The Fish Catching the Wolf
Following Eon's eventual departure from the infirmary, Ljilja slipped by undetected from a corner in which she was hiding to avoid the awkwardness of a reunion so soon. With a swipe of her wristband, the doors opened, and she ventured inside.
Without the distraction of company, her stomach pain had returned in spades. She quickly scurried up to the front desk, gently tapping on the glass barrier between her and the receptionist inside.
"Could I get something for a tummy ache?" she meekly inquired.
"There's a wait. Swipe in and have a seat," she was directed in a monotone voice by an overworked secretary.
"Okay," Ljilja squeaked before passing her hand over a reader, signing in and adding her name to the waitlist. She backed away from the desk and fumbled into the center of the room, glancing around for a free seat. What she found instead made her audibly gasp.
A mangled mess of blood-matted fur sat doubled-over in one of the chairs, pouring crimson on the floor from fresh injuries. Despite the swelling and bruising, Ljilja recognized that face well.
Scout's tail hung pitifully over the edge of her seat, where she sat alone. Even if there had been other mutants waiting, this would probably still have been so; the others had learned to avoid her.
But not Ljilja. One step followed another as she began to approach. She measured her words carefully, fearing that Scout would reject any sympathy offered. She drew a breath and asked, "Hey...can I sit here?"
Ears drooped in discomfort, Scout raised her head just enough to make out Ljilja's form. "Sure," she groaned in assent, supposing that she wouldn't have been able to stop Ljilja either way.
Ljilja took the seat beside her and examined her. She gulped as her eyes traced the injuries. She didn't dare ask what caused them, nor how Scout felt. Instinctively, she reached forward to try and offer a soothing touch, but memories of Scout's prior aversion to contact made her think twice. She retracted her hand.
With a growing malaise and sense of helplessness, Ljilja began to slowly writhe in her seat. More than the stomachache, she longed to help. It physically pained her to be unable to do so. So she averted her gaze at last, folding her hands in her lap and staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry, whatever happened," she murmured.
With a fang-toothed grin, Scout answered, "You should see the other guy."
Ljilja forced a pained smile.
Scout gave Ljilja a once-over, recognizing the sight of recently-applied sprayflesh. "What happened to you? If you're gonna pick fights, at least do it with someone your own size."
Unconvincingly, Ljilja answered, "I-I fell," and quickly changed the subject. "Are you okay?"
Scout cocked her jaw with suspicion. "Yeah, this is nothing," she answered dismissively. Certainly she had been involved in worse scraps.
Ljilja made an awkward attempt at small talk, but something clearly seemed to be bothering her.
"...hey, did someone hurt you or something? I can mess them up for you if you want."
Ljilja firmly shook her head. "No! I just...I'm not supposed to talk about it. I just need to heal and look for interviews."
Scout narrowed her eyes, quickly coming to her own conclusions. She hadn't heard the rumors of what happened yet, but she was drawing close to the common consensus.
"Thank you, though," Ljilja added with another smile, this one warm and true.
Scout pondered pressing the matter, but on further consideration, decided it was best not to. "Alright, if you insist."
They fell silent for a time, the quaint but steady ticking of a wall clock reminding them of the passing seconds.
Ljilja gave bridging the gap another attempt. She set her hand upon the armrest, turning it palmside-up to offer her hand.
Scout squinted at it, furrowing her brows. Not recognizing the significance of the gesture, she shifted away, at which Ljilja frowned.
Tick...tock...tick...tock.
"Um...so...do you have a favorite drink? Or food?" she asked. Small talk it was.
Scout chuckled softly, swiping at her blood-crusted nose. Though it had stopped bleeding by now, it had run down her face and dribbled down her chin to stain her clothes and her seat. "That's a new one. I dunno, I've never really thought about it. I've always just eaten whatever I could. What about you?"
Such a simple question revealed the enormous disparity of their upbringings. Scout's time in the Wastes had made her a hardy survivor; Ljilja's time at Fort Kate had left her soft and social. Where Scout had drawn a blank, Ljilja's response was immediate, bubbly, and excited.
"So there are these special seeds they crush into a powder, and then they mix it with sugar in hot milk; I don't know where it comes from or what it's called in English, but it is so good..." Finally, she asked, "Would you try some if I got it for you?"
Scout tilted her head curiously. She had never been asked to share in a meal or drink that she could recall, not least for leisure. Some part of her felt uncomfortable with the idea, but there was just a little part of her that grew excited at the prospect. Ljilja was one of the few contestants that didn't seem intimidated or otherwise put off by her appearance or demeanor. Slowly, her ears began to perk up. "Yeah, sure."
