A Special Kind of Medicine (Ally)

[Nisha Dovickssen]

The woman was a bit tired. As could be expected after fighting Shadows. Well, the stronger Shadows, at least. The woman was naturally strong, and Shango only enhanced that strength, so it could say volumes about just how dangerous some of these Shadows were. Utilizing the equivalent of magic and producing any number of effects that defied common sense only made them more of a threat. They didn't share the same thought processes as humans, half of the time, either, so reasoning was impossible. In just about every way conceivable, they were a threat to humans, and it was Nisha's responsibility to use what power she had to kill them.

Hopping through a hole in the floor that seemed safe enough, the giant gave her surroundings a look over, gripping her crowbar cautiously. No Shadows seemed to be around. They'd have likely attacked on sight, if they had been.

[Alouette Pendleton]

Ally walked through the dilapidated halls of the hospital, keeping her guard up as she did. She didn't need any stray shadows sneaking up on her and getting an unnecessary hit in. In one hand, she held her pistol that she kept with her at all times. Her other hand remained free for the ease of tossing a smoke bomb or grenade. Her steps were quiet; her movements like liquid. At any moment, she was prepared to duck off to the side to avoid enemy fire or simply dash to the next room. Part of it was the girl's training regiment, though a good portion of that strength came from Valkyrie.

Stepping into the next room, the girl looked over the next room. Empty. With a breath of air, she stepped forward once more. Though, her tracks made an abrupt stop as a figure jumped down from the floor above to right in front of her. Ally was behind the girl when she jumped, so she wasn't immediately in her vision thankfully. Taking an instinctive jump back out of surprise, the girl aimed the gun at the figure. Oi. You. Human or shadow? Her eyes focused on the figure that seemed to be gripping what looked like a crowbar. It was somewhat dark, but she could make out the figure of a girl with long hair. Though, something else about her seemed to stand out. Big. She spoke without thinking as her eyes narrowed on the girl. Ah. Wait a sec.

Lowering the gun, the girl slowly walked over to the figure. I think I've seen you in battle before. A few times when time stopped, am I right? She didn't smile at the girl. Her eyes were still narrowed, staring up at the girl who seemed to be more than two feet taller than her. With a sigh, the girl put away her gun for the moment. Jeez. . . you nearly gave me a heart-attack. Now that she thought about it, anyone this big would give her a heart attack if it suddenly jumped in front of her.

[Nisha Dovickssen]

Nisha just blinked as a slight clicking sound echoed from behind her. She slowly turned, not out of fear or caution though, as the words came to her. It was a human, apparently. More than that, it seemed that she was cautious about things. Ah, right. The question. There had been some. . . unique Shadows during that last major fight they all battled in. It made sense that the girl was being cautious. Though, using a gun revealed that she was a human. She had been about to respond, but the order to wait came. So, the giant just remained silent, watching as the smaller girl approached. Well, she was smaller only in comparison to the giant. It was entirely likely that the girl was about “average” in terms of size. With the next question, the woman nodded. Physically responding was easier, simpler. And then the comment of a heart attack. That was bad. The woman looked down. Though it could be seen as her looking at the girl, it was actually in shame.

”I apologize. . . for frightening you.” Slowly, she nodded. The giant's words were slow, with pauses. ”I didn't expect. . . to see people here. This is. . . a first.” She offered a very slight smile. ”But, you are. . . right. During the larger. . . battles, I'm there.” She felt that she should say something else, but. . . what? Words were difficult to find. What was she even supposed to do?

[Alouette Pendleton]

The first thing that Ally took notice of was the girl's odd speech. She spoke slowly with many pauses. In a way, she reminded the girl of a giant from some sort of fairy tale. Giants like those were often portrayed as antagonists. However, the second thing she took note of was how humble the girl was. Ally still did not smile even when she was smiled at, but her expression was not cold either. It was a neutral expression. She was trying to get a read on the girl. Ally was good at reading people as long as she could remember. Yet, when she tried to read this girl, she got nothing. Blank. Pure white.

