04-11-2009, 03:38 PM
For the first time in a very long time, Sophia found herself alone.
And again, she took Kaden’s cue to go change. The selection at the clothing store in the abandoned mall left a little something to be desired, and anything that didn’t look like it came from the 70’s, or at least looked decent, had small tears and holes in them that made the priestess apprehensive to wear them. Such was the case of the pink skirt that she had chosen for herself to replace her old one—it had a slight tear up the seam that made her blush. Actually, she had no idea what was keeping the thing together in the first place. She considered herself lucky that it didn’t fall apart in the presence of the male courier—she would never, ever live that one down.
She breathed a small sigh as she slid on the last article of clothing. It was an odd change of pace to be sure—to be slashed and hacked at all in lieu of a self-destructing mall, then suddenly…nothing. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder as she left the changing area; just a glance behind to see if there wasn’t one of Kai’s lackeys lying in wait. She had done this several times throughout the game, and usually there wasn’t anybody there. But if, by a stroke of chance, one were to be there…Sophia smirked at the thought—he would be sorry. Closing the door behind her, she spotted someone that she never thought she would see again.
“Sage!” she called out, hoping to stop the blue-haired before she walked out the door. However, it didn’t seem as though she heard her—at least Sophia hoped that to be the case. She walked past the counter a bit as the store clerk disappeared into the depths of the back room, leaving a child there unattended. Sophia failed to even notice him for a bit as he pulled open the drawer and started fumbling around the items within. The priestess chose the exact moment when the boy pulled out a revolver and started playing around with it to look. The blood rushed out of her face as she reached out quickly to stop the child.
“No! Stop!” Sophia was lucky that she even got those words out in her haste. However, the child had already tightened his squeeze on the trigger. Sophia bumped the gun lightly as she reached out, and the barrel miraculously—no, Sophia no longer believed in miracles—luckily was moved to his shoulder. The bullet spun out and hit the poor boy, blood splattering on the counter and the wall behind him. The healer jumped over the counter as the boy started wailing in pain. She looked around for something to cover the wound with; she snapped her fingers lightly as she spotted one of the towels folded neatly on a shelf. Tearing it in strips, she covered the bullet wound and put pressure on it, trying her best to zone out his piercing screams.
The clerk ran out and shrieked in horror. “You shot him!”
Sophia looked up at her incredulously. “Are you kidding? You left a gun in an unlocked drawer in a room with a child in it. You practically asked for him to shoot himself.”
She started to panic. The priestess had healed larger wounds, even recently, but using her power too freely meant trouble if her allies were to depend on it later on. Could she risk weakening herself to heal the boy? Kaden assured her that he could “recharge” her whenever she needed it, but it was a possibility that he wouldn’t be around forever. She needed to display some sense of discipline. However, the boy’s screaming—accompanied by the clerk’s constant sobbing—swayed her into placing a hand on the child’s shoulder.
“You’ll just have to be brave for me, okay?” she smiled at him warmly, her hand glowing a dull green the wound began to heal. “Shh. You’ll be alright.”
The wound shrunk into a small scar in a short amount of time. Sophia probably could have done more to make that disappear, too, but that would be wasteful. The wound no longer posed any threat to his livelihood, and although it still probably stung, most of the pain had likely vanished based on the child’s change in mood. Sophia sighed and sat down from her kneeling position and rested against the back of the counter.
“Oh, thank you! Thank God!” the clerk’s sobbing grew worse, though the feelings behind them changed.
“Heh…” Sophia’s relieved smile disappeared. “Well, hopefully you realize the danger of—…” she stopped talking immediately upon seeing the boy grab the gun again. “You have to be kidding me!”
The clerk gasped and snatched the weapon away, smacking the boy in the back of the head with her other hand. She opened the drawer, practically threw it in there—Sophia suddenly realized where the boy got his stupidity with weapons from—and locked it swiftly. Grabbing the child by the wrist, she led him to the back room and pushed him inside. Before she followed, she turned around to look at Sophia.
“Do you work at a temple somewhere?” she asked hesitantly.
“How…how did you know?” Sophia raised an eyebrow.
“You’re wearing a cross, for one thing,” she pointed at the necklace that the priestess wore, prompting her to hide in under her shirt. “And…I don’t know. I’ve always heard of those God-fearing people healing people in the name of their savior.”
“I…I did. Once, before I came…here,” Sophia explained. “Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I have no savior, no higher calling,” the healer turned to the door and opened it, taking a step out before saying one more thing behind her shoulder. “You make your own luck, miss. I would keep that drawer locked from now on.”
She closed the door before the lady had a chance to respond. Turning around, Sophia surveyed the town. Sage had probably already trekked to the restaurant, where Kaden had offered to meet them for a peaceful meal. As she started her walk to the building herself, Sophia could only hope that it would remain that way.