Practically leaping for joy, Ljilja got up from her seat, grinning from ear to ear. The pain she had walked in with had all but disappeared.
Just then, the receptionist chimed in, "Scout, the doctor will see you now."
"I'll go get some! Uh...where should we meet?" Ljilja asked. She offered her hand to Scout to help her up, but was rejected once more.
"Dining hall," she answered with a groan as she rose from her seat of her own strength.
Ljilja trusted the medical staff to do their job, so she got right to planning. Jogging in place, she drew closer to the door. "Okay, dining hall. I'll be there; come see me when you're done!" At that, she burst out from the infirmary, eager to see to the arrangements.
Without the distraction of company, her stomach pain had returned in spades. She quickly scurried up to the front desk, gently tapping on the glass barrier between her and the receptionist inside.
"Could I get something for a tummy ache?" she meekly inquired.
"There's a wait. Swipe in and have a seat," she was directed in a monotone voice by an overworked secretary.
"Okay," Ljilja squeaked before passing her hand over a reader, signing in and adding her name to the waitlist. She backed away from the desk and fumbled into the center of the room, glancing around for a free seat. What she found instead made her audibly gasp.
A mangled mess of blood-matted fur sat doubled-over in one of the chairs, pouring crimson on the floor from fresh injuries. Despite the swelling and bruising, Ljilja recognized that face well.
Scout's tail hung pitifully over the edge of her seat, where she sat alone. Even if there had been other mutants waiting, this would probably still have been so; the others had learned to avoid her.
But not Ljilja. One step followed another as she began to approach. She measured her words carefully, fearing that Scout would reject any sympathy offered. She drew a breath and asked, "Hey...can I sit here?"
Ears drooped in discomfort, Scout raised her head just enough to make out Ljilja's form. "Sure," she groaned in assent, supposing that she wouldn't have been able to stop Ljilja either way.
Ljilja took the seat beside her and examined her. She gulped as her eyes traced the injuries. She didn't dare ask what caused them, nor how Scout felt. Instinctively, she reached forward to try and offer a soothing touch, but memories of Scout's prior aversion to contact made her think twice. She retracted her hand.
With a growing malaise and sense of helplessness, Ljilja began to slowly writhe in her seat. More than the stomachache, she longed to help. It physically pained her to be unable to do so. So she averted her gaze at last, folding her hands in her lap and staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry, whatever happened," she murmured.
With a fang-toothed grin, Scout answered, "You should see the other guy."
Ljilja forced a pained smile.
Scout gave Ljilja a once-over, recognizing the sight of recently-applied sprayflesh. "What happened to you? If you're gonna pick fights, at least do it with someone your own size."
Unconvincingly, Ljilja answered, "I-I fell," and quickly changed the subject. "Are you okay?"
Scout cocked her jaw with suspicion. "Yeah, this is nothing," she answered dismissively. Certainly she had been involved in worse scraps.
Ljilja made an awkward attempt at small talk, but something clearly seemed to be bothering her.
"...hey, did someone hurt you or something? I can mess them up for you if you want."
Ljilja firmly shook her head. "No! I just...I'm not supposed to talk about it. I just need to heal and look for interviews."
Scout narrowed her eyes, quickly coming to her own conclusions. She hadn't heard the rumors of what happened yet, but she was drawing close to the common consensus.
"Thank you, though," Ljilja added with another smile, this one warm and true.
Scout pondered pressing the matter, but on further consideration, decided it was best not to. "Alright, if you insist."
They fell silent for a time, the quaint but steady ticking of a wall clock reminding them of the passing seconds.
Ljilja gave bridging the gap another attempt. She set her hand upon the armrest, turning it palmside-up to offer her hand.
Scout squinted at it, furrowing her brows. Not recognizing the significance of the gesture, she shifted away, at which Ljilja frowned.
Tick...tock...tick...tock.
"Um...so...do you have a favorite drink? Or food?" she asked. Small talk it was.
Scout chuckled softly, swiping at her blood-crusted nose. Though it had stopped bleeding by now, it had run down her face and dribbled down her chin to stain her clothes and her seat. "That's a new one. I dunno, I've never really thought about it. I've always just eaten whatever I could. What about you?"
Such a simple question revealed the enormous disparity of their upbringings. Scout's time in the Wastes had made her a hardy survivor; Ljilja's time at Fort Kate had left her soft and social. Where Scout had drawn a blank, Ljilja's response was immediate, bubbly, and excited.