Ally had focused on the girl for a few seconds before realizing that she should probably say something now. Ah. Don't worry about. She put her hands on her hips and sighed out of relief. I'm used to much worse popping out in front of me. I prefer something that isn't going to attack me popping out of course. It was one less potential battle, but events like this didn't seem to ever happen for the girl. It was a rare opportunity. In fact, this was the first time running into another user outside the city.

If she recalled correctly, this girl was at the last two battles in the city that she had been to. That would be the one in the school and in the shopping center. Even after such battles, Ally still never really spoke to another User outside of combat. Wouldn't talking to some of these people serve as a good source of information for herself? Y'know, for as long as I've been exploring out here, I still don't know much about the situation. Hell, I haven't even seen another user out here before until now. The girl stretched her tiny body a bit before looking around really quickly to make sure that they were still in the clear. Would you. . . happen to know if anyone on this side of the city survived whatever did happen here? Naturally, he went straight for the questions. It was her prime reason for being here, of course. In fact, if you know anything about survivors or what happened to the people on this side at the time of the attack, it would be helpful. It's rather important. This was her first time meeting someone out here besides the blonde woman. The feeling was somewhat odd, to be honest. And yet, the only thing she could ask about or even speak about was anything that would lead her towards her father.

[Nisha Dovickssen]

Nisha just nodded at the response she received. It was true. Meeting a normal person was at least safer than encountering Shadows. Even if meeting people was questionably more difficult for the giant than beating the entities. The giant just tilted her head to the side slightly. The question she received caused a slight stirring of her heart. The emotions she dealt with the other day had returned. For someone to ask that, there was a good chance they were looking for someone there. That was. . . highly unfortunate. She really did not want to be a person that shattered hopes, but she was asked. She had to answer honestly.

”I was here. . . when everything happened.” She opened up simply. ”Things happened. . . too quickly. It was a normal. . . day for the hospital, then Shadows. . . flooded the halls. . . and the earth shook. . . violently. It was. . . chaos. People were. . . abandoned and left. . . to fend for themselves. Others tried to. . . protect the helpless, dying. . . in the process. Overwhelming. . . strength and numbers. . . did away with everyone. . . here. I only. . . escaped by luck. . . and by my Persona's power.” The woman shifted slightly, turning back around to send a gaze towards the portals out of the room.

”I think. . . it was like that. . . everywhere. But. . . I'm sure some people. . . managed to escape. . . one way or the other.” She nodded before looking back to the girl, convinced that the area was safe. The girl had gotten by unnoticed before, so Nisha needed to be careful. But, back to the point at hand, she didn't want to give false hope. At the same time, she didn't want to shatter what hope the girl did have. That was why she gave an honest opinion. Some people surely did escape. She was an example. Just. . . she doubted their numbers reached very high.

[Alouette Pendleton]

Ally wasn't expecting a completely solid answer from the girl. At most, she would get a lead or a hint as to where to look. What she got was beyond what the girl thought of as possible. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the girl, gulping as she listened to the girl's answer. Not only did she have info on that fated day; she was a survivor.

Mental images flew through the girl's mind as the taller girl painted her a picture with her words. Though her words were slow and a tad hard to follow, the images that Ally received were vivid. The horrors that must have unfolded on that day were frightening, even for her. Ally herself had gone silent as she stared blankly at this girl. The life from her eyes seemed to vanish. She wasn't lying. Of that much, Ally was certain. Behind her blank stare, the girl's mind was a mess. . . .abandoned and left. Overwhelming. . . did away with everyone. . .

Ally had been searching all this time for some sort of hint despite never finding any such thing. And yet, here this girl had all the answers she had been searching for all along. Sadly, these answers were nothing that the girl wanted to hear. But. . . those that escaped only ended up back in the city, right? Ally knew the answer to that question. She knew that it was highly unlikely that her father was still wandering around out here. Yet, she felt the need to ask if only to completely snuff out that flicker of hope or to relight it with false hopes. Had she really been searching all of this time for nothing? Shock and awe was all that the girl felt for now. Feelings of hate, guilt, or sadness remained unseen. The girl was in a broken state, if only brief.

