to track Siena's room down like he had Callan's. Fortunate, given that he imagined it would be difficult to do based on the lack of descriptors available for his second roommate, and the apparent aloofness of the passing nurses.
He certainly wouldn't tell them how long he'd been standing at the door. That'd ruin the little bonding moment they seemed to be having. All he needed to do was drop in and make sure that Siena was doing fine, and then he could leave them to their little 'sister talk'. Watching the scene had caused an unexpected gnawing to catch him by surprise; he'd never really had the chance to be an older sibling to anybody. Hell, he'd had one opportunity to prove himself a protective team member, and that had met with...
"
I hope I'm not intruding on anything." he said with a smile, forcing the thought out of his mind. He gave the two girls a small wave, revealing the shitty, hospital room tabloid he'd stolen along the way.
A knock and a familiar voice broke into the moment, tugging Siena's thoughts out of their fixed state and sending them into a furious storm once more as her attention snapped towards the source, eyes darting there, absorbing the figure of her male roommate and processing it before her head moved to follow the motion. Lips parted briefly in an expression of surprise before sealing again in a smile. Careful, cautious, but not quite nervous. She supposed not every conversation was able to take place in a controlled situation like before. Unexpected interruptions were bound to happen every now and then.
'Why are you bothered by that?' The thought went unvoiced.
"
Oh, Marcus! I hope you haven't been waiting long...uh...at my...doorframe." It took almost all of Siena's self-control not to eye the pages he held in his hand. Printed words, potential sanctuary.
Escape, her mind tried to declare. It took whatever remained of that restraint to keep from trying to bring it up. No. She didn't need it, didn't
need it. Her mind wandered to the booklet in the tattered remains of her jacket, to the mentally placed red tape. No. "
I guess everyone lucky enough not to be stuck here is making their rounds."
Angélique got startled when a voice came through the frame of the door she had left open earlier. Like Siena just voiced, she hoped he hadn't been over there, eavesdropping on their whole discussion. A slight shade of red took hold of the Aberration girl's face as she returned Marcus' wave with her own.
Feeling suddenly like an intruder between the talk of two roommates, Angel mostly kept to herself. She didn't know if she should be leaving the room now that there was someone else closer to the Arbiter girl now visiting her.
"
Nah, not too long." Marcus said, pushing himself off the doorway and walking into the room. "
Figured I should probably make sure that neither of my roommates were-" he stopped himself. The words he was going to say were 'not dead', but that was perhaps not the best thing to start with. He tried to mask his sudden hesitation by coughing slightly, before continuing. "
-were bored out of their minds sitting in a hospital bed. But it looks like someone already beat me to it!" he punctuated the sentence with a friendly smile to Angel.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Angel on the APC ride over, which meant she had probably been injured or something in the fight. There were a lot of other people he hadn't seen either, the more he thought. A slight wave of guilt flooded over him; he'd not even thought about the other people that had been missing, despite them being classmates. Hell, Angel had been one of his teammates in the CTF game, and her absence still hadn't crossed his mind.
"
How're you feeling, Angel? Didn't get too roughed up, I hope?" He sincerely prayed that he hadn't just stepped on a landmine or something, otherwise this visit might be a little short.
Angel grinned at the obvious jab sent her way.
“You ought to sharpen your timing mate. Time wizards shouldn’t be beaten by noisy Mages like me.” Oddly enough, the girl’s grin didn’t fade away at the mention of being potentially injured during today’s battle. She bitched and moaned enough about it, she just wanted to go with the flow and joke around with Marcus and his up-lifting spirited attitude.
“Nothing Christmas couldn’t handle. It’s a blessing our Healers don’t leave scars when they do their thing. Wouldn’t want to steal away your ‘Scarface’ title, would I?” Perhaps it was too much considering the current situation? Angel’s humoristic moments were few and rare, but it had always been a sarcastic or dark thing. That’s probably why she didn’t pick comedy as her part of her linguistic skills.
