MoonMan
Inactive Member
((After the events of Cirrus Station Episode 10: Cumulocirrus))
Hissssss...
Hundreds of tiny water droplets bounced and splashed into Kokuten's face as he stood rather bored in front of the shower head. Since his eyes were artificial, it didn't hurt him to simply stare up and outward, even with the water as hot as it was. Typically he made his showers quick, because he was much more of a private bather than one who enjoyed the male bonding experiences of showering with other men. This time, though, he was alone, by the miraculous gift of god, and he savored it. His arms would initiate their automatic clean up every minute or so, whirring internal scrubbers and tiny pumps to circulate and press out filth, water, and soap. Yet, another thing forced the bedraggled Captain to simply stand at watch the showering liquid languish over his half-metal, half-natural body.
Kokuten felt tired, and quite lacking of any desire to do anything. The last few weeks had been harrowing, and he couldn't bring himself to take his mind anywhere else. As he looked down at his hands, the events of the past year flowed through his mind as he recollected scenes of security detail turning out to be more like a front line post. There were lies, conspiracies, and treachery left and right in the station. Even the replacement Administrator had turned out to be some Red scum-bag using Cassefin's station in his little plot. The more he thought about it, the weaker he felt, and soon, his arms simply fell to his side, clacking heedless.
What's the god damn point of all this?
He found himself asking that question every night since Cassefin got shipped off-station, kicking and screaming as she begged them not to take her away. His mind drifted on her for a moment, but turned to the point of it all. The tour of duty on this station should've been, at worst, riot control. The likelihood of anything truly bad happening should've been minimal, yet it did. Worse was how he had little say in the matter, he was just one of the pawns in it all, to be laughed at by the players. Even so, he couldn't see himself anywhere else, which confused him.
With a sigh, he strode up below the shower-head, and tilted it down so he could lean his head against the tile wall. To conserve space, the Cirrus had a few machines built in next to the barracks. The other side of the bathroom's wall was a small turbine Kokuten could just barely hear, but it was just loud enough to be soothing to him. The humming noise reminded him of home, of Nepleslia, and of the ship he served on. Again, another, dreamy sigh as he simply left himself there in his own little state of nirvana.
For a while, the Captain was able to keep his moment of peace, the world standing still for him as the emptiness of that quiet corner of Cirrus Research Station aided his concentration. After several minutes, however, Kokuten would find that his quiet time of reflection would need to be cut short as Kess' voice floated softly towards Kokuten from the Cirrus Station's ambient sound system, tuned and toned downed to a personal level for the sake of the captain. "Captain, I hate to interrupt, but I have a message for you," Kess had seemed to be in a more accommodating mood this evening, possibly due to being reinstated after that period of shutdown De Soto had authorized. The Savtechs had only been back online for a handful of days, after Cassefin had returned to the Cirrus. Whatever the reason, Kess was still the same as always; a lone voice of reason in a world gone mad.
The Captain's face remained shooshed against the wall, his words a tad warbled by the position.
"Can it wait? I'm hawfing a moment of peace, and hawfing a wohman starehn at my backside offers little peace." answered Kokuten, his legs positioning themselves in a way to hide his shame. "No ohfense, but the shower is nevah empty like this, and I'm savohrehn the mouhment."
"It's more of a request, rather, from the Head Administrator. She is asking for your presence," the Savtech went on, apparently ignoring Kokuten's request in order to fully deliver her message. "Although I do not know what it is, she asked me to ask you to bring a medical kit with you. I can provide you with one from the nearest pneumo-transit. I realize you are off-duty; the time you spend on this request will be added to your paycheck. Should you choose to accept."
Kokuten pulled his face from the wall, red patch forming on his face where had been resting his head. His brown hair had sopped down on all sides of his face, and he brushed some off his brow as he looked up at the ceiling.
"A medi-kit? Doesn't Cassefin have emergency med staff on at this hour?" queried the man, a slight hint of urgency in his voice, as his eyes turned a brighter color from the news.
Unfortunately, Kokuten would not receive a reply from Kess for his question. For now, she had chosen to return to respecting the man's restroom privacy privileges. Kokuten's face soured noticeably.
Damn it.
---
A few minutes later, after some hasty drying, Kokuten came running out of the barracks in just his khaki fatigues and boots, a shirt in one hand, and a medi-kit in the other. He moved quick, in an effort to be prompt and also to try an air-dry his still wet hair and body. Part of his pants were already soaked with a little water, but he was thankful enough he got his feet dry before he threw his boots on. He followed prompt directions given by Kess, small volumetric arrows pointing him along the way, filled with curious staff wondering what his hurry was. One security officer even felt the need to ask him to stop and explain, but the disgruntled Kokuten only offered the man his middle-finger in response.
After dodging a few angry shouts, he had finally made his way far across the station, out of the cooped up barracks sector, and into the much nicer staff quarters areas. Everyone got nice rooms on this end of the station, and not to mention very nice recreational facilities. Though, Cassefin did not live close in with scientist, of course, the Head Administrator had her own facility, complete with elevator to reach it.
