2009-05-04 - Healing Care

Leo Stenbuck barely has actual full-time quarters; he bounces around from ship to ship and base to base so much that he mostly just takes whatever room he can get. He is also a teenaged male, and prone to forgetting things, like 'his belonings' or 'to eat.' Through the magical combination of these two facts, Leo Stenbuck had about a box's worth of miscellaneous crap that he had forgotten in the room he used on Gryps; some books, a t-shirt, et cetera.

The boy tromps down a hallway in the military base on Gryps, carrying a box full of aforementioned crap. It's kind of heavy, but not nearly as heavy as his heart, which is an artful metaphor for the fact that he seems pretty bummed. Every time he thinks he has gotten over his failure, he has to do something like go collect his old crap, or talk to another human being. That second one usually brings it back especially bad.

The halls are, thankfully, mostly deserted; now that Gryps has fallen under the control of the regular military, no one really knows what's going to be happening to it. The regulars have no reason to be there yet, and most ex-Titans are trying as hard as they can to make all of their peers forget that they were ever a Titan. It makes the already sterile, quiet, and creepy halls of the base positively 'freaky deaky.'

For the most part, Lt. Commander Stenbuck is alone within the halls of the Titans' former base of operations. Left to his own devices by most, if anyone, who manages to pass him by, he collects things he had previously left behind, taking with him former memories and, perhaps, a bit of uncertainty. What lies in store for the Titans whose duty has been cut by the Earth Federation? Will they all assimilate into the military proper, or will the loss give rise to something more..?

This all, of course, means precious little to Healing Care.

Whatever reason the Innovade girl has for stalking through Gryps is clearly uncertain to those she passes, though he presence does earn her quite a few odd looks. Odd, because the girl is dressed LIKE a girl, and seems completely out of place on a military base in her cute little black and gray ruffled dress motif. She certainly seems like a civilian.

In any case, as Leo goes on about his way, he's still left alone. That is until he rounds a corner. There, right in front of his face, stands that girl a little shorter than him, green hair wildly framing her face as large, seemingly innocent violet eyes peer up at him. Right into his eyes, right through his gaze. It's a bit creepy--more so when she just tilts her head to one side and smiles, offering a soft giggle.

"I found you, Stenbuck~"

Well, that's unexpected.

Leo only just barely avoids walking straight into Healing; he catches himself midstep and almost collapses backwards in his attempt to avoid a collision. Luckily for him, he manages to stay this side of a fall, and just sort of stumbles backwards with a surprised yelp.

Once his balance is no longer in danger, the boy takes the time to look at what he almost just ran into. The first thing he notices is her eyes; Leo's used to vaguely creepy stares, but this girl's is... a lot different from Rei's. Rei's stare is flat. Healing's... well, Healing's isn't.

He breaks eye contact almost immediately; on bad days, it makes him uncomfortable even with people he's close to. With strangers, it's pretty much out of the question. This means the /second/ thing he notices is her dress, and indeed everything from about the chest down. Suddenly grimacing, the boy sucks in a deep breath through his nose, and pointedly lowers the box he's carrying to waist level.

He's busily staring when Healing speaks. It goes in one ear and out the other, but it does at least grab his attention. "S-sorry, what?" he blurts, lifting his eyes back to Healing's face and settling his gaze squarely on her forehead. His own brow furrows as he realizes that with that dress and that hair, the girl's like some sort of Neo-Andes Mint mascot. "Do I know you?" he adds, distraction evident in his voice.

He stumbles and yelps; Healing, on the other hand, just folds her arms behind her back and smiles like the cat that has caught the canary. The reaction she was hoping for! So pleased is she that she laughs again, eyes hooding slightly as she leans forward slightly, attempting to peer more closely at the young pilot.

Indeed--the young woman's eyes are very much alive, as opposed to flat and distant, detached from everything. Even more so as he breaks his gaze away from hers, violet depths widening slightly before she tilts her head to one side and attempts to follow his peripherals and keep her image there in his line of sight.

"What's the matter, Stenbuck?" the girl wonders, sounding way too amused by his plight. Fortunately for the Innovade, he looks back, though he's looking beyond her chin and at her dress. A wide smirk edges its way over her soft face instantly.

"Like what you see~?" she wonders.

Soon enough, he (sort of) finds the courage to meet her face to face once more, though he may very well just stare at the wall. Do I know you, he asks the girl. Another laugh escapes her, a hand reaching up to cover at her mouth.

"Maybe~" she coos, stepping forward, then around Leo. Standing abreast to the young man, she stares down the hallway, thoughtfully gazing at the emptiness before she moves back around and stands before him once more. This time, however, she's a little close--as close as she can get with the box between them.

"Do you like games? Let's play one--

"Why don't you guess, Leo Stenbuck~?"

To make matters even creepier, the girl's cold, pale hand reaches up and gingerly rests itself upon one of his there upon the box.

Leo remains perfectly still, standing stiffly (HA HA GET IT) as Healing stalks back and forth around him. There's something extremely unnerving about this girl, and it's not just the fact that she might actually be a boy. It's not that she's being so aggressively affectionate; Kusuha is plenty affectionate, and she's not scary at all. It's just the way she talks and moves. It goes beyond being 'friendly.' It's practically predatory.

Distracted by his thoughts, he jumps a little when Healing rests her hand on his. The brain in his head notes how cold her touch is, and shouts at his legs to start working again. The brain in his pants notes that she has hella smooth skin.

"G-guess?" Leo stammers. A bead of sweat forms on his forehead and rolls down the side of his face. "H-how am I supposed to..." He trails off, desperately wracking his memory for an idea. Do ace pilots get groupies? Char Aznable probably did. But Char Aznable was, like, super famous. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to be in that stupid Titans magazine. How many people even read that? Well there was that one time that--

Oh, right! "The... radio...?" Leo asks, obviously uncertain. She does sound kind of familiar... but who could she be? "N-no..." he second guesses himself. There was Pars, and that other guy who wouldn't say his name... ... come to think of it, he and this girl did sound pretty similar, but there's definitely no way he could mistake this girl for a boy. That would be... be... retarded.

"I'm... I'm pretty sure we don't..." he decides, eventually.

Violet eyes hood slightly as Healing's soft hand makes purchase against Leo's hand, his reaction drawing a wide, playful smile across her smooth face. Clearly amused by his nervousness and predicament, the green-haired Innovade just responds initially with a small nod of her head, eyes drawing to a close as she keeps her hand upon his.

The smile, of course, goes nowhere.

"Yep," she chimes, offering another eerie giggle shortly after. "Guess!"

Opening her eyes, the girl looks up at Leo, even as he begins to search his memory for something--anything that will help clue him in on who she may be. Not once does her gaze stir or move from his face, violet eyes intensely focused as she observes him. He makes guesses, uncertain of whether they're right, but Healing Care doesn't respond. She just stands, waiting.

"Aww, are you giving up?" she wonders, her 'free' hand reaching up to press a finger against her chin. "I guess it can't be helped, you being /human/ and all." Offering a slight wink, the girl briefly sticks her tongue playfully out.

"Well, that's okay. I figured you wouldn't be able to guess. I'll give you a hint, though."

Her hands move immediately after, rising up and coming down upon the box in his hand before she gleefully kicks it aside with one of her Mary Jane shoes. Heedless of his personal space the girl steps RIGHT in and essentially uses her body to force Leo into the nearest wall before she rests her hands upon his chest and peers up at him with a huge Cheshire's smile.

"You're so cute when you're flustered, Leo Stenbuck~"

Being human...? What is she-

For the second time in about a minute, Leo almost jumps out of his skin. The box hits the floor with a dull thud; thankfully, there was nothing fragile in it. It's heavy, but slides easily across the hallway floor with a swift kick from Healing 'Chubby Thighs' Care. Leo opens his mouth to protest, but all that comes out is about half of the air in his lungs as Healing drives him into the wall.

The dazed Leo struggles to assess his situation. A) A girl in a frilly dress has him pinned against a well. B) Grandma was right, and he probably should have been carrying a rape horn. C) He's cute when he's...? ... oh. Leo wonders, in the back of his mind, what could have possibly made him think this girl was a boy, especially from her voice. He decides to blame Shinji Ikari.

"So... it was you," he says, shakily, this time settling his gaze on Healing's mouth. Her smile is weird... but enthralling. Like a dancing snake, or the eyes of a hypnotoad! "I guess... guess you're a girl after all."

This situation keeps getting weirder and weirder, the boy grouses. He presses his body as flat as he can against the wall, sprreading his arms out to the side. He's careful to keep his groin as far away from Healing as possible; he tries so hard, in fact, that he ends up ruining his attempts to keep his upper body away from her, and ends up leaning his torso slightly forwards.

Using the element of surprise to her advantage, Healing Care swiftly makes quick work of pushing the poor Lt. Commander into the nearest wall. There, with his back to the wall and nowhere to go, the young, green-haired girl just leans forward and makes herself more than welcome there within Leo Stenbuck's personal space. So comfortable, in fact, she's practically sprawled upon him like a lazy cat, violet eyes peering up at him as she grins.

"Bingo~" the Innovade chimes quietly, offering a small wink. "You're so smart, too." Pause.

"Well, for a human."

Grinning broadly, Healing remains comfortably there upon him, keeping him pinned to the wall with the majority of her weight--which isn't much. While he attempts to move aside and avoid ...potential problem, it leaves him essentially hovering over her. "Yes, I /am/ a girl," she remarks, sounding not the least bit cut about his confusion. "You didn't believe your own ears?"

Stepping back and giving the poor Lt. Commander some breathing room, Healing keeps close, though her petite hands fall to her front, hands loosely held at the thigh. "Oh well," she remarks, eyes momentarily slipping aside. The moment doesn't last. Seconds after she cuts her gaze back, to him, lips pull into a wide grin as her eyes half-lid

"Wanna check~?"

Leo lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding when Healing backs off. At least for a few moments, all he has to worry about is the possibility that she'll look down. It may be hard to identify Healing's gender at first glance, but at the moment, it's pretty obvious that Leo's a boy. Why do they make these uniform pants so tight, anyways?!

At least she seems to be losing interest in him. With any luck, she'll be completely bored of him soon enough, and then he can get his things and get the hell out of-

Leo chokes on his own spit when Healing makes her offer. Did she just...?! Coughing violently, he lowers his eyes to Healing's thighs. "Uh," he hacks out, in between coughs. He swings his eyes to look down the hallway to the left, and then to the right. This just went from 'creepy and weird' to downright 'surreal.'

It wouldn't be so jarring if it wasn't so... /tempting./ He's just waiting for the other shoe to drop; she probably actually is a boy. Leo wonders, briefly, if that would make him gay. He hopes not. "Uh," he repeats, turning his gaze back to Healing's legs, and then back up to her face. Cough, cough. "U-uh..."

Fortunately for young Stenbuck, the only thing the odd Innovade seems interested in looking at is, in fact, his face--more specifically, his eyes. ...even if he doesn't want to meet her gaze in return; that's fine, it makes it all the more fun to harass him. Besides, she's not making it all that easy for him, what with suddenly hacking and coughing. Was it something she said?

Her grin just gets all the wider.

Lifting her chin a touch, the girl hoods her gaze as she stands there, giving him ample time to recover from his sudden and surprised outburst. Her head tilts somewhat to one side, hands still dangling freely before her in a completely innocent fashion. For a moment she's quiet, even as he just looks at her legs before, finally, meeting her properly, eyes upon her face. Her smile grows wolfish.

"What's wrong, Mister Stenbuck?" she wonders, just standing still. "You were assertive and certain before, on the radio. Now it's like...it's like the cat's got your tongue~" Her gaze narrows slightly as she bows her head, errant green locks of hair brushing past her brow, hanging over her eyes. "Where'd all that confidence and bravado go, anyway?"

Drawing her eyes shut, the girl's hands lift from her thighs as she offers a helpless shrug, sighing heavily. "Humans are such silly creatures," she muses. "But I guess not /all/ of you are bad." Opening a single eye, she smiles broadly. "You're an interesting one, Leo Stenbuck. So, you never did respond--" Dropping her hands to her skirt, she grabs the hem and begins to draw the frilly fabric upwards.

"Did you want to check~"

Down the hall, a passing entourage of military personnel stop and just stare at the scene, dropping paper work in surprise. AWKWARD.

Leo chokes again when Healing starts pulling up her skirt. He can't help but suspect - and, to be honest, hope - that Healing isn't actually wearing underwear, which makes this scenario basically amazing. As hyponotized as he is by the Innovade's antics, however, he's still terrified of that other shoe, poised to fall at any moment. As Healing's dress comes up, the boy's glance swings away, scanning the hallways again.

Oh, God, people.

This makes things a lot more complicated. He really, really doesn't want to have to explain to someone why this girl - who is, as far as he can tell, a civilian - was showing him her bajingo in the halls of a military installation. And... she does want him to be more forceful, right? I mean, women are always very clear about what they want. That's just science.

Leo pushes off the wall, his right hand snapping out towards Healing. It latches onto her wrist, Leo desperate to keep her from pulling her skirt up anymore. "C-come on," he whispers, attempting to forcibly turn the Innovade away from the crowd of soldiers. He attempts to sound authoritative... and to some small degree, it works. But it's still quite obvious he's got no idea what the shit is going on. "You're not even supposed to be here..."

"She's my... she got lost," Leo calls hesitantly, glancing over his shoulder at the men. "She's from the colony. There's... there wasn't anyone manning the checkpoints. Civilians shouldn't be allowed to just wander, uh, in..." He glances frantically back at Healing, and then back at the soldiers. "Go... uh, fix that."

For the longest moment, it would seem Leo's question will finally be answered. Is this a girl for real, or some really effeminate boy pretending to be a girl for whatever reason? After all, it's space--does anyone really NEED reason? Almost, almost does the frilly hem reveal the truth, when...

There are suddenly personnel staring down the hallway at the pair.

While Leo man frantically flush and push off the wall, Healing just stands with her hands on her skirt's hem, an incredibly wide, incredibly amused grin still lingering on her pale face. Whoever is there down the hall doesn't seem to matter to her--the only thing the green-haired girl seems intent on is watching his reaction.

Really...he's still just a kid beneath his title, influence and machine. The very thought brings her lips twitching upwards in a too-humored sneer. It's so easy to manipulate him. Maybe...he's useful.

Her thoughts are instantly shattered when the young pilot grips a hand onto her hand, causing the young, pale-faced Innovade girl to offer what could very well be a startled look. Then, instantly, her expression shifts into what could be likened as disgust, her arm wiggling, attempting to pry from his grip as he drags her along and away, out of sight.

Wait. Civilian?

The girl plants her heels, stopping as Leo attempts to drag her away while explaining. Holding her ground she refuses to continue further, instead tilting her head forward as she goes eerily silent, her body shivering as she just...stands there. Civilian...civilian...

"AHA HA HA HA HA!"

Suddenly the girl whips her head up, violet eyes wide and thoroughly amused as she sneers up at Leo with another wolfish smile. "CiVILian!?" Another bout of laughter fills the young woman, drifting down the otherwise quiet halls. "Oh Leo Stenbuck, you really /are/ adorable. You really don't know who I am!"

Snapping her arm out of his grasp, the girl lifts her hand to her bosom (such is a stretch) and rests her hand upon her chest. "I'm /Captain/ Care."

Well, so much for wanting him to be more aggressive. Leo sighs in exasperation as Healing wriggles in his grip, dragging her away from the still-bewildered crowd of soldiers and towards a corner. Well, it could be worse... she may be struggling, but at least she's walking.

Shouldn't have thought anything. Leo jolts to a stop as Healing plants her heels and starts trembling. Oh, God, she's gonna cry, isn't she? "L-look," he whispers, leaning in towards Healing. "I'm sorry, okay, but you can't-"

He's cut off when the Innovade starts laughing. What you expected hadn't happened. The boy recoils away from Healing, though he doesn't release her wrist. Why's she laughing? ... Don't know who she is...? Leo stumbles backwards a step when Healing wrenches her arm out of his hand, and the boy just stares at her. He liked it better when she was being friendly.

"Captain... Care?" he repeats, slowly. Disregarding the fact that 'Care' is a weird name... Captain? Leo looks the girl up and down again; the frilly black dress is still definitely not a military uniform. Is she lying? ... it's probably safer not to risk it. "Uh... y-you're a Captain? And your name is... Care...?" Leo Stenbuck is the king of redundancy King Redundant, King of Redundancy.

"I... I don't..." the boy stammers. Frowning, he reaches up to run a hand through his hair, brushing it back away from his eyes. What the hell is going on?!

Ah--there it is. Surprise.

The girl's obvious expression of amusement broadens as Leo stares with disbelief upon the young Innovade. Cry? Oh no; the girl is too pleased with the outcome that's developed from all of this. Toying with someone like the young Lt. Commander is far, far too easy, Healing decides then and there. She will enjoy making use of it.

