Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lavendulan had been in the office space Queen Laurelite had given permission to use. It had been converted into a small research facility several months back so she could expand on the notes given to her by the queen and expand upon them.

The first prototype was nearly complete, a few more weeks and it should be ready for a trial test. It was an exciting prospect, to be able to hold her glamour for longer periods of time so she could live more like a normal human with a part time job. To be able to continue to make more memories with Wolframite, visit places they have never been or spend time with friends like Kat or Samir without having to leave abruptly because of this Cinderella complex all half-youma like them had to deal with.

It’s a shame that so many opportunities had been missed this past year but hopefully, with these rings she was making, they would have the chance to have some semblance of an actual life that didn’t revolve completely around work.

With her dremel-like tool, Laven carved off a piece of crystal to smooth the inner diameter so the ring would fit snugly on her finger and not snag her skin when she put it on. Unfortunately, as she found out early on, the material was more brutal than she was used to which is why this tedious task required a significant amount of concentration.

However, when the bell sound rang on her tablet, Laven tensed and in the moment of distraction, she nicked the crystal with her tool causing it to fracture on one side but not completely break apart. She sighed, and after turning off the tool and setting it back on the stand, she glanced over when the screen lit up and saw that it was a message from Tinaksite.

“They’re done early,” Laven commented to herself.

She probably wants me to end work early and come home.

Laven smiled and shook her head at the thought then opened the message.

She only made it through the first sentence before her mind shut down and her breathing slowed to almost nothing. It was the calm before the storm of emotions that would soon crash down upon her shoulders

“Shot…” The voice that spoke sounded anything but her own and for a fraction of a moment it felt like she was standing on the other side of the room, watching herself hold onto small device, the confused expression warped and twisted as she struggled to make it past the first three words. Her heart pounded painfully against her chest as tears welled up in her eyes making it neigh impossible to see the screen, however, she did catch one word, infirmary.

What happened next was a complete blur.

Only once had she ever blacked out in a similar way, where memories of the time that passed were gone from her mind. Things said, actions done, whatever it took to find the infirmary were all left to her youmas natural instinct as her human nature curl into its self, recoiling from the shock of the news.

When she finally arrived an officer held out an arm to stop her from going in. “Wh-where’s Wolfra-.” A sizeable lump grew in her throat preventing her from finishing the sentence and the officer looked down at her with sympathy.

“I’m sorry I can’t let you see him. He’s in critical condition and the doctors are actively working on saving his life.”

“But I-” She shook her head and wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm. “I… he...” A whimper escaped her as she moved to step past him.

“Mam,” he said in a firm tone and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Let them do their job, it’s his best chance right now.”

“Tina?” She looked around the lobby area for the orange-haired captain.

“She’s in the first room on the right. She blacked out shortly after bringing Wolframite here. You can wait inside but I advise you not to wake her.”

Laven nodded numbly and allowed the officer to lead her to Tinaksite’s room.

Orangeish Sherbert

"Tina," her lower lip quivered as she stepped into the room. At least her friend was awake and speaking because Laven's wasn't sure she could handle the possibility of losing two friends right now.

Eyes rimmed red with both shed and unshed tears, her head shook in deep dismay. I'm not ok, she wanted to say but the words would not come. "They- they won't let me see him." A lump swelled in her throat while her stomach twisted into tight knots.

"Tell me, please. Tell me what happened." The pleading question came before she could think enough to ask if Tina was alright. But her mind was set on the one she could not see... could not speak to... could not touch.

Close but still so far away and she was helpless but to wait.

Right now it didn't matter that the person that had shot him was trapped. What she wanted to know was how things escalated so quickly, They were supposed to have each others back, why didn't one of them should teleport the other away until it was too late?

Laven paused mid-step, confusion twisted her expression into one of disbelief. “All this… over a stupid starseed?” She took a staggering step backward and was jarred when her shoulder hit the doorframe. “Tina…” her shoulders sagged when she said her friend’s name.