With Kess leading him through the twisting corridors of the Cirrus, Kokuten made his way upwards through the Central Station towards Cassefin Montreal's private lab and quarters. The trip there was met with little of interest; the twilight hours of Cirrus Research Station still milled about with late-night work, but much of the business ends with the imposed day-cycle. Although the others had seen the upper echelons of this place before, Kokuten had not had the pleasure; as the elevator opened, he was met with a single hallway, slightly different from the rest of the corridors of the Cirrus Station.
Slightly thinner than the rest, the creamy off-white walls ended abruptly at the floor, which in place of the normal white square tiles, was covered in a long red woven rug that spanned much of the hallway, patterned with dull yellow and orange thread in soft triangle patterns. There were only a handful of doors connected to this hallway, the same sliding panel doors the other areas of the Cirrus Station knew all too well, save for the last door at the opposing end of the hall, which Kokuten could visibly see was made of carved wood.
Kess did not step out of the elevator with him, instead choosing to bow softly as he left. "This is the end of the line for me; there is no surveillance or volumetric projection equipment in this area. Head Administrator Montreals private quarters are behind the far door," Kess motioned towards the deep brown door, its brass handle reflecting the soft light of the fixtures on the ceiling. "She has informed me that the door is unlocked, and you may enter. Good luck, Captain."
"Thank you." commented Kokuten, waving to her gently before getting one foot off the elevator. He looked rather shy as he spoke on, somewhat uncomfortably regarding her, "And, sorry for the rudeness, you know. It's good to have you back with us." He cleared his throat, and continued his shirtless escapade down the hall-way, putting that awkward situation behind him. Still, there were certain reasons to slow his advance, such as, the rather nice handy-work of the hallway. After spending months looking at cold metal designs, Kokuten was quite refreshed by the sight of tasteful architecture, it was almost enough to make him forget that his pants were just now not sticking to him anymore.
Then came the door. He almost felt like a knight, pensively standing in front of the door leading to the final boss. The man had never been up here before, and he was up for expecting anything. Though, before he opened it, he noticed the door was made out of real wood. He literally spent a minute of his time running a metal finger over the hatch style luxury-item. Being a native of Funky City, he was surprised at any time to see something made of wood, because on Funky City, wooden furniture; nice, hard-wood furniture was a luxury item, usually imported.
As he finally got over his initial admiration, he gripped the door-knob and found the door to be actually unlocked. He stepped in and looked about, searching for the Head Administrator who saw fit to interrupt his shower.
The doorway opened to a large living area, laid with with a lush velvety red carpet, the crimson color crawling across the floor and taking a slightly lighter shade as it covered the walls as well. Across the walls and around doorways and other entrances were white accents, breaking the color scheme in a fashion pleasing to the eye. To Kokuten's immediate left was a plush red-cushioned sofa and twin set of chair and ottoman pairs set around highly immaculate white cobblestone fireplace. The fire itself was real enough, pushed through a set of realistic looking logs as the soft orange glow illuminated most of the area The walls beside this relaxing area were lined with bookshelves, crammed with books and miscellaneous nick-knacks of all shapes and sizes.
In the center of the room was a large, meticulously-carved wooden dining table made of dark mahogany, a slight sheen across the top reflecting the glow from the nearby fireplace. At this moment, the table was barren, save for two small floral arrangements along the center of the oval table; navy blue petals, of all colors, no less.
To the Captain's right, the room closed up into a smaller, more squared area. Each of the three walls was a display; the room itself seemed to be some showroom, or a sort of study, each wall illuminated by conical accenting lights installed into the ceiling. One wall displayed an impressive amount of commendation medals, plaques, trophies and other nick-knacks of success; Cassefin's Trophy case, no doubt. In the center of the glass paneled case, two small framed photographs of an older woman, and what appeared to be a dome-like structure full of dense vegetation sat amidst the glimmer and glamor of Cassefin's personal triumphs. The other two walls were occupied by, oddly enough, an generous collection of guns. Rifles, handguns, a plethora of lethal devices and the like sat beside older, more archaic projectile weapons, including long-barrel muskets and more than a few crossbows. All very clean and in pristine condition, accompanied by displays of ammunition types. The collection was impressive enough, the display obviously taken care of by its keeper well. There were signs of wear along the corner where a majority of the crossbows were displayed, along with a spot unoccupied by anything other than a set of pegs that would normally hold something... most likely a crossbow that Cassefin herself favored in her practice.
Behind the dining table on the opposing wall, Kokuten also spotted another door, similar to the one he had just entered. As his eyes drew over it, Kokuten would get the response he was searching for as he called for the Head Administrator. "Through the door in front of you," called a familiar voice, the sound carrying past the aged wood and reaching the Captain's ears.
Amazing. thought Kokuten, a tad distracted by the sheer character of the room itself. He thought that if he himself had such a place, he'd shut himself in for plenty of time. Every step he took towards the source of the voice, was another item surveyed, in particular, the gun collection on the wall. Even as a Nepleslian, he was astounded by the amount of guns, more astounded by Cassefin's ownership of them, and supremely so by their maintenance! Everything was a immaculate and clean, and so homey. For the moment, the barracks seemed very far away, as this felt almost like the Chiaki Compound back home.
