[action]

[cobbledtogether.livejournal.com]

[It's strange, this place—or, at least, the little blonde girl wandering through the Gardens thinks so. But, then again, she hasn't ever been allowed out of the laboratory where she was born—or grown, to put it more accurately, but it's not as though she knows the difference—and no one ever thought it necessary to teach her much of anything about what "outside" might be like. Of course she thinks it's strange, this much color and space and freedom.]

[It's a little scary to suddenly be somewhere new with no idea where she is, of course, but at the same time it's a lot more frightening to be where she was before. After being trapped in the lab for so long with no hope of escaping, finding herself where she is— It's confusing, but at the same time she feels relieved. She pays no attention to the direction she's moving in as she wanders through the trees, taking in her new surroundings with wide eyes.]

[She almost doesn't notice when the footsteps first draw close enough for her to hear. When she does, though, she freezes in place, holding her breath as she listens. They're definitely coming toward her— What if it's someone that's come to take her back?! She makes a panicked dive behind the nearest hiding spot she can find, which, in this case, happens to be the trunk of a particularly large tree. As the sound of the approaching person draws closer, she peeks out ever so slightly from behind the tree to find...]

[It's someone she has never seen before. Which, at least in her mind, probably means it's not someone coming to drag her away again. It's also the first person she has seen in this place so far, so curiosity wins out over fear and she shuffles out from her hiding place. She's a rather pitiful sight, to be honest, rail thin and barefoot and clothed in something that's closer to a smock than a dress.]

H— Hello...?


[ ooc: So, Lambda has been wildcarded into bitty!cyborg mode. Feel free to run into her just about anywhere! As a warning, her past deals heavily with human experimentation and abuse related to such, so those topics are likely to come up somewhere in this post. Replies will be coming from minimurakumo. ]

Comments

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Lambda-chan, I see. You've been out here all by yourself?

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[Lambda just nods in reply, not speaking.]

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[Lambda's eyes go wide at Gal's last comment, and she shakes her head wildly, blonde hair whipping around her face as she does so.]

No! Don't wanna go back...

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[Unfortunately(?), Lambda does not yet have a dictionary installed in her head. This means Sayaka gets...an actual explanation.]

The scientists call me Lambda 'cus I'm the eleventh specimen.

[tookupthesword.livejournal.com]

[If it wasn't for the GLARINGLY OBVIOUS POINT OF INTEREST, Sayaka would wonder why the name matters for what number like an idiot.]

Specimen...?

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[That's super cool!! ...But she catches onto the fact that that's not what Subaru had wanted to talk about quickly enough, so she settles down and listens to her explanation. Her eyes go wide when she explains that she had lived in a lab, too; Lambda has never met anyone she can consider to be like herself, and especially not in that regard.]

Like me...?

[She looks away again when Subaru mentions being raised as a weapon. Her body is still too young for major "renovations," so that part she can't relate to just yet. Really, she doesn't even know if that's her eventual purpose; sometimes she hears the scientists mention things like Boundary Interface Prime Field Devices and Murakumo Units, but she hasn't had the privilege of finding out what those things actually mean.]

Are they...okay now?

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

Uh-huh. [She sounds completely matter of fact about this, which might even be worse than the alternative.] They're gonna use my body to make a Mura— Murakumo Unit.

[tookupthesword.livejournal.com]

[UHHHHH]

... What?

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

A Murakumo Unit. Or a... "Boundary Interface Prime Field Device."

[It's pretty obvious from the way she says the words that she only has the vaguest understanding of what she's actually talking about, and is really just repeating things she has gleaned from conversations she has overheard.]

[tookupthesword.livejournal.com]

Do you... know what that is?

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

[ Best not to give the actual breakdown of how many Numbers were detained and how many decided to reform. Subaru nods. ] Mm! They were uneasy about things at first, and it took a lot of work to get it to where they could move around freely, but our dad was with them every step of the way.

It just goes to show that there is a lot of strength to be found in family and friends. In the knowledge that... you're not alone.

[hopelessdreamer]

Oh--well then. [she picks up on that and switches her approach quickly.]

You don't have to go back if you don't want to. Okay?

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

You're not gonna make me?

[She half-hides behind the tree again, eying Gal with open suspicion as she does so.]

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

Um... [She thinks!] It's something used to study the Boundary?

[...Are you asking her or telling her, Lambda.]

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[She stays quiet for a little bit, mulling that over.]

Um... So... Is that— Am I rescued?

[She sounds so hopeful it's almost heart-breaking.]

...she forgot to mention Touma. PRETEND THERE WAS A BROTHER /fail

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

If you don't see the lab anywhere, and there are no scientists... I'd say so! [ She dispels the image and offers her hand, just like before. ] And you can bet I won't let anyone come and take you back to a place like that. I promise you that, Lambda. [ It might be lofty, and Subaru doesn't fully understand the situation, but that doesn't stop her from being genuine. ]

[tookupthesword.livejournal.com]

I don't even know what the boundary is.

aye aye cap'n

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[And this time, the hand is taken, Lambda grabbing it with both of hers.]

Really? You really promise?

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

[ Subaru smiles big and puts her other hand atop the child's. ] I promise, on my reputation as the Silver Ace!

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

Um... I don't really understand it very well either. [She fidgets slightly.] ...The scientists don't really explain much to me.

[Probably because they don't think of her as a person any more than they do a machine in need of renovating, and they don't treat her half as kindly. She understands that much, even if she can't quite put it into words.]

[minimurakumo.livejournal.com]

[She's still skittish about being touched, at least when it's not something she has initiated, so she starts to cringe away when the hand sets itself atop her head. She stops herself, though, her little hands squeezing Subaru's harder. She doesn't know what that means, but it sounds important, so she'll take it.]

Thank you, thank you!

[tookupthesword.livejournal.com]

[Sayaka may be on the dumb side of things, but she has figured out that's the case.]

And... what do you think about all of that?

[highest_caliber.livejournal.com]

[ She laughs a bit. ] No need to thank me. [ That said, she pulls the top hand away and moves to stand. ] Are you hungry? I know somewhere we can get you some fruit, or we can go to the kitchens, too. Do you have any favorite foods?

[doihavepanties.livejournal.com]

Do you have somewhere to stay? I can take you back there, if you'd like.

[hopelessdreamer]

Of course not. I mean, besides the fact that I can't even if I wanted to...

But if you don't want to, I won't force you. Aren't there people who might worry about you, though?