Being reunited with Luke left Anise in a fairly good mood, even if Landel seemed to be actively trying to ruin it by being obnoxious on the intercom. She did wonder a little about what he said about the doctors. Where was Dr. Yumeno this whole time? She hoped he was okay.
When she entered the Sun Room, Anise made a beeline for the bulletin, where she immediately found a note from Guy. He probably didn't need to be told she was okay when they'd been together until the end of last night, but she left a note in response, just to keep communication going. Tear probably appreciated it, too. As for Natalia... well, Anise could only hope she'd turn up soon.
Once she was done with that, she started reading the other notes on the board. It looked like there were some people who had some insider info about what really happened last night, but a lot of their wording was vague. Anise tilted her head and scratched her cheek as she read the notes over a couple more times, trying to understand them as best she could.
Ilia yawned and stretched as she left behind the cafeteria for the Sun Room. She had woken early with enough time to greet Lana with a good morning, but gotten to breakfast a bit late that day as she worked out the aches in her muscles that had returned after last night's rousing activities. She really hadn't expected quite so much work in just one night, but with kids as active as Rose and Gamzee it was necessary to keep up
( ... )
The sound of her own name broke Anise's concentration, and the girl snapped her head around to see a familiar face just next to her. She blinked a few times, then broke into a big smile.
"Ilia, hey!" It had been a while since they last talked face-to-face, though they'd fortunately kept in touch over the bulletin well enough that neither of them needed to worry too much about the other. "I've been pretty good! I mean, as good as I can be with you-know-who being back and all." She glanced pointedly upwards at an intercom speaker, a sour look briefly crossing her face.
"What about you? What've you been up to?" she asked, her expression quickly shifting into a friendly grin.
Anise's smile was a welcoming sight. She wasn't going to let the return of the old regime get her down. "He made it plain he wasn't gone forever." Ilia shook her head and held up her arms. "Can't say I'll miss the General overly much, but I will miss those uniforms
( ... )
Anise could sympathize about the uniforms. The military one wasn't her style, but it was better made overall, and it looked pretty good on Ilia. A full-grown woman with curves like those didn't have to worry about looking too boy-ish in a heavy uniform like that. Anise had to hurry and catch up, somehow...
"Made it down to that basement."
Those words put a stop to all unrelated thoughts in Anise's head. There was an uncomfortable twist in her stomach, and her smile faded in an instant. Ilia went to the basement? Where Guy had been killed in such a horrible way, and no one had any way of stopping it? There? They'd been regularly checking in with each other over the bulletin, but Anise had no idea she was doing something that dangerous!
Ilia started asking her questions in return, many of them not quite reaching Anise as she tried to process what she just learned. The girl merely shook her head a few times, then finally blurted, "You can't go to the basement!" Her eyes were wide with panic. Ilia could die!
Anise's obvious distress over her words caused Ilia to sit up in her seat and lean forward, intent on her younger friend. Claude and Guy had also shown reluctance when she had attempted to get more information out of them, but neither had quite the panicked look Anise had taken
( ... )
Damn it, what was she going to do!? This definitely wasn't the first time Anise tried to talk someone out of going to the basement, but most other people she argued with weren't as good friends as Ilia was. Ilia was the one person she never wanted to see forced to kill a friend, or to watch a companion die.
That helplessness, that horror... She didn't want anyone else to go through that!
Anise was quiet for a few moments, trying to choose her words carefully. If she gave the wrong impression, Ilia could end up wanting to go even more. But if she tried to be direct, that mental block would kick in, and she wouldn't be able to say anything.
"I... I can act like it's not that bad because what happened before it was so much worse. What happened in the basement..." She lowered her gaze to the ground, her voice trembling. "I don't want you to go through that, too."
