Eye of the Fox [Private]

[Pearl Essence]

“Hmm?” With an inquisitive hum, she turned her head slightly to look at him and found him out of view without craning her neck. Something in his voice told her that maybe it was better for him that he was on the side where she was currently blind. The last thing he'd want is for her to look at him with something resembling pity in her gaze. He wasn't someone to be viewed with pity anyway. There was a truth in his statements that she knew as fact. How many times had she messaged him after her own training so they could hang out for him to be studying, or training himself? It was one of the reasons she was willing to be on a team with him. Being her friend alone wouldn't have been enough. Being willing to share the danger of his semblance wasn't enough.

“Oh, Felix. I-” Her voice was quiet and soft, stopping only so she didn't speak thoughtlessly. It was instinct that made her reach out to place a hand on his shoulder. It was stranger to her to reach out to touch someone else, even if he'd held her in a moment of grief, than the realization that she was reaching slightly higher than her own head to do so. “I don't- It wasn't always such a simple thing for me to shake off a loss. To focus on what I could learn from it. My first loss...” Was it appropriate to share something so personal? Would it even help him? What was causing him to suffer wasn't just that he'd lost, but the fact that he was lost on what to do next. It was a feeling she remembered all too well as she'd stumbled and staggered her way home, broken from a fight she couldn't imagine winning. “Felix, can I tell you a story?”

[Felix Satou]

"I know it isn't supposed to be easy," Felix said quietly. Nothing about Beacon ever was, but shouldn't something that he put this much effort into get easier over time? "But it keeps being hard and frustrating and..." And what was it about this that was making him so upset? His performances when working with his sister were nothing short of immaculate. The pair worked together as if they were two parts of the same whole. His flashy, attention grabbing performances and displays of dust aptitude provided enough cover for Telu, or anyone else he was working with to fight unhindered by the waves of flame, lightning, and whatever other dust seemed appropriate while their Grimm opponents were harried to the extreme. Studying was a piece of cake. Academics had never been a weak point of his. Every assignment was returned with full marks. Any feedback was easily absorbed and applied to future pieces. Even sparring practice never went as badly as the sparring itself!

"You can, yeah," he nodded his head. He would rather listen to Pearl talk about anything than wrestle with these thoughts. It never seemed to result in anything productive.

[Pearl Essence]

Would the story help him, or just distract him? Should she offer to help him, to spend some of the time she had gained to watch him in his training matches to find out where he was going wrong? She could imagine the things going through his head. They'd gone through her own once upon a time, and she'd been twisted far more than a few strokes of bad luck. As if on cue something hard and sharp fell from above on a mission. It struck the hand on Felix's shoulder with a metallic clank and ricocheted off to strike her above her right eye. A perturbed squirrel who'd lost its nut chattered overhead as she tried to keep herself from crying out. While it wasn't enough to do her any real harm, the exact spot it had hit was so sensitive she could feel her eyes water. Still, she didn't regret sitting out here with him.

“Not so long ago, there was a Girl and a Phoenix in a Kingdom, who would grant her almost any wish she asked. All but one. He couldn't give the Girl back her father. There are rumors and myths that a phoenix's feathers or tears could bring back the dead, but the truth is that a phoenix only cheats their own death. Though the Phoenix tried with all they could to grant the Girl's wish. Through every wish the Phoenix granted, the Phoenix himself wished to give the girl back what she'd lost. In time, the girl grew to care for the phoenix and no longer asked for any wishes, though the Phoenix cared for the Girl and continued to grant them without being asked.” She didn't take her hand from his shoulder, giving as gentle a squeeze as she could muster.

“The Girl was happy to protect the Phoenix as there were always those who wished to claim a phoenix's feathers or tears for their own. Though there would always be a hole in her heart. One day though, a woman with skin of alabaster and lips and hair of pitch came calling. A woman who called herself a Maiden. She was not of the seasons. With silver-eyes that appeared timeless, she told the Girl and the Phoenix that she was the Maiden of Time, and that she had come to claim what had been stolen from Death. The Phoenix's life was to be taken.”

