Lemons

Arknights: 5S

Seven and Ash Girl do be having the most polarized infection statuses lmao

Amygdala Circuit

Roaki's enthusiasm really was infectious, wasn't it?

From her position lying limp on the mattress, she got an excellent firsthand view of the girl being unbelievably animated. Or, unbelievable a few days ago. And even though it had barely been any time at all, it was hard to even remember the half-dead girl that had only stared into the false half-light of a faux window, looking at how she was now. Quinn sat up against the wall, watching her go on and taking a certain amount of pride in it. The world had fought her, and she'd won. They both had.

After some time, though, Quinn felt her tiredness creeping up on her, and relaxed against the wall, she cut her mind loose to wander, letting herself think about what had happened just after she'd gotten out of her savior, and what had happened just after that. She hadn't been able to unpack it at all, really. The cheering, the clapping, the Dahlia hug--she smiled unconsciously--and then...

Then...

Quinn frowned.

Right. Doctor Follen. That weird sound the metal tapper thing had made. She'd been so caught up in the mess that was press release--awful, don't think about it, remember? Don't think about it--that she hadn't considered it at all. The metal sound, scraping where her eye used to be. A deep distress was steadily building in her gut. Almost unwillingly, she lifted her hand. It shook, but held, as for the first time in her entire life, or...since she was...eleven? She thought? For the first time since then, she reached under her eyepatch, and allowed herself to feel around the eye socket.

It was all tough scar tissue. Tough, hard, almost numb to the touch, rippling out from the center. Her fingers crept over the edge of her ocular bone, and almost fighting against herself, she forced them onwards, despite a deep and elemental fear that pushed her backwards.

Ridged skin. Wrinkled scars. And--

Something solid. Pointy.

Metal.

She cannoned up, all relaxation forgotten and her heart in her throat. Her fingers lay on the object, almost petrified. A bone-deep dread began to build in her.

"Roaki," she choked out through a trembling, half-strangled throat, hesitantly lifting her fingers and the eyepatch out of the way, "what's...what's in my eye?"

Amygdala Circuit

There wasn't a lot that could get Quinn's mind off of whatever she was thinking about, no matter what it was, more than talking to Roaki. Really, just being near her at all made Quinn feel better about herself: the girl had basically come back to life, she was so much more vital and energetic about everything. Quinn had agonized over shattering the treaty with Casoban, but talking with Roaki always reaffirmed that despite the entire world telling her not to, she had done the right thing.

Even as she entered and heard Roaki (very loudly) call her deadgirl, she felt her face almost unwillingly twist into a faint grin. Though she'd first heard the nickname in rather...unpleasant circumstances, it had in relatively short order become almost affectionate; something like Deelie. Quinn didn't really have one of those--well, she had, but she hadn't heard it in a long time and was more than happy to never hear it again--so it was a novel experience to have a friend give her one. She followed after Roaki, letting herself drop limp to the low mattress, content to watch and listen to Roaki. She was just...so exceedingly tired. But even so, she felt that same faint glow inside of her when Roaki so excitedly mimed her movements.

"I dunno," she commented almost offhanded, "I'm pretty partial to my cannon." She wasn't telling the whole truth, obviously; though she'd grown less skittish of it through consistent use, the memory of Hovvi wouldn't be quashed so easily, and it did still evoke a bubbling unease in her gut. But looking back on the phase blast that had annihilated the cannoneer on a molecular level, she felt that same feeling of vicious satisfaction well up from deep within--but at the same time, not of--her.

The cannon was okay, she guessed.

A moment passed before the vague grin grew into something resembling a real smile, and she mimed holding the weapon in question. "I don't even need to use the trigger anymore!"

Amygdala Circuit

Quinn let herself calm down, and slow down, as soon as Besca rested her arms on her back. Nothing, nothing, calmed her down quite like hugging Besca. Her shuddering breaths relaxed into something...well, more stable, at least, and the arms around Besca loosened so that they weren't shaking with how hard they were gripping. Besca was there. Besca was there. Everything was...well, not okay, but better than it could've been, and didn't that matter a whole lot these days?