Still, he had little time to gawk, but he would try to admire weaponry, and perhaps a few of Cassefin's accomplishments, once he walked himself out. There was so many things on display, he was sure the proud woman wouldn't mind someone looking at them. Still, he didn't expect to stay for long, so he made his way to the door and pulled it open, but only enough to fit his head.
"Miss Montreal?" asked Kokuten, only sticking his head in to look around for her first, pinkish red eyes looking left and right for the woman, "I've got the medical kit."
Behind this second door, more of the same met Kokuten's eyes as he quickly recognized this room as the Head Administrator's bedroom. The room maintained the color scheme of the previous room, smaller accent panels of white bordering the room. The room itself looked to be meant for little else than sleeping and dressing, occupied by with two large sets of drawers, another smaller door off to the side that presumably led to a bathroom, given the white tiles visible from where Kokuten stood despite the darkness behind it. At the other end was an ornate vanity, a number of bottles and beauty implements arranged neatly and accordingly across the top. The center of the bedroom was occupied by a large four poster bed, a canopy of silky white material draped over the framework and falling over the sides of the bed. One side of the privacy curtain had been pulled up, revealing where the Head Administrator had called Kokuten from.
For what it was worth, Cassefin was looking much better than from the last time Kokuten had seen her. The sizable cut on her forehead had all but healed completely, leaving little more than her furrowed brow and familiar pair of fiery red eyes. The head Administrator was sitting up at the head of the bed, her lower body covered by the luxurious sheets as she leaned slightly to her left to get a better look at Kokuten. She was dressed for the nights sleep, not surprising considering the time of 'day' that the Cirrus kept in regards to what the Cirrus employees would perceive; A simple set of navy blue pajamas, the sleeves and torso ringed with white lines and similarly colored buttons tracing down the center. Her hair was already let loose, the hair that would have normally been bound in her signature ponytail instead spilling around her head and shoulders.
Cassefin eyed Kokuten pensively for a moment as she got a good look at him. A growing sense of worry spread across her face, the area between her brows wrinkling softly, only to release back again as the Head Administrator released a sigh. "... where is your shirt?"
"Welp," Kokuten huffed, as he stepped into the room, choosing not to ignore its occupant for some of the eye-catching luxuries. "Ah..." He stared at her for a moment, taking in how she looked with her hair down. There was a small pause there as his eyes slowly turned back to their green color, as if a gentle reset had been pressed on his head. He blinked at her, his eyes clacking audibly, before taking a chair and placing it next to her bed. "Kess caught me while I was in the shower. She told me you needed a medi-kit so I just assumed it was an emergency." The Captain plopped down into his seat, relaxing with his elbows on his knees. "I lost an arm trying to keep you from harm last time, I'm not going to let a little laxity undo that."
He stared for a moment, awaiting her response, before suddenly putting on an obviously fake business smile.
"Oh..." Cassefin replied flatly, averting her eyes for a moment at the mention of Kokuten's previous injuries. She herself was wounded, quite terribly, but where she got better, the captain had to replace what was lost... even if it was already 'lost' previously. Her eyes remained unfocused for another moment or two before they swiveled up towards the ceiling for but a moment, her brow furrowing ever so slightly. "One would think Kess would have asked you at a better time than that."
"You didn't tell her what was wrong, so she likely assumed it was important." suggested Kokuten, tilting his head slightly to get her from a different angle. Though, he let that moment pass, before picking up the medi-kit and placing it on his lap. "I would've done the same. Considering how badly you got it, it's a little selfish of me to be worrying about my shower, but it's no less inconvenient. Though, we can't control when problems arise, so we simply run with it."
Ka-clack! The kit opened, with the top popping back to reveal all of its medical innards. "The priority is your health, and that's something that should never wait."
The Captain looked up at her, from just under his brow.
"It is an emergency, isn't it?"
"Ah..." the red-haired Administrator winced a bit along with Kokuten's explanation, quickly realizing how correct he was. "It... well, is sort of an emergency, yes."
"Sort of?"
Cassefin cleared her throat and sat back up straight again, turning to meet Kokuten's gaze as she reaffirmed her position above him. "Well Chiaki... to be honest, despite my enormous intellect, I have very little knowledge of medical practice," Cassefin admitted, flipping her hair back in hopes of accentuating that she didn't particularly care to learn either. "But, the doctor that treated me said I would be fine to return as long as I had practiced medical staff available. Unfortunately, you are the only doctor I can think of that I can trust to a certain degree, since a good portion of the staff, including medical staff, were let go by De Soto while I was gone," Cassefin continued, not sounding too pleased with her plethora of choices in the matter.
The woman drew in another breath and held it for a moment, releasing it slowly through her nostrils as she glanced up at the canopy. "... the dressings need to be replaced every few days," she spoke quickly as though admitting guilt, and was quick to turn her head back around, not allowing Kokuten time to speak between. "And I cannot do it myself. So, I need someone else to. Can you do that without... screwing up?"
"Well, if it offers me an opportunity to see you without your top, sure, that's reward enough." said Kokuten gingerly as he pulled out a roll of bandages.
