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 Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:32 pm
It had been a busy place, lately. The infirmary had seen hunters coming in, but not many going out. Not only were missions getting more dangerous, Hunters were waking up out of pods and moving to recovery, and the line of people trained to help them was running thin again. The private rooms were all in use, and the public ward was buzzing with patients and visitors alike. It was noisy, and complicated to maneuver, especially when a new patient was being brought in. "Move, please." One of the doctors cleared the way to let the gurney through, as they rolled an unconscious body in and picked her up to place her on an operating table. There wasn't time, or room, to get her into surgery. They dumped her on one of the open tables in the ward, and pulled the curtains harshly around her, before several doctors and nurses went to work on a bruised, stabbed, and badly burned body there on the floor. The sound of rushed surgery, coupled with the hum of runic devices being over-used past their capacity, filled the air for a couple of hours. When it all went quiet, the standard machines for monitoring life signs began to beep in inconsistency with all of the other ones that were in use for other patients. It was a mangled chorus of beeps. The doctors filed out of the area, one by one, and the nurses took over. The curtain was pulled away, leaving a very blanched and unconscious looking little girl laying on the blood soaked bed. They carefully moved her to a new bed, changed what they could to keep her clean, and they even brushed her hair to keep it back out of her face. Then, eventually, they left her alone too. She just needed time to recover. One of the nurses, the giant Life Hunter who always looked out of place beside the others, picked up her chart and read it carefully by squinting through his glasses as if it was hard to see. He wrote down some notes, which took him far longer than it should have, and then put the chart away. He pulled off the bloody gloves, and ripped the mask off of his face. Immediately, he moved over to Shiloh - it wasn't his jurisdiction, but no one was going to tell Robert he couldn't check up on his friend. There, as usual, he found Shiloh had company. So instead of interrupting, he picked up Shiloh's chart to check on his progress, and smiled. Damn right he was going to live. Damn right.Robert gave the man with him a quick nudge of his chin, and then moved on to continue working.
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:50 pm
Everything was a complete and utter mess, which was the very last thing that Alistaire had wanted to walk into upon coming to Deus Ex Machina. He supposed, rationally, that every place had its flaws, that there were bound to be times when the militaristic structure he had expected to find was somewhat shifted by the goings-on of the place.
He had also, most unfortunately, expected Ian to contribute to this terrible mud pile of confusion, and that had only proved to be true so far. Not that Ian was saying much at all, considering his attempts to avoid his brother, but Alistaire knew Ian too well and too strongly.
The infirmary was not quite where he expected to find him, but from what Alistaire had surmised, Ian frequented the place to visit someone, so he took his chances and went to see.
The bed by which he found said brother was one that held a young girl, perhaps a year or so younger than himself, her hair a pale blonde that melted into pink at the ends. Alistaire gave her a slightly curious look before he turned to Ian, who had not yet said anything.
"Fancy meeting you here."
There was a long pause in which neither spoke, and then Ian sighed.
"I'd really rather you not be here."nio love idk what this tag is lies on floor
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Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 12:09 am
The first time Maebe opened her eyes after the surgery, she did not expect to see the faces in front of her. She didn't really expect to see anyone at all, but it was nice to know she wasn't that easily killed off. A flush of victory thrilled through what little of her body she could feel. Everything from the neck down was missing. The victory was fleeting when she briefly wondered if she was just a bodiless person now, and all sorts of horrible sci-fi scenarios jumped up into her drug riddled mind. She bent her head just enough to look down - no, the shape of a body was under those covers. Her head dropped back down and she breathed out a sigh of relief. Then it was time to deal with her visitors. Ian, and .. another Ian? Were the drugs making her hallucinate? She briefly stared at Alistaire for a few moments, before turning her eyes to Ian. She still didn't know about Shiloh, and assumed he was there to make sure she didn't die, too. Just another person she hadn't counted on to care, but should have. "Sorry, sweetheart." She hissed out in a scratchy breath.
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Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:21 pm
Alistaire at least knew Ian well enough to know that this girl, whoever she was, was probably not his girlfriend either. Ian did not do girlfriends, not really, and the mistaken identity with Nevada had been an oversight on Alistaire's part, a lapse in judgement. It annoyed him, his own faults, but now was not the time to dwell on such things.
Ian was reaching out a hand, gently touching Maebe's hand. "What happened?" he asked, ignoring his brother's presence in favor of the more pressing topic of Maebe winding up in the infirmary too. When would people he cared about stop getting themselves hurt? "Please tell me you didn't actually try to make good on that promise of getting back at you know who."
