faithandmetal:
{ ♦ }
“Oh, aye. I can do that too.” Dinah spared a glance at their group, and nodded to herself. More than three survivors. She wasn’t one to renege on a promise, and she had promised she’d always save at least three people.
I was going to buy us a house, she recalled. A wave of sorrow and regret washed over her. Dinah kept her face pleasant, and half-smiling despite it. One of the benefits of being synthetic was total control over her expressions and physical responses.
Periwinkle-blue eyes flicked across the Helljumper’s visor curiously. Vision filters meant no visor could hide the face behind it successfully. Dinah could see his eyes, see him bite his lip, and see his expression change.
Was he not used to others caring about his well-being? Dinah felt unsettled at the very thought. Well, he does now. It was not practical to ignore one’s own health for the sake of others. And Dinah… She lacked the need for many things her organic counterparts would die without.
She looked down at her feet bashfully. “I’ve got two bottles of water somewhere in my pack. Grabbed ‘em afore I left my apartment.” Not at all a lie. She kept them in her kitchen in case she had guests, and when she ran in to take her favorite mug with her ( she was a sentimental fool, after all ), she took two bottles as well.
There were munitions in her pack as well–A pistol and some ammunition–But she had focused on first aid and taken as much as she could. Medical supplies would be an after thought, but sorely needed. Dinah could manage with fewer weapons.
“I take good care of myself, lad.” Dinah reassured him. “But yer doin’ no one a favor by lettin’ yerself get dehydrated.”
If you won’t look after yourself, Dinah thought. Then I will.
“ Great! I mean- ah, thank you, again. It’ll be a real help. If all goes well there won’t be much in need of doing, but it’s better to be prepared in case of emergency. “ By agreeing to this, she’s definitely going to save at least three people! The man is unable to pick up on her sorrow with no visual cues of her sadness, but for a moment he feels unsettled, as though the pleasantry had lasted just a sliver of a second too long… but again, he misses it, brushing it off as nothing.
The Rookie might look back on this later and feel lke smacking himself upside the head for thinking that this streak of unbridled devotion to protecting and providing for these people was a good thing. Sure, wanting to make sure people were alright was one good thing, but throwing himself into the work overtime when they need someone who wasn’t running themselves into an early grave- well, that’s where he’s being a fool. But he doesn’t realize it yet.
Oh, and now he has!
Time to kick his own ass. Mentally, anyways.
Pale green eyes flit down in embarassment and a tinge of red comes to his cheeks, but he stomps the feeling down and replaces it with determination to do better. Which is much better than bashing his head against the outcropping in the hopes of ending his own idiocy! Thank goodness she talked some sense into him, as he’s able to straighten up and reclaim the security a soldier should carry. A deep breath, in and out, and he cracks a smile.
“ You’re right. Letting the situation get to my head definitely isn’t helping anyone either. It’s just- well, I don’t think I’m meant to lead anyone anywhere. But I’ll do it. With your help. “ The smile grows a bit wider with a tinge of mirth and he reaches out a hand for a shake, meeting Dinah’s seemingly glowing, unreadable eyes.
A handshake? Dinah hadn’t seen those in a while. In Wolgast, people tended to share a respectful nod than shake hands, as the culture here was fairly reserved when it came to physical contact. It had suited Dinah fairly well, since something so innocent as a hug could lead to over-stimulation incredibly fast.
She was taking a leap of faith here, and reaching out despite the threat of discovery. Dinah quickly grasped his hand, squeezed gently and gave it a firm shake. She let her hand fall to her side casually, but clenched her other hand into a fist.
Nice as it felt to touch another person, she could feel a low buzz building in her teeth. It wasn’t painful, not just yet. But it was irritating. The day’s events already had her close to the limit of what she could handle sensory-wise.
Wish I had brought a hat with me, she thought wistfully.
Dinah rocked on her heels thoughtfully, and glanced over the group. “What’s the plan? Are we looking fer a place to bunker down? Or did ye have a shuttle coming?”
She’d had to bug in before, outlast the invading Covenant and the fleet in orbit intent on partially glassing the major population centers. It was unpleasant for anyone that needed to eat and sleep every day, but she could make it work for their group.
If he has a shuttle coming... Dinah needed to get to her ship. She’d been fortunate thus far in keeping the Northumbria hidden far enough away to escape a glassing, but close enough to escape in if necessary.
And, well, if he didn’t have a plan, Dinah supposed things were going to get hairy very soon.