The woman's face quickly began to paint itself a hazy red as Cassefin was visibly taken aback by Kokuten's nonchalant answer. "This...! This isn't a joke, Chiaki," Cassefin stated sternly, her arms drawing up a bit in front of her torso. "If you are to do this, display some professionalism, for once in your life."
"Then don't treat my abilities as a joke, Administrator Montreal." replied Kokuten, rather sternly, as he laid out the rather wide array of tools and gauze to replace her bandages. He quickly looked his items over, before picking up the gauze and setting it on the bed. "I've realized, in the duration of my service, that no matter how professional I act, or anyone for that matter, you treat them or myself like a philistine. So, I've resolved that if you're going treat me like one, despite my long history, which I know you've read up on, I'm going to act like one."
He gave her a small wink, with a mild smile, the passive aggressiveness in it no less sound, "'Kay?"
Cassefin mouth began to curl into a determined scowl, her mouth opening to fire back at Kokuten's passive-aggressive words. She made motions to speak, but found that she could not really say anything to her defense; Kokuten was quite correct with his descriptions of how she treats most Cirrus employees. Finding little to stand on in her reply, Cassefin closed her mouth again and shrank back into her bed, shoulder slumping slightly in defeat as she cast another sidelong gaze away from Kokuten's direction.
"But, seriously, you'll need to remove the top of your pajamas so I can get started. I don't want to cause you any undue strain due to a limited area of work, so pull that off," Kokuten picked up the scissors and snipped the air with them, twice. "and I can cut your bandages free."
"I know that, Chiaki," Cassefin snapped back indignantly, sighing heavily in morbid acceptance before turning back to him sharply and giving him a stern glare. "Just don't get any funny ideas." she warned him only once before turning her head forward again and taking a moment to gather herself. Over that short span of time, her expression began to quickly fade from unhappy anger to one of mild embarrassment as she began to cautiously fiddle with the series of buttons on the front of her evening wear. Once she reached the bottom, Cassefin carefully slid both of her arms through the sleeves of her clothing, faint traces of movement beneath the fabric revealing their position as she took another steady breath and released it. "Alright, I'm ready, let's get this over with," Cassefin said in a low, low voice, keeping her eyes glued to the sheets in her lap as she craned forward slightly.
"Ready?" Kokuten commented, arching a brow in genuine confusion, still holding the roll of bandages and scissors, "But... you're still wearing it."
Cassefin continued to stare holes into the sheets in front of her, mumbling her reply in such a low tone that it was impossible for Kokuten to catch and hear properly. Her face began to flush into a deeper shade of red as she closed her eyes and, apparently, waited for something to happen.
Whir.
Kokuten's eyes shifted to the side, as if checking some other part of the room for something he missed.
Whir.
His gaze then returned to Cassefin, medical items still in his hands.
"Miss... Montreal? You're still wearing it." He pointedly admitted, looking at her rather meekly, not sure exactly what was happening here.
"I SAID I NEED YOU TO TAKE IT OFF, ASS!" Cassefin shouted suddenly in an odd tone, her reply much louder as she continued to clench her eyes shut in embarrassment. Kokuten nearly fell out of his chair, stomping his boot down to the side to keep his balance. For a moment, he stared, blinking in silence, whirring servos breaking that silence. Instead of prodding with more questions, he took the hint, and set his items down.
Standing up, still rather shirtless, as he had forgotten about the tank he brought with him, he settled his hands on her shoulders. With a little squeeze, he made a slack and pinched the fabric to pull it off of her, before stepping aside, and laying the pajama shirt neatly over the bed.
The woman shivered slightly as she felt the fabric slide off her skin. Kokuten would find that the Head Administrator's reasons were somewhat clearer, as she had crossed her arms rather rigidly across her chest, keeping her assets obscured as the doctor began to look over the dressings. Removing the shirt revealed several layers of gauze wrapped horizontally across her torso, spanning the area immediately beneath her breasts to the top of her belly button. Two areas of the afflicted zone were raised slightly from the rest; no doubt holding pads applied directly to wounds to decrease unsavory friction and absorb any excess bodily fluids.
"Ah, I see. Why didn't you just say you weren't wearing a bra?" asked Kokuten in a very matter-of-fact tone, a small warmth representing his idle frustration burning in the back of his head.
Cassefin didn't reply at first, her eyes still glued to the area in front of her lap. "... the bandages get in the way, okay?" She gave him a quick reply before speaking again in a very quiet, less confrontational tone, still wholly unable to actually look at the man, her face rife with shy apprehension. "Can you just please focus and hurry this up?"
"As you wish, I'll be quick, but I'm not making any promises." clarified the Captain as he took his seat next to the bed. He picked the scissors back up, before leaning forward, and sticking his finger under one of the elastic coverings. With that little bit of slack, he snipped away, cutting a vertical line to loosen the brown coverings. Cassefin shivered slightly and drew in a quiet gasp, the cold, smooth metal of the surgical scissors lightly pressing against her exposed skin. "I'll throw these in the trash on my way out." said the Doctor, before finally cutting up the full length of the stretched material, letting it fall off.
