Room 43
Brrrt-bi-beep. A chime at Ljilja's door signaled the arrival of a visitor. The young girl groaned softly; she was far from being in the mood for hospitality, but courtesy made few considerations for difficulty. With theatrical effort, she heaved her little body upright, sliding off of the bed and to her feet. But before she could reach the door, it slid open.
"Morning, sleepyhead," she was greeted. It was the voice of her manager, Jaden, no doubt come to bring un-glad tidings. And, indeed, he wasted no time in saying, "The head Overseer wants to see us."
Ljilja blinked in confusion. Had she done something wrong? "Why?" she asked.
"Well, she probably wants an explanation for last night."
Grimacing, Ljilja looked down to her feet. She had already been enough of a burden—for the man she had met yesterday, for the medical staff, and for her manager—she did not want to create even more trouble.
"Come along, little fish," Jaden commanded.
Thus the two began to walk the hallways on the path to the overseers' chamber, where they had been instructed to present themselves. Ljilja gulped anxiously; in her rush to comply, she had forgotten to put on shoes, but was far too worried about arriving late to speak up and return for them.
Was the head Overseer so concerned for Ljilja's safety that she called her in for a personal review? No, that didn't make sense. Humans didn't care about mutants to nearly such an extent, even if the mutant was in their care. Surely she was expendable in the eyes of the organizer of a competition which resulted in the inevitable death of its participants. So, then, she was in trouble. But just what sort of trouble?
She looked up to Jaden, searching his face for clues. He wore his signature smile, as though he hadn't a care in the world. Ljilja had no idea how he could be so nonchalant about the matter. This was Kore Mars they were going to be answering to!
Finally, they arrived at the door. It opened for Jaden, and he escorted Ljilja inside. They found themselves in a large, spacious meeting room, furnished with comfy recliners and luxurious sofas, centered around a great holotable that displayed whatever information or video feeds the overseers desired. And within, Kore waited, styled to a T by the finest fashions molded to suit her personal tricolor branding.
It was immediately apparent that nobody involved but Kore had any interest in being there. Sensing the tension emanating from the confrontation, Kore's servant promptly dismissed herself with an, "I'll be just outside." While Jaden kept his composure with his signature smirk, Ljilja was a wilted flower in the heat—her shoulders hunched forward, her knees bent inward, her fingers twiddled with one another.
Kore gestured to the seats, putting on a winning smile. "Please, sit," she instructed, adding, "Don't worry, neither of you are in any trouble."
Jaden didn't believe it for a second, though it was hard to read as much. He strode confidently to the nearest armchair and leant back in it, getting comfortable. On the other hand, Ljilja was immediately trusting, and the relief on her face was palpable. She plopped herself down in the middle of an enormous couch, looking not unlike a single rice grain in a large bowl.
Testing the waters, Jaden replied with snark. "Are you sure? I could make some, if you like."
But Kore did not budge. It took much more effort to provoke a response from her, and she was laser-focused on getting answers. Jaden was out of his element.
"Let's get right to business, then; shall we?"
Jaden waved a go-ahead. Ljilja shifted to the edge of the couch and sat up straight, preparing herself.
"Last night the cams in the gym shut off. Ljilja here can be seen just before the feeds go out. According to security logs, she was the only one present at the time." Her smile unchanging, she began the interrogation. "Care to explain?"
"W-well, so...I fell," Ljilja began, offering her side of the story. The bluntness forced Jaden to choke back laughter, which he covered over by clearing his throat.
Kore cocked her head to the side, part of her ornately braided hair sliding down her shoulder. "Yes, I know that, but it doesn't exactly explain why the cams went out." Without any sort of tell or fidget, Kore gave little clue as to her thought process or emotional state. It was, at best, disorienting. Surely she was an absolute menace at poker.
Ljilja struggled to come up with a proper answer. "You don't have to worry; you can be honest here. It's just us," Kore said before drawing attention to the plates laid out on the table. Ljilja hadn't even noticed them. "Are you hungry? By now you must have missed breakfast."
Ljilja looked towards them, hardly believing her eyes. Sea creatures of all shapes and sizes, delicacies from her homeland, even treats she never had the opportunity to try before! This was for her? "Really? Is it okay? I haven't eaten anything in...a while," Ljilja meekly answered.
Kore nodded with a welcoming smile. "Of course! I had these prepared since I had a feeling you hadn't eaten after being discharged from the medical bay," she assured Ljilja, who had already begun devouring food from the first nod. "Speaking of which… how are your wounds?"
