The delicate chime of the door bell rang in the serene quiet of the Silky Doll as Jeena Malso, nee Lost Sabre, opened the door and stepped through. Nervously rubbing her hands together, she approached the attentive clerk behind the front counter.
"I have an appointment?"
"Yes, Ms. Malso, right this way!" The clerk replied cheerily, and led Jeena back to a door with a discreet 'employees only' sign. The door clicked open under the clerk's hand, and she smiled as she held it open for the lanky, sweater-clad Jeena.
Jeena closed the door gently behind her, and considered the room she was in. White walls and tile combined with the bright flourescent lighting to leave no shadows or dimness, and the high tech panelling undoubtedly bore scanners and perhaps even weaponry, pointed at the occupant. With an act of will, Jeena put aside her attempt at self distraction, and approached the door on the far side of the small room. Standing in front of it, she placed her palm on the subtle handprint etched on the surface to the right of the door, and that area of wall blinked green, as the door slid open.
Jeena walked through the inches-thick secure portal into another antechamber, this one panelled in a dark wood and festooned with potted plants, the greenery contrasting with the warm glow of the well cared-for wood. Doors along the wall were labelled with small signs denoting contents, and Jeena strode towards the one marked 'Admin'. Hesitating again as she reached the door, Jeena forced her hand up and down, in a firm knock. The lock clicked, and a voice called 'come in'.
Jeena closed the door behind her, exchanged a nod with Priss, and turned to face the seated occupant of the room, who signed the form before her, slid it into a tray, and looked up at her. Sylia had often been referred to as 'cold', mostly by people who didn't know her 'off the clock', and she looked it today. Jeena swallowed nervously, and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk as Sylia gestured to it.
"I trust you know why I asked you to come here today?" Sylia asked, her face neutral and still.
"Yes ma'am, I think I have an idea." Jeena replied, nervously rubbing her hands together.
"This isn't the first time we've recieved a complaint about one of our own, though this is the first time involving something so.. strange. Would you care to offer any input?"
"He.. I don't know, ma'am. I just find him so aggravating. And I can't avoid him, he's so -popular-" This with unmistakable acid in the tone. "I just can't get away from working with him."
"Almost sounds like you're in love with him" Priss interjected, chuckling. Lost turned to stare dumbfounded at the other Sabre, and Sylia arched an eyebrow. "OK, maybe not."
As the uncomfortable silence stretched out, Lost stared at her hands, folded in her lap, then drew a deep sigh, and raised her head to look Sylia in the eye again. "I'm just so fucking jealous, Sylia. He's got everything, and I.. well, I'm a lot better off than I was six months ago, but.. still.. " Lost trailed off again, staring back down at her hands, and it was Sylia's turn to sigh.
"Lost.. Jeena. Listen. You have, in the last six months, gotten new cybernetic arms, found a place to live, started working one of the weirdest jobs in the world, have trained and fought robots, demons, soldiers, businessmen, mages, zombies, aliens, and a giant jello blob." Priss snorted at this, and fell silent as Sylia continued. "You've had several surgeries, including some neurosurgery. You've been basically stapled back together from wreckage, Jeena."
Jeena blinked away tears and looked up at Sylia. "It doesn't make waiting any easier. I feel _good_, I feel _right_, in a way that I haven't since I showed up in Paragon." She looked down again, a blush sliding into her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "For the last month, I've been noticing boys again, and it's.. Sylia, I don't remember boys from before, I don't know what to do!" She wailed, covering her face in her hands. Sylia glanced at Priss, who had a hand covering her mouth, and was quaking with, thankfully, silent laughter.
"That's.. actually a very good sign. Especially in women, that drive is a tricky thing, and its return is a signal that you _are_ healthy again, or very close to it." Sylia fell silent, her hands steepled on the desk in front of her, her face abstracted as she concentrated. Jeena wiped her face clean with a kleenex from the desk, tossing the crumpled tissue into a wastebasket, and composed herself with an act of will, waiting patiently.
"So you've been 'noticing' boys.. just boys, then?" Sylia asked, refocussing her attention on Jeena, who nodded.
"I know that there are girls who.. are interested.. in girls, or both girls and boys, but I've never really.. been interested." Jeena shrugged. "Not my thing, I guess."
Sylia nodded, then pulled a creamy white business card out of her desk, swiftly scribbling on it. "OK, we'll handle this from the top. First, leave Terrence alone. His relationship is a good thing - and it's something him and those ladies have to work at every day. You need to apologize to him, and stop being willfully rude."
Jeena blushed again, and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I should be able to apologize today, we're both on the roster for an ITF later." She said, smiling ruefully. Sylia winked.
