Battle of Soleanna - Field Hospital

[Chadin]

I was left scratching my head as Vanessa took off through the hospital. Why she opted to do so was a mystery to me, but I suppose it didn't really matter one way or another. For now, I had a chance to lay back, rest and reflect on things.

[Vanessa Blue]

It took the blue cat about 2 hours to get back to the deer. She came back lightly panting, having run to the intact part of town and back. "Geez, sorry I forgot!" There was a sense of panic in her voice. "I had stopped to get some ice cream and the birds had been sing this cool song and there was this black chicken that was all 'caw caw' and I was like awesome adialmostforgotyoufoodandhadtorunback" she took a deep breath, having run out of lung capacity. Producing a paper bag labeled "Mike Donald" a fast food company. In the bag was three small salads self-contained in plastic bowls with covers. Each had a fork, dressing and a bag of croutons.
"You must be starving! Hurry and eat before you starve to death!" the blue cat's tail was completely puffed out, she had a very distressed look on her face. She hated waiting for food, feeling like she was gonna die if she didn't get her meal. So she assumed everyone was like that and being young 2 hours stretched into a half a day in her mind. In Vanessa's mind, Chadin might have well not eaten for 2 days.

[Chadin]

Technically Vanessa wasn't that far off the mark in her assumption about how long ago it has been since I'd last eaten anything. While Vanessa had been gone, I'd fallen into a well-deserved, if uneasy sleep. My injuries made it difficult for me to truly get comfortable, but that two hour nap was more rest than I'd had for the better part of a day and a half. There simply hadn't been time to worry about things like food or rest with Robotnik on the war path.

When Vanessa returned, I was again a bit dumbstruck by just how quickly and how erratically she spoke. This time I was able to pick up on her conversation a little better though since I was expecting. I sifted through the contents of the fast food packaging and quickly discarded the salad dressing. I had to stifle a laugh at how meat-eating creatures needed to jazz up the flavours of a salad just to enjoy them. Me, my taste-buds are so drastically different to omnivore or carnivores that vegetation is delicious all on its own. That and one quick whiff of that dressing made my nose hairs curl. Of course, that sad, when I dug into the salads themselves I could definitely taste that these were far from the kind of fresh foods I grew up on in my mountainous home. Still they were still pretty good, and I suddenly realized how famished I actually was as I devoured all three salads in short order.

"Burp!!... Oops, sorry about that." I apologized meekly. Vanessa, do you mind if I ask you something? You don't really seem like a nurse or medical type person so... what are you doing here? And more to the point, why are you so interested in me for some reason? One of the nurses came by while you were gone and said she was surprised to see me without my shadow; which I guess she was referring to you."

[Vanessa Blue]

"Well, I wanted a job. Because I was hungry and needed money for food, just a bit when I am fed I could take some food and their aint a person who can catch me when I am fed!" She held an arm out and flexed a muscle, giving Chadin a big happy-go-lucky smile. "It was the first time I had ever seen a moose." she answered his second question. Still not fully accepting the deer wasn't a moose.
"Also." she pointed at his bandaged stomach. "I wanted to see if you could beat this." She lifted her shirt up, revealing most of her torso. Leaving just the very top of her body from being exposed.Her abs where very defined and almost no fat was seen on her body despite how much she ate. What she was showing the deer was the largest scar on her body. One that went diagonally across her diaphragm. It was at least over a foot long. "This was because some sore punk was mad I was beatin' his ass up and down the block with my hands tied behind my back!" such was gang life, maybe not as hard as the life CHadin led against Robotnic but no picnic either.

[Chadin]

Well okay, I guess the need for cash was a reasonable enough answer. Money never was a big thing where I came from. I knew from what my father told me during the war that other Mobians, the ones who lived in the great cities used money for everything. Me, I grew up in a place where we provided for ourselves and the community all worked together without demanding such things. Still, I knew of the concept, so it made sense.

Why she placed such a high value on scars however, that was something altogether strange to me. To me, getting a scar is a reminder of your mistakes. If you do things right, you shouldn't have scars at all. I visibly cringed a little at the sight. I may have taken my fair share of injuries over the years as a Freedom Fighter and seen my friends wounded before as well, but its still something I've never gotten used to. Looking at the nasty scar across Vanessa's stomach gave me a queasy feeling in my gut as I tried to imagine what that must have felt and looked like at the time she got it.

