It's important to be accurate

lea-nardo:

“But, Donna.”

“High def.”

“You know it’ll just show all the strings on the aliens.”

“ANGIEEEEEEE!!!”

*ahem*

she still doesn’t get it

“Not better just swapping variables ‘cute’ for ‘hot’.”

“I mean dignified. DIGNIFIED.”

hamatodonatella:

Donna watched Lea draw the walls back up around herself as she folded her arms across her chest. Quickly, before they made it up all the way, she went up on her toes and planted a kiss on her big sister’s cheek. “Thank you, aneue.”

It was predictable, really. While August came straight to her, fussing, all “Donna, are you okay?” and “We were so worried!” – not that part of her wasn’t enjoying the way he held her, checking her over to see if she was hurt – the other two stormed straight past her to start in on Lea, all “How could you?” and “What if something had happened?”

Sighing, Donna drew her bo. Seconds later, Angie and Ella were on the floor, blinking up at her in confusion. Raising a brow, she turned to August. He backed up, hands raised in front of him. “No, no, I’m good. Got the message,” he said.

“Donna?” Angie started. “What the–”

“Thought you forgot I was here too,” she said. “Reminder. Two and two is four. Four’s still here.”

“No thanks to her,” Ella sputtered. “Of all the stupid, selfish things to do, taking you without asking–”

Donna brought her bo down on Ella’s shell, making her wince. “Hey!” Ella yelped. “What was that for?”

“If somebody in this family has to go around whacking thickheads with sticks, might as well be me,” Donna said.

“What are you grinning at?” Ella muttered under her breath at August.

“Donna’s back,” August whispered, still grinning.

“Might have forgot,” Donna continued, planting a hand on her hip. “Sixteen and two is eighteen. I know. Counted the whole time. Eighteen now. Adult now. Only person who decides where Donna goes is Donna.”

“Donna,” Angie attempted to break in. “Honey, you may technically be eighteen, but–”  She broke off with a yelp as Donna raised her staff again. 

“Broken.” Donna tapped her head pointedly with the bo. “Not stupid. Want a baby? I can build you one. Want a sister? Come find me when you remember I’m an adult.”

She whirled on her heel and stomped  past them, not looking back. Though that didn’t stop her from listening.

“When did she get so mouthy?” Ella asked plaintively. 

August snorted. “She was always mouthy. That’s what made her so awesome.”

“August,” Donna bellowed down the hall. “Need a room where I can test stuff that explodes.”

She grinned at the sound of footsteps behind her, followed by Angie’s aggrieved “where are you going?”

“Donna’s back!” August called over his shoulder, and she gave a silent, inward cheer as he caught up with her, a hint of the old conspiratorial smile from their lab partner days showing through the beard.

Yeah, I’m back. Not going to let anyone forget it this time, either.

Lea could only stand there as everything went down, trying very hard not to grin. She wouldn’t put it above Donna to hit her too, if it seemed that she was acting smug in any way. It was good to hear Donna being Donna, again. She could almost imagine what it looked like.

She was broken, but she was rebuilding.

She didn’t follow when August ran after her sister, only turned in the opposite direction, ignoring Angie and Ella’s complaints with a wave of her hand as she turned the corner. Oh, she’d talk to them, eventually. But now was not the time for that. Too much panic and anger, and noise. For now, she wanted to be alone, and think about what had happened out there. Think about what it meant from here on out.

Her hand drifted to a certain pocket as she made her way to her room, and she brushed over the faint outline of the object inside. She wasn’t going to pull it out, but she’d never forget what it was. A blue flower, with a shell sewn into the center. Another reminder.

Broken, but rebuilding.

“So long as you don’t go abusing the knowledge.” Lea muttered low, moving forward cautiously until she deemed it safe. She led Donna through dead undergrowth and trees, around several turns and crumbled buildings, until they came upon the hidden entrance. Giving Donna a wry smile, she pushed open the door and led them inside.

She had always figured there were still cameras at the entrances, for safety reasons. There was never a need to find out if her hunch was right, until now. Just moments after Lea shut the entrance behind her, did she hear angry noises start up somewhere down the halls.

