[DVFP] New Leg (S 2.3)

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Sierra,
After your intense morning with Esco, you head out to Fleece's clinic to check on her and Reese, right? That was on your "to do" list. The trailer door is closed when you come up, nobody outside, but lights are on, the genny is running, which means it's open for business. Fleece grumpily tells you to come in without opening the door for you.

When you enter, you see a new chair that wasn't there before, something cheap, molded from a single piece of plastic, but sturdy enough to hold Reese, which it is now doing. He's sitting there with a blanket over his lap, in a clean shirt that doesn't really fit. You notice the lack of a foot under the blanket. Reese looks tired when he sees you, but he manages a smile.

Fleece is wearing her doctor garb, and working on a young kid, one you haven't seen before, a cute boy maybe eight or nine. She looks to be giving him a check-up.

What do you do?

Comments

  • "Hi Fleece." I nodin her direction, but let her get to work. no reason to disturb her while she's with the kid. I look over at Reese and smile brightly. ""Hey Handsome. How are you feeling?"

    I kneel down in front of him so I can meet his eyes.
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    Reese seems to shy from your approach, shifting the blanket slightly so it hangs over his foot and the gap. "Hey there See. You look nice today." He furtively meets your eyes, then clears his throat and looks over at Fleece and the kid. "That kid's name is Winkle. His momma just started working at Diamond. He's a big fan of Cinch. Says he's gonna be a driver someday."
  • edited December 2016
    I smile at him, trying to show that I don't mind the leg. For frack's sake I saw it being cut off - the lack of it isn't going to frighten me now... but if he'd rather me be distracted for a bit...

    I turn to the kid and it hits me, this kids mom works... for me? "Nice to meet you Winkle. I just joined up with the Diamond myself, if you or your momma ever need anything, you can come to me OK?"
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    "Joined up? Okay." Winkle says as he sits there in a paper gown. Fleece shushes him and he sits straighter, following the doctor's orders.

    Reese reaches a hand up to touch yours lightly. "You, ah... didn't need to come see me, See." He looks up at you for a moment, meets your eyes. He is thankful, very thankful. The connection is only a moment, and he breaks it, looking down at his left knee. "Fleece says I can be fitted in a few days. She wants me to use crutches until then." He lowers his voice, worry coloring it, "I... I've got to get out of the clinic soon."
  • My hand reaches back out to grab his, holding it steady. "You need a new job, right? Security for the Diamond won't be as interesting as security for the bus, but it will pay decent jingle if you want it - when you are ready."
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    Reese looks up at you again, gratitude plain on his face, a flicker of hope stirring. He licks his lips, not in a sexy way, but more like a person preparing for something. His hands flex and he sits up straighter. "I've seen Vine- I mean June use crutches, but never tried it."
    He points to a closet in the corner behind you. "Fleece said she'd loan me the pair in the closet there if I'd get out of her fuggin' clinic. Can you grab them for me, please?"

    Assuming you do open the closet, you find a pair of metal crutches with no rubber feet on them, they rotted off. The crutches are dinged and there's a screw that's a little loose, but they have been cleaned and should work for a while. Also in the closet are little pegs with prosthetic arms with hooks, and a few legs.
  • I tighten the screw as much as I can with my bare fingers and bring them over to where Reese is sitting. "Here you go. Have you given any thought to your next book? or song? It seems I owe you both."
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    With only a slight hesitation, Reese grabs for the crutches, spends a moment putting them under his arms, then starts the awkward process of standing up. His balance is not great.
    "I heard the song," he grunts as he tries to get his balance, gripping the crutches and shuffling his foot. "Let... Marigold pick the book. I'll just sit in."
  • Instinctively, I want to rush over and help him, but I don't think that's what he wants at the moment. I watch him stand and I am so fracking proud.

    I haven't seen Marigold in a minute. It has been a busy few days, but... I hope that she isn't scared of me. If she heard what happened and hasn't come spoken to me yet...

    Maybe I should go find her. Say hello. I give a small smile. "You can have more than one." I lean back and look at him and I'm suddenly so sorry. I want to tell him how sorry I am that I couldn't do more. That he had to go through this at all. I swallow. No point, I know what Reese would say.

    Anyway, Mot's dishing out some justice, hopefully as we speak.

    "How do they feel?"
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    Reese grunts a couple times as he slowly finds his balance. He's trying to keep all this inside, but it's so alien to him, the simple act of standing up turned on its head.

    As he starts to sweat a little, and puts out the crutches to help him move forward, he says, "Newfound respect. For June here."

