Locked in a smelly closet {Sag}

[Aria]

Anemone was slumped against the wall of a very narrow broom closet. The said closet was so narrow, in fact, that she had to sit with her knee's pulled up to her chest, her toes pressed against the other wall. She was not in this closet by choice. Oh, most definitely not. Especially considering it smelled of mildew, mold, and well, vomit. Not pleasant at all, she could testify first hand.
The smell was probably coming from the disgusting, sludge filled mop bucket sitting right next to her. Pure joy. She didn't see the buckets accompanying mop in the dank, dark interior of the closet. Really, the place could double as a vacation home, it was that lovely in there.

As stated previous, she was not there by choice. A group of older candidates had come across her just after dinner and she'd been wearily making her way back to her room so she could collapse into bed. They'd managed to find this nice convenient, smelly, out of the way broom closet, and throw her in. Headfirst, mind you. Don't worry, her face cushioned the fall. There would be plenty of bruises later, she could feel the pain of them already. They'd thrown her in, but not before she'd put up her own pathetic sort of fight, and got a good punch to the gut for her troubles, to shut her up, and to her face face, several times... Because, well just because, if Ane had to guess. Sadistic bastards. She gingerly brushed blue fingertips against her split lower lip, the crash of one of their fists into her mouth had split it against her teeth. Blood trickled from her nose, smeared down her chin, along the collar of her jacket, and splattered down the front of her shirt.
That was just the detail of the physical torment. Verbal was another story entirely, and produced a whole slew of angry shame to bubble up inside her.

Anemone was currently brooding darkly in the cramped space allowed to her while nursing her wounds both in body and emotion. As well as surveying her two-foot-by-one-foot space and trying to find a way out. Somehow, they'd managed to lock the door from the outside. She didn't have a clue how in the hell, though, and she couldn't get it to open again. She'd banged her bruised hands against it for awhile, calling for help, but either no one was close enough to hear and come to help her... or people just didn't care enough to. She was more ready to assume the latter, in her mood. There was no handy vent in the ceiling for her to crawl out through, no lock for her to pick. Not that it would've helped. It was an automatic door, for one thing, and she didn't know how to pick locks anyways.

So, she was stuck. Trapped. Nearly an hour had passed since the bullies had strolled away, laughing. Any noise her sensitive ears had previously picked up had receded. People were probably finishing up their dinner, or going to bed. Shit. Shit shit shit. No one was going to find her in here!
Panic skittered across her thoughts and shortened her breath. She didn't want to spend all night in this stupid, cramped, gods-be-damned CLOSET. It SMELLED horrible!! Anemone, after much muttering and groaning and twisting herself, managed to face the door. And then she kicked it. Over. And over. And over. Bang, bang, bang. The hot feeling of tears prickled against the back of her eyes, but Ane quickly and angrily blinked them away. Sure, this was a really pathetic situation. Really pathetic. Managed to get thrown in a closet because she couldn't defend herself, locked in a smelly closet while blood dried on her chin. Might even have to spend the whole night in here. Or longer, until someone managed to find her. Bang, bang, bang.

But, it could've been alot worse. Bang, bang, bang. Her leg muscles were screaming with the effort, after the long days hard training. And her gut sent shooting pain outwards across her abdomen, from the sucker punch she'd received. Soon, she was wheezing, the sharp pain slowly becoming an agony that made her want to bite her lip, but it being split kind of prevented that. But Anemone would be DAMNED if she let herself spend the night in this stupid closet without at least trying to get out. Ane took a deep breath, face twisted with both pain and determination, and got ready to yell at the top of her lungs. She braced herself against the oncoming pain she knew would accompany the effort.
" HELP ME. Help! Help! Is anybody out there?! I'M LOCKED IN THIS CLOSET. GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE. HELP!! ANYBODY?"

