[ Fortunately, even for as big a cat fanatic as Sigma might be, plenty of creatures here have already tried to kill him enough to stop him from scritching the prowling little feline behind the ears right off the bat. And the fact that it's a freaking lion helps immeasurably... He shuffles a little uncertainly on his feet, but he doesn't back off (they can smell fear!) even when the underbrush begins to rustle some more, heralding something just a bit bigger. (... They can smell fear....!) ]
[ Fortunately all the pink makes quick work of evaporating all that definitely nonexistent fear, because boy howdy, that didn't take nearly as long as he thought it would. ]
Olivia! [ He grins broadly and—his posture instinctively shifts, subtle as a brick, left arm dropping back behind the rest of him. ] He's yours? I wasn't expecting you to have compawny... Especially of this furiety.
[ she looks quite sheepish now; it's been a couple of months since she's had saffron under her care, but it feels like it's been for far longer than that... she often forgets not everyone is aware of this new development just because of that. ]
Sigma — this is Saffron. Saffron, this is my friend, Sigma!
[ she gives the man a funny look, lips pursed around an amused smile. ]
[ And there's the cat fanatic. It's domesticated! (Probably!) Sigma drops onto his knees pretty quickly, offering up his good hand for Saffron to sniff and maybe let himself be pet by... ]
[ But he's not totally distracted. Olivia gets his attention back easily with her offhand comment; it has him mirroring her sheepish look now. She noticed right away, huh... ]
Well, I'd be lion if I said I didn't enjoy them, but I cat really help it when I talk about these guys...
[ it is most certainly a Thing, more of a Thing than olivia even imagined it would be. the way he fires them off in quick succession, one right after the other with ease, is reminiscent to her of the bards of her home world, able to spin fantastical ballads right on the spot.
she barely suppresses the little puffs of laughter each pun provokes out of her, though saffron, for all his empathy with his adoptive mother, cannot seem to feel the same sort of mirth.
at least he seems tolerable, or so he would have them believe with the little headbutt he gives sigma's palm. ]
Sigma — you didn't tell me you were a comedian! [ which is, perhaps, a bit more generous than he deserves... but she can't think of any other thing to call him.
though his query prompts a somber look on her features. she starts to sober up a little. ]
I'm... doing better. [ she gets better with the more people she finds. ] How about you?
[ That's really generous, considering he's less joking and more physically compelled by dark feline forces to pun right now (not that that means his own personal wordplay skills are any less rapidfire!), but hey if it brings her joy it's probably best to just leave it at that. ]
[ He reassembles his sheepish expression into something smoother, almost modest. Yeah, he's a kidder. ] I guess I dabble a little.
[ Then Saffron butts in and Sigma's fingers immediately seek out the back of his ear to give a good and proper scratching. As much as he'd like to get both hands in there, it probably wouldn't be the best idea... so behind his back it stays. ]
I've been worse... [ Granted he hadn't walked away from most of those instances. His smile weakens a notch. ] But I've been way better, too... You don't happen to have any, like... bandages on you or anything, do you?
[ and it's only then that she finally notices — the odd way he positions himself, arm drawn behind his back in what is certainly both unnatural and uncomfortable. normally, she would have been quick to notice such oddities in body language, but she had gotten distracted — and now she feels terrible for it. ]
Oh my gosh Sigma are you hurt?
[ she comes down to a crouch right beside him, laying a gentle hand along the arm he keeps hidden. ]
[ Ah, why is it so hard to tiptoe casually around being injured... she's always so quick to panic, it makes him want to show off the exposed metal skeleton of his wrist ten times less. He didn't even like looking at it for very long. Mentioning the fact his arms are cybernetic is fine and dandy, but having it actually out in the open like this makes it feel kind of... weirdly personal. ]
[ He winces a little as her fingers brush the blackened skin above his elbow—probably kind of hard to discern it through his tattered black uniform shirt at first glance. ]
Ye—ow, yeah, little bit. [ Taking a breath to collect himself, ] I donno if that kind of healing would even work on this, though...
[ there is an embarrassed flush on her cheeks, her hand stalling over his shirt sleeve. ]
I... can manage.
[ she seems to have been one of the few who'd been left with her powers, and while she hasn't been able to do nearly as much as she could have, before, it's still something.
it has to still be something.
she doesn't mean to be intrusive. she doesn't even know she's doing it, in all honesty, but she can sense his hesitation, his uneasiness. her fingertips touch lightly on skin beneath the sleeve, and she takes care to meet his eyes, to show him her sincerity in wanting to help, just help. ]
[ Her change in hue catches him off guard. He hadn't been questioning her ability, just her... well, ability. It seems like just about everyone has been drained to nothing, the fact that she hasn't is kind of inspiring. Hope has yet to be totally lost! ]
[ But how the hell is he supposed to say no to eyes like that... After a second, he sighs, breaking eye contact only to glance down at the arm she's carefully holding. ]
Alright, just don't wear yourself out if your healing doesn't look like it's working, okay? [ It's a long enough shot as it is. As more of an afterthought, ] ... And don't freak out either.
