She--he couldn't keep calling her that in his head. 'She' needed a name. 'She' also needed to eat something. Youma pieces or not, she was still human enough that she had that necessity.
It had been strangely difficult to leave her to get food; even with the promise that he would return swiftly, he hadn't wanted to leave her alone.
He was only gone for a few minutes, but when he'd returned to her he'd brought a bag of warm food. He'd gotten too much but it didn't matter; if he could give her any small comfort, he would have.
"I'm back," he announced when he approached her again; he seemed like he was paying attention not to spook her. Not that she probably didn't pick up on his energy signature but he was trying to prevent this from being as nerve-wracking as possible. He reached her and sat down carefully, moving the back in front of him. "I got a few different things," he said as he began to unpack.
Fish and Chips. A cheeseburger. Chicken sandwich. Fried pickles. Mozzarella sticks. He hadn't gone wild with the drinks, just two bottles of water.
Lopezite wasn't a picky eater so he insisted she pick first. He was gentle, patient, and offered her a small smile as he waited. "Are you sure you aren't cold? I can grab you a blanket or something, it'll only take a second."
~~~
In truth, Marisa wasn’t entirely sure if her body had somehow immediately acclimated to the cold temperatures or if her body was, to some degree, still in shock. Either way, despite her blue-tinted skin the weather really didn’t phase her the way she assumed it should.
“Thank you, I’m fine though.” She commented. Although her tears had long since dried up, there was still a sad undertone to her words. “We don’t need to eat out here. We can take this inside, there’s no one else in the house. It was just me, trying to get away for a few days.”
Marisa helped the Captain pick up the food he had brought; in her hands were the fish and chips and mozzarella sticks as she then led him back down the dock, up the stairs, and to the front porch to let him inside. For the price she had paid, the place was fairly big with a modern rustic feel to it.
“I don’t have to be out of here until tomorrow.” She commented before taking a seat at the dining table. “There are two guest bedrooms upstairs. You’re welcome to stay in one of them if you’d like.” Lopezite had been kind enough to offer her comfort and food. The least she could do was offer him a bed to sleep in while they figure out where to go from here; especially since home was not an option.
~~~
Lopezite looked around, the cautious expression on his face. It wasn’t the house that concerned him, just the fear that someone might sense their energy signatures and come investigate.
But then, he could just teleport them out if they did, and he was not tied to this location in any way. She was, though, but instead of commenting on it he just followed her in and stayed aware of any blossoming signatures on the horizon. There were none, for now, so he allowed himself to relax a bit.
“That’s very kind,” he said, unsure if he had any intention to stay. He didn’t know if it was wise, but he didn’t want to leave her alone either.
...He’d figure it out, this wasn’t rocket science.
He sat across from her, picking at the food she hadn’t immediately sought out. She wasn’t crying--something that made him feel a little better, though he felt guilty he’d ever had to leave her at all. He gave her a few seconds to situate herself, to get comfortable. “We’ll go to the Negaverse tomorrow, then. And rest tonight. There are a few things we can get done before then--a name, for example. Code name,” he clarified and shrugged. “Just to protect us, or the people we love.”
~~~
“Code name?” She repeated.
Finding the concept a bit odd Marisa chewed one of the fries thoughtfully. “I take that means your actual name isn’t Lopezite then.”
While she knew that she had to eat, the thought of food did not really sit well with her stomach. In part due to the fact she had been an emotional wreck for the last few hours. But, even though her physical appearance had drastically changed, Marisa knew her body well enough to know not to eat anything quickly unless she wanted to be sick shortly thereafter.
~~~
Lopezite nodded somewhat absentmindedly. "No, my name is Samir. Lopezite is a mineral name. My General gave me the moniker when I was brought over. It's just to make sure we're protected. I won't lie, there's a bit of danger involved but." He shrugged. "Not if you keep your nose out of trouble. There are some people," he seemed a bit exasperated and paused to consider how he wanted to word things.
"There are some people who use this power to go out of their way and cause trouble. Some are very irresponsible. But, when I was a kid, I always wanted to be an adventurer. Someone great. The Negaverse...gives me that ability, I think. I can do things I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do if I wasn't recruited. My body is more durable. Yours, even more so than mine, I'd imagine. You handle the chill better than I do, we know that already."
He reached for his tablet--a strange little pen that, when he pressed a button, split into two pieces and projected a holographic screen. His fingers brushed across the surface and he seemed to be searching the screen, investigating. It was a secondary source of his attention though, his primary concern was still the woman in front of him.
"I admit, I'm still learning my limits. But it's been a pleasant experience so far. I can only hope you have the same joy I've found." Their circumstances were different, and she bore a different curse, but he wanted to be there, wanted to support her.
Wanted to name her. Wanted to bring her home.
~~~
“I don’t think I’ll have much of a choice.” It was either find the silver lining and work with the cards she had been dealt or fall into depression and wither away into nothing.