And again, she took Kaden’s cue to go change. The selection at the clothing store in the abandoned mall left a little something to be desired, and anything that didn’t look like it came from the 70’s, or at least looked decent, had small tears and holes in them that made the priestess apprehensive to wear them. Such was the case of the pink skirt that she had chosen for herself to replace her old one—it had a slight tear up the seam that made her blush. Actually, she had no idea what was keeping the thing together in the first place. She considered herself lucky that it didn’t fall apart in the presence of the male courier—she would never, ever live that one down.
She breathed a small sigh as she slid on the last article of clothing. It was an odd change of pace to be sure—to be slashed and hacked at all in lieu of a self-destructing mall, then suddenly…nothing. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder as she left the changing area; just a glance behind to see if there wasn’t one of Kai’s lackeys lying in wait. She had done this several times throughout the game, and usually there wasn’t anybody there. But if, by a stroke of chance, one were to be there…Sophia smirked at the thought—he would be sorry. Closing the door behind her, she spotted someone that she never thought she would see again.
“Sage!” she called out, hoping to stop the blue-haired before she walked out the door. However, it didn’t seem as though she heard her—at least Sophia hoped that to be the case. She walked past the counter a bit as the store clerk disappeared into the depths of the back room, leaving a child there unattended. Sophia failed to even notice him for a bit as he pulled open the drawer and started fumbling around the items within. The priestess chose the exact moment when the boy pulled out a revolver and started playing around with it to look. The blood rushed out of her face as she reached out quickly to stop the child.
“No! Stop!” Sophia was lucky that she even got those words out in her haste. However, the child had already tightened his squeeze on the trigger. Sophia bumped the gun lightly as she reached out, and the barrel miraculously—no, Sophia no longer believed in miracles—luckily was moved to his shoulder. The bullet spun out and hit the poor boy, blood splattering on the counter and the wall behind him. The healer jumped over the counter as the boy started wailing in pain. She looked around for something to cover the wound with; she snapped her fingers lightly as she spotted one of the towels folded neatly on a shelf. Tearing it in strips, she covered the bullet wound and put pressure on it, trying her best to zone out his piercing screams.
The clerk ran out and shrieked in horror. “You shot him!”
Sophia looked up at her incredulously. “Are you kidding? You left a gun in an unlocked drawer in a room with a child in it. You practically asked for him to shoot himself.”
She started to panic. The priestess had healed larger wounds, even recently, but using her power too freely meant trouble if her allies were to depend on it later on. Could she risk weakening herself to heal the boy? Kaden assured her that he could “recharge” her whenever she needed it, but it was a possibility that he wouldn’t be around forever. She needed to display some sense of discipline. However, the boy’s screaming—accompanied by the clerk’s constant sobbing—swayed her into placing a hand on the child’s shoulder.
“You’ll just have to be brave for me, okay?” she smiled at him warmly, her hand glowing a dull green the wound began to heal. “Shh. You’ll be alright.”
The wound shrunk into a small scar in a short amount of time. Sophia probably could have done more to make that disappear, too, but that would be wasteful. The wound no longer posed any threat to his livelihood, and although it still probably stung, most of the pain had likely vanished based on the child’s change in mood. Sophia sighed and sat down from her kneeling position and rested against the back of the counter.
“Oh, thank you! Thank God!” the clerk’s sobbing grew worse, though the feelings behind them changed.
“Heh…” Sophia’s relieved smile disappeared. “Well, hopefully you realize the danger of—…” she stopped talking immediately upon seeing the boy grab the gun again. “You have to be kidding me!”
The clerk gasped and snatched the weapon away, smacking the boy in the back of the head with her other hand. She opened the drawer, practically threw it in there—Sophia suddenly realized where the boy got his stupidity with weapons from—and locked it swiftly. Grabbing the child by the wrist, she led him to the back room and pushed him inside. Before she followed, she turned around to look at Sophia.
“Do you work at a temple somewhere?” she asked hesitantly.
“How…how did you know?” Sophia raised an eyebrow.
“You’re wearing a cross, for one thing,” she pointed at the necklace that the priestess wore, prompting her to hide in under her shirt. “And…I don’t know. I’ve always heard of those God-fearing people healing people in the name of their savior.”
“I…I did. Once, before I came…here,” Sophia explained. “Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I have no savior, no higher calling,” the healer turned to the door and opened it, taking a step out before saying one more thing behind her shoulder. “You make your own luck, miss. I would keep that drawer locked from now on.”
She closed the door before the lady had a chance to respond. Turning around, Sophia surveyed the town. Sage had probably already trekked to the restaurant, where Kaden had offered to meet them for a peaceful meal. As she started her walk to the building herself, Sophia could only hope that it would remain that way.