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REPORT 022 :: ANNIVERSARY // ACTION
[For the first time in months, without the intervention of any friend of hers to do, Daisy breaks her routine. She takes a walk to the forest out of her armor.
The Chief remembers talking with Adell about his world. No matter how much she heard from people of all worlds, it all seemed too fantastic for her to understand, but his was the strangest. The thought that his world had an afterlife of sorts sent a pang of fear.
Daisy had never really been religious, but she remembers the time before she was six: Thinking about heaven, paradise, and the wings -an irony that hits her right now-. She realized only now that it was mistaken christian mythology, but after she graduated as a Spartan, she never put much thought in any afterlife. For a long time, she imagined that when death came for her, that would be it. It was a fate every Spartan had always been ready for.
One she had taken before she was reborn in here. She doesn't know what to take of an afterlife that may judge her when her time in Luceti ends. And for the first time in years, she is afraid.
She sighs. How many friends had she lost in the last few months? In her whole year? Charlotte. John Stewart. Edge Maverick. Shirou. Rin. Saber. Faze Sheifa. Meiling. Remilia. Marica. Lina. Amelia. Litchi. Kent. Tomoya. David Jordan. Michael Blanc.
Kirimi.
As she was trained to become a Spartan, she became used to the possibility that she or her comrades would die on the line of duty... Sometimes even in training.
Or during augmentations.
Even after she became a Spartan, and would have to go to some missions alone, sometimes she willingly secluded herself. With the pain of losing friends of her in this place, more than once did she wonder if this all was worth it: The parties, the events, the attempts to reach out, the things she is learning, and the socialization.
...
Daisy remembers waking up alive after that skirmish, and hearing Meiling's words. The first person to know about the Spartan's fate in the dead soil of Harvest.
“By all rights, I shouldn't even be here.”
“Hey, come on. Don't think like that. You should be happy you got a second chance.”
A second chance. She found herself muttering those words after that same day, and after her lone pilgrimage to the mountains. Those words have remained with her ever since.
It has all been worth it.
She continues walking. Those words are the reason she had changed so much in one year.
One year. Daisy thinks. Hard to think so much has changed in little time.
Daisy remembers the last letter of the Major David Jordan as well. He wished a peaceful life for a Spartan, away from warfare, and all she used to know for over fourteen years. And strangely, it's only now when she understands what he meant. What he wanted for her.]
[Strangely, Daisy will not be found at the Gym, nor at the Battle Dome, nor the places she frequents to keep herself and her armor sharp. For the whole of the day, Daisy walks around the forests in silence, silently tracing her steps where she first arrived -running from cover to cover, with her senses being as tense as strings back then-, all the way to the outside of Jordan and Litchi's house -Kazama's now, she corrects herself-, and to the coffee shop where Charlotte invited her for a warm drink.
She remembers being baffled to think that people would want to eat and drink with a Spartan. Now, she also realizes only one of the people that first saw her when she arrived is still here. Riku.
The rest is gone. Charlotte. Green Lantern. David Jordan. Shirou.
She was a malnourished and scarred weapon little better than an attack dog, hiding her fear into a drive to kill when she first arrived in that sundress. Now, she is a woman clad in red winter clothes fit to her shape and a golden scarf, and her hair had been allowed to grow long enough to reach her hips – Something Daisy blames both the fairy tale shift and Valvalis for.
When her team ran away from CASTLE Base, she once wondered if her parents would even recognize her after everything that was done to them. She is still over two meters tall, she still depends on her armor, she continues to crave for any sort of military to give her a sense of normalcy, and for the battlefield to give a sense of thrill she had only just found in other places thanks to friends of hers... And she still carries that tiny bear she had held on to for so many years.
But now she wonders if other Spartans would recognize her.]
((OOC: Those that look for Daisy will most likely find her in the forest, walking; she may be found in front of a fire made from dead branches she collected, staring at it and meditating to channel Eferin; or even on an attempt to make a snowman. Generally, she's going through her steps when she first arrived in Luceti, quite pensive.))
The Chief remembers talking with Adell about his world. No matter how much she heard from people of all worlds, it all seemed too fantastic for her to understand, but his was the strangest. The thought that his world had an afterlife of sorts sent a pang of fear.
Daisy had never really been religious, but she remembers the time before she was six: Thinking about heaven, paradise, and the wings -an irony that hits her right now-. She realized only now that it was mistaken christian mythology, but after she graduated as a Spartan, she never put much thought in any afterlife. For a long time, she imagined that when death came for her, that would be it. It was a fate every Spartan had always been ready for.
One she had taken before she was reborn in here. She doesn't know what to take of an afterlife that may judge her when her time in Luceti ends. And for the first time in years, she is afraid.