Beneath the gauze were two large pads over the two most serious areas of affliction. Removing them revealed two long scars, still slightly red from the mending process she had undertaken. They were long and slightly jagged, each reaching into different corners of her torso. The horizontal scar directly beneath her chest was the one the surgeons had made to work on Cassefin's shattered ribs, while the other still held a large swatch of bruised flesh, healing but still visibly present. Both marks were a grim reminder of what had happened, their presence a stark, intrusive contrast on Cassefin's otherwise delicate, porcelain skin and lithe frame. There was a twitch of pain across Cassefin's mouth as the pads were removed exposing them to the air, her lips pressing together and her eyes squinting every so slightly before settling back. There were faint traces of blood on the opposing side of each pad, but nothing major; both wounds were healing considerbly well.
Whiiirrr, click, click, click. Came the sound of Kokuten's hand as the hand split at the very base of the palm. The ring finger, and the part of the hand next to it were rigid, with part of the pinky fingers in end, and the rest of the hand bent back. A small, hypodermic needle extended from the finger, before Kokuten gripped one of Cassefin's arms. A short glance at the wounds had erased his easy expression, and he seemed much more for business.
"I'm going to give you a mild injection of painkillers. You'll probably feel an ache or two as I go, because the area is still sensitive, but this will round off any pain into a mild sensation."
"Ah..." Cassefin's eyes glanced up for a second as she quickly shirked in the opposite direction, her arms tightening around her breasts as they pressed into her skin. "It's... fine. I don't need any of... that," the red-haired scientist finished on a low note, her eyes returning back to their position into her cloth-covered lap.
The needle slowly receded back into Kokuten's finger, before he simply tapped her arm. Though, when the digit contacted her skin, it would feel like he had just pinched her, followed by very short hissing noise. "My arms are based on the design of a Hypolathe, Miss Montreal, I can administer hypospray injections if that suits you."
"I don't want any drugs, Chiaki," Cassefin stated once more as she jerked away from Kokuten's touch, her already lithe frame shrinking little by little as time went on. "Just... continue without them."
"Understood. If it starts to hurt, let me know." reassured Kokuten lightly.
Ka-Clack! his hand clamped back into it's natural form, which the Doctor tested by flexing his fingers. He reached down into the pack, and pulled out some disinfectant.
"Now, tell me, have you been taking it easy, and getting your rest? I saw blood on the reverse side of those pads." asked Kokuten, shaking the can rather gently, before getting a closer look at her wound. His gaze turned a little grey as he did, though, being brought back to that singular moment where he watched her become gored by the Quahgg. "Either your Doctor didn't use enough coagulant, or I'd bet you've been trying to get around."
Despite his best efforts, Cassefin didn't have much of a reply for him. She simply shifted her weight slightly, shivering a bit as he worked.
"I'll take that as poor effort on your doctor's part." chimed Kokuten, leaning forward to aim the can of disinfectant spray, "A mild burn, incoming."
Hiss. One dab on the bottom. Hiss. One of the top. Hissssss. Then another tracing down the length of the wound. When he finished, he rested his fore-arm over his knee. "Hmm. It's healing quite well, at least. Bed-rest will do that for you. You're a Geshrin, correct? This seems to be a good pace, even for Geshrin recovery."
Surprisingly, the warning of mild discomfort was met with little reaction; Cassefin barely felt anything, other than the crippling shyness of her omnipresent situation. Instead, a few moments afterwards, Cassefin spoke once more in her uncharacteristically hushed tone. "... are you still going to leave, Chiaki?"
The response to that was a certain stillness that put the Doctor's squeaky-clean attitude on hold. He simply stared at her wound for a moment, watching it rise and fall with every breath she took. Kokuten shook the spray can, and tossed it back into the kit, before reaching down and picking up his disinfectant pads. "Even I don't mull over a decision for that long. If I was leaving, I would've left a long time ago." The statement, rather plain in its response, was perioded by the sound of the protective seal being pulled off the pads. "Were you afraid I wasn't going to be here when you came back, Miss Montreal?" He smiled gently, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm touched."
His best efforts fell tragically short, however. If anything, his reply drew a more troubled look to her downcast eyes. "... why did you change your mind?"
He took a moment to apply the pads to her wounds, gently pressing them over the nasty scars. The process relaxed his mind, letting him practice his dextrous touch so he could ensure to get the most out of each pad. Working also allowed him to generate a proper response. A few came to mind, but only one question really stood out to him, "... why did you want me to stay so badly?"
"I... didn't..." Cassefin replied in broken words, eyes quickly shifting from one edge of her sheets to the other as she tried to find more words to explain herself. "You wanted to leave... you must have had a reason, right?"
"You mean other than the odd conspiracy that seems to float around this place? The attacks, the political maneuvers, and the very nature of our previous assignments? It's hard to guess which one, considering I almost died twice." reported Kokuten, carefully applying the second pad to her abdomen, his thumb gently pressing all the edges flush with her skin, "I figured, if I took a combat posting, I'd at least know what I was dying for."
She could only nod in response. Kokuten had plenty of reasons to leave the Cirrus Station. Cassefin knew each of them much better than he could conceive. Cassefin shook slightly as the doctor continued to work applying the new set of bandages. "Yes... you had all the reason to. You... you should have left, Chiaki. You... should still leave."
