Chapter Text
Soldier 11 stumbled her way down Sixth Street, the woman's demeanor drastically different. Instead of the usual stern, stoic face and always alert eyes, her face was drenched in contempt and her eyes were downcast. Along with her expression being different, her usual uniform was replaced with a grey hoodie and some dark blue jeans. The woman kept on dragging her feet through the city when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Eve? Is that you?"
Soldier 11 let out a small gasp and her dull eyes gained some life back in them as she raised her head and looked towards the noodle bar. Standing in front of the bar was the Proxy, Crimson Night or something similar. Well, half of the pair at least, as Wise gave the woman a small smile and wave.
"Hey, it's strange to see you out of uniform. Are you on some mission requiring you to go incognito?"
"Um... No, no mission... My commander gave me some time off..."
"Is that so? Well, since you're free, want some noodles? I'll buy."
Soldier 11 was hesitant to accept the offer, but the soft grumble of her stomach made the decision for her. So, the woman nodded and joined Wise at the noodle bar. General Chop greeted the two as they sat down on the bar stools, but Soldier 11 had tuned all the noises around her, focused solely on the young man next to her. She looked at the bags under his eyes, contrasted by the bright glow in his eyes. She watched as his lips moved, quietly observing the way he smiled and laughed along with General Chop. He was... amazing. Alive.
Alive...
The soft clunk of a pair of bowls pulled her from her thoughts and made her jump in her seat a bit.
"Alright! Two spicy chicken noodle bowls, served to you hot and ready! And I've got some nice refreshing drinks standing by, so give me a holler if you need something to cool your burning throat! Hahahaha!"
"Thanks, General."
Wise smiled as he took the chopsticks given to him and used them to capture some of the noodles, bringing them to his mouth and blowing a few times before eating them. After a few moments of chewing, he swallowed and let out a small wince followed by a small exhale. He let out a small chuckle and turned to Soldier 11, surprised to see that she hadn't touched her noodles at all, instead looking right at him.
"Are you not hungry? You haven't touched your food yet."
Soldier 11 tensed up at this and quickly turned her attention to her food, scooping the noodles out with her chopsticks and chowing down on them, seemingly not bothered by the spice at all. Wise smiled at this, going back to his own bowl. He fished out some more noodles and carefully ate them up. When he was finished with that bite, he quickly regretted it as he let out a small fit of coughs. Clearing his throat, he raised his hand.
"Um, General Chop?"
The sun was setting over New Eridu, and the city itself was starting to wind down. Sixth Street was no different as the stores all began to close, the store owners bidding farewell to their last customers of the day as they began to close up shop. The Random Play video store was no different, Wise waving goodbye to the last few customers of the day before closing the door to the store and locking it. With a small sigh, the young man began to walk toward the stairs to try and get some sleep when the sound of someone knocking on the door caught his attention. Wondering who it was that knocked, Wise unlocked the door and opened it, surprised to see who it was.
"Eve? What are you-"
"May I stay for the night...?"
The question took the young man off guard as he looked at the young woman. That's when he noticed her body shaking ever so slightly. Wise was wondering what was making her quiver like this, but he kept it to himself as he just nodded and moved to the side, letting her in. Eve looked around the store, taking note of all the different video tapes that populated the shelves. Her little examination of the store ended as Wise called her over to the stairs. The two made their way to the second floor and to the young man's room, the two taking a seat on opposite ends of the sofa. For a few moments, they sat in complete silence, not knowing what to say to the other. Eventually, Wise decided to break the silence.
"Belle turned in early. She spent most of the day out with her friends and dealing with some Proxy work, so she was pretty worn out when she got back."
"I see..."
The silence quickly returned, much more uncomfortable than before. The two quietly exchanged glances for a few moments until Eve spoke up.
"I'm sorry..."
"What?"
"I shouldn't have bothered you... I just wanted to be... with someone..."
Wise was confused by what Eve was saying, until he saw the look in her eyes. Those usually sharp and observant eyes were now so dull and emotionless. She looked ragged, weak. Nothing like the Eve he had grown accustomed to. Something had happened, he just didn't know what. But he hoped he would find out.
"Eve. Did something happen?"
The young woman's body seizing up in what Wise could only assume is fear seemed to affirm his question. So, the young man decided to continue, trying to take it easy with his questions.
"Was it related to a mission?"
Eve stayed quiet, only nodding as she began to curl up on herself. Wise slowly began to make his way towards her, hoping to get close enough to comfort her.
"Was someone hurt?"
The young woman shook her head before answering verbally.
"All KIA..."
Wise inhaled sharply, giving a silent prayer for Eve's fallen comrades before he continued.
"Was it Ethereals?"
"No... Raiders... and a traitor..."
This surprised Wise the most, hearing that a group of raiders were able to kill a group of trained soldiers, even with the help of someone on the inside. Slowly, the young man reached out a hand towards his friend.
"Eve..."
"DON'T!!!"
Eve quickly moved away from Wise, keeping her arms close to her chest and backing away, almost right into a wall. Her breathing was panicked as she began to curl up on herself again, quietly whimpering as she did.
"Don't... don't touch me... don't dirty your hands on me..."
Wise was taken aback at this sudden outburst, watching as the strong, brave and intelligent soldier broke down right in front of him. He didn't know what had happened, but he did know that he wouldn't let her suffer like this. So, the young man slowly approached her, hoping to reach her.
"Eve, it's okay now. You're safe here."
"Maybe, but you aren't... you can't be safe with me, you never will be! I'm a failure! I failed them!"
"What do you mean? Failed who?"
Eve didn't speak for a moment, her breathing still quick as it was before. It took a few moments before she got it under control, her voice coming out small and frail.
"It was a training mission... a squad of new recruits were to enter a hollow and exterminate the Ethereals... I was charged with overseeing their training with the traitor... all was going well. They completed the mission and we were about to head back..."
"That's when you were ambushed..."
"Yes... The traitor along with several raiders kept me occupied while the rest killed off the recruits... I was eventually taken down and was forced to watch as they murdered the last of the recruits... watch as they begged for mercy, watch as they cried out for my help, watch as their hope died with them!"
Eve was curled up into a ball, her hands dug into her hair and her breathing was erratic, rage etched into each breath she took.
"And then, when it was my turn... I snapped. I broke free of their hold and began to slaughter them... I tore through the raiders with ease... and when I got to the traitor... I dropped my sword... I brought him to the ground... and I beat him... I just beat him... over and over and over... I just beat him... even after my hands were broken... even after he died... I didn't stop..."
Wise stayed still, shocked at what he had just heard. It took him some time to gather his thoughts, but once he did, it was clear what he needed to do. So, throwing caution to the wind, the young man approached Eve and threw his arms around her, surprising the young woman. Her surprise suddenly turned to desperation as she tried to push Wise off of her.
"Please, let me go... I don't deserve your comfort... I don't deserve your help..."
"Don't say that. Don't push me away. I know you're hurting, and that you feel like you should just suffer alone, but there are people who want to help you. So please, let me help you."
Eve fell silent at this, her attempts at breaking free stopping as well, not knowing what to do. It wasn't until a few moments later that the young woman began to cry, placing her forehead against Wise's chest and sobbing softly as the young man ran his hand against her back gently.
"It's alright. Just let it out."
The two sat in Wise's room as Eve continued to cry into his chest, finally letting her emotions out after years of bottling them up. All the while, Wise let her cry her sorrows out, holding her close as she did.
"You're safe here. My brave soldier."