Trial by Combat
Visitation was restricted to authorized persons only, a list maintained by the manager of each competitor. Typically, this would include friends, allies, one's manager, and high-ranking staff like Overseers. But Scout was...less than popular. So, with Aries gone to tend to other business, it must have come as a surprise when a nurse informed Scout, "You have a visitor."
Scout could smell her before she saw her. The aroma of hot chocolate and cookies wafted into the room, growing stronger as the little mutant carrying them was let inside. She set two piping hot mugs down along with a parcel of cookies wrapped in napkins on the nightstand, then sat upon a chair and scooted closer to Scout, whose bedridden form looked like she had been hit by a bus.
Ljilja smiled a weary smile, one of pained concern. It was not an expression that Scout often saw directed at her. "Hey," she spoke softly, knowing Scout's ears were sensitive and surmising from the bandages that she must have had a headache. "I brought you some treats to help you feel better."
The Med Bay was supposed to be a place of rest and recovery. Scout found the stillness unbearable. The Nurses wouldn't let Scout leave for lunch, she had already tried. So instead she lay on the cot with a blanket half draped over her, having changed out of her bloody training uniform in exchange for shorts and a tank top. There was an arm draped across her eyes and one leg dangling over the side of the cot that was just a bit too small for her lanky form.
Her nose sniffed, picking up a whiff of something that stood out among the smell of antiseptic spray and tangy floor cleaner. Slowly, Scout removed the hand from over her eyes, surprised to see someone small standing over her.
"Oh, it's you." Scout rose, wincing. Ljilja's smile looked weary, her eyes slightly red, as though she had just been crying. Scout looked down at the tray Ljilja had brought, her tail perking up immediately. There were two ways to Scout's heart and the first one was food. "Thanks," she eagerly took a cup of the hot brown liquid, blowing on the top so that she didn't burn herself.
"What is this called again?" Scout had tasted bitter coffee and watered down tea before, but this sweet nectar was perhaps one of the few hot drinks that Scout actually enjoyed. She took a slow sip, the warm liquid snaking down her stomach. The wolf’s tail wagged, giving away her thoughts. "It's good."
Ljilja's smile grew warmer as she saw Scout moving about, albeit slowly, and she took her own mug from the nightstand and sipped at it.
"It's called hot chocolate," Ljilja said. "We had it together once; last week." As she looked over Scout's extensive injuries, she wondered if perhaps her memory had been affected. But such concerns would not serve Scout well if voiced during her recovery. So instead she asked, "What...happened?"
Scout drank slowly, she did not have a great memory for names but hot chocolate was something that she wanted to remember. “Oh… right,” she took another sip, the wolf seeming oddly innocent. Did Ljilja know that they were close in age?
At the next question, Scout shook her head, setting her cup down. “Some guy proposed a fight, he said if he wins, I have to become his ally.” Scout glowered, “his head was like a f*cking rock, I was this close to winning.” Scout held up two fingers a centimeter apart.
She grinned, recalling having taken a sizable chunk out of his arm with a bite. Good, Scout thought; it would be a memory. “Oh, I was gonna talk it over with you, but these a**hole nurses won’t let me leave.”
Ljilja’s face scrunched up as she scoured her own memories. She blinked in confusion, then slowly came to a realization. The only person Ljilja knew that wanted to ally with Scout was “Boqin? But he likes you… why would he beat you up?”
“That’s the b*tch,” Scout snapped her fingers. She really did not have a memory for names. Scout scowled, “like me? Why would anyone like me?” She scoffed, snatching up a cookie. Her head was suddenly throbbing from moving too quickly.
“Anyway, he challenged me and won, but if you don’t want him to join our team, I’ll respect your decision.” Even if Scout now had a grudging respect for Boqin, she still didn’t want to become his ally.
Now Ljilja frowned with concern, worrying about Scout’s memory. “Yeah, he confessed… during the interviews. You don’t remember?” Ljilja leaned forward, expression pinched with concern.
Scout only shook her head, shrugging. “I fell asleep during the interviews,” she admitted, reaching for another cookie, slower this time.
“He seemed nice… I like him,” Ljilja suddenly waved her hands in front of her. “Not like that! I-I mean as an ally! He-he seems interested in you anyway…” she trailed off, her cheeks a blushy purple.
“Well, I’m not interested in that sort of thing,” Scout’s ears twitched in annoyance. Did this mean Ljilja was going to let Boqin join them?
Ljilja frowned, leaning back in her seat. “He looks smart… and caring… and nice.” If Scout knew anything about romance, she would have thought that Ljilja was the one to have fallen for him. “I think you should give him a chance,” Ljilja reached for a cookie, slowly waving it through the hot chocolate until it grew soggy. “He literally fought for it.”
Scout followed Ljilja’s lead, dunking the cookie into the remains of her hot chocolate until it was soggy. “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed, licking the remaining hot chocolate off of her fingers.
“Oh! I have to tell you something!” She wiped the crumbs off of her face with an arm, getting them on the bandages.
