screwthatnoise

♥ v2

A cold, delicate hand grabs yours and pulls. It pulls, and it pulls... there's a sense of urgency in this icy grasp, as well as a trace of reluctance. Abruptly the hand let's go, right as your vision fades to black, and for a brief moment, only a brief moment, your senses disappear. There's only the eerie sensation of weightlessness before your feet are settled back on solid ground again.

(please join #echolife! ♪)

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[sjkddfhsdjhfsdf you are getting the darkest glare, and the silent treatment. AGAIN]

Several gunshots resound through the room.

"That's enough."

The voice doesn't belong to Zwei—it belongs to that nurse.

And just like that, the hands and strings are gone, and you are free to fall to the ground—or test your skills, now that you have those back again.

Edited 2013-07-31 04:03 (UTC)

[no, i'm just. going to collapse here-- and be vaguely angry while I bleed out everywhere. THANKS ZWEI]

Nurse Echo huffs and looks off to the side, sliding the gun across her desk.

"Be grateful. I almost never interfere with her doings. But you said something, and I wanted to hear more about it."

[give him a minute... he is hurt pretty badly-- and is more concerned about pulling out a gel than in answering or acknowledging her question]

She's already grabbing a couple syringes and approaching him. But she doesn't bother him. She just kneels by him.

"I should place you in a bed. But I feel like the floor may suit you fine. For now. How are you? Speak."

... You're terrible at your job if you just let her come in here and mess everything up like that.

[he's kind of numb now, please heal him. wait. what is this syringe.]

"I cannot stop her in time. She has more control over this heart than me. I am just the nurse. She is Zwei's True Heart."

She injects you the one syringe, which begins to slowly soothe the pain. You could say it heals you—just a bit, enough to make the pain and wounds tolerable and manageable. But either way, she brings over some bandages and disinfectant, too, just in case. The other syringe is still by her side, too.

I don't care whose true heart she is.

[but-- he is relaxing as the healing takes place. Still not quite confident to stand up just yet.]

I'd like to see her last in my heart, tch...

It won't heal you completely, but it's a start.

Nurse Echo is curt.

"I don't think any part of this heart wants to be in your heart. But put that aside. What were you saying earlier?"

About what?

[fine, he'll lean back on his good arm-- not the one that had a scalpel shoved into it]

Stop being vague as hell, I'm pissed off right now.

"'If the crime of having hopes and dreams is death... then I want to rewrite that law.' What was that about?"

What do you think? You call her useless, but you can't even stop Zwei and protect your own heart. To me, that's worse than her wanting to have hopes and dreams.

Your sense of usefulness is twisted.

"Tch...! Take a look around. The plants here are dead. Tell me that Coping... someone who should help Hail get through the difficult times... Tell me why her focusing on her future, hopes, and dreams is any better! Tell me why those plants died and tell me why nobody can do anything about the way Hail is! Because you could be the one to tell me why!"

Edited 2013-07-31 19:55 (UTC)

... Why am I always the one giving you advice on happiness?

[he stands, slowly]

I don't know why it failed. But I also don't know why someone so interested in feelings and how people react could be so averse to experimentation and change.

Edited 2013-07-31 20:03 (UTC)

"Maybe you don't know why it failed. But he would."

She pauses, looking over you condescendingly now.

"I have changed my ways several times, fool."

How?

[oh, this is hilarious.]

Tell me more.

"...annoying."

The nurse grabs the front of your shirt and yanks hard.

"You don't think I know that he has some of the blame? I do not need to be vague—I am talking about Emil. Yes... the other Turquoise lead Coping to the garden, and showed Coping the beauty she should not have been allowed to see... but it was Emil who made her want to stay out there. And you see what happened to her."

[he looks unimpressed with her yanking his shirt, and coolly pushes her away; don't touch me for this]

I didn't ask what Emil did. I asked what you did to change, since you think I'm a fool for thinking you haven't.

Feelings everywhere, man. Nurse Echo just clenches her fists.

"I accepted that death is not the answer. Dying... dying seems to be terrifying. But then, I was approached with the idea that death is acceptable in certain situations. But then, I realized that death is still terrifying. I am still struggling to figure out when it is acceptable... but, that is, it should be acceptable in the end. Right? The very end."

She sighs after this long ramble.

"I cannot even make sense of this. I am still struggling, too."

[oh, I will let Emil take this]

I don't think dying is acceptable, not the way you're thinking of it.

[h...hand on her shoulder]

I'm... I'm really glad you're still thinking, instead of just agreeing with that.

The nurse is quiet at first, noting that shift in conversation partners.

"Not the way I am thinking of it? So there is another way to look at it."

Yeah. I don't think it's acceptable to just give up and determine that it's okay because life seems too much.

"Because life seems like too much... You really... don't understand, then. Determining if life is too much—now that I have reclaimed that role from Coping, I understand now."

She looks right at him.

"But I do not think you would understand how much is too much for Hail, Emil."

That's the thing-- I understand a lot better than you might think.

I just think... you're undercutting your own accomplishments, Hail.

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