008 ✝ eighth step [action/written - backdated to event end]

[manmade_angel]

[Sleepily, Nill stirs in bed, shifting and cuddling up against another warm body. It's too early to get up, the monsters and worrying about Draco being outdoors while the--]

[Warm body. Draco her son. Nill didn't have a son, Nill was fifteen years old and not married.]

[She opens her eyes a little, hoping that this person she's sleeping so closely to isn't--oh yes it is. Kazutaka, the person she was apparently married to for a week, who Badou and Mr. Mihai didn't approve of. Nill's mind starts racing: what should she do? Shake him awake, tell him that it was very nice to be his wife for a week and she was going home now? And what about Draco? How had she not seen that Draco was years older than she was, and so it was impossible for him to be her son?]

[No, she couldn't just get up and run home, it would hurt them both. Make them think they had done something to offend or upset her. All in all, it hadn't been a bad few days, truthfully...]

[Nill sits up in bed and opens up her journal to the mass of chaos occurring (again). She doesn't want to wake poor Kazutaka, so Nill eases out of bed to go write to everyone.]

[Written]

I'm alright, I'm coming home once Draco and Kaz Mr. Muraki wake up.

Comments

[letsplaysurgeon.livejournal.com]

[On a normal day, Muraki was a light sleeper, semi-conscious of the things moving around him. Right now, a smaller body was shifting closer to him and then drawing backwards like a wave. And the first thing he does is process that there shouldn't be another body in his bed...and then he remembers.

Everything. His wife. His son. The strangers this environment jammed into his life like pegs.

What they did to his relationship with Tsuzuki. He hasn't even begun to feel sickened yet.

He sits up and slowly drags himself to the edge of the bed, planting his feet on the floor and sliding a hand over his eyes. He waits for his blood to become sour. Helplessness and disgust churn together inside him, but they lack one fiery component--hatred. For some reason he cannot summon the violent anger he knew he should feel at being toyed with. He tries to induce it, like vomiting, but it remains flat in his belly.

Then he realizes it's the girl. It was cliché to say that she calmed him, but how could he behave like a monster around someone that reminded him of Ukyou?

Muraki twists enough to give Nill his profile, looking at her.] ...Are you all right?

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Nill stops her progress out of the bed when Kazutaka sits up. He looks upset, maybe even angry or sick, and so Nill stays still and quiet, eyes down. Really, she's never been angry after experiments--only concerned for the feelings of the people she's interacted with during them. Haine, Ikki, and now Kazutaka and Draco.]

[She looks up when he finally speaks to her. It's sad, that yesterday Kazutaka sounded happy and warm, and now his tone is so different. Nill's hands grip her nightshirt nervously and she nods. An incline of her head asks if he's alright or if she should get him a glass of water or something.]

[letsplaysurgeon.livejournal.com]

Good. [He takes note of the tilt of Nill's head before he reaches for his glasses on the end table and slips them on (making himself presentable) before he turns around to face her on the bed. His expression does soften a little bit into something gentle when he sees the concern written on her face. They weren't married anymore, but he didn't want to make her feel bad.]

I feel I should apologize to you, dear. Though the circumstances were out of my hands, I would've preferred that we met in a less awkward fashion.

[The corners of his lips curve upwards and he attempts humor.] I'm sure it was never your intention to be betrothed to someone twice your age.

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Oh! Nill looks a little surprised--she hadn't thought Mr. Muraki was thirty--and blushes a little. It really was a little silly, for them to be married when Nill was still so young. Not to mention having a child that was older than she was... This was all just so embarrassing, why hadn't she noticed?]

[But it's true: the circumstances were out of their control, and their 'first meeting' was incredibly awkward now. Sitting in a bed they had shared for ten days in their pajamas...]

[Well, perhaps she could make it less awkward! Nill opens up her journal and fishes out one of her notecards and hands it to Muraki: 'Hello, my name is Nill. I can't speak, but I'll communicate as best I can with you.']

[At least that wasn't one of the ones Badou or Haine had written for her.]

