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If you prick us, do we not bleed? (Noelle, Private)

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If you prick us, do we not bleed? (Noelle, Private) Empty If you prick us, do we not bleed? (Noelle, Private)

Post by Dr. Quantum Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:38 pm

There had been plenty of excitement going on in Reinhard's world, and he had enjoyed sharing the stories with his protégé. The rescue of the students before their transportation out of the local sphere of influence, his conversation with the newly reformatted Dr. Metropolis. There would always be more troubles ahead, but these recent victories did something to revitalize the good Doctor, with a small exception. Bakarat's offer. When he finds his apprentice, he makes sure he has her attention before bringing up the subject that had been on his mind for bit now.

"Noelle, my dear, I had a proposition from someone recently, and I was curious what your opinion of it might be."
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Post by Noelle Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:58 am

As usual, when he came across her in the frenzy of creation it would take a moment for Noelle to look up from what she was doing and notice that she wasn't alone. Every time that happened the apprentice blushed and apologized for losing herself so completely. This time was no different. Noelle stretched and clenched her hand while casting her gaze upon her mentor. "Of course!" The young girl was curious what person could propose something to him that she might have input on.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:08 am

His metallic face smiled at her fervor. She had a drive for creativity and invention that some of his Tradition would be rather envious of. "An offer was made to me recently, to give me back a body for myself. One of flesh and bone."

He let that sink in for moment before he went into some of the pros and cons as he saw them. "On one hand, I won't have to hide myself away to the same extent. I'd be able to take a walk outside without my Camouflage Field Generator, my skin would be warm again. My sense of smell might come back as strong as it once was. But on the other hand, there's no guarantee all the inventions I've converted into this form would survive a transfer, or that this new body would accept them. And as strange as it sounds, I've gotten fairly used to this way of living."

When he looked her in the eyes, he appeared more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him. It was like an old man being offered the fountain of youth and being too nervous to put his toes in. This concept seemed to be weighing on him heavily. "I couldn't think of anyone else's opinion I'd care to hear on this but you."
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Post by Noelle Mon Sep 09, 2013 4:23 pm

Noelle's eyes widened as Reinhard spoke. Of all the things he might ask her opinion on, this was the last she would have ever considered. It surprised her which wasn't something she really knew how to handle. That and his vulnerability left the young girl somewhat helpless. While she listened, she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on what he was saying. When he finished speaking, she looked up at him with remarkably frightened eyes.

"If you're human, if you have a normal body, then you'll die right? You'll be older than me and you'll die." Noelle tried to blink back the tears that threatened at the thought. Reinhard was a forever fixture in her life and the fact that he was made of metal and not skin only reinforced that. This form was preferable to her because of how impervious it seemed. The thought of losing that brought up a slew of issues that perhaps the Doctor wasn't entirely equipped to deal with.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:21 am

"Well, I...I'm already older than you, dear. If I were still in my old body, I'd be turning ninety-nine years old pretty soon. It's still as long as I've been conscious." He wasn't very good comforting her, but he took a seat and tried to hold her till she calmed down a bit.

"He offered me a youthful form. But even in this one," He gestured down at himself, I can die. I've come close enough a few times since I built this hunk of scrap. Everything has an end, eventually. Usually."
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Post by Noelle Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:11 pm

While he might have intended to comfort her the words had an altogether different effect on her. The moment he tried to hold her she tried to jerk away. If he kept trying to keep her close, she'd hurt herself in the struggle. When she was free of him she stood up, gazing at him as if he'd betrayed her. "No! Don't lie to me! You won't die!! You can't die! Some day I'll grow older and you'll make me like you and we'll live forever."

It was a fantasy that she'd never discussed with him but he could hear in the tremor of her voice that she believed wholeheartedly in it. Denying it now could well break the poor girl.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:25 pm

He gripped her wrists as she struggled. "Now cut that out! I won't accept such outbursts in my laboratory." She continued to fight, which had the unintended side effect of scraping her arms up from the joints in his hands. He let go and looked down. It hadn't cut her deeply, but there was blood on them, regardless. He shakes his head in shame. There were times he could forget the monster he'd become. Times he was ready to fight to be considered a man. And then there were moments like this.

When he recovered his wits, possibly after a beating from the girl he'd brought harm to, Reinhard struck to side of the table. While there was some anger behind his action, it wasn't directed at Noelle. He pulled out a few sheets of paper from a hidden compartment and tossed them on the work bench. When she took the time to look, she'd see they were diagrams for building a construct. A human-looking one, not like the thing that stood in front of her, with a number of even more advanced upgrades. Reinhard 3.0. "This is my other proposal. If you calm down long enough to discuss it maturely."
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Post by Noelle Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:31 pm

Noelle struggled against him as he held onto her. A sharp cry was the first indication that he was hurting her, the blood was the next. The girl stumbled back as he let go and stood there still and terrified. All of the blood seemed to drain from her face as she looked down at her hands.

