Night 62: Women's Bathrooms (F01-F40)

[no_dont_go]

[skipping the F-A block from here]

Aigis walked into the bathroom and waited a moment in silence. She didn't hear or sense anything that would immediately be dangerous. If something stealthy chose to show itself later, that would be unfortunate, but for now this would suit their purposes.

Aigis turned around and faced her companion, then held out her claws to him as if offering them. "Please, take these."

Her gaze fell and she felt a chill, which sent her into a short shivering fit. If it wasn't obvious now, she would make it clear with words. "As to your question, yes, I believe I am. And I need your assistance in a matter before I change."

Comments

[idolism]

Problem solving was supposed to be what he was good at. For a mind like his, one that could assess possible actions and their outcomes faster and more objectively than any human’s, stripping the situation down to its bare essentials was supposed to be easy. And it was, to an extent. He could see the facts as they were: the girl was infected. She could become a liability. And he could see what might have to be done: that, if she changed, steps would indeed have to be taken to contain or eliminate her.

Still, despite the impersonality of his calculations, there was a niggling sense of disbelief. Had things really come this far? Had Landel really defied nature in this way?

“Let’s assume there’s enough of you that it soon becomes apparent to the general population,” he said, forcing himself to continue with the conversation. “They’ll find out soon enough. Better to warn them in advance.”

Speaking the words was always easier than doing the deed, however. It was the same with asking her to expose her blood. Making the request was easier than facing the stench of sickness that wafted off the small red beads of blood on her finger. His nose wrinkled slightly; it was obvious by the turn of his head that a brief smell was enough. Landel’s zombie virus had smelled worse because of the rot it caused in the body, but Aigis’ body clearly wasn’t unaffected by this recent infection, as much as he might‘ve hoped it wasn‘t. He didn’t have to taste it to know. There was a sign of illness inside her, something that hadn’t been there before.

The speed with which Landel had contaminated her repulsed him more than the physical evidence did. That bastard. How had he managed this?

“Yes,” he started, and the word was almost a hiss, “your blood’s different than it was earlier, I can tell already. But if you’re changing, the evidence isn’t there.” Yet. “It’s still human.”

[no_dont_go]

Aidou was right, of course. Aigis couldn't hide it long, and it was likely she was not the only one. How miserable everyone else must feel to have to go through this. "Understood. Then I will see what must be done to warn them."

Aidou's obvious disgust worried Aigis more than she would have thought. Was her blood really that unsavory in its current state? She couldn't tell the difference. There was still some relief, however. "If it is still human, then perhaps I will be safe a while longer then."

She pressed her bleeding finger to her palm, expecting the pressure would take care of the healing for her. She felt a little faint, but other than that and the other symptoms she still felt like herself.

[idolism]

For more than one reason, he found it difficult to turn his attention away from her blood. The scent was spreading through the air like a blooming flower, and being so close he received a full taste of it. In a twisted way, the fact that the quality of her blood had changed was an advantage for him--strong, healthy human blood had the strongest pull, and right now he couldn’t be distracted.

He looked away. “He didn’t give any hint of how this was done. The only other time I’ve seen a prisoner undergo a bodily transformation, it was because they’d been injected with a substance during experimentation.”

[no_dont_go]

"Experimentation?" Aigis narrowed her eyes. She should not have been surprised.

She had no inkling of Aidou's problem holding back from her blood. The cut had fallen out of her mind, even as she continued to keep it pressed to her palm.

"Just because I do not remember undergoing nay type of experimentation does not mean it was not done." She hadn't checked herself for anything like needlepricks, but with the accelerated healing rate this place provided, it was likely those had closed up before she would have seen them. "There is never accounting for the period between us passing out and waking up in our beds."

[idolism]

“Yes, from what I understand,” he said, turning to face the line of bathroom mirrors. Although he didn’t have a problem seeing in the dark, there wasn’t much to see in the grimy glass.

She had a point about the similarity of her own situation--a very valid point, actually. There was no way to prove she hadn’t undergone the exact same kind of guinea pig procedure that Kyon had. If Landel could squelch their inherent abilities with a mere device, it stood to reason that he could manipulate their bodies in other ways just as easily. In the mirror, his reflection narrowed its eyes.

But to admit that they might never fully understand how or what he had done… ugh, it wasn’t a pleasant thought for someone who valued understanding above all else.

“You’re right, of course. So far the only answers are guesses.”

[no_dont_go]

"And since that is the case, and speculation can only get us so far..." Aigis shook her head, clenching her fist all the harder. Her nails dug into the heel of her palm, threatening to draw out more blood if she kept up the pressure.

Aigis found herself sinking. Her body drew downward into a crouch, her fists moving to her sides and to prop against the ground. She drew in a strangled breath, hissing out through her teeth. "We haven't any clues, nor knowledge of how Landel managed to create this infection. If we have nothing like that..."

She looked up, her eyes slanting in anger. "... then we must be prepared for the worst."