She sighs. How many friends had she lost in the last few months? In her whole year? Charlotte. John Stewart. Edge Maverick. Shirou. Rin. Saber. Faze Sheifa. Meiling. Remilia. Marica. Lina. Amelia. Litchi. Kent. Tomoya. David Jordan. Michael Blanc.
Kirimi.
As she was trained to become a Spartan, she became used to the possibility that she or her comrades would die on the line of duty... Sometimes even in training.
Or during augmentations.
Even after she became a Spartan, and would have to go to some missions alone, sometimes she willingly secluded herself. With the pain of losing friends of her in this place, more than once did she wonder if this all was worth it: The parties, the events, the attempts to reach out, the things she is learning, and the socialization.
...
Daisy remembers waking up alive after that skirmish, and hearing Meiling's words. The first person to know about the Spartan's fate in the dead soil of Harvest.
“By all rights, I shouldn't even be here.”
“Hey, come on. Don't think like that. You should be happy you got a second chance.”
A second chance. She found herself muttering those words after that same day, and after her lone pilgrimage to the mountains. Those words have remained with her ever since.
It has all been worth it.
She continues walking. Those words are the reason she had changed so much in one year.
One year. Daisy thinks. Hard to think so much has changed in little time.
Daisy remembers the last letter of the Major David Jordan as well. He wished a peaceful life for a Spartan, away from warfare, and all she used to know for over fourteen years. And strangely, it's only now when she understands what he meant. What he wanted for her.]
[Strangely, Daisy will not be found at the Gym, nor at the Battle Dome, nor the places she frequents to keep herself and her armor sharp. For the whole of the day, Daisy walks around the forests in silence, silently tracing her steps where she first arrived -running from cover to cover, with her senses being as tense as strings back then-, all the way to the outside of Jordan and Litchi's house -Kazama's now, she corrects herself-, and to the coffee shop where Charlotte invited her for a warm drink.
She remembers being baffled to think that people would want to eat and drink with a Spartan. Now, she also realizes only one of the people that first saw her when she arrived is still here. Riku.
The rest is gone. Charlotte. Green Lantern. David Jordan. Shirou.
She was a malnourished and scarred weapon little better than an attack dog, hiding her fear into a drive to kill when she first arrived in that sundress. Now, she is a woman clad in red winter clothes fit to her shape and a golden scarf, and her hair had been allowed to grow long enough to reach her hips – Something Daisy blames both the fairy tale shift and Valvalis for.
When her team ran away from CASTLE Base, she once wondered if her parents would even recognize her after everything that was done to them. She is still over two meters tall, she still depends on her armor, she continues to crave for any sort of military to give her a sense of normalcy, and for the battlefield to give a sense of thrill she had only just found in other places thanks to friends of hers... And she still carries that tiny bear she had held on to for so many years.
But now she wonders if other Spartans would recognize her.]
((OOC: Those that look for Daisy will most likely find her in the forest, walking; she may be found in front of a fire made from dead branches she collected, staring at it and meditating to channel Eferin; or even on an attempt to make a snowman. Generally, she's going through her steps when she first arrived in Luceti, quite pensive.))
[Action]
Adell considers leaving her be, but he can't help himself.
He walks over to her and gives her a casual wave.]
Hey, out for a walk, Daisy?
[Action]
There is a brief pause born out of hesitation. The casual wave and her lack of uniform manage to convince her not to salute.]
Yes, sir. Felt like breaking routine for once.
[For once. It's today when she needed to think. Her head turns towards the house.
She never paid him back those steaks.]
[Action]
...I see. Is everything okay?
[It isn't like her to break routine, nor to look so pensive. He's a little worried about her, to be honest.]
[Action]
Yes, Captain. [Daisy looks down.] It's just that so much has changed in one year. It's hard to belive it.
I'm not used to this much change.
[Action]
[He turns to look at her, cocking his head slightly. He knows she's changed. She's loosened up some, become more at ease with this world and the stranger aspects of it. But there's more to it than just that.]
...How do you feel about it, if you don't mind me asking?
[Action]
She nods, understanding. She thinks of Charlotte and Kirimi.]
Yeah... It's always needed.
[It was the philosophy of Chief Mendez. In spite of the brutal training he gave to her group, it was because of him that she is strong... And in this place.
The next question needs more of her time to consider.]
... I don't know. [She wanders someplace to sit, but does not. There's never any seats for people her height.] I've always wondered about a life like this, but I also feared it. I didn't know what to do.
I've been happy. But I've also remembered things I didn't want to. I've lost hopes that I'll ever see anyone from my world.
[The life that was taken away from her. Amoral scientists claiming to sacrifice the few for the good of the many.
