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 Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 3:18 pm
The external mission...had been a failure? It was hard to think on what it actually was, they'd defeated the big bad in the end and no one came home worse for the wear, but for some reason Ofelia hadn't had it in her to think of it as a success. They'd gotten enough information for reports, she'd even filed hers as needed, and as soon as that was all done she went and took a shower, just like she said she would.
The water had been scalding, even against the protection of her shield, and she came out looking like a lobster as she got dressed. Usually she tied her jacket around her hips, wore clothing that showed off her body to immodest degrees, but instead she settled for a soft white button-up shirt and khaki pants, her jacket worn properly. It was like she was preparing for something, or maybe she just didn't feel like being herself, and as she walked towards the pod room for duty she finished brushing her hair out. It would stay down for now, the length nearly touching her thighs. Her hair had always been long, that's why she always wore it up in as many braids and buns as possible, so it was a shock even to her at the length it was now.
The room with the pods was empty as usual, save for those sleeping inside in their trial-driven comas, and the teen took a glance at the monitors before heading deeper in. She wanted to find her pod, the one she'd made a choice to join Deus in. She didn't want to go back into it nor did she want to destroy it - there was no anger or pity or self-loathing in her desire. It was more or less she wanted to remind herself of where she started on this island before she got the jacket on her shoulders.
Ducking through pods eventually had her finding the one she occupied. It was still open, she didn't believe they reused pods after all, and her hand ran over the screen that likely had displayed her vitals. This was where she started from, this is where she had a chance to end it. The inside of the pod didn't look comfortable for a waking person to be in and she touched the interior, her fingers pressing against areas. A sudden clink of metal on metal had her look down where the runic bracelet she wore had collided with the side.
She knocked her wrist again, and then again, creating an echoing of clinks and tinks among the sounds of machines.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:04 pm
Melvin would file his paperwork later, not in the mood to write a statement when he still felt annoyed. Doing any documentation while under the influence of emotions was not wise, and he instead went to take a shower. Preferring it boiling hot, he made sure to rinse and repeat often before he finished. Changing clothes, he switched to a dark-gray sweater, undershirt, and jeans before moving about his room. Not able to fall asleep, he went off to do what did relax him. Cleaning.
He decided to go work on the pod room again, a place he was slowly and systematically cleaning out. He had been wiping down pods, hosing the insides, and mopping the floors. It was a massive room, one that would take ages to clean, which left him with a constant distraction.
Taking some cleaning supplies, he went down the aisles and looked at the map he got from the techs before he went to the sector that he left off. Setting the bucket down, he reached in to find a wash cloth and windex when he heard the clink and clang of metal. Was....was something trying to get out?
Rising up, he started to quickly walk over to where he was hearing all the banging, stopping when he saw a mass of red hair hitting her hand (though with how many guys he saw with long hair he was a bit doubtful of pinning a gender) against the pod. "Hey! What are you doing?" He said, annoyed someone was making a commotion. This was a place to sleep, check vitals, clean, and maybe hum when you were alone and excited about a new mop you found. Not banging metal like some garage band.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:13 pm
Ofelia startled at the sound of the voice calling out to her and she pulled her hands instinctively up. It was though she was ready to summon Rue at any time just in case it was needed but when she looked around and saw nothing she needed to fear her hands went back down. She hadn't turned enough to see it was Melvin calling to her, not yet at least, and her fingers traced over the edges of her pod one more time before she finally turned. Her eye had been cast down as she started walking, no real need to look up since whomever was in there probably hadn't been talking to her, but when she happened to glance up to make sure she knew where she was going her gaze landed on Melvin.
For a brief second there was a look of terror on her face before it shook itself away and was replaced with....nothing. Her expression was blank. That was a complete surprise for the teen who always wore her emotions on her (figurative) sleeves and face and instead of stopping her path she just moved right pass him. There wasn't anything she needed to say, she didn't want to see him right then and there. Melvin hated her and thought she was useless so in the end their friendship had been all in her mind after. It was typical he'd find her here wanting to say goodbye to things; he seemed to have a talent for finding her at her lowest and just rubbing his self-satisfaction in her face.