"Secondly, I want you to go for a full physical, and then go visit this doctor." Sylia handed the card across the desk, and Jeena took it, reading the elegant handwriting. Sylia pulled a second card out and began writing on it. "She's a gynecologist, and to be perfectly blunt, you really should make sure everything is working and safe before you become sexually active. She's also a counsellor, and I'll be calling her with the specifics of your situation. She should be able to provide you with an.. overview. Of what you can expect." Sylia handed the second card over, and Jeena's eyebrows shot up. "That's a competitor of mine, though they specialize more in.. accessories.. than fashion."
Jeena's blush intensified, the tips of her ears burning. Sylia continued without pause, as matter-of-fact as if she was discussing corn futures. "While it can't compare to an actual lover, a toy or two can be a wonderful stress relief, and I think you would benefit from some stress relief at this point." Sylia arched an eyebrow at Priss, who was again quaking with repressed laughter, biting her fist to keep from bursting into giggles.
"I... ah.. uhm. I... thank you?" Jeena stammered, her face bright red. Sylia smiled gently. "That's also a shop I have no ownership of, so your purchases and questions will be.. discreet."
Stammering and blushing, Jeena shook Sylia's hand, and nodded once at Priss as she escaped back through the door and into the City. Priss angled across the office and sprawled into the recently-vacated chair in front of Sylia's desk, legs draped languidly over the chair arm. "Sexual frusration, then?" She said, grinning.
"It's not exactly a laughing matter, even if it is funny, my dear." Sylia said, a small smile on her face. Leaning back and putting her feet up on the desk, she continued. "Sometimes I worry about her. She's got the body and hormonal balance of a mature human female, but some parts of her experience are just.. gone."
"I'd hate to see her ruin a relationship because of that." Priss said, frowning. Sylia watched one of the singer's long legs as it swung back and forth. "One of hers, or one of the Sabres"
Sylia blinked, focussing on her lover's face. "You think that her.. ignorance.. could be harmful to one of the other Sabres?"
"No, no, Sylia, I meant at the, hmmm, institutional level. One of the best things about this place is the abundance of groups like ours, and the relationships between them. It's easy to get dependant, and hard to stay completely independant." Priss said. Sylia sat back in her chair, staring at the ceiling herself as she thought on Priss' words. While noone discounted the brash singer, it was easy enough to forget that there was a fine thinking instrument behind that pretty, angry face.
"While I wouldn't call us in the least 'dependant' on The Legendary, it certainly is a.. convienient relationship. I'd hate to see it disrupted, especially for something as easily remedied as.. this."
"Mmm." Priss agreed, also staring at the ceiling contemplatively. "So, in the end, what that girl needs is a good deep d-"
"Priss!" Sylia interrupted, agahst, and the two erupted into laughter.
Edit: Moved this here from the Snippets thread
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
"I have an appointment?"
"Yes, Ms. Malso, right this way!" The clerk replied cheerily, and led Jeena back to a door with a discreet 'employees only' sign. The door clicked open under the clerk's hand, and she smiled as she held it open for the lanky, sweater-clad Jeena.
Jeena closed the door gently behind her, and considered the room she was in. White walls and tile combined with the bright flourescent lighting to leave no shadows or dimness, and the high tech panelling undoubtedly bore scanners and perhaps even weaponry, pointed at the occupant. With an act of will, Jeena put aside her attempt at self distraction, and approached the door on the far side of the small room. Standing in front of it, she placed her palm on the subtle handprint etched on the surface to the right of the door, and that area of wall blinked green, as the door slid open.
Jeena walked through the inches-thick secure portal into another antechamber, this one panelled in a dark wood and festooned with potted plants, the greenery contrasting with the warm glow of the well cared-for wood. Doors along the wall were labelled with small signs denoting contents, and Jeena strode towards the one marked 'Admin'. Hesitating again as she reached the door, Jeena forced her hand up and down, in a firm knock. The lock clicked, and a voice called 'come in'.
Jeena closed the door behind her, exchanged a nod with Priss, and turned to face the seated occupant of the room, who signed the form before her, slid it into a tray, and looked up at her. Sylia had often been referred to as 'cold', mostly by people who didn't know her 'off the clock', and she looked it today. Jeena swallowed nervously, and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk as Sylia gestured to it.
"I trust you know why I asked you to come here today?" Sylia asked, her face neutral and still.
"Yes ma'am, I think I have an idea." Jeena replied, nervously rubbing her hands together.
"This isn't the first time we've recieved a complaint about one of our own, though this is the first time involving something so.. strange. Would you care to offer any input?"
"He.. I don't know, ma'am. I just find him so aggravating. And I can't avoid him, he's so -popular-" This with unmistakable acid in the tone. "I just can't get away from working with him."
"Almost sounds like you're in love with him" Priss interjected, chuckling. Lost turned to stare dumbfounded at the other Sabre, and Sylia arched an eyebrow. "OK, maybe not."
As the uncomfortable silence stretched out, Lost stared at her hands, folded in her lap, then drew a deep sigh, and raised her head to look Sylia in the eye again. "I'm just so fucking jealous, Sylia. He's got everything, and I.. well, I'm a lot better off than I was six months ago, but.. still.. " Lost trailed off again, staring back down at her hands, and it was Sylia's turn to sigh.
