milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

oom: Link contains mention of torture.

Sonya quickly slammed the door shut, her back and head screaming in pain as she'd used her full weight to shut it.

The sounds of horses and smell of hay is all around her and for a moment she can't believe she's here once more.. They've done things to her mind before, made her think she was freed, back home, then the illusion would break.

It may've been a few days in milliways time, but Sonya was hardly the same woman she'd been since that time: haggard, warn, thin, her BDUs filthy, torn and hanging off of her. Her posture tensed and her eyes kept looking around, waiting for a trick to be pulled or the illusion to break. This had to be a trick..Milliways wouldn't just appear in Outworld now?

She felt dizzy, tired, her body aching all over. Her wrists are chained together, chafed and bleeding skin evidence that she's been cuffed for a long while. The place is so warm and familiar that part of her would love to just sleep right with the horses, but she's been tricked before and she wouldn't let her guard down now.

Slowly, Sonya straightened herself up, her body braced for an attack she's almost sure is coming.

ooc: Thread will contain mentions of torture and violence. plot locked for Javert, and eventually Guppy, but feel free to have your pup notice Javert taking Sonya to the clinic.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Javert has spent the full morning the the stables, seeing to the young horse of Teja's people. It has been a while since he spent any meaningful time with him.

He is just closing up the stall, and tidying the tack box when he hears the door and...chains? It is not normal, so he comes out to investigate.

'...mademoiselle?'

He puts his brushes down, eyes travelling over the state of her, her torn clothes, the blood, the chained wrists. When he walks over it is slowly so as not to alarm her unduly, because he is not sure she knows where she is.

'Mademoiselle Blade, who has done this?'

A closer look would show a shadow of the woman he usually met in the bar: dirty, thin and her face having aged a good few years.

She hears his voice, her eyes darting over to him. She knew him..but how'd she know he wasn't just part of the trick.

Think...The shadow priests could get into her mind, but they couldn't replicate other memories..she had to think. Easier said then done though, all she could think of was back..there..

"You.." Her voice is quiet, ignoring his question. "Bar gave you something..a modern invention you were fascinated by..what was it?"

The toaster, she could recall his fascination with that. How he made so much toast but didn't care to eat any of it-Tsung could replicate people and visions, but he couldn't replicate memories of them.

He is rather taken aback by this. But given the condition of her, it can be excused.

'Bar has lent me many things,' he says, stopping about three feet away.

'If you are talking of the toaster, that was given to me by Ganymede.'

Just so that things are correct.

Her lips almost move into a smile, almost, because she can't remember the last time she smiled in relief, looking at him with recognition. He's Javert, she knows that now-not some illusion or shape shifter, but Javert. She recalls him as blunt, humorless, lacking in empathy, but he's human..he's a friend.

What was more, she was in milliways: this wasn't some dream or illusion.

Taking a step forward, she reaches out and takes him in a tight embrace (or as much as the chains would allow), her grip tight on his clothes. He smells like the stables, the woods-he smells of Earthrealm. She's fully aware of her own smell: she's been in a dungeon for what had felt like weeks.

Even if he were to try and pull away, she would find herself unable to fully let go-the past few weeks finally catching up to her.

...he is even more taken aback by this. Javert has never been hugged in his life. His eyes go wide, and he finds he has no idea how to respond. He cannot possibly hug her back; to start with, he does not know how and to end with, it is most improper.

He clears his throat carefully, hands at his sides. The only reason he does not pull back is because he fears she may fall if he does, and that would not be polite of him. The smell does not bother him in the least.

'Mademoiselle, who did this?'

If it is someone in the bar, Security must be informed at once.

To her credit, she does pull back, but only at arm's length, her hands still gripping his shirt.

She heard his question, but she's not sure how to answer. Her eyes close as she forces back what she just experienced: how does she answer..there's no straight answer.

"Shang Tsung." She tries to keep her voice normal, but her voice cracks, worn out from the extremes of either screaming or forcing herself to remain quiet. "He did this..the Shadow priests.."

That was in Outworld, not here..she was safe here.

These do not sound like Milliways people. It would be known around the place if there were shadowy priests locking people up and making them look like this.

He does not take her hands from his shirt, but does touch the chains locking them together, looking to see if there is any hope of loosening them. But then he glances at her face, and decides it might have to wait.

'I can saw these off possibly, or pick them open. But mademoiselle, I think you should go to the infirmary first. You look dreadful, and are obviously injured. I will take you. Can you walk?'

"Give me a piece of metal, I can pick them myself." At the moment, running was more important. "I ran...waited till I could see a way out and ran."

She was almost laughing, pride inspite of her captor's attempts to shut her down.

His remark didn't phase her. She knew she looked bad, but she didn't know it was that obvious: she just knew that she was tired. "Clinic first, yes. I can sleep there."

She hadn't been allowed a full nights sleep since her arrival into outworld.

'Yes,' he says, patiently.

'But can you walk? If you need assistance, say so.'

He has metal in his pocket from the forge in Paris, but she needs to see a doctor. If her mind is addled from whatever has happened, he will take matters into his own hands; until it is clear, he will give her a choice.

"I can walk." It comes out as almost forced. Adrenaline's a life line to her at the moment, fueling whatever energy she has left.

The clinic's not far from here, she could make herself walk that length. She tells herself her body's been through worse, she could move for ten more minutes.

He looks at her doubtfully, but he can hardly insist she is not all right at all.

'Very well.'

The doubt will probably be obvious in his tone.

'Walk next to me then, in case you fall.'

