Work Text:
Chilled Cream
December 13th ████, the cold northern breeze blows by as white snow falls upon the outdoor recreational grounds of the MBCC. Like a carpet of cotton batting, it covers the place with only a few blades of grass peeping through it.
A pair of scarlet eyes watched as a freshly formed snowflake would fall into an open palm. Like a Venus Flytrap that has sensed it's prey, the fingers would close in and clench tightly around snowflake, causing it to crumble and melt away. Gone is the intricately crystalized pattern, now a mere droplet, only an echo of it's wonder is left behind.
Red eyes stared emptily as the palm turned over, the droplet slowly creeping down towards fingers. Red pupils steadily trailed the movement of the droplet until it stopped at the fingertips. The droplet hung at the edge of the ring finger, even the slightest tremble could cause it to fall into a plane of white.
It seems that the purgatory, known as the ‘Minos Bureau of Crisis Control’ or more commonly referred to as the MBCC, has certainly done quite a number on this individual, thoroughly dismantling their sense of time. It's like being trapped in the eye of a black hole, time seemed to slow to a crawl, seconds dragged on endlessly until hours felt like eons.
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The droplet fell and crashed into the snow, like a meteorite falling from the sky. The snow around the crash site of the droplet seemed to cave in, creating a crater upon impact. A snort, followed by a dry chuckle could be heard as the hand, now pinkish from the biting cold, retreated and pressed itself against a symmetrical face, covering one of the red eyes.
“Hah... I'm really losing it...”
The person remarked, the left side of her face cold from the touch of her frigid hand. She would lift her hand from her face and adjust her black hair, the purple streaks that ran through it like sleighs riding down a slope.
She was used to being in the crossfire of the Eastside elites, tied up in their schemes of grandeur, a tool of their success. That used to be her life, it wasn't much but it was better than being stuck in this limbo. In Eastside, she could continue to scout out pieces of HER, biding her time until she could free HER from vices of death. In here though? She could do nothing but watch as her progress grows stagnant and her mind rots within the four walls of her concrete cell.
Like a hound chained up the pound, soon she'll have to return to her wrenched cell. She can already smell the musty odor that permeates the cells. When your freedom has been reduced to such a pitiful extent, the only thing you yearn for is—
“... Fresh air... I need some fresh air...”
The sinner muttered as she lowered her head, her hands gripping her hair as her voice dwindled to a whisper, those red eyes twitching rapidly as the mania that resides in the outer reaches of her mind would creep to the forefront of her mind, tightening it's grip on her soul.
“I need to get out of this place...”
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Whisked eggs
December 17th ████, S-221 lay motionless in her cell, sitting atop the minimalistic white bed that was provided to her as well as every other sinner in this prison. Her back pushed against the cell walls as if they were closing in on her, her head leaning against it, purple and black frizzles of hair obscured one of her eyes.
Usually, sinners would find something to entertain and enrich the time they spend in their cells, not S-122 though. It had already been about a full month since the heavy surveillance on her was lifted as well as her sinner privileges were reinstated and the only thing that she has done is litter the cell walls with scratch marks.
Scratch marks that were likely made using the utensils from the canteen seeing as more and more damaged or broken utensils have been turning up lately during inspections.
The only items that she has sitting in her barred up cell is a picture frame and a book, titled 【The Sound Of Waves】. It was a novel given to her by a Sinner who wore a white and blue kimono with a flower blooming at her waist. S-122 had barely read the book since receiving it, only managing to drag herself through the first few chapters before getting bored of reading the problems of some scruffy fisherman.
“Uni, it's been awhile.”
A familiar voice called out as those scarlet eyes of hers would be drawn to the person standing just beyond the bars of her cell — the Chief of the MBCC. The sinner, ‘Uni’ remained silent as their gaze shifted back onto her empty palm.
“There's been a situation that requires your expertise.”
Despite the lack of response from Uni, the Chief could feel an ominous excitement from the other end of the shackles, it weighs down on the shackles, making it dense and heavy. She may not know what's causing Uni to feel this way but whatever it may be there's a high probability that it's not going to be good...
“Nightingale will brief you on the mission and have you ready for dispatch.”
In spite of the churning feeling in her stomach, the Chief pushes onwards with her request, a request that seems to fall upon deaf ears. The two ruminate on the silence that has befallen them, none of them making so much as another sound for fear that the world would shatter and fall apart.
With the hope for any communication snuffed, the Chief turns to leave, her footsteps growing softer by the second as her silhouette disappears into the distance.
