So the last couple of chapters were written over summer where I did nothing at all. What's gonna happen with college starting back up now (at the time of me writing this) is that updates will be slowerand possibly shorter.
This will come into affect basically immediately, but the next two chapters are prewritten as well and so there shouldn't be a noticeable difference.
~§~
Tanith heard Elster curse and turned to see her sitting on the side of the bed where she had taken off the gauntlet and rubbed her arm, the stump red and swollen. Fiddling with the cream bottle, Elster struggled to use it with just one hand.
She walked over and sat down cross legged on the bed next to her, grabbing the bottle.
"Thanks, just squirt it onto my-"
"Nope" Said Tanith as she pushed down Elster's outstretched hand and brought up Elster's stump which was red and swollen.
"You… you don't have too" Said Elster looking to the side vulnerably as Tanith got some cream into her hand, the white being emphasised by the black of Tanith's tattoo.
"I know" Said Tanith as she began to rub it in, feeling the surface of Elster's arm, every hair and indent of the scars that she had gained in surgery "I want too"
Elster stayed silent for a moment as she watched "can you… gentler"
"Of course" Said Tanith, slowing her rubbing and pressing less.
"Thanks" whispered Elster quietly.
"I'm happy to help Elster" Said Tanith looking up at her "you just need to ask"
Elster looked up at her for a few moments before smiling and looking back down "I know… I'm just being stupid" Tanith nodded as she continued in silence for a few moments, being sure to rub the entirety of Elster's swollen stump.
"I just…" Elster trailed off as Tanith looked up, waiting patiently "I know that it's new and that I'm still adjusting but there's still a part of me that feels like I should be able to do this on my own"
Tanith nodded "but you can do a lot of things in your own" she pointed out "you could probably take down a Beowulf right now, you could cook if you trained long enough- that's it!" Said Tanith in realisation, snapping her fingers "it's all a matter of practice"
"And you'll be there to help me" said Elster giving a small smile
"Yeah" nodded Tanith before smiling in amusement "Elster from 9 months ago would have been insisting that she was a huntress and she wasn't supposed to be held back by such trivial problems" said Tanith.
"Well, Elster of 9 months ago sounds like she needs a girlfriend and a therapist" responded Elster and Tanith snorted as she finished her rubbing and grabbed the compression garment.
"You value me too high" she said as she slipped the garment on to its fullest extent, making sure it was secure before letting go and admiring her handy work.
"I couldn't put a price on you" Said Elster as she used her remaining hand to cup Tanith's cheek.
Tanith smiled and crawled forward until she was sitting in Elster's lap, her arms coming up to wrap around Elster's neck and her hands dragging through her hair as they kissed, Elster slowly falling onto the bed as Tanith straddled her.
However Tanith had to regrettably stop Elster's hand that was beginning to wander down her body and separated herself from Elster's lips to see the frown on Elster's face "sorry Elster, but you remember what the doctors said, nothing until Sunday" she said.
Elster growled "if I remember correctly we did plenty of it while you had a bullet wound" argued Elster.
"That was a bullet wound" pointed out Tanith "You've lost a hand"
Elster huffed and frowned "I guess that's a good point" she finally said.
"I'm full of those" boasted Tanith as she lay herself down fully on top of Elster, Elster burying her face in her hair as Tanith let her head rest on Elster's chest.
"I can't wait to fill you with something else" whispered Elster and Tanith couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"Sorry sorry" she apologized quickly, trying to cover her giggling "that just sounded slightly serial killery"
"It was supposed to be seductive" pouted Elster
"Oh it was Elster" assured Tanith "I can't wait for you to follow up on it" She said winking before laying back down.
~§~
"Okay, so how do you want to do this?" Asked Tanith as she sat in the pilots chair, Elster sat in the co-pilots chair and they were facing each other. Tanith with a paint brush in hand and paint colors at her feet.
When they had been walking toward the bullhead Elster had seen an arts and crafts store, stopping outside it and looking down at her grey metal prosthetic. She had dragged Tanith in and purchased various colors and here they were, Elster looking at her hand as she tried to decide what to do.
"Paint" she finally said
"Thank you Elster" said Tanith dryly "that was generally what I was going to do"
"I dunno" shrugged Elster
"Okay then" nodded Tanith as she grabbed Elster's prosthetic and dipped the brush into the blue paint "let's keep it within your aesthetic" she said as she ran the brush along the base of her index finger, stopping at each hinge joint and continuing on the next bit of metal.
When she was done each metal plate of the index finger was covered in dark blue paint "how's that?"
Elster brought it toward her face and inspected it as she flexed the finger before nodding "yes, that's fuckin great"
"Let me do the rest of the fingers then" Said Tanith, motioning for Elster to give her back her hand.
"Wouldn't it be easier if I took it off?" Asked Elster as Tanith took her hand and began to paint the middle finger.
"Yes, But I don't want you to" Said Tanith "also it's useful to have you in control of the fingers so I can get to the harder to reach spots"
Elster simply hummed as Tanith continued with painting her fingers. When she was done she released Elster's hand and Elster looked it over, wiggling the fingers experimentally. "What do you think?" Asked Tanith.
The blue paint covered the metal plates but was interrupted at each joint between each part of the fingers.
"Amazing, can you do the hand?"
"Of course" said Tanith as Elster placed her hand back onto Tanith's and Tanith got back to work
"How did you get it so accurately sized?" Asked Elster as she looked at her prosthetic in Tanith's hands.
"I measured it while you were out of it and told Hallow" Said Tanith simply and Elster nodded but eventually looked up from the work Tanith was doing to look at her face and admire it as Tanith focused on painting her hand.
Elster found herself slowly leaning forward, closer and closer until Tanith looked up, her eyes staring curiously at Elster. Elster smiled before closing the gap, Tanith returning the kiss happily. Eventually they separated.
"I love you" said Elster
"Look down" Replied Tanith and Elster did, seeing the top of her hand. Tanith had painted a blue penis.
