Character: Naomi// jessa
Player/Group: Jonah (
@ThatGeckoGirl )
Location: Bridge Apartments - Roof
Time: Saturday 3:00pm, 1hr before mission
Jessa heard Jonah re-enter the apartment and looked back; she flicked the ashes off her cigarette into an ashtray and coughed.
"Hey, kid." A billow of smoke blew out that laced with her words, and she waged her two fingers, holding the cigarette at him. " Looks like you had some fun." Jessa watched him slide the fangs in her direction, to which her third arm pocketed them without a word. It wasn't much, but she appreciated the thought regardless. Watching him walk back to the elevator, Jessa looked back at the screen; his vitals were fine from what she could see, so she flicked the screen over to the four headed out to Arch Medical in an hour. Naomi watched from her small pillow nest on the sofa. Her body had been curled up as she stared at one of the cameras on the screen, overseeing security workers mill around, locking doors and flicking off lights for the night.
"He looks rough." Jessa coughed, to which Naomi nodded her agreement though she didn't make a move until Jessa stared at her.
"What?" Naomi asked, narrowing her eyes accusingly.
"You think I can get to that damn roof to clean him up, I got these cameras to watch and people to monitor, and Neb is heavy-handed." Jessa crushed the butt of the cigarette into the ashtray; the embers glowed before dampening into the pile.
"He won't want me to help him after what happened earlier." Naomi rolled her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest.
"Doesn't matter. The kid has wounds, get up there and clean 'em, and be thankful someone would do the same for you." Jessa crossed her ankle over her knee and leaned back into the chair, her arms resting over the sides of the other cushions.
"Fine." Naomi sighed and headed to the infirmary to grab a first aid kit.
"Why is everyone giving me a hard time? It's not like I haven't been put through stuff too."
Jessa cocked a brow and watched Naomi mutter to herself, then walk past the seating area.
Taking the elevator to the roof was a short process; what took longer was Naomi's change in wardrobe. She had switched into
black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and flannel with a hood that could cover most of her face until the sun had faded behind the building. Pushing open the rooftop door, she peered out and found Jonah looking out over the neon city of Arcadia.
"Hey--Jessa said you have wounds. I think she forgot that I'm a vampire because she sent me up here..." She set the kit down on the ground so that the items didn't blow off of the top of the roof and soaked a piece of gauze in alcohol from a small bottle in the kit. Naomi didn't know where to start; he had scratches on his neck, a cut on his wrist that looked deep, and punctures on his shoulder and bicep.
"Okay... well. I'm going to do my best, but don't... I don't know, just don't freak out." She wasn't sure if she was saying that to him or herself, so she took his forearm and dabbed gingerly at his wrist and biceps.
"These two look deep." She noted softly, turning his arm slightly.
"Don't move, please." Naomi reached down to grab a larger clear bandage and more gauze, placed it on the wound on his bicep, and then moved to clean his wrist.
" Say what you will about your sister, but she knows what she's doing in the
ese situations," Naomi said.
"This one will probably need stitches, but I'll clean the others until then." Moving closer, she dabbed at the scratches on his neck while leaning against the waist-high ledge of the roof. Now the sun had slid behind the building shading the location well enough that she could push back the hood from her head.
Despite the unconventional location she was cleaning his wounds, the wind did force the smell of blood away from him and away from her, which she was thankful for. Naomi finished cleaning the punctures on his shoulder and bicep, then the scratches on his neck, before crouching down to pick up the First Aid kit and repacking it while holding the bloodied gauze in her free hand.
"I--I guess I'll see you down there. Jessa has us watching cameras." She voiced, looking back over her shoulder with a slight smile. Brushing the hair away from her face with her pinky, inadvertently smeared his blood on her lip in her haste to leave him alone. Standing, she licked her lip and then paused.
Fuck.
What had she done? She hadn't tasted human blood in well over three months.
Even though it was minuscule, the taste was overwhelming, and dizziness overcame. Immediately she grabbed hold of his forearm to steady herself, her nails digging into his skin.
In a matter of seconds, she felt as if she had been blasted from the rooftop and back into her vampire trials.
Great
Attacks hit into the moving practice dummies in rapid succession. Their sharp backward fall told the young man that they had been "defeated." He didn't hesitate to continue on the course. Ledges, turns, and walls rose up out of the ground from the small hexagonal tiles tining the flooring. It moved fluidly as it created the course for Jonah Irae to run through. Dummies would pop up seemingly out of nowhere in the middle of his running and parkour, representing vampires he'd have to kill as a Hunter. He had two sticks as his weapons to represent the Escrima sticks he has come to prefer. Using two weapons in his hands meant that he had to gather more speed on his jumps and power in his legs. Already, Jonah had his legs chromed up so he could get more speed and power from them, even if it was only in small bursts
Naomi glanced around. It appeared she had been thrown into a memory versus a trial. The area around her was black and disjointed from the rest of her mind, her eyes flicking to the dummies that popped up suddenly and a young version of Jonah who seemed unscathed by the harsh world around him. "Jonah?" She called out in the memory, confused by what she was seeing.