Noelle didn't fight, nor did she scream or cry or even react at all. Instead she became eerily calm. Her eyes dulled as she kept her eyes focused on her arms. "Uh huh," she murmured weakly when she realized he wanted a response from her. Tears welled in her eyes and she fought them back with more courage than she felt.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:38 pm

When she'd calmed, he laid the plans out in greater detail. He spoke as he did so, but couldn't force himself to look her in the eyes. Dabs of her blood found their way onto the pages. He tried to ignore them. "Immortality is a wonderful goal. I'm more than happy to help you achieve it. Don't listen to anyone who tells you it's selfish, or that you're undeserved. I think there's...quite a lot of good we could do together, if we had an eternity. Like you said, you still have a few years of growing to do, but that just gives us more time to plan, wouldn't you say? And if I don't get a new body, maybe we make the next best thing." There was a bitterweet hint of a smile on his face, but he still wasn't ready to face her.

Reinhard pulled some supplies from the pocket of his jacket as he approached her, not daring to look up until he was right in front of her again. "I have some bandages. Please. Let me help you?"
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Post by Noelle Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:23 pm

It was hard to tell the difference between calm and fear. The girl's body was so incredibly still and while it might appear that she was listening, inside her thoughts were racing. She was reliving the moment, the pain, the struggle in her mind. Each and every choice that she'd made that lead to that moment was examined and re-examined as she mentally beat herself up for every path she took.

The only thing that did penetrate the fog of her mind was the fact that he didn't turn to face her. It just reaffirmed her own negative self talk. It was her fault. If she hadn't been so stupid, so childish he wouldn't have had to hurt her. Noelle bit the inside of her mouth to keep the tears from falling. Blood blossomed in her mouth but she didn't seem to notice or mind. When he approached she didn't shy away, though she did tremble. Tentatively her hands outstretched but still she remained silent, not knowing what to say and not trusting herself to not cry even if she could find the words. Only silly, stupid children cried, not adults or peers.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:10 pm

Reinhard began applying a salve he'd gotten from Master Yung. Sun Cheng had told him it was a naturally occurring Charm that would heal wounds faster than they would normally. His own medical knowledge was limited, but in conjunction, her wounds should all but disappear in a day or two. He wrapped them in a thin layer of gauze, applying a bandage to keep it there. And every bit of it was his fault. But figuring out how to apologize was difficult.

"I'm sorry. I know you're not a child. Not really. It's just...everyone feels young to me, these days. You won't leave me, will you? I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with myself if I didn't have you to teach. You help me reaffirm my own memories, and give me a chance to spread my knowledge to another generation. I've never had a family of my own, Noelle. You are it. You're everything I have."
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Post by Noelle Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:58 pm

Noelle stood straight as a board in front of him as he applied that salve. It didn't hurt at all but even if it had, the young girl might not have reacted. The mage's apprentice stared at her hands as if she could barely see them. Tears welled in her eyes and from time to time flowed down her cheeks as each word he said seemed to hurt her more despite their good intentions.

Silence stretched out after he admitted how he felt. His needs were well stated and while the rational side of Noelle heard them and understood, the terrified side of her wouldn't let her respond. Eventually she managed to part her lips and answer in a very soft voice. "I wouldn't leave you." It was all she could muster. The young apprentice knew that he needed her but she was too broken to know how to easily respond. All of the emotions that they'd both been sweeping under the rug had come up in full force so that neither one of them could ignore them.
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Post by Dr. Quantum Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:58 am

Not entirely certain it's the best idea, Reinhard takes her in his arms and holds her, unsure of another course of action to soothe the traumatic hole he'd opened. "I wish I knew what to say. What to do. Something that could help you trust me again. I know I don't deserve you in my life."

If she made the attempt to struggle again, he'd let go immediately, scared to death of hurting her further. "Perhaps if we started slow, we could work on making things a little better for you. Plan out a proper diet. Start an exercise regiment? Maybe see if we could do something about your sleep schedule. I've been neglecting you. I'm kicking myself for not doing something sooner. This isn't how I wanted things to end up."
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Post by Noelle Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:11 pm

This time Noelle doesn't pull back. In fact, quite the opposite, she takes the offered arm and clings so hard that against his hard body she might well be in danger of bruising herself. The unending trickle of tears started with abandon the moment he wrapped his arms around her. Knees buckled and she found herself sagging in his arms, half needing him to hold her up as she started to sob hard against him.

While she heard his words and even began to nod in agreement, she was crying far too hard to even begin to form responses. Whatever else this moment conveyed, it was certain that he was a life line that she was intent on continuing to cling to.
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