- RP Date
- Days after the assassination of Jack Pine
- RP Location
- Osman City, NDC
Osman City Hospital
Golden eyes cracked open on the crippled woman's face, her ear sphincters relaxing to allow the droning, consistent beat of a heart monitor to promptly annoy the hell out of her. Arria Smith was in... A rather unfortunate predicament. Bound to a hospital bed, she couldn't feel half her limbs - though the way the other half of them hurt, she probably was better off that way.
She took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it as the freshly-grown skin of her chest strained and stretched for the first time ever, not to mention her lung which had been punctured underneath it. It hurt, physically, to roll her eyes over to the young, dominating skyline - not that she could see much of it on her current floor.
The room was clean, sleek, and technological in every aspect. It was clear that as their only current hospital, the local government had pulled out all the stops for this facility. Even the windows seemed slightly off somehow, like there was more to them, and that they were not simply windows at all. The monitors were mounted to the wall and rear of the bed on adjustable arms, to be moved as needed by staff.
The bed was gel padded, and very comfortable, seeming to shape as needed to fit the physiology of the person laying in the bed. Arria would feel a sort of supportive hump along her spine to keep pressure off her wings if on her back, or along the curve of her body if on her side. The sheets and pillows were a pastel blue, and soft, everything nicely setup for comfort of the patient.
An electronic voice sounded from audio speaker somewhere, the sound not annoying compared to the monitor, "Patient awake, rerouting staff for status check up."
The Caelisolan rolled her eyes - wincing at the fresh migraine that action had unleashed upon her - as the meaning of the message processed in her woozy head. Great. And I don't even know... What did happen? Party?" Arria thought to herself, attempting to fit the blurry pieces of her mental puzzle together. At least the bed was comfy, much better than the stuff she'd gotten used to on Yamatai ships.
A very feminine figure entered the room, their long ginger hair kept in a ponytail, the person walking up to the monitor and connecting a very much slimmer datapad. "I don't think anyone who survived what you have, would ever consider it a party. Very nasty business, and one that would give anyone issues to try and forget. How are you feeling Miss Smith?", the doctor said as they looked over with a sympathetic smile at the waking birb.
Miss Smith? Look at her being all formal. "Like I got ran over by a glass truck. And the driver shared his alcohol with me right after. Everything ff-" She hesitated - did her best to not immediately start cursing like a sailor. "Hurts. And... Headache isn't. Helping. Memory..." The last words came out as a struggle, the very effort of talking already putting a lot more strain on her shredded body than she expected it to. Maybe that's why they keep having those drawn out death monologues that never get to the point, Arria thought.
Marlene felt a deep sympathy for the woman, also somewhat thankful she couldn't recall that nightmare yet. However, she still needed to know what had lead her to be admitted here, the doctor just had to be gentle.
"Miss, it might be hard to understand at first, but you were one of many survivors of a terror attack," Marlene said gently and somewhat slow before continuing. "You received some very severe injuries in the incident, such as fractures, a dislocation, a stab wound, a punctured lung, and even possibly a concussion."
They were not going to lie, the charts were far easier to digest then the sight this Elysian woman had been when carted in. They also left out that one of the ruling Lords had been killed too, as it was not as relevant to the patient. Also no need to make the possible panic worse then it might already be. The doctor cleared their throat as they pulled up a chair, "We've done a lot to fix what we can, and treat what will take time. Instant healing is still not something we can sadly do with Elysian physiology. You will have to spend about a month, or a little more to recover fully. We've also taken the liberty schedule a phyciatrist appointment for any lingering mental trauma once you can be well enough to attend."
Arria's eyes narrowed. A terror attack? Remnants from that OSO place? Arria had done her research before she'd been fully shipped off to the New Dusk Conclave. At least, the research she had access to - and the motivation to look at. Planet 188604 had quite a number of instability problems even before Section Six had broken off in search of someplace better... It didn't surprise her that someone would have been jealous.
The slight tilt of the healthy woman's head reminded Arria that she hadn't said anything yet. "That's... Cute. Plebian me wouldn't... Made it," the struggling words stumbled out of her mouth's cracked, parched lips.
"You should be more concerned about your recovery right now missy. Save talking for when you can actually do so. You need rest right now, and food given how long you've been out, so I had a tray of food requested.", Marlene explained further before slightly chastising in a sassy tone. Not the best bed side manner, but sometimes, patients just needed to listen to the doctor.
They checked something on the pad, and gave a few taps and swipes before continuing on with the conversation. "You're lucky that the BRRF arrived when they did, your vitals were not pretty when they brought you in. I assume they'll have questions for you too when you're also up for that."
"....Who?" The single word summarized her confusion pretty darn well - having blacked out before the BRRF arrived, the shortstack hadn't even been aware of who'd rescured her or how. A struggling breath and she managed to say, "Maybe... Later. After a rest, right?"
The doctor nodded before leaving momentarily to retrieve the tray of food and bringing it back to the wounded birb girl. Placing it on the rotating side table that deployed as it sensed the nearing tray. Once placed and gently brought before Arria, Marlene nodded and wished her a good rest, and too ring the button if she was needed. Once the doctor was gone, the Elysian would have plenty of time to rest again, and recover from her ordeal more.
That one one thing to count her blessings for, at least - Arria didn't need to eat out of a straw. With only one functioning arm - and not that much freedom of movement in the rest of her body - it was, needless to say, a unique challenge to eat through the fatigue. Another blessing - her right arm was okay, just sore, so it wasn't a COMPLETE wash... The applesauce went down quickly enough, but Arria spent a few minutes to wear down the toast. Despite everything, she didn't feel as hungry as she probably should be. After a few - many - several gulps of water, the icy chill making her teeth hurt just slightly, the snowy Elysian lost the fight to stay awake.
Hours Later
The afternoon light flooded the room as Arria opened her eyes again, feeling a bit better than she was previously, but still feeling like crap regardless. Someone must have cleaned up her meal, because it was out of sight and her water glass had been refilled. That was the first thing she went for.
Seemingly a few minutes later, the knock of a familiar feminine figure made their presence known. Another person stood behind them out across the hall, patiently waiting it seemed, dressed in the uniform of the loca military. They were likely there to ask questions as Marlene had mentioned earlier.
"I trust you've been resting well? Ms. Smith, there is a gentleman here from the BRRF to ask some questions. I'll be in the nurse's station just down the hall, so hit the button if you need me." The doctor said this with a comforting smile, as if to say she wasn't introuble, and that it was simply routine.
Stepping aside, the man walked in, a datapad under his arm as he came in and pulled up a chair. He cleared his throat softly for a second before speaking, "Good afternoon, I'm Harvester 2nd Grade, Demascus. I'm with the Biohazard Rapid Response Force, or BRRF for short. I was hoping you were well enough to perhaps talk about the incident the other day?"
Arria stared blankly at the man, blinked a couple times, and choked out something unintelligable. A quick cough to clear her throat and she tried again: "Biohazard? I thought I was stabbed, not bit. And I'm not infected, the lack of... Quarantiney stuff makes that pretty clear." Harvester? This some kinda fuckin... Abduction?
The man gave a feint sigh for a moment with a small chuckle, "I get that more often then I'd like. Yes you were stabbed to answer your question. However, do you not remember why you were running in the first place? The gas, the Lord's assassination, and the crowd being put into a terror induced frenzy from said gas?"
[color-#7de3dc]"Well the concussion woud explain me forg- wait, assassination? Nobody told me about assassinations. I thought it was a lynching gone wrong or something."[/color]
He seemed worriedly puzzled at that assumption, "The Lord, Jack Pine, was killed on stage by a lone gunman. A gas bomb with an unknown psychological compound was released from his corpse after he took his own life. Why would you think it was a lynching?" He asked this with a deep look of concern, having no clue as to why she would be the victim of a lynching.
Arria's brow furrowed, "Well, nobody told me crap about Jack Pine being assassinated. And I've gotten a lot of hate in the past, one of the reasons I took the transfer here to get out of Yamatai core space for a while. Figured someone might had followed me." Arria took a few shallow breaths, trying to not hurt herself again.
"A gas? That would explain the biohazard part of the deployment..."
"Well, to answer the rest of your questions, Harvester is just my rank, not my job of any sort. I'm a cleansing squad operator. We usually deploy in teams to take care of biological weapons of most kinds, whether through containment and cleanup, or elimination of hostile infected. We've have a lot of history with dealing with such things, like the mishuu necrological virus for example, and the hostile creatures it turns its victims into." He answered with a slight rub of his chin, finding her answer slightly worrying in a more personal manner, then by any means involving his job.
On that note, with the feeling of needing to add something in response, some assurance. Drake cleared his throat slightly before adding, "You won't need to worry about persecution based on being an elysian here. We have a decent number among the population, and some of our most prominent heads of state, are in fact Elysian. Head of advanced research, head of engineering, and even the head of internal security now after the incident."
"Oh, that's nice. Hell of a lot better than where I came from." It was likely true that the chesty victim was exaggerating, but that didn't stop her. "So..." she trailed off, glancing outside for a moment before blinking slowly. Her snowy hair blew into her face, a loose bit having been caught by a draft. Arria blew the errant hairs out of her eyes with a huff and a wince, then asked, "So what are you asking for? Bit foggy, but some things might be coming back..."
"I was hoping you might have noticed any signs prior to the attack. Anything out of the ordinary, like suspicious persons, or events that seemed abnormal. Hopefully anything that can give us a clue as to who did this. If not, then that is okay, what matters is you're alive and healing back to health. Just hoping for a lead is all." The offered an apologetic smile at the end, not in any way trying to come off as demanding. Drake made no mention of it either, but he had left a small gift with the good doctor, just as a small apology for putting up with proceedure.
