Shyva'Nahl finally made her way out of the inn, not wanting to disapoint Ehanis by staying in all day. She shuffles around a little, narrowly avoiding the people in the streets, occasionally looking into windows. She nervously rubs her upper arm as she walks, looking down and not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. That is, however, until she stumbles upon some ne'er do wells, looking to cause trouble. "Hey! Suit rat!" one of them calls over, causing Shyva to jump with a loud squeak. They approach from two different directions, forcing her to shuffle back against a wall. She shakes violently, feeling a panic attack coming on. "What's a fish-tank like you doing in a place like this, eh?" the other asks with a mischievous grin. "It'd be a shame if your suit ruptured. That is, unless you have credits on you, that'd definitely stop that happening." Muggers. great.
#FreedomFalls – August 3, 2014
Mumbling to herself and shaking her head every so often, Zaan makes her way down the streets of Freedom Falls as she hammers away at an omni-took with one hand, occasionally bumping in to passing pedestrians along the way. "No," she mumbles to herself. "That's not right... no..." She passes an alley and doesn't bother to look up until the words of the muggers reach her ears -- or her helmet, whichever. A pause, and she takes a couple of steps back to observe quietly, her glowing, white eyes blinking once or twice from behind her lightish red visor. There's a pause, and the omnitool deactivates. A pistol is at her hip.
"What was that, little girl?" one of the muggers asks before shoving her to the ground. "You DON'T want to pay us?"
The other mugger chuckles evilly before starting to step towards us. "We'll just have to take something else then, won't we."
The quarian scrambles back against the wall and curls up into a ball. "N-No, p-p-please!" she squeals. She remembers that she too has a weapon, but as she whips it out, it goes flying from her hands and further into the alley. She lets out a little whimper as she successfully disarms herself.
She blinks again, looking left and rift down the street and then back once more. For a moment, she considers just walking away -- she really does. Then Zaan seems to remember that she's a doctor and her job is to preserve lives. A sigh, and she looks down at the pistol on her side. She knows how to use it. But lethal force, self-defensive or not... Well, people didn't really care for quarians too much. Whatever. She unholster the thing, it having been previously hidden behind her doctor's coat/whoa roam suit hybrid, then simply raises the weapon up in to the air letting off a trio of loud shots. She says nothing, but keeps a good distance away.
The muggers erupt into laughter as Shyva's gun goes flying. "Jesus, girl, you could've taken my eye out with that!" one of them says with a laugh, stepping forward. "Now, how about that omnit-"
Both of the muggers jump at gunshots. Was it those bull mercs who were cleaning up the streets?! oh, no. Its just a Quarian. "Shit, lady, careful with that." one of them grunts as Shyva scrambles into a corner, cowering.
"Shoot you, yes," the quarian answers, cold and unafraid. She sheugs, pointing the weapon at them. "Kill you, no. It's not my practice to kill people. That's just unethical." There's a pause, and her weapon lowers slightly to point towards their legs rather than the torso. "The lines are somewhat blurred when it comes to kneecaps, though."
Both of the muggers look at each other, both starting to show fear. Her voice, matched with the thought of losing their kneecaps certainly was quite the pants-wetter. They look back at her before the first one slaps the shoulder of the second. "Lets get out of here..." he grunts before they both run off, leaving Shyva shaking in the corner, covering her face.
"Excellent decision," she tells them as they go, keeping the weapon trained until they can't be seen any longer. "Hm." Zaan clicks her tongue and skips the weapon back in to its holster, making her way over towards Shyva's fallen gun. The quarian turns it over in her hands in appraisal before making her way to the fallen woman and crouching down as far as her little quarian legs will let her. "Are you alright?" Zaan asks afte
quiet moment of observation, taking one of her hands. "Dropped this." She tries to put the pistol in to it again.
Shyva'Nahl eeps as Zaan`Drassi adresses her, but calms down a little when she has her hands on her gun again. "T-T-T-Thank... Thank y-you..." she mumbles, quickly holstering it again. She clutches her legs again, shaking violently. "T-They... t-they w-wanted t-to...." she lets out another whimper, burying her head in her knees and sobbing as the shock starts to wear off.
