Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Life Is Pain ❯ Part 6 ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: WufeiNeko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Supernatural / Occult / Fantasy / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.02.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 233 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Supernatural / Occult / Fantasy / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.02.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 233 | Status: Completed
LiP: Can We Cut In?
Hm...Should I introduce a new character or not? Nyahhh! I will! I wanna explain something. I just want to make sure that I've got this. There *IS* one extra type of magic, one that I didn't mention. I didn't mention it because it didn't seem important. Actually, it's kind of two, really. Healing, and along with it, empathy. The reason I didn't mention it, was because it's kind of along the lines of Vidamancy. Trust me, it's gonna be important.
Disclaimers: 1x2, 2+5, 3x4, 9x11, IxC, RxRx1 (in her sick little dreams), Hx2 (in *her* sick little dreams), 6xS, YAOI, YURI, threesomes (spoilers!!) , AU, OOC, OC, magic, mayhem, the kitchen sink...^.~
/../ = conversation mentally
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
In a different area of the castle, far removed from the dampness of the dungeon, Sally Po stitched up the commander of Relena's troops. *Stupid woman. She never considers what I do down here as important,* she thought as she tied the last knot.
"Medic Po?" Noin's voice echoed through the stone passages.
Sighing, Sally exerted a bit of her gift to make sure that the stitches would come out safely. "Yeah? I'm in the back."
Noin minced her way through the casualties and stood at the brunette's back. "Would you happen to have something--a salve or lotion or something--for some bruises and residue of a beating?"
Sally turned, rubbing her hands. "Say what? Lu, you don't look like you're hurt," she said, quickly glancing at the bodyguard. [A/N: Since I can't spell Noin's first name, 'Lu' is what I call her when I'm using her first name] "You're not the one that's hurt, are you?"
Noin nodded. "Une got beat up today in an interrogation. She's in so much pain that I can't even get all of the pain out."
Sally's ringlets seemed to glow for a second. "That's right, you're a healer, too. Yeah, I've got something for bruising and worse. Give me a moment, and I'll find it." She stopped and turned around. "Make sure Zechs is alright."
Noin frowned. She knew Sally's feelings for the platinum blonde officer. *I was supposed to be her matron of honor in their wedding,* she thought.
Zechs, formerly Milliardo Peacecraft before Relena started planning on absconding with the crown, sat on a bench, his arm stitched up and his hair pulled up. Blind completely, his blue eyes gazed vacantly at the space to her left. "Noin, I know that's you. Did she tell you to make sure that I ate, or make sure that I didn't tear off the bandages?"
Noin grinned, even though he couldn't see it. "Neither. I'm here to get some liniment for Une." She patted his hand after sitting down beside him. "You alright?"
He nodded. "Some dolt of a guard ran by me at top speed with his bayonet out. Grazed my arm and ran me into a wall." Sightlessly, he turned to face her. "How did mi'lady get hurt?"
Noin sighed. "Interrogation got a bit rough." In many ways, they were alike. She had lost her eye running from soldiers when she was seventeen, and he had lost his sight by running into a burning house to try and safe his parents. He had come out unscathed, but his sight was permanently lost. Her fate, on the other hand, was rougher. After losing the sight in her dominant eye, she was forced to learn how to deal with her other senses before her sight. That meant spending two years in self-inflicted darkness. For two years, she forced herself to fine-tune her other four senses, before discovering a fifth.
Zechs sighed. "How badly?" he remembered Une--his father's staunchest supporter and confidante. She even visited him after the loss of his parents.
Sally walked back, holding two jars. "Okay, Lu, here is the salve for Une, and here is one for the scar, to make it itch less."
Noin felt her jaw drop. "How did you know?"
Sally grinned. "I saw you scratch it when I came to check that you two were okay."
*Funny,* Noin thought as she accepted the jars. *I don't even remember scratching it.*
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Akabri smiled as she hypnotized the guard. :That's right, little morsel, just look into my eyes. Open up to me. Let me ride you,: she thought, pressing her will over his.
He finally stopped struggling and tilted his head back.
:Perfect.: She sank her fangs into his neck. :You've got five minutes to get in, guys. Because, after five minutes, I think I'll have to spit out all this blood and look all icky.:
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Once they were inside, Chen, Heero, Flaming Eagle, Wufei, Ierne and Duo all stopped in a deserted corridor.