It took a moment for Arria to speak, sifting through her muddied memories. "There... Was.... A woman. Made a big show about her make-up or something. A distraction? She... Did get my attention for a bit, was probably her goal. You tried uh... Gettin' her?" It wasn't easy to remember the woman's appearance - especially since Arria couldn't even see the woman due to her size - but she was hoping it would be of some assitance. And hopefully, not a false lead.
"She has definitely come up in numerous statements. Her name is Samantha Pine, one of the royals. We don't have any solid reason to suspect her though.", Drake answered with a shake of his head. He gave a small sigh as he made a note real quick on the pad, then looked over Volotany's report. "If I'm honest, were at a loss on the situation. So many leads just seem like dead ends, and despite the level of surveillance we have passively in place. It's almost as if they simply walked through every security measure."
It seemed like the nap Arria had taken was really something she needed, as she started her next sentence more confidently than the previous, "Think it was multi-layer corruption? They get a few guards in a checkpoint to turn a blind eye, can slip past nearly perfectly. Or a distraction tactic... Have someone get caught by the guards trying to get in, and take advantage of that window of opportunity." The snowy woman coughed, then stopped speaking for a moment. Lungs didn't like being used that much yet...
"Possible if most enlisted didn't have cameras on them when on duty. Live feeds from their very eyes, and maybe it's a bit naive, but I'd like to think our men beloved in the lord more then that. Afterall, we were all from small beginnings and nobodies before, even him." The man seemed to give a small apologetic smile. "It would of meant they knew all our codes, someone very high up working with them. We do have some suspects to that end of course."
Drake stood and collected a pitcher that had been left on a cooling tray, before stepping back over to refill her glass. "Is there anything I can do for you? You're still in recovery and I am here making you answer questions. Assisting your discomfort is the least I can do for you miss."
A few gulps of water and it was already gone. While the man politely re-refilled her glass, Arria gave him a playful smirk. "A hundred bucks, a shotgun, maybe a new car while you're at it? Heh, I'm alright," she joked and laughed softly at Drake's rapidly-changing face, "Though I do have a couple questions of my own. First one being... How the hell did I even survive?"
It was his turn to give his own smirk, "I would say luck, but if I was prideful, I'd say me not skipping leg day. You were barely hanging in there when I carried you out of that park. Thankful the medics were able to work their skill and keep you stable to the hospital here."
He refilled the glass yet again for her, opting to simply leave the pitcher on the tray for her there. It was understandable to be thirsty, especially with the healing of her lung likely draining much from her body's resources in the process. "The shotgun and money I could easily do. Bit surprising on the shotgun as a request. Car might not be so easy," He chuckled.
After she processed the man's response, Arria's eyes widened significantly, and she struggled to shake her head negatively as she denied, "You took that seriously? I was joking! I can't even shoot a shotgun anyways it throws my shoulder. But still," she took a breather and politely smiled. "Thank you. You and the parameds." Internally, she noted to get the guy a beer or something a few months down the line. Does he even drink? Eh, can find out when it's appropriate.
"Though to take your question seriously, the room's a bit warm. Idunno if you could do something about that?" Drake would find it hard to agree with the short angel, as the chilled and regulated air had already given him goosebumps when he first walked into the hospital. And the scrubs she'd been given after the surgery were well-made, but still too light to provide a lot of insulation.
Drake a small smile and a nod of the head before making a hand gesture, like adjusting some sort of unseen slider dial. The room seeming to start feeling cooler then before, and not willing to complain about how cool it felt already. Afterall, he was from the desert, far more used to the heat of hot sands, much like the sweltering summers of this world. But that mattered little as her comfort while recovering was more important at the moment.
"Is the humor of playing along, so out of style? Hahaha, though I do hope all your needs have been taken care of while you've been staying here? Food, an apartment, transportation, currency for local goods and such. Most of what you asked for, should have been provided, so if not then I can make sure you get it.", He answered as he chuckled.
The gold-eyed woman smiled. "Not out of style. Just not something I'm used to over there in Yam. Seems they set my contract up properly, though, haven't had any issues 'til uh..." Arria had only now realized that she had no idea what day it was. "Until that incident. You guys have transportation, though? I've always just flown around instead. Skips the traffic."
"We do indeed, mainly personal cars and bikes. We do have Origin purchased buses, AI controlled autonomous cars, and shuttles as public transportation options. Most of it is wheeled, save for the few hover cars that have been privately purchased from Origin." He gladly answered, having paused on her uncertainty of the day it currently was. He felt for the woman, so confused after waking up from such a terrible experience as that he carried her out of. Drake cleared his throat slightly, now finding himself thirsty oddly enough before answering the unspoken question. "You've been sleeping for a bout a week now by the way. You were not looking to well with the injuries you had to say the least."
