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 Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 2:02 pm
Gabbie stood before the full length mirror hooked to the back of the bathroom door and grimaced. Bruised shoulder, scratched face, bruised throat... WORSE than bruised throat actually. Wiping the steam from the mirror, she stared in horrified fascination at the places on her throat where her shark tooth necklace had pierced the delicate skin, at the places where Lt. Hematite's fingers had rested as they'd slowly tried to snuff out her life.
"Christ on a cupcake," she muttered to her reflection as she gingerly dabbed at the vivid marks, her voice still sounding far too ragged to her own ears, "Good thing Auntie's off in Cairo this week. She'd be screaming rape and hauling me down tot he police if she saw these beauties."
Well. She was wasting valuable time. She had places to go and people to meet today. Exiting the steamy bathroom, she headed for her bedroom and absently began grabbing clothing to throw on. For the briefest of moments she hesitated as she reached for her shark tooth necklace. Then, shrugging, she left it where it sat on the dresser. She'd feel naked without it, but today... today she didn't really want to feel it against her skin. She didn't really want to wear the soft silk scarf that she was currently wrapping around her throat either. However, neither did she wish to look like a victim of abuse as she hiked to the museum to meet Khalla.
Once she was certain that the scarf hid the bruises well enough, she brushed out her hair and left it unstyled. No attempts at a bun or even a ponytail. Today she wanted to be as low maintenace as possible. Finally, satisfied that she was in order, she grabbed her leather coat and headed for the door. If possible, she wanted to beat Khalla to the museum. She was going to have to walk through the park. Past THAT bench. She wanted composure time.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 2:22 pm
A soft laugh rang out through the park, accompanied by a shy giggle as a flurry of feathered wings whirled around two figures in the park. Khalla, pale as always in a white winter coat and her braid hanging down the back, was hunched down next to a smaller figure. It was just a child, dark in comparison to Khalla's complexion, who was holding out seed in her hands as if she were half-afraid. There was a smile on both their faces though and Khalla bent to encourage her by whispering something in her ear, one hand resting on her shoulder. The small girl finally flung the seed out with her hand and let a shrill laugh loose as flocks of pigeons swarmed to devour it.
Khalla stood up to her full height, laughing at the scene before her. Her brilliant eyes were shining as she looked down on the little girl and her sudden thrill with the birds around them. To their right a patient mother was smiling, but finally waved her child over. Khalla only smiled in turn and gave the little girl a push in that direction, watching as she ran towards her mother with a grin fit to split her face in half. Khalla waved after them, laughing, and turned just in time to see a familiar green head bobbing in her direction along the walkway. Well, at least that meant she wasn't late yet.
"Gabbie!" she called out, bringing her hand up to wave at the girl walking in her direction. There was a smile on her face, bright and pleasant, even despite the fading bruises she still sported and her tender nose. Then again, she'd also yet to see the expression on Gabbie's face.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 2:36 pm
Mustering a smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes, Gabbie waved back, her eyes focused hungrily on the little girl with her mother. The pigeons seemed to have given Khalla and the child up as a bad job and were now clucking and strutting about on the cold earth. All signs of that horrible whirlpool and its aftermath were gone. That sweet little girl who had been so innocently feeding the birds would hopefully never know about what had happened that night. Would hopefully never EVER end up caught in the middle of a fight between senshi and Negaverse. Hopefully.
"Keep them safe, GOd," she murmured under her breath, tears pricking her eyes. Then, turning her full attention back to Khalla, she forced her smile to widen, trying to hide the tears.
"Hey you. Friends of yours?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 3:56 pm
Khalla waited patiently for her friend to catch up, shrugging herself deeper into the coat that wrapped around her shoulders. She watched the little girl and her mother wander off into the park, hand-in-hand, without a care in the world. Khalla too hoped that they were safe, but for entirely different reasons. She knew what was out there at night and it was frightening, but she had no idea what was currently on her partner's mind.
She turned to Gabbie as she spoke, her smile a bright beacon on the slightly over-cast day. "Sort of, her mother helps out at the homeless shelter when we have fun raisers or food drives, she brings her daughter a.. lot." Her smile had steadily lessened as she studied Gabbie's face, her brows drawing down into a furrowed 'v' of worry. Gabbie could try to hide the tears if she wanted, but Khalla had spent years helping others. Hell, she'd learned to recognize if someone was upset simply by the tone in their voice. It was what she did.
"Gabbie, are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft as she removed a hand from her pocket. She ignored the shock of cold air and reached out to lay it instead on her friend's upper arm, all thoughts of the little girl and the museum forgotten.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:51 pm
"Who me?" Gabbie's ruined voice cracked and went up an octave on the last syllable. Trying her best to distract her friend, she waved a dismissively. "Sure. Fine. Never been better."