Of course that didn't mean she wasn't going to say anything at all. "Make sure ta get yer report in b'for the day's done. They check logs at night." She had her back to him and since he couldn't see she raised her hands to her chest and clasped them together. There would be no begging, nothing. She didn't want to speak.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:19 pm
He'd been right to see that it was a girl, but it took him a moment to place that it was Ofelia. In the dim, runic light, the blue glow made it hard to see that the long hair, casual clothing, had been the girl he had been on a mission earlier that day. The fact she was here alone, without a tech clipboard to document vitals, meant she was here for other reasons.
His eyes went to the open pod, and he wondered if she had been ordered or was considering podding herself. It wasn't something he thought any sane person would want to do, but considering Ofelia, her history, recent mission, and the girl's age, something that rash seemed very possible.
When the teenager past, he reached out, but didn't touch her. No. That wasn't his style at all, and he simple turned to watch her move. "What were you doing here, Ofelia? Thinking of podding yourself?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:45 pm
"No." The reply came quickly and evenly. There was no bite in her tone or anything else. "Ah'd be a drain of resources inside a pod." Was it something she'd looked into, how much it cost to keep a person alive inside the pod? She hadn't at all but she could assume the cost for space and power. The people inside were kept alive somehow, even the ones that Deus were just going to 'let go' after a while, and there were many names with entry dates on them that went back into her early childhood years. Those pods were still occupied with people sleeping, forever in their trials.
She wondered if in the process of her own she'd killed them once or twice. How lucky for them to get to stay sleeping because she wanted to come out on top. Ofelia's awakening into the reality of Deus - had it made her a winner or a loser after all? The redhead bit her lip to prevent herself from asking anything else, from saying anything else. Her hands just stayed up, one finger idly moving down enough to slip under the band of the bracelet she wore.
"There's no need ta pod mahself when this bracelet will get rid of me much cheaper." Her hand moved out and her sleeve rolled down to show Melvin the fruit of her worries about others. She didn't know if he'd seen it - the crowd he hung out with mostly recently were the types who gave little to no ******** about others - and it was funny that she came to notice that. Melvin may have voice objections in the meeting but he wouldn't be the one to wear a bracelet.MoonKitsune Sorry for delay am on phone with mom...who keeps talking...and talking
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:05 pm
He had little idea what the bracelet did, but it was clear it was not something she had on before, and if it got rid of people, he had to wonder why and how it was on her.
Moving over to stand by the arm with the bracelet, he looked at it and back at her. "This bracelet? What do you mean?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:47 pm
"This is my prize fer bein' a decent human bein' an' followin' orders." Ofelia just kept her arm up so Melvin could get a better look. It was the typical runic tech type, blue and gray and horribly tacky, but there was something that buzzed about it that made it so very clear the bracelet was far more than just a fashion accessory. "That is ta say - Ah ******** up an' they detonate it. Ah won't be like yer bestie Rin, makin' it out wit' only one arm an' friends at mah side." She shook her head and grinned, bitterly. "Chances are all yer gonna find'a me afterward will be an arm." The pictures had shown that very clear and even know they lingered at the back of her mind.
She cleared her throat and lowered her arm, placing one hand on the bracelet. Worrying it wouldn't set it off, it wasn't like she was trying to tug on it, so her fingers simple rotated it round and round her wrist. "So ta answer yer question again - no, Ah'm not tryin' ta pod mahself. All Ah gotta do is continue ta be me an' Ah'll be blown up b'for Ah know it." The same bitter grin lingered on her lips. "Don't worry though, Ah'll try not ta be near anythin' so Ah won' get it dirty in the process."
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:19 pm
"I don't think they give you a bracelet to kill you off if it is sure to do that no matter what you do. If they wanted you dead, they would have shoved you through that portal Caelius made during the meeting." Still, it was clearly runic technology, and the Lifer in him wanted to poke and prod the bracelet and examine it to see how it worked. He wasn't in the runic department, but he'd been reading up.