"The one and only," is Healing's response, lips curling devilishly at the corners of her soft lips. "Captain Healing Care, to be precise." Tilting her head gently, the girl's gaze hoods sharply, intensely violet eyes fixed on the young man. "Didn't you say you wanted to know who I was? You should be flattered."

Stepping forward with a soft click of her heels on the floor, she approaches the young pilot with a smile still lingering on her pale face. "I went all this way to find you in the flesh. Radio conversation is too fleeting and informal--" Lifting a hand, she dismissively waves, still smirking. "I wanted to see who you were, behind all that bravado and courage."

Leaning forward on the tips of her toes, the girl inclines up toward Leo, still holding her wolfish smile as her face draws uncomfortably close to his. "What's the matter, Leo Stenbuck? Cat got your tongue again~?" And, in attempt to disarm him further, the girl reaches a hand up and pokes a cold fingertip to his lips.

Healing... Care? It's... well, it's certainly a name. Leo swallows roughly as the paradigm of the conversations changes again; Healing's awfully fast to switch back to creepy and saccharine after her little outburst, and the boy can't help but wonder if she's psychotic or just a bitch. Unfortunately, she's still tempting either way.

So... she tracked him down? Leo's look of bewilderment deepens... and then again, even further, when she presses a finger to his lips. He's fairly certain this is where he's supposed to sweep her off her feet or something, but after her last... episode...

Leo reaches a hand up and presses it gently into Healing's chest, just below where her breast would be if she, you know, had any. He leans her away from him a few inches - at least enough to get her finger off his lips - and says, "... well... Captain Healing Care... you found me. So... what now?"

His tone is equal parts discomfort, apprehension, and excitement. Healing may apparently be a crazy bitch, but when you're a teenage boy, it's easy to forgive her that in the face of such touchy affection.

Still grinning as she encroaches upon Leo's personal space, the girl seems more than willing to offer the young pilot seeming affection and the sort of attention one his age may enjoy from a girl. It's too easy, she mulls to herself. This is far too easy--she'd honestly anticipate a bit more reluctance and stubbornness, but...

She can't say she's disappointed in the outcome.

When he lifts a hand and pushes her back a touch, Healing's violet eyes widen a bit, immediately dropping to his hand before she looks back up. He's since pulled back, he hand hanging freely in the air between them, fingers slightly crooked. And then he speaks.

Now what, he wonders. As if she plans things ahead!

"Ah, well, what now indeed!" Healing chimes, letting her posture ease a bit more as her hand falls to her side. Still smiling broadly, the girl takes a few playful steps back, shoes scuffing against the hard floor of the hallway. "I guess we'll have to see what the future has in store for you, Lieutenant Commander Stenbuck, won't we~?" A chime of laughter escapes the Innovade's lips.

"I just hope you don't /die/ anytime soon. You're interesting for a /human/." Spinning on her heels, the girl about-faces as she begins to saunter off down the hallway. But several feet away the girl's steps pause, head tipping back. "Though, there is one thing I do need to warn you."

Slowly--creepily--the girl tilts her head to the side, craning her neck just so, allowing her gaze to settle upon him from the corner of one violet eye. What's more, she grins.

"Don't get in my way out there, or I /will/ kill you." A beat.

"Bye-bye~!"

Lacing her arms behind her back, the girl resumes her cheerful departure, lest she be interrupted.

Yeah... yeah, definitely a bitch.

Leo stares in stunned silence as Healing departs. That certainly wasn't what he was hoping for. I mean, sure, she keeps calling him a human like she's some kind of otherkin, and she's kind of psycho, but... and she was so grabby, and... Leo's brow knits in frustration and he shifts his weight from foot to foot.

So, he realizes. This is why they have the word 'cocktease.'

He perks up when Healing pauses and turns to look sidelong at him. Maybe she'll... "... kill me...?" he repeats in a quiet murmur, eyes narrowing. Maybe she has more issues than he thought... it's kind of worrisome. Frowning, he watches Healing leave.

The threat of death is just the exclamation point on what was a thoroughly inscrutable encounter. Leo reaches a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "... Healing Care, huh?" he sighs, hanging his head. "... and even after that..." He squirms uncomfortably for a moment. Eventually, he starts walking again, quickly returning to the site of his box of belongings. He's going to have to think about this for awhile to figure out what just happened...

But first he needs to spend about fifteen minutes alone.