Alistaire's eyes had flickered slightly at this last part, but still he said nothing, and just stood there, gloved hands in the pockets of a pair of fancy black slacks.
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Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:27 pm
Maebe's weak chuckle bubbled out of a dry throat, and she shook her head. She couldn't feel his hand touching hers, but she could see it, and it was appreciated. "Just a mission. Dangers of the job." She flickered a very expressive glance up at him, her eyes glowing with something that wasn't there before. "Ian?" He'd been there to see her curl up into the darkness, and been the one to watch her heart turn cold. He was probably the only person who would understand just how important her next words were. "I'm really glad I made it out of there alive." Her glance flickered to his silent friend, who, despite not wanting to assume, had to be his brother. That, or a really good doppleganger - even though he had his own distinctive differences. "Is this your brother?" She asked, trying not to be rude (for the first time ever.) "Not the best time to meet somebody new," Nor was she ever actually in the mood for meeting new people - this was a rare moment in her life. "But hi. I'm Maebe." Maebe, being social? Those drugs were good.
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Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:54 pm
Some of the tension eased from Ian's shoulders upon hearing that it had not, in fact, been an act of vengeance against the ones who'd hurt Shiloh. But the fact remained that Maebe was still here, in this hospital bed, looking so much more worse for the wear than he cared her to be.
His expression softened a little, and Ian squeezed her fingers gently. "Me too, babe, me too," Ian said quietly, understanding just the right amount of weight that was resting upon that simple phrase, on a few simple words. Beside him, Alistaire shifted his feet; the only indication that he was even present, let alone listening.
The question caught him off guard, though Ian could hardly say he hadn't expected it. He passed a sidelong glance at the taller of the two of them, and said, a little warily, "This is Alistaire. Alistaire, this is Maebe."
The only response from his brother was one arched eyebrow, Alistaire considering Maebe with a certain amount of curiosity. After a long moment of awkward silence, he said, almost musingly, "I doubt she's one of your dalliances - she seems rather young for you, at any rate - but still."
He shrugged his shoulders, a smirk on his lips. "I suppose she's pretty enough anyway."
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Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 4:11 pm
"Hey. Buddy." Maebe's head turned just enough to be mostly facing Alistaire, and heavily lidded eyes settled on him. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to speak about someone as if they weren't there? If you're going to try and guess my level of intimacy with Ian, talk to me. I'm awake." Her brow furrowed slightly in doubt. "I am awake.. right?" She'd never met Alistaire. Was she just dreaming that Ian had a brother and she was meeting him? She legitimately had no way of telling whether she was really seeing this in front of her or not. She continued to treat it as if it was real, despite that moment of consideration. "I can't feel the rest of my body. Did I lose anything? Since the only thing that matters here is my age and whether I would get good scores on hot or not." kurotomato im like lucid idk what im writing help
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:16 pm
Alistaire seemed unperturbed by Maebe's snippy reply; in fact, there was an almost amused smile on his face as he turned his head to regard her. "My mistake, of course," he said coolly. "You are indeed awake; an astute observation, if there ever was one."
The last part was said with clear sarcasm, positively dripping with it. Ian shot his brother a look before looking back at Maebe. "You're awake," he reassured her, and took her hand, disregarding Alistaire's subtle shift of his feet closer. "And you still have everything," Ian added, with a glance down at her covered legs and then back to her face. He squeezed her fingers. "You're still hot, don't worry."
"Or not," said Alistaire blithely, earning him a sharp scowl from Ian.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:26 am
She'd never seen Ian scowl like that. It was cute. Clearly, his brother had a way of needling into him that Maebe appreciated - if only because it was just that kind of tender loving care she approached people with. But not Ian. Ian deserved a little less bite, and a little more headpats. He had to stay in good spirits to keep Shiloh happy, after all. But she barked with laughter when Alistaire laid down what could have been an insult, if it was true. (Which it wasn't.) She grinned up at Ian, and then winced as the pain of that laughter's movement settled in. "Don't stress, Ian." She hissed out through clenched teeth, as she forced calming breaths through it. "He's just bitter that you're the cute one, and he's not. You can't blame him. I would be bitter if I had a prettier sister, but let's face it." The hissing had stopped, and she looked at peace once more. "That's not possible."
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 9:10 pm
Alistaire had lowered his standards long enough to roll his eyes. "If that were true, it'd be laughable, rather than an insult. As it is, your attempts are merely grounded in idiocy; the attempts at turning the conversation around to focus on my negatives are rather pathetic, but thanks for trying."