Not wanting to talk with her mouth full, she gulped down a sizable chunk of mutant trout before answering. She looked herself over. "They still sting, but..." Ljilja answered plainly, her demeanor rapidly calming, "they put some kind of spray on it; it's supposed to be all better by tomorrow. You guys have some really cool medical tech!"
Ljilja's childlike wonder seemed to disarm Jaden—the sharpness in his eyes softened just enough for Kore to notice—or maybe it was because Kore was pampering his competitor.
"I'm overjoyed to hear you'll be all better by tomorrow! Sounds like they used ani-spray; that stuff can sting a lot," Kore replied, sounding even bubblier than usual. With Ljilja sufficiently plied, she delved deeper. "How did you end up falling?"
By now, Ljilja was an open book. In between bites, she answered, "Um, so...I tried to do some endurance running and pushed myself too hard. I blacked out, and everything after that is kind of blurry."
Kore leant forward, paying close attention so as not to miss a word. She was finally getting what she assembled them for. "And when you woke up, you were in the med bay?"
Ljilja shook her head. "No, I woke up in the pool. There was someone else there with me. I don't know who it was, but I think they rescued me. I didn't get their name...I wanted to say 'Thank you.'"
Kore masked her surprise well, only revealing the expected level of intrigue. "Interesting. It sounds like they tossed you in there." Kore gave the matter a few moments of thought, then clapped her hands together in resolution of something. "Well, those are all the questions I had for you. Thank you for your honesty. If you want to take back any of the food with you, you're more than welcome to."
Ljilja did not need to be told twice. She stood, and, after a deep bow, thanked Kore before beginning to scoop plates up. Jaden, seeing her efforts with her small arms were in vain, pitched in to help her carry the multi-course meal, before beginning to accompany her out of the overseers' room. "Thank you so much!" Ljilja called out. "I-it was nice to meet you!"
"It was a pleasure," Kore answered, waggling her fingers in parting. "I hope we get to meet again in the future. Oh, and Jaden, once you return Ljilja to her quarters, I'd like to speak with you for a few moments. Just to go over some files."
Jaden's displeasure was well-masked, but still faintly readable to a trained eye. "Of course."
The door slid shut behind them as they left the overseers' room and returned to Ljilja's quarters. On the journey, they said little. Ljilja was too focused on the food, and Jaden was unwilling to open up about the looming threat of having to face Kore's interrogation alone. He helped set a buffet's worth of seafood upon her bed and dismissed himself, all without losing his trademark smirk. "See you around, little fish."
If he survived the encounter to come, that was.
"Morning, sleepyhead," she was greeted. It was the voice of her manager, Jaden, no doubt come to bring un-glad tidings. And, indeed, he wasted no time in saying, "The head Overseer wants to see us."
Ljilja blinked in confusion. Had she done something wrong? "Why?" she asked.
"Well, she probably wants an explanation for last night."
Grimacing, Ljilja looked down to her feet. She had already been enough of a burden—for the man she had met yesterday, for the medical staff, and for her manager—she did not want to create even more trouble.
"Come along, little fish," Jaden commanded.
Thus the two began to walk the hallways on the path to the overseers' chamber, where they had been instructed to present themselves. Ljilja gulped anxiously; in her rush to comply, she had forgotten to put on shoes, but was far too worried about arriving late to speak up and return for them.
Was the head Overseer so concerned for Ljilja's safety that she called her in for a personal review? No, that didn't make sense. Humans didn't care about mutants to nearly such an extent, even if the mutant was in their care. Surely she was expendable in the eyes of the organizer of a competition which resulted in the inevitable death of its participants. So, then, she was in trouble. But just what sort of trouble?
She looked up to Jaden, searching his face for clues. He wore his signature smile, as though he hadn't a care in the world. Ljilja had no idea how he could be so nonchalant about the matter. This was Kore Mars they were going to be answering to!
Finally, they arrived at the door. It opened for Jaden, and he escorted Ljilja inside. They found themselves in a large, spacious meeting room, furnished with comfy recliners and luxurious sofas, centered around a great holotable that displayed whatever information or video feeds the overseers desired. And within, Kore waited, styled to a T by the finest fashions molded to suit her personal tricolor branding.
It was immediately apparent that nobody involved but Kore had any interest in being there. Sensing the tension emanating from the confrontation, Kore's servant promptly dismissed herself with an, "I'll be just outside." While Jaden kept his composure with his signature smirk, Ljilja was a wilted flower in the heat—her shoulders hunched forward, her knees bent inward, her fingers twiddled with one another.
Kore gestured to the seats, putting on a winning smile. "Please, sit," she instructed, adding, "Don't worry, neither of you are in any trouble."
