You make me bulletproof...

i wake up from someone pouring ice cold water on me, i shiver as it hits my naked skin, i try to stand up only to find myself shackled to a chair, i think for a moment before i get a fist in my face, i hear the crack of bone crack and wince as churchbells ring in my ears, i spit blood and say half heartedly "didnt your mother tell you not to hit a lady?" the man stumps his cigarette on my forehead i scream for a while, i stop screaming and look up at him hes an old man with an eyepatch and a mean look in his face i spit on him he punches me this time in the stomach the air goes right out me, i suck in the air as if its some preacious treasure and after a while a my bloodstained lips curls into a smile "you like it rough big boy? well your gonna love me then cus i got two sets of teeth if you catch my drift", he smiles and just as he starts to unbuckle his pants a door opens behind him the light is blindingly bright i see a humanoid figure in the door a familiar voice says "is that all you men think about? stow it back in your pants".

The shadow figure steps across the room, her skirts swirling and grips the man's crotch in vice-like fingers, her ears laid back against her skull and an unseen something twitching under the yards of cloth at her waist. He winced as she turned her gaze back to Sori, scrutinizing her naked form as she squeezed, eliciting a pained gasp. "And find her a dress, pig." She litterally clears the man off his feet, her hand still at his crotch, and launches him at the door, where he falls limply to the floor on an obviously twisted ankle and crawls from the room, sobs gasping in his throat.

The woman kneels next to Sori and begins loosening her bonds, the light mottle of her skin obvious under the flicker of the low lighting as she comes well within the range of Sori's freed hands.

i close my in exhaustion eyes and savour the coppery taste still in my mouth for a moment, i move my hands a bit and look at the woman "i dont believe ive had the pleasure ms?".

"Mary Fura," She finishes the last of the knots and gently pulls Sori to her feet, bracing the taller woman easily with her shoulder, "He was out of line; I never told them to be so brutal, but they're men." she huffs, her brow creasing as the something under her skirts twitches in agitation.

i look at her thoughtfully "so if you dont intend to have me raped and tortured" i finish "then what do you want with me?".

"Poor dear," Mary croons, laying a hand on Sori's check. "What mother doesn't want to see her child again; You don't even remember me, do you?"

i stop for a moment "my mom was blown to pieces by an artillery shell during the great war" who is this woman?

"You're still feverish," she says, ignoring Sori's statement and laying the back of her hand to the younger woman's forehead. "It took all my skills to bring you down after that idiot shot at you. Lets get you back to bed so you can rest." She gently lifts Sori, taking all of the girl's weight across her shoulders and easily guides her down a corridor to a furnished apartment decorated like a war room. Here and there, hurried alteration have been made to make the room more feminine, more homey, but the overall affect is a chamber designed to house a warrior.

Mary guided Sori to the bed and laid her on it, gently tucking the sheets around her. "Rest well, sweetheart. I'll be back in a few hours." She says, kissing her brow, and moving from the room, the door latching solidly behind her.

i lie on my right side and grab the blanket and tugs it up right to under my nose i study the room and despite being pretty sure that my mothers been blown up i feel... safe here.

A little while later, a rattle at the door, and its pushed open. A gaunt figure steps in, a long, pretty dress in hand which he hangs on the door frame after chancing a tentative glance at Sori. His ice blue eyes stare into hers a moment, and he ducks back out, the latch catching again with a click.

i look at the dress and smile "not bloody likely" then the notion of how silly it would be to walk around naked appears to me and i put it on even though i note how ill fitting it is for combat.

Time passes, and Mary returns, smiling as she sees Sori in the dress and walking quickly to her. She tugs the collar out and rearranges the skirts, stepping back then circling before nodding her approval. "I didn't know What I was going to do with this after Lena told me she'd rather go naked," she preens, stroking Sori's hair affectionately. "And you're so much lovelier in it then she would have been. Come here." she walks to the bed and pats it beside her, indicating that Sori should sit.

i shrug "to be honest if i wasnt the epitome of reason and good comport i would prefer to go naked too" i say jokingly as i sit then for a moment alarms scream in my head "wait lena?".

Mary gently turned Sori's back to her and began plaiting her hair, "Of course, dear. Didn't your sister tell you I wanted to see you?" as an after though, she adds, "Such lovely hair. You never had it so workable before, never cared when you were Ignacy."

i sigh the cat is obviously out of the bag "well ignacy is still in here also sister? we arent sister we were just eh friends lets call it that" i smile a little as i think about it all.

Mary tugs on a snarl and keeps her peace for a moment.

"I may not be the mother of your birth," she sighs finally, "But I was the cause of your inception, child." She finishes the braid and coils it neatly, pining it up. "Now turn so I can look at you."

i do as she says and suddenly i have a vague understanding "i think i understand what you mean".

"Beautiful," she says, standing and kissing Sori on the forehead. She takes her hand and pulling the girl to her feet, draws her to the door. "Welcome home, dear."

i feel like the little girl ignacy secretly wanted to be, i look around gathering my surroundings "so what happened? where am i?" i say as she pulls me to the door.

"Home, dear." She smiles cryptically. "Lets go see the others."

She leads Sori down the corridor and pauses at an ornately finished door. She raps twice with a knuckle and it opens on a large open room with huge windows overlooking the neon streets of the Nightside. And there, lined up in soft couches and chairs are the others... the living members of the unit. Lena leans forward and licks her lips in a predatory manner, while Dahl looks up coolly from his game of chess with a distracted Hans, arguing with his Cuckoo about the appropriate next move. And the rest... all but three, killed early in...

i smile awkvardly and jokingly say "i guess you never imagined me to look this good in a dress", hans whispers into the ear of his bird and it starts to tally up what sounds like an inventory he turns his eye on me and says "methinks this is the one who burned down my shop" the bird repeats "shop shop shop" he pets it under the beak and says "yes my little bird thinks so tooo" all the while in a sickly sing song voice.

"Oh, it is," Dahl smiles, his odd eyes taking an inventory his brother-now-sister. "Though I wager still an impulsive little thing."

i look at him an smile "it appears to me that last time i was the one walking out of the burning building at brisk pace instead of being dumped down the chimney", i notice lena edging herself closer to me by the inch whenever im not looking still that catlike glimt in her one eye as if she found a favorite toy to play with.

Dahl looks at Mary and when she gives a slight shake of her head, he puts his eyes back on the game, determinedly staring at his pieces on the artfully laid out board; insanity hadn't made Hans any idiot by any stretch. Mary guided Sori to a couch and bid her sit next to her 'sister' Lena, while she took the other side. Lena cuddled in, the top buttons of her blouse inexplicably snapping loose and falling between them. "I've always wanted a sister/lover," she purrs into Sori's bosom.

i get the feeling that im treading on rotten ice and that any wrong thing might plunge me down into the cold water i smile gently at her and as calm as i can i say "im sort of in a relationship right now", nevertheless i amuse myself by burning the straps tying the buttons to the blouse pretending as if it wasnt me.