“The Girl in her naivety and youth, believed herself invincible. She'd protected the Phoenix before. Arrows and blades couldn't bite her skin. Her blood wouldn't shed. The Girl told the Phoenix to flee, and the Girl fought the Maiden. Time is cruel and uncaring. The Girl's armor was turned to rust. Her flesh to paper and porcelain like that of a doll. The Maiden shattered her with blades given to her by Death itself and ripped the life from the Girl, but the Phoenix had already escaped. The Maiden knowing that the Girl wasn't the one who was supposed to die that day, turned back time and left the Girl alive, but broken in spirit. The Phoenix returned, but neither tears not feathers could heal the Girl's spirit. Another wish he couldn't grant though it was his own.”

“The Girl resolved to be stronger. To be able to protect the Phoenix from anything. Even Time. Even Death. She threw her fists against a stone ten thousand times until it was just sand. The sand she crushed between her hands with strength enough to turn it into daggers of glass. The daggers she threw with such speed that they created gales in their wake. Time is cruel and uncaring, and Death will have what's his. The Maiden came again. Again the Phoenix fled and the Girl fought. The Maiden shattered the Girl again, only to make her body whole and break her again. And again. And again. Next time the Phoenix could not flee unless he wished the Girl to suffer.”

“When the Phoenix returned, the Girl made a wish. To become a monster so she could protect him. The Phoenix begged her to reconsider, but she begged more than he for this wish. Eventually the Phoenix granted it and gave the Girl to a Monster. Its claws tore at her flesh time and time again, no lesson in its black heart. Only the wish to cause the Girl pain. Then one day the Girl's flesh would not be torn, and she devoured the Monster for its weakness. She was given to another, and so she suffered until she devoured that one as well. This continued until the Girl returned to the Phoenix a Hound with the visage of hell. She had fangs that bled fire and hide that even the Phoenix's fire could not burn and could not be cut.”

“And the Maiden came calling. And the Phoenix did not flee. If the Girl, now a Hound, could not withstand the Maiden, he would go to Death to spare her anymore suffering. For an age the Hound and the Maiden fought, but as always, time was on her side. Eventually the Hound grew tired, and the Maiden brought her blade down on her neck killing the Hound and giving the Girl a taste of Death. The Maiden in her anger, rewound time, and gave the Girl one deep drink of Death after another in front of the Phoenix who pleaded to die in her stead. The Maiden rewound time for the Girl one last time and stepped forward to put her blade through the Phoenix's heart.” Pearl's voice cracked, and she squeezed Felix's shoulder again.

“The Girl, lunged and lashed out with her fangs to crush the Maiden's arm. For once, the Maiden rewound time for herself. Again, the Maiden felt fangs burn and tear through her. Fiery fangs tore out her heart. Only for the Maiden to rewind time. Then her throat. And again time rewound. Over and over again, the Girl in desperate frightful fury killed the Maiden again, and again until the Maiden couldn't rewind time enough to even remove the Girl's fangs from her throat. In her rage, the Maiden had spent too much of her power and worse had allowed the Girl to cheat Death. As punishment, Death claimed the Maiden.”

“When it was all over, the Girl turned to the Phoenix to find him gone. All her pride for having fought off Time and Death was washed away with her tears. There was no ash, no feathers. Only a kingdom and a crown left to the Girl. It was in the dreadful moment that the Girl learned realized the lessons she should have learned. Victory over Time and Death meant nothing. They were always going to take the Phoenix eventually, and one day they would come for her. In her first defeat, she had stolen time to be with the Phoenix but had trained recklessly, foolishly. Her fist had been like time to the stone. It would eventually crumble no matter her strength. In her second defeat, she had once again stolen time, but had begged to be made stronger... Becoming a Monster was easy. She devoured the Monsters not because they made her stronger, but because they had never been truly strong.”

“In her victory over the Maiden... She learned that her love of the Phoenix had always been her strength. Only once the Phoenix was lost to her did she learn that lesson.” Pearl sighed and shook her head. “We are always stronger when we have someone or something to fight for. It will always be harder to gauge your progress when you're fighting for yourself than if you're fighting for something you hold dear.”