Finally, at that level of calmish, she managed to listen to Besca, and really appreciate what she said. Go back to the dorms, and just...rest.

...Rest sounded really good, right about now. Maybe if she'd rested before she'd given a statement, she wouldn't have--

Don't think about it, remember?

It wasn't going to be easy to shut the thoughts out, but she would do her absolute best. Because she had beaten a lot of monsters. And she had come home. No matter what, she had to remember that. Maybe she wasn't--

Nuh-uh, don't think about it. You're alive! Everyone's alive! So she finally pulled away from Besca, wiped her eye, and tried to manage a shaky smile. "Uh-huh. I'll...I'll try." With that, she aimed her way at the door Besca had pointed to, turned around one more time to look at the two of them, and slid out.

Eyes followed her. She was being stared out. She dropped her head and moved quickly, ignoring the occasional heckles or questions. She moved quickly and quietly out of a sense of both guilt and fear, and it wasn't long until she arrived at the dorm. She left the TV off, went to flop down on the couch.

She paused, then moved past it to one of the dorm doors, which--after some hesitation--she knocked on.

"Hey, Roaki, can I come in?"

Shelter: A Zombie Survival Story

---

Scissors. Umbrella.

...

"...I have a violin."

Having finally managed to get her breathing under control to some extent, Shin-ae brought herself back into the conversation. She hefted the case that she'd thankfully left in Mr. Potter's room before the assembly, as though to show "yeah, I've got a weapon," even if it was a particularly lame weapon. The thought of smashing her precious expensive violin on a classmate's head made Shin-ae feel kind of sick and clammy, but if was between that and getting her body torn apart by teeth, well. No points for guessing that one.

After a moment, she addressed J girl's other point: "That's probably the best idea. Maintenance, I mean." She'd forgotten about the new magnet locks; that'd make life so much harder, and people would probably shoot for admin if they wanted out for sure.

"And besides," she added after a moment, "If we really do want to find a weapon, then maintenance is probably our best bet for that too." Wrenches, crowbars; a lot of common tools would probably be pretty useful in a situation like this. Zombie flicks had never exactly been Shin-ae's preferred form of media, but she hadn't exactly avoided them either, and they were always ready to show how useful crowbars were.

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

---

It was true, Haruhi didn't use signs herself because of her relationship with work. She was determined beyond anything to do all her own work; to break the earth and grow a delicious harvest without using a single Sign. The only magic she used, she thought, was the magic of good old hard work (and a big, friendly horse). Most in the village didn't understand it, and it was obvious. Even her parents didn't understand it; they'd grown up using Signs, and Growth was like second nature to them, so they couldn't fathom why their daughter would forgo that incredibly ease and convenience for no good reason. But still, despite all the thoughts that she'd heard on the matter, it was a strict, disciplined standard that she set for herself, and she refused to break under any circumstances.

All that being said, though, she only held herself to that standard. She didn't begrudge anybody else the use of Signs, of course; how ridiculous would that be, considering how common and widespread they were? They were everywhere in the valley, it'd be absurd. Suffice to say, she held absolutely nothing against people who chose to use Signs.

So it was with a gaze equal parts fascination and wonder that she watched Mio. Trailing after her over to her worktable, she watched as she shuffled through a stack of papers before clearing a space down. Then she gripped the fragments together, and her hand suddenly glowed like the sun. Mending was pretty amazing, wasn't it? The way that the fragments started off twisted and warped and shattered like they'd been that morning so far, and then--when Mio took her faded, no-longer-glowing hand away--were remade and perfectly intact into a perfect hoe, was super cool in her book. When Mio bowed and presented the tool back to her, she picked it up with one hand, tested the connection, tested the metal, tapped it lightly against the wall, then leaned against the suddenly-functional hoe like a walking staff, wearing a bright smile. "Perfect! Thanks so so much! Do you like leeks? I'll save you the best when they come in!"

At that thought, she jumped as a thought came into her mind, and she scratched her head with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, wait...I was in such a rush to get this fixed up that I left the farm without a single piece of money, didn't I?" She'd gotten away with not paying before, but it never rubbed her the right way; if they were helping her, then didn't they deserve it? So she pressed her hands together apologetically in front of her. "How much do I owe you? I'll come back 'n pay it later on! Or, I dunno," she laughed, "Maybe I could pay for all your food at the festival! How's that sound? Are you comin' this year?"

