[ darlifra au ft. @nine-alpha - moving this to tumblr; this is the previous stuff ]
The room's overhead lights turned on with a burst of unfeeling brightness. Coupled with the glaring white of the walls it took a moment for the eyes to adjust. If it weren't for the sole metallic table and chair that sat in the center one would think that the room was some harsh and blinding void.
And sitting in the center of that void was the singularity, a black hole in a human body. But one wouldn't think it by just looking. White gloved hands sat folded properly atop the metallic surface and a pair of firm green eyes stared directly at the person standing across from him. A drastic change in demeanor from body to body, his eyes meeting with the top of the other's downward-facing head. Their aqua hair fell in straight lines like a curtain and it was almost a pathetic sight. Just almost, though, as this was one whom he'd hand-picked for fresh experimentation.
And they'd made it through.
"Come now. Surely you can perk up your head for a moment?"
-- it wouldn't seem like it, but there's a lot happening underneath that hair.
the sudden light burned their eyes, scattering the dreams and worlds that they always floated through. when they finally managed to blink out the colors from their eyesight, they began to rub their eyelids. it still hurt, but the voice ringing and repeating through their mind told them that it was time to wake up.
and so... they raised their head, squinting through the light and putting their hand above their head. staring intently, they leaned closer. closer, closer, as much as possible. if they were to see close enough, maybe the newcomer to their personal realm would be easier to identify?
The guard that had been standing silent, watching from the corner, raised their weapon but with just a move of a gloved finger they were put back in their place. This one was curious. Not too curious as to cause issues--issues he was apt to handle promptly--but just enough to hold their own and be an asset, not a hindrance, to him.
He didn't lean aside or make any attempt to get out of their way. Truly wonderful, he thought.
"You'll get adjusted to the light soon. You've been getting adjusted to a lot of things, I'm sure."
they took a long time to squint at the person in front of them... long enough to feel dizzy and sway in place. they just didn't notice, evaluating the colorful swirls in front of them. it's all a bit blurry, but the more they blinked, the more it solidified into two lovely, circular flowers. the leaves above, they'd note, were a softer yellowish color.
when leaning back, their swaying continued as they kept staring, blink after blink after blink. their eyes were very misty, but when they were able to reliably see, they slowly smiled. a tiny, pleased hum followed when they tilted their head. even though they began tipping forward, unintentionally this time, they still smiled.
a tear slipped out of one eye while the smile widened. the flowers had a lovely voice, and they're very happy to meet these.
Extending out a hand he placed the tips of three fingers against the other's forehead, making sure they didn't end up slamming their head into the table. Not that it would've made that big of a difference but still in all it was protection of a big investment. And what was a small show of civility to who would soon be his new partner.
After hearing that small sound reverberate across the space between them he could tell it would still be some time before they were in any condition to pilot a FRANXX. All things in time.
"I hope they've been giving you adequate rest," he commented, using the back of his hand to wipe away that sole droplet. "They'll be hearing a lot from me if they're not."
the fingers placed against their forehead let the experiment realize they'd been leaning over a bit, and they righted themself slowly with a few more blinks. once the mild surprise left, the soft touch wiping a cold fluid from the side of their eye radiated a brand-new warmth through their face, sneaking all the way down to the rest of their body. it's comforting, and reminded them that they have a body, too. not their growing roots, though, they felt better. alive...
oh, their vision cleared a little-- the flowers made way to a... a face. their stare became wider as more realizations set in, pulling the drowsiness right out. with a shaky hand, they reached forward with their own hand -- marveling at the recognition that this is a hand, their hand-- toward the other hand, the one that didn't belong to them.
Perceiving the color and warmth return to them he pulled back slightly. Easy going and small steps were what they, well, rather both of them needed to concern themselves with. Though it was tempting to simply move on and see what potential was there to be tapped, running his new acquirement into the ground was not a risk to take.
So they did recognize him, or at least was able to recognize him as a person.
Small steps.
He took their outheld hand in the grasp of a handshake. Would they even know what that meant. He couldn't imagine what they retained in their mind and what had been lost, all part of the process though it was. "I was told you're going to be our Sigma. That one does have a nice ring to it."
the touch of another hand... the warmth, the firm hold, the feeling...
they've never felt this way, at least not that they can remember. the face they looked at, though, they'll remember. they've already burned it into their memory. the experiment glances down at their hand in the other hand, moving fingers around in circles on the other hand, relishing in the sensation. then they placed their other hand on top of those already together hands... smiling softly.
"Si... gu... ma," they repeated softly, still marveling at their sense of touch. without knowing what that means, they looked back up, tilting their head in curiosity. "Si-gu-ma... ?"
Like a chick to a parent bird the new partner latched onto them, an imprint now in their mind. He let them play with his hand, drawing figures into the fabric of his glove. Of course the physical aspect of the experiment was great but psychologically? Emotionally? That which he'd long since been made to let go of still had its remnants in the other's expression.
"Sig-ma", he repeated, sounding out the syllables. "It's what you'll be called from now on. A name if you want to call it that." His one hand pressed between theirs he brought his other to rest against the red diamond patch of his uniform. "You'll call me Alpha."
[ next post is gonna be on the blog on its own. ]