Angel was about to say something, opening her mouth, but she suddenly stopped and faked an awkward yawn. She had considering returning him the question, but Marcus was part of the Evac Team. Shit happened over their part of the battlefield, stuff that Angel’s little bout against Hazel paled in comparison. He probably didn’t need to be reminded of Savannah’s death and the injuries a lot of people seemed to have sustained from their skirmish.
Feeling a somber sense of uncertainty trying to settle over the group, Siena was quick to try and figure out how best to steer the conversation away from the battle. There would be plenty of time later to grieve and ache, but...not when they were still trying their best to recover. Everyone was still a little too raw, a little too vulnerable--if people were anything like she'd come to expect, they'd try to take the blame. Over and over again without any real rational thought applied. Siena was aware, even as the guilt continued trying to rip out the logic.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
"
Angel has a point. What was it that Kell said...?" A pause as the quote appeared instantly. in her mind's eye She'd read the words enough times that some of them might as well have been imprinted into her head as well. "
Ah, right. 'Lovers like men with scars.'" A small voice that giggled in the back of her head, aware of what she was saying even if her face didn't allow it to show as she finished the quote. Whether they caught it or not...well, that wasn't her concern, was it?"
Or so I've heard."
Ooh, 'Time Wizard'. That was a nickname he could live with. Of all the stupid little titles he could be given, that one didn't seem to bad. Inevitably it would at some point, but for this exact moment, he didn't mind. Just as he was going to say something, Angel's 'Scarface' joke came across. His face fluttered for a singular moment in a mixture of surprise and what could only be described as hurt confusion.
Of course, it was just a joke; and he certainly couldn't be the jokester of the group if he couldn't take as many punches as he gave, so the expression was (hopefully) gone before anybody could catch a glimpse of it. Any witty comeback he had was blown to smithereens by Siena's statement though, a sentence that completely stopped his train of thought as his face flushed slightly red and he turned to look at her.
That certainly wasn't something he was expecting.
Angel couldn’t help but reveal a toothy grin as Siena took a turn at a comedic crack. She had heard that one many times over, even though she did not believe herself it made a man any more attractive than how she already felt regarding the opposite sex. But the look on Marcus’ face was priceless. It made the sole Aberration in this room laugh heartily.
Well...her plan seemed to work, though she wasn't entirely certain at what cost. Well, at least someone was laughing. Flashing Marcus a mischievous, if still apologetic, grin, Siena joined in with a softer laugh of her own.
'Sorry, Marcus.' Feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders, the bookish mage settled into a more comfortable position to face both her visitors. "
Oh dear, was I wrong? Haha..."
Marcus recovered slightly, just shaking his head in disbelief. He said nothing at Siena's second statement, allowing his face to grow a little bit redder and continuing to just sit there. He joined in the chuckling after a while, looking to Siena and holding up the tabloid. "
And here I even brought some reading material for you, because I was worried you'd be bored. Seems like you're entertaining yourself at my expense enough, I might as well just keep this to myself and read it back at the motel!" he shot her a wicked grin of his own in retaliation, flipping through some of the pages without actually reading them.
There was a surge of mild panic that tried to surface at the thought of having the pages taken away, even if a cursory glance told her that it wouldn't yield anything useful for her purposes. With practiced grace and an masterfully forged mask, Siena let the fear slide off her without letting it break through the filters. Instead, she gave a fake pout at her roommate, unruly bangs slipping from their place and falling back into her line of vision as she cocked her head ever slightly. "
Aww, so mean. How else am I supposed to keep up with scandals to gossip to you about?"
He glared for just a moment, before shrugging and tossing the magazine to Siena. "
Fair enough, I'm certainly not going to be the one to read this stuff, so you might as well keep up with all the hot celebrity news."
He moved into the room a little more, leaning on the side of the bed next to where Angel was currently seated. "
I wasn't sure what kind of stuff you liked to read, and the jerk at the store didn't exactly have a wide variety." he said, suddenly feeling the need to explain himself for some reason.
A thought crossed his mind though; as nonchalantly as he'd said it, he actually didn't know what Siena's taste in books was, despite constantly calling her the bookworm of the group. He gave her a puzzled glance for a moment, speaking the thought aloud: "
What do you like to read anyway?"