"I'm breaking up with you" Said Elster and Tanith threw her head back laughing.
~§~
"So we'll probably have to explain how you got this" Said Tanith as they walked toward her house.
"Simple, greater Grimm threat than expected and I was overwhelmed but was able to make it back to safety where I collapsed and woke up in hospital" Said Elster easily.
"Oh, You've really thought this through" Said Tanith surprised.
"Well you see, you always worry when we come back to your parents house" Said Elster laughing.
"Because they worry about me and so I worry about making sure that I can convince them I'm okay and your okay and that you take care of me and-" Tanith continued to ramble, so wrapped up in her ramblings that she stopped walking and Elster turned back to look at her.
Elster shook her head and walked back over, grabbing her chin and angling it up so she could silence her with a kiss.
"You worry a lot for a pilot" Said Elster smirking when they separated.
"My parents make me worry a lot" grumbled Tanith as Elster pulled her along.
"Trust me, I've noticed" Said Elster dryly as they finally stopped outside Tanith's house. They walked up to the front door and Tanith fiddled with the key while from the other side came frantic scrabbling and barking.
"Are your parents even home?" Asked Elster glancing at the empty driveway.
Tanith paused then glanced at the driveway as well before her face scrunched up in thought. "Oh, Yeah" Said Tanith slowly "Mum 'll be at school and Dad 'll be at the Onyx CCTS HQ" said Tanith as she finally opened the door and Max barked excitedly at them "yes hello" said Tanith rubbing Max's head "Hello" she cooed "can we come in?" She asked as she slowly walked forward, Max backing up as he eagerly sniffed her.
"When will they be back?" Asked Elster as she walked into the living room and dropped their bag on the floor.
"Well… Mum will come back at 4 or 5ish and Dad will be back… 8 ish" she said as she got on her knees and hugged Max "you're usually left all on your own aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are" Tanith said in a babying voice as Max wagged his tail happily.
Elster shook her head with an amused huff as she watched Tanith baby Max "if we ever do finally get a house and settle down we're are never getting a dog" she said and Tanith head snapped up with a gasp.
"Why?" Asked Tanith horrified as she hugged Max tighter.
"Because you'd never get anything done" Said Elster amused and Tanith looked confused before smirking as she stood up.
"Aw, are you feeling ignored?" Asked Tanith in the tone of voice she used when talking to Max.
"No" Said Elster pouting and looking away.
"Aw baby" said Tanith sitting beside her and wrapping her in a hug "I didn't mean to ignore you" she cooed and Elster huffed before turning and returning the hug.
"You sound ridiculous" Said Elster
"I don't care" Said Tanith "it's my dog voice"
At that moment Max decided to hop up onto the couch and sat down, pawing at Tanith thigh and she chuckled as she stopped hugging Elster "was I ignoring you?" She asked and the dog whined while wagging his tail.
"Want something to drink?" Asked Elster as she stood.
"There should be energy drinks in the fridge" Said Tanith "But you don't have to get them" she said
"Too late!" Called Elster as she strode off and entered the kitchen.
Tanith shook her head and looked at Max "she's stubborn" she said before leaning forward and rubbing the dogs face "Yes she is, yeeees"
~§~
Elster and Tanith watched TV. An activity they rarely partook in. They were currently watching a team of 'ghost hunters' walk around some sort of building with devices that blinked and beeped as they called out for the 'ghosts'
Tanith seemed more entertained picking the show apart while she watched it which Elster found more entertaining then the show. She rolled her eyes as one of the guys suddenly claimed to feel sick and had to stop to take a breather, the others gathering round him and asking if he was okay.
Then Max perked up before barking and whining as he ran to the front door, Elster hearing a car pull onto the drive.
"That'll be mother" said Tanith moving to sitting up rather then lying on Elster's side.
"Coffee or tea?" Asked Elster as she stood.
"You don't have to, I can" Said Tanith.
"Tanith" Said Elster as she leaned down and cupped her chin, pecking her lips "I can make a cup of coffee"
"Okay" nodded Tanith "and yeah, she'll want coffee"
Elster nodded and walked into the kitchen as she heard the front door open.
"Yes, hello Max" said Katrina's voice from the front door "and hello daughter of mine"
"Hey mum" Replied Tanith's voice as Elster grabbed coffee from a cupboard and grabbed a cup.
"And where's Elster?" Asked Katrina, her voice sounding worried and concerned.
"She's in the kitchen making you coffee" Said Tanith
"And why aren't you?" Asked Katrina as her voice drew closer.
"Hey, I was gonna but she forced my hand" Replied Tanith, her tome surrendering.
Then Tanith's mother stepped into the kitchen and looked Elster up and down as Elster smiled "hello" she said giving a little wave.
"Hello Elster" She replied, her eyes finally landing on the prosthetic as Tanith appeared behind her "how are you?"
"Oh you know, the usual" Said Elster "with this addition" she waved her prosthetic.
"It looks very impressive" Said Katrina before walking over "I can make the coffee" she offered.
"Eh, I'm fine" Said Elster "I can make coffee"
"If you sure" Said Katrina worriedly as behind her Tanith threw her arms up and shook her head in frustration. "But what happened?" She asked as she walked over and sat down at the kitchen table.
"That's a good question" nodded Elster as she poured hot water into the cup "it was an aid mission, we were there to simply supply the town with parts to repair their comm tower but there was a Grimm threat as well. But it wasn't stated correctly how much of a threat it was" she explained as she stirred the coffee.
"Was it bad?" Asked Katrina.
"Milk?" Asked Elster looking over her shoulder and Katrina nodded "yes, there wasn't a great variety but there were a lot of Beowulf's, more then a lone huntsmen like myself could take on"
She turned and placed the cup down in front of Katrina "so yeah, my aura broke and I was surrounded by Beowulf's with my trousers down" she said smiling slightly "barely managed to get away back to the town, they called in a hunter team after that which turned out to be some old friends from Beacon" Said Elster smiling
"That must have been nice at least" Said Katrina
"About as nice as it can get when you're off your head on medication" Said Elster chuckling.
