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 Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:23 pm
Dreams had become Minerva's reality. Days had turned to weeks, weeks to months, and while the facility continued their endless cycle of tragedy, 'move forward', tragedy, 'move forward'; the young woman remained behind, locked away and left to her own minds wandering. It felt strange to walk on her feet, her actual feet, and to flex her hands free of those infamous pins and needles. Even her voice had an unfamiliar ring to it, despite the strain of having not said a word for quite some time-- it was different. Everything felt different, even as it all seemed to look the same.
She had forgotten just how terrible the podding process had been... Why had she been put to it again?...
The only immediate comfort she would find would be in another's voice, as the sickles she reached for and gripped firmly cooed and demanded to never be left alone again. It was Blythe's signature move, the guilt trip and the smothering... it was typical, but in that it was the same. And in this familiarity she found strength to leave the questions for later, and to instead 'move forward.'
Much had changed since the last Minerva stepped foot into the facility. While the stress of catching up would keep her up at night, the trainee figured she had spent enough time sleeping and would put her mind to work immediately. The first step would be to shower, because she smelled awful. Then she would gather her bearings briefly, before venturing out to seek information. What exactly had been going on at Deus? It was time she found out.
And what better a way than to hit the hallways, toward the labs, and either stop passerby's on the way or simply assault someone with a million questions upon arrival.
Either way. Either way was fine.
Ol-j-man Please excuse the rust. ty
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 7:47 am
This place was...large.
Jack was naturally put off by the lack of electronics (and the fact that neither his DS nor PSP was working) and had taken to wandering. The uniform he had found in his dorm, while stylish, was far too hot to wear this afternoon--but he fell to his usual standbys of at least a nice buttoned shirt and rolled up his sleeves, because he so disliked leaving a disheveled or sweaty first impression even in passing.
He was classy, and a power outage was not going to deter him.
Having been given quite a few information packets to pour over to get him up to speed, Jack had been heading with them under arm towards the labs to review (one of the few places that still felt remotely cool at Deus) when he spotted someone else who appeared to be on the same path. Someone with...quite a lot of hair; it looked like a short walking curtain of curls practically from his perspective.
Perhaps a shortcut to reading this collaborative textbook of details.
He cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Do you have a minute?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:13 am
Although actively searching the halls for life, she was considerably distracted by the thoughts in her own head. The question she wanted to ask needed to be perfect--flawless, with no holes for anyone to slip through, and with no chance of a misunderstanding. She needed accurate information, and preferred it didn't take too much searching around to gather all the pieces together. So, needless to say, the voice took Minerva by surprise.
"OH!" She squeaked, spinning her tussled curls about in surprise. Wide, hazel eyes met with the torso of a strange giant, and immediately after whirling to face him did she have to tilt her head back some to read his face.
Unfamiliar. "Oh... wow, sorry." The woman expelled a strong breath, releasing some of the tension in her chest. She laughed nervously, before continuing. "Um, I'm kind of in a rush but..." Perhaps he knew something she didn't. After all, it had been quite some time since the last Minerva walked Deus' halls. For all she knew, he could be an intermediate. "Yeah. We might be able to help each other. What's up?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:32 am
Ah...a squirrel, this one. Jack slightly raised a brow at her jump but flashed a smile once she turned around. "Beg pardon, then," he answered. "I was on my way to the labs to read this...starter's guide." He patted the stack of papers under his arm. "But if there is a way to cut the reading time short, I would be most obliged. There appears to be quite the volume of history here! However, if you are on your way to someplace important--"
He stopped himself, then chuckled. "Ah, where are my manners? Jack Hawthorn, new addition to the Life division." He offered his hand to shake.
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 9:12 am
She stared, listened, and subconsciously her foot began to tap the longer he went on. Minerva was not often rude. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had openly been the sort, but... "Ahhh, the guide." Perhaps it was the heat of the facility, now that she was out and in hurry, that made her appear more on edge than usual. Or perhaps it was just her eagerness to be filled in...
Either way...