[Nisha Dovickssen]

Assuming that her original theory, that this girl was looking for someone, was correct, then the kid must have been dealing with realizations by that point. Whether she was coming to terms with something she accepted subconsciously, or only now realizing how grim the situation was, the woman could understand and comprehend those circumstances. Plenty well, at that, considering that her father had most likely taken his last breaths somewhere in that building. Though the question came, the giant remained silent for a moment. Just. . . how was she to proceed? That escaped her. She never was good with these situations, especially after she cut herself away from people.

”I would. . . say that, but. . . the blonde lady. . . here in the ruins. . . seems to be an. . . exception. I haven't seen. . . signs of people, though. It'd be safe. . . to assume most reached. . . the city. Food is limited here. . . from what I've seen.” She went quiet for a moment. Maybe if she lightly touched on loss, the girl would at least feel some degree of relief, or comfort? It was worth a shot. Then again, anything would be better than just leaving the girl with a simple, and vague, answer. ”I'm. . . fairly certain my father. . . did not get out. . . of this place.” She commented after a moment. ”But he. . . was always stronger. . . in mind. . . than in body. So I suppose. . . it was to be. . . expected.” The giant went quiet that time. Yes, her father was weak compared to her. But he was kind. He was also so much smarter.

It was depressing to think about him in the past tense, but maybe it would serve as some form of help for the girl?

[Alouette Pendleton]

Ally's thoughts focused in on her father for the time being. Her mind circled around a single thought but never actually touched on it. They simply continued to circle it but never actually touch it. It was thought that her father was in fact dead. She avoided that thought at all costs, continuing to beat around it. She was going nowhere fast within her own mind. After all, her father was pretty tough. He used to be a survivalist! He could easily survive out here. But, wouldn't he want to come home? He could find it easily. But, he couldn't. . .

When the girl finally spoke, Ally dropped her thoughts for the time being. She simply listened to the girls words that slowly came out. What she said made sense. Anyone who had survived had escaped into the eastern part of the city. And for those who didn't, the answer was obvious. The woman continued on about her own experience. Ally slowly exhaled at the mention of the girl's own father. More thoughts raced in her mind. . . . did not get out. . .expected. Those words were likely the final nail on the coffin for the small girl.

She had finally realized the truth that she sought. She didn't turn away from it. Its acceptance didn't come without suffering though. I see. Ally's surprised expression slowly changed as she had come to that realization. It was not one of sadness nor was it one of shock. It was a straight and serious expression much like her usually. This one, however, seemed somewhat colder. Thank you for the information. Ally felt the need to thank the girl. After all, she had answered the question that she had been desperately trying to solve for so long. It was the least she could do. Looking up at the girl with that same expression, she spoke once more. My name is Alouette, by the way. Alouette Pendleton. My father likely perished somewhere in this city on that day. It hurt to actually say it out loud, but she did so in her usual confident voice. I can only find myself blaming those things. She clenched her fist out of frustration for the moment. But again, thank you. . . for putting my mind at ease. The girl's thoughts had been in limbo for months wondering whether or not her father was alive. This girl that had descended from above had given her that answer. Pure white appearance. Descended from above. Put her at ease. Had Ally not been such a rationalist, she could have sworn this woman was an angel of sorts.

[Nisha Dovickssen]

It seemed that she did hurt the girl. Whether or not her words had any positive side effects would truly be left up to the fate, it seemed. The blonde noted her acknowledgment. Then went on to show gratitude. Thanks was often given as a sort of social obligation. Just because it was uttered did not mean that the speaker truly appreciated what had been done. Frankly, Nisha wasn't even sure if she needed to be thanked. The girl seemed to accept what was almost definitely the truth of the matters regarding her search. It was unpleasant. From beginning to end, it was unpleasant. Nisha didn't want to have to be the one to shatter another's hopes. Had she been right to do so? She didn't know. Either way, the girl seemed to believe that the giant had brought some degree of peace of mind. If there was that much, then the woman was glad to assist.

