??????

"you must want very much to die. you look like a trapped animal."

Trudging through the darkness of the Snezhnayan taiga, Aether found himself blisteringly cold. The sky above swirled with snow and the trees stood like skeletal silhouettes against a sky ENTRENCHED in darkness with the coming of nightfall. The forest air was steeped in an eerie silence that lingered like the scent of blood; a kind of uncanny tranquility that conveyed a warning in its petrifaction, like that of a carcass laid out and cautioning of a PREDATOR in the vicinity of its unlucky witness.

In truth, he’d known of Her presence for a good while now. She’d manifested some time ago like a spectre stalking him from the shadows, a haunted whisper on the breeze, conveying a muted quality to his surroundings that seemed to HUSH even the sound of his footsteps and make his heartbeat pound relentlessly in his ears.

Her voice rang out through the darkness, RESONANT like the sound of shattering glass. Aether STILLED, unease pricking at his spine like the point of a blade. He could feel the figurative jaws of the trap inching shut. His fingers curled around the hilt of his blade on instinct; flexing once, twice, then tightening in a measure of conviction.

" you're lying. " ( beta not falling for this. )

" you're lying. "

In retrospect, Aether should have known that something had gone terribly awry the minute Beta's gaze had zeroed in upon him from across the laboratory. From there on, things had only gone from bad to worse as it became increasingly OBVIOUS that he was the intended target of his wrath.

" I'm not. I swear. " Aether was already backing away, his hands held up in a picture of innocence, his eyes trained pinpoint upon the approaching segment who was staring him down with all the ruthless efficacy of a predator on the hunt. His eyes darted to the ransacked snack drawer, then back to Beta who was still approaching steadily, the picture of INCONSOLABLE fury.

" It wasn't me this time. It was Columbina! "

" Columbina? Columbina? " Beta snarled, teeth bared and eyes alight with rage - he made a leap for him which Aether dodged neatly, vaulting over a lab table in a frantic bid to get away from his haze of clearly murderous intent. " She's not been here in AGES! Do you know how much that jerky cost? "

" ... No. " For that matter, he didn't know how it tasted either. Aether peeked out from behind the countertop, ducking out of the way of a heavy book that was summarily hurled at his head. " I told you. It wasn't me! How do you explain the feathers then?! "

" I don't know. I don't care! Columbina doesn't even EAT MEAT! Get over here you little - ! " The segment lunged, incensed and clearly more than capable of great violence. Aether yelped and sprang out of the way - not fast enough. He let out a strangled shout and fell as Beta grabbed at his calves. His grip was unyielding IRON and Aether clawed at the ground and the seams of the cupboards as he was dragged backwards, kicking and thrashing without abandon.

" I am going to -! KILL you - ! " Beta hissed, hoisting him up onto one of the metal tables even as Aether struggled frantically, grabbing him by the throat and shoulders and pinning him down. There was the familiar CLICK of stiff restraints sliding into place, straps tightening down painfully to fix him immovably in place until Aether struggled to even lift his head.

" You can STAY there until you've learned your lesson. "

A flash of a white coat in the corner of his vision. The sound of receding footsteps replaced only by his frantic breathing and the roar of his pulse in his ears. The lights abruptly went dark. Aether tested his restraints and found them as unyielding as ever.

♢  — @heavnsign said: columbina hands out a handful of dried berries, "what is it that you wish from me, child? you happen to be staring." (for chi please hihi) EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS: UNPROMPTED ASKS - ALWAYS ACCEPTING !

Berries. They sit in tiny palms like little jewels that have not yet been REFINED from their natural state. ( Pantalone had called it . . . lapidary ? ) Despite the fact that Dottore in every sense has the ability to get foods never available in their original lifetime, the wonder of it never ceases. Especially not for Chi, who remembers how RARE fruit was in the desert. What was common for other lands and the other side of Sumeru was nothing short of a delicacy for those beneath the scorching sun and hills of rolling sand. EVEN NOW THEY ARE RARE ; amongst snow and ice despite the trade agreements between the nations.

Chi takes one and carefully pops it into his mouth. His teeth are not best for this kind of food, but the minor adjustment is worth it. THE BERRIES ARE SWEET, EVEN DRIED. Unfamiliar flavors that he wants to devour while he can. But despite the urge to shove them into his mouth the way ordinary kids would fill their cheeks with candy, he takes each one carefully, savoring it while staring up at Columbina.

UH OH.

Red eyes dart away when his staring has been pointed out. Not subtle enough. Then again, Dottore has always been the one stared at. Whispered about. And Chi - well, he was exposed to very few. But his eyes shift back towards Columbina. She doesn't seem upset or disgusted. Not the way the villagers had whenever he had observed them.

♢  — @heavnsign said: columbina is quietly eyeing him down from the threshold, waiting to be let in. EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS: UNPROMPTED ASKS - ALWAYS ACCEPTING !

FEW ARE THE SOULS WHO BRAVE THE GLOOM AND CHILL TO THE LABS. Thus any presence that is unexpected is clinically and effectively narrowed down to a very small collective of potential people. The senses say everything else. The gait, the weight, or the lack thereof. Not to mention the weight of a the gaze. He knows this one quite well, though it tends to UNSETTLE many others under its scrutiny.

Dottore lowers the vial in hand, turning towards the doors where she lingers upon the threshold. " Oh? Have you taken a NEWFOUND INTEREST in etiquette? " He inquires, scoffing. As if recent antics haven't proven otherwise. His words are less about being genuine and more about the fact that they call attention to everything on the contrary. He supposes he should take her decision to wait for permission as something to be grateful for.

She's just going to stand there until he lets her in, isn't she? Of that he is quite certain.