[letsplaysurgeon.livejournal.com]

[Thirty-three to be precise, but Muraki wouldn't be displeased if anyone mistook him to be a few years younger with his emphasis on youth and beauty.

And speaking of which. He examines Nill with careful consideration and realizes that his real fiancée appeared just as young. And she really was born with it: it wasn't Maybelline or any other suspicious concoction that women smear on their skin like magic war paint.

But with Ukyou, she only looked like a high school student--Nill couldn't have been much older than sixteen. The experiment shuffled them into random families, plucked out their senses and made them blind to time and age discrepencies. It almost didn't seem possible.

His thoughts are broken up as he watches Nill dig through her journal for something that she then offered to him. He accepts the note card and reads the written message. He almost chuckles in fondness at the rather late introduction, but if they were going to do this properly...]

It's a pleasure, Nill. My name is Muraki Kazutaka: I'm a doctor at the local clinic, as you might remember. So if you ever require medical assistance, let me know--I'd be more than happy to help you in any way that I can.

[It was a kind offer and the closest thing to a promise of safety that Muraki could offer. She was too sweet and innocent to find out what he really was, and if he could help it, she would never find out he was more than just a doctor slash ex-husband-for-a-week.]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Nill giggles silently, completely oblivious to Mr. Muraki's other thoughts concerning her safety and so forth. She knew a great many dark things for her age, but she still believed everyone had goodness in them--at least until she was proven horribly wrong. And by then, it was usually too late.]

[She holds out her hand, continuing the joke of the overblown, far-too-late introductions with an offer for a handshake. It was hardly something she would do on a usual basis, but as long as they were trying to lighten the mood...]

[letsplaysurgeon.livejournal.com]

[His eyes drop when he catches movement beneath his line of vision, inspecting it for a few seconds before he clasps her hand in his own.] Thank you for being so understanding.

[The fact that her hand is so much smaller than his own reminds him how young she is, and he feels another pang of sadness. Guilt was hard to feel when he had sex with someone two years younger than her, but he didn't wish this situation upon her. He lets go of her hand and adjusts his glasses.] ...I suppose it's neither appropriate or worth anything now, but you were a wonderful wife and mother. Thank you for that, as well.

[voice]

[rain-of-bullets.livejournal.com]

[There's about a million other things he'd like to say about now, after everything that's happened, but most pressing seems to be getting Nill back and away from creepers people he doesn't trust.]

Where are you?

[Written]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

Community Housing 2--I can't remember the room number. But I believe it's Mr. Muraki's residence. I know the way back, I'm okay Haine...

[voice]

[rain-of-bullets.livejournal.com]

[Muraki and Draco huh. He'll just be filing those names away. No reason. He can't really say much if she insists she's fine. It won't keep him from hanging around the door though, and waiting for her to come back.]

Yeah.

[action]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[He's worried. Nill hasn't lived next to Haine with her eyes closed, she can tell when he's concerned for her. But she doesn't want to cause any extra concern. Mr. Muraki is a nice man, and Draco was the perfect son. Surely nothing bad could happen.]

[She's home within the hour though--and she hurried. Of course she had to say goodbye and her thank yous and gather the few things that actually belonged to her (namely the crown and ring Badou had given her), but after that she hurried home. She pokes her head in the door, looking around to see who's home.]

[action]

[rain-of-bullets.livejournal.com]

[He looks up when she walks in the door, even if he tries to pretend he was just lounging on the couch. Even if it was nice not having that voice in the back of his head for a few days, it wasn't worth the fucked up shit he had instead. The sooner he can block out the last week, the better.

He sits up, appraising her appearance for a moment, mostly to check that nothing happened since he last saw her. She looks well enough. Maybe for her, this wasn't such a terrible thing. Having a family, something normal... only to come back to this.]

Hey.

[A barely audible sigh.]

Wonder if there's a hole in the mountains I can just shut myself up in every time these things happen. You want one too?