    That's just enough for him to lose his concentration, and the right crutch slips out from under him. He tries to balance on his right foot, but it's too foreign, and in a moment, he's falling to the floor, lands on his left shoulder. He groans once, then grunts with frustration and starts pushing himself back up.
    What do you do?
  • edited December 2016
    An embarrassing sound makes it's way out of my throat as I watch Reese fall. I'm immediately on the floor next to him.

    Ignoring his pride, and the way he feels, I reach over and help him up. Touching him is still slightly odd, but not unpleasant. "Woah, cowboy, there you go."

    I turn to Fleece, "Are there any exercises that he could do to help with his balance, Doc?"
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    Fleece comes over to help you with getting Reese back up, Sierra, he tries to help, but then he scrapes his wound and shudders with the pain of it. After some struggling, you get him back in the chair, and Fleece sands near when you comfort him.
    "Would you stop pretending to be tough and let her help you? Stubborn idiot, you're going to open your stitches and bleed all over my clinic. Then, I'm going to make Sierra feel guilty so she cleans it up. Is that what you want?" She glares at him through her mask, and he shakes his head no. She stalks back over to Winkle to finish up.

    "Sorry." Reese mumbles, still in pain. "Let's... try again." He starts reaching for the crutches.

    What do you do?
  • edited December 2016
    Fleect might be my favorite person in the whole Irons. Just maybe.

    I come around to his left side and squat down offering Reese my shoulder. "Shall we?"
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    Offering your shoulder is just the ticket. Reese sheepishly takes your help and ends up hop-walking for a bit, holding the crutches in his right arm. After a few hop-steps, he tries the crutches again, and he's very slow, but with you there to help him balance, he's able to manage some progress.

    "Thank you, Sierra." Reese says as you head for the door, moving slowly, grunting with a bit of pain and with the effort.

    Fleece watches you head for the door, then turns to finish up with Winkle. Are you leaving with Reese?
  • I pause on my way out the door, "Fleece, you gonna be around? I want to help Reese back, but then I was thinking of stopping back by."
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    "Get him to his room, I'll be here later." Fleece answers as she checks Winkle's knees with a little rubber hammer.

    Reese is nearly exhausted by the time you get him all the way back to the Diamond. He's heavy, and honestly, you're pretty worn, too. Do you stick around with Reese once he's back in his flat, or leave him to go back to the clinic?
  • I tell Reese to rest up and leave him to get some sleep. I ask one of the girls, one of the new ones, Tink I think - to bring Reese some easy-eatin food in a couple of hours.

    Getting all that settled, I head back to the clinic.
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    Tink's happy to help with Reese, and promises she'll look after him. You head back to Fleece's clinic and find that Winkle's gone and Fleece is out of her mask and gown. She has a mop and bucket out.
    She looks up when you come in after knocking, "Good. You can take the mop. I'll work on sterilizing my instruments." She angles the end of the mop towards you, waiting for you to take it from her.

    What do you do?
  • That takes me by surprise, I've only cleaned since arriving in the Irons and, well, I couldn't afford a mop until today anyway. I take it hesitantly and begin to swivel the cloth end around. It feels totally foreign in my hands and I have a feeling I am doing a derilect job of it.

    I look at Fleece, apologetically, "I've never held one of these before."
  • edited December 2016
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    Fleece sprays some solution on her little knee hammer, pauses, and looks up at you quizzically. "Well, the brown in the handle goes with your hair. You look lovely. Now, mop like you've seen others do it, and you'll be done soon." She looks back down at her hammer and wipes at it with a rag.

    The clinic is small, and after Fleece makes you "do it again, but actually push down on the mop instead of swirl it around this time", you're done. It has to be later afternoon now, surely. Feels like you've been at this for hours, and after helping Reese, too.
    Fleece opens her medicine cabinet and pulls out a green bottle with a yuck face emblem on it, and opens it up, takes a swig. "Synth alcohol. I make it. Don't tell JD, he'd be pissed." She turns the bottle offering it to you.
  • I mop about, getting the floor wet, and clean, I guess? It does look less dirty, but I know it looks nothing like the floors at the villa. Maybe nothing gets that shiny here, no matter how much you clean.

    I look over at Fleece, but she doesn't seem to mind.

    I smile and take the alcohol, swigging it down. It's my first drink since the first shots this morning with Esco and I am suddenly exhausted. That seems days ago now. It's been a long day.

    "Lips are sealed, Ooma." I say with a small smile that let's says "we are both in on the joke", "I have news regarding Diamond."
  • edited December 2016
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    She scoots her butt up onto the examination table, and pats the empty spot beside. "Come tell me of the great and grand Diamond, Sierra. I would enjoy some gossip and happenings."
  • edited December 2016
    I hesitate for only a second before joining her. It's been an overwhelming day, but I really enjoy Fleece's company and it will be nice to talk to someone.