Where was she?
Jonah could feel the soles of his shoes slipping on some of the slick walls as he hopped from one to the other before launching himself into the air towards a ledge. When there were bricks, it was much easier to get traction than on this course's sleek metal barriers. He grit his teeth as his midsection hit the end of the ledge. While the impact pushed the breath from his lungs, he was able to push himself up in sections. Four dummies stood in a narrow "alleyway" before the ending timer. A little smile curved on his lips as he surged forward, feeling the release of power from the mechanisms in his feet. He moved in an exhilarating blur. His attacks were strong. Only a few were required to take down one dummy. The dummies lurched and moved in odd ways to try and represent the movement of vampires, similar to that of string puppets. Jonah launched himself from dummy to dummy, using the enhancements to make him blip from one to the other to deal consecutive deadly blows. Then, with one final release of power, he sprinted to the timer and slammed his hand down on it.
Naomi reached out from her place but felt her fingertips press into a cool glass wall. She also encountered this mental block when communicating with Erra in her trials. Somehow she would need to break through to reach him. But truthfully, she didn't understand why she should as she was still upset with him. He had created quite a stir in the apartment, and while she understood what she had said earlier was wrong, Naomi still felt residual anger for previous events. With a sigh, she took several steps back and then ran forward, crushing her shoulder into the glass of the memory absently. As Jonah slammed his hand down on the timer, Naomi broke free of the barrier and stumbled to her knees. Now she could truly feel the room's tension; the disappointment that plagued her was so deep it made her stomach turn.
He panted with a giant grin on his face as the course slowly hummed down. The hexagonal tiles all retreated back into the floor, making the room look completely flat and bare. Looking up, Jonah's eyes settled upon his time. Five minutes and sixteen seconds. That was his best time yet! Surely his parents would be impressed and proud this time. The pride surged through him. He knew that he did a great job. There was no way he had underperformed for their expectations. Sure, he stumbled a little at that ledge, but considering he only had his feet to rely on to jump from wall to wall with momentum, it was damn good! In the real world, he wouldn't have slipped. Walls out in the city weren't perfectly sleek and smooth like the training course.
With a skip to his step, Jonah made his way toward the observation room where his parents would be. The doors parted for him electronically as he moved up and turned down the hallway towards the room. He pushed open the door, his chipper grin slowly fading as his eyes settled upon his elder sister. Norne Irae didn't turn her head to look at him. Instead, she merely peered over at him from the corner of her eyes. Her face was perfectly smooth and impassive. Her eyes were as expressive as two glittering blue rocks. Jonah always thought she had the eyes of a snake - cold, calculating, and predatory. She didn't offer a smile or even a word of congratulations or praise. All she did was stare at him a few seconds before returning her gaze towards the course. This was one of her last days before she went off to college as a freshly turned 18-year-old. Both of them had been tutored throughout their grade school years.
"How was it?" Jonah asked aloud, turning away from his icy sister and to his parents, who were reviewing the footage of his run. The hope in his own voice repulsed even him, but Jonah couldn't help but feel the desperation. He so desired their approval. Their praise. Their love. Looking at their faces as they watched the footage, however, all that hope was crushed in an instant. Why did they look so…disapproving? Had he really done that poorly? Under five minutes was nearly two minutes faster than his other times! All the dummies were defeated in under three strikes. What had he done so wrong to deserve those disappointed expressions?
In her placement on the floor, Naomi realized she was seeing Jonah interact with his parents. And sister.
"Norne!" She yelped happily, finally feeling light enter her chest before the sudden burst of dread speared its way through her.
"Norne?" She paused and looked at Jonah, whose face seemed to fall, and she felt the disappointment enter her chest again like a third arrow of war.
Why did he feel that way? He had done
well; she had seen the whole thing. Scrambling to her feet, she walked along the dreamy crumbling floor and approached him. Reaching out to touch his shoulder only made her realize her hand had gone right through his frame.
"Dammit!" Naomi yelled before looking back at his parents and sister. This made the realization worse. She was experiencing his emotions, and she didn't like it at all.
"Can't you see how well he did!" She cried, motioning to the training room. Of course, they would hear her in this twisted memory, and she felt defeated,
alone.
"You slipped at the last ledge," His mother sighed.
"Jonah, your weapon choice is inefficient," His father added in, looking over at him with a critical gaze, "It takes far too much time. These are dummies. Three strikes isn't going to take down an actual vampire. Why can't you be more practical like your sister? Even your time pales in comparison to hers."
"I…" Jonah began but felt his throat close. He wanted to scream or throw something. Compared to her again?
"Norne, show your brother how it's done," His father sighed in dismissive annoyance. Norne was quiet but obedient. She didn't spare a single glance at Jonah's way as she passed him.