Duo's eyes were fever bright as he panted. "I've never felt that kind of a rush," he said, staring directly at Chen.
Chen smiled slightly, checking the doorway every few seconds. "It should be a rush," she said in return, her voice quiet as if she was in church. "Death-energy is potent. *I* can't channel it, and neither can Flame. I'm a vidamancer, meaning I deal with life, not death. Flame is a ritualistic sociomancer."
Flame snorted and glanced at the green-eyed Orient. "Ritualist my ass. Just because I can't call up my power outside of specific rituals doesn't make me one of those hide-bound ass wipes who only believe in ritual." Her black eyes flashed as she caught Chen grinning. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you, I've seen the amount of power this twip's got called up."
Ierne growled. "If I were *either* of you, I'd shut up! I smell someone!" her long canine teeth were enough of a threat.
Wufei pulled Flaming Eagle aside. "You're a shaman, right?" he asked, his eyes looking at her through long lashes. "Then why are you involved in this?"
Flame looked at him. "Because of a promise."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Relena frowned. *I could have sworn that I ordered Une to interrogate that woman who was with Heero,* she thought, looking over the report.
"You bitch." Relena looked up to see Noin standing in front of her. "You *knew* Une would get hurt in that interrogation."
Relena looked at the bodyguard confusedly. "Whatever do you mean? I only thought that it would be *she* doing the beating, not the suspect."
Noin backhanded her. "How *dare* you! I checked with the guards. They were *ordered* to not secure the woman. Orders that came from *you*." Her good eye was nearly black with rage. "I should never have backed you in the revolution!"
Relena stood calmly. "Miss Noin, you are sorely mistaken." She smiled and hit an intercom. "HILDE!"
Hilde appeared with supernatural speed. "Mistress?" she asked, looking from her 'Queen' to the bodyguard.
Relena grinned meanly. "Miss Noin was just volunteering to help you with your experiments." She said, placing heavy inflection on the sentence.
Hilde smiled. Oh, she knew what the sadistic bitch meant. She meant that the bodyguard was to be part of her experiment, rather than an assistant. "Right this way, Miss Noin," she said, bowing graciously.
Noin's eyes narrowed. She hadn't missed the careful emphasis on the words. But, there was nothing she could do. Not until she got out of the lunatic's sight.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Duo felt like he was walking on air. He had had a ton of energy in the past--being an assassin's got a prerequisite for liking pain and death--but that was before he actually could channel the energy and never feel tired.
Chen put a hand on his shoulder. Ierne couldn't: her 'hands' might pierce his shoulder. "Calm down, little one. Form a store of that energy. You'll need it later."
Duo looked at her. She was taller than he, but he was used to it. "Do you feel like this all the time--since you're a vidamancer--with life?"
She nodded. "I've learned to not let it taint my normal emotions, however." She smiled. "I save the energy for when I need it."
Duo glanced back at the Native American woman. "And, her?"
Chen nodded again. "She gets hers from groups of people. So it's kind of like being with us is keeping her going."
Duo grinned and hugged himself. "And here I thought that calling myself Shinigami was simply a description of my profession," he said, laughing a little.
Chen smiled. "Well, that's why it's kind of ironic that you have fallen for my ward," she said, gesturing at 'Glare-boy', as Flame called him.
Duo felt his face flush.
Chen nodded, but was cut off by a hiss from Ierne. "The others--" she said, glancing up the hall.
Heero crouched on one side of the corridor, motioning Wufei to the other. *At this point, Chang and I are the only ones who are able to defend, no matter what those women say.*
/I wouldn't bet on that, Heero,/ Quatre said, his voice echoing in Heero's mind. /Trowa and I have had you six covered since you came in the corridor./
Heero jerked his head back, looking in the rafters.
Quatre grinned down and waved. Trowa lifted his hand in salute, cocking his head at the six below. Akabri glanced down at them, blood still dripping from her fangs, and nodded. Sköll glanced at them and gestured for them to be quiet.
The tall tanned blonde flipped down from the rafter, silently landing on the ground, despite her heels. "Stay quiet and move." She whispered, gesturing to the room at the very end of the hall.
As they ran, Heero noticed that Duo's face was flushed, and it hadn't been because they were running that hard.
/Great. *NOW* you get observant./ Chen's voice echoed through his mind, with a bit of a giggle in it.