A pause. Then, "Okay, so I HAVE been better but I really don't want to talk about it in the middle of the park. Just... a lot happened last night."
Amber eyes flickered rapidly, cutting from Khalla to the park bench only a few feet away. She was certain she could still see that boy's blood staining the concrete of the path, though logically she knew that any blood would have been cleaned up by now. She wanted AWAY from here, away from the trees her Tail Thrash had torn branches from, away from the bench, away from the still-too-vivid memory of the boy's still and bloodied body.
She was going to start crying again. Or throw up. Or both. Swallowing hard, she smiled brightly into her partner's face (thought the smile resembled a rictus).
"Look, umm.. can we talk about this somewhere else? Anywhere else?" her croaking voice cracked again.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 9:41 pm
Khalla's hand remained on Gabbie's arm as she watched her fight to try and remain in control of the emotions that were quickly overwhelming her. She didn't even have to be good with people to see that her friend was losing that battle.
"Okay, we don't have to talk here," she said softly, her voice taking on that mothering tone that Gabbie had probably used herself a million times over. She reached out to encircle Gabbie's shoulders with her arm, her gaze flickering out to follow Gabbie's as it wandered over the night's crime scene only momentarily, and then she was urging her to walk. She propelled them both forward and towards the closest exit - a day in the museum had been forgotten for now.
The hand now resting on Gabbie's shoulder squeezed gently, trying to be reassuring, but the look on her face was one that screamed worry. Khalla could see the archway of the exit looming before them on the path. "Do you want to go find somewhere to sit down? There's a coffee shop close to here, there probably wouldn't be anyone outside in this weather." From Gabbie's behavior, Khalla suspected this had a bit to do with unmentionable extracurricular activities that probably shouldn't be discussed within range of others' hearing.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:21 am
"Coffee. Sure. Good. Yes."
Gabbie was answering distractedly, throat working to swallow back revulsion and tears. She barely noticed how adriotly her friend steered her from the park. She did feel the reassuring squeeze on her shoulder and reached up to pat Khalla's hand gratefully. Whatever else she was feeling, Khalla's gentle concern acted as a buffer, helping Gabbie to keep control of herself for that much longer.
Once they reached the coffee shop, Gabbie ordered the largest coffee the shop could legally sell her and headed for the tables outside. The cold didn't bother her. If anything, it merely helped to sharpen her mind. Glancing around to make sure that no one was around to see or hear, she took a sip of her drink and then studied Khalla with grave eyes.
"Promise you won't freak out?" she began, hands moving to pull up the collar of her coat before slowly unwrapping the scarf from her throat. Within seconds, the scarf lay on the table and the terrible bruises and small puncture wounds on her throat were visible.
"Pretty, no?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:40 am
Khalla had simply nodded at her responses, but kept her close as they walked, their roles reversed since Gabbie had found her in Tanzanite's clutches. It was an odd thing to have two motherly personalities together sometimes.
Khalla walked behind Gabbie into the shop, waited for her to order, then placed her own. It was one of those frothy milk drinks that were almost more desert than coffee, but strong coffee just wasn't to her taste. She took it gratefully and followed Gabbie out to the table outside, double checking as well that there were no others before she slid into a seat across from her friend.
She sipped at her sugary coffee drink, her eyes resting on Gabbie as she waited for her friend to start. Getting her out of the park really had seemed to help her get a little composure back. "I can try," her voice was soft as she set the drink down, watching as Gabbie unwound the scarf from her neck. For what it was worth, she did keep her promise - mostly. Her eyes widened a little and she had to clamp her mouth shut to keep from saying anything, but she managed to keep the majority of her reaction hidden. Whether or not it was because she had promised Gabbie or because she was afraid of drawing attention had yet to be seen.
"Gabbie!" She had lowered her voice to a harsh whisper, despite the fact that there was really no one else around. "What on earth happened?" Then, as she eyed the bruises a little more carefully, she corrected herself. "Who happened?" If they'd been any other pair of friends sitting down for a cup of coffee, Khalla might have suspected a bad relationship, or an abusive parent. She'd seen enough of those cases. They weren't any other pair of friends, however, and Khalla knew better - she knew exactly the type of person that would have done that.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 2:50 am
Relaxing slightly, Gabbie took another sip of coffee and made herself a bit more comfortable. One of the hard part was over at least. Shivering slightly, whether with cold or apprehension was anyone's guess, Gabbie wrapped the scarf back around her throat.