"Yeah, it was a pretty shitty few days for me though" commented Tanith and Elster grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"It's over now" Said Elster.
"So… what's it like?" Asked Katrina staring at the hand holding her daughter's hand.
"It's… weird" Elster said "because I can control it and it feels like a real hand… but I can't feel anything through it"
Katrina nodded "and your okay?"
"Yeah" assured Elster "I'm fine, happy as can be"
"How long will you two be here then?" Asked Katrina.
"Well, tomorrow I'm heading up to Mistral for an appointment" Said Tanith
"An appointment?" Asked Katrina quickly.
"Oh… ugh yeah, it's about my condition" Said Tanith "they're gonna do some tests and ask me stuff for research and such"
"Do you want me or your father to go down with you?" She asked concerned.
"No thanks, I'll be fine. It's for the greater good" assured Tanith "and after that…" she trailed off and looked at Elster.
Elster looked to the side "I'm planning on ugh… on heading to Menagerie to try and make contact with my parents" she said.
"Elster, that's great!" Said Katrina "I'm sure they'll be so happy to see you"
Elster chuckled nervously "if only I could believe that whenever someone told me" she said.
Tanith rolled her eyes "if your parents are anything but like, evil, then I'm gonna tell them all about this" she said and Elster glared at her.
"Tanith" admonished Katrina
"Sorry" Said Tanith before shrugging "but like, they'd have to be dickheads to not be happy to see you. And if they are then you have my mum" Tanith tilted her head to the side "and she's like… okay I guess?"
"I raised such a brat" said Katrina smiling as she shook her head "I'll happily swap her for you"
Elster laughed as Tanith gasped and put a hand to her heart "I'm hurt!" she said
"You got your theatrics from your father" muttered Katrina as she took a sip of her coffee "speaking of your father, he'll be home about 9 to 10"
"Have they increased his hours?" Asked Tanith surprised
"Well with the CCTS only working within each kingdom they've been working hard to try and cope" she waved a hand "some techno babble you'd probably understand more of then me"
"Yes well, I am the smart one of this family" Said Tanith and she chuckled as her mother glared at her over her coffee cup.
~§~
"So, how many times have you been to Mistral?" Asked Tanith as they flew over various creeks and valleys that made up the city. They had departed from Onyx early that morning, having spent time with Tanith's mother and later her father when he got home.
"Oh, once or twice" Said Elster as she stared out the window "how 'bout you?"
"Hundreds" grinned Tanith as she flew toward a landing station.
"Guess you're the guide then" Said Elster.
"So much power" grinned Tanith "I could take you to the red light district and you wouldn't know it"
Elster rose an eyebrow "have you ever been to the red light district?"
Tanith smirked slightly "I hate to destroy people's imaginations, so I'll just let you keep the fantasy you've got in your head right now" She said playfully.
"Hmmm" hummed Elster, scrunching her face up mockingly in thought before nodding "Yeah, fantasy Tanith is better than real Tanith"
Elster laughed as Tanith attempted to swat her arm while the bullhead lowered to the ground and touched down with a thud. "I'll just pretend I didn't hear that" pouted Tanith as she turned the bullhead and stood up, Elster behind her as she walked into seating area.
"Aw c'mon Tanith" Said Elster, wrapping her arms around Tanith's shoulders and pulling her close "I'm sorry, real Tanith is best Tanith"
"Damn right she is" muttered Tanith.
Elster kissed her hair before releasing her "Because we have 2 hours of free time why don't we get a hotel for a night or two and then you can show me the city for a bit before we head over to the place?" Suggested Elster and Tanith nodded.
~§~
Tanith looked up at the building before her.
"That's pretty cool" Said Elster beside her, bring up her camera and snapping a picture of the glass building that seemed to wrap around the tip of the mountain it was based on, beside them the one of the many valleys that made up Mistral.
"Yeah, suppose it is" mused Tanith as she began walking up the stone steps toward the front doors.
"I mean, this is the place where they found some of the key information behind a cure for dust poisoning, it's pretty important" said Elster coming up beside her.
"You like it cause it's shiny don't you?"
"It is very shiny"
Tanith simply chuckled and shook her head as the automatic door slid open to reveal a busy lobby with people in expensive suits or simple clothes milling around in the waiting area. There were two reception desks, one was simply a normal reception while the other had the sign 'tours' over it.
Tanith walked up to the normal reception where the receptionist looked up at her.
"Hi" waved Tanith as she leaned on the desk "I'm Tanith Mort here to meet… ugh" Tanith frowned "I haven't gotten her last name but Lin?"
"Ah, another for Dr Clarke" Said the receptionist as they began typing on the computer in front of them "if you'd like to take a seat over there she'll be right with you"
Tanith nodded, the couple walking back into the large waiting room and finding seats in a section marked 'appointments'
"So, are you nervous?" Asked Elster as she wrapped her arm around Tanith shoulders.
Tanith hummed and tilted her head from side to side "slightly nervous"
"Well that's unders-"
Lin suddenly walked out a door, her eyes scanning the room before landing on them. She smiled as she walked over.
"Tanith, Elster. It's great to see you" she said smiling as Tanith and Elster stood up.
"Hi Lin, I'm sorry we couldn't make it last time but…" Tanith trailed off
"I decided I needed to go to the hospital" shrugged Elster smiling.
"Well I'm glad your okay, I'd prefer you to miss an appointment then be dead" Said Lin before gesturing for them to follow her.