[Felix Satou]

He knew this was going to be more than just a story. Pearl wasn't usually one to talk in metaphors. Her words were almost always direct. She said plainly what she wanted to say. Any story she might want to tell wouldn't be some tale for children at bed time, and he felt as if his suspicions were being confirmed the longer that he listened to her talk. The gentle squeeze on his shoulder, the cracking of her voice, the fact that he'd never heard such a tale before, it all lent more credence to the idea that this story was more personal to her than she wanted to outright say. For good reason. If there was any truth to the tale she told, if this was some story about her, she'd seen horrors that Felix couldn't even begin to comprehend. His gaze rose from the ground to watch her with a serious look on his face.

How could such a story be real? Who could have a power like that at their fingertips and ever hope to lose a fight? And yet...he had seen some fraction of how vicious Pearl could be when they fought the Grimm together, in her matches with the other students, was it so hard to believe that she could be so single mindedly relentless if she were inspired to defend something precious to her? But it beggared belief! When her story finished he found himself at a loss for words. What did you say to a story like that? It had to be Pearl's own truth reflected through smoke and mirrors. She had always been indirect about the life she lived outside of Beacon. If this was that life...even told in half-truths...and here she was, comforting him for losing training matches with her story.

"But..." His voice wavered as he felt a lump rising in his throat. "But what if I never find that strength? What if I have to fight for myself to fight for someone else? What if I am all alone and history repeats itself, only it's the end of me? I..." He swallowed, trying to keep the lump from rising any higher. "I'm...I'm afraid, Pearl, I...I know this is my weakness. I'm trying to fix it, but I feel like I'm just...throwing myself at the maiden in your story, only I'm...not like the hound. I don't know if..." He trailed off. Her words had reached him. If there was truth to what she said, Pearl knew full well the fear he spoke of, but he'd yet to have the same moment of clarity that she had! Would he ever? It seemed unlikely he'd have the luxury of an opponent willing to bring him back from the brink of death. Would he ever be able to know unless it was do or die?

[Pearl Essence]

As she'd told the story, she'd been worried that he'd feel his struggles were dwarfed compared to the trials faced by the girl in the story. The point of the story wouldn't be to make him feel as if he had nothing to worry about. Pearl didn't consider for a moment that he wouldn't draw a connection to her life at some point. While their were countless fairy tales in the world, it was rare for one to be so wholly unknown as the one she had told. Besides, it didn't even have a name. Still she was glad he took the message to heart without berating himself for being upset over something that was training instead of true life or death. Still, she wasn't so certain she could comfort him. She would try.

“Felix, I'd like to think you know me well enough that you know I wouldn't waste my breath lying to you to make you feel better. You're not weak.” She spoke as if it was an indisputable fact. “You might be lacking in experience or guidance, but I don't think you're weak. You are a man who had the opportunity to become a world renowned musician, and instead chose to fight the grimm. You were strong enough to get into Beacon, which is no small feat in itself. Unlike many of your peers you haven't rested on those laurels either. You continue to push to be better, to learn. You put in plenty of work, but who is guiding you? Who are you trying to be stronger for? It's easy to push yourself to the brink of exhaustion without realizing why you fight.”

[Felix Satou]

"You're not weak."

Yes, Pearl was right on both counts. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't going to lie to him to spare his feelings. If she'd thought he was weak she would have said so outright. There was no way to solve a problem that you couldn't acknowledge. There was no point in beating around the bush. Find the problem, find the solution, execute, that sounded a lot more like Pearl than hem and haw about the nicest way to put something. When she said flat to his face that he wasn't weak he could take her words at face value. While there were times she could be indirect it wasn't in matters like these.

He wasn't weak. He wasn't wasting his time. He wasn't just pushing himself for the sake of pushing himself. She was right. Moreover, he needed to hear someone else say the words, someone he could trust to tell him the truth. Normally he would have sought out his sister or no one at all and then let the storm pass, but in a stroke of luck that was beyond his semblance to provide Pearl had been the one to do it. She revealed another side of herself. He'd seen the mask she wore in public. He'd seen her take it off in private on two special occasions now. The first, to mourn the passing of those who were close to her, and he'd been there so she didn't have to drink and cry alone. The second, the moment they were sharing then and there as she told him the words he so desperately needed to hear.

