#layna ramirez

[ash-isnt-writing]

{<*>} Aqua Blue {<*>}

Characters used/mentioned; Helix Vellen, Layna Ramirez, TS-0026, other unnamed characters

Writer’s note!!; Sudden impulse writing idk. Might make this a series if people like it, blah blah blah.

standard disclaimers apply, etc etc. you get the drill.

(not bothering with a border this time. i’m tired. i’ll add one later.)

TS-0026, confined to a glass tank filled with water and whatever else the containment team’d had the mercy of providing, surrounded by researchers in white coats and black button ups.

It was a particularly chilling sight to Helix, for whatever reason. More so than the others. Hell, they were only.. what, 15? It felt wrong, in every sense of the word. But he was tied down to this job. He had no other option.

The ginger sighed, and proceeded forward into the surrounding chamber, Layna, his assistant snd secretary, following close. “Does this thing ever sleep?” Helix remarked, more to himself than anybody else, but he wouldn’t mind an answer either.

“Apparently” A nearby researcher responded, Helix’s keen eyes darting over to the speaker. “It just finds a spot, gets comfy, and falls asleep right on the spot, straight into deep stage sleep.”

“…Huh.” Helix murmured, eyes drifting back to the tank. Straight into deep stage? How… weird. “Do we know how it does that?”

“Not a clue” Another passing researcher replied. “It’s harder to run tests on.. well, a merman, considering half our staff don’t know how to swim, and it’s generally quite hard to run exams under water.”

Ah, of course. Helix didn’t know why he hadn’t considered this earlier. He barely knew how the containment team had secured the subject in the first place. It would’ve been a feat in of itself. Actually trying to run tests on it was going to be a whole marathon.

“Well, find a way” He snapped after a moment. “I need answers, and I need them now. If it has some way to just snap into sleep like that… I want to know why, and I want to know if we can utilise it.”

The thing with Helix, Layna had come to learn, was that when he said ‘we’, he never meant himself. Sure, he did the paperwork, but it was rare to see him himself in tests anymore unless he felt he was the only one capable, or it was a test subject he was particularly interested in.

Either way, she found he’d refuse involvement with younger test subjects. Which didn’t seem to stop him when she and her siblings were younger, but alas…

“With all due respect, Doctor, we should probably consult Administration first” Layna cut in. “We really shouldn’t be running any sort of tests until we have their absolute approval.”

As much as Helix wanted to snap at her, she had a point. It would be a stupid idea to just go in and do whatever without authorisation. He’d tried that before, he wasn’t making the same mistake.

“..Right” He sighed, then turned to the younger researcher once more. “Keep an eye on that thing. If it does any shit while I’m gone, do not engage.”

“But sir-“

“There’s no buts here, damn it! Do not engage it at any point until we have greenlit testing approval, is that clear?”

A solemn nod. Helix grunted, and then made his leave. He fucking hated these meetings, but authority was authority, and he knew they were watching him.

[ash-isnt-writing]

“Layna. Oh, Layna. You seriously thought people would care about that?” Helix said mockingly. “You might be one of us now, but you’re still a monster. Don’t expect human decency.”

In hindsight, Layna probably should have seen this coming.

Helix wasn’t a sympathetic man. She knew that. But it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less that nobody remembered her birthday.

She felt lost. Ignored. Unwanted. It was this way every year, she should’ve been used to it by now. She should’ve. But she wasn’t. She just wanted someone to care.

“…Right, apologies” Layna sighed, turning back to her desk to continue the paperwork there.

She couldn’t help but wonder how Helodite was spending this date. They had the same birthdate, just a couple years apart. She had no doubt Helodite was having much more fun than her on the outside.

She sighed heavily. Would her efforts ever be appreciated? Would anyone ever care? Is it even worth the time?

[the-000-crew]

Layna, do you regret agreeing to work for STS? what do you think of your job in general, along with Helix, Withera, etcetera etcetera?

Sometimes I regret it, I suppose? STS, as much as it is a place of trauma for me, has grown into almost a home for me. The pay’s pretty decent, they’ve let me start leaving at the end of my shift (although they do send an escort to make sure I return in the morning), they feed me, etc.

It’s a well to do job, just not what I planned to do with my life when I came up here. Plus, it also means being cut off entirely from my siblings, since not only am I separated from any that are still here, they’ve formed a deep hatred for me for working under Helix.

Withera is.. shady. Sure, she’s nice and all, but something about her feels really fake and it’s throwing me off.

Helix, on the other hand, I hate to death. Sure, he’s my supervisor, but he doesn’t quite understand boundaries, nor is he a very moral person at all. Working under him is a living hell, but I can’t really complain because I fear what he’ll - and the others - do to me if I do so.

The rest of the staff (at least the majority) aren’t actually too bad. Some people are here for the pay, others are here to actually follow STS’s intention, others have their own reasons as to why they’re here. Some of them can be dicks at times because I’m “different”, but they’re the same ones that are dicks to everyone else as well.

-Layna

[quatrain-in-dc-major]

ascends from the depths of hell hi another ask game one

Daffodil — Tycen, Layna, Tobiany and uhhh- that Collin guy I think that's his name

:O yay!!

Daffodil:

Tycen - It really depends what the relationship is with him. He’s mainly considered a sweet talker to uh- most people (ESPECIALLY his victims), but he’ll shower his s/o with affection and gifts, he has a sort of neutral image among his employs, and he’s absolutely despised by his rivals.

Layna - Unless it’s one of her siblings who have all collectively agreed she’s a traitor for working for Helix, Layna is actually considered generally likeable. She’s brave and confident, and knows what she’s worth, without being egotistical about it. She’s kind to her friends and coworkers, and is always loyal to her s/o.

Tobiany - Absolutely not. Everybody fucking HATES this guy, mainly because he’s literally a tyrant. He’s controlling and demanding and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if it means putting those he cares about at harms way.

Collin - Most people that know what he’s about find him annoying. But if you’ve never met him before, he’ll come off as sweet, silver tongued, and generally very persuasive, and he absolutely loved to spoil his s/o. So it’s really quite mixed depending on who the person is to him.