Post by Cassiopeia Reyes-Hart on Oct 28, 2008 10:32:59 GMT -5
Cassi scanned through her study terminal boredly while her sister paced back and forth behind her, muttering furiously under her breath.
"Where in the name of all that is holy . . . I know I left it right here . . . are there gremlins on this ship?!"
Cassi finally turned at that, exasperated. Math problems were hard enough without one's sister shuffling around and muttering in the background. "What is it Andi?" she demanded at length.
Andromeda straightened up with a huff, looking rather disheveled and out of sorts. It was a condition her sister was in a lot, the past day or so. Ever since she'd gotten back. Cassiopeia absently wondered if it was a side-effect to being a prisoner on Io that was making her sister into a complete nervous wreck, scatter-brain.
"My blue shoes," she pronounced huffily, shoving a stray hank of black hair out of her face vengefully. "They've completely disappeared. They aren't in this room anywhere. I've searched it from top to bottom, and nothing."
Cassi rolled her eyes, then sighed. Before Andromeda could say anything to stop her, the sixteen year old scowled in concentration, focusing her mind on the pair of navy blue ballet-flats that her sister was talking about. Her silvery eyes swirled hard for a moment, then went still again. Cassi waved her hand absently toward the beds, turning back to her terminal screen.
"They're under the bed, left side, half way up. Underneath the pillow."
Andromeda went to retrieve her shoes, finding them right where Cassi had indicated. The blonde tensed a moment later when her sister put a hand on her shoulder.
"Cassi . . ."
"It's okay," she assured her quickly, punching the answer to her next problem. "It doesn't hurt anymore to use it. Those scientist creeps might have been sadistic, but apparently they knew their stuff, scary to say."
Actually, Cassi wasn't entirely sure if it was that using her powers no longer hurt or if the facility had just conditioned her to the point that she couldn't feel it anymore, but she wasn't about to tell Andromeda that.
Her sister didn't say anything for a long time, just continued to hold her shoulder, her golden eyes growing faintly glassy. Cassiopeia found herself fighting off her own tears, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps the sisters were both grieving for the chunk of her innocence that had been permanently lost inside of that hell.
"Just . . . promise me you'll be careful, sweatpea," Andromeda murmured then. Cassi suddenly let out a chuckle, tossing her sister a teasing glance over her shoulder, silver eyes dancing.
"You haven't called me 'sweatpea' since I was ten." Andromeda just chuckled, bending down to kiss her forehead before turning away at last.
"You know where to find me," the older Reyes sister called, and Cassi scoffed.
"Yeah, I know. The med-bay, elbow-deep in syringes that you've counted and re-counted twenty-million times."
In a rare, playful mood, Andromeda whirled back and stuck her tongue out at Cassi, who returned the gesture vengefully. The both of them laughed as the door slid closed behind her.
After Andromeda had left, Cassi's smile slowly faded a bit. She glanced back at her terminal, but she wasn't in the mood to study. Well, not that she was ever in the mood to study, but she was even less in the mood than usual. Ever since she'd been rescued, Cassi had felt a little edgy and restless. She tried to tell herself that she was okay, that she was safe on the Plunder, and that Jo wouldn't let anything happen to her.
But what if Jo wasn't there? Cassiopeia winced, wringing her hands in her lap. The cold hard truth was, other than a few defensive techniques, she was completely defenseless against a would-be attacker. Cassi had no real way of fighting back, or defending herself. And now that she knew just how precarious her position in the world could be, it was a terrifying knowledge that continuously worried at the back of her mind. Never giving her a moment's peace.
Cassi worried on her lip for a moment more, then finally got to her feet and bounded out the door on bare feet, her lavender skirts and long gold hair fluttering in her wake. Her eyes swirled for a moment after she'd left the room, directing her steps toward the Captain's Quarters where her powers had just informed her that her mother would be.
As her ability had also gleaned that Morgan was inside, Cassi knocked first. A moment later the First Mate opened it, frowning a little in worry when he saw her.
"Is everything--,"
"I'm fine," she assured him quickly, smiling brightly, ignoring the heat that immediately started creeping over her face.
She still couldn't believe she'd told the entire crew that he was hung like a horse.
"Um, am I interrupting anything? I . . . I was wondering if I could ask the Captain something?"
"Come on in, Princess," Jo called from behind the tall man at the doorway. "Morgan was just leaving."
Morgan looked like he dearly wanted to argue, but stepped aside and let Cassi pass all the same before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Cassi glanced a little over her shoulder at the closed door, wondering belatedly if he was okay. But her attention was quickly focused back on her original purpose as she stepped up to the Captain's huge, ornately carved desk.
The Captain gave her a warm smile, her one blue eye shining. "What can I do for you, sweetie?"
Cassi swallowed a little, then, "I . . . I was wondering if you could . . . teach me how to fight. With a sword." That caught Jo by surprise, causing her to blink in shock. She didn't immediately deny the request however, sitting back and tenting her hands over her desk.
"Mind if I ask you why, exactly?"
Cassiopeia blew out a sigh. "It's just that . . . ever since I got kidnapped, I keep thinking how . . . how vulnerable I am, you know? I mean, I know you'll protect me," she quickly inserted, not wanting to hurt her mother's feelings by insinuating that Jonah Hart was incapable of doing anything she didn't set her mind to. "A-And Morgan, and Andromeda and all the others. But . . . what if you're not there?" Her silver eyes lifted from the desk to stare imploringly into her Captain's. "I keep thinking about it, that what if the next time they find me I'm all by myself? I won't be able to do anything to stop them from putting me back in one of those facilities. It makes me sick to my stomach," she revealed in a trembling whisper. Then her silver eyes narrowed. "And angry."
