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Post by River Tam on May 2, 2011 19:10:02 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Almost there… Just a few more steps… Around this bend… Through that archway… There. River could cry, if she had any energy left. She staggers over to a button on the other side of the perfectly round chamber and smashes her fist into it, then collapses onto the ground, panting heavily. The walls shudder to a stop as a hatch opens in the center of the room. Bright white light spills from the pod, looking so much like some futuristic transport ship. She knows there are wires, but they’re so thin that no one could possibly see them. For now, though, the girl, exhausted, in pain, bleeding, is satisfied to just lay here and die. She had brought Robin to the exit. She had saved the victim of her wanderings.
“Just through there.” she mumbles, pitching her voice so that Robin can just hear her, “Just get into the elevator, and it’ll take you back to the school.”
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 2, 2011 20:34:27 GMT -5
::::::::::::::::: “But at times I wondered if I had not come a long way to find that what I really sought was something I left behind.” ::::::::::::::::: The white light emanating from the perfectly symmetrical elevator is almost blinding and painful to look at-- it's white in such contrast to the dark browns and grays around her. Go in, and you'll be safe. Go in, and you don't have to worry about anything anymore. Stock still though, Robin stands there motionless, staring at River with wide eyes. "You mean it'll take us back to the school, right?" The girl feels like her voice is from a ten-year old, asking such a stupid and time-wasting question-- and she hates it, but the nagging voice in the back of her slowly-shutting down brain urges her on. Empathic. That was what Kin had called her, and himself, so long ago back back in the piano room. The night, the morning they decided to have a bit of fun and watch a comet float across the night sky. Empathic. At the time of their injuries, a gift. Now, Robin can't think of a worse power to have-- or a better one. |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 16:18:19 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
River smiles weakly, shaking her head slowly. “Oh, Robin. Silly, naive little Robin.” She looks up at her roommate, dark eyes full of pain-- most of it not from her leg. “I’m happy here. I don’t have anything to live for. Why shouldn’t I just stay here? Die here, on the nice, cool floor?” She laughs harshly, the sound almost like a bark, falling from her cracked lips. “What reason do I have to go up there? To do what, exactly? Have them lock me in the Infirmary until this damned leg heals? To go learn things I already know? Give me one reason, Christina Ann Robins. Make me believe that there’s still hope for the little crazy girl.”
Though soft, almost inaudible, her words have a biting tone, a harsh clip to the sound. She practically spits the last two sentences at the blonde, throwing the words like projectile bombs.
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 16:42:22 GMT -5
::::::::::::::::: “I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.” ::::::::::::::::: The words shock her to the bone. Sure, Robin had been in dangerous situations before (take jumping off a roof for example), but all her dangers, all her perils, seem somehow dwarfed in comparison to the quite literal danger standing right in front of her. And the danger isn't even for herself. The question is simple. Four words. Four deadly words. The answer is crucial. It's a pass or fail grade, no partial credit. A fail means that River gives up on life, a pass means, well-- Robin wasn't quite sure what would come out of a pass. In fact, right now she could hardly think about coming up with an answer, much less what the result would be of her words. And as the sky of bricks and darkness seemed to be raining up all around them-- Robin stood, head bowed, figure seemingly a shadow of a silhouette against the white of the elevator. "If for nothing else, River-- if not for yourself, if not for the prospect of living simply to live, if not for experience, if not for the joys and pains of life..." Robin whispered, voice crackling. "If for nothing else: Do it for me. Come into the elevator for me. For me, for Kindake, for Antoine, for your family, for all the people at the school who would miss you-- who would feel the same pain you're feeling now if you died. For all the people who call your their friend." Her arm lifted outward, hand-extended-- just like she did so long ago in the hot-springs. Hand extended for the same reason, the hand still coated in the same blue healing flame. And Robin adds at the very last second, mostly because she can't resist, and the other because she's about to snap from the sheer presure. "And for god's sake River, if you give up on life and die here-- I will personally make sure that I die here too, so I can kill you in the afterlife." |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 16:56:03 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Oh. That’s quite a reason there. Probably the best reason that Robin could have said. Except maybe for the part about her family. In River’s mind, they abandoned her-- she doesn’t even think that maybe her code was a bit too obscure, just that they didn’t care enough to bring her back from her execution. A choked sob explodes from her chest, turning quickly into a half-laugh as she hears Robin’s last words.