"So there are these special seeds they crush into a powder, and then they mix it with sugar in hot milk; I don't know where it comes from or what it's called in English, but it is so good..." Finally, she asked, "Would you try some if I got it for you?"
Scout tilted her head curiously. She had never been asked to share in a meal or drink that she could recall, not least for leisure. Some part of her felt uncomfortable with the idea, but there was just a little part of her that grew excited at the prospect. Ljilja was one of the few contestants that didn't seem intimidated or otherwise put off by her appearance or demeanor. Slowly, her ears began to perk up. "Yeah, sure."
Practically leaping for joy, Ljilja got up from her seat, grinning from ear to ear. The pain she had walked in with had all but disappeared.
Just then, the receptionist chimed in, "Scout, the doctor will see you now."
"I'll go get some! Uh...where should we meet?" Ljilja asked. She offered her hand to Scout to help her up, but was rejected once more.
"Dining hall," she answered with a groan as she rose from her seat of her own strength.
Ljilja trusted the medical staff to do their job, so she got right to planning. Jogging in place, she drew closer to the door. "Okay, dining hall. I'll be there; come see me when you're done!" At that, she burst out from the infirmary, eager to see to the arrangements.
Coy Fish
Seated in a quiet corner of the room at a table for two was a little blue mutant. There was a steaming mug of brown liquid along with a pair of sand-colored discs on the table in front of each chair. When Scout finally peeked in to the dining hall, she was greeted with excited waving from that corner. She drew nearer, sniffing the air and detecting a very strange smell.
"What is all this?" Scout inquired, familiar neither with the smell nor the sight of such delicacies. She took a seat across from Ljilja.
"They say it is called 'hot chocolate." She gestured invitingly to the mug in front of Scout and to the little treats beside it. "And those are cookies." Though they looked hard and unpalatable, Ljilja assured her, "They get soft and chewy when you dip them."
Scout leant forward, propping an elbow on the table. As Ljilja took her first few sips of the drink and began swaying cheerfully, Scout figured that she should follow suit. "'Hot chocolate,' huh?" She took the mug in both hands, raising it to her lips and taking a swig. A delightful warmth soon filled her, and with it came a lingering bittersweet aftertaste. Pleasantly surprised, Scout went in for another sip. "It's good," she remarked.
With a smile, Ljilja demonstrated dipping a cookie into her mug for just long enough for it to soak up the flavor of the drink, then nibbling at its softened surface.
Scout's attempt was less well-timed, resulting in the cocoa-soaked bit of the cookie breaking off and melting into mush into the drink. As she frowned, Ljilja giggled and nudged over her other cookie to replace what had been lost. Eventually, with a little guidance, Scout was dunking like a pro.
The taste, buttery and rich, inflicted a nostalgia for a pleasant time that perhaps never happened.
Ljilja swished her mug around, close to halfway finished with her beverage. She eyed Scout, trying not to let her gaze linger too long on the bandages the doctor had wrapped her in.
"It is a drink for comfort," Ljilja said. A glimmer of earnest hope shone in her eyes as she asked, "Is it working?"
Scout pursed her lips in thought. "Comfort..." Scout wracked her brain, searching her feelings and her memories. Had she ever really felt comfortable? She glanced at the little mutant across the table, then nodded. "Yes," she affirmed—it was working.
In response Ljilja trilled, a tender and uncontainable sound. Though a foreign form of expression, Scout recognized it instantly as pleasure, for Ljilja was beaming like a lighthouse. At last, Ljilja permitted herself to focus on her drink and indulge in her cookie, after which she sweetly sighed and swayed with utter peace. "Thank you," she said.
Scout glanced curiously at the mutant across the table from her. Why was she thanking her? After all, it was Ljilja who had gone to all of this trouble. "Mm," she acknowledged, "I hope I can have this again before the Games start." For how dangerous it was to become attached to other competitors, there was a part of Scout that was being tempted to make a little blue exception.
Ljilja's attention piqued at the prospect of another encounter, and she verbally leapt to pave the way. "You know where my room is? We can have more anytime," she assured her, speaking bluntly, certain that Scout would understand nothing less: "You won't bother me."
Though Scout was plenty skilled at masking her emotions on the surface, her tail was her tell. It began to happily swish swish to and fro. "Thanks," she answered. But her joyous tail came to a halt and her ears folded back against her head as her nostrils were invaded by the harsh scent of human cologne.
White hair slick with gel and flared at the back, Jaden approached the table, his maid Zorana in tow. He took a dramatic, flourishing bow on arrival, evidently practicing his manners. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've just made arrangements for Ljilja's first interview. If you would be so kind...we must begin preparations."
