Three beds were in use.
One had its curtains drawn, the other two were open. Out of those two, one belonged to Logan, who looked much better than before already. Next to him was an old grandma – someone who River had run into before. It was the missing Vanessa.
She was resting her arms on her lap, the ends resulting in two lumps hidden behind thick bandages.
One person yesterday, two today. Was it going to rise to seven by the end?
“River, Aspen, how nice to see you two healthy.” The old grandmother was terribly pale, but that did not stop her from making an effort to appear lively.
“How are you two?”
River’s eyes jumped back and forth between the grandmother and Logan, who waved at the two in greeting.
“Not too bad, all things considered.” Vanessa shook her head to herself. “I mean, better me than someone else. I’m old and had arthritis anyway, so my fingers weren’t going to be of use to me for long anymore. I do have to say it’s a bit… I will have to get used to it.”
On the other bed, Logan puffed out his chest and patted it. It made the old woman laugh.
“You’re right, Logan. You see, Logan and I, we conversed a bit. From now on, he will be my hands and I his tongue! He can write down my stories for me. Isn’t that nice?”
The optimism was abnormal. Or not? The lack of social interactions sure was causing River trouble in the weirdest moments. Maybe these two were just ridiculously positive people in the first place.
…Or they simply were acting strong.
“If you would mind me asking about last night…” This wasn’t the most ideal moment to ask about it, but River was running on a timer.
In the most literal sense.
“I’m so sorry, I fear I won’t be of much help.” Vanessa lifted her arm, looking like she wanted to touch her cheek and realizing midway her fingers were gone. She lowered them back down and fidgeted uncomfortably, the feeling of phantom limbs bothering her. “I remember hearing something at night, then things immediately went black. When I woke up again, Miles and Selene were just settling me into this bed. Logan, things were similar to how it went for you, right?”
Logan nodded strongly. He pulled out a handmade notebook that someone must have given him and flipped through the pages until he got to a message that he must have written to Vanessa.
“Vanessa found you and Iris in front of the door when she came to check up on me. She immediately informed Miles and helped you two inside.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Do you have any idea who is doing these things to you?”
“Not at all.” Vanessa lifted his shoulders in a helpless shrug. “I don’t want to suspect anyone here. They’re all such nice people… Besides, what use does anyone have for… for such odd things? I honestly can’t explain it.”
“We understand. Thanks for telling us, we will leave you to rest now.”
Two tired smiles were their response.
As Aspen and River walked back towards the door, they continued to hear a one-sided conversation and the scribbles of pen on paper. Two people who were trying to make the best out of their situation.
Behind the closed curtain moved a silent doctor Selene, the silhouette of her head momentarily turning towards the unwanted visitors before returning to whatever she was doing.
There was already a lot to talk about concerning the past few minutes. Aspen was eager to drag River forward, wanting to take the elevator up to the rooftop. The timing was completely coincidental, but just as they went around the corner, someone had left the elevator and bumped into them.
Both sides were so light that they staggered back from the impact, Aspen making a noise of complaint like a little fox.
For once – and this truly was a rare case – Aspen was more interested in ignoring this little accident and going on with his life.
The other people involved did not think so.
“You!” It was the unstable shriek of someone whose voice was hoarse from crying.
The trio of teenage girls they had seen yesterday had turned into a duo, and their swollen eyes immediately made things click about the identity of the girl in the infirmary.
“You did it, didn’t you?! Because she called you out on it! She- …How dare you! You- You bastard!”
River had to stop the two of them from hitting Aspen, who was suspiciously wincing at the high notes of their shouts. It wasn’t easy to keep two people at bay, even more so when keeping in mind that their heads were filled with rage right now.
“We didn’t do anything.” They weren’t going to believe that, but River repeated the words over and over, hoping to gain their attention. He was struggling with shielding Aspen, but if they got to him, someone might actually die in his hands. Now that would mess up the whole game.
Dozens of seconds of unhinged screams later, the two teenagers had cried, shouted and worked themselves to exhaustion. Their hair covered their wheezing faces, River still holding the wrists of one of them.
“You’ve destroyed her life”, she sobbed weakly. “Why would anyone do that…”
The easterner tilted his head, noting the blankness in her eyes.
Was it misplaced anger? Maybe she didn’t think Aspen had anything to do with the whole situation, but they needed someone to divert their anger towards.
The suspicious guy who they didn’t like was much better than a faceless, unknown attacker.
River had never been faced with a person crying like that. When Aspen was showing himself vulnerable, it was completely different, mostly because they were on one wavelength.
But seeing the girl like this…
…It tickled something inside him.
“We’re sorry that your friend got hurt”, he said in a low voice, and by the fourth word of it, the ups and downs of it mimicked Miles almost perfectly. “It’s a terrible, terrible thing. It’s alright to cry.”
He changed from holding her wrists to gently cupping her hands. She flinched, her watery eyes jumping up to him.
River’s lips drew into a slight arc, one he had often used when ShuShu was upset.
“Our friends got hurt, too.” Righteous anger, half hidden. Creeping up together with worry and determination. “We won’t let whoever did this go unpunished.” Not overwhelming. Never pushy. Just barely showing the emotions, but restrained and controlled. “You can trust us.”
The blank, hope-filled nods he got as a reply turned his smile much more genuine.
How was it that he never knew how easy this was?
His brother, as stupid as the ones in front of him, could he have disarmed him so easily as well?
With no work at all, just movements of facial muscles, some default words, and a fitting intonation?
Aspen once mentioned that he wondered how people were so different from machines that could be turned off. Now he was inclined to agree – he was pushing buttons, and the reaction was just as expected.
It wasn’t a perfect reaction however, and River hadn’t expected it to work 100% immediately. Hesitation made its way back into their eyes and they retreated.
River let them.
“We won’t let whoever did this to her go”, they threatened weakly and without a true target before rushing past the two men to get to the infirmary.
Staring down at his empty hands, the tall easterner clenched and unclenched them thoughtfully.
“Let’s get up to the rooftop”, he said, pushing the elevator’s button.
Aspen didn’t speak all the way until they were up and out. He left the elevator first, walking to the edge of the rooftop and looking out into the distance. He turned when he heard River approach, but his lips were still closed tight.
“Aspen”, River called out, grabbing the other’s fingertips lovingly. Some strands of his hair fell over his eyes, swaying loosely in the wind.
Aspen stared at him for a couple of seconds, face empty.
Then he kicked the easterner’s shin.
“Gross.” The smaller guy pulled a disgusted face. “Don’t do that. It’s weird.”
The liveliness and adoration fell off River like a shedded shell. He gave a soft, pleased hum.
It was good that Aspen liked the abnormal him better.
He was just checking.
Author’s Note
There’s been some changes in my daily life and now I keep on forgetting to schedule chapters……. Will put in River’s notebook again soon!!!
Why do I find the last part hilarious…