“Alright, girly. You win.” With painstaking care, the brunette reaches up with one hand and grasps onto Robin’s extended palm, hoisting herself slowly to her feet. Even as she does this, a flicker of fear flits across her face.
“Robin.” she says, sounding oddly like a small, terrified girl, “Don’t let them take me to the hospital.” She looks at her friend, her eyes pleading. She’s only hanging on by a thread-- River has to know that the next time she wakes up, it won’t be strapped to a bed being pumped full of chemicals.
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 17:06:54 GMT -5
::::::::::::::::: “There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.” ::::::::::::::::: "I..." Robin, still grasping River's arm hesitated. I nfirmary, that would be the best place for River to go, no matter what anyone else said-- not even her own personal thoughts and feelings. The danger here is far from over. River could very likely bleed it out right here, right now. Not taking her to the hospital could be fatal. Taking her to the hospital could be fatal, Robin rubbed her hand with the chip in it unconsciously. What was most important? River's life? Yes-- yes-- and her trust. So what was to do? Robin had scratch to nothing knowlegdge of medical terminology. Sure, she could bind a leg, er, ankle-- but even that wasn't properly done. But if she didn't act now, the girl would be left with no choice either way. "...I won't. I promise. I won't let them. We're going back to the dorm, if you can make it that far-- and I'm going to patch you up myself, and with the help of anyone else I can find." There it was sealed. Robin meant every word of it. And if someone tried to stop her, the girl was going to lash out with every force in her body, no matter how much it hurt. |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 17:12:48 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
“Thank you.” River whispers, so very grateful for this girl. If she had to choose anyone to do this with all over again, she would be with Robin. The girl saved her life, for Christ’s sake! If anyone deserves River’s undying trust, it’s her roommate.
River stumbles forward, lurching into the elevator. She taps a few buttons, and the pod lurches up. The sophomore collapses against the side of the lift, panting hard. “Robin-- I’m sorry. I got us into this. And I’m so, so sorry. How can I ever make it up to you?”
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 17:20:41 GMT -5
::::::::::::::::: “Winning is often simply getting up off the ground one more time than your opponent.” ::::::::::::::::: Elevators. Urgh. Robin never really liked this elevator, much how this one moved so quickly. But supposing she should be thankful that's it's an elevator, and not a flight of stairs, Robin sagged down beside River with a huff. Next came River's quite emotional question, it nearly brought tears to Robin's eyes. Sorry? Why be sorry? A memory raced through her mind. Don't be sorry. Well, Robin would probably never admit it, but she had already forgiven River-- ages ago, watching the taller girl's life bleed out onto the ground. So now, she was left with a mind struggling to come up with something worthwhile. If you ever fall asleep when seriously wounded, it's likely that'll you'll never wake up from a self-induced-coma."Well," Robin said, voice and face entirely serious, "the only thing I want right now is for you not to fall asleep-- no matter how tired you get. If don't fall asleep on me, I'll call it pretty much even, alright?" |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 17:27:19 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she wonders how Robin could have said exactly what she was thinking, except backwards. River was thinking how nice it would be to slip into the darkness pressing behind her eyelids, how the pain would just fall away… But if this is all her savior wants of her, she guesses she can stay awake for just a little while longer.
“Okay.” she mumbles, “I’ll try.” And she will (though she might fail, just a little bit). She had read the same thing a long, long time ago, but, right at this second, she doesn’t remember anything. All she feels is a gentle buzzing, running through her blood, like a natural painkiller. She tries to push it away, wanting the pain, wanting it to keep her awake.