A trainee! How disappointing! But instead of hurriedly dismissing him, Minnie decided to stay a few moments longer. Perhaps he might know something. Anything. Plus she was rather lacking in the social department, before and now. She took his hand and shook it firmly, feeling the full effect of their height differential then, before stating. "Minerva Di Paola, Death division. Unfortunately I'm also a trainee here and..." She paused, only to decide it best not to let him know she had been repodded. "Some of the other hunters would be of more help to you in all honesty. And... I think you'd get more out of that manual then asking me anyhow."
"But hey, while I have you... how new are you? I mean... Anything strange been going on around here?" She tilted her head and leaned in a bit, before falling back on her heels. "I hope that's not rude of me to ask. I'm just... looking for some information. Anything would help."
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 10:42 am
Jack couldn't help but notice it. Tap tap tap tap. A small but frequent little noise that made his temper rise and his smile curve wider with it. A Death trainee with no extra information leeching off him along with an irritating impatience?
Useless.
"Not rude of you at all," he said pleasantly, though Jack was already beginning to move past her. "However I am very...fresh from awakening and have little information myself. I can warn you that the power is out in the dorms, so...please do make use of those showers. Preferably as soon as you can rather than later."
She smelled awful, and he did not need that lingering on his clothes.
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:06 am
Hey. Hey. What happened to the pleasantness? The GENUINE pleasantness? What was this sarcastic tone he had taken on? She was trying to be cordial here. Trying not to be rude...
But boy was he making things difficult.
Her eyes rolled to the ceiling as if that would give her some sort of confirmation to Jack's claim, before they fell to the green haired man and narrowed. Minerva was flustered, her cheeks already red from the heat and the quick pace she had kept up on her route to the labs; but now, on top of all that she was embarrassed. And she was kind of angry.
She did not stink.
Minerva took a step toward Jack as he moved past her, sneaking a not-so-subtle whiff of her pits before crossing her arms. Okay, maybe a little. "Might want to consider one yourself. You've... you've got something green on your head." She spoke feverishly, but was immediately silenced from the guilt of having said anything at all. Now the trainee was even more embarrassed for having let her italian temperament get the best of her.
Having wasted enough time, and having made herself look foolish enough, the woman shook her curls and had to take several strides in order to pass Jack. Because she couldn't have him thinking she might be following him. "If you'll excuse me, I don't have time to dawdle... I've got work to do."
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:18 am
"'Green on my head'. Well well, I didn't know you could see that from down there!"
Still smiling. Even chuckling a bit since it was funny to him.
Lazily he let Minerva pass on ahead before letting his legs take their full stride at a casual pace, catlike smugness oozing off him as he kept up. "What work would that be?" Jack asked, because this was, after all, a friendly conversation they were having. "I imagine nothing particularly strenuous, given your free and tangled mane."
But oh, he liked his women with long hair.
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:23 pm
"Of course I'm--" Minerva glanced his way, only to really cast a look at his shoes, before breathing strongly through her nose. She was curt in her response, it was hot and she was beginning to feel sticky from the rush of adrenaline, and had become rather choosy about which of his varying comments she'd humor. "Research. The details are boring." And rather lacking, in truth.
Now it was her hair? Jack Hawthorne was beginning to be a name worthy of avoidance.
Her arms, once swaying freely at her sides, were bent in the power walk she had started up in. Jack kept up effortlessly, unusually frustrating for the girl, and as she blew away a fallen curl from her face she turned again and asked pointedly, "I'm certain you'll need to get on with your reading, then? There's a lot of history, after all." Hazel eyes fell to the stack of papers again, before being turned straight ahead of them.
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:41 pm
"Research? Why, that is only boring to the laymen's mind~"
(( Someone said research? Oh, what sort of research? Do ask her, good fellow! ))
Jack continued his casual ambling pace, visibly unperturbed by her growing agitation. "I can get to that in good time," he shrugged off with a blithe little smile. "You've interested me. What work does Death do?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:08 pm
Despite the irritability, Minerva blushed. She couldn't help it. "I... Well.. Okay." What a strange thing to say to someone. She couldn't remember the last time she had 'interested' anyone...and at first it seemed to flatter the trainee. Then, she quickly brushed it off with a roll of her eyes.