At that, Arria's eyes went wide with surprise. The golden irises shone like suns as she processed the new information. "A week?" Her voice collapsed into a hoarse cough, straining her vocal chords beyond their weakened limits. It took a couple sips of water to calm her down again.
"I should've just stayed at Nephis..."
"Woah, take it easy. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, not trying to make you cough yourself to death in surprise. Besides, the incident at Nephis is still being investigated. I know you were stabbed, but you'd still be much safer here, hell I'll even ensure that if I can.", Drake said concerned at the sudden fit, as he leaned over with the pitcher to help top off her cup if she needed more. He could hear the strain she vocally gave off, and it made him concerned for her being in possible discomfort still.
Arria pouted, took a sip of water, and pouted again. Actually, it was kind of cute, even if the reason was very much less so. "Well, hopefully you won't need to make good on that promise, though offering assistance is still nice. Maybe you can help me learn the city more, then? It's a whole new perspective when you're on foot."
He offered a kind smile, appreciating the cuteness for a second, "I certainly can, I'll try and get the day off when you're getting released. If not, I'll just have my superiors mark it as diplomatic duties for the day."
Drake added with a small nod, the smile still on his face, "I hope I won't need to as well, but it's why I do the work. A lot of the time it's a boring job, and gives no glory, but we've signed on for protection against what goes bump. Nice woman like you, just makes that job a pleasure and an interesting time. Afterall, not often I get to talk to a Yamatai girl, much less one also in active service."
To that, the shortstack rolled her golden eyes. "I know what it says on the records, I'm not a "Yam Girl", buddy. Never fit in with those cats, even if I grew up around half of 'em. And half of them tried to hit on me." Her voice had gone fully cynical for a few moments, but then she sighed, "Well, at least most of them were a pain in the butt. Been a minute since I talked to Setsuya, actually..."
"You know the Itatskis? I've met her once, I work with her mother, she had a younger step sister leave for service not too long back. Different dad as I understand for that sibling, but I work alongside the son of the dad in my unit." Drake seemed to chuckle a little, finding it odd to meet someone who knew a family that was semi well known out here.
"I assume you two were decent friends?", He added in question after a brief pause.
"Pretty close, back on the Eucharis. Kinda funny, she never mentioned her family that much..." With that, Arria shrugged.
"Knowing her mother, she may have been scared someone would want to meet her, and she'd start sharing stories. Though I know she has one other sister, and even a daughter now of her own. Should meet her mom sometime, she'd love to meet one of her friends." Drake answered, a smile on his face knowing that had semi similar social connections. "Didn't her dad also serve on the Eucharis?"
"Idunno, actually," claimed Arria with a smile of her own. "Though it wouldn't surprise me. I'm not a historian!" It was a few moment's pause before she realized, "...Wait, you work with her MOM?" The regenerative properties of her Caelisolan body had clearly been working overtime, as Arria didn't send herself into another coughing fit with the emphasis on the end of her sentence.
"Why yes, Ichika Itatski in fact works with my unit quite often. She's one of our longest heavy armor operators. Admittedly she's probably even saved my ass a few times", he answered with a small chuckle as he reaffirmed the answer to her question. He took ahold of the pitcher, raising it slightly to see if she wanted another top off for her cup. Whether she accepted, or not, he added briefly after doing so. "Why I'm here, is there anything you wanted me to fill out for you, get arranged, or perhaps taken care of while you wait for release?"
Letting her water get refreshed, the wounded owl took a moment to think. "I'll need to swing by and say hello some time. Maybe Setsuya can come over as well, if she's not busy. Would be a fun lil' gathering - but for now, I don't think I'll need much. 'Cept maybe helping me figure out how to get around the city a bit better, once I'm cleared to walk." Arria's voice came out... Very "neutral", as if she was either trying to hide something or just avoid certain thoughts.... It's a bit hard to tell.
"Last I heard, she's serving on a ship called Artemis, doing 6 month stints. I'm not sure when she'll be around again." He offered as he sat the pitcher aside again. Drake paused at he caught the tone present, and maybe had him concerned that he might have said something wrong. "Why so stiff all the sudden? Was it something I said?"
The birb's golden eyes shifted to the window, avoiding eye contact. "Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just grumpy when I get tired. Sorry." She opened her mouth slightly, and yawned, her chest swelling cautiously with the action. "Might be good for you to hop off before another nurse comes along to keep me up with some tests or something," Arria stated.
Drake gave a sympathetic smile, before taking a piece of paper off the counter. He jotted something down on it before sliding it over on her med bed's attached tray. "My com code before I go. Incase you need to reach me for anything. Like I said, I'll take care of anything needed if necessary. Please, Arria, rest well.", He offered before giving a wave goodbye and heading for the door.