His eyes watered. He bit his lower lip, unable to decide whether he was trying to frown or smile. The lump in his throat forced out a single half-laugh, half-sob and before he knew what he was doing he'd turned and wrapped both of his arms under Pearl's and around her back. He hugged her and pressed his face into her shoulder. It was a relief, a relief so powerful he couldn't help but shed a few tears. He wasn't weak. She didn't think he was weak. He knew he wasn't weak. He only needed to keep trying to change his future.

[Pearl Essence]

Pearl had turned to look at him, no longer content to leave him sadly in her blind spot. There were many things she knew she was good at, more capable than most she'd met, but comforting someone, reassuring them with kind words and encouragement was hard for her. Things that would comfort her would break others, and still the words that would break her down were the words most needed to hear. Somehow she'd stumbled herself into the right words it seemed. Felix had no words to give her in return, but she could watch the emotion on his face. There was some realization in his eyes. There were tears, but despite fearing being seen weak for crying, she didn't view them as weakness.

Ever one to do the unexpected around her, she found herself surprised when he turned to her, his arms wrapping around her yet again. This time it wasn't to let her cry against his chest, but for him to hide his own tears against her. The girl turned hellhound wouldn't have known what to do. It couldn't be crushed between her fingers, burned by her breath, or torn apart by her fangs. Pearl had an idea though. She put her arm around Felix, and rest her hand on the back of his head, willing it with such care to be gentle and careful as she could muster. It would not hurt him. It would not... She could feel his hair between her fingers, his tears through the thin fabric of her yukata. He was a kind and clever man, but not weak.

“Shh. Take your time. You have time.” Pearl's voice was a whisper. An eye like red tinted honey watched a dragonfly flit too and fro as she held him. Time may not have been hers to give or take, but it certainly felt like Fate was giving them a moment.

[Felix Satou]

He shed very few tears and he wasn't wracked with sobs. What Felix was looking for was closeness. He'd always had access to someone he could be close to, but it was always family. Mom, dad, his sister Telu, they had been there for him and with him ever since he was little. Time and again he'd been able to turn to his insular social group for the warmth he wanted, emotional and physical, but since coming to Beacon he was finding it harder to do so. Mother and father were too far away to be there the moment he needed help, and as much as he loved and counted on his sister there was a part of him that would feel like he was squandering her time and ruining her day if he brought his purple lights her way.

Then there was Pearl, the girl who was becoming more than just an acquaintance to him, their relationship deeper than a simple friendship as time plodded on. His soul was full to burst with warmth and affection for her. In a shower of sparks, with a noise reminiscent of the fizzing of a freshly opened soda, the purple lights in the air around them popped, replaced with a vibrant, sky blue. He tightened his grip on her and held it, comparatively weak to what he knew the Fox could muster. The metal fingers in his hair drew a long, relaxed sigh from his lips.

"Stars Pearl," his voice was a little hoarse, and very quiet, not that he thought the faunus would have trouble hearing aught he had to say while they were so close. "You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now." Well, she hadn't until he'd said it out loud. "You just said the words that I wanted to hear the most from the person it would probably mean the most to hear them from."

[Pearl Essence]

There weren't many tears lost to the white fabric covering her, but they were as precious as diamonds. Men and women all over Vale looked to her for protection. Some even beyond the Kingdoms borders knew her name now. Those who wore one of her pendants acted as her eyes, ears, and hands throughout the city and beyond, but not a one had ever leaned on her like this. Not a one of them dared. While she protected them, they still feared her in a way. They knew the path she'd walked to get to where she was. Then there was Felix, who felt so safe with her even as she was frail. She likely felt as if she could break if he squeezed too hard. While she was toned muscle, and strong even for someone her size, there were things that she couldn't change. Her frailty didn't stop the fireworks that burst in the air around her from deep purple to brilliant blue, from twilight to a midday sky. “Oh, that's lovely.”

And then came words that stopped her heart cold and turned her skin to porcelain and paper in her mind. Like a doll with a single glassy eye sitting on a shelf, untouched because of how broken it was, how many pieces it was missing. He wanted to kiss her. Pearl blinked once and her skin was flesh and blood again, and her heart beat in her chest. Part of her was curious, she couldn't deny that. They'd have to speak long and honestly, her face likely turning red time and again as she tried to explain... Now likely wasn't the time for that, and if this was just a passing moment with him being overwhelmed, then it never would be time for it.