"You have the worst opinion of yourself. If it's not thinking everyone hates you, it's the fact you hate yourself. Do you even have a kernel of self worth in you?" He asked, standing up from slightly bending to see the bracelet, looking at her. She was dressed differently, and he wondered what had sparked that change.
"Do you honestly think any of us want to see you die?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:28 pm
"Ya could care less if Ah died." Ofelia looked Melvin dead in the face as she spoke. Her fingers continued to spin the bracelet around her wrist to the point it was rubbing a red mark. "Ya an' yer little group, s'all only matters what gets ya whatcha need an' that's it. Would any'a ya stood up fer me back there an' died in mah place? Hell no, Ah'm not worth it ta ya." She raised her hand, as if to stop him from speaking should he get an idea that his opinion should be inserted right as she spoke.
"Ah've been watchin' people since we talked, watchin' 'em ta learn more 'bout 'em an yanno what? Ya could care less 'bout me so long as Ah save yer skin in the process." It didn't matter that she'd realized her mistake and come back for him, or called for his help because she didn't want them to be separated on the mission after all. It didn't matter that she tried to make up for it, brought everyone back. "Ah'm not a person in yer eyes, Ah'm a walkin' meat shield, so don't ya dare talk ta me 'bout knowin' mah own self-worth."
Her fingers were raised and pressed against the bridge of her nose as she closed both eyes. Today she wasn't wearing an eye patch, perhaps she didn't think to put it back on after the shower, and she simply kept the pressure there as she spoke once more. "There's a peckin' order on this island, an 'us an' them' if ya were an' Ah'm not part'a it." Was she speaking now out of childish anger or jealousy? Ofelia wasn't the type to get jealous, at least not in a way she'd admit to herself, yet here she was spouting off about the groups on the Island and how they interacted with one another. Being a neutral party was fine, she could come and go as she pleased, but there was always a want to be part of a group.
On an island where all you had was one another, being alone was a fate no one deserved.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:39 pm
Melvin all but glared at her, not liking that little gesture to silence him just when his mouth opened to stop her right there, but he clammed up only so far to let her go.
"You finished?"
She seemed so, though he wasn't going to let her continue.
"You have a real ******** view of the people here, and I know people are assholes here, but I just came to this island, and I've only been here a few months. Now I don't know what ever gave you the impression I wanted people dead, but you clearly weren't paying attention." He stepped closer, glaring at her, his eyes as bright blue as the runics that glowed around them.
"You're young, and that is a real s**t place to be in when you are here, but don't ever assume that wanting to be safe somehow means I want everyone on this island to die. It makes sense people go in groups to stay safe. Even animals as dumb as chickens know this, but that's not a bad thing. It's why we have teams after all, and if I was relying on everyone to save my a**, then I wouldn't be training and sparring with everyone else. I'd be sitting on my a** and hugging every damn person on this island to get on their good side."
He stayed firm where he was. "I don't spend hours clocking in duty work in the Infirmary, changing bandages and beds in hopes that those people die, because without those people, without everyone on this island, we all die. Groups aren't bad, and being in one doesn't mean I want other people to die. Everyone else on this island might be fine and dandy with the idea of getting killed, but I like to live and I think everyone else does too in the end. Even you." He pointed at the bracelet.
"If you are thinking of us and them on the island other than Hunters and Halloweeners, then you really need to get some things straight, and don't you EVER think you have some sort of opinion on me. It's just insulting." No one knew what he thought and he didn't like people analyzing him either. They knew s**t, and some teenage girl didn't have know him at all. He never even told her anything worthwhile.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:05 pm
Her fingers were still on the bridge of her nose though she'd opened her good eye to look at him during the course of his little monologue. Ofelia didn't say anything, didn't even really move like she was going to say anything. Instead she just listened as her breathing remained steady and calm; when Melvin was finally done speaking his own little spew-vent she lowered her hands back down before crossing her arms over her stomach. She didn't know what to say partly because he was angry at her and she wasn't sure what would set him off. It was a far cry from being speechless since she preferred to think of it as self-preservation. The last time she'd tried to tell someone what she thought about them she was saved by a table and a black man. Here, in the pod room, she had neither of those to save her if Melvin decided to get violent. Granted she was a of a higher rank, granted she was stronger in both weapon and shield, but being attacked by yet another hunter would leave a far more bitter taste in her mouth.