Snatching the magazine from the air in a flurry of sounds largely consisting of paper fluttering, Siena felt a vague sense of relief. It wasn't exactly what she'd normally read, but something was better than nothing in that case. Glancing over a few of the cover story titles, the brunette could practically hear Maya making sounds of disapproval in her ear.
There were much better ways to manipulate and draw the eye, right? Ugh. She really didn't want to remember those particular lessons.
Instead, she returned her attention to her visitors, just in time to see the expression pass over Marcus's face. An expression of confusion that quickly gave way to a question...a particularly enlightening one, really. It took a moment for Siena to process that she hadn't, in fact, shared any titles of the works she read, reread, and bookmarked. It took another for her to realize that she hadn't been reading to
enjoy it in recent times. It had all been to hone them as weapons of warfare. Had been forcibly forging links that she wouldn't have considered before because they were
useful and not because they were
enjoyable.
A pause.
"
Hm...almost everything, really." A pause as she thought about it. "
Mostly fiction or fantasy though. Foreign books too, since I like seeing the differences in culture."
"
Alright, fiction or fantasy, or anything foreign." Marcus said, making a mental note of the aisles he'd have to go down in the library. "
Guess I should probably make sure to grab something you can actually read, though huh?" Marcus said, chuckling slightly. "
Wouldn't want to grab something that looks interesting only to have it be a People's Magazine in Arabic!"
What was so difficult about Ara--ah. Siena blinked faintly in confusion even as the realization started to dawn onto the mage. It really hadn't occurred to her that other people weren't going to be quite as knowledgeable as her caretakers had been on the topic of her reading materials, or even on her ability. With a half-smile on her face, Siena gave a nervous laugh while scratching the back of her head. "
Oh, u-um...I could read that, actually. Or um...any language. Guess it kind of came with the power...?"
He stared for a second, involuntarily blinking in surprise. "
Wait. Waitwaitwait. You can read literally anything?" Marcus said, the disbelief evident in his tone. "
So I could show you the diary of some German dude, or the recipe straight out of a Mongolian kitchen, and you would be able to tell me what they say!?He'd never thought of the powers as being that useful before - he was grateful for his ability to rewind bumps and scratches and the occasional gunshot wound, but being able to read
any language flawlessly? That was a little more useful than his was!
Though she knew he had every right to be, Siena was still moderately surprised by Marcus's apparent disbelief. No, it made sense. While her ability was flashy and versatile, she'd never made any indication of which names she was pulling, which languages she was borrowing from. Given the way that it seemed to work, what language she was looking at was never really something the mage thought about. "
W-Well, um...yes? I-I mean...it's hard to explain..." ...and now that she brought it up, she imagined there would be at least one conveniently foreign book in whatever Marcus brought. "
When I see the words, I just...know what it means."
Marcus's mind reeled slightly with the new information. He had so many questions to ask her, but he was having a hard time getting them put into any sort of coherent order.
"
Can you write in other languages too? How about speak them? Could you teach other people to read different languages if you wanted to?" The questions poured eagerly out of his mouth, before he stopped himself. He didn't want to overwhelm the poor girl, but now that he knew the secondary effect to her power, he was curious to test it out. Maybe he'd grab a foreign book for her while he was out.
A count had started in Siena's had as soon as she noticed the expression on Marcus's face, ticking off the seconds before the inevitable. When the revelation had come to her caretakers, both had reacted similarly. Sort of. Maya had been more straightforward with her questions in a strange twist, having Siena test the limits for precise information, whereas Gerwulf had worn an expression like he
wanted to ask, but simply acknowledged the utility of such a skill. Of course, neither of them had launched an avalanche at her, so Marcus gained a point in the "original reaction" category.
"
E-Er..." Giving a nervous laugh and unable to resist sending a sidelong glance of mild distress towards Angel, the bookworm tried to organize the questions into easier-to-answer groups. It didn't really work. "
I uh...it's kind of complicated." Which bought her another moment to figure out how exactly to answer those questions in a concise manner.