    I struggle with what to say next. I take another swig of the sythenol - it burns deliciously down my throat. I am not used to saying anything about me, and this sounds a bit like bragging.

    I can't see a way around it though. "Well, Esco offered to make me a partner." I small smile of pride makes it's way across my lips, but I keep my eyes down, looking at the bottle in my hands.
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    Fleece's face shows surprise, but not shock. She doesn't shock easy. "Well, that's pretty groshing. Nice trick, Sierra." She takes the bottle from you, takes a sip. "How did you manage that? Esco's not the generous kind." There's a hint of something deeper in that statement.
  • I flinch. "Yeah, trick." I shudder, seeing for now maybe the 100th time the blood on the floor and the bodies drop. "Some people might call it that. Did you hear what happened to Ziggy's men when she came to Diamond?"

    I don't look at her. I just twist my fingers together in my lap.
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    Fleece exhales purposefully, pauses a moment, then answers, "What I hear is mostly shite, Sierra. A community of miners who rarely see the sun. They tell some pretty wild tales." Her voice softens a little, and she looks at you with eyes like she had for Winkle a while ago. "Do you want to talk about it?"
  • edited December 2016
    I look at her from the corner of my eye. "I'm not sure it's shite this time." Hands itching for the bottle, I look at her from the corner of my eye and see her looking at me with a 'doctor stare.'

    Then it hits me, she could tell me why.

    "Have you, have you ever met anyone like me? A...a skinner?" At least that's what Glori said I was.
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    Fleece scoots off the table and stands up, pivoting to face you. She looks at you seriously for a moment, like she's searching your eyes, searching herself, finding the words, "In DVFP, no." She frowns slightly, then continues, "Outside... I'm not sure. I feel like I have. But, you know, they took that away from me." She reaches her hand up to tap a finger to her right temple. "I'm sorry."
  • My arms have made their way around my middle. I don't like thinking about this, about what I am. It scares me. It makes me feel... other.

    I look up at Fleece, at her gentle beautiful face, and I desperately want her to hold me. To tell me it's ok, that I am not a monster. It's all the feelings I have been shoving down since all this madness began, and now, tired and exhausted and with time to think I'm having trouble tucking them away.

    I nod at her, "Sometimes people, they act odd with me. I can't control it. And when Ziggy said that the bus was underfire and that people were hurt I..."

    There it is, the sick feeling is back. Saying it out loud, I'm not sure I can. I feel and see tears clinging to the corner of my eyes. I lick my lips and look at Fleece, "I'm sorry."
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    Fleece steps closer, slipping her arms around you, pulling you to her into an embrace. Warm, tight, no tension of expected return. She gently rubs your back and whispers, "It's a hard world, Sierra. You have to find your own way through it."

    She doesn't offer forgiveness or an excuse, but she seems to understand. The question is, is that enough?

    How long do you let her hold you, Sierra?
  • edited December 2016
    When her arms find their way around me, I feel myself give in and fall against her. She's soft and comforting and her touch is just so wonderful I whimper quietly in relief.

    It's starkly different than Krin's touch - and worlds away from Esco's - my body aches to respond in kind. Outside of the physical, Fleece doesn't remind me of Gloriana at all, and that too is attractive. I'm having trouble pulling a part my physical attraction for her and the way my body naturally demands I respond to this situation.

    If this was Glori she would have pulled my hair back by now and taken my mouth in a kiss. I burn at the thought of Fleece doing the same and tuck my face against her neck to muffle a sound I can't suppress.

    Tears breaks free, just a couple, falling into Fleece's shoulder as I return her embrace. My legs are trembling, resisting the urge to wrap them around her waist. "You don't think, think I'm a monster then?"
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    Fleece holds you against her chest as the tears drip, but she stiffens slightly when you breathe against her neck. Doesn't move away, but it's enough of a reminder that this isn't Glori.

    When you ask if she thinks you're a monster, Fleece slides back, holding your arms as she looks at you. "I've seen some real monsters, Sierra. I've... worked for a couple. You aren't a monster." She lets go of your left arm and reaches up to brush your hair away from your eye. "You aren't."
    There's a knock at the door. She glances at it, then snaps, "Got a patient. This better be important!"

    From outside, a voice with some urgency, "Bunch of dead bodies outside cooking in the heat, Fleece. All of Ziggy's people. What you want us to do?"
  • edited December 2016
    When the knock comes I still. Busy woman, lots of things to do. My mind supplies and I quiet naturally, waiting for her to acknowledge me again. Fleece's words still rattling inside of me - trying to find a place to grab hold.

    I'm not a monster.

    Her right hand is hanging in the air to my left, a strand of my hair between her middle and ring finger. I turn my head and rest my cheek in her palm, looking up at her.