"No... can't say I can beat that." I sighed as I propped myself up to a more comfortable position on the bed. See these marks, the ones that were glowing before?" I pointed to the lightning pattern on my fur and traced over my face. Absentmindedly, my paw trailed down the burn marks, and followed the nape of my neck back around to the small metal plate at the base of my spine. "I wasn't born with this funky pattern in my fur. These are all scars from a massive electrical shock I got. It stretches over my whole body." Truthfully, it was a miracle I survived the surge to begin with.

"I got these because I made a mistake." I fell rather deathly silent for a few anxious moments while ghostly memories drifted across my mind.

I looked back at Vanessa, straight in the eyes. "Why are you so interested in scars? All they've ever been to me are bad memories. There must be dozens of soldiers in here with scars and wounds much worse than mine. Why me? The nurses said you never spoke with anyone else... why me?"

[Vanessa Blue]

"Awww, that's dope man. I wished I had something cool like that." Vanessa had been so used to bursting into flames, it was the norm for her. It was another one of her teenage quirks. The world revolved around her, what ever she knew she expected other people as well. What was weird for her, was weird for everyone.

Vanessa tilted her head, perplexed. "Who cares if you made a mistake? Hell I make mistakes all the time. It just happens. This one time, I wanted to buy milk, but I got the crappy 1%. The guy wouldn't let me trade it in. So I had to drink 1% for a whole week. Then when I went to buy more milk, I made sure it was whole and man did it taste good!" At first it might have seemed like Vanessa was telling some dumb story about milk, but much like a cryptic grandparent, the wisdom was hidden, even from Vanessa. The blue cat didn't dwell on past mistakes, she learned from them, became better. When the memory of the mistake became relevant, she immediately focused on what resolved the mistake, not what caused it

Vanessa met Chadin's direct look with her own. Never breaking contact with him for a second. A fiery expression over took the cat as the deer began asking his questions. "That was my first scar and every time I see it I am reminded of him. How he reacted when he found out that bozo was salty about losing." She clenched her fist out of excitement. "They said when he got to the gangs hideout, he beat everyone to a pulp. Like a wall of silver pain!" She let out a sigh reminiscing about the past. "I'll beat him, I'll be stronger then him! I'll beat you... Tancer." His name excited her mouth like she was whispering some forbidden god who had not approved his name spoken from her lips. Her still clenched right hand had burst into flames. Her one true goal in life was to beat Tancer in a fist fight. Something even she, with her enhanced punches, hadn't been able to do. Speaking about her idol got her fired up and when she was bursting with vigor part of her body, mainly her fist, where prone to igniting.

"Yeah but.... I never saw a moose before!" All the seriousness had left her by now. The thought of meeting a moose was just so awesome.

[Chadin]

"This wasn't because of a silly mistake like buying the wrong milk, Vanessa! My friends could have died because of my mistake! I almost died because of it!"

I listened to the rest of what Vanessa had to say. I was just about to ask who this Tancer guy was when Vanessa's hand burst into flames. My ears shot straight up in alarm. "HOLY -!!! Vanessa, you're hand just caught on fire!!!" I probably sounded more hysterical than I intended, but let's face it. People lighting on fire isn't exactly normal.

[Vanessa Blue]

"Oh?....um did I do something wrong? Was it the wrong hand?" She looked at her blazing hand wondering why the deer was freaking out. With a small flick she dissipated the flames from her right hand. With a snap of her left hand, not really needed but Vanessa did everything with a sense of style, the hand ignited. Though it didn't come out as roaring as the first one.
"Is this better?" the two were lucky no else had seen Vanessa's little pyrotechnics, she would have likely been doused with a fire extinguisher, which would have ruined her day.

[Chadin]

I stared wide eyed and slack-jawed at what I was witnessing. "H-how did you do that...?" I finally managed to stagger out of my mouth.

[Vanessa Blue]

Vanessa switched between each hand effortlessly, igniting and snuffing out the flames at will. "Um..." she had never thought about how she could do what she did, It came naturally to her. "It's kinda like moving your arm, you know. I just do." She whisked her tail around, showing off that her ability wasn't limited to just her hands. The blue appendage danced around like a fluid candle.