---

Interactions: Mio @McMolly

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

---

Haruhi loved riding horseback. And she loved going fast on horseback. She loved her Asahi, of course, but he was a big, slow horse, and Masaru left him in the dust, even at a fast canter. She laughed, wanting to spread her arms and feel the biting, chilly wind, but holding some very sharp objects that probably made that a bad idea. Even out here it wouldn't be great; she didn't want to hurt herself, Takara, or Masaru. But when they got into Heiseina proper it'd be an even worse idea. So she kept the shaft mercifully tucked in alongside her, and kept the blade to herself. The trees flurried by in a blur, the new leaves emerging from the buds leaving splashes of bright green in a world that had been brown and white for too long now.

"I haven't actually worn one in a little while, haha, my parents never minded what I wore for the festival. But Fuyucchi keeps giving me these gorgeous kimono, and it makes me feel a little bad, y'know? Never wearin' one. I know what you mean, though," she added after a moment. "They get so stuffy after a while, and you feel like you can never move, right?" She grinned. She had a feeling that Takara would agree with her. So many people loved getting dressed up for the festival, but Haruhi had never really been a fan.

...Well, she was starting to feel it a little more amenable to it these days. Maybe it was a growing-up thing, she thought. Or maybe Fuyucchi had finally rubbed off on her. But as much as she protested it, she was looking forward to it. Just a little bit. And it would make her friend happy too.

Masaru was a speedy horse, and before too long they'd entered Heiseina proper, and slowed down. Haruhi laughed lightly at the sounds of roasted soybeans clattering to the ground all around her. Perhaps it was how close she lived with nature, or perhaps it was because her closest friend was the shrine maiden, or perhaps it was both; but Haruhi had always respected and offered to the youkai, and hearing what basically amounted to the whole village doing so put her in a heck of a good mood. Now that they'd slowed, she was more comfortable with fiddling with the hoe; so she swapped hands again, leaving one open to wave at people she knew as they passed, broad smile still on her face.

It wasn't long until they'd reached her destination, and she raised her eyebrow; the sound of conversation wasn't rare in the forge, not with Tsubasa working there, but it was usually accompanied by the sound of hammer striking anvil, something conspicuously absent today. Hopping off the horse--getting off was always easier than getting on--she stroked him along the mane and neck. "I'll bring you extra apples this fall, boy," she murmured to him, then waved to Takara, and jogged up to the entrance. Eh? Fumiko was there? Haruhi didn't come to the forge often, but she also didn't usually see Fumiko there often when she did come. She was about to call out to her, when she heard something come from the inside that shot both of her eyebrows up:

"I suppose we could postpone our little date if it's super important. What do you think?"

Kei-chan?

DATE?

Well wasn't that fun! Squeezing past Fumiko with a "Hey, Fumi-chan!" she popped into the forge in time to see Tsubasa and Keiko, arm-in-arm, and her smile ballooned to truly tremendous proportions as he mentioned they were gonna go to the festival together!

"Tsukkun, you sly dog," she joke-scolded, "and nobody told me?" Her eyes played between them, not even flinching when they played over Keiko. She hadn't talked with her a ton, since she obviously had no use for a Signkeeper, but she'd never minded her, or her reputation; and she found the suspicion and isolation of someone who came from outside of the village rather shameful. If anything, she thought the little pranks Keiko pulled were pretty consistently funny (though maybe that was because she didn't think she'd ever been a victim of one herself!)

A moment later, she remember why she'd come here to begin with, and backpedaled from them with a final smiling wave, a "have fun at the festival, you two!" and an exaggerated wink, before turning and diving deeper into the bowels of the forge. Coughing a little on the soot, she found who she was looking for tucked away in a corner.

Mio had been treated strangely by people since the two of them were, what, ten years old? She faintly remembered playing with her before that, but afterwards her parents had told her not to talk to her too much. Which she found weird; there was a weird sort of presence about her, but it had never bothered Haruhi unduly, not really. And so, she trotted up next to her, and poked her on the tall shoulder.