"Rape you, yes," she deadpanned, looking off again. "I saw. Foolish, really. Pedestrians pass through here often enough. It's probable -- no, inevitable -- that they would've been caught." There's a moment of silence, and she looks back to study the younger quarian again. "Young voice, afraid of strangers -- you can't have been away from the Flotilla long. I suppose you're about twenty -- pilgrimage?"
Shyva'Nahl blinks and looks at Zaan. "R-R-Rape? N-No!" she says with a whimper. "I t-thought t-they just w-wanted my c-creds... v-valuables..." she looks at her suit, sniffing. "T-These s-suits are h-hard to g-get open... a-aren't they?" she asks, her voice quivering. "A-Almost a w-week. A-And yes..." she mutters, sniffing again and choking back a sob. She continues to shake violently.
"Difficult but not impossible," she answered. "Thugs like those often carry knives." There's an uncomfortable moment where Zaan falls like she should try and hug or console the poor girl, like any normal person would, but the doctor decides against it. She fixes lives, not feeling. Anatomy. Not emotion! "I'd learn to use that weapon, if I were you. There isn't much love for our kind in the galaxy. Stumble in to the wrong asari and you may become her slave." She stands, offering a hand.
Shyva'Nahl sniffs and looks at her gun. "I w-was t-t-taught how t-to use it... j-just... c-can't..." she mumbles before taking the hand. As she stands she wraps her arms around the other Quarian and holds her tight, still shaking violently. "T-Thank y-y-you s-so much... I o-owe you m-my life..."
There's another uncomfortable moment as she's held by the younger woman -- she doesn't return it, at least, not immediately, though Zaan gives Shyva a small, reassuring pat-pat on the back, awkward as it may be, though lower towards her hips (but not past them!). "Yes, well." She clears her throat and gently pries the girl off of her. "You're quite welcome. That stutter of yours, is it permanent?"
Shyva'Nahl nods slowly, finally letting go of the doctor. "Y-Yes... h-had it all my l-life..." she mumbles, stroking her upper arm and sniffing. She'll have nightmares for days, probably. "U-Um... I'm Sh-Shyva`Nahl N-nar Tesleya..."
"Curious," she remarked. "Some sort of speech impediment, then?" Zaan paused. "Zaan'Deassi -- no ship name, I'm an exile," the doctor shamelessly confessed. "Pilgrimage, hm? Ah, I remember mine well. But that was nearly a decade ago." It put the woman close to thirty years old, then. "What have you found?"
Shyva'Nahl nods in confirmation. She never thought of it as an impediment, just her being completely scared all the time. "E-Exile... I've n-never m-met an exile..." she takes one step back. "... I've a-always b-been told Exiles a-are dangerous..." she mumbles. She did save Shyva's life, but she's also an exile. She's not sure what to do.
"I suppose that's true, yes," the woman answered, not seeming offended at all. Zaan crossed her arms and cocked her hips a little, rolling her shoulders some. "Though I wouldn't call myself dangerous. I'm a doctor. I spend my time preserving life, not taking it away." She looked Shyva up and down, glowing eyes darting back and forth. "Do you think I'm dangerous? Hm?" She turned in a slow circle for the other quarian, indicati
Shyva'Nahl stares for a few seconds. "...y-you're a-an exile..." she mumbles, then sighs while shaking her heads. "B-but no... n-not dangerous..." she says, then takes several deep breaths, trying to calm down. "T-Thank y-you, again... if y-you hadn't c-come by..."
"You'd probably be against the wall," Zaan finished for her. "It's no problem. Really." She looked left and right again, arms crossed once more. "Where were you headed? It's not often I see another quarian. It's been a couple of years since my leaving the Flotilla. Perhaps you could catch me up on all that's happened?"