“I'm glad I didn't stumble too much when you needed the support. I'm happy to help.” There was a sadness in her own eye, even as his happiness lit the air around them with blue stars.

[Felix Satou]

It did not go unnoticed that she chose not to respond to his mentioning of the kiss. It did nothing to damper his mood. Pearl had every right to kiss who she wanted, when she wanted, and he would happily admit that what he was doing was hardly the most romantic thing he'd ever done. No, in fact, he found himself laughing. He pulled himself up enough to rest his chin on her shoulder and lean his head to hers.

"Please, Pearl, for someone who speaks so straight you ought to be able to do it for yourself." He sniffled once. "You could not have possibly done a better job. It was exactly what I needed." He would not have been able to tell her that if she had asked him flat out. Pearl had found the answer that he would never have been able to find on his own. "It's...pretty rare for my semblance to pull such a stark one eighty like that. I think maybe only you and my sister have ever seen that happen before." He wasn't so sure of the circumstances that could cause it to happen. He'd had very fast swings of mood from one direction to the other before without seeing the sparkling effect. He'd have to reflect a bit more on this if he was going to pinpoint what triggered it.

[Pearl Essence]

As he rested his chin on her shoulder, she still didn't let go, taking the moment to sort through her thoughts, to try to dispel the sudden sadness she hadn't felt in so long. She'd discarded the idea that she would find love or be loved years ago. She didn't even think she felt that was about Felix. Could she? A kiss didn't have to be for love. She wasn't so naive to believe that, but a kiss for her did. It needed to mean something more than simply a moment of giving in to something primal, not that she was sure she could even experience that. Why did hearing him say that strike her like a hammer?

Pearl breathed deep to clear her mind. Earth and water, moss and wood filled her nose, as did the faint citrus of Felix. She turned her attention to the sparks in the air, his words. “I've just never helped someone like this before, so I was half-blind on what needed to be said or done. I suppose it's fitting considering I really am half-blind right now.” The fox found herself with more and more to think about, even if she knew there were no answers to the questions on her mind, nor the courage to speak them out loud. There was one thing she knew and she took solace in it. “If it happens again, I'll be here for you to turn to.”

[Felix Satou]

He stayed like that for a while, letting Pearl's words continue to ring in his ears. If it happens again, she'll be there for him. Ah, it felt especially good to hear them coming from her. He had always cherished when his parents or his sister spoke like that, but it was a different kind of good to hear it this way. "Heh, and here I thought I was supposed to be the one who was doing that for you today." She'd said herself that she was probably frustrated and upset with her own performance. She'd been shut up in her room and secluding herself so she wouldn't have to show off her injuries to her fellow students. It felt like he was stealing her spotlight.

"Thank you, Pearl, it...it really means a lot to me. It would have meant a lot to me to just be able to spend time with you like this when my luck was so bad. I...I will come to you again next time. I promise." It was a promise he meant to keep. Though he had been hesitant and unsure the first time, though he likely had only fulfilled said promise by the luck of Pearl's timely call, now he found himself without a doubt in his mind that he would gladly do it a second time. Perhaps Pearl didn't see herself as a great comforter of men, but she was an astounding comforter of Felix Satou.

[Pearl Essence]

Pearl let out a laugh, a light and bubbly sound as she finally let go of her hold on Felix. The air felt cool around her metal fingers. The summer evening air was not as warm as his skin or hair. She was glad for the luck on their side now. Her joints didn't catch and yank on any dark strands. That was a problem she dealt with often enough herself, and it always earned a curse from her. “I suppose I did call you to help myself. I was tired of feeling helpless and it got lonely locked up in my dorm. I'm not able to properly make myself any food or even put up my hair.”

There was no insistence as she tried to pull from his grasp. If he still needed to hold onto her, she didn't think she had the heart to push him away, even if she was starting to feel stifled by the strange feeling of it all. Only a hug and it felt overwhelming after awhile. Was it her injuries or just how unfamiliar it was that made her feel that way? “I think helping you was good for me too. I did a little good despite feeling quite weak myself. I'll hold you to that though. It happens again, you come to me and we'll sit together and help you through it.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix could feel Pearl moving out of the embrace. He was loathe to let her go, but let her go he did. Not everyone was as keen on touching others as he was, and in all their time together they'd shared relatively few embraces. He had his suspicions that Pearl might be a little wary of getting physically close to others. He did reach for her hand to hold as they broke apart. He shook his head, laughing quietly, free hand rubbing at his eyes. "It's so strange to hear you call yourself helpless. I know we all have...we all have moments where we know we aren't at our strongest or when we need someone else to lean on, but it's next to impossible to imagine you as truly, actually helpless."

He looked down at her metallic fingers, running a thumb over the knuckles, marveling at how comforting the touch of a prosthetic hand could be. There was no flesh or bone in those fingers. Sinew had been replaced by reinforced steel, nerve endings by circuitry, but the soul of the bearer was all he ever saw. "I admire you a lot Pearl. You're so strong it's hard to believe we were even born in the same world. The things you've endured..." He was more sure than ever that story she'd told was no fiction. "And the way you still conduct yourself even after all that? The...kindness you've shown me, it makes me hope that when I'm a huntsman I can be even half the huntress you'll be." The corner of his mouth tugged upwards. "Though, I'm going to try and shoot a little higher than that. I am sure, though, that I will find you the next time I need help. Which...hah, is a really weird thing to say since I've had a twin sister I've been able to turn to my whole life, but...right now, I think I would rather have you next to me." He wasn't sure what that meant yet, only that that's how he felt.

[Pearl Essence]

“It's strange to hear myself say it. I usually do so much to hide it even I start to believe it.” The air felt cooler without his arms around her almost uncomfortable at first, but it also felt easier to breath. The fox couldn't even lie to herself and pretend she didn't miss the feeling, or that she minded when he traded their embrace for taking her hand in his. The better construction and precision of this prosthesis had kept it from hurting him while their luck had been tainted. With little lights of blue blinking around them like strange fireflies it was even less likely to harm him. The fear that made her keep her distance wouldn't go away so easily, even if she'd yet to accidentally harm someone with her current limbs. In her weakened state, Felix was likely as safe from her accidentally harming him as if she'd never lost her hands.

Pearl attempted to brush a few loose strands of hair out of her face only for her left sleeve to rise and fall as she was reminded that Felix had hold of her only hand in the moment. A hand he was gingerly caressing with his thumb as if it was a part of her. She'd heard the jokes before from their peers and even some of the people she'd shared drinks with. Men and women who could make her ears burn with the things they talked about sometimes acting as if holding hands was somehow more vulgar and lewd than anything they were willing to do. Such silly things didn't stop her from blushing in the moment, especially when it was accompanied by such sweet words.

“Good. I wouldn't want you setting your sights so low. Not when you can be better than me.” The vixen sounded as if she truly believed it. Her eye drifted to small travel container for today's pills. He'd seen her take them on more than one occasion. He had to have realized by now that one of the reasons she endured what she did and seemed sane was because she was on a medley of pills and had a good therapist. “There's no one else I would have called while I'm unable to fight unless I absolutely had to.” There were people who would protect her with their lives in this state, but it was better they think her invincible. “You're the only person I actually wanted to call.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix laughed brightly. "Far be it for me to tell you I couldn't do better. From where I'm standing it seems like I wouldn't have much of a foot to stand on to tell you otherwise." The look on his face was soft, warm. "What is the measure of a huntress or huntsman, anyways? The lives we save? The Grimm we kill? The people we inspire? For the longest time I thought strength was the truest measure. The best huntsmen and huntresses were the ones that could truly defend the people from any monster, any invader, any danger. I'm not so sure about that anymore." Strength was a requisite part of being a huntsman, but it was not the only part.

"I'll answer the call as long as I am able." He noticed the movement of her shortened arm and the strands of loose hair on her blushing face. He had more willpower than he thought! If this was a movie or a comic book they would have been pressing their lips together right then and there. She looked so utterly adorable. His hand swept the errant silver strands out of her eyes. "It feels pretty easy to say that, though, knowing you. A week from now and you'll be right back to being the adorable terror I've had the good luck to befriend."