"It happened again, huh. Always one-sided ta the bitter end." She spoke eventually and kept looking at Melvin despite the closeness his movement towards her had given. She made no attempts to move away, to push him aside. Instead Ofelia kept looking in his eyes with her own single as if it were a challenge. Arguments with the teen were pointless, Melvin might as well turn himself into a girl if he expected her to apologize and back down, so all she could do now was stand her spot and burn another bridge.
It was no wonder she liked fire with as many relationships she was destroying. Part of her wanted to slap the s**t out of him, to let him know that if she wasn't allowed to talk that way to him he sure as hell wasn't allowed to talk that way to her. Another part of her wanted to cry out of frustration because she was pretty much powerless against him and everyone else. This wasn't something she could deny, could put behind her and move along. The bracelet that had rubbed a raw sore on her wrist was there because she wanted to make friends and was unable.
Had she stepped up to save Wilson's life because it looked good, was that the only reason? A voice in the back of her head said yes - she could save all the people in the world and no one would still want to be with her. She was annoying and useless, she had no purpose in life other than to be a meat shield for someone. Her life and death would come on the battlefield, far away from others, and her corpse would rot on the ground before it ever saw home. Ofelia wasn't sure if that voice was her own or Rue's. They were sounding too familiar as of late.
A sigh escaped her lips after she spoke during the pause, and finally she did move her hand to rub the back of her neck. "Ah guess Ah need ta learn ta stop doin' that." The bitter grin she'd worn when talking about the bracelet made its return.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:23 pm
"You have to stop doing a lot of things." He told her, before stepping back and looking around. It was quiet here, private, and the cool blue lights gave a calming effect. There was also the hum of machinery and monitors, all of which made a nice background noise. This would work well enough.
"What do you want out of life, Ofelia? You seem ready to just throw yourself into danger like the other Suns, but you really don't have that cocky idea of being invincible." In fact, she seemed openly fragile. "You have a s**t life before this, but I don't think you wanted this as your escape only to hate it as much as before."
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:29 pm
"Ah don't know what Ah want." She sort of spat out the words just as quickly as the question had been asked. It was in the same vein as saying she wasn't there to pod herself, she didn't even need to think about it, and for a flicker of a moment after she spoke her face seemed more childlike and terrified than usual. "Ah'm not ready ta die, if that's what yer askin' - Ah jus' haven't really found anythin' worth livin' fer." Why did she always admit these things to Melvin? He could be using it all against her for a future plan, a way to tear her down in vulnerable moments. He still did have her life in his hands over the report on the mission, even if he was unaware, though to an extent Jake did as well. Ofelia didn't fear Jake in the slightest, he was nothing more than something she could abuse to pass her time.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:37 pm
"That's your problem. You don't know what you want so you have no goals. No goals mean you have nothing to work towards, to strive for. Without that, then you really are just waiting around for death." He went over, looking around before seeing a monitor to a empty pod before patting it for her to sit. When he noticed some dust on his glove, he went over to his pod, got the washcloth he had, and wiped the monitor down before patting it again. It was clean now.
"Your a young woman. I'm sure there are things you want in life. Isn't there any job here that you might be interested in doing or even just a vague thing you always hoped to do?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:52 pm
No goals? Probably. The redhead had never really planned anything, never really tried to think ahead. Thinking ahead never ended well for her, it always ended her in places worse than before, so acting spur on the moment was what she did best.
However. Ofelia's cheeks turned red at the mention of something she'd wanted to do. There was always a dream she had growing up, one that she still sort of had now, and the clearly embarrassed blush on her face indicated that whatever it was was something important to her. "....no...nothin' really." That was a complete and total lie.
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