Negate had passed the hall to go to the cells and Piccolo grunted. "What
did that old man mean, 'scrub-down day'?" Negate slowed and leaned
imperceptibly into Piccolo's side, breathing deeply.
"They hose everyone down like cattle. It kills whatever germs and disease may be spreading around the cellmates." Negate tenderly touched her swollen lip and grimaced at the spurt of blood that oozed from the laceration.
Piccolo stopped suddenly, and Negate nearly fell over. "But why would you need help with that?"
"For god's sake I can barely walk!" Negate walked clumsily to the nearest wall and leaned there. "You'll probably have to hold me up." She smiled sheepishly and a deep blush bit at her cheeks.
Piccolo frowned. _ They hose everyone down like cattle._ Piccolo nodded, it was probably like being hosed with a pressure washer. Hell a stiff breeze in the hall could knock her down. "Fine." Negate nodded and they walked meticulously down the hall where spurts of steam blew from under a door jam. Piccolo heard a man holler 'Next!.Turn!' and the sounds of a pressure hose blasting for several seconds before he started again.
Negate walked into a small stall and sat heavily on the bleached stool. Fumbling with a button on her cuff she finally grunted and bit it off in frustration. Piccolo entered behind her and she motioned for him to close the curtain. The space smelled of sweat and urine and was covered in a fine layer of grime. She smiled at his curled nose, "We're the last block to get hosed. Nearly a thousand people have been moved through this space today." Negate struggled to pull her arm through the sleeve and Piccolo watched for a moment in shock of what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" Piccolo's mouth hung agape and Negate looked at a spot in the floor like it was some new species of dirt. He knew perfectly well what she was doing.
"You can't get deloused with your clothes on." Her voice was small and that same dark blush colored her face to the roots of her hair. She struggled a moment trying to pull the shirt off of her head and finally sat still with a grunt. "I need some help." Piccolo averted his eyes and grasped the bottom of her shirt, tugging it gently over her head. Negate hissed in pain but muttered a small thanks anyway. She struggled a moment with her pants but managed to remove them without needing any aid.
Negate covered her breasts with her arm and tried in vain to pull the end of the bandage the wrapped her ribs. She growled in frustration before sitting down on the stool and sighing. "Could you." but Piccolo had already moved behind her and began hastily unwrapping the gauze but slowed when she held her breath and he began to see the deep bruising and tears of flesh it had covered. When he had finished, Negate held out her hand and took the clean tissue from him. "If you'd help me rewrap after this I'd love you forever." Piccolo dared look at her face but she was smiling warmly and Piccolo nodded.
They waited in silence, Piccolo standing and Negate sitting uncomfortably, trying her best to cover herself with her arms. Finally, Negate cleared her throat and motioned at Piccolo. Piccolo frowned. "What?"
"Well, you have to get hosed too." Negate trailed off and watched a bead of dew roll down the dirty wall.
"WHAT?!" Piccolo shook his head and backed up until his back touched the curtain behind him. Negate shrugged. Piccolo clenched his eyes shut and began speaking in Namekien as he undid the sash at his waist and hastily pulled off his clothing. Negate said nothing, only stood and walked to the curtain, pulling it open and walking to the small room outside of the main room. The smell of cleaner and sweat commingling. The light on the door was red and the two stood facing away from each other. Negate watched him from the corner of her eye, taking in what had been buried under folds of violet. She had been right about his alien beauty, his bone structure alone would make a nun beg with want, but the rest that stood beside her made her think that small countries would gladly surrender themselves only to glimpse the beauty.
Piccolo shifted, he knew she was looking at him and he tried his damndest not to let it get to him or to snap at her but he felt the violet blush in his face and the bubble of annoyance build in his stomach. Thankfully the light had flashed green and Negate grasped the handle and gave it a hard jerk. Steam swallowed them up and the feeling of nakedness left them as they wandered into the room barely able to see their hands in front of their own faces. A booming voice told them to stop and Negate faced toward the voice, finding it harder to breath in the steam and took great gasps of air. She could hear Piccolo close by, most likely behind her, but she thought not. They would have made him move.
She heard the click of the machine as it sprang on and the hot burst of water nearly knocked her off of her feet. A strong hand closed on her shoulder and held her up. Even though it was quick and vicious, the blow of the water melted away all the grime and sweat of the two weeks. Even though her body ached the feeling of being clean made her feel invigorated, like she could take on the system and break it with her own two hands. The Voice told them to turn and she nearly fell on the slippery floor but Piccolo caught her in one strong arm slick with soapy water.
They left the room through another door, fresh clothes were laid out on the bench and Negate grasped them up and dressed hurriedly. Piccolo scoffed at his clothes and materialized a fresh set for himself. Negate paused in pulling on her pants and looked at him in shock but shook her head and pulled them the over her hips and buttoned them. Negate led them back to the cell and noticed that someone had cleaned the mess that had been left that morning. Negate sat on the bed and pulled at her shirt, letting a fistful of gauze lay on the mattress. Piccolo helped again, laying the clean shirt beside her and wrapped the bruises gently. Negate tugged her shirt over the cloth and lay carefully on the mattress.
"You want the bed?" Piccolo shook his head and sat again. She smiled at him, reaching carefully out to rest her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. For everything." Piccolo grunted and nodded his head.
"Get some rest, you have a lot of healing to do."