"Okay, let me take you to the room with the others in it" said Lin leading them to the door she had come through "when I said I was doing research into corruption my boss was interested and asked me to explain, when he heard about it and it's symptoms and life expectancy he said he'd give me funding if this was successful to do further research" said Lin excitedly
"That's… great?" Said Tanith, unsure what to say
"It is isn't it? Now come through here, there's a lounge we're using" she said opening a door to a second waiting room. Inside were several others who looked up at them "for privacy reasons I'm afraid you'll have to wait out here Elster" said Lin indicating a spare chair.
"Alright" nodded Elster, letting go of Tanith's hand and wandering over to the chair, plopping down and after a few minutes of waiting she pulled her scroll out.
Meanwhile Tanith and Lin continued through to a blue carpeted space with several leather chairs set up in a circle and Tanith looked around the circle of 4 other people as she and Lin took seats.
"Okay, now we're all here let me explain the purpose of this little meeting. The purpose of this is just so we can agree on definite symptoms for corruption as a whole, though I understand you all have different types, but hopefully you can talk about your experiences with others who would understand" said Lin "you don't have to reveal anything you don't want to" she emphasized by looking each member in the eye "understood?"
They all nodded "okay, we'll go round and give names, ages and what type and how long you've had corruption" said Lin before looking at a man to her right to start.
He was slouched in his chair, bags under his hazel eyes with messy greasy black hair and dark clothing, his left arm from what Tanith could see of it was covered in some sort of dark hair "Solomon Gunnery, I'm 34 and have had arm corruption for a month"
Lin nodded and looked at the person to Solomon's right. They were a short woman with blonde hair and purple eyes, they were clearly nervous through Tanith's sense and the way she nervously jittered her leg, the long skirt she was wearing bouncing up and down "Jill Green, 18 and I've had leg corruption for 3 months" she said quietly
Next was a large man with a wolfish grin and large mouse ears on his head, he looked at them with aqua eyes as he leaned forward "Fred Daggery, 21, I've had leg corruption for nearly a year" he said.
Next to him was a woman with red hair and yellow eyes, a pretty smile on her lips "Jean Cooper, 45, and I've had chest corruption for a year"
Finally it was Tanith's turn as she took a deep breath, feeling the anxiety in her stomach. "Tanith Mort, 24 and I've had head corruption for 6 months" she said
"Okay, now that we've all established that, can you each explain typical symptoms? So we're all on the same page?" Asked Lin
Everyone remained silent, clearly slightly uncomfortable until Tanith sat forward "I often experience pain in my scars and occasionally hallucinate visually and auditory illusions, though mainly visually. My veins and arteries around my scars occasionally glow and I've even reached the point where I've been attracted to people's emotions" she said before falling silent as the others looked at her.
Then Fred shifted "I have hair growth on my legs, not normal human hair but more like Grimm" he said and Jill nodded
"I have that too" she said quietly
"Same" said Solomon, letting his arm raise up lazily before falling back onto his lap.
"I experience aches and pains for no reason, sometimes I just lose control of the limb" said Fred, Jill and Solomon voicing their agreements.
"Sometimes I feel things on my leg that aren't there" said Jill
"Veins and capillaries glow red sometimes" said Solomon, looking at Tanith
Jean smiled and leaned forward "I experience pains in my chest and back, I have the fur like growth on my back and I too feel things that aren't there, sometimes my heart beat goes out of sync or my breathing picks up for no reason"
Lin nodded as she scribbled notes like she was trying to set fire to the notepad "I understand that recent reports have said that people with corruption can feel others emotions, can any of you?" Asked Lin looking up
Jill kicked her feet and tipped her head from side to side "occasionally a flicker" she said and Fred nodded.
"If I focus enough I can feel, but I usually have to try quite hard" said Jean and Solomon nodded in agreement as Tanith shifted slightly as the groups eyes fell on her.
"I… I can feel everyone's negative emotions" she said quietly "I can let it loose and just feel everyone's around me, or I can focus on someone and use them as an anchor, like my girlfriend" she said, slightly uncomfortable as everyone stared at her.
"Can you give us an example?" Asked Lin "if you're comfortable"
Tanith sighed but nodded "Jill at the moment is feeling very anxious, which has now been joined by fear while Jean is feeling suspicious" said Tanith, the members of the group staring wide eyes at her.
Lin blinked before going back to furiously scribbling notes "fascinating, is there a range?"
"Yeah, I don't know what yet but if my girlfriend goes far away enough I lose the anchor on her and I quickly anchor to someone else" said Tanith "right now she's feeling bored and slightly anxious"
Lin nodded as she took notes "this is all extremely helpful" she said before turning to Fred, Jill and Solomon "you said you lose control of your limbs?" She asked and they finally tore their eyes from Tanith and nodded "can you describe in more detail please?"
"My leg will go limp" said Fred "then it begins to move in its own, usually it kicks and jerks violently"
"Mine just jitters up and down" said Jill, pointing at her leg which was currently jittering up and down.
"My arm goes numb and usually swipes and claws randomly" said Solomon.
Lin nodded as she jotted down another note before turning to Jean "Jean, can you describe the chest pain?"
Jean gave a nod of her head "Yes, its commonly less internal and more like something sharp is pressing in my chest from the outside, though when it is internal I sometimes feel as if something is crawling around in my chest" she explained and Tanith couldn't help but shiver, the others joining her with similar reactions.
Lin however stayed professional and nodded as she jotted her notes, however when she finished she paused and frowned before realization spread across her face and she looked up embarrassed "I totally forgot to ask" she said "would you like to state how you got your corruption, I understand if you don't want to share what might be… painful memories" she said.
Jill shrunk down slightly, her eyes going distant and Tanith felt her regret. Then Fred coughed into his hand.
"It's not too exciting" he said shrugging "was working at a construction site when a small Beowulf managed to sneak in past the hunter defenses and nicked me" he grinned "I made it regret that choice"
Solomon shifted in his seat "was walking along in the park with my boyfriend when suddenly a baby nevermore swooped down and clawed my arm"
Tanith leant back "I crashed my bullhead and after a brief chase I was clawed by a Beowulf" she shrugged.