"Hi, Mi-chan! Do you think you can fix my hoe?" She thrust the fragmented implement in question forward, beaming up at her:

"I hit it on a rock!"

---

Interactions: Takara @Kuro, Fumiko @Queen Arya, Keiko @Asura, Tsubasa @Hero, Mio @McMolly

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

---

Haruhi nodded along, almost absently, as Takara listed off produce. A part of her cringed: none of it was in season. There were some daikon left that were fresh in her plot, she thought, but no hakusai for a month or two yet, and the satoimo of course wouldn't be ready until late summer. Her parents, of course, had them all year round through use of signs; but a small part of Haruhi was a little sad about it. She took her farm seriously, after all!

But it just lasted a spare moment before it was blown away, and she turned her energy towards thinking through what they would need: Daikon, hakusai, satoimo, gobo, kabocha, assorted fruit...

She nodded to herself; she'd tell her parents that the Hayashis needed their usual crop. For the moment, though, she of course had more pressing matters, more directly relevant to herself. She was all ready to keep walking, when Takara offered to let her ride...which horse was that...? Ah, Masaru, right...? Offered to let her ride Marasu into town. She nodded quickly by way of answer, and hopped up on the horse behind the other girl. She was used to riding Asahi, of course, so she knew the procedure; but still, she was a little short, so she took the hand gratefully (though it was a little clumsy with the fragments of the hoe).

"Sure thing! I hit my hoe against a rock this mornin', so I'm going into the smith to have it fixed. Gotta get the work done!" She couldn't think of a good way to hold on to Takara, given she was carrying a large stick and blade, so she just let the horse move under her, confident she could stay on at least long enough to get to town. After a moment of quiet, as the town drew closer: "Lookin' forward to the festival, Taka-chan? Fuyucchi's tryin' to get me to wear one'a those fancy getups, but it just seems like it'd get in the way, y'know?"" She laughed. If anybody would understand, it would be Takara.

---

Interactions: Takara @Kuro

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

---

“Hff!”

Chuck

“Hff!”

Chuck

“Hff!”

ChCLANK

Haruhi, breath still coming hard, stared at the suddenly bladeless hoe in her hand, and at the blade where it had bounced after striking the rock. She shook her hand out, wincing a bit at the ache where the reverberation had shot through her hand, and giggled nervously to herself.

“Oops.”

For a moment she wondered whether or not she could reattach it somehow--after all, she wasn't done yet!--but as she jogged over and picked up the blade, she saw that was...rather unlikely. If the whole socket had come off or the shaft had broken she could just stick it on a new one, but the blade had actually broken off of the socket, leaving a twisted jagged stump of steel that couldn't till if she put all the people in Heiseina behind it.

She glanced behind, to where she'd been hoeing a line to prepare for planting the leek and cabbage. It wasn't much all told, so she hadn't thought she'd need to get out the plough, but maaaaaybe it would've been a good idea. She idly twirled the now-headless shaft in her hand, rolling her stiff shoulders in the early morning chill and watching the faint vapor clouds from her breaths shiver away into the sky. It'd been quiet a while since she'd broken one of her tools. Maybe the shovel two years back? But the shaft had just fallen off that, so it was a snap to fix. Well, nothing for it, she supposed; she'd need to go visit the smith! Hopping up and down a bit to keep herself from getting too cold--she could feel the sweat on her skin starting to chill her, and a warning shiver ran through her--she hefted the blade in her left hand and kept on twirling the shaft in her right, occasionally dropping it, as she meandered through the farmland, passing by fallow fields and skirting the edges of winter barley not yet fully-grown.

Once she reached the road she tossed the shaft up, watched it spin, and snatched it out of the air, then started to skip along the road. Where her feet struck the dry hardened dirt, they sent up pale brown puffs of dust that dispersed away into the early spring winds. As she went, she flicked the shaft into the same hand as the blade, then dipped into her pocket and pulled out a handful of soybeans. She'd roasted them before going out in the field that morning, alongside the bowl of steaming rice that she'd topped with sesame seeds and a few slices of pickled daikon before carrying it out to the edge of the woods to offer. It wasn't exactly the greatest offering, but they didn't have a lot of variety right now; a few more weeks and some spring crops would start to come in, and then she could be a little bit more creative.

A grin popped onto her face as she scattered the beans off, followed by another handful, then another, twirling as she went and sending them soaring off into the trees and fields. “Demons out, luck in!” Her words were followed by a joyous laugh that echoed off into the still, quiet valley.

Though, it wasn't quiet for long. Even as the echo of her laugh faded, she heard another voice calling out:

"Oiiiiiii, Haru-san!"

With one more whirling flourish of the soybeans off into the woods and one more satisfying patter against the leaves, Haruhi came to a stop (stumbling a bit). The smile was set firmly on her face and only grew stronger now, turning into a huge grin as she waved back at the horseborne girl: “Heeeeey! Taka-chan! Mornin!'”

Shaking her hair out to get her ponytail settled better against her back after her prolonged skip-twirling session, she bounded up to meet the other girl, tossing the shaft back to her right hand and twirling it again. She'd always gotten along with Takara. After all, their families tended to work somewhat closely together. Inn and farm always went hand in hand, and Haruhi was proud of the fruits of her labor. “Coming all the way out here, need somethin' from us?” She laughed lightly, making it clear she was joking when she added, “I dunno if we have enough on the farm right now to feed you!”

---

Interactions: Takara @Kuro

Lem's Stash

“Hff!”

Chuck

“Hff!”

Chuck

“Hff!”

ChCLANK

Haruhi, breath still coming hard, stared at the suddenly bladeless hoe in her hand, and at the blade where it had bounced after striking the rock. She shook her hand out, wincing a bit at the ache where the reverberation had shot through her hand.

“Oops.”

For a moment she wondered whether or not she could reattach it somehow--after all, she wasn't done yet!--but as she jogged over and picked up the blade, she saw that was...rather unlikely. If the whole socket had come off or the shaft had broken she could just stick it on a new one, but the blade had actually broken off of the socket, leaving a twisted jagged stump of steel.

She glanced behind, to where she'd been hoeing a line to prepare for planting the leek and cabbage. It wasn't much all tols, so she hadn't thought she'd need to get out the plough, but maaaybe that would've been a good idea. She idly twirled the broken shaft in her hand, rolling her stiff shoulders in the early morning chill. It'd been quiet a while since she'd broken one of her tools. Well, nothing for it, she supposed; she'd need to go visit the smith! Hopping up and down a bit to keep herself from getting too cold--she could feel the sweat on her skin starting to chill her, and a warning shiver ran through her--she hefted the blade in her left hand and kept on twirling the shaft in her right, occasionally dropping it, as she meandered through the fallow fields.

Once she reached the road she tossed the shaft, watched it spin, and snatched it out of the air, then started to skip along the road, feet striking the hardened dirt and sending up pale brown puffs of dust that dispersed away into the early spring winds. As she went, she flicked the shaft into the same hand as the blade, then dipped into her pocket and pulled out a handful of soybeans. A grin popped on to her face as she scattered them off, followed by another handful, then another, twirling as she went and sending them soaring off into the trees. “Demons out, luck in!” Her words were followed by a joyous laugh that echoed off into the still, quiet valley.

By the time she'd made her way to the entrance of Heiseina proper, scattered soybeans trailed behind her, her pockets were empty, and her heart was light. Humming tunelessly and occasionally breaking out into quiet singing, she slowed to a walk, shaking out her hair behind her, setting her ponytail back to something at least resembling neatness. Reclaiming the shaft in her right hand, she waved at those she passed with a bright smile on her face. The clattering of the beans tossed from windows and doors all around punctuated her steps as she wended her way through the village, and finally arrived at her destination.

----
tsubasa and keiko interlude
---

That done, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out in the direction of the tall girl that was busying herself at the other side of the shop, “Mi-chan! Hey, Mi-chan! Can you fix my hoe?" She trotted up to her then passed it over, and beaming up at Mio:

“I hit it on a rock!”