And it only got louder as they approached.

“Home, sweet home.” She sighed, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the inevitable. “Thanks for the run, sis.”

Donna watched Lea draw the walls back up around herself as she folded her arms across her chest. Quickly, before they made it up all the way, she went up on her toes and planted a kiss on her big sister’s cheek. “Thank you, aneue.”

It was predictable, really. While August came straight to her, fussing, all “Donna, are you okay?” and “We were so worried!” -- not that part of her wasn’t enjoying the way he held her, checking her over to see if she was hurt -- the other two stormed straight past her to start in on Lea, all “How could you?” and “What if something had happened?”

Sighing, Donna drew her bo. Seconds later, Angie and Ella were on the floor, blinking up at her in confusion. Raising a brow, she turned to August. He backed up, hands raised in front of him. “No, no, I’m good. Got the message,” he said.

“Donna?” Angie started. “What the--”

“Thought you forgot I was here too,” she said. “Reminder. Two and two is four. Four’s still here.”

“No thanks to her,” Ella sputtered. “Of all the stupid, selfish things to do, taking you without asking--”

Donna brought her bo down on Ella’s shell, making her wince. “Hey!” Ella yelped. “What was that for?”

“If somebody in this family has to go around whacking thickheads with sticks, might as well be me,” Donna said.

“What are you grinning at?” Ella muttered under her breath at August.

“Donna’s back,” August whispered, still grinning.

“Might have forgot,” Donna continued, planting a hand on her hip. “Sixteen and two is eighteen. I know. Counted the whole time. Eighteen now. Adult now. Only person who decides where Donna goes is Donna.”

“Donna,” Angie attempted to break in. “Honey, you may technically be eighteen, but--”  She broke off with a yelp as Donna raised her staff again. 

“Broken.” Donna tapped her head pointedly with the bo. “Not stupid. Want a baby? I can build you one. Want a sister? Come find me when you remember I’m an adult.”

She whirled on her heel and stomped  past them, not looking back. Though that didn’t stop her from listening.

“When did she get so mouthy?” Ella asked plaintively. 

August snorted. “She was always mouthy. That’s what made her so awesome.”

“August,” Donna bellowed down the hall. “Need a room where I can test stuff that explodes.”

She grinned at the sound of footsteps behind her, followed by Angie’s aggrieved “where are you going?”

“Donna’s back!” August called over his shoulder, and she gave a silent, inward cheer as he caught up with her, a hint of the old conspiratorial smile from their lab partner days showing through the beard.

“Then by all means.” Lea smirked, covering Donna’s hand for another moment before she reached for the ladder. “They’ll probably listen to you better, anyway.”

Honestly, she didn’t want it to end. It was quieter down in the tunnels. The droning sound of the speakers was effectively blocked out by several feet of concrete, and few patrols roamed in there routinely. It was the closest to peace one could get without being in the base, or having to leave the city.

And Donna… hopefully, Lea would still get some time with her sister after kidnapping her. Lea felt more like herself in years, when she was around. She didn’t want to lose that feeling again so soon.

Lea pushed aside the manhole after listening out for anything, then climbed out so Donna could see the ladder for herself. Back into the real world, but not alone.

Donna let herself slip into Lea’s world, giving over to listening as she followed her sister through the hostile streets. Though they did have to stop once to put her braces back on, much to her annoyance, she was secretly pleased with just how far she’d actually managed to get without them. She’d refine the design later, but for now, it was a lot farther than she’d ever thought she’d come.

She glanced up at the mouth of the alley where Lea was keeping watch -- if that was the right word, given the circumstances. Today had started something. Ideas churned in her brain, sluggish, but gaining speed, and for the first time since the dark had spat her out, she was starting to remember what being Donna actually felt like.

Different. Some stuff was too broken to ever fix. But that’s what workarounds are for.

“…It is going to take practice,” Lea spoke, once they got close to the manhole, “And I doubt you’ll get through it without a few bruises.” She took her sister by the shoulder to keep her from knocking into the ladder that led upwards, and held her in place until she stopped moving. “But I know you can do it.”