"Lost.. Jeena. Listen. You have, in the last six months, gotten new cybernetic arms, found a place to live, started working one of the weirdest jobs in the world, have trained and fought robots, demons, soldiers, businessmen, mages, zombies, aliens, and a giant jello blob." Priss snorted at this, and fell silent as Sylia continued. "You've had several surgeries, including some neurosurgery. You've been basically stapled back together from wreckage, Jeena."
Jeena blinked away tears and looked up at Sylia. "It doesn't make waiting any easier. I feel _good_, I feel _right_, in a way that I haven't since I showed up in Paragon." She looked down again, a blush sliding into her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "For the last month, I've been noticing boys again, and it's.. Sylia, I don't remember boys from before, I don't know what to do!" She wailed, covering her face in her hands. Sylia glanced at Priss, who had a hand covering her mouth, and was quaking with, thankfully, silent laughter.
"That's.. actually a very good sign. Especially in women, that drive is a tricky thing, and its return is a signal that you _are_ healthy again, or very close to it." Sylia fell silent, her hands steepled on the desk in front of her, her face abstracted as she concentrated. Jeena wiped her face clean with a kleenex from the desk, tossing the crumpled tissue into a wastebasket, and composed herself with an act of will, waiting patiently.
"So you've been 'noticing' boys.. just boys, then?" Sylia asked, refocussing her attention on Jeena, who nodded.
"I know that there are girls who.. are interested.. in girls, or both girls and boys, but I've never really.. been interested." Jeena shrugged. "Not my thing, I guess."
Sylia nodded, then pulled a creamy white business card out of her desk, swiftly scribbling on it. "OK, we'll handle this from the top. First, leave Terrence alone. His relationship is a good thing - and it's something him and those ladies have to work at every day. You need to apologize to him, and stop being willfully rude."
Jeena blushed again, and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I should be able to apologize today, we're both on the roster for an ITF later." She said, smiling ruefully. Sylia winked.
"Secondly, I want you to go for a full physical, and then go visit this doctor." Sylia handed the card across the desk, and Jeena took it, reading the elegant handwriting. Sylia pulled a second card out and began writing on it. "She's a gynecologist, and to be perfectly blunt, you really should make sure everything is working and safe before you become sexually active. She's also a counsellor, and I'll be calling her with the specifics of your situation. She should be able to provide you with an.. overview. Of what you can expect." Sylia handed the second card over, and Jeena's eyebrows shot up. "That's a competitor of mine, though they specialize more in.. accessories.. than fashion."
Jeena's blush intensified, the tips of her ears burning. Sylia continued without pause, as matter-of-fact as if she was discussing corn futures. "While it can't compare to an actual lover, a toy or two can be a wonderful stress relief, and I think you would benefit from some stress relief at this point." Sylia arched an eyebrow at Priss, who was again quaking with repressed laughter, biting her fist to keep from bursting into giggles.
"I... ah.. uhm. I... thank you?" Jeena stammered, her face bright red. Sylia smiled gently. "That's also a shop I have no ownership of, so your purchases and questions will be.. discreet."
Stammering and blushing, Jeena shook Sylia's hand, and nodded once at Priss as she escaped back through the door and into the City. Priss angled across the office and sprawled into the recently-vacated chair in front of Sylia's desk, legs draped languidly over the chair arm. "Sexual frusration, then?" She said, grinning.
"It's not exactly a laughing matter, even if it is funny, my dear." Sylia said, a small smile on her face. Leaning back and putting her feet up on the desk, she continued. "Sometimes I worry about her. She's got the body and hormonal balance of a mature human female, but some parts of her experience are just.. gone."
"I'd hate to see her ruin a relationship because of that." Priss said, frowning. Sylia watched one of the singer's long legs as it swung back and forth. "One of hers, or one of the Sabres"
Sylia blinked, focussing on her lover's face. "You think that her.. ignorance.. could be harmful to one of the other Sabres?"
"No, no, Sylia, I meant at the, hmmm, institutional level. One of the best things about this place is the abundance of groups like ours, and the relationships between them. It's easy to get dependant, and hard to stay completely independant." Priss said. Sylia sat back in her chair, staring at the ceiling herself as she thought on Priss' words. While noone discounted the brash singer, it was easy enough to forget that there was a fine thinking instrument behind that pretty, angry face.
"While I wouldn't call us in the least 'dependant' on The Legendary, it certainly is a.. convienient relationship. I'd hate to see it disrupted, especially for something as easily remedied as.. this."
"Mmm." Priss agreed, also staring at the ceiling contemplatively. "So, in the end, what that girl needs is a good deep d-"
"Priss!" Sylia interrupted, agahst, and the two erupted into laughter.
Edit: Moved this here from the Snippets thread
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies