May 5th 2513
Concussion protocol swelling recovered.
Pain medication Eta Chemical balance 10 hours.
Chemical imbalance 70%
There wasn't time for them to go over what had just been said because Eric's truck had just showed up. His little beast trundling right up to them.
It was as tough, compact and professional as she had remembered it. Him on the other hand. The fancy and shiny gear gone, replaced a thick brown leather jacket, which, against surprised Kate. What exactly did the Nature field mean?
She'd find out. Sakura was the first up, literally jumping at him, he caught her perfectly, in a spin then immediately tossed her away, she screamed a laugh as she twisted onto her feet and skid. And Kate had no idea if that had been planned or there was more skill to the seven-foot behemoth had a right to be.
Something in Kate's gut twinged, like she'd just swallowed expired yogurt. But what exactly was she feeling? She had no answer.
She was being a truly terrible person. But, at the same time, could she help what she was feeling? 'No, of course not, that'd be unfair'. Spoke a voice in her head, 'By the way', continued the voice. 'What do you feel? Give it a name'
Oh the smugness!
That disgusting animal was black bagged, beaten, flagged and dragged away. But she also didn't have so much as a fragment of an answer as to how she felt.
Maybe it was because the smile Eric was giving Sakura and Genevieve looked exactly the same as the one Eric gave Kate? Yes. Sadly.
It made all the sense in the world. In that timeless moment, Sakura was hugging Gen and had just pulled down on her origami hat which unfolded into the head of a giant pink teddy bear. At the neck and pulled down and pink fur rolled down and tightened around the arms and legs until she was a full mascot.
She rushed to Kate and all but dove on her.
-Warning! Warning!
-Impact, impact you are still in recovery.
"Damn it Kaitlyn." Genevieve grumbled.
"Kate, just lie down, I can adjust the chair to make it smoother." He said.
"Why are you saying that like it's my decision?" Kate asked.
"Because, nothing." He said after a moment's thought.
Kate waited for more but it didn't come, suddenly the two giggled like they were being tickled. The seat had risen a few inches the pressure on the chair pushed up in an strange way. The chair's firm and fussy cushion changed into something that was a lot like being devoured by jelly layered in a fur coat.
It was actually pretty great.
"Kate," he said warningly, "lay on your side, the chair will sink to you. Gen, help ease her mind."
Gen lay next to her.
"Gen, where we going?" Kate whispered.
"We're going on a drive until you pass out." Eric said without missing a beat. "And yes. I can hear you."
"Naturally sensitive hearing?" Kate asked.
"What? No, I have a car mod to my head that lets me listen to everything in my car."
"Okay," Kate said exasperated. "What in the hell is the Zenith of Nature? I seriously am not even sure if I know what the Zenith of War is."
Kate had done the impossible, made Gen and Eric laugh. Eric's laugh was a laugh statement of fact, he was pronouncing his laugh as if annunciation had been an issue all his life and was determined to say it right, just the most literal 'Ha!' And Gen's laugh was a breakdown, the close crumbling of control,it started close lipped into a pursed face like someone had splooged the strongest syrup in the world down her gullet up to her teeth and was determined to swallow it all down while pretending to be coy. Her mirth-filled chuckle escaped through her nostrils.
There was something to read there about how sculpted Gen and Sakura were and in such different ways.
"Okay, okay," Erik said, still laughing like he'd read about it in a book. "Do you remember what was said to you? We can't just tell you or you'll get hurt, maybe die. Which we do not want."
A strange addition.
"This odd rule applying to me alone?"
"Well, no, the rule applies to you because we've seen people like you, and we've seen them wheeled away. We've buried them. In fact."
The car gained a wholly new kind hiss and rumble. Kate heard the wheels crunching down and chewing up snow and asphalt as his little truck pushed on. The electric whirr of the engine being pushed so hard it sounded like a whine when the car came to a slow halt.