Lea paused, taking a selfish moment to trace the side of Donna’s face, letting the memory of it refresh in her mind before she cleared her throat. “Okay, last leg, then, facing the others.” She sighed and let her hand fall to her side. She really wished she could skip that last part.

Donna held very still when Lea drew her to a halt. She knew what Lea was doing, but she couldn’t help the small smile as her sister’s hand traced across her face. 

Her family had changed. It was cracked, and broken. But most of the pieces were still there, and if there was one thing Donna knew better than anything, it was fixing broken things.

“I told you, it’s obaasan.” Lea emphasized the last syllable with a smirk. She patted Donna’s shell as she passed by her, then hooked her arm around her elbow to lead her out. “Respect your elders. And watch your head.”

Her smile faded some as they got back into the tunnels. They were still out in dangerous territory; she wasn’t going to lose track of that. She could afford to ease up again once they were back with the Resistance. Maybe. It had felt nice.

“We’ll take different route to get back to the base, so nobody catches on.” Lea said, heading further down the tunnel instead of heading back the way they came. “Until we get to the manhole, I want you to listen. Sound echoes off of everything. It can help you to figure out what your surroundings are.”

The warning came a fraction of a second too late, and Donna bit back the curse as her head thwacked against something in the dark. Right. She probably deserved that. But she grinned despite herself as she let Lea tow her into the dark. They had something new, now. Something built between them that wasn’t just about survival. Something that was just... family.  

She could work with that.

Her attention narrowed as they moved into the tunnels, and she set the humour aside. She wasn’t broken enough to forget that this wasn’t just a pleasure trip. She winced a little at Lea’s advice. “That’ll be work. Still not used to senses. Too much time without ‘em. Hard to filter the data.”

But she did her best, listening to the falling water around her. It made sense, logically. There was an infinitesimal delay between the water falling and its echo off the walls around them. Do the math. Calculate the distances. Reconstruct the framework. Just like in the dark.

Easier said than done. She could get approximations, but it was like comparing a child’s scribbled drawing to a blueprint. 

It almost felt like the old days, with them talking like this. Space Heroes, boys. Geez, she felt old. Lea smirked softly when Donna kept from finishing her sentence, and went on readjusting her belt as if she hadn’t heard anything.

Until the rocket fist, that is.

“No, and it’s for the same reason.” Lea answered, then after a pause, she added, “Talk to August about a test room first.” It would probably be needed eventually, at this rate.

“Okay, let’s head out.” Lea pulled her watch from her pocket and checked the time, then nudged the lamp with her foot. “We’ll have to leave this behind, for other passers-through. Is that okay?”

The vetoing of the rocket fist made her pout, but only a little. She hadn’t expected otherwise, and though the implication she hadn’t factored extensive testing into her equations stung a little, she liked that Lea was starting to think long-term. Like... like a leader.

Donna picked up the lamp, gazing into the light for a few moments as she gathered her strength. Then she set it on the shelf, and flipped the switch.

She couldn’t help it. Lea was so genuinely surprised by Donna’s laugh, that she jumped. Another laugh escaped from her, and she continued sorting with a small smile, unable to believe she was discussing Space Heroes right now.

“Like that guy?” Lea grabbed whatever Donna was snatching before she let her have it, adding rope to the mental list of what needed to be restocked as she tried to imagine what Donna was describing. “I still think it would look weird on August…” She mutters, shaking her head. Then again, the last time she actually saw August was a long time ago, so maybe Donna was right.

“Do not tell Ella about a laser eye.” Lea spoke quickly, standing up and turning to face her. “Not until you’ve gotten a way to protect others from it. I’ve got enough scars as it is.”

It surprised her a little, how easily they fell back into the laughter. There was so much distance between them now -- and she was still angry about the years stolen from her -- but despite that, and the horror that was the world outside, there was something about it that felt... normal.

“Not so much the look,” she said, slowly running through a kata to test the ranger of motion without the braces. “But how he went from young and cute to dignified and....” Nope. She was not going to say hot in front of her big sister. She cleared her throat. “Commander-y.” She grinned at the thought. “Could totally see him commanding a starship.”