Heero cocked an eyebrow at her. Trying to form his thoughts clearly, he glared at her. /And what is that supposed to mean?/
Chen smiled coyly. /That means start thinking with your heart rather than your head for once. He loves you. You love him, so damn it, show it!/
Quatre watched the Asian woman smile at the sullen soldier. *Just great,* he thought, misinterpreting the glance. *She doesn't know that he's in love with Duo.*
Akabri looked at him. /Ease off, little one. Let Chen fight her own battles./ Her gold eyes examined the hall ahead. "Move now," she whispered to the rest. "There is a room up the next stairway to the left that's uninhabited. We'll be safe up there."
As the others followed, Wufei grumbled. "Safe from what? Stupid onnas?"
Flaming Eagle latched her hand around Wufei's ponytail. "You continue on that line and I'll *drag* you the rest of the way. Understand?" her voice was steely as she tugged on his hair. "You are in on this mission, and you are going to be of some help whether you like it or not."
Wufei reached around the back to grab her, incensed.
Flame locked his wrist and flipped him adroitly. She glanced down at him, with her foot on his chest. "Do we understand each other?"
Wufei glared up at her. "Yes."
"Are you going to be *civilized* during this?" her face was serious.
He nodded slightly.
Ierne grabbed the taller woman by the back of her shirt. "Didn't you hear her? We need to keep moving, not prove who's got cast-iron balls." Her grey furred hands flexed once on the fabric, making small holes in her shirt.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Hilde looked up from her notes. "What?" she snapped, her voice hoarse from lack of sleep.
A golem bowed and held up a glass and some food. "Must break. Must eat."
Hilde sighed and put down her quill. "You may be good looking, but damn if you're dumb as a rock." She said, taking the glass and the plate of food. "Anything else?"
The golem shook her head, causing her violet-grey hair to swirl around her face prettily. "Relena-san say to come and sup with her at dinner. I go tell her yes?"
Hilde raised an eyebrow. "Fuck. Go, go, tell her I'll be there. Just make sure that she knows I'll be there when I can. I've still got some work to do on your sisters."
Confused, the violet-grey haired woman frowned.
Hilde shook her head. "Did I say it too complicated? Go to Relena and tell her that I will be there when I get there." As the golem walked away, Hilde sighed. *Well, thank god she's not a genius, or I'd *never* keep her out of Relena's bed.*
Sally poked her head in the laboratory door. "Anyone home?" she called, trying to make the most of the scarce light.
"In here, if you don't mind the entrails," Hilde called back, lighting some more candles with her thought.
Sally stepped over something that she didn't dare name. "Hilde-san, I came to see if you might help me with a text I found."
Hilde glanced up and saw a very old book in the medic's hands. "Find a seat and use it. I'll be with you in a moment." She responded tersely, writing another note in her journal.
Glancing around, Sally internally recoiled as she saw something slither off a chair. "Thanks, but I'll stand."
Hilde looked at her and shrugged. "They don't bite. Might try to suck you dry, but they don't bite."
Sally blanched. "Gee, that's comforting." She said, gingerly sitting on the edge of a stool.
Hilde looked up at the tall brunette medic. "The book?" she said gruffly, through the curtain of her black hair.
If Sally was taken aback by the coarseness of the sorceress's reply, she didn't show it. "I found this passage referring to the spirits of the dead manifesting bodies for themselves almost indefinitely. Care to explain?"
Hilde looked at the archaic script. "Goddess almighty, is this even writing?" she pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "I thought that this form of writing went out with hoop-skirts and cotillions."
Sally chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, but can you decipher it?"
Hilde looked up at her. "Yeah, I can, but it'll cost."
Sally's eyes narrowed. "You're joking. You're a fellow servant to the queen, and she requires that all service between fellow servants is free."
Hilde frowned. "You thought I meant coin?" she laughed, after seeing the look of confusion on the medic's face. "I may be good with potions, but you're the only person in this castle with the ingredients I need for a particular potion. I'll also need a lock of hair from you, Noin, Une, Relena and anyone else of importance, including high-security prisoners."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Ryu-kun: What on earth does this lady need *MY* hair for?!
Keiryn-neko: You'll see! ::evil grin::
Ryu-kun: ::growling:: Wait until the next part to see what is gonna happen, since she's not bothering to tell me diddly-squat.