[Pearl Essence]

What is the measure of a huntress or huntsman? It was a question she'd heard several of the professors talk about after her first year. She suspected it wasn't brought up in the first year because many students were still blinded by how they'd romanticized their career path. To hear Felix already say it out loud made her want to laugh. He was definitely more fit for this life than she'd have given him credit for when they'd met. Maybe he was still naive and starry eyed about some things. “I think it's something we all have to decide for ourselves. I used to think it was strength. When we're gone, they'll measure us by what we've given up and the legacy we left behind, but while we're alive, that's up to us.”

Pearl froze as he brushed the strands of hair out of her face, and her breath only coming to her again once he was done. It didn't take much to move some hair out of the way, but it also didn't take much to cause pain to her head right now, and he'd managed to avoid it. “Thank you.” She'd considered teasing him about him grabbing her hand so he could do it himself, but thought better of it. “You're pretty close to what the doctors said. Another day and I shouldn't have to worry about my eye getting knocked out of its socket. Two or three more days and I should be healed up completely. My new prosthesis should be ready in a week. They're making me a new hand too since the tech has improved a little since I got this one.”

[Felix Satou]

"A new hand?" Felix couldn't help but sound excited at her words. Technology had always fascinated him. Without it, he would have made a poor huntsman. His physical prowess was somewhat lacking compared to other students in his class, but with Aura training and the right weapon he was no less competent in the field. Technology could shore up your weaknesses and create new strengths. Pearl was probably the best example of what it could do! A hundred years ago, if someone had lost their hand what were they to do? Now? Now they were free to do as they willed!

"What's new about it? I mean, er," he relinquished Pearl's as he rubbed one of his shoulders. "Sorry if that was...maybe insensitive, it's just that the ones you have now seemed to me like they were cutting edge. You could feel real touch through them, couldn't you? What sorts of things are they putting in the new one? Dust cartridges? Guns?" He very nearly slipped in 'vibrator.' He held his tongue, though. Now was probably not the time to be making jokes like that.

[Pearl Essence]

Pearl braced herself for the words that usually came when talking about her prosthesis. She'd had numerous disciplinary meetings over her temper when it came to such things. But the words never left Felix's lips. He was excitable, but he never let the actual words slip out of his mouth that she truly felt were insensitive. “No, you're not being insensitive in my opinion. I was really worried there for a moment you were going to talk about them like they were upgrades. I really hate that word when it comes to them, and so many people like to act like these are better than what I had.” She opened and closed her hand while looking at it. It moved pretty similarly to the real thing.

The fox shook her head and breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry to disappoint, but I won't be getting any additional weaponry or dust capability added. They've already got as much as I can stand right now.” She held her hand out in front of her and activated the weapon hidden within. The fingers elongated at the joints, small dust conductors extended from the top of each knuckle a light blue glow appearing on each before hard-light took form as a long bladed claw extending a foot out from each finger and her thumb. “Ow. I didn't expect it to sting so much without aura.” Truthfully, she didn't know why she decided to reveal it to Felix but she suspected he'd marvel at it all the same.

“They're actually improving the synthetic nervous system and neural interface. I'll have more precise control over movements and more importantly I'll be able to feel things more like the real thing.” The blue light from her claw illuminated her smiling face. “They should even be compatible with a synthetic dermal covering that enhances that further, so it'll be even closer. Everyone else wants damn upgrades. I just want my hands back, and Brackett is making that more of a reality than I ever imagined.”

[Felix Satou]

Felix stared with wide eyed fascination at the hardlight blades that Pearl was revealing to him. "Oooooo," the subtle glow, their concealed nature, it was a great weapon of last resort if fighting Grimm. It would also be nigh undetectable if she was attempting to conceal them inside a synthetic hand that might look like a real one! He couldn't help but wonder what else those dust emitters might be capable of. But that was hardly what was on Pearl's mind.

