claire and ainlinn

[09:44] <Claire> It's later in the day, after the trial has ended and everybody has returned to Cerberus, and Claire is sitting on one of the couches in the common room of her dorm, head back, hair pulled over the back of the couch, her eyes closed. She appears to be more resting or thinking than actually sleeping, given how her hands are idly toying with their fingers.
[09:49] <Ikiryo> Ainlinn pokes her head out of the door of her room. Her eyes are red-ringed.
[09:51] * Claire lolls her head to the side, having heard the faint noise. Her eyes open. "Hey, you...are you doing okay?"
[09:52] <Ikiryo> "Shu..." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "...no."
[09:53] <Claire> She lifts up her arms and gestures for Ainlinn to come, holding them out for a hug.
[09:56] <Ikiryo> Ainlinn heads over slowly...then tosses herself into a hug.
[09:57] * Claire pulls her up on the couch so that Ainlinn is mostly contained on her lap, holding her tightly. "It's alright...everything turned out as okay as it could..."
[09:58] <Ikiryo> She sniffles into Claire's shoulder. "I...I should have been there..."
[10:00] <Claire> She chuckles a little bit, petting her hair. "It's okay, though...at least this way, you didn't get into any trouble. And this all was going to go pear-shaped no matter who was, or wasn't there."
[10:02] <Ikiryo> "I went off to tell the LT about what happened...and the car had left by the time I came back..." She keeps sniffling
[10:05] <Claire> "Ainlinn, sweetheart, it's okay...none of us blame you for not being there. But I promise--next time it looks like there's about to be some major catastrophe, Alexa and I will wait for you before we hare off and do something else stupid, okay?"
[10:05] <Ikiryo> "...I was so afraid that you wouldn't come back..." The sniffling becomes full crying. "I don't...I don't want to be alone again..."
[10:09] * Claire hugs her more tightly still, murmuring apologies into her hair while letting her cry--wincing occasionally at the slight sting from her tears--and kissing the top of her head.
[10:11] <Ikiryo> She doesn't cry for long but doesn't let go of Claire.
[10:13] <Claire> "...I promise, Ainlinn. We won't leave without you again, okay?"
[10:18] <Ikiryo> "It's...it's not that...it's..." She sniffles. "I thought you and Alexa were going to die..."
[10:20] <Claire> "From that fake video being spread around? Or in the courtroom?"
[10:22] <Ikiryo> "When you left...I just felt like I'd never see you again." She wipes her eyes "That I'd go back to being alone..."
[10:24] <Claire> "I'm so sorry..." Her own eyes begin to water. "You know neither Alexa nor I ever want you to feel that way ever again. Is there any way we can make it up to you?"
[10:25] <Ikiryo> "I don't know. I was just...I don't want to be my Sister..." She sniffles.
[10:29] <Claire> "We won't let you." She hugs her again. "Listen...we're all okay now, but...how about we just cuddle for a while? If you want I'll even stay in your room for a while."
[10:30] *** SpaceThor has joined #TSABIC
[10:32] <Ikiryo> She nods, hugging Claire
[10:36] * Claire rests her cheek atop Ainlinn's head, just holding her tightly for now and occasionally giving her a loving caress.
[10:41] <Ikiryo> Ainlinn doesn't let go of her, hugging very tight. "I just...I was so afraid..."
[10:42] <Claire> "I never wanted to put you through that, Ainlinn...and we can never apologize enough..."
[10:45] <Ikiryo> "It's not your fault. I shouldn't be thinking like that..."
[10:48] <Claire> "No, you listen to me, Ainlinn...what you were afraid of is completely understandable in anyone, but especially in you. We probably should have waited for you to come back from informing the lieutenant. At the very least I could have carried you in the air. So don't you go trying to take all the blame, because some of it's on us, too, okay?"
[10:50] <Ikiryo> She shakes her head but says nothing.
[10:57] <Claire> She sighs and lays her head back atop the redhead's. She combs her fingers through Ainlinn's hair idly, and occasionally rubs her ears gently.
[10:59] <Ikiryo> She shivers "S-Stop that."
[11:02] <Claire> "Sorry." She smiles slightly and returns to combing her hair. "Say...does everyone where you're from have ears like yours?"
[11:03] <Ikiryo> She nods. "TSAB Doctors managed to stabilize the effects of the corrupted mana on our bodies."