"Didn't get his name, but I have a feeling he and our purple haired friend from the other night are buddies. Caught him in the park last night and if he hadn't attacked first, I probably would have just let him walk away. He wasn't hurting anyone or anything when I found him, you see?"
Hesitantly, Gabbie told Khalla about the fight, almost dying and her rescue by a strange senshi. But when she got to the part about the whirlpool in the middle of the park, she couldn't stop shaking from reaction and pent up emotion.
"It was awful, Khalla. If he hadn't looked back, he would have gotten away. Both of us would have let him limp home, I think. But he went and looked back at us and he tripped and... and that THING swallowed him!I don't even think he had time to scream. And then it spat him out and vanished. And he was just laying there. Khalla... he looked like a little broken doll. There was so much blood and the other senshi left and had me follow her..."
Gabbie was crying again, though this time her stomach behaved and the sobs weren't nearly so stormy. There was a serious ethical and moral dilemma coasting the horizon here and Gabbie was too close to it to be able to think objectively.
"Khalla... I don't want to do that to people. I don't care if he would have killed me. I don't want to hurt anyone like that. But... that's what Tail Thrash is supposed to do, right? It's supposed to hurt people. How does knowing that and still using it make me any better than them?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 12:44 pm
Khalla listened, that's all she could do. She held her warm coffee between her hands to keep them from freezing and stared at Saiph as she sat there spilling out this terrible story. Interrupting her would do no good, especially since she had nothing to add to something that had already happened. Thus, she did what she did best and listened so that she could help when Saiph was ready to let her.
Once he tears started free flowing again, Khalla slid her chair around the circular patio table so that she could be closer to Gabbie's side. She reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, then slid it carefully around her back to rest against her shoulder blade. This wasn't a line Khalla had to cross yet, and while she was standing safely on the other side of it she could still be free from any emotional dilemmas.
"Saiph, I know it's hard, believe me." No, she really didn't, but she was trying to imagine it. The one Negaverser she'd tried to fight had put her down easily and she hadn't had to raise a hand to one since. "But think of all the people he's probably hurt. If he attacked you first, what does that say of his character? He likes to fight. He's probably stolen dozens of starseeds from perfectly innocent people." She hadn't seen it, she couldn't really imagine what had happened, but she could see the horror on Saiph's face. "It isn't a pretty job, but if we weren't here then they would have free reign to kill and slaughter."
She sighed, reaching out to brush her hand over Saiph's shoulder and try to get the girl to stop crying. "We aren't like them, we fight for what's right and that's what sets us apart."
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 4:28 am
Logic. Sweet little Khalla was using logic on her. And somehow, coming from her gentle friend, it helped. Sniffling and wiping the back of her hand across her eyes, she managed a wan smile. She'd already thought of most of this, but hearing it from someone else made it slightly more palatable. Slightly.
"I'll grant you that. But what if that whirlpool thing killed him? Especially when he was trying to get away after he'd been beaten up? Even if we're right and they're wrong, how does that justify us potentially killing another person?"
With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and fought to bring her tears under control. When she opened them again, they were bright with tears shed and unshed. So far, Khalla had told her everything she'd thought of last night in the throes of hysteria. There was a price for action and a price for inaction in this game. Quietly, in a voice that was more of a croaking whisper, Gabbie seemed to be musing aloud, though as close as Khalla was sitting, she would undoubtedly hear.
"Either way I'll have blood on my hands. It's just a question of innocent or otherwise."
She was good enough at fighting. Even enjoyed the thrill of a fight to some degree. How the hell had hat happened anyway. Love to fight, hate to kill. With another sigh, this time exasperated, Gabbie drained half of her coffee. Then, in a somewhat aggrieved voice said, "You know, that damned cat never told me there'd be days like this. I think I could cheerfully punt her for glossing over the nastier aspects of this job."
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:48 am
Khalla fell into silence, her face solemn and her eyes downcast so she could stare at the table. She hadn't really stopped to think about these things before. Well, not more than her hazy contemplations the night Tanzanite had put her in the hospital. This was a little different though.
She watched Gabbie drain her coffee out of the corner of her eyes, her hand on Gabbie's shoulder dropping so she could lace it with the other in her lap. "I think maybe we can't afford to let ourselves think about that, Gabbie. He would have killed you and not even blinked an eye." She brought her gaze back up to rest on her friend, staring up at her through pale lashes. She knew what those bruises on her neck represented. "It tells us who we are that we would feel guilt over killing anyone when they wouldn't, but.." She paused and trailed off here, dropping her eyes and reaching up to brush the braid hanging over her shoulder. She ran her fingers over the end, brushing the interlaced locks in a contemplative gesture.