”I. . .” The giant began to speak, but something shifted. It was silent, but it was far from invisible. The woman switched from her “social” nature to her “combat” nature. She opened her mouth, and what came was neither quiet nor broken. It was straight, firm, and powerful. ”Get down!” She demanded before shifting her body and reaching for the nearest mass. Seemed to be a desk. Seemed to be bolted down, as well. That was fine, though. Nothing she hadn't handled in the past. With a groan, the desk shifted before the bottom ripped free. The desk gave way before the bolts or the woman did. That was only natural. The woman immediately followed up by lobbing the piece of furniture at the Shadow. Like a cannonball powered by organic engines, the desk swooshed through the air before crashing into the entity and shattering like a vase. No trace of the Shadow was left after that, outside of the bubbling sounds that echoed in the ensuing silence. For a moment, the giant glared at the empty space. She listened, waited. Nothing was there. Then, she reverted.

”Ah. . . are you. . . all right?” The giant asked before slowly offering her hand. It was one of the hands that just pried a huge desk from the ground. One of those ridiculously powerful tools was being offered to the girl. The woman was always careful when near other people. One wrong move, one twitch or muscle spasm, could have resulted in ridiculous pain and injury for others. She always had to be careful when she wasn't fighting.

[Alouette Pendleton]

The girl began to speak, only to cut off abruptly. In that split second, Ally knew that something was up. When the girl finally did speak though, it had been almost like someone else's voice had called out. As for what those words held, Ally followed its advice with quick reflexes as she dropped to the ground. From this spot, the girl watched the woman tear a desk out of the ground and toss it towards a shadow that had entered the room. As the desk hit the shadow and the resulting bash took place, Ally could only stare at the results in amazement and disbelief. They were terrifying. Just who was this girl?

Turning back as the girl's voice seemed to revert to its original sound, she looked at the hand that had just tossed the desk. With a moment to take in just what happened, the girl took the woman's hand and pulled herself up. That was. . . Ally tried to categorize what she had just seen. She quickly realized that she could do no such thing though. . . .what was that? Her voice showed that she was simply curious. There was no fear; only slight disbelief. This woman was quite tall. That much was certain. But even with such a big person, tossing a desk like that was beyond normal capabilities. Was this girl some sort of super human?

[Nisha Dovickssen]

It seemed that the display of power had had an effect on the girl. Well, that was only natural, Nisha supposed. She was strong. Not in the sense that she worked up from nothing and became strong, but that she was unreasonably powerful from the get go. It wasn't strength she could be proud of. Even so, she offered a weak smile to the girl before flexing and relaxing her arm. Using her strength suddenly like that was bad. Especially after her fights earlier. How to explain it? Well, that was simple. She didn't exactly like it, so there were plenty of ways of putting it into words without sounding haughty.

”I've always. . . been stupidly strong. Even as a. . . child, I could do. . . things adults had. . . problems with. It just. . . got worse as. . . I grew older.” She slowly nodded. ”Fixing it. . . was why we. . . came here. The doctors were. . . curious, and they. . . wanted to take some. . . samples. They paid for. . . everything, but then. . . this all happened.” That pretty much summarized her presence there in the city. As well as why she was in the hospital when it all happened, too. ”I think. . . they said something. . . was off in my. . . mito. . . mitochondria. Either way, they. . . didn't get too far. . . in their examin. . . examinations.” The reason should have been evident.

”Don't worry. . . too much. I've only used. . . it constructively. Or on these. . . Shadows.”

[Alouette Pendleton]

Returning to her feet, Ally brushed herself off. From there, she got a basic explanation of what she had just witnessed. From the sounds of it, super-human strength wasn't too far off the mark. It seemed to be due to some sort of oddity in her cells, as the girl explained. It had been something that she and her family had come to the city in order to fix. Ally could see quite plainly how that had resulted.

She was beginning to understand why the girl might have wanted to get rid of something like this as well. It was sort of like one of those comic book series' where the hero isn't able to control their powers correctly. Perhaps this was sort of like what this girl was experiencing? She couldn't be sure. So. . . you were left with no way out. You used what you were given to the best of your ability, right? At that moment, Ally may have been partially speaking to herself. When she realized what situation she was in, Ally took what she knew how to do and turned it into a method of fighting off what she needed to. She lacked physical strength. In fact, if she were to look at all of the other users at one of those big fights, she would have likely been the weakest by far. And yet, she continued to fight. Much like her, this woman used what she was given in life to fight the shadows. In that sense, they were alike.