[ Only hesitating a moment longer, he shifts his hand out from behind his back. His sleeve is torn off just below the elbow, and from his wrist to about halfway up his forearm is almost completely stripped of flesh. Rather than bone, however, what's beneath is a construct of metal and wire shaped not entirely unlike bone, smeared with something white that looks not entirely unlike blood, if the fact that it's still beading up around the skin that's left is anything to go by. ]
[ Needless to say, he grimaces appropriately, from the sight and the movement alike. ]
[ her gasp is sharp and reflexive when she recoils, but it takes a full three seconds before her mind actually registers what her mind is seeing. she blinks a few times, and before long she realizes that the sight before her — as grotesque and strange as it is in its own right — is not the flesh and bone that her mind had automatically conjured up. gradually, eventually, her horror and nausea fades into something more curious, if a little bewildered.
slowly, her hand lowers from its placement over her mouth, from when she had worried her stomach would flip over, and gently it settles over his skin, just above his elbow. ]
Oh, Sigma...
[ she's never seen anything like it. she isn't even entirely sure what she's seeing. ]
I don't... [ she feels incredibly out of her element, entirely in over her head. ] I don't understand...
[ Of course, her reaction's exactly what he was afraid of, but he hadn't really been expecting anything else. He'd reacted even worse the first time he saw them (understandably). Nevertheless, Sigma still winces apologetically, as if she'd been dealt a physical blow by the sight. ]
Yeah it's-- [ His throat works uselessly, stalling in an attempt to come up with an explanation of some sort. Again, easy to chat about, harder when it's just all... right there, requiring context. And your friend is a little Dark Ages when it comes to this kind of thing. It conjures up a laugh in place of sense. ] --not great.
[ Turning his hand over gingerly, the metal beneath doesn't move entirely like a wrist should. Not nearly enough shifts, but the movement's smooth. At least the workings themselves don't look too banged up. ]
Well, uh... Has Riza ever said anything about automail to you? [ That's probably a stretch. ] Anyone ever mention like, robots or cyborgs? You ever... known someone who's lost a hand or a foot, so they stick something that looks like a hand or a foot in its place..?
[ Pros... thetics... He doesn't want to insult her vocabulary, but he just... keeps talking... ]
[ she tries to school her features, but olivia had never had much of a pokerface to begin with. she flinches and balks when the arm moves, quite unlike an arm should, and for someone who 1) makes it a point to be familiar with and read the bodies and body language of people around her and 2) has never come across anything quite like this before, it's more than a little jarring. ]
I've, um... [ she tries to think, but finds her mind refusing to move far past what she's seeing in front of her. ] I've.. seen wooden legs... Hooks for hands...
[ none that were ever made to look like the limb they're replacing though. the technology of her world hasn't quite yet advanced to these levels.
she flinches guiltily, wishing she could better understand what she's seeing. ]
I'm sorry, [ she whispers. ] I'm really sorry.
[ sensing his mother's distress, saffron begins to fidget uncertainly, letting out a low, concerned whine. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ah ty...
[ Fortunately all the pink makes quick work of evaporating all that definitely nonexistent fear, because boy howdy, that didn't take nearly as long as he thought it would. ]
Olivia! [ He grins broadly and—his posture instinctively shifts, subtle as a brick, left arm dropping back behind the rest of him. ] He's yours? I wasn't expecting you to have compawny... Especially of this furiety.
omfg i didn't even notice that pun until JUST NOW
[ she looks quite sheepish now; it's been a couple of months since she's had saffron under her care, but it feels like it's been for far longer than that... she often forgets not everyone is aware of this new development just because of that. ]
Sigma — this is Saffron. Saffron, this is my friend, Sigma!
[ she gives the man a funny look, lips pursed around an amused smile. ]
Who likes puns, apparently.
well strap in for more......
[ And there's the cat fanatic. It's domesticated! (Probably!) Sigma drops onto his knees pretty quickly, offering up his good hand for Saffron to sniff and maybe let himself be pet by... ]
[ But he's not totally distracted. Olivia gets his attention back easily with her offhand comment; it has him mirroring her sheepish look now. She noticed right away, huh... ]
Well, I'd be lion if I said I didn't enjoy them, but I cat really help it when I talk about these guys...