    The messenger calls back and a switch flips, a part of my brain coming back to life. I don't move, but I do answer softly. "Unless you need the bodies, tell them to make it look like the UFers did it."

  • edited December 2016
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    Fleece looks at you for a moment, surprised. She removes her hand from your cheek and holds it up, like "stop", "No. No, no, no. I'm not getting involved in this. I move dead bodies so these fools don't get sick. I'm not trussing them up for some political plot, Sierra." She's not angry at you, you feel it. But she has lines, this is one of them.
    "Let me get my gear and my wheelbarrow. Get me a miner or two for digging graves." She calls out to the messenger.
  • edited December 2016
    When she removes her hand from my cheek and clearly says 'No.' I stiffen with anxiety, but nod. I would usually try to explain, but her 'no' feels so final that I just let it hang between us. I bite my lip and look down. It's not her problem anyway, I don't know what I was thinking.

    I watch her as she calls out. I'm so tired now, a hundred times more than I was before, and my head feels... feels... floaty? Then there is the pit of anxiety in me. She isn't Gloriana, I whisper to myself, in my head (at least I think it was in my head). I don't have to worry. But, I have made a fool of myself. That much is clear. All she wanted was to talk and I...

    I don't know how I let that get away from me. I try to move, scoot off the table, but my vision goes blurry, and Fleece still hasn't moved; so I stop and wait, hands clenched the edges of the cold table next to my thighs.
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    "Alright, Fleece, I'll get a couple." The person calls back, then you hear the crunch of their feet as they walk off.
    Once she's sure they're gone, Fleece looks back at you, sizes up your dismay, then turns to move away, heading over to fetch her gown, "Come on. We can be even steven now, aren't you lucky?"

    Seems like she's expects you to help her bury these bodies. What do you do?
  • The air feels cold and thin in my lungs as Fleece steps away. the space between us turning dark and chasmic. I try to shake it off, but my vision is still blurry and my skin tight and frail on my frame.

    The idea of touching bodies, especially after, makes me feel like I could lose the small amount that is in my stomach. But, I did promise to pay her back, and if she'd rather this than my company - after today I really can't blame her.

    I slide off the table, hands still clutching it's edges in case my legs give way. I haven't looked, but I am sure my knuckles are white.

    "If this is what you want, for the morph, then of course..." I say trailing off, trying to steal myself. I should go find JD and Esco fist, find some UF stuff and throw it in with the bodies. I take a step forward and stumble weakly before catching my footing.

    I breath out and in deliberately. Skin still tight and cold, but I may be able to do this.
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    Fleece is halfway back into her gown before she looks over at you, Sierra. She immediately picks up on your body language, "Sierra. Hey, it's alright. It's just... bodies. Not even people anymore." She slides an arm through a sleeve on the gown and moves over to put her hands on your arms again. "Just come back tomorrow. Mopping and talking is enough. For the week. Then we're square. Morph is worth a week of talking to me, right? The mopping is just to give you some calluses." She huffs a little laugh, then checks in, watching your reaction.
  • Her hands on my arms are steadying even if her touch doesn't feel 100 percent real. I try to get my breathing under control and steady the stream of not good enough. disappointing. failure. that is circling in my brain.

    She mentions coming back, like that's still on the table and that voice that circles starts to dull out and fade away.

    "You still want me to come by, even after all this?"
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    Fleece smooths your arms, voice still soft, understanding, "Yeah, of course. Because of all this. You're becoming something new, Sierra. Won't be easy. But good stuff. Real stuff. It never is."


    I think you should roll Hypnotic here.
  • OOC: rolling hypnotic

    (Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 2, 6. Total: 11)
  • The voices finally fade, and all I can hear is Fleece's soft alto. I still don't feel all the way real, but I do feel steadier. Feel less like a fool.

    A part of me thinks about leaning forward, putting my lips to hers, in a soft kiss of thanks. It's tempting but I mentally swat it away. Fleece obviously isn't interested, no reason to embarrass myself further.

    I meet her eyes and give her what I hope passes for a reassuring smile. "I hope you are right. That this all means something. Thank you Fleece, for being here."
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    After she slips on her mask, you hear her echo-y snort of laughter, "It's my damn clinic. Where else would I be? Now, go partner up with Esco and JD. Bring me back some interesting gossip tomorrow. I might share some of my own. Shoo shoo now, I've got graves to dig."
    She urges you to the door and heads out after you, walking over to her hidden shed to get her wheelbarrow out to wheel it the quarter mile up the shaft and into the hot, hot sun.
  • I watch her roll off till I can't see her anymore and make my way back to Diamond in a bit of a daze.
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    End Scene.
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