Keiryn-neko: ::ruffling Ryu-kun's hair:: Aww, don't get upset--I'll make it up to you, honest! ::kisses him on the cheek:: Now, go and uncuff Wufei-kins so he can go get dinner.
Hm...Should I introduce a new character or not? Nyahhh! I will! I wanna explain something. I just want to make sure that I've got this. There *IS* one extra type of magic, one that I didn't mention. I didn't mention it because it didn't seem important. Actually, it's kind of two, really. Healing, and along with it, empathy. The reason I didn't mention it, was because it's kind of along the lines of Vidamancy. Trust me, it's gonna be important.
Disclaimers: 1x2, 2+5, 3x4, 9x11, IxC, RxRx1 (in her sick little dreams), Hx2 (in *her* sick little dreams), 6xS, YAOI, YURI, threesomes (spoilers!!) , AU, OOC, OC, magic, mayhem, the kitchen sink...^.~
/../ = conversation mentally
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
In a different area of the castle, far removed from the dampness of the dungeon, Sally Po stitched up the commander of Relena's troops. *Stupid woman. She never considers what I do down here as important,* she thought as she tied the last knot.
"Medic Po?" Noin's voice echoed through the stone passages.
Sighing, Sally exerted a bit of her gift to make sure that the stitches would come out safely. "Yeah? I'm in the back."
Noin minced her way through the casualties and stood at the brunette's back. "Would you happen to have something--a salve or lotion or something--for some bruises and residue of a beating?"
Sally turned, rubbing her hands. "Say what? Lu, you don't look like you're hurt," she said, quickly glancing at the bodyguard. [A/N: Since I can't spell Noin's first name, 'Lu' is what I call her when I'm using her first name] "You're not the one that's hurt, are you?"
Noin nodded. "Une got beat up today in an interrogation. She's in so much pain that I can't even get all of the pain out."
Sally's ringlets seemed to glow for a second. "That's right, you're a healer, too. Yeah, I've got something for bruising and worse. Give me a moment, and I'll find it." She stopped and turned around. "Make sure Zechs is alright."
Noin frowned. She knew Sally's feelings for the platinum blonde officer. *I was supposed to be her matron of honor in their wedding,* she thought.
Zechs, formerly Milliardo Peacecraft before Relena started planning on absconding with the crown, sat on a bench, his arm stitched up and his hair pulled up. Blind completely, his blue eyes gazed vacantly at the space to her left. "Noin, I know that's you. Did she tell you to make sure that I ate, or make sure that I didn't tear off the bandages?"
Noin grinned, even though he couldn't see it. "Neither. I'm here to get some liniment for Une." She patted his hand after sitting down beside him. "You alright?"
He nodded. "Some dolt of a guard ran by me at top speed with his bayonet out. Grazed my arm and ran me into a wall." Sightlessly, he turned to face her. "How did mi'lady get hurt?"
Noin sighed. "Interrogation got a bit rough." In many ways, they were alike. She had lost her eye running from soldiers when she was seventeen, and he had lost his sight by running into a burning house to try and safe his parents. He had come out unscathed, but his sight was permanently lost. Her fate, on the other hand, was rougher. After losing the sight in her dominant eye, she was forced to learn how to deal with her other senses before her sight. That meant spending two years in self-inflicted darkness. For two years, she forced herself to fine-tune her other four senses, before discovering a fifth.
Zechs sighed. "How badly?" he remembered Une--his father's staunchest supporter and confidante. She even visited him after the loss of his parents.
Sally walked back, holding two jars. "Okay, Lu, here is the salve for Une, and here is one for the scar, to make it itch less."
Noin felt her jaw drop. "How did you know?"
Sally grinned. "I saw you scratch it when I came to check that you two were okay."
*Funny,* Noin thought as she accepted the jars. *I don't even remember scratching it.*
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Akabri smiled as she hypnotized the guard. :That's right, little morsel, just look into my eyes. Open up to me. Let me ride you,: she thought, pressing her will over his.
He finally stopped struggling and tilted his head back.
:Perfect.: She sank her fangs into his neck. :You've got five minutes to get in, guys. Because, after five minutes, I think I'll have to spit out all this blood and look all icky.:
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Once they were inside, Chen, Heero, Flaming Eagle, Wufei, Ierne and Duo all stopped in a deserted corridor.
Duo's eyes were fever bright as he panted. "I've never felt that kind of a rush," he said, staring directly at Chen.