[Nisha Dovickssen]

Slowly, the giant nodded. The statement was simple enough, and it was pretty much the situation. Slowly, the giant stepped around the girl, heading towards the crash site, where the desk had shattered and completely ruined itself and the Shadow. Given a few hours, and the carnage would fit in with the rest of the environment. Give both the girl and the woman a day, and they likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that place and any other opening with destruction half-blocking the way. The woman observed the scene. Even if it was to defend someone, she took that life. It was only right that she prayed for it, like all the others.

”I'm not the. . . smartest. I'm not even. . . the strongest. However, I know. . . what happened here. I know that. . . things were lost. And I know. . . that others come here. . . to fight for. . . what they believe in. . . or for their own. . . sakes. Whatever the case. . . this place is. . . dangerous. All of it is. If I can. . . make it a little. . . safer for others. . . then I'll do. . . what I can. It's all I. . . can do for. . . this place and. . . its people.” With that, the woman put her hands together and closed her eyes. Maybe it was all in vain. The thought occurred to her more than once, really. However, if well-wishing and prayers would do the job, maybe some entity would respond to them.

It was all she could do.

[Alouette Pendleton]

Ally watched as the girl walked over to the desk she had thrown and began to speak. Her words were slow like always, but each word held meaning. She spoke very little, yet each word held power. That was what Ally could say, at least. This girl had a goal in mind herself. As for Ally, what would her goal be? Now that she realized it, her goal was to search for her father. Such a thing was no longer a realistic nor fruitful goal. At this point in time, Ally was lost. She knew it would not be for long, but for now, would be without a purpose. Slowly, Ally walked over towards the girl. She would find a purpose eventually.

She tilted her head in confusion as she watched the girl hold her hands together. Excuse me. What are you doing? "Excuse me" wasn't exactly within Ally's usual vocabulary. However, she didn't exactly know how to call this girl. She most certainly wasn't going to refer to her as "you" either. Could you be. . . praying? Ally had never really learned about religion at all. As the daughter of two scientists, the girl was never taught about believing in higher deities. Everything that she learned was explainable by science. Despite this, religion was somewhat fascinating. It was an unknown.

Kneeling down next to the girl and putting her hands together just as she had, she looked forward towards the desk that had been used to take down the shadow. I'll do my part as well. . . even if I don't know what that part is yet. Her eyes remained open and focused on where the shadow had been as she spoke. She had no idea whether or not she was praying correctly, but deep down she felt that it didn't matter. Her thoughts were in the right place. Wasn't that the message of religion after all?

[Nisha Dovickssen]

Slowly, Nisha nodded in response to the question. It had been delayed, naturally, but it still had come. Once the woman believed she had offered enough hope, she opened her eyes and dropped her hands. For a moment, she just took in the girl's words, considering them. It was an admirable outcome. Perhaps their meeting was a good occurrence for the girl? Even if she didn't have an exact goal in mind, she at least had something to aim for. It was more than wallowing in despair or self-pity. That determination would get her somewhere. Hopefully, she'd survive this mess called the “lockdown”.

”It probably. . . sounds stupid. Maybe it is stupid. But I don't know. . . of any gods. I don't even. . . know if I really. . . believe in them. Despite that, I want. . . to hope that there. . . is something. . . there to listen to. . . our prayers. Otherwise, these. . . Shadows are very. . . pitiful. Living only. . . to kill, destroy. . . ruin and cause sorrow. . . is a very sad. . . thing. I want them. . . to have another chance. . . at a normal life. As an animal. As a human. Almost anything. . . would be better. . . than their lot. . . in life.” Her smile was faint. Truly, it probably was stupid. Praying without any real, solid faith behind it would have likely garnered some degree of chiding from most religions. All the same, that was all she could do.

”Even if you. . . don't know what. . . you should do here. . . so long as you. . . try your hardest. . . and keep your. . . goals in mind. . . you should be . . . fine. Just be. . . careful.” The giant nodded once more. That was all there was to say about it. She wasn't some motivational speaker. She wasn't some genius, either. She just said what sounded right.