[OOM] Eiattu - Infirmary

[fighting_mad]

Plourr is thoroughly sick of floating in pink goo. There is bacta, she thinks, trapped in her sinuses. She's just thankful that she was unconscious for the first few days. As it is, after four days with nothing to do but float, heal, sleep, and stare at the tubes running in and out of herself, she is going out of her mind. Rial visits, though, and that helps make it bearable; he talks to her even if she can't hear a word she's saying. For the first few days, when she's in and out of consciousness, she only has one memory, of him laughing as he says something. When she's more with it, they carry on a few conversations, Rial with gestures and inaudible words, Plourr with a range of facial expressions that is fairly impressive considering that the breathing apparatus is covering most of her face.

Still, she is going mad with boredom. So when the tech appears and points upward, and she hears someone pulling the top off of the tank, she is kicking upward even before she's told to.

A shower, a robe, some new bandages, and a whole lot of mouthwash later, she begins to feel halfway human again. She tests her body, her muscles, as the techs usher her around. Her arm is in a combination cast-sling--the cast is a noxious, horrible shade of bright green. somebody thinks they're really funny--and her right shoulder--which had had a low-set vibroblade taken to it--wrapped up in bandages. Her ribs are wrapped, too, and they're still aching; enough that she doesn't complain too much when the staff insist on the repulsorchair. Her knee is in a brace but she's not too concerned about that one; it's an old injury that tends to recur if she twists her knee. Her face, from what she can tell, is largely healed; they've taped up a few cuts on her fast left by shrapnel or nobles' rings and the majority of the swelling and bruising has gone down, leaving her eyes bright and clear.

When she's ushered into the hall outside the private medbay room, Plourr talks the tech into letting her get out of the chair and take the last few steps by herself.

"A few hours, Princess," the tech reminds her, removing the chair. "Then you've got to go back in."

"Yeah, yeah," she says impatiently, and--with one hand on the doorway for balance--she steps through the door.

Comments

[fighting_mad]

"I thought they might have others, but Aronnse told me that they didn't. I'd guess that he was lying, but what's the point in lying to a dead woman?" She watches their hands a moment, her thumb stroking the back of his hand, a tiny smile playing across her lips. She looks up. "That base was their last stronghold.

"It's over."

[eiattu_pride]

"It's over," he repeats, and that's just it.

Then he frowns, suddenly thinking of something, and "What about Hilunda? Did he manage to get out safely?"

[fighting_mad]

She frowns. "Wait, what? The shuttle didn't pick him up with me?"

[eiattu_pride]

Rial shakes his head. "They said they saw someone waving, but when they got there, it was just you."

His frown deepens, "Why wouldn't he stay?"

[fighting_mad]

Plourr leans back into her own chair, letting her fingers slip out of Rial's as she does. She absently presses her hand to her ribs. "That little son of a bitch."

[eiattu_pride]

The frown's here to stay. Rial leans back, steeples his fingers. "What do you mean?"

[fighting_mad]

"I mean he was a traitor. I mean he's been reporting our actions to the Priamsta for months. I mean he's the one who got close enough to stick the kriffing tranquilizer in my neck and knock me out." Her knuckles whiten in her grip on the bluestone and band.

[eiattu_pride]

There is a very long moment of silence.

Rial's hands clench into fists, eyes going dark and hard again. "He's not dead."

[fighting_mad]

"I could have killed him a dozen times over," she says. "He could have killed me even more easily. He wouldn't even have had to do anything; he could have just kriffing left me. But he wouldn't. He got the explosives, he set the charges, he dragged me and convinced me to keep moving when I wanted to crawl into a corner and sleep." She shakes her head. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for the little bastard."

She glances up after a moment. "He could have come back and taken his punishment like a man."

[eiattu_pride]

"I don't understand," says Rial finally, but he does. The world isn't all black and white, and Hilunda is grey.

"I guess - I wonder where's he's gone."

[fighting_mad]

"Offworld, I'm sure." Plourr shakes her head again, letting her knee (the brace-less one), rest against Rial's. Her other leg sticks out straight, more or less, with her heel on the floor. "He isn't stupid."

[eiattu_pride]

"No, he can't be. To have avoided being caught." Rial reaches out, brushes a strand of hair out of her face.

[fighting_mad]

She can't forgive him. He trespassed against Eiattu, not just Plourr, and that is unforgiveable. She can, however, choose not to use state resources to track him down. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption.

Enough of Ribenn Hilunda. He is gone in peace.

She tips her face into Rial's hand, holding up the new band and letting the robe sleeve all down to her elbow. "Would you do the honors?"

[eiattu_pride]

"Of course, my princess." Rial takes the band, smiling, fastens it deftly around her upper arm.

"There. Perfect."

[fighting_mad]

"No," she says decisively, and, using the back of the chair for support, she awkwardly hauls herself to her feet. "Not quite."

The movement sets her side to throbbing, but she grits her teeth and the pain is worth it when she can carefully manuever herself into his lap. She props her braced leg up on her old chair and she can't comfortably twist, but she can and does settle against him.

"Better."

[eiattu_pride]

And Rial smiles, slow and sweet, leaning forward to kiss her gently.

"Perfect?"

[fighting_mad]

Her smile matches his, even if it's a little tighter, a little more tired, and she leans her head against his shoulder. "No. I think it has potential, though, once I've taken a few more bacta dips."

She sits silently a moment, and she says abruptly, "I don't want this whole vaping business to be the white bantha in the room, Rial. We're -- not talking about it."

[eiattu_pride]

Rial chuckles, and nods. "After then, maybe."

Then he frowns, doesn't say anything, just glances away.

[fighting_mad]

"See?" She sits with him quietly and she glances over, even if he's looking away. "That right there's a good example of the not talking."

[eiattu_pride]

"There's nothing to talk about," he says simply. "It's over."

[fighting_mad]

It's not a white bantha if you've brought it up, right? Those never tend to last long with Plourr in a room.

She nods, twisting her neck so she can press her forehead to his temple. "Okay."

[eiattu_pride]

It's probably not. And even if it still is, well, he's not talking.

Rial slips his arm a little more comfortably around her, and kisses her gently.

"Okay."

[fighting_mad]

She settles her good hand on his arm, eyes closed. "You know what else this means?"

[eiattu_pride]

There's a lopsided grin from Rial, "That it's over?"

[fighting_mad]

Plourr considers it a moment, then decides that it isn't worth the effort to elbow him. "That we can move back into our own apartments, you mynock," she says, not bothering to open her eyes.