As the Chief nears her office, she finds the weight holding down her shackles to be gone, lost amongst the countless resounding footsteps. She breathes a sigh of relief as she pushes open the door to her office. After confronting Uni on her unrealistic obsession, the Chief has had little time to follow up on her progress since then. Instead, she left the overseeing of Uni's development in the capable hands of Charlotte, an MBCC's field operative.
The chief sat at her desk, piles of documents stacked upon it. She would pick up a specific document that was aside from the rest, it had a red header that read : URGENT MISSION, ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE MINISTER OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS.
According to the report sent to the bureau, the minister, Nathan Muriel, got splashed with strong acid during a public appearance where he was supposed to address the economic toll the Rustfire incident caused. The acid managed to eat through the skin of his face, leaving him looking like a Halloween decoration that had overstayed its welcome. It was fortunate that on-site medical professionals were able to remove the acid and stop it's destruction from spreading and worsening.
The chief sighed as she pinched the nose bridge, she was foolish to think that the festive season would bring her some peace and quiet. The clock on her wall ticking away as her fear of what is to come would plague her mind.
Even so, there was one thing that she couldn't get off her mind ever since her meeting with Uni... She could have sworn that something glinted within Uni's palm... Or was it just a trick of light?
Half an hour later, Nightingale had organized a team of Sinners to help the Chief in this crucial mission : Uni; to complete the task of restoring the Minister's face, Ignis; to provide firepower in case of another assassination attempt and lastly, Cassia; who would be there reassure the panicked crowd that gathered outside the hospital that is currently housing the wounded Nathan.
Without any more delay, the team alongside the Chief was dispatched to the hospital. Once they got there, they found themselves caught up in the large crowd outside the hospital, like a ship swallowed up by the sea. They were saying all kinds of things, like ‘Was a sinner behind the attack? That's why you're here right?’ , ‘He had that coming!’ or ‘Let me see him, there's so many questions I have to ask!’.
“So are all Ministers bigwigs that need to cause a bunch of ruckus or what?”
Ignis grumbled as she glared at the crowd of Eastsiders blocking the entrance to the hospital. The Chief was about to respond when she would feel something warm wrap around her arm. A simple turn of her head would reveal that the ‘thing’ that wrapped itself around her arm to be Ignis, the lower half of her face may be obscured by her jacket but her shifting eyes said it all. Despite the tough front she was putting on, she was still nervous, scared of using her powers in such a crowded area.
“It's only because they have money to throw around, like how a carcass attracts flies, these Eastside elites attract all kinds of attention when their pockets start to bleed.”
Uni spoke up, her eyes looked upon the crowd with utter disinterest. Cassia only smiled, not giving any comments on the situation.
“I guess so.”
The chief said halfheartedly, she doesn't care much for all these kooky political figures and their schemes. She has been caught within their crosshairs on more than one occasion and it's safe to say that they're not too fond of her either. Soon enough, the group would be met by several of the hospital's security guards. They urged her to come with them, she didn't resist and simply went along with them. The three sinners would move to follow their Chief but Ignis and Cassia would be stopped by the Chief.
“Cassia, you stay here and use your perfume to pacify the crowd, make sure they don't cause a bigger mess. Ignis, you cover her and keep an eye out for any suspicious fellows, the culprit may still be lingering around to finish the job.”
Cassia responded with a nod and a smile while Ignis gave the Chief a thumbs up, a small flame flickering on the tip of her thumb which caused her to panic as she frantically shaked her hand to put it out.
The Chief could help but smile at the Sinner's showing their enthusiasm. She then turned to Uni and gestured for her to tag along.
“Come on, duty calls.”
“...You're aware that you're paying me for this, no?”
Uni responded as the Chief chuckled sheepishly, her voice trailing off into the sky and falling with the snow.
After a few minutes of walking, the duo would find themselves standing before the hospital room 48. One of the guards would open the door and usher the duo in before shutting the door behind them.
Beeping came from a monitor beside the hospital bed, it was monitoring the Minister's heartbeat. The Minister's face was utterly unrecognizable from the photos in the document. The skin on the right side of his face had seemingly sloughed off, leaving only muscle and nerves. His lips seemed to have melted into his gums as chunks of pinkish flesh seemed to be stuck between his teeth. Thankfully, the Minister seemed to be in a stable condition, his chest rising with every wheeze.
