eunoias | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Varon and Resa/Esmerelda Vanuatu
What: Resa meets one of the Swordsmen for the very first time.
Where: Doma Stronghold
When: First year of Doma

No matter what the reason was, Resa would not come out of her room. The curtains were closed, the sheets wrapped around her as she stared lifelessly at the area of the bed.

Ever since she left Bridgeport, nothing changed. She was still the quiet, strange girl who would be suppressed with every drug known to man and was abused even beyond the point of recognition. Still, she would keep her mouth shut unless if she wanted to be subjected to even more tests and harm. The blanket hid the fact that she was paler than normal, as well as malnourished from the mistreatment she faced.

Soon, she flopped back and rolled over, still staring rather lifelessly at the walls that surrounded her. She wasn't told that she could go out, so she didn't. She wasn't told to get up and do this task, so she didn't. And so, she languished still as her mind worked against her to drive her further into psychosis.

Though, she didn't realize that her door was open just a crack. And that crack would be enough for anyone to hear a faint, quiet voice.

"Why..."

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It was clear through the light that punctured the room that the female was very frightened. She was shaking like a leaf by the time the agent tried to intervene.

"This is...someone you'll eventually meet. She really doesn't like to be around other people--"

"No, stop. Stop saying lies about me! Stop it, stop it, stop it! I want to have friends! I want to be around other people!"

The agent looked baffled before sighing. "Let's get you your medication," he said, walking into the room. Honestly, this girl was a piece of work. Why did Dartz want her - a mental institute patient above anyone else who was around?

"NO! No more meds, no more tests, no more pain! Stop!"

"But, it's good for you--"

This was yet another one of her "episodes" and it was going downhill fast.

Varon grabbed the agents wrist without giving much thought. "No."

Varon had his share of medications pumped down his throat for his temper while the guards used the same excuse that it was good for him.

He took a step forward, not knowing what would happen next and slowly crouched down in front of her. "It's a'right."

If Resa could back up into that wall any further, she would have as her hair looked like it was unkempt for days, her cheeks sullen and the rest of her obviously mistreated in some shape or form.

"...please don't hurt me," she whispered, nearly tripping over every word.

The agent looked on, raising an eyebrow before deciding to leave the two as is. They didn't pay him enough for this.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya." His voice was soft. He didn't reach out just yet. Instead he hugged his knees as he looked at the new girl. His heart went out to her. As the agent left, it confirmed to him that they really didn't seem to care one way or the other.

Being new himself, he didn't think it was right for anyone to violate personal space. He had enough of his personal rights violated in prison, and nothing they did would surprise him. "I'm a friend. My name is Varon. What's yours?"

"...Okay..." Her own voice was shaky and soft as she slowly got out of the position she was in, but kept her distance between her and him. She hated having lies spouted about her and it hurt. Why didn't other people see that she was hurting, too? Why was it always about them?

"F-Friend. Okay. I'm... I'm Resa, V-Varon."

"Nice meetin' ya, Resa. You just got here?" It seemed like a simple enough question and he hoped it was enough to open up a door somehow. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work when he didn't feel as comfortable with his own social skills.

"U-Um, I've been here for a w-week or so... I, um... just got out of, well... y-you can guess that part," she said, picking at the skin on her fingers. There were bandages on there already, but the more she pulled at the skin, the more it bled.

"Not really, no. Just got here an hour ago. Not much t' see 'round here, is there?" His own face had bandages from the cuts and scrapes he received from his death match duels in order to barter for his freedom. It wasn't exactly his ideal way of leaving but it served a purpose for now.

"Well, I-I haven't been around much. I've just been in my room w-with meals delivered b-because I don't want t-to be outside. I-Inside's more comfy." Of course, after she knew nothing but padded cells and everything else, she didn't like being outdoors often.

Varon personally hated confined spaces and dark rooms. He hated being restrained even more. He didn't understand her logic and why she chose to keep herself inside this room when there was much more out there to see.

"I don't get it." He said with a slight tilt to his head. "Why?"

The outside contained people that would hurt and use her. The inside was much safer, in her opinion. Then again, when one's mind was conditioned to think that way, nothing really else could get through.

"...B-Because people out t-there will hurt me, I guess."

He wanted to reach out to her then and there to help her understand that not everyone was out to hurt. It was going to be a slow process and he nodded his head.

"That's true, but that's not the same for everyone. People on the inside can hurt ya too. Ya know, like the blokes that tried t' feed ya pills, an' all."

That got her to thinking a bit. All she knew was that pills were supposed to help her, not harm her, even if she didn't like them herself.

"I-I... I thought t-that was t-to help me - you know, t-the pills."

