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[DVFP] New Leg (S 2.3)
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
I kneel down in front of him so I can meet his eyes.
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?"
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 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."
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?"
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?
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?"
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.
What do you do?
I come around to his left side and squat down offering Reese my shoulder. "Shall we?"
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?
"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?
Getting all that settled, I head back to the clinic.
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.
What do you do?
I look at Fleece, apologetically, "I've never held one of these before."
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.
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."
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.
I don't look at her. I just twist my fingers together in my lap.
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.
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."
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?
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?"
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?"
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."
"Let me get my gear and my wheelbarrow. Get me a miner or two for digging graves." She calls out to the messenger.
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.
"Alright, Fleece, I'll get a couple." The person calls back, then you hear the crunch of their feet as they walk off.
Seems like she's expects you to help her bury these bodies. What do you do?
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.
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?"
I think you should roll Hypnotic here.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 2, 6. Total: 11)
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."
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.
End Scene.