The Chief was unsurprised, though she wasn't sure if she should pretend to be. With all the horrors she had already seen up until this point, this little grotesque mess of flesh before her could barely match up with the horrifying forms taken by those that have become corruptors. Uni on the other hand looked upon the man's face with utter disgust as she slowly approached which caused the bodyguards to be on alert in case of an attack from the Sinner.
“Could this be too much of a challenge for you, O-great Uni of Cosmetics?”
The Chief teased as the medical staff within the room gave her weird looks, like a parent who just witnessed their child saying something inappropriate.
“Bah, a skin replacement surgery is but a menial task for someone of my caliber.”
Uni scoffed as her scarlet gaze observed the exposed face muscle of the Minister, the red flesh pulsating as wet muscles glistened under the light of the hospital's nauseating ceiling lights.
“Prepare my tools, I can only begin my work when the preparations are complete.”
Uni said as she folded her arms and looked at the medical staff within the room.
“Well, you heard her. Prepare the necessary equipment and materials.”
The chief helped to enforce Uni's demands as the medical staff rushed out to gather the required instruments for a cosmetic surgery of this scale. The Chief then shifted their gaze back to Uni, flashing a smile. Uni shot back with a smile of her own, one that didn't seem to reassure the Chief as much as she was hoping it would...
Some time later, the Minister had already been moved to the operation room, where all the required tool awaited the ready hands of Uni. The cosmetic surgeon looked at the photo of the Minister prior to the attack, her eyes carefully analyzed every wrinkle and pore. The polaroid photo was set aside as Uni would tug at the white gloves that enveloped her hands and adjust the mask on her face.
She held up a scalpel to the light, shifting it slightly, she saw her red eyes reflected in the blade. She tilted her blade a little more, the tranquil expression of the Chief came into view. A smile carved its way onto Uni's face as the scalpel carved into the synthetic skin given to her.
The Chief watched from afar, seated upon a stool in the corner. She too wore a mask, for the sake of a sterile environment for the procedure. She crossed her legs and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing at the surgery taking place before her very eyes. A weird tingle ran down her spine as even now, the Shackles are picking up something eerie from Uni. However, given that Uni has done nothing but comply thus far, perhaps her intuition was wrong?
A little over 3 hours had gone by at the point and Uni had just about wrapped things up. She had basically reconstructed the Minister's face from scrapes and did so with great success. The Chief was astounded by Uni's proficiency and fluidity, not a single movement was wasted during the whole procedure, it kinda reminded her of Dr. Iron.
A steady hand guides the curved surgical needle through the skin while the other lightly applies pressure to the skin that is being grafted onto the patient's face. The suture used was thin but durable which makes it perfect for cosmetic surgery as to mask the ugly stitches that would be left by such a procedure. Uni made sure that she applied the right amount of tension to the skin so that when the stiches are done, there won't be any extra flaps of skin left. It was bad enough that he was born with such an unappealing face, he didn't need a botched surgery to make it worse. This rich bloke was lucky that the hospital had the necessary biological materials like cartilage, fat and tendons from previous donors, had she went to work without these tissues to help smooth over the transplant, the surgery would have taken a lot longer with less satisfactory results.
Uni carefully snipped the suture and tied up the end before setting her tools aside and taking off her mask.
“The surgery is done.”
Uni remarked as the Chief yawned, having just woken up from her half asleep state. The Chief watched tiredly as Uni would prop her body against the window... Wait, window? When did surgery rooms start installing windows? The Chief's face showed her perplexion as Uni would smirk, her gloved hand reached for the instrument tray and smashed the glass.
Surprised by the sudden outburst, the Chief would try to reach out with her Shackles to pacify Uni, to no avail as she would find herself restrained by chains made of glass. Her attempts to pull away and break the chains forcefully had only caused the glass chains to cut into her wrists, blood leaked from the shallow cuts as a metallic smell filled the air.
“Finally, we will finally meet again, sister...”
Uni grinned as a glass shard would be produced from her palm. However, this one seemed a little different from the glass shards that bound her. There was something off about that shard, something about what was reflected in it. Although, that's definitely a mystery the Chief can solve later, when her life isn't in a pickle.
“I thought we went over this, Uni! You can't bring her back! It's just not possible!”
The Chief called out, trying to reason with Uni as she contemplated simply blowing away the chains with her Protestas. However, she would only have one shot at this as Uni had plenty more glass to go around whereas she can only use her Protestas a few times before she fully exhausts herself.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk... You haven't seen it... You're overlooking one thing, dear Chief.”
Uni mocked as she slowly approached, the shard in her hand glinting with malicious intent. Her words devolved into the ramblings of a maniac as her aura overflowed with mania.
“I have seen true beauty... I know what it is... better than anyone else... and I know that true beauty—”
Uni's ramblings came to an abrupt stop as she slumped forward, her arms hung limply beside her body before her grip on the glass shard tightened and dashed towards the Chief.
“...NEVER DIES!”
Uni screeched as she thrusted the glass shard towards the Chief, the edge of the shard aimed at the Chief's throat. Just then, a brilliant flash of light would burst out from the Chief's hands, dispelling the glass chains and sending Uni flying backwards as she collided with the bedframe of the still sedated Minister.
“Uni, please... You have to move on, holding on to your anguish won't do you any good, trust me on that...”
The Chief pleaded as she reached out, red marks around her wrists that felt sore at even the slightest movement. Red flowed out from the marks on her wrist and to her fingertips. As she spoke, she thought back to Julien, the decision he made, the guilt that ate away at him over the years. It was a miracle that mania had not rooted itself in his mind and turned him into a sinner or worse.
“You say that... but I've tried to trust you... and what do I get from you?... Nothing...”
Uni scoffed as she grabbed a hold of the bedframe and picked herself back up. Her back was sore from the impact but the aching pain in her chest was far worse.
“I'm sorry you feel that way Uni, I really am, but things like this take time. Change never happens overnight.”
The Chief tried to soothe the hurting Sinner. She had made a mistake in thinking that she could just take a Sinner on a trip, identify their trauma and try to fix it all in one go. She couldn't help but think about all the other Sinners that might be hurting, even now, silently trying to ease the pain in their own solitude. It only happens to be Uni that's the one lashing out now, how long until another Sinner reaches their breaking point?
“Change?... Why should I..?”
Uni contemplates to herself as she slowly backs away from the Chief, like a how a wounded hyena would inch away from a fully maned lion. The glass shard held in front of her with trembling hands, even a wounded hyenas would bare it's jaws before danger, hoping, praying that it will live this down.
“Because changing is in our very nature, as humans.”
The Chief shot back with rationality as she noticed Uni's retreating steps and halted her advancements towards her. She knows how volatile a cornered person can become so it's better for her to stop trying to end the situation on her terms and perhaps try a more subtle approach to de-escalate the situation. Thus, to appear as less of a threat, the Chief would crouch down, lowering herself and showing to Uni, on an instinctual level, that she isn't a threat.
“Why should I change... When I can have something that's unchanging...?”
Uni questioned as she felt her hand gripping the windowsill of the window she had just broken, shattered glass scattered around her. Her eyes seemed to dart between the Chief and the snow-covered world outside the hospital. She's now faced with a difficult decision, does she give another go at retrieving the eyes that reminded her of the sister she has lost? Does she try to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Or does she choose to prioritize herself, to free herself from the chains of the MBCC? To do so would bring her two steps forward and one step back in her goal of reuniting with her sister.
She was certainly caught between a rock and a hard place, either to continue hitting her head on a wall that has been hindering her progress for months or flee and ditch the perfect pair of eyes, hoping that she'll find a pair just as perfect in the future.
“... I'm sorry Luna... Your sister has to be selfish again...”
Uni spoke through gritted teeth as she would flash a pain stricken smile to the Chief before she leaned backwards and dived out the window.
“NO!”
A high pitched shriek was let out as the Chief would rush forward to grab a hold of Uni, her panic and fear violently shaking the Shackles.
“Something's off...”
Ignis muttered as both Sinner outside the hospital would look in the direction where all the commotion seemed to be coming from. The tremors felt through the Shackles were more than enough to justify their concerns.
“The Chief's in danger-”
The sound of glass shattering could be heard amongst the crowd as a thick mist enveloped them. The shouts of confusion grew loud before suddenly growing silent as, one by one, the mob dropped like flies, out cold on the ground. Their peaceful expressions imprinted upon the white snow.
“Let's go, our Chief needs us.”
Cassia said, a worried expression on her face as Ignis gave an affirmative nod as the two Sinners started to make their way through the sterile halls of the hospital, following the Shackles to locate the Chief.
The Chief's hand reached out for Uni's, their fingers an inch away from each other. For a second, for a moment, the two locked eyes. It gave Uni a sense of familiarity, the same feeling she felt when they locked eyes for the first time back in Eastside. However that fearful look in those beautiful eyes tainted that sense of warmth. Uni felt a pang of guilt for having to make those eyes furrow like that for a second time but just like last time, it is a decision she will unfortunately have to live by for the rest of her life.