This was just too damn pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Apparently Sagittarius had begun to make a habit of wandering around past curfew. She wasn't a hard-core night owl – no, hardly; she was no kind of bird, except for maybe a dodo because she imagined that dodos slept a lot – but the evening did have its benefits in comparison to the daytime. The gym was empty, the halls were empty, the training areas were empty, the library was empty... everything was empty and secluded and Sagittarius was alone. Sagittarius valued nothing more than solitude when she was training because she had a bit of a concentration problem. Lifting weights when a pretty girl walks by? She could forget about lifting anymore. Focusing her electrokinesis when she catches the smell of food? Goodbye static buildup. There were just specific examples, of course. The very presence of other people set her off her game – voices, bodies, sweat, movement.

Sagittarius had just finished some late-night training in the gym – all the metal of the weights and the equipment made it optimal to focus her psionic abilities while, at the same time, working on her muscles. An aching warmth flooded her still trembling muscles, and it felt good in a strange, sore way. Sagittarius was one of those weird types who got off on exercise and physical fitness, though to make a good candidate, she had to be. She wasn't going to get kicked out of the program just because running took her breath away or she couldn't hold her own in a fight. No. She was going to fly through the candidate ranks and be a pilot in no time, she was going to be the best damn pilot yet. And even if she had no interest in being a pilot – well, she figured being bossed around by a dragon would be better than being tortured and experimented on at TRIM. She'd heard horrible things about TRIM. Everyone had. And while being out past curfew might be a tad counterproductive, considering it could get her in trouble, she was a Gracie. No one kicked Gracies out for wandering around too late at night. In fact, she hadn't heard yet of a Gracie being booted. She'd have to check into that, just to make sure she wouldn't slip up in some disastrous way.

At any rate — Sag had just finished training and showering at the gym. She walked down the corridor now with her workout clothes tucked under her arm and her body garbed in a pair of plaid boxer shorts and a black sports bra, still damp from the quick shower. Her black hair lay flat against her head, bangs hanging in her eyes. She needed to cut it soon. Maybe when she got back, she'd wake her roommate and have him do it for her – the poor boy was so meek that Sagittarius couldn't help but want to antagonize him. Shy people just pulled on her heartstrings.

She was still musing over her roommate when a distant shout caught her attention. Something about being locked in a closet? Sagittarius sighed. Who was stupid enough to get themselves stuck in a closet at this time of night, when there would be hardly anyone to help them out? She quickened her pace a bit and followed the telltale banging that indicated the stranger's location. A metal chair was wedged up against the door, preventing the victim from getting out. Child's play. Sagittarius scoffed at the amateur prank and pulled the chair away. They could have at least been a little more imaginative and sabotaged the locks or something. Using a chair... that was boring. Sagittarius shoved the chair behind her, its legs whining against the tiled floor, and opened up the door.

Egh. It smelled atrocious. Sagittarius wrinkled her nose and stepped forward to better see the figure huddled in the cramped closet. Wait a minute.

The chick was blue.

Sagittarius racked her brain for a name to put to the female, but couldn't dredge one up. How did Sagittarius not know her when, one, she was faintly blue and, two, was lovely? She tended to know most of the pretty females around the ATC, but... when the sight of blood, a split lip, and a bruised face registered in her head, Sagittarius dropped the line of thought and extended her hands to the girl. “Cmon, babe,” she said, ready to help the candidate to her feet.

“You look like shit,” Sagittarius stated frankly. “Relatively speaking, of course. I'm sure under normal situations you look exquisite, but damn, they did a number on you, huh?” Bullies were not a strange concept around there. If you didn't hold your own, it wouldn't be held for you. You either wizened up or toughened up or you just dropped out and succumbed to your fate at TRIM. It was survival of the fittest.

[Aria]

The blue gracie had made a vow to herself that she'd start hitting the gym whebnever she could, even with all the drills and training she was enduring. She needed to work out more, build up her muscle. Next time she'd be able to hold her own against bullies. After all, there really was no other option. This night would teach her a lessen. Make her tougher.

Anemone didn't hear the footsteps approaching, too intent on goal of kicking the goddamned door in. As well as yelling at the top of her lungs. It wasn't until the door shuddered, and a the whining scrape of chair legs had reached her sensitive ears that she realized someone was there. She literally went weak with relief, slumping against the dirty closet floor. Her clenched abdomen was screaming with pain, as were her aching legs, bloodied face, and well... all of her really. The door handle jiggled a bit, then it turned, and her nearly colorless eyes were glued to it intensely. Then it opened, and before her stood her savior.

Huh. It was a girl. Black hair, slim build, slight muscles- she couldn't be more then a few years older then Anemone herself. In the relief of the moment, Anemone had been expecting some angelic warrior having swooped in to rescue her from this dirty pain-filled hell hole. But no. Just a girl. Woah- she must've lost more blood then she'd realized. Anemone just stared upwards at the girl in a pitiful way for a moment, almost as if she didn't understand the hands outstretched. "I... I- ah..." She almost expected her fellow candidate to dunk her head in the bucket of mop sludge. But was instead met with an offer of help. Her brows pulled upwards, her face threatening tears for a split second. No. She couldn't be anymore pathetic then she was already. Show no more weakness. Her wobbling, pouting lips turned into a weak, wry smile in the next moment,"I know I do. I've been locked in this closet for awhile..." She blinked at the compliment, then continued, gingerly touching her split lip with a finger,"Yes. They did."

Her own blue tinted hands found their way upwards, slipping into the proffered grasp. Anemone was pulled to her feet, and while she tried her absolute hardest, she couldn't help but stagger a bit as her aching legs threatened to give out beneath her. "Oh!" She uttered as she fell forward against the girl, their bodies briefly pressing together as her momentum propelled her. Her mind raged against her body, BE STRONGER DAMMIT. She stumbled in her haste to try to step back, and to remove her hands- which had gripped what they could of the girl instinctively to keep her own self from falling,"I'm so sorry. Really. Sorry. And thanks. Thank you- for... for letting me out. That was just absolutely idiotic of me." Anemone's gaze glanced sideways to look at the chair, the thing that had kept her prisoner in the tiny closet. Her face morphed briefly into a glare of loathing, and she sighed darkly. She was sure she was an absolute mess right now. She needed a shower. And a first aid kit. And to sleep for like forty-eight hours straight. Anemone ran a hand through her cornflower-blue hair roughly, looking back to her rescuer and saying again,"Thank you."

[Anonymous]

Sagittarius's heart strained for the poor girl. She looked like a lost, abused puppy — not the kind of Puppy that Amara liked to call Sagittarius — who only expected everyone to hurt her. I hope she doesn't cry, Sag thought. She loved to help people out, but crying tended to freak her out. Sagittarius herself couldn't remember the last time she shed a tear: long before she entered the Candidacy program, that was certain.

Sagittarius, stronger than her height conveyed, easily pulled the blue lady to her feet. Then the female gave an exclamation and fell into Sagittarius, who had a brief moment of fear that something was dreadfully wrong with the stranger's legs. They could be broken — or sprained — or completely cut off from circulation — or they could just be sore. Sagittarius supported the girl, whose breasts were pressed a little too closely for any platonic comfort, until she could stand.

"Don't worry about it," Sagittarius quickly responded to the girl's apolog(ies.) "It's perfectly fine. You took a knockin', and I'm only glad to make sure you don't fall and get a concussion." She flashed a wide smile to convey her attempt at teasing.

She couldn't help but chuckle when the girl's eyes shot fire at the chair. "It's not idiotic if it's not your fault," Sagittarius said. She couldn't have locked herself in a closet with a chair. That was the work of bullies, she reckoned.

"Are you all right?" Sagittarius reached out and lightly touched a bruise on the girl's face. "You look like hell."

[Aria]

Anemone tried not to notice just how much she'd accidentally pressed into the girl when her legs nearly buckled. She'd noted how the other girl started to look more then a little uncomfortable at the aspect of her crying, and was glad she'd kept the tears at bay.

"Well... that's, ah, kind of you." Anemone rightly hesitated, as kind acts were few and far between at the ATC. Still, Anemone was not one to bite the proffered helping hand, and smiled graciously at the other girl in thanks. Then winced when her split lip cracked under the strain, and winced yet again when her black and blue face protested at the previous wincing. "It's a bit my fault... I need to try harder to learn how to hold my own." She sighed darkly one more.

Ane tried not to flinch away from the touch, it was more mind over matter because in reality, the other girls fingers had only just barely brushed against the bruise. Anemone snorted wryly. "Oh, I'm sure I do." She lightly ran her tongue along her lower lip to keep back the seep of blood. "But I suppose I just have to clean myself up a bit.... I'm sure it will feel better in the morning." That was an outright lie, and that much was obvious by her tone. It was going to hurt ten times worse in the freakin' morning, once all the scrapes and bruises truly settled in. She'd be mottled purple, yellow, and blue for sure.

"Hey... ah..." Anemone realized what had been nagging her this whole time, that the girls face was vaguely familiar. "You were at the spin the bottle thing, right?" Well, of course she had... it had been mandatory for all candidates, after all. The girl had kissed Eli. Twice. But then, he'd kissed a lot of people at that event, including Anemone. He was just popular like that. Not that popularity factors into spin the bottle at all, she reminded herself mentally, and in a somewhat sour tone.

 The taste of her own blood still in her mouth, Ane weakly shifted her weight to lean against the wall behind her- as she wasn't sure how long she'd have been able to keep standing on her own, but wasn't going to collapse like a little weakling again, that was for sure. "I never caught your name, there."

[Anonymous]

Sagittarius quickly lowered her hand when the girl flinched away from her touch. "Sorry," she said, quirking an apologetic smile. "Devil's hands." She had a strange need to touch everything that she saw: as a kid, her parents had never, ever let her into expensive stores in fear that she'd pick something up and break it. That fear wasn't illogical. Sagittarius tended to break things.

The poor girl. Sag just wanted to wrap her in a hug or something and tell her silly cliches about the grass being greener and the sky bluer. God, the ATC sucked. Before being sucked into the Candidacy, Sagittarius had never fought anyone in her life; and then suddenly she was in a whirlwind of violence and sex and hard work. Bullies sucked. People sucked. If I see the guys that did this, I'm going to scratch their faces off, Sagittarius thought confidently. She might "scratch their faces off," but she'd probably come out with a black eye and a loose tooth.

Sagittarius corrected her, "It'll probably be worse in the morning, but bruises and cuts make a girl look mysterious." She winked playfully at the girl. "Training tomorrow is going to suck for you."

She brightened up at the mention of the spin-the-bottle game. "I was," she agreed cheerfully. "I didn't get much action, though, other than Eli, if you count that as action. He's sweet, but, y'know." She shrugged, flashing her teeth in a grin.

"I'm Sagittarius," she said. "Or Sag. Whatever you want." Sagittarius paused, eying the girl. "And you're the blue girl," she added brightly.

[Aria]

Ane tried to smile apologetically back, ignoring the pain of her lip. "It's okay." She quirked a brow, not recognizing the term. "Devil's hands?"

Anemone begrudgingly nodded, agreeing, as they both knew it really would hurt more in the morning. Then she laughed, shaking her head carefully. "Do they? I thought they mostly tend to make me look... bruised and cut. But, if you say so." Anemone smiled a little at the girls wink, then hung her head gently and sighed at the thought of tomorrow's training. "Oh, jeez! Way to remind me. It's going to be absolute hell." But she'd manage. She had to, after all, or she'd face the consequences.

"Ah, well, neither did I. Except for Eli." She smiled faintly at the mention of her friend. "He is sweet." She noticed the tone in the girls voice, and laughed. "But...? But you'd been hoping for more, then?"

"Sagittarius. Pretty awesome name." Anemone stuck out her hand to shake, then realized it was grimy and had dried blood on it. "Um..." She lowered it quickly, not wanting to seem awkward, but not wanting to offer such a dirty hand. "Blue girl?" Well, one couldn't deny that her unusual skin coloration didn't have a lasting impact on people. "Well, I'm also known as Anemone. But I suppose "blue girl" works just as well. Whatever you want." Her attempt at humor was somewhat muddled in her current condition, but she tried. "It's a pleasure to meet you, though, Sagittarius."