"It's not a novelty left to us," she said finally, her bright orange eyes filled with a sudden sadness as she forced herself to look up at Gabbie once again. "We do what we are asked to do. We fight and protect at all costs and protect those that can't protect themselves." She frowned as the green-haired girl downed her coffee so quickly, having half a mind to tell her what a bad idea it was to ingest so much caffeine at once, but thought better of it as she saw the watery gaze Gabbie was still fighting to maintain.
"I don't think it's her fault, you know. Soldiers go off to war for our country every day and they kill people because it's their job." She sighed, dropping her hands from her braid as if she'd only just realized she was toying with it. She hated her nervous habits. "It's a little different, I know, but this is still a war." She wasn't sure what Gabbie had been told, but Chloe had been up front about what she was expected to do - fight.
She tried to smile as she looked back at Gabbie, but it was forced and not much more than an upturn at the corners of her lips. "I'd like to tell you it gets easier, but I don't know that it will. I doubt it."
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 3:28 am
"I'd a bit on the concerned side if crap like this started to get easier," Gabbie replied drily. "Easier would mean I was getting to be like them."
She smiled at Khalla to remove any sting from her words. The pale girl was helping as best as she could. And she didn't seem to think that Gabbie shouldn't be worrying about these things. But, the fact remained that Tail Thrash was an attack designed to hurt and possibly kill. And it was an attack she had no control over once she loosed it. So maybe she needed to work on getting it under control.
Amber eyes went dark with momentary introspection. She would have to find a safe place to practice that control. Well, at least it was a start. Shrugging herself back to the present, she turned a rakish grin on Khalla.
"Soldiers may go off to war every day, but they are fully trained and know exactly what they're up against and that they will be asked to kill or be killed. They're informed," Gabbie began to laugh, she couldn't help it. And as she laughed some of the tension drained from her. "Honey, all we get is a talking furball who gives us a pen, orders us to yell a bunch of magic words and then tells us to find a princess. Oh, and we may have to fight some badguys that we don't have a whole lot of information on. We're just sort of tossed into the fray without much in the way of guidance."
Now, to be fair, she knew that the cat might not have known that much more than Khalla or Gabbie. And that was a depressing thought. As well as a maddening one. It was borderline cruel to toss them into a fight like this without any real training. But maybe that was the only way they had of seeing who would make the grade in this war.
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:54 pm
"No, you're right," she said softly as she reached up with both hands and curled them around her braid. "Feeling guilty or reluctant lets us know that we still have our humanity left. As for them, I'm not sure they have anything left of that." She shook her head a little as she recalled the memory of Tanzanite, the look on her face and in her eyes. No, if they had humanity left to them it was very fleeting.
Still, Khalla could only frown as Gabbie ranted on about their mission. It sounded almost bitter to her ears, but then, she knew that their job description was at best a little vague. She dropped her hands from her braid irritably and laced them together in her lap in an attempt to keep her from grabbing at it again. "I think in the end, our mission may be the more dangerous one." Her voice was a bit quieter and there was a clear frown on her face at this point. They had no idea where their princess was or what she would mean for them once she finally arrived, but Khalla knew that others were on edge with her missing. She shrugged and reached out to cup her hands around her cup, feeling no heat coming from it after so long in the cold.
"Even if we're all lost," she added with a sigh, glancing up to Saiph. It was kind of sad that even as the Senshi of Guidance, she couldn't bring any more light to the situation or help more than she was.
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 4:06 pm
Regaining a tiny bit of her equilibrium as her laughter faded, Gabbie reached out and caught one of Khalla's hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't worry, Khalla," she murmured. "I'm exhausted, strung out and really, bloody hurting. I'm... not happy about last night and I'm not taking it lightly, but it'll be all right. Right?"
Smiling crookedly, she slugged down what was left of her coffee, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste. It wasn't in Gabrielle Ivanovich's nature to brood overlong or stay gloomy. She'd deal with her moral dilemmas on her own time when it wouldn't worry her friend and partner. But in the meantime...
"Finish your drink, honey. We have a date with a museum, remember?"
Tightening her scarf around her throat, she stood up and stretched, wincing at bruised muscles protested.
"You know," she began in a thoughtful voice, "I'm probably going to sound like an old, asthmatic frog for a while. Guess it's a good thing I never enjoyed singing very much. Can you imagine me trying to warble Hot n Cold with my voice sounding like this?"
Okay, so it was a blatant attempt to get Khalla to laugh, but Gabbie badly wanted to wipe the frown from her friend's face.
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