Live Fast. Die Young. Bad Girls do it Well.

[zeonfunnelcake]

Haman stirred slowly, she couldn't remember what had happened. The trip back to Axis, and the return journey to the Chalice had all happened while she was slept, her body desperately healing the damage battle had caused. She had no idea how long she had been here, and what dastardly political moves had been made during her down time.
Her hands gripped the starched sheets, confused. Her first thought was only This is not my bed. quickly followed by. Where is Mineva? She sat up quickly, cried out and fell back down into her pillow, biting her bottom lip to stifle. Looking up at the ceiling, she found she did not recognize it, but the smell and sounds the Chalice's Medical section where known enough to her from her many trips visiting Char, and that alone was the only thing that settled the sick fear in her stomach. Closing her eyes tightly, straining to remember, but finding little to answer her questions.

Comments

[redcomet]

"Slow down," Char said quietly, reaching out for Haman's hand. "You're in the infirmary."

He knew she wouldn't take the news well. His hand squeezed hers. "Mineva's here. You're safe. The invasion was a success, Scirocco is dead, and the Titans were forced to abandon Side Three." Mineva crawled up onto the bed next to Haman. She didn't say anything, only wrapped her arm around Haman's waist.

[zeonfunnelcake]

With Char's hand around her own, and Mineva's tiny frame pressed against her Haman breathed an audible sigh of relief gripping tightly to both of them.
So far that all sounded like good news to Haman. Scirocco dead? The Titans crushed? Then at least this went as planned. That much made her feel better even as she clutched the princess in her weak arm, and looked up at the Red Comet from her pillow.
"Sounds like good news then. At least I did not get wounded in vain." Such things might work to gain her further sympathy, and curry favor in those who had doubted her before.

[redcomet]

"The doctors said you should make a full recovery. Though another inch and it would have severed an artery. You're... very lucky, Haman." Char says this with his own sense of relief. It was like... something was protecting her.

"Ribbons wasn't sighted anywhere on the battlefield, though, and there wasn't enough intel to know how well Project Puru works against Innovades. If there were Innovades on the battlefield, we didn't know." They usually make a habit of announcing themselves beforehand. They didn't, this time. "And Yazan Gable was able to escape before we could finish him off. But considering he's just a mercenary, I don't think he'll be a problem unless someone else pays for his services. With Scirocco dead, I think it's safe to say his contract with the Titans is void."

[zeonfunnelcake]

"I don't think it was luck. I cannot die now, there is to much more still to be done. If anything, this is my reassurance that I am finally on the right path." She closed her eyes for a moment and let that peculate through her mind. "Such data will be collected when it can be, such things are small compared to the price of lives." Before Haman had come here, she had believe quite the opposite to be true. It was strange how one person could change her who perspective on life.
"How long have I been down?" It only occurred to Haman now to ask becasue of the way Mineva was shaking, still clinging to her in a way that was nearly painful on fresh wounds, but she did not dare dislodge her.

[redcomet]

Char sighed. Well... he wasn't about to have that argument, right now. Not with Mineva sitting right here, and certainly not with Haman wounded and just now recovering. "A week, give or take," Char answered.

But suddenly, he frowned. "There's something else... it's Kamille. He's fine, at least, physically. But Scirocco hit him with some type of psychic assault. Aside from that and a few bruises, all of his vitals are stable."

[zeonfunnelcake]

"I assume you've made arrangements for us to do anything and everything possible for him? And that the full medical report is on my desk already, yes?" Haman pulled her hand away from his slowly, not to retreat, but only so she could gather Minvea up to her, and hold her, Haman could feel the way her heartbeat changed when Char mentioned Kamille. She was afraid anything she said about it would prove inflammatory to the already trembling princess.
"If so, then we shall discuss it at length once I've reviewed them." But there was a look of uncertainty and worry in her dark eyes as she glanced up at him. How did we let this happen?

[redcomet]

"Yes. Of course," Char answered, reaching down to gently pat Mineva's head. His own way of trying to be reassuring. "Kamille is like a brother to me," he continued. "But there isn't much we can do that we aren't doing already. His mind was attacked, not his body. We sedated him when he was brought in, but... it can only heal itself. Unless there is someone else onboard the ship that can heal a Newtype's mind."

He sighed. "I knew that bio-sensor was more trouble than it was worth..."

[gamerqueen]

[Cynthia's curled up in a chair, asleep. She looks as if she was keeping a vigil over her big sis, though her chair's also in view of Kamille's bed, as well.]

[She'd probably wake if called to.]

[zeonfunnelcake]

It took Haman a full five minutes to open her eyes and look around enough to notice the flash of familiar pink hair. Cynthia. the thought made her smile to herself, and set to rest the gathering fear in her stomach. It was touching to see Cynthia sitting there, quite asleep, beside her. Stirring deeply in her heart, it was these simple joys she had never known on Axis that would truly change the shape of Zeon and the war it fought under her command.
It took a deep breath and two tries, but Haman finally did call out of Cynthia, propping herself up on her elbows as she did. Although she felt bad for rousing the girl, that did not at all look comfortable.

[gamerqueen]

"Eh....Big Sis...?"