Breaking free from the immersion of the moment, Uni would use her outstretched hands to conjure up several large glass panes. With a few gestures, the glass would be molded into a sort of slide, allowing her to break her fall without having to break her back. A second later, Uni would find herself sliding off her makeshift slide and into the thick snow below.
Uni would stick her head out of the pile of snow as the Chief looked upon the scene before her with a troubled expression. Uni would take one last look at that face, at those eyes before she found herself running towards the frost covered forests that lay ahead of her.
The twin doors of the operation room would swing open as the two Sinners would burst in. Ignis had a small ball of flame crackling within their palm while Cassia was holding onto the door, panting with exhaustion.
“Chief, is everything alright?!”
“I'm fine but Uni got away.”
The Chief spoke, trying to not rile them up any more than they already are. Seeing that their Chief is fine, the Sinners were a little more at ease as Ignis dispels the crackling fire and Cassia plops herself onto the nearest chair, her delicate hands brushing through her messy white curls. Even though there isn't any imminent danger, the fact that a Sinner is now on the loose is a latent danger that must be dealt with, it is what the MBCC was established for after all. The Chief would turn on her terminal and make a call to Nightingale :
“Hello? Chief? What's the ma—”
“Uni, she's on the loose.”
“S-221? Don't worry, I'll send backup right away.”
“Sorry but I'm afraid by the time they arrive, Uni will be long gone. I'm going after her myself-”
“Chief, we can't afford to-”
“Relax, I have Ignis and Cassia to back me up.”
“... Fine but try not to do anything brash until backup arrives.”
“I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
And just like that, the Chief had decided to do something risky and worry her adjutant. She smiled sheepishly; putting away her terminal as she thought about the many occasions where she needlessly risked her life for a cause and allowed her poor adjutant to do nothing but worry. She'd definitely need to stop doing that, soon, hopefully. She then looked to her two Sinners : Ignis, who had a determined look on her face and Cassia, who's face seemed paler than usual. Cassia would weakly raise up her arm as her face stared into the ground.
“Do we... really have to...”
“Chase after Uni? Of course, I'll need all the help I can get, that includes you two.”
The Chief spoke suavely, like a commander trying to rally his men. Yet somehow it felt more like a reckless captain trying to elicit the help of what remains of his crew. She would walk towards the unconscious Minister and press the nurse call button placed at his bedside. That should be enough to alert the staff nearby, lest she leave the ‘client’ unattended.
“Come on, she couldn't have gotten far!”
The chief shouted as she dove out the window, slid down the glass side and into the snow below. She was quite amused by the durability of the glass formed from Uni's Sinner ability but she didn't have the time to linger on the thought at the moment as she has a Sinner to catch. Without any more delays, she would follow the tracks left in the snow and enter the snowy forest.
Her Sinners however, weren't as amused since all they saw was their Chief leaping out of a broken window. Cassia gasped as Ignis rushed over to check on her, grateful to see that their Chief was alright but pissed to know that she could've given them a heads up before deciding to give them a heart attack.
“Hey! We should get going, I'd rather not be left behind!”
Ignis called out to Cassia as she climbed out the window and positioned herself properly before allowing herself to fall onto the slide and descend into the snow. Cassia, on the other hand, shook her head as she got up and walked out of the operation room.
“I'll take the damn stairs...”
Cassia grumbled to herself as she gradually made her way out of the hospital.
Everything hurts as pain is the only thing the receptors in Uni's body are picking up. Although with how her fingers have already grown numb from the biting cold, she estimates that she won't be feeling anything in about half an hour. She cursed under her breath as each step she took felt heavier than the last.
Even if every cell in her body shuts down, she can't afford to stop, not even for a moment. For she knows not how far behind the Chief is, although judging by what she has seen of the Chief's nature, she's probably hot on her trail. Uni takes a glance at the glass shard in her palm; a girl identical to her was inside it, her body slumped over as if in a deep slumber.
“A little more... Just a little more... And I'll be able to... see this through...”
Her voice now as soft as a whisper, every breath she takes becomes a small puff of mist. She looks up from her palm and sees a large clearing ahead, one that spans for miles. Well, at least it'll make running easier compared to having to weave her way past the many dead trees while having to waddle through the thick snow.