"Ha, a Beowulf pounced on me and it's claws just broke the skin of my back before a nearby huntsmen was able to shove it off" Said Jean
Jill's eyes darted around but she didn't speak up, if Lin noticed she didn't comment on it as she went right into the next question and Jill loosened up.
"Not really a question about corruption but have any of you faced prejudice because of it?" Asked Lin.
There was silence before Jill finally spoke up "when my friends found out… some of them stopped talking to me and some called me names" she rubbed her arm "rumors spread about me and…" she trailed off "but some of my friends supported me" she shrugged with a small smile.
"Sounds like you had some bad friends" commented Jean and Jill smiled wider.
"Yeah" she nodded quietly, Lin making quiet notes as she looked at Jean.
"Men usually stop talking to me when they find out" Said Jean crossing her arms and legs "and I've had some business partners who've pulled out of deals because of it" she shrugged "but honestly, they're not worth my time"
"No one says anything to my face" Said Fred "but I hear plenty said behind my back" he wiggled his ears "and I want to retaliate, but then you see the news about a faunus being killed for this, that and the other and I think of my wife whose 7 months pregnant" he smiled "so I just walk away. But leg corruption counts as a leg disability which made it hard to find work"
"I've gotten into a few fights over it" shrugged Solomon "family cut off all communication with me which is actually a bit more of a relief than anything"
"They cut off contact with you? Why?" Asked Lin curious.
"Well they weren't fans of me anyway, I didn't conform to their little religion" he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers "What was it?... ah! The church of light"
"Ah" nodded Lin scribbling notes and Tanith straightened up slightly.
"Well" Said Tanith slowly "there was this one guy that told me I was 'corrupted by the demons of this land', his words, not mine" she said with a smile, the group giving sounds of amusement "and there was a moment with this group from the battle of Beacon. But ugh, the more serious prejudice that I've faced in my opinion is the fact that head corruption counts as a mental illness, which I guess makes sense" she said shrugging "but because of that I can't get a job with anyone because no one want to hire a mentally ill pilot with the expected life span of a year"
"You've only got a year to live?" Asked Jill seemingly horrified.
"What? Oh, no no" assured Tanith "no, you all take pills right?" She asked and the group nodded "and we do that to stop it spreading and to suppress the symptoms. Well ya see, my corruption has already gotten where it wanted to go" she said pointing to her head and Lin's eyes widened before she began taking more notes "so other people with head corruption die within a year because they just forget to take their pills"
"Are you subtly reminding us to take our medication?" Asked Jean, the corner of her lip quirking up.
"Not intentionally" Said Tanith with a smile. She shook her head "anyway, because it counts as a mental illness it means I can't buy weapons and ammo" she put her hands up "I understand the reason why that's a law and it makes sense, but I work with a huntress and I already own several guns and a bullhead I can't buy ammo for" she leant back in her chair "but yeah, that's about it"
The group went on for another hour and a half before Lin said they'd take a break, opening the door to the waiting room and inviting the people outside in to let the group loosen up. The people all came in and walked to their person, Elster making a b line for her with a smile.
"Hey" Said Tanith.
"How have you been?" Asked Elster as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"It's been alright so far, definitely nice to talk about it to people who understand and know" said Tanith
"I imagine so" Said Elster, her eyes going over everyone else in the room.
Solomon was talking to a blonde haired man with light blue eyes, his clothes a much brighter and vibrant counterpart to Solomon's black, Tanith assumed it was his boyfriend due to the way they clasped hands.
Jill seemed much more relaxed and open as she chatted with three others, clearly all her family given their resemblance to her.
Fred was talking with a woman with blue hair and red eyes, she had a short scaly tail that hung behind her but what drew Tanith attention was the bump on the woman's stomach, clearly several months pregnant.
Jean was sat back and relaxed as she texted someone on her scroll, a smile on her lips.
"And how are you?" Asked Elster quietly, leaning down slightly.
"I'm okay Elster, no incidents" she assured.
"Alright" nodded Elster before straightening up and looking around "not that many" she said
"Yeah well that comes from having a condition with a high mortality rate" commented Tanith
"Hey, I'm not gonna let that happen to you" reassured Elster.
"I know you won't" smiled Tanith
"So" said Lin wandering over to them "I've noticed a… new addition" she commented, nodding toward Elster's hand.
"Oh this thing, definitely a new addition" nodded Elster as she lifted the prosthetic.
"How was the surgery?" Asked Lin, Tanith feeling her sympathy.
"Horrible" Said Elster "I would put it on par with losing the hand but like, 10 times worse"
Lin nodded with a sigh "for all our breakthroughs there are some things we just can't overcome" she paused before tilting her head to the side "unless you're Atlas, they've showcased a new prosthetic that doesn't require surgery"
"Really?" Asked Tanith curious "how does that work"
"They haven't specified, because god forbid the rest of the world got a hold of better medical equipment and practices" said Lin, her tone mocking "from what I can guess it has a gauntlet similar to yours" she said nodding at Elster's hand "but it can link up with the body without surgery"
"Sounds like something I wish I had" grumbled Elster
"But look on the bright side" Said Lin "you actually have a working limb, so who cares if theirs is fancier and more advanced, probably costs a literal arm and a leg"
"My medical costs were covered by the person who set up the mission" said Elster "bit of compensation"
"I'm glad to hear it" smiled Lin before looking around "I think this is going well" she said, before glancing over at Tanith as if seeking confirmation.
"Yeah" agreed Tanith nodding "it's nice to meet others and just talk"
"I'm glad" smiled Lin.
"Where did you even find these people?" Asked Elster.