Chen smiled slightly, checking the doorway every few seconds. "It should be a rush," she said in return, her voice quiet as if she was in church. "Death-energy is potent. *I* can't channel it, and neither can Flame. I'm a vidamancer, meaning I deal with life, not death. Flame is a ritualistic sociomancer."
Flame snorted and glanced at the green-eyed Orient. "Ritualist my ass. Just because I can't call up my power outside of specific rituals doesn't make me one of those hide-bound ass wipes who only believe in ritual." Her black eyes flashed as she caught Chen grinning. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you, I've seen the amount of power this twip's got called up."
Ierne growled. "If I were *either* of you, I'd shut up! I smell someone!" her long canine teeth were enough of a threat.
Wufei pulled Flaming Eagle aside. "You're a shaman, right?" he asked, his eyes looking at her through long lashes. "Then why are you involved in this?"
Flame looked at him. "Because of a promise."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Relena frowned. *I could have sworn that I ordered Une to interrogate that woman who was with Heero,* she thought, looking over the report.
"You bitch." Relena looked up to see Noin standing in front of her. "You *knew* Une would get hurt in that interrogation."
Relena looked at the bodyguard confusedly. "Whatever do you mean? I only thought that it would be *she* doing the beating, not the suspect."
Noin backhanded her. "How *dare* you! I checked with the guards. They were *ordered* to not secure the woman. Orders that came from *you*." Her good eye was nearly black with rage. "I should never have backed you in the revolution!"
Relena stood calmly. "Miss Noin, you are sorely mistaken." She smiled and hit an intercom. "HILDE!"
Hilde appeared with supernatural speed. "Mistress?" she asked, looking from her 'Queen' to the bodyguard.
Relena grinned meanly. "Miss Noin was just volunteering to help you with your experiments." She said, placing heavy inflection on the sentence.
Hilde smiled. Oh, she knew what the sadistic bitch meant. She meant that the bodyguard was to be part of her experiment, rather than an assistant. "Right this way, Miss Noin," she said, bowing graciously.
Noin's eyes narrowed. She hadn't missed the careful emphasis on the words. But, there was nothing she could do. Not until she got out of the lunatic's sight.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Duo felt like he was walking on air. He had had a ton of energy in the past--being an assassin's got a prerequisite for liking pain and death--but that was before he actually could channel the energy and never feel tired.
Chen put a hand on his shoulder. Ierne couldn't: her 'hands' might pierce his shoulder. "Calm down, little one. Form a store of that energy. You'll need it later."
Duo looked at her. She was taller than he, but he was used to it. "Do you feel like this all the time--since you're a vidamancer--with life?"
She nodded. "I've learned to not let it taint my normal emotions, however." She smiled. "I save the energy for when I need it."
Duo glanced back at the Native American woman. "And, her?"
Chen nodded again. "She gets hers from groups of people. So it's kind of like being with us is keeping her going."
Duo grinned and hugged himself. "And here I thought that calling myself Shinigami was simply a description of my profession," he said, laughing a little.
Chen smiled. "Well, that's why it's kind of ironic that you have fallen for my ward," she said, gesturing at 'Glare-boy', as Flame called him.
Duo felt his face flush.
Chen nodded, but was cut off by a hiss from Ierne. "The others--" she said, glancing up the hall.
Heero crouched on one side of the corridor, motioning Wufei to the other. *At this point, Chang and I are the only ones who are able to defend, no matter what those women say.*
/I wouldn't bet on that, Heero,/ Quatre said, his voice echoing in Heero's mind. /Trowa and I have had you six covered since you came in the corridor./
Heero jerked his head back, looking in the rafters.
Quatre grinned down and waved. Trowa lifted his hand in salute, cocking his head at the six below. Akabri glanced down at them, blood still dripping from her fangs, and nodded. Sköll glanced at them and gestured for them to be quiet.
The tall tanned blonde flipped down from the rafter, silently landing on the ground, despite her heels. "Stay quiet and move." She whispered, gesturing to the room at the very end of the hall.
As they ran, Heero noticed that Duo's face was flushed, and it hadn't been because they were running that hard.
/Great. *NOW* you get observant./ Chen's voice echoed through his mind, with a bit of a giggle in it.