With her will reinvigorated, Uni made a run for the pale clearing ahead. She felt her whole body working; his leg muscles running warm, cool air entered her lungs and blood flowed into all her limbs. She felt alive, after so many months of being cooped up in a lifeless cell, she felt ali–
One moment her feet were firmly planted in the snow, the next she found herself skidding across, what she assumed to be a clearing, which turned out to be a frozen lake. She swiftly used her glass shard to increase the friction between her and the ice. Uni pressed the sharp tip of the glass against the ice, leaving a circular pattern in the ice as she gradually started to slow down.
Just as she thought things were going her way, the carvings she had made into the ice started to spread across the frozen ice in the form of cracks. Her eyes widened in fear as jammed her frostbitten fingers against the ice, scraping off her skin and tearing off nails in the process but at least she had stopped spiraling.
Slowly, she pushed herself off the icy lake as the cracking sound in the distance seemed to quiet down. She looked down at the frozen ice below her, it's unknown depths threatening to swallow her whole and erase her from the face of the earth. She looked at her bleeding fingers and looked back at the ice; they say when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back, in this case, the abyss was Uni herself.
Frazzled black hair with purple streaks, twitching red eyes, quivering lips and a face that's covered in a thin layer of frost— that is the face of someone desperate, dejected and alone. That is the face of Uni. That is the face of Luna.
She will forever be reminded of the events that went down that day, her actions seared into her mind like a branding iron. The ice around her starts to crack but all she can see is the splintering of her mind as she falls deep into her own consciousness.
She can still see it in her sleep sometimes; those pitiful eyes, disgusting face that had been molded in the vision of the ordinary, pleading cries that threatened to leave her forever. What Luna did that night may be traitorous but what Uni did that night was unforgivable. By the time she had come to her senses, her sister was on the floor, unconscious. The room that they were in was covered in red, not a single spot was left untouched by that undefinable red.
Everything after was a blur, until this day she can never say for sure what happened that night. Did she kill her? Kill her precious Luna? No, no, that's impossible, right? Luna died in a botched cosmetic surgery. That foolish girl, she was killed by those incompetent, greed driven monkeys. Yet, why does the hole in her grow every time she thinks of Luna? Why does this gut wrenching guilt eat at her?
It's so cold, everything around her was plunged into darkness as the abyss of the lake called out and she answered. Air was forced out of her lungs as she tried to reach for the edges of the ice, to little success as the ice simply broke off.
Her eyes were blinking rapidly, her eyelids felt heavy as her vision began to merge with the darkness. She heard shouts and hurried footsteps encroaching.
“L...u..na...?”
She tries to speak but she has no strength left in her. Her eyes shut as the abyss embraced it's welcomed guest. A strange warmth enveloped her as if her sister had come to receive her, to whisk her away, so that they could be together...
O n e
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Caramelized Sugar
December 25th ████, Uni found herself back in her cell, holed up in whichever corner she found to be more comfortable at any given moment. Her attempt to be free of this institution was a dud. In the end, all she got out from that was a case of hypothermia and frostbite.
She buried her head in her chest as her mind drifted back to what transpired after she fell into the grasps of the frozen lake. According to what she heard from the mutterings between Dr Iron and Nurse Anne : the Chief, after realizing Uni had fallen into the lake, dove in right after her, to the dismay and shock of Ignis and Cassia. It was fortunate that the backup Adjutant Nightingale promised had come just in time to watch their beloved Chief dive head first into a lake of ice cold water. In the end, the Chief was also diagnosed with a case of hypothermia and was treated alongside the unconscious Uni. Unfortunately, she had to bear the double portions of nagging brought upon her by Dr Iron since she was still awake and so was able to be reprimanded by the uptight doctor.
After 2 days of observation, Uni was discharged from the medical wing. One would hope that the hassle ends there and she could go back to that old routine of her but the days immediately after her discharge weren't all that pleasant either.
Her little escapade resulted in Adjutant Nightingale stripping Uni of her Sinner privileges for a month. Thus, for the days that lead up to Christmas, she had to spend her recreational time as well as lunchtime in her cell, separated from the other Sinners. It was practically solitary confinement but without the constant surveillance because the Chief allegedly ‘took pity’ on her, according to Nightingale. Funnily enough, Uni hasn't seen the Chief since she left the medical wing, not a word, at least not directly.
About a week has passed since her recovery and we return to present time, where Uni is still mulling over those events. Thoughts flood her mind, tearing down what's left of her mind. Until something suddenly catches her attention and everything comes to a halt as if a dark bomb had imploded in her mind. She sprung up from her corner and grasped at the bars of her cell. Her anxious red eyes darted side to side, inspecting the corridors of the prison cells. No mindless hollars, no screaming of profanities, no gnashing of teeth. It's quiet.