Ilia blew a puff of air out; another small sign of frustration. This was difficult. She didn't want to upset Anise more than the girl already seemed to be, but what could she say to make things right? Apologize? Try to steer the conversation to another topic? That might be better, though she doubted Anise would allow that if she was dead-set on encouraging Ilia to stay away from the sub-levels of the institute
( ... )
There were a lot of things that made the near-drowning incident less scary. Guy and Claude were there, and they could reach her. They saved her.
In the Coliseum, Anise couldn't reach anyone. She couldn't save anyone. It didn't matter how strong she was, or how hard she tried. And now Ilia was marching straight into that kind of hopeless situation...
Her eyes still looking downward, she watched Ilia place a hand over hers. There was warmth in the gesture, but Anise couldn't bring herself to feel comforted by it. She shook her head without lifting it to make eye contact. "It's not okay. It'll be too late by then."
"Oh, Anise..." Ilia didn't know what to say to something like that. Anise didn't seem to want to talk about things further than saying how terrible they were. If only she had some specifics on what had happened before...
Not thinking to ask permission, Ilia leaned forward and attempted to wrap her arms around the younger girl in a comforting hug. Anise was still so small and young. If something had scarred her memory or emotions then she didn't have to speak about it. Ilia just wanted her to know she was there for her, and tried to show that rather than just speak the words.
Ilia wanted to try reassuring her again that she knew about the locking doors. She wasn't going to rush into a new place without trying to scope it out first. She would run. There should be time. But she didn't say these things, just attempted to comfort her friend until she could at least feel strong enough to look up again.
Ilia didn't understand. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Anise's stomach as she realized it. Nothing she was saying was dissuading the woman from moving forward.
When the woman's arms slid around her, Anise was still for a moment, unsure whether to keep pressing or not. What more could she say...?
She found herself thinking back to Guy's death. One of her many regrets had been their last conversation before that night... when they had an argument kind of like this one. It hurt to think that the last conversation she ever had with a dear friend was an argument. Guy's case had been even worse, since Anise had been lying to him, but it didn't change the fact that she didn't want that to happen with Ilia.
The girl reached out her arms as well, wrapping them around the woman and pulling herself closer to reciprocate the hug. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of the back of Ilia's shirt, clinging as if afraid she might slip away.
Ilia needed to wait only a moment before Anise reciprocated the hug. Anise still hadn't said a word and that was probably scarier than anything else she could have done.
"Anise. Everything will be fine, I'm sure." She rubbed the girl's back, hoping to give her a bit more solace. Ilia kept her voice as happy as possible, trying to sound convincing. "I have some great kids in my corner, too. We're not going to go down easily."
She leaned back, hoping Anise would look up. "I'll check in with you tomorrow first thing! I promise!"
The intercom was already ushering them into their next activity but Ilia didn't really want to leave Anise when she was like this. Even if she felt perfectly capable, it was obvious that Anise didn't think that was enough.
Her last question seemed to hold a heavier meaning than any straight answer could give so Ilia hesitated. Anise had already moved away but Ilia was still riveted in the same spot, unsure of how to proceed. Eventually, she figured the best she could do was continue her attempt to reassure her.
Smiling, Ilia tried to convey all her will and sincerity into her voice. "My plan is to stay safe and report back, just like I said. Look for my note, okay?"
The nurses began to usher them on, so Ilia couldn't stand around any longer. She moved along with her nurse, casting one more glance back at her younger friend before continuing on to lunch.
When she entered the Sun Room, Anise made a beeline for the bulletin, where she immediately found a note from Guy. He probably didn't need to be told she was okay when they'd been together until the end of last night, but she left a note in response, just to keep communication going. Tear probably appreciated it, too. As for Natalia... well, Anise could only hope she'd turn up soon.
Once she was done with that, she started reading the other notes on the board. It looked like there were some people who had some insider info about what really happened last night, but a lot of their wording was vague. Anise tilted her head and scratched her cheek as she read the notes over a couple more times, trying to understand them as best she could.
[Ilia]
Reply
Reply
"Ilia, hey!" It had been a while since they last talked face-to-face, though they'd fortunately kept in touch over the bulletin well enough that neither of them needed to worry too much about the other. "I've been pretty good! I mean, as good as I can be with you-know-who being back and all." She glanced pointedly upwards at an intercom speaker, a sour look briefly crossing her face.
"What about you? What've you been up to?" she asked, her expression quickly shifting into a friendly grin.
Reply
Reply
"Made it down to that basement."
Those words put a stop to all unrelated thoughts in Anise's head. There was an uncomfortable twist in her stomach, and her smile faded in an instant. Ilia went to the basement? Where Guy had been killed in such a horrible way, and no one had any way of stopping it? There? They'd been regularly checking in with each other over the bulletin, but Anise had no idea she was doing something that dangerous!
Ilia started asking her questions in return, many of them not quite reaching Anise as she tried to process what she just learned. The girl merely shook her head a few times, then finally blurted, "You can't go to the basement!" Her eyes were wide with panic. Ilia could die!
Reply
Reply
That helplessness, that horror... She didn't want anyone else to go through that!
Anise was quiet for a few moments, trying to choose her words carefully. If she gave the wrong impression, Ilia could end up wanting to go even more. But if she tried to be direct, that mental block would kick in, and she wouldn't be able to say anything.
"I... I can act like it's not that bad because what happened before it was so much worse. What happened in the basement..." She lowered her gaze to the ground, her voice trembling. "I don't want you to go through that, too."
Reply
Reply
In the Coliseum, Anise couldn't reach anyone. She couldn't save anyone. It didn't matter how strong she was, or how hard she tried. And now Ilia was marching straight into that kind of hopeless situation...
Her eyes still looking downward, she watched Ilia place a hand over hers. There was warmth in the gesture, but Anise couldn't bring herself to feel comforted by it. She shook her head without lifting it to make eye contact. "It's not okay. It'll be too late by then."
Reply
Not thinking to ask permission, Ilia leaned forward and attempted to wrap her arms around the younger girl in a comforting hug. Anise was still so small and young. If something had scarred her memory or emotions then she didn't have to speak about it. Ilia just wanted her to know she was there for her, and tried to show that rather than just speak the words.
Ilia wanted to try reassuring her again that she knew about the locking doors. She wasn't going to rush into a new place without trying to scope it out first. She would run. There should be time. But she didn't say these things, just attempted to comfort her friend until she could at least feel strong enough to look up again.
Reply
When the woman's arms slid around her, Anise was still for a moment, unsure whether to keep pressing or not. What more could she say...?
She found herself thinking back to Guy's death. One of her many regrets had been their last conversation before that night... when they had an argument kind of like this one. It hurt to think that the last conversation she ever had with a dear friend was an argument. Guy's case had been even worse, since Anise had been lying to him, but it didn't change the fact that she didn't want that to happen with Ilia.
The girl reached out her arms as well, wrapping them around the woman and pulling herself closer to reciprocate the hug. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of the back of Ilia's shirt, clinging as if afraid she might slip away.
Reply
"Anise. Everything will be fine, I'm sure." She rubbed the girl's back, hoping to give her a bit more solace. Ilia kept her voice as happy as possible, trying to sound convincing. "I have some great kids in my corner, too. We're not going to go down easily."
She leaned back, hoping Anise would look up. "I'll check in with you tomorrow first thing! I promise!"
Reply
Reply
Her last question seemed to hold a heavier meaning than any straight answer could give so Ilia hesitated. Anise had already moved away but Ilia was still riveted in the same spot, unsure of how to proceed. Eventually, she figured the best she could do was continue her attempt to reassure her.
Smiling, Ilia tried to convey all her will and sincerity into her voice. "My plan is to stay safe and report back, just like I said. Look for my note, okay?"
The nurses began to usher them on, so Ilia couldn't stand around any longer. She moved along with her nurse, casting one more glance back at her younger friend before continuing on to lunch.
Reply
Leave a comment