“Your introduction into this… Negaverse.” Marissa paused, feeling like she had mispronounced the name of this group, or faction, she was apparently now a part of. “It was consensual was it not? This General you mentioned, they at least informed you of what was to be expected before you agreed to their terms? Unlike my initiation where the decision was clearly made for me, they didn’t force you into something you did not want to be a part of right?” As I have been conscripted into joining something I know nothing about. Realizing her frustration was beginning to take over and cause her voice to rise, Marissa took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it slowly.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. I know you’re trying to help.” A small half smile tugged the corner of her lips apologetically. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t find me.” Go insane was pretty high on that list followed by likely getting herself killed by a hunter mistaking her for a loch ness monster or some other abominable creature.
~~~
Lopezite shook his head. “You’re allowed to be upset. I understand that you’re frustrated. Typically--that’s not what happens. You don’t get drafted into something and abandoned. I don’t know who did this to you, and I don’t know why, but I suspect that if we ever found out they’d be reprimanded or punished.” He looked at her with sympathy in his eyes, but he didn’t pity her; he couldn't think of her as any lesser for what she was or what she’d been through.
“And I know it isn’t much. I know you didn’t sign up for this. Honestly, I wish this had gone much differently for you, but I suppose...I just want you to know it’s not all bad. We’re not all like that, not like the person who did this to you. I can’t take back what they did but,” he lowered the tablet so he could look her clearly in the eyes, “I can try to make the rest of this as easy and painless as possible.
~~~
Painless as possible... What was more painful than feeling like your heart was about to burst inside your chest only to slowly drown in icy water? On a scale of one to ten that was about a twelve point five considering, for all intents and purposes, she actually died; at least the woman she had been before her skin turned blue did.
“So… I guess the first thing is to assume a new identity then? Just, don’t pick anything dumb please.” Lopezite was a mineral name, or so he said. But that didn’t necessarily mean hers would be too; she was, after all, different than him.
~~~
“No,” he said easily, scanning the tablet once more. “Nothing dumb. Something sophisticated. Something smooth. Something...that suits you.”
His eyes had scanned dozens of names, all too rugged, too long, too much of a mouthful. Nothing that suited her. He read over each name in his mind, trying to imagine her face with it.
He paused when he found the name Lavendulan and mulled it over, but it wasn’t so swiftly that he made his decision. He had taken his phone out when he had been getting them food; perhaps it hadn’t been the smartest thing not to let it disappear to subspace with the rest of his clothes and personal belongings, but he needed it now. He looked up the mineral and paused, brightening when images of a glistening blue mineral appeared on his screen.
“What about Lavendulan? Tell me, be honest.”
~~~
“Lavendulan…” Marissa repeated the name slowly, tasting the way it rolled off the tip of her tongue. It sounded feminine enough though it did kind of depend on what nickname he, or anyone else, would try to shorten it to. Lav, or Laven, would be fine, she supposed, but the thought of someone calling her Dull, just to be an a**, was cringe worthy in its own right.
“Does your tablet have a photo of what it looks like?” If she were to hazard a guess, it was probably a dusty lavender color or something with a sandy texture as opposed to something as smooth as obsidian or rough as pumas stone.
~~~
“The tablet, no,” he answered; he set it down on the counter and turned his phone to face her so she could see the images on the screen. “But this does. It’s pretty. I think, at least.” He kept the phone extended, allowing her to take it and scroll through the pictures if she wanted to.
“And it sounds nice. We can keep looking if you want, but. It has a nice ring to it. Plus, it matches my name,” he said, grinning slightly. He might have been teasing, but he seemed to genuinely be fond of the name.
“I’ve never heard of it, so it’s very unique. Like you.”
He said it with no malice, no reproach; he was gentle and assuring in every way that he could. He didn’t want her to think of this as any sort of handicap; he wanted to help her find what talents she had gained--to grow. To be stronger.
...But then, he wanted to find who did this to her, too. Who callously abandoned her, who left her for dead. Who didn’t even bother to help her.
~~~
Her body may not have been able to register how cold it was outside, but Marissa could definitely feel the heat rising in her cheeks causing a light blush to fan across her otherwise pale face. She knew he was just being kind, but the comment had caught her a bit off guard with his sincerity.
A small smile tugged the corner of her lips as her eyes immediately turned from his face to the phone he held out for her to take.
The mineral was surprising beautiful; an electric blue that stood out in stark contrast to the rock it was attached to. A color that matched her eyes and the piping accent on her uniform. “No need to look for other minerals.” Marissa handed the phone back to Lopezite. “Lavendulan sounds fine.”
~~~
Lopezite seemed to brighten; he picked up the tablet and pressed a few more buttons. “That was easy.” He set it down again and pocketed his phone. He wore a smile still, perhaps encouraged by her fondness of the name, or the way she smiled, or event the way it almost seemed like she’d gotten a whole new color to her cheeks.
Either way, he breathed easier.
“‘Lavendulan,” he repeated, letting the name linger on his lips. He smiled again and nodded, content. “We’ve got one more task down. Soon, we’ll be able to start working on the easy stuff. Maybe, even, the fun stuff.”
There were perks. There were things that made this all worth while, even aside from the satisfaction of protecting the world, making it a better place.
He wasn’t going to abandon her, wasn’t going to give up. As far as he was concerned, they were in this together.
He was going to help her find her place in the world again. Or, if he could, a better place.
Kyuseisha no Hikari
