December 27th. Late afternoon. The weather has stayed clear all day, and as the jagged peaks of the Dactyl mountains start to embrace the setting sun the streets of Freedom Falls are filled with long shadows, and pink and orange mingle in the sky above, divided in two by the bright band of the planetary rings. The earlier winds have stilled, and things are calm outside the hospital. No ambulance and bustle, just a half-empty parking lot
#Hospital – September 13, 2022
and townsfolk coming and going. A pair of humanoid security mechs flank the entrance, their posture an artificial, relaxed watchfulness. Some distance away from the entrance, Crux stands, her distant gaze wandering Aite's spectacular skies. She looks completely drained - no wonder, considering the events of the day - but simultaneously far too on edge for rest. Her blood-soaked pants have been replaced with a pair of ill-fitting hospital
sweatpants, and she's wearing the bright yellow jacket that belonged to the pink-haired girl. A haze of deep blue smoke surrounds her, the source made apparent by the glowing blue pinprick that is the end of the cigarette in her mouth.
Leah keeps one hand buried deep into the pocket of her winter jacket in an attempt at staving off the cold as she makes her way towards the hospital, heavy black boots crunching snow underfoot along the well-traveled foot path. Her other hand clutches the handle of a drink carrier, four individual cups packed neatly inside, lids ensuring their contents don't spill. Her arm is looped through the handles of a plastic bag that
bounces against her body with each step. After a barrage of messages from Mendez forced her to re-sort her plans after leaving the office, she finds herself arriving at the hospital much later than she had initially intended. She's so caught up in her thoughts that she nearly misses Crux, only saved by the eye catching bright yellow of the familiar jacket. She pauses for a moment and draws in a deep breath, having expected
a few more minutes to compose herself as she navigated the hospital halls. "Hey..." she greets, words careful as her hand slips from her pocket to offer a small wave as she starts towards Crux. A smile doesn't quite manifest yet as her gaze searches the young woman's face for any sign of an answer to a question that she'd rather not ask.
Crux is entirely lost in her head, and only notices Leah's approach when she hears her voice, blinking and finally tearing her gaze away from the sky, her slightly startled reaction muted by exhaustion. The cigarette leaves her lips and she exhales a cloud of blue. There's a crisp, fruity smell to the smoke. "Oh. Hey." she replies with a nod. There's a brief moment of tension to her at the sight of Leah, but after looking her over it
fades. "Figured you'd be showing up sooner or later. Smoke?" Her free hand digs into the pocket of her jacket and produces a crumpled pack of cigarettes with a questioning look.
Leah manages to prop a smile up as she's greeted in a manner that doesn't scream out, 'My friend just died'. The smile is heavy and doesn't quite reach her tired eyes, but it's there. She waves the offer off with a gesture of her hand and an appreciative shake of her head as she takes a position beside the younger woman, With a small roll of her shoulders to help fight off the cold that's been chasing her all across Freedom
Falls today, she raises her gaze to take in the same sights that Crux was entranced by. "I wasn't sure if you were a coffee person." she says as she studies the rings that strike out across the sky for just a moment. "Sometimes you can just tell when someone is a coffee person, ya know?" she continues. "My boss, for example?" she nods to herself, "Definitely a coffee person. But I wasn't so sure about you. Soooo~"
she hums, green eyes turning down to the drink holder in her left hand. She reaches across herself with her right, shifting the plastic bag that hangs from her right arm as she does, and lifts one of the cups from the holder. "Hot cocoa. Because everyone is a hot cocoa person." she posits as she offers the cup to Crux.
Crux seems a little surprised by the gesture - and Leah's general demeanor - but a faint hint of a smile briefly crosses her lips as she stuffs the pack back into her pocket and accepts the cup. "Thanks." she replies with a slight tilt of her head to the side, almost like a lazy version of the stiff gestures of respect that Tara performs. She brings the cigarette back to her lips, a long pull making the blue glow wander up what's left.
She discards it, creating a trail of blue embers through the air as it lands on the icy asphalt. A worn steeltoe workboot stomps on it. "They kicked me out of RCs room for trying to light up a cigarette, so... I came out here." she comments, both hands wrapping around the hot cup now, letting the heat seep into her cold fingers as she takes a sip. Not long after her brown eyes leave Leah they're back on the multicolored sky.
Leah follows up by reaching for a cup of her own, once more adjusting the plastic bag that's struggling to slide down her other arm. Crux' explanation garners a tired snicker. It comes a little easier given the casual mention of RC. A good indication that things haven't gone too poorly. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure most hospitals tend to look down on that sort of thing." she says with a playful scrunch of her nose. But her
smile quickly tapers back into something softer as she fiddles with the lid, steam rising out of the opening that's created. "How is he doing...?" she finally asks, hazarding a careful look Crux' way before taking a small sip of her drink to test the temperature.