Shyva'Nahl shudders and whimpers at the thought. Thankfully, that wasn't their intention with her. "U-Um... M-Miner's Respite." she finally says, stroking her upper arm. "I-Its a... I g-guess hotel o-over a bar. Its o-okay, I s-suppose..."
"Good, we'll go together," she said, waving Shyva along. "Come on, then." The doctor walked with a bit of a away to her step, though, with those legs, it was more of a feminine waddle. "You've been here a week, you said? What brought you to Freedom Falls?"
Shyva'Nahl scuttles off behind Zaan`Drassi, making sure to keep close. "Um... An a-aquaintance o-of mine c-came here. S-She said it was g-good and cheaper t-than going to the Citadel..." she mumbles, rubbing her upper arm. "I... r-regret c-coming here..."
"Regret it, hm?" she asked. "It's not such a bad place, if you keep out of trouble. Though I suppose trouble does have a way of finding people like us. Why do you regret it, then? Have there been other incidents before this one?"
Shyva'Nahl nods slowly. "T-There was a s-shootout outside t-the hotel t-two d-days ago..." she mumbles, nervously. "I, um... t-they found m-me under my m-mattress h-having a panic attack."
She raises a brow behind her visor, though Shyva can't see it. "Really?" the doctor asked. A permanent stutter. Frequent panic attacks. Was this psychological? She wasn't a psychiatrist, but as a doctor, all forms of health piqued her interest. "And this happens often?"
Shyva'Nahl looks down before nodding. "Y-Yes... well... j-just since I g-got here..." she admits. "W-When I w-was on the ship I c-could escape t-the world... s-surrounded by m-my own kind, and m-my family..."
"Ah." A slow nod. "Homesick, then." Zaan clicked her tongue again and pulled up the omnitool once more, pounding away at something or another. "And the stutter? You've had it all of your life, or that's new as well?"
Shyva'Nahl nods, looking back at Zaan. "V-Very homesick, yes... a-and again, m-my stutter h-has been with m-me for a-as long as I can r-remember."
"Curious." She tapped away again before closing the too and looking towards the quarian girl. "How much further? I don't suppose you've a room there?"
Shyva'Nahl turns around a corner and nods forward. "J-Just up a-ahead. A-And yes, f-for now." she says, quietly. "I h-have f-four days of r-rent left, b-but its p-possible I m-may get a job t-there soon."
"I'd like to evaluate you, if that's fine," she admitted, curiosity getting the better of her. What was behind that stutter? Something must've caused it... Or perhaps her mind was just wired that way. Besides, Shyva wouldn't find any other doctor willing or able to treat her. Only quarians understood other quarians and their suits.
Shyva'Nahl blinks and stops in her tracks, looking Zaan`Drassi in the eyes. "...e-evalutate me?" she finally asks.
Shyva'Nahl tilts her head. "M-My mum's a n-nurse. I'm j-just not sure w-what you mean by e-evaluation."
"I want to see what's behind that tick of yours," she confessed, stuffing her three fingered hands in to the pockets of her "coat." A pause. "Though I suppose 'evaluation' was an extreme use of the word. I just want to ask you a couple of questions -- and maybe test your reflexes a little. Do you drink?"
Shyva'Nahl blinks and nods slowly. "Um... t-that's o-okay then..." she mumbles. "A-And I t-think you mean a-alcohol? B-Because n-no."
"That's a shame, really, you should try it," the doctor encouraged, giving healthy advice. Zaan started walking again, though she turned slightly to see if Shyva would follow.
Shyva'Nahl is hesitant, but she follows after Zaan, still shaking violently. They soon reach the inn, then Shyva stops. "H-Here we are..." she mumbles.
"It doesn't look like much," she inspected, looking the building up and down. Or maybe it did. Whatever the case, the quarian moved on inside and waited near the door for Shyva, looking around. "Try not to be so nervous, dear. I don't bite. Couldn't if I wanted to. Now, pinching..." she trailed off. "Would you like to grab a seat, then? Or head on to your room? You've only got the four days left."