Snippet #2675421

It only took three minutes before the training door opened. a quiet swoosh that broke the silence. Aldred raised a hand wearily from where he was slumped against the wall, hand raising away from Sillo's carotid artery in a wave that was more of a wiggle of the fingers than a whole hand movement. "Yo." mustering up a faint smile on his lips.

"Hey." Mr Cohald returned the greeting, booted feet coming to a stop beside Aldred. Behind him people were rushing in with stretchers and a first aid kit, two guys Aldred vaguely recognised as workers from the medical bay rushing over to Sillo with a stretcher. Or maybe they were trainers. Aldred wasn't really sure, since his vision was starting to get a little blurry around the edges. Frowning, Aldred blinked a couple of times to clear it, and when he opened his eyes Mr Cohald was crouching down in front of him with a gentle smile, hands resting against his knees and taking up surprisingly little space for such a large man.

"Never thought I'd see the day someone'd do this to you." Mr Cohald raised an eyebrow at Aldred's injuries with an impressed whistle. Aldred shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes as if to say eh, it'd have happened sooner or later. The large man sighed, expression turning serious and more business-like. "Injuries?"

"Cracked ribs, fractured elbow, cuts everywhere. Mostly concentrated on my arms and torso and legs." Aldred rattled off mildly, as if he were reciting a grocery list. Mr Cohald passed him some gauze from the first aid kit he had, and Aldred pressed it against the hole in his neck to staunch the bleeding. "I'm still bleeding. Bruises concentrated on my back and on my head, and I'm out of mana." A distant look crossed his face as if he were focusing inwardly on his head. "I don't think I have a concussion, but I feel a bit lightheaded." Aldred said calmly, resisting the urge to squint at the man. Who knew? Maybe he did have a concussion, and maybe he didn't. But it was probably from the cuts that hadn't been healed. The lightheadedness felt a bit like the lightheadedness that came from bloodloss, although it hadn't gotten dangerous enough for a transfusion yet.

Yet another thing to add to the list of things that nearly killed me today...

"Sillo - the one over there -" Aldred eyes slid towards Sillo, who was being gently loaded onto a stretcher by people. "He's got more than half his bones broken." Aldred's face and tone was carefully expressionless as he rattled off the amount of injuries sustained. "Broke his ribs, all of them. A gash on the right side. Dislocated his dominant arm and broke the bones in his other arm. His legs are intact, but I shattered his pelvis bone."

"Ouch."Mr Cohald winced as he connected the dots, glancing back at Sillo with newfound sympathy. Aldred tried to keep a straight face. "Good thing he's unconscious then." The man said, then he turned to the medics surrounding Sillo. "Oi, Mordel! C'mere!"

"Wait, I-"

"What is it, boss?" A woman in her late twenties with tropical sea blue hair bounced over towards them, carrying a first aid kit in her hands. She was dressed in practical but refined clothes, a simple blouse with shiny stones sewed at the edges and practical jeans, with tough boots that had beads glued to the cuffs. Felicia Mordel gave a low whistle when she saw Aldred, eyebrows rising high into her hairline. "Whoa, the hell happened to you? Looks like you got beaten to hell and back, kid! Didn't think it was possible, with that body of yours."

"Haha, well, hell didn't like the taste of me," Aldred joked mildly, lips curling upwards with humor. "Spat me back out like regurgitated mouthwash, and l took him with me as a reward for the trouble." Aldred smiled, eyes slipping half shut as he looked at them. "Going alone didn't really appeal to me, you know?”

“Dragged him up kicking and screaming, more like.” Mr Cohald snorted. He nodded to Felicia as he stood up, movements fluid and swift as he began to walk towards the medics. “Help patch him up. Wheelchair's on the right. I’ll be going with the other kid to the infirmary. Record’s at the Bin; up to you what to do with it. Don’t get in trouble!”

And with that the Facility Head was gone with the rest of the crew, door closing silently behind them as they escorted Sillo towards the medical bay.

Aldred and Felicia stared at each other for a moment. Aldred shifted as if he were considering standing up, but Felicia narrowed her eyes in a glare and Aldred stilled. He narrowed his eyes back in a frown, but Felicia didn't look away. Instead, her glare intensified, and for a few seconds the staring match continued until finally, Aldred jerked his head away with a sigh and settled back onto the floor.

Felicia smiled cheerfully. "That's more like it," she said, and began to work.

-----------------------------

"Alright, I'm done!" she said cheerfully, packing up the kit. Aldred sat up, looking over himself. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and arms, one of them resting comfortably in a sling and cast to prevent him from jostling it too much, and there was one on his head that covered the scrape Sillo had given him. "Those cuts were more flesh wounds, so they'll heal pretty easily. The broken ribs won't though, I'm still not sure how you were able to talk so casually with them." Aldred didn't bother to say anything - having a high pain threshold did wonders, and she was continuing on as if she didn't expect an answer. "Didn't know that was even possible. Never thought you'd need my services till now, mate."