"Ah... Why's that, Miss Montreal?" asked Kokuten, pulling out a length of brown bandages to wrap around her torso. The man started at the base of her hip, leaning down to just below her to wrap his arms around her, placing the end on the hip opposite of him. He then pulled that around until he could get tightly snug and secure, before wrapping the rest of the way as the spoke.
"Where were you planning to go?" Cassefin continued with her own questions, rather than answer his. As she spoke, her expression sank lower, her eyes slowly drawing up to Kokuten's. Cassefin's eyes displayed a number of emotions, stark embarrassment mingling with apprehension, pain, fear... too many to count. "If you had left?"
"Well, if you're asking, I had a few offers from the colonial expanse. The military is looking to stock their outposts with Mil. D's. There was a few openings in a few ships in the 1st Fleet as well," Kokuten continued his way up, getting above her navel, and carefully tugging the loose ends into place where they'd be flush with her torso. He looked at her face, and found himself caught off guard. He stopped for a moment, to take in that face of hers, as it was in a state he rarely saw. "I've served under Vanderhuge's command before, it's a little rough and tumble, but his style works well enough for me. Then, my mom was wanting me to come home, work in AwesomeCorps growing Medical sector of the MiniDev department."
He came to just under her breasts, and found himself looking more at them not because they were appealing, but because he had trouble meeting her gaze. The Doctor reached over for a few clasps to hold the bandage in place, before speaking further, "I had a wide range, I just needed clearance from the Central Corps."
Cassefin turned her gaze back down once more, still displaying a measure of painful apprehension amidst her expression. "You had so much to return to, Chiaki," she said in an unsteady tone. "... why would you stay? How could you? Staying here... I am keeping you from all of those things. All of your dreams."
It was true enough that the Cirrus Station wasn't the utopia she had always envisioned. Things went wrong horribly, and often, more times than she would have preferred despite her most earnest efforts. Every time something of this nature happened, be it escaped monstrous creatures or dealings with powerful corporate juggernaut cloak-and-daggers, Cassefin had relied on her Cirrus Station Security teams to clean it up for her. The last time she asked this of them, it nearly killed her, as well as Kokuten and the others.
Her time away from the Cirrus Station, stuck in an isolated hospital bed without the familiarity and sanctuary of her drifting home, had provided her with plenty of time to realize just how much she asked of her employees... and how undeserving some of them were of their fate. Cassefin had read Kokuten's personnel files only but recently, but the single, quick perusal was enough to see that the captain could have done well in many other areas. Instead, however, he felt obligated to stay on the Cirrus, as per his duty... and for this, Cassefin could not help but feel guilty. Guilty that she inadvertently kept him there, and guilty that she proactively tried to keep him on the Cirrus, to make use of his abilities, leadership qualities and just for keeping her more content in general.
"What about it?" asked Kokuten, clasping the bandages tightly on her body, not sure if he was liking where this conversation was going. His own expression was careful, cautious, his eye turning a yellow color as a result. Though, he found himself able to look at her then, "I know full and well you don't have any real pull over actual soldiers. If we want to transfer to a combat posting, they'll just cycle us out. I've got my own reasons for staying on this station."
"No, I mean..." Cassefin attempted to reply, beginning to unfold a single hand to motion for Kokuten to halt, but caught herself before she lifted it completely from her flesh. Once thought impossible, the Head Administrator faded a deeper shade of red as she reclasped her crossed arms, averting her eyes once more. "It's those reasons that keep you here that are my fault. You must feel obligated to help, and I cannot help but make use of you... despite knowing that you do not want to remain here. After what's happened I... can't ask you to stay for these reasons. Not anymore."
The unusually cute expression on Cassefin's face tugged at the edges of Kokuten's mouth. Despite the situation, the face really did suit her, though the effect may have just been how unusual it was. The Head Administrator of the Cirrus Station wasn't your usual woman, who let those sorrowful emotions show easily. In fact, the last time he had seen such weak expression were when he...
A sudden memory caused him to look down.
"And what if I just really don't want to leave? What if I find your safety as important as my own?" chimed Kokuten, looking at the toes of his scuffed boots.
Cassefin's eyes strained a little, as though his words carried a heavy burden onto her shoulders that she couldn't escape. The woman arched her naked back a bit, shifting her weight positioned in the bed, continuing to keep her eyes everywhere but the doctor and the work that he was doing. "... I still think you should go. It's not... fair of me to keep you here. I... will be fine without you."
The doctor leaned forward, scissors in hand to snip off the excess bandages around her torso. Her insistence was beginning to egg him a bit, her desire of being alone caused him to worry, but at the same time she was doing her classic case of independence. As he pulled away the remainder of the bandages, he tossed aside the used bandages, and the excess.
"Well." said Kokuten, gathering his excess into small pile on the floor, before he simply dropped everything onto the floor with a loud clatter, "Would it make you happy if I left?"