Ljilja perked up curiously, wondering what her wolf friend might have to say.
“I got a sponsorship,” Scout was eager to tell her. Maybe it was the anesthesia but Scout seemed different today, more personable. “It’s a company making an experimental treatment for ori. They’re giving me a starter pack to try.”
They were using Scout as a lab rat and possibly benefiting from it, but Scout didn’t mind, especially if it worked.
Ljilja’s eyes searched Scout’s face, trying to make sense of what she had just said. The realization dawned on her and Ljilja gasped, placing her mug down in one motion and leaping forward in the next. Without thinking, she threw her arms around the wolf, hugging her tightly. Ljilja trilled in excitement and with a wide smile on her lips and eyes brimming with tears, she said “I’m so glad…” Her voice was muffled, her face burying into Scout’s side.
Scout winced, immediately stiffening at the touch, the cot beneath them squealing at the sudden shift in weight. Why was Ljilja squeezing her? It was an unfamiliar gesture, something Scout didn’t understand. This wasn’t an attack, was it? No, Ljilja couldn’t hurt Scout anyway.
The wolf remained there in silence, eventually letting out an awkward “Yeah…”
Ljilja nuzzled her face into Scout’s stomach. For weeks now, she had been deprived of the physical affection she was so accustomed to and it showed. “I-I had lost someone…” Ljilja admitted, “because of ori. I don’t want you to go too.”
“I-” Scout stopped, death was a natural part of life to her, just like Ljilja was used to physical affection, Scout was used to losing people.
“I don’t want to go either,” she admitted quietly. It was the first time Scout had spoken those words aloud. “For a long time, I thought the ori was my punishment.” It was cosmic karma coming to collect on its debt.
Ljilja shook her head, squeezing Scout tighter. “I think you are someone who has been punished far too much already,” she murmured. “I hope… I hope you will get better… and not get hurt like this anymore.”
Scout was frozen in place, a strange sensation welling up in her throat. It was foreign to her, the wolf having believed that her tears had dried up long ago. It was a suffocating feeling and Scout wanted it to stop.
Slowly, Scout wrapped her arms around Ljilja. Not threateningly, but to return the strange, comforting gesture. “No one has ever-” she stopped, tears suddenly stinging her eyes. “No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”
Scout had been cursed, she had had her name dragged through the dirt. Most people that met her wished death upon her.
“You are my friend,” Ljilja rubbed her head against Scout more, trying to punctuate the truth of her words and perhaps using Scout as a vessel to dry the tears that continued to stem from her eyes. “Even if you don’t want me to say it-” Ljilja looked up at Scout, sincerity in her expression. “I will say it as many times as you need to hear it.”
Scout could smell her before she saw her. The aroma of hot chocolate and cookies wafted into the room, growing stronger as the little mutant carrying them was let inside. She set two piping hot mugs down along with a parcel of cookies wrapped in napkins on the nightstand, then sat upon a chair and scooted closer to Scout, whose bedridden form looked like she had been hit by a bus.
Ljilja smiled a weary smile, one of pained concern. It was not an expression that Scout often saw directed at her. "Hey," she spoke softly, knowing Scout's ears were sensitive and surmising from the bandages that she must have had a headache. "I brought you some treats to help you feel better."
The Med Bay was supposed to be a place of rest and recovery. Scout found the stillness unbearable. The Nurses wouldn't let Scout leave for lunch, she had already tried. So instead she lay on the cot with a blanket half draped over her, having changed out of her bloody training uniform in exchange for shorts and a tank top. There was an arm draped across her eyes and one leg dangling over the side of the cot that was just a bit too small for her lanky form.
Her nose sniffed, picking up a whiff of something that stood out among the smell of antiseptic spray and tangy floor cleaner. Slowly, Scout removed the hand from over her eyes, surprised to see someone small standing over her.
"Oh, it's you." Scout rose, wincing. Ljilja's smile looked weary, her eyes slightly red, as though she had just been crying. Scout looked down at the tray Ljilja had brought, her tail perking up immediately. There were two ways to Scout's heart and the first one was food. "Thanks," she eagerly took a cup of the hot brown liquid, blowing on the top so that she didn't burn herself.
"What is this called again?" Scout had tasted bitter coffee and watered down tea before, but this sweet nectar was perhaps one of the few hot drinks that Scout actually enjoyed. She took a slow sip, the warm liquid snaking down her stomach. The wolf’s tail wagged, giving away her thoughts. "It's good."
Ljilja's smile grew warmer as she saw Scout moving about, albeit slowly, and she took her own mug from the nightstand and sipped at it.
"It's called hot chocolate," Ljilja said. "We had it together once; last week." As she looked over Scout's extensive injuries, she wondered if perhaps her memory had been affected. But such concerns would not serve Scout well if voiced during her recovery. So instead she asked, "What...happened?"
Scout drank slowly, she did not have a great memory for names but hot chocolate was something that she wanted to remember. “Oh… right,” she took another sip, the wolf seeming oddly innocent. Did Ljilja know that they were close in age?