It was much to Siena's own annoyance that her first instinct was to lie.
"
I can't speak ones I don't know, but um...I guess I could use my not-so-magical gifts in conjunction with the power to learn to write them...?" She let the insinuation that the same went for teaching someone how to read another language. It would be rudimentary at best, she knew, for the languages that she didn't make a point to read often. Nordic tongues, for instance, weren't exactly her forte, but...there
were languages that she had become more capable of, given her previous experiences with Maya and Gerwulf. Memories of strict lessons and whispered conversations in languages that the masked masses around her couldn't understand came to mind. She missed the sanctity of those moments. "
Th-though it's all a little more complex than that..."
Marcus gave a short whistle of surprise, his eyebrows raised the whole time Siena answered his questions. He could tell that she was a little bit uneasy by the sheer amount of questions he was giving her, as the glance to Angel hadn't gone unnoticed. He took a breath, calming himself down from the original twenty questions moment, looking over to gauge Angel's reaction as he spoke.
"
That's pretty cool, Siena!" Marcus said, deliberately trying to give the poor girl a moment to catch her breath. "
Did you just...know you could do that, or did you catch a glimpse of something and realized you could read it?"
'Did you know you could do that?'Unwelcome memories. Unwelcome, almost frightening memories that made her flinch visibly. For a second her breath didn't come to her and her muscles froze. It was
fine, she could answer.
No. "
I...u-um..."
No. She couldn't answer.
Angelique sat in silence as she watched the two roommates discuss to each other. She didn't dare to really interfere with their talk, as she felt a bit out of place. But watching these two go at it, she felt envious. She wished she could have roommates like that too. It would make her living in USARILN so much bearable, much more interesting.
Bit it was no use dwelling on things that were not. Instead, she should be focusing on working on it. Maybe if she proved she was stable enough and cooperative, the institute would actually let her be paired with someone as a roommate? That could be something to be work on. At the same time, it would probably fix that bitchy behavior of hers she exhibited more times than necessary ever since she arrived there. Really, there could only be winning aspects in this decision.
Sadly, when Siena turned to Angel with an uncomfortable look, the raven-haired Aberration did not immediately pick up the distress on her soul sister's face. By now, she felt her eyes burning because of the usual brightness of hospitals lighting. A headache had started to punch its way into her head, and the intensity just kept growing. Hopefully it would not develop into a migraine.
But Siena's voice barely hinted her desperation to Angel's keen hearing. Angelique did not really know the cause behind Siena's distress, but as Marcus kept bombarding the poor girl into explaining the finer details his roommate's power, something clicked inside Angel's mind. A flashback from previous training sessions.
Siena never seemed really comfortable in trying to explain how her power worked. The Arbiter was vague in her explanation the first time they trained together, keeping it relatively simple for Angelique to understand the basics. Then, when it came down to Brent, she had basically blurted out a jumbled mess of explanations as the overclocking Mage kept trying to coax out ever more details from Siena.
Blaming herself for not having realized this sooner, Angel turned to Marcus, her tired eyes lingering onto his face with what seemed to be a grim smile.
"Now now Marcus. Siena had it rough today. Let's not bother her with all these question, shall we? She must be pretty tired. Surely she can answer those another day, right?"Oop. Looked like he hit a nerve without meaning to. And just as he'd realized that, Angel turned to him and gently asked him to stop his inquisition. It was fair enough; there were some things about the first couple days with his power that he didn't want to talk about either, made sense that Siena would have some of those.
"
She's right. You probably need some rest, and I am probably not doing you a favor at all in that goal, huh?" he said, a slight unsure grin on his face. He tried his best to make it seem like he was following along with Angel's idea, and not that he'd noticed how uncomfortable Siena appeared to be, because that could make her feel even
more uncomfortable.
"
I should probably make my way back to the motel anyway, before they barricade the doors or something. I promise I'll be back tomorrow with an actual book, though! G'night Siena, g'night Angel!" he said, giving a small salute and making his way back towards the door.