"I..." With her downtrodden gaze waning side to side, Cassefin thought about the doctor's question. Would it make her happy if he left? The red-haired head administrator had pondered that very question a short few times before, and much like those previous times, she found herself unable to come up with an answer. She wanted very much for him to stay, and at the same time, she wanted him to be happy... which, from what she had gathered when he had first asked to be transferred, meant being far away from the Cirrus, and from her. Without an answer to give Kokuten, Cassefin simply remained silent, closing her eyes in tired frustration with her indecisiveness as she returned to him a single shake of her head.
"Well, then you'll be happy to know I have no intention of going anywhere." explained Kokuten, leaning back in his chair now, becoming comfortable. Though, just as he did so, he blinked, and leaned forward again, his hands coming to her torso. He tugged gently on the bandages, ensuring they had a measure of security on her, and that they wouldn't loosen. "I joined the Star Army of Nepleslia at its founding to defend its people, despite what long lived dreams I had in mind. I wanted to help others."
Tug, tug, tug.
"I wanted to save people, whether it was from evil forces, or..." He snerked a little bit, "The elements and what threatened others."
Pull, pull, pull.
"I wanted to be that guy who saved the damsel in distress, calming the populace in its turmoil, and saving a kingdom. That kind of guy that only exists in books and stories."
Streeeetch, stretch, stretch.
"When I found out being a Marine was nothing like that, I settled for the next best thing." Kokuten chuckled, his fingers gently pulling a bandage to better fit her form, "Since I could never find a damsel to save, I settled for being a doctor, and saving everyone I could. It's far from being a knight in shining armor, but... it was something realistic. The Cirrus, though..."
Stretch, tug, pull...
"The Cirrus." Kokuten chuckled, shaking his head, before closing his eyes, "I know you think it'll sound stupid, but all this craziness was what I was wanting when I was a bright-eyed private in training. I put out fires, I save people, and I even rescue a damsel every now and then. Hell, I'm helping one right now."
Tug.
"As hard, and as dangerous as it is, I'm that sharp hero who does his best despite adversity, just like in the fantasy books." The Doctor smiled, gently patting Cassefin's side, before sighing, "It might be a silly thing, and it's taken me until now to realize it, but what I've done here on the Cirrus has been the most rewarding and hard-won experiences of my life."
As Kokuten went on about his reasons for wanting to stay, Cassefin's eyes drew up roughly half-way through his explanation. The two red irises watched him speak silently, her expression slowly drawing up from its sorrowful frown. Kokuten was doing what he wanted to do, and although it made her somewhat happy that he was, Cassefin was also jealous of him. Her envy of him began to weigh heavily upon her once more, her eyes beginning to draw back to her lap as he finished, tightening the grip around her chest while he checked her dressings. "It must be nice," Cassefin started, that sorrowful tone returning once more. "Knowing what you want, reaching for it."
"Well, yeah. You'd be living a pretty hollow life if you didn't have any dreams of your own." commented Kokuten, before standing up, and stretching. He took a look over at a near-by clock, and found that he had spent quite a bit of time here already. "You've got to have goals to find purpose, and finding purpose makes you an industrious Nepleslian."
He side-stepped a bit, wobbling left-to-right, before picking up her pajama top again, shaking out the wrinkles. "Someone like you has got to have a lot of them to come up with some many unique inventions."
Cassefin's mouth wrinkled wryly at Kokuten's mention of her goals and dreams. "I wouldn't know. I... don't have any of those, Chiaki," she said in a quiet voice.
"Nonsense." said Kokuten suddenly, arching a brow at the dejected administrator. Still holding her pajama top splayed, "Everyone has a set of dreams and desires, it's what makes us do what we do. You're just acting pessimistic at the moment."
Flap! The Doctor straightened out the clothing pinched between his fingers, and moved behind the woman. "Once you get moving about again, you'll be out of this foul mood and back to your old, yelling self as soon as possible."
The feeling of the nightshirt fabric snapped Cassefin out of her momentary doldrums, her head tilting up and looking towards Kokuten as though to confirm what was happening. When she saw the pajama top, the woman nodded and turned her head back around, carefully reaching for the cloth with a single hand and pulling it over the rest of her body. Despite the job being done, Cassefin continued to look worse for the wear as the fabric wrapped around her sinking shoulders. "You say it as though I want to yell at everyone."
"I'm told yelling is very therapeutic, I thought since you were such a health nut, you were just exercising your lungs." said Kokuten rather cheerily as he pat her shoulders. He spun on one foot and sat down, slowly gathering things in his box. "Albeit there is an excess to certain things, but you are a bit of fireball, too."
If Kokuten was attempting to comfort Cassefin, somehow he was doing a very poor job. The woman seemed to shrink back further away from him as she slowly buttoned the pajama top up, turning her torso away from him as she did so. After a silent moment, Kokuten could see creases start to form at her brow, and her voice picked up slightly, but only just. "Yes, a lot of good that has done for me," she spoke in a mocking tone, mostly chastising herself for her consistent anger issues.
"Oh, I don't know, I've come to find it rather charming." said Kokuten with a weaker voice, noticing her dragging movements and slighted behavior. He looked behind himself, a moment to mentally check his behavior, before noticing the shirt. With a quick snatch, he pulled on the tank, and tugged into place. "I have my complaints, but no one's perfect. You run a tight ship, which is commendable, considering the ship is so large."