Golden eyes cracked open on the crippled woman's face, her ear sphincters relaxing to allow the droning, consistent beat of a heart monitor to promptly annoy the hell out of her. Arria Smith was in... A rather unfortunate predicament. Bound to a hospital bed, she couldn't feel half her limbs - though the way the other half of them hurt, she probably was better off that way.
She took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it as the freshly-grown skin of her chest strained and stretched for the first time ever, not to mention her lung which had been punctured underneath it. It hurt, physically, to roll her eyes over to the young, dominating skyline - not that she could see much of it on her current floor.
The room was clean, sleek, and technological in every aspect. It was clear that as their only current hospital, the local government had pulled out all the stops for this facility. Even the windows seemed slightly off somehow, like there was more to them, and that they were not simply windows at all. The monitors were mounted to the wall and rear of the bed on adjustable arms, to be moved as needed by staff.
The bed was gel padded, and very comfortable, seeming to shape as needed to fit the physiology of the person laying in the bed. Arria would feel a sort of supportive hump along her spine to keep pressure off her wings if on her back, or along the curve of her body if on her side. The sheets and pillows were a pastel blue, and soft, everything nicely setup for comfort of the patient.
An electronic voice sounded from audio speaker somewhere, the sound not annoying compared to the monitor, "Patient awake, rerouting staff for status check up."
The Caelisolan rolled her eyes - wincing at the fresh migraine that action had unleashed upon her - as the meaning of the message processed in her woozy head. Great. And I don't even know... What did happen? Party?" Arria thought to herself, attempting to fit the blurry pieces of her mental puzzle together. At least the bed was comfy, much better than the stuff she'd gotten used to on Yamatai ships.
A very feminine figure entered the room, their long ginger hair kept in a ponytail, the person walking up to the monitor and connecting a very much slimmer datapad. "I don't think anyone who survived what you have, would ever consider it a party. Very nasty business, and one that would give anyone issues to try and forget. How are you feeling Miss Smith?", the doctor said as they looked over with a sympathetic smile at the waking birb.
Miss Smith? Look at her being all formal. "Like I got ran over by a glass truck. And the driver shared his alcohol with me right after. Everything ff-" She hesitated - did her best to not immediately start cursing like a sailor. "Hurts. And... Headache isn't. Helping. Memory..." The last words came out as a struggle, the very effort of talking already putting a lot more strain on her shredded body than she expected it to. Maybe that's why they keep having those drawn out death monologues that never get to the point, Arria thought.
Marlene felt a deep sympathy for the woman, also somewhat thankful she couldn't recall that nightmare yet. However, she still needed to know what had lead her to be admitted here, the doctor just had to be gentle.
"Miss, it might be hard to understand at first, but you were one of many survivors of a terror attack," Marlene said gently and somewhat slow before continuing. "You received some very severe injuries in the incident, such as fractures, a dislocation, a stab wound, a punctured lung, and even possibly a concussion."
They were not going to lie, the charts were far easier to digest then the sight this Elysian woman had been when carted in. They also left out that one of the ruling Lords had been killed too, as it was not as relevant to the patient. Also no need to make the possible panic worse then it might already be. The doctor cleared their throat as they pulled up a chair, "We've done a lot to fix what we can, and treat what will take time. Instant healing is still not something we can sadly do with Elysian physiology. You will have to spend about a month, or a little more to recover fully. We've also taken the liberty schedule a phyciatrist appointment for any lingering mental trauma once you can be well enough to attend."
Arria's eyes narrowed. A terror attack? Remnants from that OSO place? Arria had done her research before she'd been fully shipped off to the New Dusk Conclave. At least, the research she had access to - and the motivation to look at. Planet 188604 had quite a number of instability problems even before Section Six had broken off in search of someplace better... It didn't surprise her that someone would have been jealous.
The slight tilt of the healthy woman's head reminded Arria that she hadn't said anything yet. "That's... Cute. Plebian me wouldn't... Made it," the struggling words stumbled out of her mouth's cracked, parched lips.
"You should be more concerned about your recovery right now missy. Save talking for when you can actually do so. You need rest right now, and food given how long you've been out, so I had a tray of food requested.", Marlene explained further before slightly chastising in a sassy tone. Not the best bed side manner, but sometimes, patients just needed to listen to the doctor.
They checked something on the pad, and gave a few taps and swipes before continuing on with the conversation. "You're lucky that the BRRF arrived when they did, your vitals were not pretty when they brought you in. I assume they'll have questions for you too when you're also up for that."
"....Who?" The single word summarized her confusion pretty darn well - having blacked out before the BRRF arrived, the shortstack hadn't even been aware of who'd rescured her or how. A struggling breath and she managed to say, "Maybe... Later. After a rest, right?"
The doctor nodded before leaving momentarily to retrieve the tray of food and bringing it back to the wounded birb girl. Placing it on the rotating side table that deployed as it sensed the nearing tray. Once placed and gently brought before Arria, Marlene nodded and wished her a good rest, and too ring the button if she was needed. Once the doctor was gone, the Elysian would have plenty of time to rest again, and recover from her ordeal more.
That one one thing to count her blessings for, at least - Arria didn't need to eat out of a straw. With only one functioning arm - and not that much freedom of movement in the rest of her body - it was, needless to say, a unique challenge to eat through the fatigue. Another blessing - her right arm was okay, just sore, so it wasn't a COMPLETE wash... The applesauce went down quickly enough, but Arria spent a few minutes to wear down the toast. Despite everything, she didn't feel as hungry as she probably should be. After a few - many - several gulps of water, the icy chill making her teeth hurt just slightly, the snowy Elysian lost the fight to stay awake.
Hours Later
The afternoon light flooded the room as Arria opened her eyes again, feeling a bit better than she was previously, but still feeling like crap regardless. Someone must have cleaned up her meal, because it was out of sight and her water glass had been refilled. That was the first thing she went for.
Seemingly a few minutes later, the knock of a familiar feminine figure made their presence known. Another person stood behind them out across the hall, patiently waiting it seemed, dressed in the uniform of the loca military. They were likely there to ask questions as Marlene had mentioned earlier.
"I trust you've been resting well? Ms. Smith, there is a gentleman here from the BRRF to ask some questions. I'll be in the nurse's station just down the hall, so hit the button if you need me." The doctor said this with a comforting smile, as if to say she wasn't introuble, and that it was simply routine.
Stepping aside, the man walked in, a datapad under his arm as he came in and pulled up a chair. He cleared his throat softly for a second before speaking, "Good afternoon, I'm Harvester 2nd Grade, Demascus. I'm with the Biohazard Rapid Response Force, or BRRF for short. I was hoping you were well enough to perhaps talk about the incident the other day?"
Arria stared blankly at the man, blinked a couple times, and choked out something unintelligable. A quick cough to clear her throat and she tried again: "Biohazard? I thought I was stabbed, not bit. And I'm not infected, the lack of... Quarantiney stuff makes that pretty clear." Harvester? This some kinda fuckin... Abduction?
The man gave a feint sigh for a moment with a small chuckle, "I get that more often then I'd like. Yes you were stabbed to answer your question. However, do you not remember why you were running in the first place? The gas, the Lord's assassination, and the crowd being put into a terror induced frenzy from said gas?"
[color-#7de3dc]"Well the concussion woud explain me forg- wait, assassination? Nobody told me about assassinations. I thought it was a lynching gone wrong or something."[/color]
He seemed worriedly puzzled at that assumption, "The Lord, Jack Pine, was killed on stage by a lone gunman. A gas bomb with an unknown psychological compound was released from his corpse after he took his own life. Why would you think it was a lynching?" He asked this with a deep look of concern, having no clue as to why she would be the victim of a lynching.
Arria's brow furrowed, "Well, nobody told me crap about Jack Pine being assassinated. And I've gotten a lot of hate in the past, one of the reasons I took the transfer here to get out of Yamatai core space for a while. Figured someone might had followed me." Arria took a few shallow breaths, trying to not hurt herself again.
"A gas? That would explain the biohazard part of the deployment..."
"Well, to answer the rest of your questions, Harvester is just my rank, not my job of any sort. I'm a cleansing squad operator. We usually deploy in teams to take care of biological weapons of most kinds, whether through containment and cleanup, or elimination of hostile infected. We've have a lot of history with dealing with such things, like the mishuu necrological virus for example, and the hostile creatures it turns its victims into." He answered with a slight rub of his chin, finding her answer slightly worrying in a more personal manner, then by any means involving his job.
On that note, with the feeling of needing to add something in response, some assurance. Drake cleared his throat slightly before adding, "You won't need to worry about persecution based on being an elysian here. We have a decent number among the population, and some of our most prominent heads of state, are in fact Elysian. Head of advanced research, head of engineering, and even the head of internal security now after the incident."
"Oh, that's nice. Hell of a lot better than where I came from." It was likely true that the chesty victim was exaggerating, but that didn't stop her. "So..." she trailed off, glancing outside for a moment before blinking slowly. Her snowy hair blew into her face, a loose bit having been caught by a draft. Arria blew the errant hairs out of her eyes with a huff and a wince, then asked, "So what are you asking for? Bit foggy, but some things might be coming back..."
"I was hoping you might have noticed any signs prior to the attack. Anything out of the ordinary, like suspicious persons, or events that seemed abnormal. Hopefully anything that can give us a clue as to who did this. If not, then that is okay, what matters is you're alive and healing back to health. Just hoping for a lead is all." The offered an apologetic smile at the end, not in any way trying to come off as demanding. Drake made no mention of it either, but he had left a small gift with the good doctor, just as a small apology for putting up with proceedure.
It took a moment for Arria to speak, sifting through her muddied memories. "There... Was.... A woman. Made a big show about her make-up or something. A distraction? She... Did get my attention for a bit, was probably her goal. You tried uh... Gettin' her?" It wasn't easy to remember the woman's appearance - especially since Arria couldn't even see the woman due to her size - but she was hoping it would be of some assitance. And hopefully, not a false lead.
"She has definitely come up in numerous statements. Her name is Samantha Pine, one of the royals. We don't have any solid reason to suspect her though.", Drake answered with a shake of his head. He gave a small sigh as he made a note real quick on the pad, then looked over Volotany's report. "If I'm honest, were at a loss on the situation. So many leads just seem like dead ends, and despite the level of surveillance we have passively in place. It's almost as if they simply walked through every security measure."
It seemed like the nap Arria had taken was really something she needed, as she started her next sentence more confidently than the previous, "Think it was multi-layer corruption? They get a few guards in a checkpoint to turn a blind eye, can slip past nearly perfectly. Or a distraction tactic... Have someone get caught by the guards trying to get in, and take advantage of that window of opportunity." The snowy woman coughed, then stopped speaking for a moment. Lungs didn't like being used that much yet...
"Possible if most enlisted didn't have cameras on them when on duty. Live feeds from their very eyes, and maybe it's a bit naive, but I'd like to think our men beloved in the lord more then that. Afterall, we were all from small beginnings and nobodies before, even him." The man seemed to give a small apologetic smile. "It would of meant they knew all our codes, someone very high up working with them. We do have some suspects to that end of course."
Drake stood and collected a pitcher that had been left on a cooling tray, before stepping back over to refill her glass. "Is there anything I can do for you? You're still in recovery and I am here making you answer questions. Assisting your discomfort is the least I can do for you miss."
A few gulps of water and it was already gone. While the man politely re-refilled her glass, Arria gave him a playful smirk. "A hundred bucks, a shotgun, maybe a new car while you're at it? Heh, I'm alright," she joked and laughed softly at Drake's rapidly-changing face, "Though I do have a couple questions of my own. First one being... How the hell did I even survive?"
It was his turn to give his own smirk, "I would say luck, but if I was prideful, I'd say me not skipping leg day. You were barely hanging in there when I carried you out of that park. Thankful the medics were able to work their skill and keep you stable to the hospital here."
He refilled the glass yet again for her, opting to simply leave the pitcher on the tray for her there. It was understandable to be thirsty, especially with the healing of her lung likely draining much from her body's resources in the process. "The shotgun and money I could easily do. Bit surprising on the shotgun as a request. Car might not be so easy," He chuckled.
After she processed the man's response, Arria's eyes widened significantly, and she struggled to shake her head negatively as she denied, "You took that seriously? I was joking! I can't even shoot a shotgun anyways it throws my shoulder. But still," she took a breather and politely smiled. "Thank you. You and the parameds." Internally, she noted to get the guy a beer or something a few months down the line. Does he even drink? Eh, can find out when it's appropriate.
"Though to take your question seriously, the room's a bit warm. Idunno if you could do something about that?" Drake would find it hard to agree with the short angel, as the chilled and regulated air had already given him goosebumps when he first walked into the hospital. And the scrubs she'd been given after the surgery were well-made, but still too light to provide a lot of insulation.
Drake a small smile and a nod of the head before making a hand gesture, like adjusting some sort of unseen slider dial. The room seeming to start feeling cooler then before, and not willing to complain about how cool it felt already. Afterall, he was from the desert, far more used to the heat of hot sands, much like the sweltering summers of this world. But that mattered little as her comfort while recovering was more important at the moment.
"Is the humor of playing along, so out of style? Hahaha, though I do hope all your needs have been taken care of while you've been staying here? Food, an apartment, transportation, currency for local goods and such. Most of what you asked for, should have been provided, so if not then I can make sure you get it.", He answered as he chuckled.
The gold-eyed woman smiled. "Not out of style. Just not something I'm used to over there in Yam. Seems they set my contract up properly, though, haven't had any issues 'til uh..." Arria had only now realized that she had no idea what day it was. "Until that incident. You guys have transportation, though? I've always just flown around instead. Skips the traffic."
"We do indeed, mainly personal cars and bikes. We do have Origin purchased buses, AI controlled autonomous cars, and shuttles as public transportation options. Most of it is wheeled, save for the few hover cars that have been privately purchased from Origin." He gladly answered, having paused on her uncertainty of the day it currently was. He felt for the woman, so confused after waking up from such a terrible experience as that he carried her out of. Drake cleared his throat slightly, now finding himself thirsty oddly enough before answering the unspoken question. "You've been sleeping for a bout a week now by the way. You were not looking to well with the injuries you had to say the least."