Jonah was silent, seething in anger, envy, and hopelessness. No matter how hard he tried, it was never good enough. Not even his new bodily enhancements. Norne didn't even have any. She was all natural. How was she still better? It was infuriating. He glared at her from the observation room as she made it to the start of the course. His mother set up the same one he just ran. The hexagonal tiles erupted upwards as it created the scene. Norne unsheathed her own sword, though guards had been placed on the sharp edges to keep from permanently damaging the dummies. She stood in preparation with those same cold, unfeeling eyes. There wasn't any apprehension in her that Jonah could see. No excitement, no nerves, no adrenaline…nothing. As if she was some kind of blank slate.
The moment the buzzer rang out for her to begin, Norne struck forwards like a viper. The first part of the course was a group of ten dummies. Jonah parted his lips in shock as Norne unleashed her sword, which stretched outwards like a long whip, and instantly took down eight at once as the guarded edge moved across their heads. Another casual flick of her wrist took down the last two. Defeating the ten dummies took her next to no effort and didn't impede upon her sprinting to the first part of the obstacle course. Norne moved with fluid grace, like that of a feline. With an extra open hand and no loss of momentum from attacking, she scaled it with ease, even without any enhancements. The dummies that would abruptly come out were dealt with in the blink of an eye. They were defeated so quickly that Jonah barely had the time to acknowledge they had arrived. He felt a numbing sensation spread in his chest as he watched her, lowering his eyes. Any pride he felt at his own accomplishment was now replaced with shame. It burned his face. He couldn't even bring himself to look at his parents. He didn't even compare.
Norne struck the buzzer to end the time. She completed the training course that took him five minutes in two minutes and 26 seconds.
Naomi watched in awe, though anyone watching Norne would have been impressed; she had also been impressed with Jonah. Both siblings had done well, and she couldn't find fault in them. But his parents had. They were comparing a much older and experienced Norne to a younger Jonah. And while Naomi couldn't remember her parents, she knew that wasn't right.
"This is unfair!" She protested, crossing her arms and looking down at Johan's weapons. He had done his best with the weapon he had chosen for himself. While she hadn't put up much of a fight in the alleyway when coming back from her old apartment, she could feel the force behind the attack. She doubted that a feral would have a chance to attack with his strength now.
"Now that is how you do it," His father chuckled.
"Yeah. I guess it is," Jonah muttered, spinning on his heels and stalking out of the room. He slammed the door behind him as he left. Tears pricked in his eyes as he did his best to flee from his embarrassment. No footsteps came behind Jonah to try and console him.
Jonah was alone.
Naomi frowned as Jonah left the room, and she was left with the overwhelming sense of disappointment balling up in her chest, as if
she had failed them all. The Norne she had seen in the kitchen was much different than the cold and unemotional woman she saw here. Which only made her wonder about what her fiance's death had done and the emotional toll it must have taken. This is why Naomi connected far more with his sister. She had felt the same pain.
She could relate. But this memory had forced Naomi to see a flicker of Jonah's life through his own eyes, through his own trials. She could finally understand the anger behind his words when he spoke to Nebuchadnezzar. They had been laced with memories of his upbringing.
She felt
horrible.
Just as Jonah walked away, she reached out to grab his arm much like she had before he left the apartment before he left, in
reality, but it fell short, and the darkness clouded her vision, and she returned to her natural state gripping the edge of the sink.
Arcadia City would swallow a hunter whole and spit them out with one wrong move. They were all in a similar position. While it was a small victory, she was glad she hadn't taken the second bag of A-300, or her eyes would have been a visibly bloody mess from the seemingly hundreds of emotions she cycled through. She took a deep, shaky breath and tried to pull herself back into reality. Naomi's head pounded, and she was left with the residual feeling of distress and fury. He had been so young, trying to live up to his sister's abilities and his parent's expectations.
As Naomi returned to the present, she looked at Jonah, terrified, and then the arm she had grabbed.
"I tasted your blood..." Her voice was distant, distorted in her ears, and she realized her nails had grown longer. Her hazel eyes had turned mahogany, and although the memory she had seen was fleeting to an outsider, she looked at him nervously like she had been knocked out for hours.
"I--" She started, her voice shaking, her eyes threatening to water, and her chest aching.
"I'm so sorry," her voice was a mere whisper.
" I saw--I saw you... You must have been younger, but you were with Norne and... I think your parents in some... training room?" She moved away from him unsteadily but knew she needed to put the distance between them so she could figure out what she saw.
"You were trying to beat your time, there were these dummies set up, and you hit every single one, but it wasn't enough for them. And ... and Norne. She was cold, emotionless-- not the same person I'd seen in the apartment. She was... scary, and I felt pain, so much anger and frustration and..."
Naomi looked up at him, then back down quickly.
"I felt... so alone. I watched as you looked for approval, but it never came, and I tried to scream that you had done well, but no one could hear me."
She had spoken everything out into the wind so quickly she wondered if he had even heard her. Naomi held the kit closely like she had the coffee mug downstairs, as if it were her shield.
What would he say?
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