Jaden didn't believe it for a second, though it was hard to read as much. He strode confidently to the nearest armchair and leant back in it, getting comfortable. On the other hand, Ljilja was immediately trusting, and the relief on her face was palpable. She plopped herself down in the middle of an enormous couch, looking not unlike a single rice grain in a large bowl.
Testing the waters, Jaden replied with snark. "Are you sure? I could make some, if you like."
But Kore did not budge. It took much more effort to provoke a response from her, and she was laser-focused on getting answers. Jaden was out of his element.
"Let's get right to business, then; shall we?"
Jaden waved a go-ahead. Ljilja shifted to the edge of the couch and sat up straight, preparing herself.
"Last night the cams in the gym shut off. Ljilja here can be seen just before the feeds go out. According to security logs, she was the only one present at the time." Her smile unchanging, she began the interrogation. "Care to explain?"
"W-well, so...I fell," Ljilja began, offering her side of the story. The bluntness forced Jaden to choke back laughter, which he covered over by clearing his throat.
Kore cocked her head to the side, part of her ornately braided hair sliding down her shoulder. "Yes, I know that, but it doesn't exactly explain why the cams went out." Without any sort of tell or fidget, Kore gave little clue as to her thought process or emotional state. It was, at best, disorienting. Surely she was an absolute menace at poker.
Ljilja struggled to come up with a proper answer. "You don't have to worry; you can be honest here. It's just us," Kore said before drawing attention to the plates laid out on the table. Ljilja hadn't even noticed them. "Are you hungry? By now you must have missed breakfast."
Ljilja looked towards them, hardly believing her eyes. Sea creatures of all shapes and sizes, delicacies from her homeland, even treats she never had the opportunity to try before! This was for her? "Really? Is it okay? I haven't eaten anything in...a while," Ljilja meekly answered.
Kore nodded with a welcoming smile. "Of course! I had these prepared since I had a feeling you hadn't eaten after being discharged from the medical bay," she assured Ljilja, who had already begun devouring food from the first nod. "Speaking of which… how are your wounds?"
Not wanting to talk with her mouth full, she gulped down a sizable chunk of mutant trout before answering. She looked herself over. "They still sting, but..." Ljilja answered plainly, her demeanor rapidly calming, "they put some kind of spray on it; it's supposed to be all better by tomorrow. You guys have some really cool medical tech!"
Ljilja's childlike wonder seemed to disarm Jaden—the sharpness in his eyes softened just enough for Kore to notice—or maybe it was because Kore was pampering his competitor.
"I'm overjoyed to hear you'll be all better by tomorrow! Sounds like they used ani-spray; that stuff can sting a lot," Kore replied, sounding even bubblier than usual. With Ljilja sufficiently plied, she delved deeper. "How did you end up falling?"
By now, Ljilja was an open book. In between bites, she answered, "Um, so...I tried to do some endurance running and pushed myself too hard. I blacked out, and everything after that is kind of blurry."
Kore leant forward, paying close attention so as not to miss a word. She was finally getting what she assembled them for. "And when you woke up, you were in the med bay?"
Ljilja shook her head. "No, I woke up in the pool. There was someone else there with me. I don't know who it was, but I think they rescued me. I didn't get their name...I wanted to say 'Thank you.'"
Kore masked her surprise well, only revealing the expected level of intrigue. "Interesting. It sounds like they tossed you in there." Kore gave the matter a few moments of thought, then clapped her hands together in resolution of something. "Well, those are all the questions I had for you. Thank you for your honesty. If you want to take back any of the food with you, you're more than welcome to."
Ljilja did not need to be told twice. She stood, and, after a deep bow, thanked Kore before beginning to scoop plates up. Jaden, seeing her efforts with her small arms were in vain, pitched in to help her carry the multi-course meal, before beginning to accompany her out of the overseers' room. "Thank you so much!" Ljilja called out. "I-it was nice to meet you!"
"It was a pleasure," Kore answered, waggling her fingers in parting. "I hope we get to meet again in the future. Oh, and Jaden, once you return Ljilja to her quarters, I'd like to speak with you for a few moments. Just to go over some files."
Jaden's displeasure was well-masked, but still faintly readable to a trained eye. "Of course."
The door slid shut behind them as they left the overseers' room and returned to Ljilja's quarters. On the journey, they said little. Ljilja was too focused on the food, and Jaden was unwilling to open up about the looming threat of having to face Kore's interrogation alone. He helped set a buffet's worth of seafood upon her bed and dismissed himself, all without losing his trademark smirk. "See you around, little fish."
If he survived the encounter to come, that was.