Ljilja frowned in protest as if to confirm it was truly necessary for the meal to be cut short. Zorana assured her in finfolk sign, This could save your life.
With a sigh, Ljilja stood and bowed her head to Scout. "I'm sorry...I have to go. Do this again soon?"
Scout's focus was torn between instinctively grimacing at Ljilja's manager and giving a pleasant reply to Ljilja. Somewhere in between, she answered, "Yeah, sure. Later."
At that, Zorana took Ljilja by the hand and began dragging her off. Jaden twiddled his fingers in an elegant wave before following after. Ljilja attempted to wave to Scout as she was being tugged away, but before long she was pulled out of sight, leaving Scout alone at the table.
"What is all this?" Scout inquired, familiar neither with the smell nor the sight of such delicacies. She took a seat across from Ljilja.
"They say it is called 'hot chocolate." She gestured invitingly to the mug in front of Scout and to the little treats beside it. "And those are cookies." Though they looked hard and unpalatable, Ljilja assured her, "They get soft and chewy when you dip them."
Scout leant forward, propping an elbow on the table. As Ljilja took her first few sips of the drink and began swaying cheerfully, Scout figured that she should follow suit. "'Hot chocolate,' huh?" She took the mug in both hands, raising it to her lips and taking a swig. A delightful warmth soon filled her, and with it came a lingering bittersweet aftertaste. Pleasantly surprised, Scout went in for another sip. "It's good," she remarked.
With a smile, Ljilja demonstrated dipping a cookie into her mug for just long enough for it to soak up the flavor of the drink, then nibbling at its softened surface.
Scout's attempt was less well-timed, resulting in the cocoa-soaked bit of the cookie breaking off and melting into mush into the drink. As she frowned, Ljilja giggled and nudged over her other cookie to replace what had been lost. Eventually, with a little guidance, Scout was dunking like a pro.
The taste, buttery and rich, inflicted a nostalgia for a pleasant time that perhaps never happened.
Ljilja swished her mug around, close to halfway finished with her beverage. She eyed Scout, trying not to let her gaze linger too long on the bandages the doctor had wrapped her in.
"It is a drink for comfort," Ljilja said. A glimmer of earnest hope shone in her eyes as she asked, "Is it working?"
Scout pursed her lips in thought. "Comfort..." Scout wracked her brain, searching her feelings and her memories. Had she ever really felt comfortable? She glanced at the little mutant across the table, then nodded. "Yes," she affirmed—it was working.
In response Ljilja trilled, a tender and uncontainable sound. Though a foreign form of expression, Scout recognized it instantly as pleasure, for Ljilja was beaming like a lighthouse. At last, Ljilja permitted herself to focus on her drink and indulge in her cookie, after which she sweetly sighed and swayed with utter peace. "Thank you," she said.
Scout glanced curiously at the mutant across the table from her. Why was she thanking her? After all, it was Ljilja who had gone to all of this trouble. "Mm," she acknowledged, "I hope I can have this again before the Games start." For how dangerous it was to become attached to other competitors, there was a part of Scout that was being tempted to make a little blue exception.
Ljilja's attention piqued at the prospect of another encounter, and she verbally leapt to pave the way. "You know where my room is? We can have more anytime," she assured her, speaking bluntly, certain that Scout would understand nothing less: "You won't bother me."
Though Scout was plenty skilled at masking her emotions on the surface, her tail was her tell. It began to happily swish swish to and fro. "Thanks," she answered. But her joyous tail came to a halt and her ears folded back against her head as her nostrils were invaded by the harsh scent of human cologne.
White hair slick with gel and flared at the back, Jaden approached the table, his maid Zorana in tow. He took a dramatic, flourishing bow on arrival, evidently practicing his manners. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've just made arrangements for Ljilja's first interview. If you would be so kind...we must begin preparations."
Ljilja frowned in protest as if to confirm it was truly necessary for the meal to be cut short. Zorana assured her in finfolk sign, This could save your life.
With a sigh, Ljilja stood and bowed her head to Scout. "I'm sorry...I have to go. Do this again soon?"
Scout's focus was torn between instinctively grimacing at Ljilja's manager and giving a pleasant reply to Ljilja. Somewhere in between, she answered, "Yeah, sure. Later."
At that, Zorana took Ljilja by the hand and began dragging her off. Jaden twiddled his fingers in an elegant wave before following after. Ljilja attempted to wave to Scout as she was being tugged away, but before long she was pulled out of sight, leaving Scout alone at the table.