It was always like him, Ian thought, as he cast a sideways glance at his brother, his expression mutinous. Alistaire's words were precise, each one carefully enunciated, the rhythm and cadence absolutely controlled. He had a way of speaking that left little room for arguing and always had, at least in their home.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" he snapped. "Go away."
He turned back to Maebe, forced a smile, and squeezed her hand, an apology in his eyes, though he knew she was fully capable of taking care of herself (though maybe a little less so, considering her current state).
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:04 pm
"Mmm." Maebe hummed, her dry lips vibrating with the sound. "So that's a yes, then. Poor thing. Ian, you should give him a hug. He looks like he needs a hug." Her eyes fluttered closed, and her eyebrows pinched together for a minute. "Alistaire." She breathed out his name once she remembered it. There was but one thing that she knew, more than anyone, would be sure to annoy someone that bratty. "I think I'll call you Prince Ali." She announced, as if it was an important decision once made. "Because you're all dressed up with your fancy words and indignant attitude, but deep down inside you're just a scared little poor boy." Her lips hurt when they grinned as hard as they did. She spoke the next words with complete deadpan, despite how big she smiled. "Prince Ali, bitchy is he, Ali of Deus."
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:13 pm
"I don't do 'hugs'," said Alistaire, in a tone of voice that implied if one tried, they were likely to get their fingers broken. "Not everyone is as touchy feely as my little brother here."
Ian's face had flushed, though Alistaire had hardly noticed this. Instead he was focused solely on the girl in the bed, studying her as though she were some sort of specimen beneath a microscope. Relationships had always fascinated him, to a degree; Ian and Maebe's was not romantic, but it was deep, and that interested him.
The interest, however, waned the moment Prince Ali escaped Maebe's cracked lips.
A look, not of irritation, but of anger, flashed across Alistaire's face, of a dark and deep-rooted fury that was surprisingly sudden for such an apparently trivial. It passed quickly, however, the calm facade instantly back in place. His lips curved into a disdainful smirk.
"Your attempts at insults," he said, "are childish and pitiful. I don't get 'scared,' my dear."
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:18 pm
"Insults?" Maebe opened her eyes, and leveled him with a satisfied gaze. "Who said I was insulting you? I don't remember any of that being an insult. In fact, the only people getting insulted here are poor people." Her head slowly moved from side to side, as she tried to shake away the fuzziness in her brain. She was at a severe disadvantage, talking to him like this. She couldn't snap back at him with full capacity. All she could manage were half-hearted teases and silly nicknames. "Gee, Ian. You'd think your brother would be happier that someone just called him a prince." The name would stick. Forever, if Maebe or Alistaire lived long enough for that particular word to mean anything. She hummed the song itself under her breath, her eyes very keenly focused on Alistaire as she did it. He was her favorite kind of person to annoy. Ian was so generous, bringing such a fine playmate into her life.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 10:50 pm
The latter part of Alistaire's sentence was, at the very least, entirely true. He did not get scared, and it took a great deal to rankle his nerves; one of the very few traits he shared with his brother Ian, though on different levels.
" 'Poor,' " said Alistaire, giving Maebe a very deliberate once-over, lips curling upwards in a cruel sneer, "is a very interesting choice of words, considering your current state, my dear; though I'd also settle for pathetic."
Ian's fingers had tightened ever so slightly around Maebe's. "Have you seen Shiloh yet?" he asked, in a rather obvious attempt at changing the subject. "He's feeling a bit better today, I think, so..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:50 pm
"So." Maebe whispered. "You just agreed with me, that you're poor, and/or pathetic - your words, not mine - if only to make the point that I am also poor and pathetic at the moment? Gosh, I'm hurt down to the core. Oh, wait, I can't actually feel my core, because I've been brutally injured. But gee, calling me poor and pathetic at a time like this, I don't know how I'm going to manage the defeating insult." Maebe actually felt a lot better, after talking to Alistaire. She was enjoying every moment - maybe she should ask for him to be transferred over as her private nurse. She could already tell that bothering him was going to give her stamina to recover faster. Ian pulled her attention back to him with the squeeze of his fingers, and she let out a soft chuckle when he asked her if she'd seen Shiloh. She had, actually. Or at least, she'd seen his ghost at work. She assumed for the moment that that was what Ian meant, and nodded her head silently. Then she realized Ian wouldn't have discussed Shiloh so easily, nor would he have said that he's feeling better, if he was still dead. So the nodding stopped. She opened her eyes and turned her head as much as she could, staring with lucid disbelief at the man holding her hand. "Say what now?"
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