"Yes, charming," Cassefin muttered under her breath, her facing turning further away from Kokuten with a slight huff. "So very charming, Head Administrator Cassefin Montreal, biggest, bossiest bitch in the sky. So charming that her superiors avoid dealing with her, making her job impossible, and so commendable that all of her subordinates hate her," she went on, speaking more to herself than to Kokuten, her words picking up in tone and tempo, her voice crackling at a couple of the longer words. "So wonderful, Miss Cassefin Montreal, that any friend she might have ever made has either given up on her, or is out to get her on some stupid power-trip. So amazing, Cassefin Montreal, that she seems to become more like her mother with each... each day..."
Cassefin's tirade halted there, her about-faced body sinking back down. The heaving of her shoulders slowed in pace as her rising anger cooled just short of the boiling point.
Clack. The Doctor just watched it all unfold in front of him. He had been making light the entire time, and inside she was just tearing up. Clack. When he thought about it, it was only reasonable for her to feel lonesome, up here on this mast of a station. Her own little world was her own little prison as well. Clack. Maybe spending time in this room for almost a week, alone, had made her feel that way. Maybe it was how it had always been.
Clack.
Kokuten stood up, a little quiet, at first, before doing something he himself never thought he'd do. He leaped forward, and landed on her bed, slapping his hands down over the sheets, curling his body in odd way so that his tall, structured frame didn't bang against her legs. With himself sitting on the opposite side of the Administrator's legs, he made his point.
"Then let's fix that." chimed Kokuten, trying to steal a look at her face, "I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish just sitting about, but I can't sit around and watch you do this to yourself." He opened his hands, as if he were pressing an idea of intellectual import, "I don't know your mother, I don't know how you were before I met you, but I know a Cassefin Montreal."
He smiled, albeit he was struggling, "My words might not mean much, but I think... Well. I like you. I'm not trying to cheer you up or anything, but I genuinely like you." He started bumbling over his words, revealing a sort of, embarrassed, dumb honesty, "You're blazing, you're ferocious, and... Seeing you like this... It makes me just want to... Save the damsel. You know? I can't say I understand how you feel, but... I... I want you to know that you can rely on me, as a... a friend." The Captain gave her one of those empty looks, smiling, before faltering and putting his face in his hands, "Wow, I really just need to shut up." He then smacked his cheeks a bit. "Wait. No. No I don't."
He looked up at her, trying toss the words out.
"Cassefin, I lo-- ... -- oov -- ... -- lii -- ...iik -- really care about you."
As soon as Kokuten landed in front of her, Cassefin jumped in surprise, her body shirking to the side at his sudden advance into her personal space. Her head turned towards his, Kokuten could see the remnants of her short anger and sorrow, small droplets threatening the sides of her eyes, all quickly being replaced with the shock of Kokuten's leaping landing near her covered lap. Cassefin continued to look at him, slightly bewildered, as he explained himself further. As time went on, the woman's features slowly softened, the tenseness of her body slinking back down as she grew more relaxed with him being so close.
Kokuten's confession of really caring about her took a moment to really sink in. Cassefin tilted her head to the side as he finished, giving him a peculiar look to accompany her stunned silence. After a moment, however, the red-haired Administrator couldn't help but think back on his whole charade and return to him a small, hesitant smile. "... you're so awkward, Chiaki."
His face went right back down in his hands. "... don't I know it."
While Kokuten tucked away his shame into the safety of his palms, Cassefin allowed her smile the stretch just a bit further, color returning back to her cheeks as she glanced away from him for a moment. "... it doesn't help my attitude problems, though."
Kokuten looked up sharply, as if his entire confession had been undone. His LEDs, apparently shut off from embarrassment, cut on quickly to a sharp green.
"But you shouldn't le--..."
"And," Cassefin said abruptly before Kokuten could continue, turning her head back to him and returning to him a genuine smile, still slightly marred by the remains of her previous sorrowful mood. "My superiors won't stop dropping my projects. I'm sure everyone else here on the Cirrus will still hate me. Purina will still avoid me, and Marissa will keep hounding me. And... I will still probably end up like my mother..." Cassefin allowed her voice to trail off as she stated her woes, doing her best to keep her smile earnest.
"But," Cassefin's voice lowered again, her eyes closing and her head tilting downward in humility. Slowly, the red-haired woman reached a delicate hand forward, carefully setting her palm on top of Kokuten's hand on the top of the sheets. She left it there, continuing to speak as she wondered if he received this gesture as well as anyone else would, with his cybernetic arms in place of flesh and bone. In the end, however, she found she didn't much care. "Thank you. I am... glad that you are here, Chiaki. I really am."
The doctor's hand turned under hers, small servos curling his fingers around the real deal. He wasn't sure if he was helping her at all in the long run, but she was smiling at least. Even with the embarrassment, he had gotten some part of the message across. Spitting it out like that wasn't how he wished it to happen, but he had done something.
As he looked down at her hand, he began to realize that something was sometimes all one could do.
"Any time, Miss Monstreal."
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