"Well, it was difficult" said Lin "ended up just asking around, both colleagues here and online across Mistral"
"Well you did good" Said Tanith "managed to round up every type of corruption"
"Mmm, I was quite fortunate" agreed Lin before sighing "though I would've like to get some more faunus candidates, make the group a bit more diverse"
"Take it from me Lin" said Elster "I genuinely don't give a shit about diversity, I treat it like 'who has the best qualification?' The human? Hire them! The faunus? Hire them!" Elster shrugged "plus your doing an investigation into a deadly condition which is extremely rare so like, it doesn't matter, as long as they have the condition then their qualified"
Lin blinked "I see the logic in that" she said nodding as her eyes turned back to the group "I'll give you guys a couple more minutes then we'll move onto the next section" Said Lin, smiling before walking over to walking over to Jean and starting a conversation with her.
"I get the feeling that I'm going to be explaining my hand to a lot of people" said Elster quietly
"Well it is quite the conversation point" Said Tanith with a smile.
"I suppose" sighed Elster
They talked amongst themselves while watching Lin walk around the group and talking to each of them, before turning to the group as a whole.
"It's usually better if we get our own results rather then from other sources" explained Lin "so we'll be performing procedures similar to what you went through when you were being diagnosed"
"Though hopefully with less trauma?" Asked Solomon with a smile and Lin nodded
"Hopefully" She agreed "and between that I'll ask you to come into my office so we can talk privately" she looked down "we'll do the interviews and the tests simultaneously and between different tests you can stay here with your families"
She grabbed her scroll and typed on it for a few moments before looking up "Solomon, you'll be first and we'll go in the circles order" she said indicating her office as another door opened and several people in lab coats walked in "and from that, Tanith, if you go for the tests first and we'll go in reverse order for the tests"
"Alright" said Tanith nodding, Elster giving her shoulder a little squeeze before she was walking forward.
"So you're Miss Mort right?" Asked one of the doctors as they walked into a laboratory with lots of white sterilized equipment.
"Yes, but just Tanith will do" Said Tanith nodding.
"And you have the head corruption, correct?" Asked another
"That's me"
"Okay, If you would like to sit here" a woman indicated a chair "we're gonna take a few blood tests"
Tanith nodded and sat down, doing as instructed as they took a sample from her arm and neck. They lead her then to an MRI and she was scanned several times, the doctors murmuring among themselves and taking notes. What happened next was they kept her in the scanner and showed her images and they just asked her to look at them to see how her brain responded.
After twenty minutes of various images they moved on to a sight test, taking images of her eyes exposed to light shined directly into them. Meanwhile they had brought Jean into the room and were doing tests on her at the same time due to all the tests they wanted to do to Tanith taking longer than expected.
It was an hour and a half later when she was finally done, her tests having taken so long that Jill was having tests done to her while Jean was interviewed.
She walked out slightly annoyed but put on a smile at Elster as she walked back up to her.
"That took forever" she said as she let herself hug Elster
"I was beginning to worry" Said Elster as she hugged her back.
"Well short of cutting my head open I think they performed every head and brain test imaginable" muttered Tanith
"Hey, it's all for a good reason" assured Elster and Tanith huffed but nodded as they separated.
"I suppose" she murmured, Elster quickly catching and holding her hand as she let it fall.
"It'll be done with soon" Said Elster with a smile and Tanith nodded before looks over as Jean walked out of Lin's office and Lin stuck her head out.
"Ah! Tanith, your finally done" she said smiling "let's get started then you can go and rest"
Tanith nodded tiredly and began to turn, Elster quickly catching her and pecking her on the cheek. Tanith smiled, not caring if others saw as she walked over to Lin's office and shut the door behind her.
"Phoof!" Breathed Lin as she sat down and drank some water "been a long day hasn't it?"
"Yes, I was rather thinking that around the ten minute mark while I was in that MRI" Said Tanith dryly.
"I'm sorry" Said Lin sympathetic
"Don't be, this is all for a good reason" assured Tanith before sighing "but ugh! So much effort for the greater good" she said and Lin chuckled
"Yes, there is" she agreed before coughing and making herself comfortable "I'll start now" she said and Tanith nodded, sitting up while Lin turned on a recorder "so far I've asked everyone to describe their condition in detail, especially the stages" Said Lin as she got her pen and notepad ready.
Tanith nodded and opened her mouth. She explained in detail her experiences with hallucinations and described her ability to sense others negative emotions. She talked about the pain in her scars and the red glow her circulatory system did around them if she didn't take her pills. She explained her experiences with stage two and how it had felt to be attracted to others negative emotions.
The talk lasted quarter of an hour before she was finally done, when she was she frowned as she realised something. She was anchored on Elster at the moment and she could sense Elster's agitation at something, she wasn't sure when it had started. "Fascinating" commented Lin when she was done furiously scribbling notes, Tanith hiding her expression and nodding "I'd done my research but… hearing all these descriptions first hand" she shook her head.
"Anything to help" Said Tanith stretching in her chair and eager to go to Elster to see what was wrong.
"This is so helpful" nodded Lin before looking up "is their anything you'd like to talk about that you didn't in the group session?"
Tanith was about to respond with 'no' until she realised that there was one thing, but she hadn't told anyone except Elster and Dr Crox about it. She chewed her cheek. On the one hand it sounded crazy and ridiculous, but on the other this was a meeting set up to help and try and find a cure and this seemed like pertinent information.
"There's something, but you can't tell Lucia" Said Tanith "I don't know what my family would do if they found out"
"I swear I'll ask for your permission before I publish any findings with the information your about to tell me" Said Lin and Tanith nodded before sitting back against her chair.
"I was at the battle of beacon" said Tanith "and I developed PTSD from it, which my family does know about" Lin frowned and nodded, continuing to take notes "but what they don't is that ugh… it's… it's sort of mixed with my corruption" Lin looked up, her eyes wide in curiosity as she listened "what I'm about to say… it's going to sound crazy" huffed Tanith shaking her head
"Please, go on" said Lin encouragingly
"Okay, so it mixed and… a day or so later, I began to see dead bodies where there weren't any and I'd get flashes… hallucinations and such… then I was talking to myself, as in a literal hallucination of myself who was nice initially" said Tanith, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting to see it.
