[ I hate to break it to you, Hawke... But, I think I got the better genes. I'm fucking sexy. ] The connection to Novak was still open when Vlad's comments to Hawke went through, so they heard Vlad loud and clear, barely able to stifle their laughter. As it was, they allowed a pleased smile to tug at their lips, though neither brother could see it. [ Sexy, my ass. I have the better jaw. ] Hawke shot back, his mood lightening marginally.
[ If I didn't know better, Red, I'd say we've reached a new level in our relationship if you've started drawing me. ] Vlad went on as if Hawke hadn't said - well, thought - anything. Novak continued to work on the drawing, adding finer details to it. "If it makes you stop being such a noisy jerk, I'll draw you as a different god every day. Of course, this means that Specter's going to have to tell me all about the different religions and their gods." Check, and mate. They turned back to Specter, waving. "No worry, Spec, I got him for you. Read me more later, please?"
The conversation went unheard by Hanne, who was still searching. She'd even checked the bathroom, making sure that the mouse hadn't gone down the drain. No dice, which meant that her fence's weak spot had been her downfall. And not for the first time, either.
"It's here," Ivy's voice called out. Hanne froze, a cold sensation beginning at her temples and spreading outward to encompass her skull. She wasn't afraid of Ivy, but if the researchers found out she'd lost the mouse out of her cell again, and to Ivy of all people, she could be in pretty big trouble. Hopefully the guards wouldn't tell, but it was difficult to gauge their erratic behaviour.
But here came Ivy, cradling the mouse carefully in her gloved hands. Hanne scrambled to her feet, pressing herself to the door of her cell, eyes wide. "Ivy! Thank you so much - I'm so sorry!" She caught the mouse as Ivy tipped it out of her hands, holding it close to her, making a mental note to ask for a little glue so she could fix the fence.
Seeing Ivy freeze a short distance from the door of her cell, Hanne tried to reach out, to maybe place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she was just too far away. Hanne's heart ached for Ivy, forced to be isolated, unable to touch any living thing for fear of hurting them. Physical touch should be comforting, calming, not a weapon. But then the siren came on and Ivy moved away, the distance between them growing larger and larger. Hanne pulled back, sitting down on her bed again, looking at the two mice reunited. Too bad they were meant for death anyway.
Hawke, who had fallen silent again, was watching Novak draw. [ Did you mean it? Would you really draw Vlad every day just to shut him up? ]
They hummed thoughtfully, smudging out a cloud with their thumb. [ Why, do you want a drawing every day too? Next thing Specter's gonna want them, then Hanne, then Ivy... and I rarely draw myself. ] They paused, thinking, considering Vlad's face on their drawing pad. [ Not just to shut him up, I guess. If it makes him happy, why not? He could use a little cheering up. ]
[ You know what, I don't think... ] Hawke was cut off by the alarm. He jerked upright from where he was slouched against the wall, and in his mind he saw Novak's hand jerk, gashing a thick, dark line across the paper. Over their panicked mutters of, "No, no, how will I fix this?" he slumped back down again, meeting Ivy's eyes for a moment as she scuttled back into her cell. She looked stunned, and between her facial expression and the klaxon Hawke's heart dropped like a stone down a well.
It wasn't long before the door leading into the cell block opened, and three armed guards stepped through, heading straight for Hawke's cell. His door swung open, and the guards motioned towards him. Sighing heavily, Hawke stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. When the guard closest to him tensed, he turned the pockets inside out, showing that they were empty. "Nothing, okay? Don't shoot me," he snapped irritably. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," he said quietly to Ivy as the guards led him past her cell, not wanting her to worry. "I'll be fine."
The door to the cell block slid closed behind him, his silhouette fading quickly as he headed for the labs.
[ If I didn't know better, Red, I'd say we've reached a new level in our relationship if you've started drawing me. ] Vlad went on as if Hawke hadn't said - well, thought - anything. Novak continued to work on the drawing, adding finer details to it. "If it makes you stop being such a noisy jerk, I'll draw you as a different god every day. Of course, this means that Specter's going to have to tell me all about the different religions and their gods." Check, and mate. They turned back to Specter, waving. "No worry, Spec, I got him for you. Read me more later, please?"
The conversation went unheard by Hanne, who was still searching. She'd even checked the bathroom, making sure that the mouse hadn't gone down the drain. No dice, which meant that her fence's weak spot had been her downfall. And not for the first time, either.
"It's here," Ivy's voice called out. Hanne froze, a cold sensation beginning at her temples and spreading outward to encompass her skull. She wasn't afraid of Ivy, but if the researchers found out she'd lost the mouse out of her cell again, and to Ivy of all people, she could be in pretty big trouble. Hopefully the guards wouldn't tell, but it was difficult to gauge their erratic behaviour.
But here came Ivy, cradling the mouse carefully in her gloved hands. Hanne scrambled to her feet, pressing herself to the door of her cell, eyes wide. "Ivy! Thank you so much - I'm so sorry!" She caught the mouse as Ivy tipped it out of her hands, holding it close to her, making a mental note to ask for a little glue so she could fix the fence.
Seeing Ivy freeze a short distance from the door of her cell, Hanne tried to reach out, to maybe place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she was just too far away. Hanne's heart ached for Ivy, forced to be isolated, unable to touch any living thing for fear of hurting them. Physical touch should be comforting, calming, not a weapon. But then the siren came on and Ivy moved away, the distance between them growing larger and larger. Hanne pulled back, sitting down on her bed again, looking at the two mice reunited. Too bad they were meant for death anyway.
Hawke, who had fallen silent again, was watching Novak draw. [ Did you mean it? Would you really draw Vlad every day just to shut him up? ]
They hummed thoughtfully, smudging out a cloud with their thumb. [ Why, do you want a drawing every day too? Next thing Specter's gonna want them, then Hanne, then Ivy... and I rarely draw myself. ] They paused, thinking, considering Vlad's face on their drawing pad. [ Not just to shut him up, I guess. If it makes him happy, why not? He could use a little cheering up. ]
[ You know what, I don't think... ] Hawke was cut off by the alarm. He jerked upright from where he was slouched against the wall, and in his mind he saw Novak's hand jerk, gashing a thick, dark line across the paper. Over their panicked mutters of, "No, no, how will I fix this?" he slumped back down again, meeting Ivy's eyes for a moment as she scuttled back into her cell. She looked stunned, and between her facial expression and the klaxon Hawke's heart dropped like a stone down a well.
It wasn't long before the door leading into the cell block opened, and three armed guards stepped through, heading straight for Hawke's cell. His door swung open, and the guards motioned towards him. Sighing heavily, Hawke stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. When the guard closest to him tensed, he turned the pockets inside out, showing that they were empty. "Nothing, okay? Don't shoot me," he snapped irritably. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," he said quietly to Ivy as the guards led him past her cell, not wanting her to worry. "I'll be fine."
The door to the cell block slid closed behind him, his silhouette fading quickly as he headed for the labs.