Cynthia stirs, her body shivering itself awake from the cramped position as she sleepily opens her eyes...before they fly wide awake.

"Big Sis! You're up!"

[zeonfunnelcake]

"Yes. Either that, or all the angles in heaven have pink hair." There was a hush to her voice when she said it, as if she had only meant to think it, but medically induced sleep had left her censors dulled and it slipped out.
"How long have I been down for?" Had it been hours? or Days? Haman could not remember.

[gamerqueen]

It's...It's been a while, Sis. Things went pretty well on our side...Kamille took out Sirocco, but...there were complications.

[Cynthia's eyes gaze nervously around, and anyone with half a brain can tell she's holding back something.]

I was worried about you, though...why didn't you let me come with you? If me and the Dominator had been there, you might not have gotten so hurt!

[zeonfunnelcake]

"Cynthia." Haman reached out to take the the girls hand in her own for a moment. "In the moment I fell my only comfort was knowing you where there for Mineva should myself or anyone else not make it back. I'm sorry to have kept you from it, but you must understand that our duty to her life and well being supersedes our own desires." The way she said it rang with a honest truth that was not common for Haman.
"What do you mean 'complications'?" Haman didn't like the sound of that.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew, in thorough worry-mode following the fallout of the Side 3 conflict and the death of Star Captain Vickers, is wandering through the Medical section, looking for 'Trainee Burne' of Haman's Royal Guard.

Does he stumble into anyone?

[zeonfunnelcake]

The child might be found, sitting on the edge of Haman's bed some time after her guardian had awoken, the door propped open. The Regent dozed lightly now, drugs running through her system made sure of that. But even still the little girl sat there diligently none the less.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew brightens a bit. "Ah, Trainee Burne! It is good to see you."

He walks up, maintaining a polite distance from Haman.

"So this is the Regent of Zeon herself..." He says. "I did not expect...her hair to be so pink. Is that a gene-fixed trait?"

[zeonfunnelcake]

She only now realized if Haman woke up enough to hear her talking her little game would be blow wide open, and if she left the Regent's side there would be a scolding in it for her later. Instead she pressed her finger to her lip to show Matthew he needed to keep his voice down.
"I dunno, but it seems newtypes tend to have strange colored hair." She fingered her own straw orange hair. completely normal.
"Keep your voice down though, if you wake her up she's likely to be cross."

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew blinks at both 'Trainee Burne's' explanation and her 'shushing' but complies.

"The Scientists Castes of the Clans would launch themselves into a frenzy of explanation if they knew of that correlation." He whispers.

"Yet I apologize. I have been remiss in etiquette. How has your training been going?"

[zeonfunnelcake]

"I bet Haman would like to know too, but Zeon doesn't have time for that kind of research right now." Even little Mineva understood more than she often let on around Haman and Char.
"Uh-," back to this lie again, when was this poor soul going to finally figure out who she was? Mineva thought it was almost silly that he still hadn't figured out she was the princess of Zeon. "I'm doing it right now. Yeah. I'm guarding the Regent while the Red Comet is working." That sounded like as good a story as any.
As if on cue Haman's hand groggily sought out the child. Once she had confirmed her to still be there, the regent went back to sleep again with a content sort of look on her face.

[2hell_weride]

MarKus shows up... some other time, but, the important thing is that he's there when Haman wakes up.

MarKus, of all people. Let's not ask how he got past the guards.

"Hey Queeny. You feelin better?"

[zeonfunnelcake]

Haman looked up from the ledger in her hands, it was a friendly face she had not expected to see.
"Markus. Hello." She smirked a little, and laid the papers face down in her lap. "I think I'll live. How's my Quebely? Did you manage to get it back together?"

[2hell_weride]

"Oh yeah. Slapped it back together with some pink duct tape. It's just fine now." he says, being quite the smart ass about it, then taking a good swig of his soda.

"Mineva asked me to fix it up extra pretty so, you're set!" Also, a lie!

[zeonfunnelcake]

"Duct tape?" Haman sat up quickly in her bed, about ready to jump out and strangle the poor mechanic, but her body said now and she fell back.
"Please tell me this is another of your jokes!" She put her hand over her face and remember the time he had painted the Qubelely without her permission. What a nightmare that had been.
"I'm going to kill you when I get out of here if there is tape on my mobile suit you know that right?"

[2hell_weride]

MarKus can't stop snickering.

"Yeah, I know that. Don't worry, it's bein worked on. But there's parts that... I don't know shit about. It's probably the stuff with the funnelcakes or whatever. I think some of your guards down there haven't gotten it through there skull that they need to listen to me too when I say "ORDER THE FUCKING PARTS!""

He doesn't apologize if his yelling makes her ears ring. "But mostly I just came to see how you were doin."

[zeonfunnelcake]

Haman groaned at his shouting. She had been awake only a few hours, did he have to be so abrasive at a time like this?
"You have to talk to Char directly for those kinds of things, but if you have a list of the parts you need I'll send the memo back to Axis myself and have them delivered for you." She rubbed her temples. "My guards are a careful and zealous lot, if they where not I would decapitate them all and them know it. Don't take it out on them, they where only doing their jobs. I will secure your the parts you need."