At that, Arria's eyes went wide with surprise. The golden irises shone like suns as she processed the new information. "A week?" Her voice collapsed into a hoarse cough, straining her vocal chords beyond their weakened limits. It took a couple sips of water to calm her down again.
"I should've just stayed at Nephis..."
"Woah, take it easy. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, not trying to make you cough yourself to death in surprise. Besides, the incident at Nephis is still being investigated. I know you were stabbed, but you'd still be much safer here, hell I'll even ensure that if I can.", Drake said concerned at the sudden fit, as he leaned over with the pitcher to help top off her cup if she needed more. He could hear the strain she vocally gave off, and it made him concerned for her being in possible discomfort still.
Arria pouted, took a sip of water, and pouted again. Actually, it was kind of cute, even if the reason was very much less so. "Well, hopefully you won't need to make good on that promise, though offering assistance is still nice. Maybe you can help me learn the city more, then? It's a whole new perspective when you're on foot."
He offered a kind smile, appreciating the cuteness for a second, "I certainly can, I'll try and get the day off when you're getting released. If not, I'll just have my superiors mark it as diplomatic duties for the day."
Drake added with a small nod, the smile still on his face, "I hope I won't need to as well, but it's why I do the work. A lot of the time it's a boring job, and gives no glory, but we've signed on for protection against what goes bump. Nice woman like you, just makes that job a pleasure and an interesting time. Afterall, not often I get to talk to a Yamatai girl, much less one also in active service."
To that, the shortstack rolled her golden eyes. "I know what it says on the records, I'm not a "Yam Girl", buddy. Never fit in with those cats, even if I grew up around half of 'em. And half of them tried to hit on me." Her voice had gone fully cynical for a few moments, but then she sighed, "Well, at least most of them were a pain in the butt. Been a minute since I talked to Setsuya, actually..."
"You know the Itatskis? I've met her once, I work with her mother, she had a younger step sister leave for service not too long back. Different dad as I understand for that sibling, but I work alongside the son of the dad in my unit." Drake seemed to chuckle a little, finding it odd to meet someone who knew a family that was semi well known out here.
"I assume you two were decent friends?", He added in question after a brief pause.
"Pretty close, back on the Eucharis. Kinda funny, she never mentioned her family that much..." With that, Arria shrugged.
"Knowing her mother, she may have been scared someone would want to meet her, and she'd start sharing stories. Though I know she has one other sister, and even a daughter now of her own. Should meet her mom sometime, she'd love to meet one of her friends." Drake answered, a smile on his face knowing that had semi similar social connections. "Didn't her dad also serve on the Eucharis?"
"Idunno, actually," claimed Arria with a smile of her own. "Though it wouldn't surprise me. I'm not a historian!" It was a few moment's pause before she realized, "...Wait, you work with her MOM?" The regenerative properties of her Caelisolan body had clearly been working overtime, as Arria didn't send herself into another coughing fit with the emphasis on the end of her sentence.
"Why yes, Ichika Itatski in fact works with my unit quite often. She's one of our longest heavy armor operators. Admittedly she's probably even saved my ass a few times", he answered with a small chuckle as he reaffirmed the answer to her question. He took ahold of the pitcher, raising it slightly to see if she wanted another top off for her cup. Whether she accepted, or not, he added briefly after doing so. "Why I'm here, is there anything you wanted me to fill out for you, get arranged, or perhaps taken care of while you wait for release?"
Letting her water get refreshed, the wounded owl took a moment to think. "I'll need to swing by and say hello some time. Maybe Setsuya can come over as well, if she's not busy. Would be a fun lil' gathering - but for now, I don't think I'll need much. 'Cept maybe helping me figure out how to get around the city a bit better, once I'm cleared to walk." Arria's voice came out... Very "neutral", as if she was either trying to hide something or just avoid certain thoughts.... It's a bit hard to tell.
"Last I heard, she's serving on a ship called Artemis, doing 6 month stints. I'm not sure when she'll be around again." He offered as he sat the pitcher aside again. Drake paused at he caught the tone present, and maybe had him concerned that he might have said something wrong. "Why so stiff all the sudden? Was it something I said?"
The birb's golden eyes shifted to the window, avoiding eye contact. "Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just grumpy when I get tired. Sorry." She opened her mouth slightly, and yawned, her chest swelling cautiously with the action. "Might be good for you to hop off before another nurse comes along to keep me up with some tests or something," Arria stated.
Drake gave a sympathetic smile, before taking a piece of paper off the counter. He jotted something down on it before sliding it over on her med bed's attached tray. "My com code before I go. Incase you need to reach me for anything. Like I said, I'll take care of anything needed if necessary. Please, Arria, rest well.", He offered before giving a wave goodbye and heading for the door.