"Initially?" Asked Lin curious her note taking paused
"Yeah, when my girlfriend pointed it out to me, that I was talking to myself, I was shocked cause I didn't even realize" Tanith took a deep breath "about a day later when I next saw it, it was nasty, telling me Elster only stayed out of pity and that she didn't really love me, telling me I should jump off the hotel balcony" Tanith took a deep breath "it sucks"
"You keep calling it 'it'" said Lin, concern on her face mixed with curiosity.
"My therapist told me to not give the hallucination any identity otherwise it would gain more power. And as stupid as that sounds, it's worked for the most part" shrugged Tanith.
"Can you give me an example of something it's done to try and provoke a reaction?" Asked Lin.
"Well ugh… there was this one time at a friends house" Said Tanith "I had been trying to ignore it at that point because I didn't have a therapist but I did" Tanith then went on to explain the short interaction she had with it at the Xiao Long house.
"It said that, and then it didn't get worse?" Asked Lin
"From what I can tell" shrugged Tanith, frowning as Elster continue to feel agitated and nervous.
"Hmm" hummed Lin before making another note "I'm sure we'll find something in the tests that might help explain that" she said.
"Uh-huh" Said Tanith distracted.
"Well I suppose they're all anxious to go home" said Lin standing up, Tanith practically shooting up and opening the door. She quickly walked over to Elster who was slightly pale and quickly grabbed her hand, feeling the slightest hint of sweat "Well folks, this was excellent, but I'm sure you would like to go home now. If I need you I'll text asking for an appointment or you can text me for one, take care!" Announced Lin as everyone moved toward the exit.
As they walked through the building back toward the lobby Tanith looked up at Elster who was now pale and sweating, Tanith still sensing Elster's agitation and nervousness.
"Elster, are you okay?" She asked concerned
Elster didn't respond at first causing Tanith to repeat the question with an attention grabbing tug on her arm "Elster, are you okay?"
Elster swallowed and tried to smile but ended up looking more like a grimace "wha- yeah, yeah I'm fine"
"Elster" said Tanith warningly "I'm going to ignore the fact you just tried to lie to me"
Elster set her jaw before finally answering "my arm hurts a small amount"
Tanith scoffed "yeah, a 'small amount' I'm sure" she said.
"Please Tanith, it's nothing" insisted Elster
"Okay then" said Tanith, already scheming.
~§~
When they entered the hotel Tanith grabbed Elster and pulled her over to an armchair, forcing her into it.
"Tanith wha-" Elster was cut of.
"Give me your prosthetic" said Tanith, holding her hand out.
Elster stared at her for several seconds before slowly handing over her hand and placing it in Tanith's. Tanith's hands wrapped around it and gently tugged, the metal folded up into the gauntlet and Elster closed her eyes in relief.
"Did that feel good?" Asked Tanith and Elster nodded.
"Yeah" she admitted.
Tanith nodded before pointing a finger at Elster "don't move"
"Tanith, you don't have to-" Elster tried to stand but was stopped as Tanith again shoved her back into the chair.
"Don't move Elster, or I will tie you to the chair" threatened Tanith and Elster huffed before resting her head onto her fist.
"How would you tie me?" Asked Elster raising an eyebrow.
"Well we still have that special rope don't we?" Said Tanith with a smirk and a glint in her eye as Elster blushed slightly before also smirking,
"And you would know that it holds pretty well wouldn't you?" Elster replied and this time Tanith blushed before walking out of her line of sight. Elster waited a few minutes, hearing her do various things before walking back with two things in her hand. A towel and an ice pack.
"Okay, this" she lifted the towel "is a hot, wet towel and this" she lifted the ice pack "is an ice pack"
"Okay" said Elster slowly
"Which one would you like?" Asked Tanith
Elster looked between them "the towel?" She said
Tanith nodded and placed the ice pack on the coffee table before kneeling down next to Elster's left and gently guiding her stump to rest on the arm "what are you…" Elster grit her teeth and inhaled sharply as Tanith wrapped her stump in the towel and pain got worse "no no, take it off!" She said breathless and Tanith quickly wrenched the towel off.
"Okay" said Tanith slowly "nothing hot and wet, probably should've put some thought into that" she said as she grabbed the ice pack "how about this?" She asked as she placed that on Elster's arm and Elster let out a slow breath as the pain faded significantly "How does that feel?" Asked Tanith
"Feels better" Elster finally said
"Is there still pain?" Asked Tanith
"Yeah but it's so much better" Said Elster, her hand stretching out and grabbing Tanith's "just sit with me" she said, lightly tugging on Tanith's arm.
Tanith scrunched her mouth to the side before giving into Elster and letting herself be pulled into Elster's lap, she let her head rest on Elster's right collarbone and her legs curl in her lap. Elster wrapped an arm around her and let her head fall back against the chair, closing her hair "You know what Elster?" Asked Tanith, Elster humming in response "you are annoyingly stubborn sometimes"
Elster snorted and brought her head back up, resting her chin in Tanith's hair "I suppose I am"
"I think your still trying to live up to that invincible huntsmen ideal" Said Tanith
"Huntsmen never die?" Said Elster and Tanith shook her head with a grin.
"I'm surprised because I know you've never even played the game that's from" Said Tanith before poking Elster in the chest "I think your still trying to impress me"
"Am I now?" Asked Elster
"Yeah" Said Tanith accusingly "trying to impress me and make me think your an invincible huntress, but" Tanith leaned in "I know what you really are"
"Oh?" Said Elster curious "and what's that?"
"A stubborn bird" said Tanith and Elster again snorted "but also my girlfriend" she said, lifting her head and guiding Elster's face by her chin to look her in the eye "my girlfriend who shouldn't need to lie to me" Said Tanith in a hurt tone.