"I got slammed through the sound barrier," Aldred said serenely, trying to stand up. He blanched and wobbled as if he were about to fall, vertigo washing over him, but Felicia grabbed him and steadied him, hands firm but gentle as she took a good grip on Aldred's ruined clothes as she helped him into the wheelchair. "Thanks. Getting slammed through the sound barrier would hurt anyone, I'm pretty sure of that. I'm not invincible, you know."

"Suuuure you aren't." Felicia's skeptical look would have made a scientist proud. "You just said you got slammed through the sound barrier but you're still alive; how the shit are you even breathing? And does 'Vera Hall Nine' ring any bells? Munich abandoned army base, half a year ago? I was there, you know. I still can't believe you survived that."

"That's because she was weak like a newborn baby." Aldred said dismissively, waving a hand. His expression darkened. "She didn't even try to kill me herself, she deserved to have that tank thrown at her. But that doesn't mean I can't get hurt. It's like..." Aldred frowned, trying to explain. How did you even begin to explain that getting sent flying twenty whole feet through the air by a truck going at full speed wouldn't do anything but make him feel irritation?

"It's like this." Aldred finally said decisively. Felicia hummed to show that she was listening, head still bent over the kit she was packing. "Say I take a hammer and slam it against your knee. Normally, your patella would break, right? Like a normal person."

"Because I'm not monstrously durable like you are."

"Yes, yes. But if you slam a hammer against my knee, it won't break. The pain would still be there, but compared to others it'd be more or less manageable. Same with knives." Aldred gave a one shoulder shrug, mindful of the sling. "I can still get cut, but you'll need more effort than most to break through skin." Not that much, but enough for Aldred to never get papercuts by accident. "I can get shot, and it'll hurt and bleed, but it won't bring me down."

Which was something Sillo had learned from the matches they'd had. Otherwise the cut on his neck would have been a just as shallow as the cuts on his arms and torso. Aldred frowned, hand going up subconsciously to the bandage wrapped around his neck.

Rose had known, too. She would know now anyway, from the way her vines had squeezed Aldred's whole body as if he was a lemon that needed juice to be squeezed out of. If it hadn't been for his Unique Ability, Aldred was fairly sure he'd have died; his flesh pulverised and bones grounded into powder by her commands. I'll have to return the favour, Aldred thought mildly. The spar had helped to clear his head like he'd hoped it would, although it'd left him with more questions and worry about his friend.

It had also made Aldred nearly lose control over his self, but that was a different matter. Absently, Aldred touched the bracelet on his wrist, fingers stroking the charm. There was still a current of mana running through it, keeping the beast at bay, and not for the first time Aldred gave thanks to whoever made the charm. Without it, he'd have...

"Right, I'll help you to the infirmary before I head off home." Felicia's voice snapped Aldred out of his thoughts. "Need to head there to log off before I get to go home anyway. Don't you dare break out, ok?"

Aldred didn't reply, merely smiled serenely at her. She tched at him, but silence fell between them as they made their way towards the infirmary until:

"Hey." Felicia's voice was quite, unlike the carefree rough tone she had used earlier. She didn't stop pushing the wheelchair, but her fingers tightened against the handlebars. "I know you have your reasons, but why the act? You freaked Ken out, you know, smiling the way you did earlier."

Unbidden, the words Rose had whispered mockingly in his ear before squeezing the life out of him echoed in Aldred's head. How would they react, boy, if they knew what you were really like?

Ah. He'd hoped they wouldn't bring that up. Aldred smiled up at her, quizzically tilting his head even if he didn't feel puzzled at all. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Felicia didn't look impressed. She didn't stop walking, but she slowed down to a stroll. "You don't have to keep up the act around me, you know." She reminded him quietly, a slightly hurt look on her face. "I was there that day you got sick."

Aldred's smile slipped off his face like water droplets rolling down a window pane, his fingers twisting the charm on his wrist. and when he looked up Aldred's face was expressionless, blank except for seriousness. "I know." He said seriously, and for a moment, Felicia looked hopeful. It fell of her face when Aldred continued matter of factly, voice brooking no argument. "Like you said, I've got my reasons. Besides, it..." Aldred hesitated, taking a deep breath. "It wasn't entirely an act."

He'd really did have fun showing Sillo around, surprisingly enough. That part had been real. Plus, it wasn't like he could stop now. That had been the mask he'd worn in front of Minori and the others when he'd first met them, and as far as Aldred was concerned that would be all they needed to know about him. Just because his emotions weren't entirely there meant that he had no want for friends, and he liked them enough to continue the act. It didn't really cost much energy, either, although his cheeks tend to cramp up sometimes. Smiling made things more convenient, so why stop?

It was also the last thing the only two men whom Aldred felt mattered had both wished for, so even if Aldred didn't really see the point he was going to carry it out anyway.

"... It doesn't matter." Aldred's tone was final, and Felicia didn't ask any questions after that, merely tossed her head and snorted. She began to walk faster again, almost as if she were angry. That wouldn't do, he might need her again someday, so it would probably be best to lighten the mood. Turning to face her, Aldred shot her a well-practiced smile. "Enough about me. How's life been?"

Felicia snorted, grinning. "Life, huh?" The anger receded from her face, and she leaned forwards conspiracy-like. "Life's been..."