Crux offers a slight shrug. "I opened the window..." she mumbles. The question that follows draws her focus away from the skies again, looking to Leah. "The doctor says he'll be okay." she informs, gaze falling to her cup. She takes another sip but as soon as the cup leaves her lips she looks back to Leah, an uncomfortable look in her eyes. She turns towards her and straightens up. "I thank you for your mercy. We are in your debt." The
words are spoken in a batarian dialect rather than English, and accompanied by another, more proper tilt of her head. As soon as the gesture is finished she slumps again, and switches back to English. "You won't regret this."
Leah's smile resurfaces as Crux gives a simplified version of the doctor's prognosis, the tension she was holding in her shoulders beginning to fall away and an audible breath following. She nods along with the relieving information. But as the young girl turns to face her, she can't help but feel shades of the same discomfort that have grown familiar as she's tried to help Tara to grow accustomed to life outside of House
Bar'adon. "No, that's-..." she shakes her head, "...not necessary. There's no debts, there's no-..." she trails off at Crux' final words, a small sigh slipping out and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, a physical manifestation of her discomfort. "...I know I won't." she offers quietly. "Just-... promise me that the next time some asshole offers you credits to help them chase somebody down you'll tell them
to fuck off?" she says, smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she attempts to inject whatever levity she can muster into an otherwise fucked day.
Crux looks a little embarrassed by Leah's uncomfortable reaction to her sudden formality, but the words that follow make her suck in her lips and nod. Her gaze falls away towards the parking lot. "Yeah. Lesson learned." she mumbles with a half-hearted chuckle. A gust of cold wind makes her pull the dead girl's jacket closed. After her eyes land on the sky again she sways a little, looking like she's lost her balance for a brief moment
before pulling her attention away and back to the woman next to her. "Uh, did you wanna talk to RC? I was about to head back in." she says with a gesture past her at the entrance.
Leah furrows her brows as Crux looks as if her legs might get away from her. She gives a small nod and takes a sip of her drink as she starts towards the entrance beside Crux, "I wasn't sure if he was going to be in any position to talk tonight, to be honest." she admits, leaving her concerns over whether or not he'd pull through at all given the amount of blood he had lost unsaid. "So I guess that's a good sign." After a
moment's consideration, she gives a small tilt of her head. "But it doesn't surprise me. Halisi is good at her job." she continues, a silent assurance to Crux that her friend is in good hands.
Crux smiles a little as they start to walk. "He's a little loopy from the meds, but he was awake when I left." She takes another sip of chocolate as they enter the hospital lobby and make their way towards one of the elevators. Crux' gaze wanders the halls of the small but well-equipped hospital with silent interest. "This sure beats the clinic on Omega... it's like something out of a vid."
Leah snickers, well aware of just how much of a change of scenery Aite is from Omega. But not many would be thoroughly impressed by the humble Freedom Falls hospital. A fact that further hammers home just how little experience Crux seems to have with the galaxy at large. But Leah doesn't bother commenting on it, lest she embarrass the girl. "How are you holding up?" she asks instead as she follows alongside the younger woman.
"You-... weren't looking too steady on your feet back there." she continues, "Have you even eaten yet today?"
Crux ' stomach grumbles at the thought of food and she shakes her head, avoiding Leah's gaze as she steps into the elevator and presses a button. "Uh, no, not yet." she admits.
Leah gives a small lift of her arm as she steps in behind Crux, causing the bag hanging from it to rustle as it swings against her side for emphasis. "Well~! Sounds like it's a good thing I got here when I did." she says, smile widening as she takes a position in the corner of the elevator, sitting back against the handrail in a half-seated position as the elevator begins to lurch upward. "There's a place not too far from
here that makes the best burgers-... And by the best burgers, I- of course- mean the worst, but in the best way." she clarifies, "Annnnd! I just so happen to have a bag full of them and there's no way in hell I'll be able to eat them all on my own." Doubtful. But that's not the point.
Crux lets out a surprised snort, the smile that crosses her lips a bit uncertain as she looks to Leah. "You mean-" her eyes dart to the bag. The prospect of a greasy burger almost sounds too good to believe right now. Especially considering who it's coming from. The same woman that needed neither weapons nor armor to leave the rest of the hired guns that had come after her a lifeless, bloody mess outside her front door. It's a small
kindness compared to saving RCs life, but somehow that only makes her feel stranger. "I-..." She swallows, the next word slipping out despite part of her brain advising her to eat first and ask questions later. "...why?" The elevator doors open with a ding after it comes to a stop.
Leah's smile slips away as Crux voices her question. It's a reasonable question, to be fair. After all, this is the same woman that showed up on her doorstep this morning with bad intentions. She and RC shadowed Leah. Installed tracking software on Tara's omni-tool. They weren't forced to do it. It was a decision. A bad decision, but a decision all the same. Deliberate choices. There's no denying that. But... "I-..." she
pauses, clearing her throat and glancing towards the door as it begins to slide open. The words don't come immediately, a small sigh filling the empty space in the meantime. "We've... all done things we're not proud of, Crux." she finally offers, turning her attention back to the younger woman. "But one bad choice shouldn't define your whole life." Right? She props up a small, heavy smile and nods towards the door, a