But also having a famiy.]
[Action]
Well, I wouldn't give up all hope. Not ever. There's always a chance, even if it's small.
[He takes a moment to think.]
...Still. If there's one thing I learned in life, between seeing what a curse did to my family and from my time and experiences here... it's that memories, even the painful ones, are important. It's best not to forget, even if it does hurt.
But that doesn't mean they always have to. You can always make peace with your painful memories. It's better than throwing them away... lets you outgrow your inner demons.
[Without thinking, Adell brings the knuckle of his index finger up to one of his facial scars, resting his cheek against his finger for a brief moment. In a way, he speaks from experience... and the scars on his face are a constant reminder of his old demons, though those were ones he has since come to terms with.]
[Action]
"Always a chance. Even if it's small."
I take it back. You are like him.
It's been five years since the creation of Luceti project, and she is the only person from her world to ever be sent into this place. Daisy may have lost her hopes of ever seeing another Spartan in what remains of her life. But Adell hasn't. That may be enough for her.
Her expression softens with sympathy when she hears the word "family." Her parents will never know what was done to their real daughter and to seventy-five children, but they would have wanted only the best for her, and for her to become a good person in spite of everything she had seen and done.
In that, Adell is right. That's one inner demon taken care of. She has several more to take care of.]
I don't want to forget. [Never again. She leans beside the house to sit.] It's just that in the time I served, delving into memories or in pain was a quick way to lose morale. There was always something for us to do to focus ourselves in. In part, we cherished battle because of it.
Now with free time... There's too much time to think. Some things here hit too close home. And I don't know how to face them.
[Daisy had already told Valvalis the truth about her origins. Treason not only to the UNSC or to ONI, but to the SPARTAN-II and to herself.
She looks at the scar for a long time. And yet, Daisy did it because she trusts Valvalis with her life, as she does with Adell. She wonders if he deserves to know as well.]
[Action]
...I can't imagine the things you might've seen in your world. The stuff nightmares are made of, is all I can guess.
But the answer... might be simpler than you're making it. [He turns his head to look up at her; one of the few people so much taller than him. He makes sure he locks his blue eyes on hers before he continues.] You just have to face them with the same courage and strength you show every day.
Stand tall. Even if terrible things have happened, things that still haunt your mind. They will only defeat you if you let them.
[Action]
One man that knew of the S-II project once wondered how come none of these children went insane with the things that were done to them. More than once does Daisy wonder if that man was even right to assume none of them went unscarred.]
... Same way I've been going out more, then. [There's a hint of humor. If she's faced fanatic enemies screaming for her death, lacking the courage to go to a party, she realizes, is just silly. Her words are strangely calm as she continues.] Some things the Malnosso do, the kidnappings, the experiments, the drafts, [The loss of a whole life as if it had never existed.], I've seen them before. I think you already know the effects it's had on me.
...
But it's better than the alternative.
[Being broken. Being defeated. Never a Spartan philosophy.
Daisy sits silent for a moment, staring at the sky. Then turns to hit Adell's shoulder -- A gesture of affection. Feel lucky, as it's not in full metallic armor while in winter.]
Thank you for listening, sir.
[This level of closeness is usually reserved to fellow Spartans of superior rank. The difference is that she's feeling more and more at home with Adell, so to speak.]
[Action]
Yeah, I do. But you're right. Never give up, never give in. But if there's one person out there I know can handle it, that'd be you.
[And then he laughs and beams a smile when she hits him in the shoulder. He turns and does it lightly back to her.]
Hey, it's what I do. If you ever want, or need to talk, I'll be here for you.
[Action]
[The hopes the man has for Daisy, and the offers for an ear, are appreciated by her. The returned gesture, most importantly, is refreshingly familiar.
And for a long instant, she remains in silence, staring at the house behind them, and at the sky. Not in an awkward silence, but in a calming one. Even the confession of many of these things felt like a burden taken off her. Chief Petty Officer Mendez and Jorge muttered once that a Spartan cannot carry his own baggage, for he already carries the weight of mankind. While she will miss her duty as a guardian of humanity, her personal baggage will at least be taken care of.
Finally, out of the blue, once again recalling the time she met the Major, she asks.]
Want to get something to eat?
[Action]
But when she asks her next question, his stomach loudly rumbles. Instead of looking embarrassed about it, he just shoots her a big smile.]
I think that's a yes.
[Action]
Not that it diminishes the gesture's significance. It means Daisy has evolved in more than one way while in this place -- Towards everyone, and towards Adell.
Daisy puts a hand over her mouth to resist the urge to chuckle. She stands up and offers her hand to Adell.]
I cook meat often. I'm sure Seventh heaven as a lot of it.