Heero cocked an eyebrow at her. Trying to form his thoughts clearly, he glared at her. /And what is that supposed to mean?/
Chen smiled coyly. /That means start thinking with your heart rather than your head for once. He loves you. You love him, so damn it, show it!/
Quatre watched the Asian woman smile at the sullen soldier. *Just great,* he thought, misinterpreting the glance. *She doesn't know that he's in love with Duo.*
Akabri looked at him. /Ease off, little one. Let Chen fight her own battles./ Her gold eyes examined the hall ahead. "Move now," she whispered to the rest. "There is a room up the next stairway to the left that's uninhabited. We'll be safe up there."
As the others followed, Wufei grumbled. "Safe from what? Stupid onnas?"
Flaming Eagle latched her hand around Wufei's ponytail. "You continue on that line and I'll *drag* you the rest of the way. Understand?" her voice was steely as she tugged on his hair. "You are in on this mission, and you are going to be of some help whether you like it or not."
Wufei reached around the back to grab her, incensed.
Flame locked his wrist and flipped him adroitly. She glanced down at him, with her foot on his chest. "Do we understand each other?"
Wufei glared up at her. "Yes."
"Are you going to be *civilized* during this?" her face was serious.
He nodded slightly.
Ierne grabbed the taller woman by the back of her shirt. "Didn't you hear her? We need to keep moving, not prove who's got cast-iron balls." Her grey furred hands flexed once on the fabric, making small holes in her shirt.
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Hilde looked up from her notes. "What?" she snapped, her voice hoarse from lack of sleep.
A golem bowed and held up a glass and some food. "Must break. Must eat."
Hilde sighed and put down her quill. "You may be good looking, but damn if you're dumb as a rock." She said, taking the glass and the plate of food. "Anything else?"
The golem shook her head, causing her violet-grey hair to swirl around her face prettily. "Relena-san say to come and sup with her at dinner. I go tell her yes?"
Hilde raised an eyebrow. "Fuck. Go, go, tell her I'll be there. Just make sure that she knows I'll be there when I can. I've still got some work to do on your sisters."
Confused, the violet-grey haired woman frowned.
Hilde shook her head. "Did I say it too complicated? Go to Relena and tell her that I will be there when I get there." As the golem walked away, Hilde sighed. *Well, thank god she's not a genius, or I'd *never* keep her out of Relena's bed.*
Sally poked her head in the laboratory door. "Anyone home?" she called, trying to make the most of the scarce light.
"In here, if you don't mind the entrails," Hilde called back, lighting some more candles with her thought.
Sally stepped over something that she didn't dare name. "Hilde-san, I came to see if you might help me with a text I found."
Hilde glanced up and saw a very old book in the medic's hands. "Find a seat and use it. I'll be with you in a moment." She responded tersely, writing another note in her journal.
Glancing around, Sally internally recoiled as she saw something slither off a chair. "Thanks, but I'll stand."
Hilde looked at her and shrugged. "They don't bite. Might try to suck you dry, but they don't bite."
Sally blanched. "Gee, that's comforting." She said, gingerly sitting on the edge of a stool.
Hilde looked up at the tall brunette medic. "The book?" she said gruffly, through the curtain of her black hair.
If Sally was taken aback by the coarseness of the sorceress's reply, she didn't show it. "I found this passage referring to the spirits of the dead manifesting bodies for themselves almost indefinitely. Care to explain?"
Hilde looked at the archaic script. "Goddess almighty, is this even writing?" she pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on. "I thought that this form of writing went out with hoop-skirts and cotillions."
Sally chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, but can you decipher it?"
Hilde looked up at her. "Yeah, I can, but it'll cost."
Sally's eyes narrowed. "You're joking. You're a fellow servant to the queen, and she requires that all service between fellow servants is free."
Hilde frowned. "You thought I meant coin?" she laughed, after seeing the look of confusion on the medic's face. "I may be good with potions, but you're the only person in this castle with the ingredients I need for a particular potion. I'll also need a lock of hair from you, Noin, Une, Relena and anyone else of importance, including high-security prisoners."
~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~^~~
Ryu-kun: What on earth does this lady need *MY* hair for?!
Keiryn-neko: You'll see! ::evil grin::
Ryu-kun: ::growling:: Wait until the next part to see what is gonna happen, since she's not bothering to tell me diddly-squat.
Keiryn-neko: ::ruffling Ryu-kun's hair:: Aww, don't get upset--I'll make it up to you, honest! ::kisses him on the cheek:: Now, go and uncuff Wufei-kins so he can go get dinner.