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 17:35:59 GMT -5
::::::::::::::::: “Never, never, give up." ::::::::::::::::: Ding. Robin almost laughed as the doors slid open. How could such a sterile, futuristic elevator still have that little dinging noise? It was almost funny-- okay, focus. Peering outside the edges of the elevator, Robin sighs in releif for both their location and the population. They are at the intersection where the wings leading off to the different dorms is located, and there's no one in sight-- as far as she can tell. Not even bothering to double check with her own hidden sight, Robin turns around quickly, giving River and up and down glance. "Can you walk? Or...?" |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 17:49:45 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Her eyes flutter shot. She can feel her grip weakening. She’s going to fall aslee--
DING!
The noise jolts her out of almost-dreamland. Her head snaps to attention, standing like a soldier atop her slumped shoulders. River pushes to shaky legs.
“I can walk. J-just tell me where to go.” Determined, ain’t she? Even with a pulverized ankle, a pool of blood flowing out of her boot, drip drip dripping behind her, she won’t accept help. One of her many flaws. Her fatal flaw.
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 18:08:47 GMT -5
(Meh, short) ::::::::::::::::: “Try your best, and the rest will sometimes come." ::::::::::::::::: "Right," Robin muttered drearily, shoulders sagging-- ha', she had to admit it though-- River was a good liar. Unfortunately, you can't lie to an empath; unfortunetly, there wasn't much Robin could do about it-- other than walk beside River as they slowly made their way to their dorm, trying to catch her and set her back up straight if she stumbled. Reaching the dorm with the gold number of her own plaid across the wood, Robin reached into the back of her jean pocket and to the key-- fumbling with it for several seconds before managing to bring it up to the gold lock. |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 18:26:06 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Click goes the lock. Whoosh goes the air as the door swings open. River stumbles into the room and collapses onto her bunk, lying on her back, not caring about the blood seeping slowly into the blankets. She can just get new ones later. She turns her head to the side to look at Robin.
“What now?” she asks weakly, her voice soft and shaky. “What are we supposed to do now?”
She half-wishes a teacher would walk through the door a whisk her off to the infirmary, but, at the same time, knows that would be the death of her, for sure. But it just hurts, so much. She wants it all to go away…
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Post by Christina Ann Robins on May 3, 2011 18:38:01 GMT -5
be. ::::::::::::::::: “Where fear is present, wisdom cannot.” ::::::::::::::::: Robin slowly followed the older girl, staring in vain at her hands-- wishing for them to somehow put on a healer's mask, to look ready. She wishes she was bigger, more equipped for the task to come. She wishes that someone else was here to share the burden, she wishes for someone who knew what they were doing. Then River collapses onto the bed in her own room, and as white sheets slowly stain red-- Robin's head sagged. She had no choice, the girl needed to act now, or River would die. Moving as close to the bed as she dared, Robin looked River's crushed leg up and down, wondering how much life-force this was going to take. Alot, she was sure-- but would it kill herself? No-- definitely not! That was out of the question! Robin's own mind would shut down before giving away all her life-- yet she had never tried. Was it like blood? If you give too much away, even if you still have some left--? No. Focus. River needed 'blood'. River needed energy. If she needed help, Robin would go find someone who could. Not a teacher, not an adult, not a doctor, but someone else. The jean fabric was torn to shreds, and Robin tore away the rest of the threads still hanging on, wanting to vomit as she looked it up and down. Taking a slow shuddering breath, Robin placed two nervously-shaking hands just above the destroyed skin-- and then her flame appeared. |
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2011 21:44:00 GMT -5
**follow the voices**
Through the haze that hangs over River's mind, she vaguely senses Robin coming closer, moving aside the mangled remains of her usual skirt (what a day to wear one of the longer dresses), the blonde's hands hovering over the flesh. River steals a glimpse of it. She's seen worse, but never on herself. And then, a blue glow grows around Robin's hands, looking like the flames that had kept the walls at bay, but also like water. The latter registers in her brain, the former not even sticking around long enough to be counted as a thought. The girl sits straight up, ignoring the pain behind her eyes as the world swims.
"What are you doing!" she half-shouts, scooting away from her roommate, pressing against the wall as best she can. Her wide eyes are filled with the fear of a cornered animal; the thin thread connecting her to reality has almost snapped.
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