Panicked, she tries to force her cell open. Only to find it swing open with surprising force as she stumbles forward. Just what is going on? Where the hell is everyone? It's then as she walks down the abandoned halls does she hear faint voices echoing from the ‘Mess Hall’. A function? No, judging by the obnoxious music and rowdy voices, it's likely a party of some sort.
With an eyebrow arched, Uni walked down the hallway and towards the hall. Two silhouettes breeze by her in the opposite direction; a giddy nurse and a flustered doctor. Uni pays them no mind, they are simply practitioners of a similar field. To her, they are no more than colleagues.
She brushes them by and prys open the doors of the mess hall, blinding lights fill the room as she enters. At a glance it was evident that this was a Christmas party. Between all the red and green decor, Christmas hats and Santa costumes, she'd be stupid to not piece it together.
Her eyes scan the room until it lands upon the only favorable thing in this entire hall — the dessert station. With her long white coat trailing behind her, she strides towards the dessert station and begins to browse the options at her disposal. Gingerbread cookies, cupcakes and tarts galore, she's practically spoiled for choice. With a discerning look, she picks up one of the gingerbread cookies, taking a bite off the head of the gingerbread man.
Her eyes widen in surprise, she's pleasantly surprised by how good the cookie is. The texture was the perfect balance of crispiness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside. Best of all, the sweetness was on point, it certainly hit the spot for the sweet tooth. She consumed the rest in a single bite as her eyes scanned for the next treat to try out.
Her hands reached for a white ramekin bowl and Uni soon found herself gazing upon the glazed surface of a creme brûlée. The deep brown colour of the caramelized sugar was inviting, truly a feast of the eyes before the tongue. With the use of a little dessert spoon she took from the cutlery tray, she cracked open the sugar covered surface and exposed the creamy and smooth consistency of the custard.
Shoveling a spoonful into her mouth, Uni hummed in delight as the custard melted on her tongue. The richness of the custard is only elevated by the crunchy texture of the caramelized sugar. The cosmetic surgeon was about to shove another spoonful of this heavenly delight down her throat when a voice called out from behind.
“Do you like it?”
A girl asked as Uni would turn her head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the voice that called out to her. It was the twintailed redhead from last dispatch, she remembered her name, if anything else.
“I don't hate it.”
Uni replied curtly as the redhead, who the Chief addressed as ‘Ignis’, let out a sigh of relief. Uni was confused at this but her raise eyebrow seemed to insinuate that on some level, she was already anticipating what Ignis was about to say next.
“I’m glad you like it.”
It certainly was the response Uni had anticipated, an admittedly predictable response. Uni looked at the bowl, back at Ignis then back at her bowl before taking in another spoonful of her creme brûlée.
“... it's a family recipe that I learned from my parents.”
Ignis spoke with an awkward grin as Uni seemed uninterested in the small talk.
“So, how's ever–”
“I see, so are we done here?”
Uni asked, cutting Ignis off mid-sentence as her spoon knocked against the ramekin bowl while she tried to scrape up any custard in the crevices of the bowl. Her eyes were more focused on doing that than maintaining eye contact with some girl.
“... What?”
Taken aback by the apathetic response, Ignis questions Uni as her brows furrow. However, Uni isn't one to back down as she proceeds to double down on her approach.
“Or do we need to keep up the pretense a little longer?”
“Well, forgive me for wanting to check-in on someone who almost died a few days ago!”
Ignis explodes, her rage fully unleashed as several of the cupcakes nearby burst like popped balloons, the paper wrappings around it smoldering in flame.
“Is that it? Well, no thanks. I don't need a child who knows nothing to ‘check-in’ on me.”
Uni would snap back as she would finish her creme brûlée and slam the empty ramekin on the dessert station.
“Oh, so now I ‘know nothing’, is that it?!”
The girl's rage seemed to cause a steady rise in the nearby temperature, the frosting of the nearby desserts melting away as the ice cream of a blue haired girl nearby would be reduced into a puddle.
“Precisely, you know nothing of me to have any right to stick your little nose in my matters.”
Uni said in a matter of fact tone as she picked up another creme brûlée. The nonchalance of Uni further irked Ignis as Uni simply cracked the surface of the creme brûlée with her silver spoon.
“I- well, maybe that wouldn't have been the case if you didn't ignore me every time I came by!”