She gives him a quick nod, the pain not allowing for anything more, before walking next to him.

Walking is good, breathing better. She feels as though she's at the last lag of a race and to stop moving now would mean she'd never run again. Every step is forced and deliberate: pain and pride not allowing her to stumble.

There are people inside the bar, of course there are, but she doesn't seem them, doesn't acknowledge them. There were larger crowds in the Colosseum, jeering, questioning and cheering when each lash at her back.

They weren't there, she wasn't there. They could put her body through hell and she'd never let them see her react. The Special Forces trained her better then that.

ooc: after Javert's next tag, it'll be Guppy's turn to tag? Then it'll go Sonya-Javert-Guppy until Javer leaves?

He is silent as they move, but is fully aware of her at all times. He may be obtuse and lacking in empathy but he has always lent aid to those who deserve it, and Sonya is a good person. He makes sure there is no one in her path as they walk.

'Here. Sit,' he says, as they reach the infirmary. When she is seated, he pulls a sliver of metal from his pocket that has been there from the forge in Paris, and starts picking the locks of the chains. It does not take long, despite being a skill he has not utilised in many, many years.

And when they are gone, he goes in search of a doctor. He does hope it will not be Sandhu, but such things are not to be.

'Monsieur l'docteur?' he says, rather stiffly.

They are not the best of friends, after all.

'Mademoiselle Blade is in need of attention.'

[OOC: Cool!]

Guppy, who is in the office, gets up and nods.

"What happened?" he asks. Not stiffly, because someone has to be professional around here and the easiest way to avoid Javert's moods appears to be pretending he isn't doing it.

The room's so clean and sterile that Sonya's even more aware of her state. While Tsung did order her a bath once and while, the fact remained that she was forced to live in a cell that saw more then a fair share of dead bodies and straw, and had to wear the same clothes for the same amount of time.

When Javert goes about removing the manicles, there's only a slight twitch of her mouth when the metal shifts against skin that's been rubbed raw, but it gives way to relief when the damned things were off. They fell to the ground with a heavy cling, showing skin that'd been rubbed raw and bloodied from the constant restraints.

The urge to rub her wrists was strong, wanting to relieve some of the soreness there, but she forced herself to hold onto the edge of the table instead. Her hands were filthy and while Outworld wanted her alive, the risk of infection was still too obvious.

Sonya watched him leave to find the doctor, still wary that this might all be a trick.

'I have no idea.'

He sounds rather surprised anyone would ask him that question. Surely the patient should answer it?

'She arrived in the stables in chains, talking of shadow priests and looking suspiciously at me. She has clearly been held prisoner for some time, though I do not know why.'

"Thanks Javert."

Guppy comes through and leans on the edge of the bed next to Sonya.

"Hey Sonya, how are you doing? Where are you hurt?"

She felt the corner of her mouth twist up. "About as well as I probably look." Which, if the side mirrors were anything to go by-she looked and felt like hell.

"Just at my arms and back." One thing the shadow priests were good at-torture with no sign of injury. "I'm just really, really tired, and sore all over."

Her skin would've felt cold and dry, clear signs of dehydration and having lost too much weight.

Javert hovers near the office door, glancing towards the exit. He feels he should probably leave at this point - there is bound to be some kind of examination, and he certainly does not want to be here for it. But it also seems a little rude to simply leave, so he waits a little longer.

And at this point, adds, 'she was not sure where she was. Her mind was addled.'

Because this is possibly relevant to medical treatment.

Guppy nods to Javert, then looks back at Sonya.

"I'm going to help you get cleaned up, okay? And then we'll get you some fluids going, and something to eat gentle on your stomach. Perhaps Monsieur Javert could get you some nightclothes or something from the bar?"

Up until now, Sonya was relieved to get herself looked at. While the Outworlders were careful to make sure she didn't catch something serious, she still felt like a mess.

Then Guppy mentioned changing and her hands immediately went to the straps of her tank top, her body all but curling in on itself and revealing more of the state of her back. She was well aware that her clothes were beyond repair and ready for the trashcan, but mentally...she found herself back in Outworld, struggling to keep and remember her time in the military.

She had her dog tags, they couldn't take those-she had her tags.

Her hands didn't remove themselves from her shoulders, but she slowly nodded in agreement. This was just a uniform: as soon as she got home, she could get a new one-clothes could be replaced.

Nightclothes? Women's nightclothes? His face contorts in horror, but then reason kicks in; she clearly cannot go herself, and the doctor is occupied.

So he says 'indeed,' and walks out to the bar to face this horror head on.

In the end, it is not so bad. He just mutters the words quietly, and Bar provides a bag which contains, he presumes, whatever she might need. He is certainly not going to look inside and check.

In the infirmary, he puts it quietly by her bed and clears his throat.

'If that will be all, I will leave you to recover.'

Guppy gets things to help her get cleaned up, making sure she's comfortable with him doing so before he approaches any part of her body that's injured. Then he gets the IV set up.

It would normally be entertaining to see Javert's face, but in this case it was a tactful way to avoid him just having to stand there and stare.

"Thanks Javert."

Turning back to Sonya. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asks gently. "Can I get you a cup of tea?"

Sonya waits before Javert's gone before removing her tanktop, more or less turned to rags anyway. Her sports bra was seeing the same damage, but she was past caring at this point.

She sees him getting the iv ready, wondering if she was that bad off.

"Tes, yes..but..I can't talk about it. Not now."

"Okay. The offer stands later, if you need it." Guppy says gently.

"The waitrats can bring you any food or drink that you need after this." he adds, bringing her the tea.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only