"I suppose I've always seen them as a sidegrade. If you have the money or connections to get something state of the art. Honestly, I'd never swap my hands for any kind of replacement. Who knows if my manual dexterity would transfer over half as well? And even if it can simulate feelings, are they ever quite the same as what I would have had?" He shook his head. "They're only an upgrade in so much as one looks at their body as only a weapon, and even then, not everyone is going to be more dangerous with them. They're not without their flaws. Er...I guess that's my long winded way of saying, yeah, I agree with you, heh." He offered her a warm smile. "With all that said, I do like the hands you have Pearl. The way they felt in my hair a minute ago wasn't any less comforting than if it had been my sister's."

[Pearl Essence]

It was strange to hear him coo over her claw as if she'd done a magic trick, but it filled her with an odd sense of satisfaction. Felix was a man who admired tech, and had surprised her with his knowledge. When he'd talked of growing up on a farm, she'd expected him to be more simple. If there ever came a time one of her limbs needed minor repairs that needed a second pair of hands, he'd be one of the first she'd trust to help. He didn't need to know the darker side of why she'd installed such a secretive weapon. The dust conductors in the knuckles were carefully constructed so that most scans wouldn't recognize them as a potential weapon. Even in some of the most secured places in Vale, she would have a devastating weapon at her disposal if her hands alone weren't enough. As he spoke on his views, she deactivated the hard-light claw and her hand returned to normal.

“Hearing you say that means more than you know.” Her shoulders dropped and her gaze followed to the ground. “I know you've probably noticed by now I'm usually very hesitant about touching people or being touched. Even reaching someone a piece of food, like a slice of kiwi, is done at the end of a fork or chopsticks.” The mention of food seemed to remind her stomach that it was past time for dinner, and it made it's displeasure known with a quiet growl. “It's so stressful being a single malfunction from mangling someone in my hands. Even if these hands are far more precise than the ones I had before I met you, it's a constant thought.” Even she had to acknowledge these had never malfunctioned like her old ones, but they had still caused more harm than intended. At least she'd still intended some harm.

[Felix Satou]

"Well, I suppose you can count yourself lucky that your best friend happens to be a huntsman in training whose aura would prevent any serious mangling from happening," Felix said with a wink. Had they really declared each other best friends? Probably not, but he figured that the title was appropriate now. Did Pearl have anyone else in her life who was the kind of confidant that Felix was? He could only guess, but they way they'd been talking the past half hour gave him enough confidence to say it was a little more than just an educated one.

His own stomach growled in turn. "Ugh, we...we were supposed to order food, weren't we?" They should have thought ahead! Stupid! But they'd both been absorbed in their own problems. There were things that needed to be addressed that were more important than food. They'd addressed them, though, and now food was becoming more and more a priority. "I don't think I've ever ordered anything this far out here," he said as he whipped out his scroll. "Gimme some suggestions, I'll place the order." It would be a lot easier for the guy with two functioning hands.

[Pearl Essence]

Pearl lifted her gaze and turned enough so she could actually seem him. The thought to dismiss that claim of his never crossed her mind. “I suppose I am pretty lucky to have you.” There were still parts of her life that she wanted to keep him separate from as much for his own safety as to prolong their friendship, but there was more that only he knew about her. Felix was a good man, and while he was open minded, there were too many variables in her life as is. The longer she didn't have to factor him disapproving of what she was involved with, the better it was for everyone. Would the ends justify the means in his mind?

She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. “We were, but it's okay. It will just make it more enjoyable once it gets here. As for what I'd like, I think something a bit milder on flavors. As much as I like things bold and flavorful, I'm a bit sensitive to it right now. And... Something I can eat with one hand preferably. If that's okay.” A joke about him needing to help her otherwise died on the tip of her tongue. Her gut told her he'd not think twice about it.

Despite him picking up his scroll, she also grabbed hers and brought up an app of her own. The look suggested the final design was still in the works. “If you can't find anything on yours that will reach us here, we can try this one. EAL is a shipping company after all, with more than enough delivery drones, so we've been working on a drone pickup system for ordering from some of the smaller businesses that can't afford their own delivery drones.” She set her scroll down near him, more than aware he'd be faster at ordering. She also trusted he wouldn't invade her privacy. “And don't worry. We're not charging them for the service.” In truth, if he used her scroll, she'd be getting charged but that hardly mattered.