"Good night, Marcus. See you soon." Angelique replied, waving a farewell to the time Mage as he seemed to take the clue and leave.
'Thank god...' The topic fell back like the tide, stopping Siena from getting plunged in. Part of the mage was irritated with herself for letting anything slip past her filters, frustrated that the panic had managed to root itself deep enough to control her. Ashamed that she was
still afraid of things that happened long enough ago to be a cracking memory. The only thing that made her so certain was that it was too real to deny that it happened. As Marcus left, Siena tried to bid him farewell, but her voice still caught like a shard of ice in the center of her esophagus, so she gave a wave instead. Better that than whatever choked sounds she might have made in the moment.
And then the backlash started, the emotions that broke free of their confines taking turns trying to batter Siena into submission. Pain won out for a moment, etching itself onto her features like a flicker of candlelight, little more than a ghost that passed through her before she forced it back.
She was in control. Her. The mask settled back into place, fragile, weak little creature with an even frailer smile.
"
Th-Thanks for d...deflecting that, Angel."
"Mhm, you're welcome." Angel smiled, oblivious of the moment of pain Siena just showed.
She sighed, scratching her eyelids as she desperately tried to shake off the burning sensation in her eyes without letting Siena know how troublesome her eyesight had been ever since she woke..
"You know, Siena. I've come to understand you aren't particularly doing great when people are asking you about your powers. And it's okay, really. We all have our own little secrets concerning who we are and what we do." Angel started slightly scolding Siena, just like a mother or a big sister would do.
"If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, then don't force yourself to do it. In those cases, you just refuse to answer. No means no. If they truly respect you, then they'll understand."Another surge of emotion broke free, these particular ones undeniably belonging to one Siena Santana. The brunette grappled with them for a moment, tried to drag them back under control.
But these were different. Just like it had been with Maya, Siena couldn't keep hold of them. Couldn't
stop them when they ran rampant, destroying the carefully maintained order that she was desperate to cling to. They couldn't be controlled. First came the affection, swelling like a river beyond the banks. The feeling of comfort and irrevocable safety that would have comforted her if not for the quickly approaching flood of the next surge.
Guilt. Shame. More guilt.
She couldn't control it."
I-I'm sorry, I know I'm not supp--"
What was she doing?! Catching the instinctive phrase before the rest of the sentence could escape, Siena blinked in surprise. Not supposed to talk about her powers to people that
knew she had them? And more than that, there had only
ever been one person that managed to shatter her neatly put together self without even trying, and that was because that woman had built everything from the ground up. Taught her how to control herself, to slip in a few gestures, touches, words... "
Um...I mean...I know, b...but I want to get better at e-explaining them. In case we have more deployments in the future."
Liar."Alright then, if you say so..." Angel simply replied. Honestly, she still couldn't get just how Siena's words seemed so hesitant, if not a bit tense, despite maintaining that peaceful appearance. What was the reason behind it? Or perhaps was she just imagining things from being so out of her mind because of that lingering pain and fatigue? But then, why would Siena have thanked her for deflecting the discussion?
Maybe both girls were tired and needed to rest their heads to think clearly. At least, Angel wanted to acknowledge for herself what she told Marcus just now. Siena was probably tired, and confronting her for her conflicting actions would probably just pour fuel on embers. The Aberration singer knew better than trying to start an argument with one of her closest friends after what they went through tonight. Plus, she promised herself to not be so pathetic in front of someone ever again like she did with Brent just before coming here.
"Well, I suppose it is getting a bit late. I'll let you have a well-deserved rest. I still have a few more people I want to check up on before going to sleep too." Angel said, feeling the development of the situation had called for her visit to end. Better ending it here on a rather good note than push forward and risk creating unnecessary tension between the two. There could always be another day to discuss this kind of matter.
Shifting herself onto the mattress, Angel pulled herself closer to Siena, hesitantly reaching out for the Arbiter soul sister with open arms as she wrapped them into a warm hug.
"Good night, Siena." Angel wished to her friend before letting go of her and heading towards the exit.