[ It's a Thing... ]
How are you holding up, though?
lord
she barely suppresses the little puffs of laughter each pun provokes out of her, though saffron, for all his empathy with his adoptive mother, cannot seem to feel the same sort of mirth.
at least he seems tolerable, or so he would have them believe with the little headbutt he gives sigma's palm. ]
Sigma — you didn't tell me you were a comedian! [ which is, perhaps, a bit more generous than he deserves... but she can't think of any other thing to call him.
though his query prompts a somber look on her features. she starts to sober up a little. ]
I'm... doing better. [ she gets better with the more people she finds. ] How about you?
no subject
[ He reassembles his sheepish expression into something smoother, almost modest. Yeah, he's a kidder. ] I guess I dabble a little.
[ Then Saffron butts in and Sigma's fingers immediately seek out the back of his ear to give a good and proper scratching. As much as he'd like to get both hands in there, it probably wouldn't be the best idea... so behind his back it stays. ]
I've been worse... [ Granted he hadn't walked away from most of those instances. His smile weakens a notch. ] But I've been way better, too... You don't happen to have any, like... bandages on you or anything, do you?
no subject
[ and it's only then that she finally notices — the odd way he positions himself, arm drawn behind his back in what is certainly both unnatural and uncomfortable. normally, she would have been quick to notice such oddities in body language, but she had gotten distracted — and now she feels terrible for it. ]
Oh my gosh Sigma are you hurt?
[ she comes down to a crouch right beside him, laying a gentle hand along the arm he keeps hidden. ]
Do you need healing? I can heal you—!
no subject
[ He winces a little as her fingers brush the blackened skin above his elbow—probably kind of hard to discern it through his tattered black uniform shirt at first glance. ]
Ye—ow, yeah, little bit. [ Taking a breath to collect himself, ] I donno if that kind of healing would even work on this, though...
[ But it's worth a shot, right? Wait... ]
Can you even do that kind of healing right now?
no subject
I... can manage.
[ she seems to have been one of the few who'd been left with her powers, and while she hasn't been able to do nearly as much as she could have, before, it's still something.
it has to still be something.
she doesn't mean to be intrusive. she doesn't even know she's doing it, in all honesty, but she can sense his hesitation, his uneasiness. her fingertips touch lightly on skin beneath the sleeve, and she takes care to meet his eyes, to show him her sincerity in wanting to help, just help. ]
Can I see...?
no subject
[ But how the hell is he supposed to say no to eyes like that... After a second, he sighs, breaking eye contact only to glance down at the arm she's carefully holding. ]
Alright, just don't wear yourself out if your healing doesn't look like it's working, okay? [ It's a long enough shot as it is. As more of an afterthought, ] ... And don't freak out either.
[ Only hesitating a moment longer, he shifts his hand out from behind his back. His sleeve is torn off just below the elbow, and from his wrist to about halfway up his forearm is almost completely stripped of flesh. Rather than bone, however, what's beneath is a construct of metal and wire shaped not entirely unlike bone, smeared with something white that looks not entirely unlike blood, if the fact that it's still beading up around the skin that's left is anything to go by. ]
[ Needless to say, he grimaces appropriately, from the sight and the movement alike. ]
no subject
slowly, her hand lowers from its placement over her mouth, from when she had worried her stomach would flip over, and gently it settles over his skin, just above his elbow. ]
Oh, Sigma...
[ she's never seen anything like it. she isn't even entirely sure what she's seeing. ]
I don't... [ she feels incredibly out of her element, entirely in over her head. ] I don't understand...
[ but she wants to. god does she want to. ]
no subject
Yeah it's-- [ His throat works uselessly, stalling in an attempt to come up with an explanation of some sort. Again, easy to chat about, harder when it's just all... right there, requiring context. And your friend is a little Dark Ages when it comes to this kind of thing. It conjures up a laugh in place of sense. ] --not great.
[ Turning his hand over gingerly, the metal beneath doesn't move entirely like a wrist should. Not nearly enough shifts, but the movement's smooth. At least the workings themselves don't look too banged up. ]
Well, uh... Has Riza ever said anything about automail to you? [ That's probably a stretch. ] Anyone ever mention like, robots or cyborgs? You ever... known someone who's lost a hand or a foot, so they stick something that looks like a hand or a foot in its place..?
[ Pros... thetics... He doesn't want to insult her vocabulary, but he just... keeps talking... ]
no subject
I've, um... [ she tries to think, but finds her mind refusing to move far past what she's seeing in front of her. ] I've.. seen wooden legs... Hooks for hands...
[ none that were ever made to look like the limb they're replacing though. the technology of her world hasn't quite yet advanced to these levels.
she flinches guiltily, wishing she could better understand what she's seeing. ]
I'm sorry, [ she whispers. ] I'm really sorry.
[ sensing his mother's distress, saffron begins to fidget uncertainly, letting out a low, concerned whine. ]