At the next question, Scout shook her head, setting her cup down. “Some guy proposed a fight, he said if he wins, I have to become his ally.” Scout glowered, “his head was like a f*cking rock, I was this close to winning.” Scout held up two fingers a centimeter apart.
She grinned, recalling having taken a sizable chunk out of his arm with a bite. Good, Scout thought; it would be a memory. “Oh, I was gonna talk it over with you, but these a**hole nurses won’t let me leave.”
Ljilja’s face scrunched up as she scoured her own memories. She blinked in confusion, then slowly came to a realization. The only person Ljilja knew that wanted to ally with Scout was “Boqin? But he likes you… why would he beat you up?”
“That’s the b*tch,” Scout snapped her fingers. She really did not have a memory for names. Scout scowled, “like me? Why would anyone like me?” She scoffed, snatching up a cookie. Her head was suddenly throbbing from moving too quickly.
“Anyway, he challenged me and won, but if you don’t want him to join our team, I’ll respect your decision.” Even if Scout now had a grudging respect for Boqin, she still didn’t want to become his ally.
Now Ljilja frowned with concern, worrying about Scout’s memory. “Yeah, he confessed… during the interviews. You don’t remember?” Ljilja leaned forward, expression pinched with concern.
Scout only shook her head, shrugging. “I fell asleep during the interviews,” she admitted, reaching for another cookie, slower this time.
“He seemed nice… I like him,” Ljilja suddenly waved her hands in front of her. “Not like that! I-I mean as an ally! He-he seems interested in you anyway…” she trailed off, her cheeks a blushy purple.
“Well, I’m not interested in that sort of thing,” Scout’s ears twitched in annoyance. Did this mean Ljilja was going to let Boqin join them?
Ljilja frowned, leaning back in her seat. “He looks smart… and caring… and nice.” If Scout knew anything about romance, she would have thought that Ljilja was the one to have fallen for him. “I think you should give him a chance,” Ljilja reached for a cookie, slowly waving it through the hot chocolate until it grew soggy. “He literally fought for it.”
Scout followed Ljilja’s lead, dunking the cookie into the remains of her hot chocolate until it was soggy. “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed, licking the remaining hot chocolate off of her fingers.
“Oh! I have to tell you something!” She wiped the crumbs off of her face with an arm, getting them on the bandages.
Ljilja perked up curiously, wondering what her wolf friend might have to say.
“I got a sponsorship,” Scout was eager to tell her. Maybe it was the anesthesia but Scout seemed different today, more personable. “It’s a company making an experimental treatment for ori. They’re giving me a starter pack to try.”
They were using Scout as a lab rat and possibly benefiting from it, but Scout didn’t mind, especially if it worked.
Ljilja’s eyes searched Scout’s face, trying to make sense of what she had just said. The realization dawned on her and Ljilja gasped, placing her mug down in one motion and leaping forward in the next. Without thinking, she threw her arms around the wolf, hugging her tightly. Ljilja trilled in excitement and with a wide smile on her lips and eyes brimming with tears, she said “I’m so glad…” Her voice was muffled, her face burying into Scout’s side.
Scout winced, immediately stiffening at the touch, the cot beneath them squealing at the sudden shift in weight. Why was Ljilja squeezing her? It was an unfamiliar gesture, something Scout didn’t understand. This wasn’t an attack, was it? No, Ljilja couldn’t hurt Scout anyway.
The wolf remained there in silence, eventually letting out an awkward “Yeah…”
Ljilja nuzzled her face into Scout’s stomach. For weeks now, she had been deprived of the physical affection she was so accustomed to and it showed. “I-I had lost someone…” Ljilja admitted, “because of ori. I don’t want you to go too.”
“I-” Scout stopped, death was a natural part of life to her, just like Ljilja was used to physical affection, Scout was used to losing people.
“I don’t want to go either,” she admitted quietly. It was the first time Scout had spoken those words aloud. “For a long time, I thought the ori was my punishment.” It was cosmic karma coming to collect on its debt.
Ljilja shook her head, squeezing Scout tighter. “I think you are someone who has been punished far too much already,” she murmured. “I hope… I hope you will get better… and not get hurt like this anymore.”
Scout was frozen in place, a strange sensation welling up in her throat. It was foreign to her, the wolf having believed that her tears had dried up long ago. It was a suffocating feeling and Scout wanted it to stop.
Slowly, Scout wrapped her arms around Ljilja. Not threateningly, but to return the strange, comforting gesture. “No one has ever-” she stopped, tears suddenly stinging her eyes. “No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”
Scout had been cursed, she had had her name dragged through the dirt. Most people that met her wished death upon her.
“You are my friend,” Ljilja rubbed her head against Scout more, trying to punctuate the truth of her words and perhaps using Scout as a vessel to dry the tears that continued to stem from her eyes. “Even if you don’t want me to say it-” Ljilja looked up at Scout, sincerity in her expression. “I will say it as many times as you need to hear it.”