Elster looked at her before looking to the side as Tanith felt the guilt in her "I know" Said Elster finally "I just didn't want to stress you"
"I'm pretty sure you have a good gauge on when you are stressing me" Said Tanith
"Well yeah but like, this was something you wanted to do and you had arranged and everything and I was worried you'd blame and stress yourself because of it" explained Elster.
Tanith nodded before letting her head fall back into Elster's collarbone "I wouldn't of stressed out" pouted Tanith and Elster laughed
"ha ha, sure Tanith" laughed Elster as she let her chin rest in Tanith's hair
"I'd be concerned and worried but I wouldn't of stressed out" pouted Tanith.
Elster laughed through her nose and held her tighter. "How's your arm?" Asked Tanith, Elster looking over to her stump as she lifted it, pleasantly surprised to feel the pain now just a dull throb rather than the sharp biting pain it had been.
"It's much better" she said, as the ice pack fell to the floor and her eyes trailed to the scars that covered it from the surgery "you did great"
"I'm glad" Said Tanith smirking, looking up to see Elster still staring at her stump. She frowned before reaching over and gently grabbing the stump before pulling it over to her "Elster" she said as she wrapped the stump around her "like you love to tell me, you're still beautiful"
"I mean, you're covered in scars, big and little" said Tanith "but I don't mind them, if anything they add to your appearance"
"Stop using my arguments against me" mumbled Elster.
"I don't mind it" said Tanith "please Elster, you can touch me with it without my permission, you don't have to be anxious about not wearing your prosthetic"
Elster nodded before hesitantly raising the stump up and letting it run across Tanith's cheek, Tanith smiling up at her encouragingly before it suddenly turned devious.
"Ya know" she purred as she shifted so she was straddling Elster, letting her body lean back and putting distance between them "there's something we haven't done in a few weeks"she said suggestively as she ground her hips "and today is Sunday, so I suppose even I can bend the rules a bit"
"Has it been that long?" Asked Elster as she moved her arms toward Tanith's hips.
"Ah Ah Ah" tutted Tanith, grabbing her arms and forcing them back to the chair's arms "you're not taking charge this time, this time" she leaned forward, letting her breath brush against Elster's lips "this time I'm in charge" she breathed.
Even though Elster's eyes stared at her lustfully she let out a chuckle "you usually try to start that way but then you end up being the bottom"
"Not this time" Said Tanith as she let her hands trail down Elster's chest.
"oh I see" Elster said, her breathing becoming slightly heavier "take advantage of a disabled person"
Tanith smirked "are you complaining?" She asked as she let her hands slide under Elster's shirt and back up her chest.
"If I'm complaining then that means your doing a bad job as top" Said Elster smirking.
"Hmm, I'm sure I could make a gag to silence those complaints" she threatened.
"You've had power for a minute and you've already gone mad with it" Said Elster
"Shut up and help me take your shirt off" pouted Tanith, sliding the shirt up but getting stopped at Elster's arms.
"You told me not to move my arms" shot back Elster.
Tanith growled "god I'm gonna make you fucking scream"
The corner of Elster's lip quirked up and she raised an eyebrow "there we go" she said raising her arms and clumsily pulling her shirt off with Tanith's assistance "slightly serial killer but-" Elster was cut off as Tanith kissed her.
~§~
Tanith glanced over at Elster who was clearly deep in thought, her expression pensive as they sat in the bullhead cockpit. Elster had been okay and her usual self last night, but since she had woken up this morning she had been quiet, only talking when spoken too. Tanith could sense the anxiety and nervousness inside her along with the small hint of fear.
"Elster" Said Tanith gently, reaching out and taking her hand. Elster jumped at the contact and turned to Tanith with nervous smile before giving up on that and her expression returning to pensive "talk to me"
Elster took a deep breath "I'm just… nervous" she finally said "because, I don't know how they're gonna react to…" she looked down at herself then up at Tanith, squeezing her hand "any of this, to me. What if they want nothing to do with me? What if they hate me and-"
"Woah Woah Woah" Said Tanith, her other hand coming forward and also holding Elster's hand "you're massively overthinking this" she said "why would they hate you? From what you've told me they sound like loving parents, why would they hate you?"
Elster remained silent for a few moments "Well… I haven't done anything to try and contact them or… I've been a terrible daughter and an even worse sister, I don't even know what my brother looks like Tanith!" She said sadly before closing her eyes "I should have been there for him growing up, for them having to raise a child while thinking they've lost another one and…" she trailed off before making a disgusted noise and buried her head in her hands.
Tanith bit her lip before an idea came to her "Wait here a moment" she said as she got up and went into the back, grabbing one of their bags and rifling through it before pulling out the photo album. She opened it and flicked through its pages before finding the photo she wanted and pulling it out.
She closed the photos album and walked back up the the cockpit, Elster still with her head in her hands. She sat down and waited for Elster to finally look up at her before shoving the photo of Elster into Elster's face "look at you then" she said "no offense Elster but you do not look healthy in this picture… like at all"
Elster looked at her dryly "thank you Tanith" she said sarcastically.
"You were not healthy, physically maybe but I mean…" Tanith trailed off and simply indicated the pale photograph of Elster "you were not healthy mentally, this is not what your brother would've wanted to remember of his sister while growing up, this was you at your lowest and worst, but this" she slapped the photo lightly on Elster's face "this is not you anymore" she put the photo aside and leaned forward, cupping Elster's face "you're amazing and funny and caring and they will be beyond happy to have you back" she pecked Elster on the lips before sitting back in her seat and tuning to the controls.
"Now, next stop Menagerie" Said Tanith a she powered up the bullhead, but she paused before grabbing the joystick "unless… you don't want to anymore?" she asked looking at Elster.
Elster stared out the window. She ran through what Tanith had said to her as she thought of Menagerie, she hadn't seen her parents or friends in so long and she hadn't even met her brother, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to see them all again.
"Let's go" She said, giving a nod.
Tanith gave her an encouraging smile and the bullhead lifted into the air.