GBG Mini: Forlorn

<Darkling> It's sometime after midnight, since you don't have a clock or any time telling device in your cell it's quite hard to be accurate about those sort of things though. It's quiet, and the single emergency pot light twenty feet overhead is glowing faintly, enough to illuminate the larger objects in the room.
<Rasia> Eyes open. Something tickled the primal part of her brain. Crawling out from under her blanket, her nose twitches, ears straining the late night silence.
<Darkling> Something is standing apart in the room. It wasn't there when you went to sleep, and doesn't feel like it should belong now either.
<Rasia> A low growl, the hair standing up on her neck. Up to her feet, muscles pulling taught. Her joints still hurt.
<Darkling> A shadow moves near the doorway.
<Rasia> Eyes fix, ears filtering out everything else. Rasia bolts towards it, as she is so wont to do.
<Darkling> In a normal situation you'd have your prey and it'd be near death already. But the shadow is as quick as you, easily dodging your hurtling body in the darkness. "Tsk, is that any way to treat a visitor?" You've heard this voice recently, it's familiar.
<Rasia> At least the walls are padded, dulling the thud of her weight. She wasn't expecting that. "Rrrr..." Could it be? The voice in the plug?
<Darkling> One and the same. With your eyes slowly adjusting you can see the visitor's frame more. He's tall, not overly imposing and leaning slightly to the left. His right arm glints like metal in the dark. "I came to congratulate you, personally."
<Rasia> The rage doesn't dissipate completely, but respect is respect. She forces herself upright, teeth clicking.
<Darkling> "I also came to apologize for your treatment here. It is not completely to my liking." Fire flares to life in his hand, a lighter illuminating his face as he lights a cigarette, revealing a worn face, greyed hair and beard.
<Rasia> Yeah, well... "Bed. Food."
<Darkling> "The necessities sure," His gaze drifts around the room a moment. "It will be remedied tomorrow however." His gaze returns to you.
 <Rasia> A nod. "Home."
<Darkling> "And well deserved I might add. Despite what the doctors and scientists say about you, your performance was sublime."
<Rasia> A smile plays on her lips, briefly. Compliments were rare without Lit or Wilhelm around.
<Darkling> A pause, he looks to be thinking on how to say something.
<Rasia> A few steps closer, trying to get a scent for the man in this lull.
<Darkling> "I should also apologize for what happened at the school. Such an incident should never have even had the chance to be planned let alone come to fruition."
<Rasia> "..." She bristles, fists clenching. They're notably slow to release.
<Darkling> He walks more into the room as he speaks. "It was a terrible mess all around, and you should know that while I might not completely condone your actions, I understand a little of why you did it."
Rasia snorts, looking at her feet. She doesn't look super happy about what she did, either.
<Darkling> The man moves over to your desk, taking a seat.
Rasia follows suit, standing opposite to him. Even now she was well trained.
<Darkling> "As much as I'll miss my son, he deserved his punishment."
<Rasia> Son... Rasia does the math remarkably fast. Her eyes open wide. "You..."
<Darkling> He looks to her, eyes acknowledging what words might fail to.
<Rasia> Back to his side of the desk, mismatched eyes watering up in a futile attempt to vent what's bubbling under the surface. Even if she were human this'd be a hard moment to speak.
<Darkling> It seems the cat has his tongue as well.
<Rasia> Looks like a coherent thought finally made it through. She throws a punch at the seated man.
<Darkling> Either he wasn't expecting it, or deigns to take the blow, either way you might as well have punched a brick wall. He gets up from his seat and rubs his jaw.
<Rasia> --that's new. Rasia looks legitimately surprised to have punched something and not instantly killed it.
<Darkling> "If that is the way you prefer to deal with things, I assure you it won't make you feel better doing it to me in the end." That right hand closes into a fist.
<Rasia> Instinctively, she throws her arms up in defense.
<Darkling> He doesn't throw a punch, but he looks ready to. "I'm not here to trade blows with you, Rasia."
<Rasia> "..." Hesitantly, one arm comes down, then the other. "Why?”
<Darkling> "I'm not completely sure. To repent as a father? Not quite. I know I cannot right the wrongs that have been done to you."
<Rasia> She squeezes one of her biceps.
<Rasia> "Wrongs...body. Why?"
<Darkling> His fist relaxes, losing it's form. "I could tell you a dozen reason why that would be nicer than the truth. The greater good of mankind, for your own benefit, my gift to you..."
<Rasia> Her eyes fix on him. Doesn't look like she's accepting those.
<Darkling> "I am not a perfect man, and it was not for anyone's benefit but my own." His right hand raises, grey and glinting in the dull light. "You were a tool to help shape myself into something more. To see how far the boundaries could be pushed."
<Rasia> Silence. A stare. Her eyes wander to the hand, briefly. Machine? Didn't my brother also have one? Pushing boundaries... Well, she is quite superb as that goes. "Why push? Why...be more?"
<Darkling> "Because I am dying, Rasia. Despite the best doctors in the world, treatment after treatment and experimental surgery, this body is corroding and withering and it will not stop."
<Rasia> Dying... Had Rasia thought about death before? Probably not. #5"Sick."# There's no good reason, but that makes her sad.
<Darkling> "Death riddles my body and it's cold grasp does not wish to let go." He sighs, almost wheezing the breath out. "Trials were done on many people, you were the most successful candidate, and what worked for you, was applied to myself."
<Rasia> "Sick?" She gestures to herself.
<Darkling> "As far as anyone can tell, no, you are not sick. That you are the healthiest person in this base is a more likely scenario."
<Rasia> She dares a step closer, within arm's reach now. "Wh...what now?"
<Darkling> "You continue on. I cannot be the family you need. You have that already in your fellow co-pilots," his head sinks a little, "and Lit is a more fitting father than I can ever be."
<Rasia> Rasia agrees, but even she isn't rude enough to nod while doing so, in this case. "Cruel." To appear and then fade away again.
<Darkling> Silence again. He removes an envelope from his jacket, setting it on the desk. "I have to go."
<Rasia> A hand seizes his arm. "Fathers hug." Why even make such a demand?
<Darkling> He stops. One could wonder if he could break her grip if he wanted to. "Do you really want that?"
<Rasia> If anyone on earth is capable. "..." A moment's hesitation, and her hand falls away. It's better this way, likely.
<Darkling> A somewhat longing look and he turns to the door. "I'm sorry that it had to be like this."
<Rasia> "I sorry...too." She takes a seat, staring at the envelope.
<Darkling> The door opens and he pauses the briefest moment to look back. "I am proud of you." Then the door shuts and locks.
<Rasia> Her head lifts, staring at the door for a long moment, and hangs low. Frustration and sadness leak from her eyes for a while before she thinks to open the letter.