[action]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Nill sighs silently as well, hands held in front of her, holding the now-dry crown and and ring. She sets them down and moves to the couch so she can sit next to Haine. Even if things were 'normal', and Nill had a family for a while, she still wouldn't trade it for what she has now. She still has people she cares about, and all of the experiences she's lived through. Besides, she's too young to be a wife and a mother. Maybe she can't even be a mother...]

[Nill puts her head on Haine's shoulder. Sometimes, yes, she wishes there was a hole she could hide in. But if everyone else was dealing with these experiments, she wanted to be there with them.]

[video]

[purpledemoneyes.livejournal.com]

[He can't help but remember how fond he had been of Nill, even if the memories have taken on a dream-like, distant quality.]

Nill, do you need any help getting home?

[written]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

I'm alright, Mr. Tsuzuki! I know the way back to my house.

Even if it was an experiment, you were a very good friend to me. Thank you.

[written]

[purpledemoneyes.livejournal.com]

Don't thank me. You were a good friend to me, too.

Was it fun having a family?

[written]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was! The lady I stayed with before I met Haine was very nice, but I liked having a father and grandfather and a husband and children...

Is that weird to say, now that the experiment is over?

[written]

[purpledemoneyes.livejournal.com]

It's not weird. I felt the same way.

Who's Haine, Nill?

[written]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Ah... this is a complicated question. And a complicated answer, probably. For simplicity's sake, though...]

He's my friend. He saved me from someone who intended to use me for something terrible.

[hisdarkmark]

[Draco probably won't encounter Nill until she tries to leave the house, seeing how he's sitting by the front door. What an odd week...he couldn't help but feel rather disgusted with how close he was to Muraki...he knew who Muraki was, what he had done to his best friend.

But what was odder was the girl, Nill. She had to be almost four years his junior and yet he believed her to be his mother? He's going to ponder, and he's going to corner the girl when she appears because he wants to get things straightened out, thanks ever so.]

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[After Nill has gathered up what few things she actually considers to be hers, and said goodbye to Mr. Muraki, she tries to find Draco. But he isn't in his room, or anywhere else in the house, so she has to conclude that he awoke and left in a hurry. Which does make her a little sad--perhaps having Nill as a mother had struck some sort of wrong chord.]

[Which is why when she discovers Draco by the door, she's startled. But that feeling doesn't last very long when she realizes he looks upset. Nill may not be Draco's mother anymore, but Nill could never let someone be upset on their own. She glances briefly back inside, but decides there must be a reason Draco is outside. She closes the door quietly, and crouches down next to Draco, wondering why he looks so out of sorts.]

[hisdarkmark]

[He looks up when Nill approaches, giving her a semi-blank stare as he allows his mind to work through everything. Muraki...he'll deal with later. But this girl...it was actually sort of eerie that she was much like Narcissa in the way of doting him. Granted she was a bit more timid than his own mother, but it was nice having that feeling again briefly.]

I suppose I ought to apologize for my behavior this last week, but apologies aren't entirely my forte. [He's still making no moves to stand however. And he knows it's odd to want to know the answer to his next question, but it wouldn't feel right otherwise.] You're all right though, aren't you?

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Everyone wants to know if she's alright--maybe she should feel more traumatized or upset? It's hard for her to feel that way though, since she'd never had a family before, and it was unlikely she would have one in the future. So the past week... was like a good dream for her.]

[But still, she reassures Draco that she's fine with a small nod and a hand on his shoulder. As far as Nill is concerned, there's nothing to apologize for.]

[hisdarkmark]

[It's because Muraki's a bad man, Nill. BAD. MAN. Though the family thing he can vaguely understand. He's been stripped of his family for quite a while now, after all. He briefly glances at the hand on his shoulder and though she doesn't say anything, he understands.]

Thank you. [Another pause, and then...] Out of curiosity, Nill, how old are you?

[manmade-angel.livejournal.com]

[Oof... this is going to be uncomfortable. Now Nill can easily see Draco is older than she is, but Draco's about to find out just how much older he is than his former 'mother'.]

[She holds up her hands: one finger held up on her right hand, five on her left. And she looks very, very embarrassed.]