[11:04] <Claire> "Have they worked on...I don't know. Fixing it?"
[11:05] <Ikiryo> "...you don't like them?"
[11:08] <Claire> "No, I do...very much, in case it wasn't obvious." She grins, teasingly moving her fingers closer to Ainlinn's ear again. "But...sorry, I think it came out wrong. Like...your medicine stuff. I just wish you didn't have to take it, you know?"
[11:09] <Ikiryo> "It tastes pretty bad." She nods.
[11:10] <Claire> "And I know what happens if you skip it, or run out...that's mostly what I'm talking about."
[11:10] <Ikiryo> She sighs "I wish I didn't have to take it too...but so far no one has found a cure."
[11:15] <Claire> "That's a shame...I wonder if..." She grins mischievously and leans over to whisper in Ainlinn's ear.
[11:16] <Ikiryo> She blushes heavily. "S-Stop that."
[11:16] <Claire> "You don't like the idea?" she mock-pouts.
[11:17] <Ikiryo> "...well...yes..."
[11:18] <Claire> "Want to...maybe give it a try, all the way?"
[11:19] <Ikiryo> "M-Maybe some other time."
[11:21] <Claire> "Aww, okay." The little grin returns and she resumes petting Ainlinn's hair. "What else is your home like? I don't really know anything about it."
[11:22] <Ikiryo> "It's not very fun...and honestly, I havn't been to it in years. My Sister's work has her travel a lot." She sighs "You probebly don't want to hear about it."
[11:24] <Claire> "On the contrary, sweetie. As trite as it sounds, I want to know everything I can about you, so spill."
[11:26] <Ikiryo> She sighs...and calls up an AR display. It's...green wilderness. Rather picturesque and earth-like. Most of the buildings look either prefabricated or made from local materials.
[11:31] <Claire> "It looks really pretty...though I'm guessing this is 'before' or there's something unseen."
[11:31] <Ikiryo> "The rot is all internal. Funny thing about bad mana on a planet...most stuff living there is used to it."
[11:33] <Claire> "Except for you. Well, all of you, I mean, not just you."
[11:35] <Ikiryo> She nods "The first few generatations of people born there didn't go well..."
[11:38] * Claire winces, but nods. "And that's when the doctors came in?"
[11:38] <Ikiryo> "Yes. They worked out a way to stabilize our genetics mostly. I wish they'd just moved everyone off-planet instead."
[11:39] <Claire> "It's a shame...it looks like such a nice place on the surface."
[11:41] <Ikiryo> "It's a really nice place under the surface. A lot of the metals and materials there are used in advanced device construction and generators."
[11:41] <Claire> "Is it still bad down there? The mana flows, I mean."
[11:43] <Ikiryo> She nods. "It's what produces the odd stuff."
[11:47] <Claire> "Huh. I guess if there's that big a need for the stuff..."
[11:47] <Ikiryo> "It makes really high-quality devices due to being created in a high-mana enviroment."
[11:48] <Claire> She smirks. "Yvenne and Sephia probably have a ton of it somewhere, then."
[11:51] <Ikiryo> She nods "Probebly." She draws out her pistol. "This device is made with a lot of it...mostly becuase it was made for my Sister."
[11:52] <Claire> "Really? How'd you end up with it, then? Not that," she hastens to add, "I'd like to see it back in *her* hands."
[11:54] <Ikiryo> "It's one of a pair. I...nicked it from her pocket when she was taking me here. The knives are what my actual device should be."
[11:56] <Claire> She starts to giggle, pulling Ainlinn for a quick, tight squeeze.
[11:58] <Ikiryo> She hugs back.
[11:59] <Claire> "So...are your knives and the gun there...are they all nasty-corrupted too, or does that not stick with the actual metals or whatever is actually used?"
[12:02] <Ikiryo> "They are not living, so they can be cleaned of it. Doing that to people doesn't end up with living people." She pauses "...maybe Altea."
[12:03] <Claire> She giggles again. "Yeah...I heard she shrugged off a hunk of explosive designed to break open armored spaceship hulls. So...you're probably right."
[12:05] <Ikiryo> "Really? Saint King..."
[12:07] <Claire> "I know, right? I mean, I didn't see it happen, but...well, you've seen her in action. I guess it's not THAT far-fetched..."
[12:07] <Ikiryo> She shakes her head "I'd believe it."