The young Varon shrugged. He didn't know the details that surrounded her treatment. He knew what pertained to him and gave that explanation.

"Well, maybe they are, I dunno. They gave 'em t' me t' keep my down. Why were you on pills? They said somethin's wrong with my head. Guess that's a good excuse, huh."

Resa didn't particularly want to share the details of why she got as crazy as she did. Although, she did know that it could help her in the end.

"U-Um... Same reason. I'm m-mentally unstable." She could have gone with crazy or deranged, just as the psych ward attendants said, but that sounded right to say.

"So, what?" Varon was called psychotically unfit for society and labeled as a psychopath that can never be reintegrated back into the world. Those things didn't matter to him.

"Just means that you're a li'l more than normal an' what would they know anyway? So, that's considered normal?" Varon tried to figure that part out since he was locked up with no success.

That confused her. She was always told that she would eventually die in those padded walls due to no one giving a shit about her in general, and since she accepted that, she didn't do anything to refute their claims.

"W-Well, I've got someone else i-in here that they've t-tried to suppress. S-She's a friend and helps t-to protect me."

"Hm?" He looks around in slight confusion. It didn't bother him that there would have been someone else. He was more confused on the whereabouts. "I don't see anyone."

"If you're strong, you wouldn't need protection. You could beat 'em down one-two-three." He said with a snap with his fingers on the count.

She rapidly shook her head and pointed to her head. "H-Here. She's in here. H-Her name is... is Esmerelda."

Her? Strong? Perish the thought. All she was told was that she was weak and nothing but it. "I-I'm not strong. I-I'm not strong at all."

"Huh. Well, if she's the strong one, maybe that's why you were picked?" That and he really didn't understand why Dartz chose the people he chose for his purpose. All Varon knew was that he needed people to carry out tasks and Varon's purpose was yet to be known. He hasn't met his team yet.

"Varon." He turned around when another agent stood at the door. "You're needed in the conference room."

"Eh? Why?" Varon looked over his shoulder at the agent dressed in a black suit.

"You are to meet your team." The agent stepped away from the door as Varon stood up.

"Gimme a sec." He turned toward Resa. "I gotta go."

"M-Maybe. I never realized that b-before..." Then again, Resa really didn't know why she was picked since there were tons of other people out there who were better than she was.

She looked up at the agent and scooted away into the wall. She nodded towards Varon and actually looked a bit sad at things. Everyone eventually left her, anyway, so why was this any surprise?

"I'll be back, okay?" Varon tried to reassure her but he wasn't sure he was doing a very good job. "It's just a meeting right?" He asked the agent.

"It's an introduction to your team." The agent said coolly.

"It can wait." Varon wanted to wave the agent away but orders were orders.

"It's not as simple as that. You better make yourself known or Master Dartz will see to it personally that you are forever removed from the equation."

That took Varon by surprise. "Seriously?"

The agent nodded his head. Varon didn't have much choice in the matter. He turned back to Resa with a sigh. "I shouldn't be gone long, okay? Seems like they really wanna meet me."

Resa nodded and she sighed solemnly, getting back on to her bed. The way she was walking was very slow, wobbly even. But, she eventually made her way there. A frail hand picked the sheets up and she covered herself with them again.

Although, it was obvious that she had injection scars all over her arms and on her neck, too.

"Bye, Varon. T-Thank you for talking with me."

He gave a small smile and a wave before he closed the door.

The meeting was pretty much cut and dry and now it was time to put on his Doma uniform. He raised a brow at the ensemble and wondered why specifically that he wasn't allowed a trench coat like his other teammates. The answer became obvious when he saw the obstacle course later that day.

Being on the last of the pecking order in his team, he didn't have much of a choice. He had to learn everything fast. Gymnastics for strength and agility, parkour for evasion and escape on foot, acrobatics for height escape along with electronics and mechanics. He was already learning the latter while he was in prison. He had a lot of time to read books on the subject and he was already good with math and history.

Languages weren't really his thing and he still had to study from books on that subject too. He wasn't as good at it as his other two teammates but his skills were useful in other areas. He was practically an armored plated ninja as it stood.

Once everything was done and he was finally settled in on his training schedule, sore and tired, he went back to Resa's room to check on her. "See, I told ya I'd be back." His black Doma jumpsuit was all he had on other than his boots.

When Varon was doing his training and being initiated, Resa decided to do something that she hadn't done in a while. She rifled through her drawer and took out a piece of paper and a few crayons and began to work on a picture. This sort of therapy, if one could call it, was helpful and it kept her motor skills in working order.

She made sure to work on the picture dutifully and lifted her head up when Varon came back.

"I... I drew a picture," she said, holding it up. It was of her and Varon and it looked to be skillfully done for something just done with crayons.