Negate sighed and rolled onto her good side facing the wall, this time Piccolo didn't have to strain to hear her. "Good night, beautiful."
"They hose everyone down like cattle. It kills whatever germs and disease may be spreading around the cellmates." Negate tenderly touched her swollen lip and grimaced at the spurt of blood that oozed from the laceration.
Piccolo stopped suddenly, and Negate nearly fell over. "But why would you need help with that?"
"For god's sake I can barely walk!" Negate walked clumsily to the nearest wall and leaned there. "You'll probably have to hold me up." She smiled sheepishly and a deep blush bit at her cheeks.
Piccolo frowned. _ They hose everyone down like cattle._ Piccolo nodded, it was probably like being hosed with a pressure washer. Hell a stiff breeze in the hall could knock her down. "Fine." Negate nodded and they walked meticulously down the hall where spurts of steam blew from under a door jam. Piccolo heard a man holler 'Next!.Turn!' and the sounds of a pressure hose blasting for several seconds before he started again.
Negate walked into a small stall and sat heavily on the bleached stool. Fumbling with a button on her cuff she finally grunted and bit it off in frustration. Piccolo entered behind her and she motioned for him to close the curtain. The space smelled of sweat and urine and was covered in a fine layer of grime. She smiled at his curled nose, "We're the last block to get hosed. Nearly a thousand people have been moved through this space today." Negate struggled to pull her arm through the sleeve and Piccolo watched for a moment in shock of what she was doing.
"What are you doing?" Piccolo's mouth hung agape and Negate looked at a spot in the floor like it was some new species of dirt. He knew perfectly well what she was doing.
"You can't get deloused with your clothes on." Her voice was small and that same dark blush colored her face to the roots of her hair. She struggled a moment trying to pull the shirt off of her head and finally sat still with a grunt. "I need some help." Piccolo averted his eyes and grasped the bottom of her shirt, tugging it gently over her head. Negate hissed in pain but muttered a small thanks anyway. She struggled a moment with her pants but managed to remove them without needing any aid.
Negate covered her breasts with her arm and tried in vain to pull the end of the bandage the wrapped her ribs. She growled in frustration before sitting down on the stool and sighing. "Could you." but Piccolo had already moved behind her and began hastily unwrapping the gauze but slowed when she held her breath and he began to see the deep bruising and tears of flesh it had covered. When he had finished, Negate held out her hand and took the clean tissue from him. "If you'd help me rewrap after this I'd love you forever." Piccolo dared look at her face but she was smiling warmly and Piccolo nodded.
They waited in silence, Piccolo standing and Negate sitting uncomfortably, trying her best to cover herself with her arms. Finally, Negate cleared her throat and motioned at Piccolo. Piccolo frowned. "What?"
"Well, you have to get hosed too." Negate trailed off and watched a bead of dew roll down the dirty wall.
"WHAT?!" Piccolo shook his head and backed up until his back touched the curtain behind him. Negate shrugged. Piccolo clenched his eyes shut and began speaking in Namekien as he undid the sash at his waist and hastily pulled off his clothing. Negate said nothing, only stood and walked to the curtain, pulling it open and walking to the small room outside of the main room. The smell of cleaner and sweat commingling. The light on the door was red and the two stood facing away from each other. Negate watched him from the corner of her eye, taking in what had been buried under folds of violet. She had been right about his alien beauty, his bone structure alone would make a nun beg with want, but the rest that stood beside her made her think that small countries would gladly surrender themselves only to glimpse the beauty.
Piccolo shifted, he knew she was looking at him and he tried his damndest not to let it get to him or to snap at her but he felt the violet blush in his face and the bubble of annoyance build in his stomach. Thankfully the light had flashed green and Negate grasped the handle and gave it a hard jerk. Steam swallowed them up and the feeling of nakedness left them as they wandered into the room barely able to see their hands in front of their own faces. A booming voice told them to stop and Negate faced toward the voice, finding it harder to breath in the steam and took great gasps of air. She could hear Piccolo close by, most likely behind her, but she thought not. They would have made him move.
She heard the click of the machine as it sprang on and the hot burst of water nearly knocked her off of her feet. A strong hand closed on her shoulder and held her up. Even though it was quick and vicious, the blow of the water melted away all the grime and sweat of the two weeks. Even though her body ached the feeling of being clean made her feel invigorated, like she could take on the system and break it with her own two hands. The Voice told them to turn and she nearly fell on the slippery floor but Piccolo caught her in one strong arm slick with soapy water.
They left the room through another door, fresh clothes were laid out on the bench and Negate grasped them up and dressed hurriedly. Piccolo scoffed at his clothes and materialized a fresh set for himself. Negate paused in pulling on her pants and looked at him in shock but shook her head and pulled them the over her hips and buttoned them. Negate led them back to the cell and noticed that someone had cleaned the mess that had been left that morning. Negate sat on the bed and pulled at her shirt, letting a fistful of gauze lay on the mattress. Piccolo helped again, laying the clean shirt beside her and wrapped the bruises gently. Negate tugged her shirt over the cloth and lay carefully on the mattress.
"You want the bed?" Piccolo shook his head and sat again. She smiled at him, reaching carefully out to rest her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. For everything." Piccolo grunted and nodded his head.
"Get some rest, you have a lot of healing to do."
Negate sighed and rolled onto her good side facing the wall, this time Piccolo didn't have to strain to hear her. "Good night, beautiful."
