Remnant of the spider: The apprentices part 2 of 4
Mantle slum, early afternoon, 8 years before the canon start of the serie
Dr. Pietro: *sigh, wiping off the sweat from his forehead* How are you feeling?
Albina: *Opening her eyes, feeling awful for some reason* ...
Dr. Pietro: *washes his hands* You're lucky, you know? *Scratches his beard* Your prosthesis... They are honestly far more advanced than anything I have ever witnessed in my entire life. *Scoff* Nothing i couldn't fix of course, but—
Albina: *mumbling something* —cia...
Dr. Pietro: Hm? What is it dear?
Albina: *worries clearly tangible in her weakened voice* F-Fascia... W-where is... Fascia?
Dr. Pietro: *perplexed* Fascia? Is that someone you were with before crashing through my ceiling?
Albina: *Tries to get up, unable to* S-sword... My... *Cough* (... Cough?)
Dr. Pietro: *shakes his head* I'm sorry, i didn't find anything else aside from you, no.
Albina: *feeling as if her heart was racing, her head; turning* Urgh—
Dr. Pietro: *looks at the screen next to him with a worried expression* You shouldn't move yet—
Albina: *uses all of her strength to sit up* W-what's— *cough violently* what's wrong... with me...?
Dr. Pietro: *sigh, shaking his head again* You fell down from god knows how high; it's a miracle none of your organs were too badly damaged.
Albina: *confused* M-my or...gans? *slowly looks down at herself, removing the medical gown as best she could* Ah—
Her viscera, her lungs, her heart; all now hidden back again under the thin, fragile tissue she once had discarded.
Dr. Pietro: *looks away* I-i'm sorry, b-but could you put the gown back? I don't feel quite comfortable watching a young woman's—
Albina: *In total shock, unable to speak, unable to move a single MUSCLE* ...
Dr. Pietro: *walks away toward the door* Penny? Would you kindly help this lady? I need to look at other patients.
Albina: *snapping back* H-how!? How is that— *coughs before taking a deep breath for the first time in years* They are back!? Everything i did— F-ascia— *tries to stand up* —!? *Fail, due to not remembering how to use the muscles of her upper legs, but get caught by someone else* Ah!
Penny: *smiling, helps her sit back on the bed* Do not move while in recovery; it will slow down the healing process.
Albina: *still in shock* B-but that shouldn't— I-i shouldn't be— *Pinches her own skin, to test if it was real or not; it was* I-i should be made of metal, not flesh!?
Penny: *lift an eyebrow in astonishment* What? You mean, you were an android?
Albina: N-no, i— *starts hyperventilating* I-i was finally reaching the limits of what makes someone "human", almost all my body had been replaced and now it is as if it was all a dream!? All my efforts, the work i put in Fascia, in myself, GONE!? I— *coughing fit* This is hell... I'm... *Curls up* I'm normal again... *Sob*...
Penny: *tilts her head, confused* I don't understand. Why give up such a wonderful gift willingly?
Albina: *confused by Penny's choice of words* A... Gift?
Penny: *nods* A gift... *Look at her hands, a bit of sadness seeping through her voice* I wish I could feel when i plunge my hands in cold water on a hot day, when i play mozart on the ivory keys of a forte piano... Or when i hold someone dear in my arms.
Albina: *Even more confused* What do you— *her eyes widen in shock* You're not human!?
Penny: *blinks* No? *Look behind her* I thought the cables sticking out of my back would have given me away—
Albina: *grabs her face, inspecting her* It's amazing, even the most advanced models that were banned from the City couldn't imitate life so perfectly! The synthetic skin, it feels exactly the same as normal skin! The texture, the warmth—
Penny: *Blushes* W-well, thank— EEP!?
Albina: *looking under the clothes* There are no joints, no seam... It's almost as if it was natural. The craftsmanship is unbelievable—
Penny: *Red like a tomato* P-Please, would you mind not examining my body in every angle? I-i don't feel—
Albina: *grabs her hands, smiling excitedly* Can we be friends!?
Penny: ... Y-you want to be my friend?
Albina: *nods* Of course! I want to know EVERYTHING about you! Can I? Please?
Penny: ... I-i don't really understand what you are trying to do, but if that's what you wish for—
Dr. Pietro: *walking back inside* What the—
Penny: *laying in the medical bed, her metaphorical guts in the open* And that here is what powers me! Isn't my dad great!?
Albina: *taking notes* I see, and since you can regenerate your own... You called it aura, right?
Albina: *nods, continuing where she left on* Ok, so since you can regenerate it without any assistance, this means you have an actual soul. *Pensive* Now, does that mean you can use Shin or Mang? Because if so, that would shatter all pre-conceived notions of what a human truly is!
Dr. Pietro: *blink* What... are you two doing?
Penny: *smiles* Albina wanted to see how i worked! She took me apart and reassembled me in a jiffy, she's really great at mechanics!
Albina: *blushes* I'm not that great—
Penny: You made your own prosthetics, and those were praised by my father! You are truly awesome!
Dr. Pietro: *surprised* You made your own prostheses?
Albina: *nods* They were modeled after my maestro's, but i made some modifications which granted me more flexibility over his...
Dr. Pietro: Fascinating... *Pensive* ... Say, you wouldn't mind becoming my apprentice?
Albina: ... You want me as your apprentice?
Dr. Pietro: *walks up to her, looking at her arms and legs with fascination* These are no amateur works; even if i found some mistakes while repairing them, the craftsmanship was extraordinary.
Albina: There were mistakes?
Dr. Pietro: *scratches his beard* While they are perfectly viable as is, the fingers were stiff, the elbow had difficulty moving in a natural way, and the use of steel instead of titanium for the frame are points that could be worked on, yes.
Albina: *frown* But the Maestro said—
Dr. Pietro: There's always room for improvement. *Sigh* It's just that, sometimes, we lack the tools to do so...