She wanted to be angry at the person who shot Wolframite to have a reason to hunt them down and take from them what they threatened to take from her. But it was not the one who hurt him who was at fault not completely anyway.

“Why?” she asked as fresh tears streamed down her face.

In the months that had passed Wolframite never gave any indication that Tinaksite had actually become addicted to starseeds otherwise she would have intervened. Then again, perhaps that’s why he never brought it up to begin with. To preserve their friendship he probably thought he could handle it before it became a problem. But he was too late it seemed.

“He’s your friend, Tina…” And yet she spoke so dispassionately as if he were some no-named officer or a homeless person on the street. Did she not care that he might die because she refused to listen to him?

“Don’t close your eyes… Look at me!” she snarled from the doorway. “He… he protected you and yet you act like you could care less that he might die in the other room…”

“It was a cop Tina. All cops have guns...” It was security guards that might only have tasers at best, maybe pepper spray if they were lucky.

Her friend’s refusal to look her way was exasperating, it made Laven want to go over to her bedside and force her to open her eyes if only to bear witness to how much pain her mistake caused. But she stayed her hand or rather held fast to the door frame where sharp claws curled into the drywall and scratched away paint on the metal trim.

“It’s like you want me to hate you. Is that it?” She asked, lips pursed into a thin line as she tried desperately hard to refrain from calling Tina a coward. “Is that why you won’t face me?”Laven shook her head as a humorless laugh escaped her, it was like trying to speak to a child and it was getting her nowhere. “I’m so disappointed in you right now…”

Even if she wanted to hate Tinaksite, she couldn’t… But this was boarder lining unforgivable behavior. “I hope to whatever God will listen that he wakes up. Hopefully, then you will be able to look at least one of us in the eye and actually show some remorse.” Her apologies before felt hallow... empty… an attempt to deflect Laven’s anger elsewhere.

But that was the funny thing about anger. It often made a person, or half-youma in this case, blind to the reality surrounding them. Even though Tinaksite wasn’t bleeding, her friend was in fact not ok. She had an addiction and needed help, that much was true, but she also fought tonight and expended vast amounts of energy to bring Wolframite to the only place that could hopefully save his life.

She took responsibility for her mistake and tried to take care of Wolframite the only way she knew how before reaching out to Laven so she didn’t sit at home and worry about why neither of them returned after their patrol.

Tina was not well, but the lack of officers blocking Laven’s way or monitors surrounding her bed only fed into this illusion that the Captian was simply being rebellious because her snack got taken away. That was not the Tina she knew, not the woman that stood beside her and Wolframite asking to always be with them.

Beautiful fantasies but Laven’s vision was colored a different hue and for the first time in a long while, she lost control over her own emotions and took them out on the only person helpless enough to respond to her growing frustrations.

Laven remained alone in the room for what felt like a frozen moment in time. If the clock was ticking, she couldn’t hear it; not over the pounding of her own heart beat.

Lieutenant… The way it was said was as if it was poison on her lips, not even Wolframite’s venom hurt as much as Tinaksite’s attempt to pull rank and try and make this her fault. “b***h move Tina…” The curse was mutter under her breath

Coward…

However, something else bothered her about this conversation and it took a moment of replaying what Tina had said for Laven to realize what was off about it. Oftentimes the female captain stumbled over her words, mixing them up or using wrong or weird phrases to describe something; like when she confessed that she had feelings for Laven, saying that she gave her indigestion. But this outburst was very pointed and very articulated.

Something wasn’t right and Laven wondered if there was more Tina was hiding aside from her starseed addiction.

Eventually, once of the other officers approached her cautiously from behind and after realizing that their patient had left, they cleared their throat to get Lavendulan’s attention and escort her back into the hallway where there was an available seat outside Wolframites’ room where the doctors continued to try to remove the bullets from his chest.