Uni was surprised by the words that left Ignis’s mouth. The cosmetic surgeon showed a quizzical look at the redhead which seemed to elicit a reaction from the girl. Her face seemed to twist into one of dramatic shock. Uni still had that puzzled look on her face, unable to comprehend what the girl said.
Ignis’s words replayed in Uni’s head as she tried to decipher it, racking her mind for anything that may refer to what that girl was blabbering about. THAT was when realization hit Uni as her eyes almost seemed to fall out from their sockets.
It appeared to Uni that while she was moping on her own, caged in her cell, someone did come to visit and turned out to be the unexpectedly sweet baker's girl. Uni was so occupied with her own thoughts and self pity that whenever Ignis would drop by, Uni could not hear anything other than her own mind rotting thoughts. Despite that, the red would drop by, day after day to see how her fellow Sinner was doing. She would often try to talk to Uni but since they landed on deaf ears, it sounded more like she was talking to herself. Topics would vary but it'd usually be about whatever new restaurant she checked out and the review that she wrote about it.
On the surface, there seemed to be no reason for her to do this for someone she barely knows, especially when the person they're visiting treats them like they don't even exist. It's not like they were close, no, far from it. Even though they were both from Eastside, they had vastly different experiences and each saw a different side of Eastside. Uni witnessed the ugliness and greed of Eastside elites while Ignis witnessed the obsession and irrationality of the average Eastsider.
Pushing past these surface level differences, perhaps Ignis saw a sliver of herself in Uni, viewing her as someone who also made a mistake and had to pay dearly for it. It may be true that they've made attempts to move forward and leave the past behind but change like that simply doesn't happen after one decision made in the moment. It takes time and sometimes, more often than not, you stumble back into that pit you climbed out from. In the end, you'd just have to start from square one and that's just how it is.
After knowing that her family is doing well after the incident she caused, Ignis has had some peace of mind restored to them but there'll always be those moments in the middle of the night where thoughts of ‘what if’ would resurface and gnaw at her. She supposed that it was the same for her fellow Sinner, though it seemed that Uni allowed her feelings for the past to get the better of her.
Now to think that all she had said for the past few days were for naught. It certainly didn't sit well with Ignis but she also acknowledges that she has no right to really get mad at Uni. They weren't close before this so Uni's cold shoulder treatment isn't something that's unreasonable.
“I…”
Uni stammered for words as that dejected expression of Ignis sent her into a spiral of foul memories. It's just that now the roles are reversed, that sense of disappointment that she once had towards her sister was now being flipped upon her this time around. Somehow her mind just can't help it, wherever she looks, she's always reminded of what she has lost. Unlike Ignis who managed to get some sort of closure, Uni never had a shot at closure to begin with. Her brittle mind began to fracture again as the face of Ignis began to break away as the downcast face of Luna peaked behind the cracks. Her grip loosened as the creme brûlée and dessert spoon would fall to the ground in tandem.
“I’m sorry… so sorry…”
Uni lips quivered, apologies filling the air as she would lunge forward to hug Ignis, holding the redhead in a tight embrace. Now it would be Ignis's turn to be flabbergasted as she didn't expect the stoic Uni to act in such a way. It was almost like a switch had been flipped.
“I shouldn't have… I'm sorry… please forgive me… Luna…”
Ignis didn't know what to do as her hands hovered over Uni's back, she had a feeling that she was being mistaken for someone else. She gave it a moment’s thought before she would sigh and place her hands on Uni's back, patting it slightly in hopes of giving some consolation.
In the distance, the Chief smiles as she shakes her head. It'll be a long while before Uni will be able to set the past aside but at least now, she won't struggle alone anymore. Though, she does feel bad for throwing Ignis under the bus and making her the one to confront Uni but it seemed to have turned out for the best so she’s sure that Ignis would understand.
“Oh my~ Don't you smell wonderful, my dear Chief~”
Cassia popped up behind the Chief and took a deep breath, savoring in the scent before smiling.
“... Can you please stop doing that-”
Evidently creeped out, the Chief takes a few steps away from Cassia. It seems that even if Uni's obsession over the Chief is overcome, which it still isn't, she'll still have others to step up to fill in that blank spot. Cassia being one of them.
Amidst the crowd, the Chief evades the perfumist’s attempt of having what she called ‘a whiff of holiday spirit’. Away in the corner, teardrops fall upon dropped creme brûlée. Salt meets sugar as shattered glass cuts into the soft custard and breaks through the hardened sugar.