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 Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:12 am
Whispers down the line. News traveled fast amongst gossiping hunters... a mission had gone wrong. Misdirected. A bunch of rookies who didn't know when to bail. A bunch of them in the hospital. Painfully familiar names among them. The sadistic part of him felt a good beating would do some of the especially green rookies some good, build character, but the more he heard, the more his stomach clenched. He still couldn't gather the whole story, not nearly, but one key phrase was all it took for Jerry to drop the minipet cage he had been holding at the time. 'That poor Belrose girl...'
By the time he had managed to rush to the infirmary, she was gone. The other survivors were still sleeping, and he spent only a moment hovering in each doorway to make sure his new friends were stable before continuing his search. Trainee directory. A room number.
If she was home she was probably alright, right? Just battered and tired, he knew that feeling all too well, and probably wishing for her flute again, another feeling he knew. He stopped at his own room, nabbing his guitar before timidly hurrying to her door.
Deep breaths. She would be fine.
He knocked.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:30 am
Sasha slept for long hours at a time, chunks of daylight passing between bouts of consciousness. Each time she woke her arms immediately tightened around the case she kept close to her chest before she fell back into a deep, healing sleep. The last time she'd roused, Sasha had actually moved from the bed and had gone through the motions of being human - a quick, discreet shower followed by a hellish hair-brushing. Teeth were flossed and brushed, and by the time she'd finished, Sasha felt almost like a real person again.
Almost.
The only outward reminder of her ordeal were the dark, blurry burns on her neck and cheek, a stark contrast to her pale skin. She still hadn't played the flute. The case, while open, remained on her bedside table so that she could just stare at it. When the knock came at her door, Sasha sighed quietly before hefting herself to her feet. She swung the door open, and an immediate smile brightened her features and instant before her face crumpled.
"Jerry."
She flung her arms around his neck, buried her face against his shoulder and fought the urge to cry.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:35 am
"I heard-" Was all he managed before his eyes locked on the dark marks across her cheek and she was suddenly on him. "Ah!" He staggered back a step, juggling the guitar onto his back before giving her a tentative pat, "I... I only just... caught wind of... Some of the Life Hunters were talking and... oh, god, Sasha are you okay??"
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:38 am
"I'm .. I'm okay, Jerry," she answered tiredly, giving him another quick squeeze before pulling away. Sasha tugged him inside her room before promptly shutting the door. She turned back to him, staring with wet eyes for a long, silent moment before whispering a soft, "Thank you. I don't know.. I don't know how you did it, Jerry, but. Thank you. S-so much."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:44 am
He swallowed, mind racing for what he could have done to warrant thanks. Coming so soon after hearing about it? Worrying? "Er... it... it was just a matter of... of keeping an ear open to gossip, really.." He managed, glancing around the room a bit to take in any personal touches. It was even more stark than his own room had been when he had joined.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:52 am
Sasha's brows furrowed.
"Really? I hadn't.. I suppose it doesn't matter, really. The only thing that matters is that .. is that you brought my flute back." Her voice cracked as she bustled over to the table where the case rested.
With a swift, practiced gesture, Sasha flipped the top of the leather case open. With a reverent sigh she lifted her gaze towards him, a soft smile on her lips.
"I don't know how to repay you."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:54 am
"I... I what...?" He blinked, wobbling in place where she had left him, gripping his guitar strap in both hands as he tried to focus on the box in her hands. But he hadn't... Killzone certainly hadn't been any help as far as he knew...
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:00 am
"Isn't it beautiful?"
Sasha stared down at the instrument like one would a best friend, a lover, a soulmate. When she peered back at Jerry her eyes were damp. His words hadn't registered.
"Did you have help? I mean.. w-well, it doesn't matter. These past.. these um, past few days, it's been the only thing k-keeping me sane."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:03 am
Jerry considered his next move very carefully.
Did he take credit for something he knew nothing about? Did he tell her the truth? C'mon, dude, it's fair game. You could use all the help you can get, came Roar's helpful advice.
He settled for a bit of both.
"I.. ah... m-must have. I didn't really... know anything about it! Although I tried my best to put a word in..." It wasn't... necessarily a lie. The important thing was, Sasha had her flute!
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:15 am
He.. he hadn't known anything about it?
"So.. so you didn't..?" Sasha looked entirely too confused. "If you didn't, who did?" She knew that he'd been talking about finding her a flute.. but this was.. this was her flute.
"It.. doesn't matter, really. I'm just. Gosh, Jerry, I'm just so happy. I was so scared. I thought Clerise was going to die, and Rep, too." She shook her head. "I came back to my dorm and it was here and I just.. I assumed it was you. You know, who ah.. who went and got it."
Was that silly?
"I haven't played yet.. would you..?" She gestured between them with a hand, brows lifted.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:19 am
He wished he had. He was disappointed that he hadn't. Someone had beaten him to it, and... apparently out done him. "What like... the same flute?" Someone with the right connections, certainly. "I haven't any idea... but... but I'd be honored to hear you play..." He smiled in embarrassment, pulling his guitar strap over his head to sit on her bed with it leaning up beside him.
Again, he spotted the burns, "They're... alright, right? I saw them sleeping briefly in the infirmary when... when I was trying to find you."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:30 am
"Mmhm," Sasha nodded, settling down on the bed next to him. She set the case on the table, pulling the headjoint out of the case. "See? My name and the year it was given to me." She gave the engraving a fond look. "Keep the song alive, it says." Sasha smiled softly as she lifted the body of the flute out, assembling it with the ease of someone quite familiar with the instrument.
The smile faded when Jerry brought up the others.
"Clerise.. ah.. and Rep. I'm.. not sure." She cleared her throat as her fingers worked nimbly to piece the flute together. "I haven't.. been to see them yet."
Sasha glanced at him, caught him looking at her neck. She cleared her throat again.
"They said that it'll fade," Sasha almost whispered, a little self-conscious over the marks.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:33 am
He glanced away again, concentrating instead on the instrument in her hands, "It... it will? Good, that's good, it... it looks painful..." He wanted to ask how it had happened, how much of it there was, if whatever had caused it was dead now, but somehow he didn't think the girl wanted to talk about it. "Mine... looked a lot worse before it looked like this, ahahaha..." He cursed his nervous laugh, clearing his own throat as he tried to get comfortable. "I... I like that... 'Keep the song alive'. Wonderful words to live by."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:40 am
"It's ah.. it doesn't hurt. Now, at least. It um. It did. I just.. I don't know. I wouldn't care if it scarred, I guess. I just. It would be different if they'd been like.. I don't know. If I'd been noble or brave during the acquisition of them."
Despite her curiosity on how he'd gotten his own scars, Sasha abruptly changed the topic. Music was much safer. More comfortable.
"Yes. And then 2000, which was the date I got my flute. For my ninth birthday." She gave Jerry another warm smile, tucking a long piece of hair behind her ear.
"Do you know Bach?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:24 am
His heart constricted at that smile, and he glanced away, clearing his throat. A soft smile returned, though, at her question, "Do I know Bach. What sort of question is that? Ahahahaha. I was going to be a music teacher, you know."
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