autokinetic | i'm a goddess of vicious precision

Because there are so many fewer diversions on this station than on the previous one, Aegis takes to those that are offered with more of an open mind than she might have done before. For instance, she stays after personal combat sometimes, to watch Sue sparring with Howlett. Now and then she takes a turn herself. Today she's just supervising.

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From:

pythbox

Sue and Howlett exchange a grin.

From:

autokinetic

The Tactical School routine is not as much fun as the playful childhood of Battle School, but it's got work enough for her once Aegis has loaded up on electives in not just personal combat but also xenobiology and engineering. She keeps busy. The months go by. She's twelve and a half and Sue's approaching fourteen. And he's been terribly moody.

"You've been a pill lately," she says, when she's between xenobio protein flashcards winking by in spaced repetition on her desk. She throws a rolled pair of socks at his back. "You okay? Has puberty eaten your personality, am I next?"

From:

pythbox

He winces at the impact, then lets the socks roll off him without returning fire.

"Yeah," he says with heavy irony, "it's all the hormones' fault."

From:

autokinetic

"No, seriously," she coaxes.

Then: birdbirdbird?

From:

pythbox

Sue flops down on his bed and puts his pillow over his head.

You don't want to know, he says; the undertones are tired, sad, uncomfortable, ashamed.

From:

autokinetic

The hell I don't, who do you think you're talking to?

From:

pythbox

Fine.

She's told him before that he's a multimedia presentation; what he shows her next is definitely in that vein. Sight, sound, physical sensation, emotional content - all muffled, at one extra remove, like he's shielding her from the full impact. For good reason.

It started a few weeks ago. One of the older kids, nearer graduation. They had a scuffle in the corridor, which is not all that unusual; what's unusual is that the other guy won. And he held Sue against the floor, and it felt wonderful and terrible and frightening in ways Sue didn't really understand.

Then the same boy found him again, another time. Again they fought. Again Sue lost. But this time, it did not end there.

He tried to push his suffering to make him back off, like he did with that gang back at Battle School, but this kid just mocked him for his conflicted feelings, for his shame, his fear, for the part of him that liked it.

He went to a teacher, after the second time. Not Howlett. He couldn't face Howlett with this. The teacher flatly told him it wasn't happening. Sue has never in his life been blown off with such absolute conviction. No help there.

Yesterday it happened again. He barely tried to fight back. His new best friend was very happy about that. Sue wanted to throw up, or maybe just gut himself. And, lest anybody doubt what a slut he is, he still got off on it.

When the narrative flood subsides, he's crying softly into his pillow.

From:

autokinetic

The dorms are in a medium-gravity section; Aegis is at his side in a moment to wrap him in a hug. Oh Sue. Oh my bird.

From:

pythbox

Sue clings to her and sobs.

From:

autokinetic

Why not Howlett, could you tell him if I was there, could you back me up if I told him - he wouldn't pull that crap, he gets you -

From:

pythbox

He cries harder.

I couldn't, I just couldn't. It would hurt too much to know he knew.

From:

autokinetic

She squeezes him. Then - then I'll stick by you, we can get him together, she says, like that last time, you and me.

From:

pythbox

He sniffles into her shoulder.

Maybe, he says, unconvinced. I don't know. I'm afraid.

He doesn't specify of what.

From:

autokinetic

I want to find something to do that you're not scared of, but I don't know if there is something like that.

From:

pythbox

I'm afraid he'll hurt you too.

From:

autokinetic

I - Well, she has no clever response to that. Now that he mentions it, she's scared too. But. He might do that anyway, just because I'm your friend.

From:

pythbox

...And now he's crying again.

From:

autokinetic

And I'd tell, anyway, I'd tell until someone listened, and then he'd get iced.

From:

pythbox

This is a strangely appealing prospect. Except.

I still don't want you getting hurt like that.

Underlying the words: it makes sense for shit like this to happen to Sue. Sue is already twisted. Aegis is beautiful and perfect and any world where she gets hurt is a wrong world.

From:

autokinetic

You shouldn't be getting hurt either. The world's wrong in a billion ways and that's one of them and if I can stop it I want to. I'll do it without getting hurt if I can, though.

From:

pythbox

Yep. Crying.

From:

autokinetic

Hugs. This isn't something urgent to figure out on a scale of right now; the creep can't get into their room.

(Unless he can, unless he can fool the palm scanner, but then they'll have to go with trying to beat him up anyway and any elaborate plan will be moot.)