Slightly winded, the woman slowed at a junction in the halls, taking a moment to familiarize herself with the layout again. She wasn't lost... Nope.
"Th--We do the preliminary research of upcoming missions. We're also expected to know the on-going's of Halloween Town." Among other things. Minnie didn't want to think that due to his division, they might be working closely at some point or another. The way things were going currently, Minerva hoped she wouldn't be stuck in the lab with him any time soon. Taking off at a much slower pace again, the woman continued with an afterthought of,
"I'm just looking to get caught up is all."
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Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:08 pm
A blush and a stumble, hmm? There we go.
Jack adjusted his gait appropriately, clearly amused with their progress. The guide would give him information, yes, but it was always good to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. "Ahhh, so it sounds as though our divisions work closely together then," he observed. "Excellent! I look forward to the day I can send you on your little intel missions for me~"
He seemed to be ignoring the hint to go away. This was getting to be a little fun!
"Now tell me, what do you know about this Halloween Town?" he asked, hounding her in every manner. "Or are you wet behind the ears there as well?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 9:47 am
She huffed, rolled her eyes again, but this time a tiny smirk turned the ends of her lips and filled out her cheeks. While she knew very little of the man who stood before her, what she thought was becoming increasingly clear was that Jack, similar to others she had met in her past, would probably never remember her name after all was said and done. Her face would be one he'd recall, but would probably dismiss as one of his previous 'lays'. Or... something like that. A brown haired girl in the mix of a dozen brown haired girls.
Believing that this fellow might forget about her, particularly when he fills a more serious role within his division, made it just a little bit easier to shrug every word he said off...
<...Minnie, Minnie, Minnie, Minnie.> Blythe suddenly began to chant desperately. At first, the trainee simply 'hushed' the voice, but it would have none of that in the end.
Yes? The thought was heated, and Blythe's reply seemed hurt.
<...Minnie it's been so long since we last talked, why are you bothering with this goober.>
Trust me, he'll be gone soon enough. Probably won't see him again after thi--
"Or are you wet behind the ears there as well?"
"Hmm?" Had she heard that right? What was he saying, now? ... when the phrase finally clicked Minerva stopped in her tracks and turned with her arms crossed beneath her chest. So much for water over her shoulder. "Look, I'm probably not the girl you want to see right now. I'm in the process of reacclimatizing myself within the facility again." As she spoke, it was clear that an unpleasant blend of nerves and heat were getting the best of her. Still. Who she was outside of this tense, frazzled woman Jack wouldn't know... but might someday find out. Hazel eyes narrowed again.
"... But for your information, I know enough."
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:29 am
"Oh, you aren't?" Now she was. Wasn't this fun?
Jack stopped along with her, eyeing Minerva with another studious look. "How about this, Cousin Itt?" he said (after all, she looked like a short mass of hair walking around). "We have weapons, yes? And I can see the weather is getting to you. Why not a friendly spar to get some of that pent up energy?"
A little something to reel her back in.
"You could tell me what you know then and get some practice in."
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:56 am
She couldn't exactly help the pout that followed. The wrinkle of her forehead, the knit of her brows. For a moment she seemed to be in some sort of disbelief. As if he aimed to play a trick on her of some sort...
Blythe groaned, but most of what the Zombie said went unheard... because... well...
Minerva really needed to punch something right now. And if Jack was willing to be that something, then she certainly would consider it. The longer she stared up at the other trainee, the more she fancied the idea.
Until at last she unraveled her arms and let her fists fall to each side. Her curls quivered in a firm nod.
Yes. A spar. The half 'informative' part of it went over her head (as most things could /shortjoke) but would be no less honored. Once, of course, she was able to get a few good hits in on him. (because suddenly Minerva was feeling confident)
She said nothing more. Only marched her way down the halls in a new direction. Her studies would just have to wait. Something a bit more primal seemed to take precedence for now.
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