"Where in the name of all that is holy . . . I know I left it right here . . . are there gremlins on this ship?!"
Cassi finally turned at that, exasperated. Math problems were hard enough without one's sister shuffling around and muttering in the background. "What is it Andi?" she demanded at length.
Andromeda straightened up with a huff, looking rather disheveled and out of sorts. It was a condition her sister was in a lot, the past day or so. Ever since she'd gotten back. Cassiopeia absently wondered if it was a side-effect to being a prisoner on Io that was making her sister into a complete nervous wreck, scatter-brain.
"My blue shoes," she pronounced huffily, shoving a stray hank of black hair out of her face vengefully. "They've completely disappeared. They aren't in this room anywhere. I've searched it from top to bottom, and nothing."
Cassi rolled her eyes, then sighed. Before Andromeda could say anything to stop her, the sixteen year old scowled in concentration, focusing her mind on the pair of navy blue ballet-flats that her sister was talking about. Her silvery eyes swirled hard for a moment, then went still again. Cassi waved her hand absently toward the beds, turning back to her terminal screen.
"They're under the bed, left side, half way up. Underneath the pillow."
Andromeda went to retrieve her shoes, finding them right where Cassi had indicated. The blonde tensed a moment later when her sister put a hand on her shoulder.
"Cassi . . ."
"It's okay," she assured her quickly, punching the answer to her next problem. "It doesn't hurt anymore to use it. Those scientist creeps might have been sadistic, but apparently they knew their stuff, scary to say."
Actually, Cassi wasn't entirely sure if it was that using her powers no longer hurt or if the facility had just conditioned her to the point that she couldn't feel it anymore, but she wasn't about to tell Andromeda that.
Her sister didn't say anything for a long time, just continued to hold her shoulder, her golden eyes growing faintly glassy. Cassiopeia found herself fighting off her own tears, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps the sisters were both grieving for the chunk of her innocence that had been permanently lost inside of that hell.
"Just . . . promise me you'll be careful, sweatpea," Andromeda murmured then. Cassi suddenly let out a chuckle, tossing her sister a teasing glance over her shoulder, silver eyes dancing.
"You haven't called me 'sweatpea' since I was ten." Andromeda just chuckled, bending down to kiss her forehead before turning away at last.
"You know where to find me," the older Reyes sister called, and Cassi scoffed.
"Yeah, I know. The med-bay, elbow-deep in syringes that you've counted and re-counted twenty-million times."
In a rare, playful mood, Andromeda whirled back and stuck her tongue out at Cassi, who returned the gesture vengefully. The both of them laughed as the door slid closed behind her.
After Andromeda had left, Cassi's smile slowly faded a bit. She glanced back at her terminal, but she wasn't in the mood to study. Well, not that she was ever in the mood to study, but she was even less in the mood than usual. Ever since she'd been rescued, Cassi had felt a little edgy and restless. She tried to tell herself that she was okay, that she was safe on the Plunder, and that Jo wouldn't let anything happen to her.
But what if Jo wasn't there? Cassiopeia winced, wringing her hands in her lap. The cold hard truth was, other than a few defensive techniques, she was completely defenseless against a would-be attacker. Cassi had no real way of fighting back, or defending herself. And now that she knew just how precarious her position in the world could be, it was a terrifying knowledge that continuously worried at the back of her mind. Never giving her a moment's peace.
Cassi worried on her lip for a moment more, then finally got to her feet and bounded out the door on bare feet, her lavender skirts and long gold hair fluttering in her wake. Her eyes swirled for a moment after she'd left the room, directing her steps toward the Captain's Quarters where her powers had just informed her that her mother would be.
As her ability had also gleaned that Morgan was inside, Cassi knocked first. A moment later the First Mate opened it, frowning a little in worry when he saw her.
"Is everything--,"
"I'm fine," she assured him quickly, smiling brightly, ignoring the heat that immediately started creeping over her face.
She still couldn't believe she'd told the entire crew that he was hung like a horse.
"Um, am I interrupting anything? I . . . I was wondering if I could ask the Captain something?"
"Come on in, Princess," Jo called from behind the tall man at the doorway. "Morgan was just leaving."
Morgan looked like he dearly wanted to argue, but stepped aside and let Cassi pass all the same before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Cassi glanced a little over her shoulder at the closed door, wondering belatedly if he was okay. But her attention was quickly focused back on her original purpose as she stepped up to the Captain's huge, ornately carved desk.
The Captain gave her a warm smile, her one blue eye shining. "What can I do for you, sweetie?"
Cassi swallowed a little, then, "I . . . I was wondering if you could . . . teach me how to fight. With a sword." That caught Jo by surprise, causing her to blink in shock. She didn't immediately deny the request however, sitting back and tenting her hands over her desk.
"Mind if I ask you why, exactly?"
Cassiopeia blew out a sigh. "It's just that . . . ever since I got kidnapped, I keep thinking how . . . how vulnerable I am, you know? I mean, I know you'll protect me," she quickly inserted, not wanting to hurt her mother's feelings by insinuating that Jonah Hart was incapable of doing anything she didn't set her mind to. "A-And Morgan, and Andromeda and all the others. But . . . what if you're not there?" Her silver eyes lifted from the desk to stare imploringly into her Captain's. "I keep thinking about it, that what if the next time they find me I'm all by myself? I won't be able to do anything to stop them from putting me back in one of those facilities. It makes me sick to my stomach," she revealed in a trembling whisper. Then her silver eyes narrowed. "And angry."
