Askier's golden eyes opened slowly, and blinked. The Garlean used his right hand to rub the sleep out of each eye as he yawned and rolled his neck. The table he had slept on in the basement of Red Wings HQ was far from comfortable, but he hadn't had a chance to set up any kind of personal quarters yet with everything that had been going on.
Askier sat up, his spine popping in protest and his muscles were incredibly stiff. He felt the left half of his body dragging behind and his tired mind was momentarily confused. He looked and then remembered why. Â
His golden eye saw the metal, magitek arm hanging limp at his side. The shoulder mount had been bolted and grafted to his bones and muscle tissue, wires inserted into tissue and nerve endings. The arm itself was attached to the metal mounting base and was a simple appendage. There was a tingle of electricity as Askier stared at his mechanical hand and watched the fingers slowly open and close as he made them, feeling nothing.Â
The woman Alexei had brought him to meet the night before, this Oria, had informed Askier it would be years before he had full, functional control over the limb and he might never be able to move the limb without looking at it. Askier had been a bit disappointed, but between Oria's promise to tweak the settings of his new limb, and the fact that he didn't have to gaze at an empty stump anymore, Askier was willing to wait years.
The thirty-one year old miqo'te looked over at the sleeping form on the floor and smiled.
None of this would have been possible without Alexei, whom even in sleep seemed to be frowning. The man was a skilled surgeon and had installed the arm well enough. Askier looked at the sleeping hyur's face and marveled at how that man had gone from stabbing Askier in the stomach to acting as Askier's bodyguard. Life had a weird way of working and Askier was glad it did. Alexei was the most honest man in all Eorzea in Askier's mind. Not a great conversationalist, but if he said something, you just knew it was true.
There was a jolt of electricity in Askier's muscle where a wire met his muscle and he tensed. It had been that stray wire that had prevent him from using the new arm at all last night when he finally got to use the tool he and his small band of allies had stolen from the Castrum to disarm Jin'li's collars.
Askier looked down at the black bag resting by the feet of the table and the tool that was poking out of it. It was a simple, crescent shaped piece of metal, attached to a handle, not unlike a pugilist's weapon.Â
Askier closed his eyes and thought back on the tense moments in the Golden Bazaar last night when he had completely removed Kiht's collar and disarmed the explosive in Miah's collar. It had taken three people, Kahn'a, Alexei, and himself to disarm them, but it had worked! Soon the other collars would be disarmed and removed as well. He wasn't sure why Miah had requested her's left on, but she seemed to have a plan and any plan against the white-haired runt was a good plan.
Askier kept gazing at the tool and smiled to himself. For the first time since he had been carried, bloodied and broken, like a babe from Itar's clutches, he felt a sense of pride and confidence in whom he was. He still had nightmares, he still hated surgery equipment, he still had to sleep with a stuffed animal, which currently rested beside him, but he had used his knowledge and skills to help someone in need, and it felt good.
It made Askier smile. Maybe he really was worthy of the rank of engineer that Erik had bestowed upon him. Just maybe.
Askier sat up, his spine popping in protest and his muscles were incredibly stiff. He felt the left half of his body dragging behind and his tired mind was momentarily confused. He looked and then remembered why. Â
His golden eye saw the metal, magitek arm hanging limp at his side. The shoulder mount had been bolted and grafted to his bones and muscle tissue, wires inserted into tissue and nerve endings. The arm itself was attached to the metal mounting base and was a simple appendage. There was a tingle of electricity as Askier stared at his mechanical hand and watched the fingers slowly open and close as he made them, feeling nothing.Â
The woman Alexei had brought him to meet the night before, this Oria, had informed Askier it would be years before he had full, functional control over the limb and he might never be able to move the limb without looking at it. Askier had been a bit disappointed, but between Oria's promise to tweak the settings of his new limb, and the fact that he didn't have to gaze at an empty stump anymore, Askier was willing to wait years.
The thirty-one year old miqo'te looked over at the sleeping form on the floor and smiled.
None of this would have been possible without Alexei, whom even in sleep seemed to be frowning. The man was a skilled surgeon and had installed the arm well enough. Askier looked at the sleeping hyur's face and marveled at how that man had gone from stabbing Askier in the stomach to acting as Askier's bodyguard. Life had a weird way of working and Askier was glad it did. Alexei was the most honest man in all Eorzea in Askier's mind. Not a great conversationalist, but if he said something, you just knew it was true.
There was a jolt of electricity in Askier's muscle where a wire met his muscle and he tensed. It had been that stray wire that had prevent him from using the new arm at all last night when he finally got to use the tool he and his small band of allies had stolen from the Castrum to disarm Jin'li's collars.
Askier looked down at the black bag resting by the feet of the table and the tool that was poking out of it. It was a simple, crescent shaped piece of metal, attached to a handle, not unlike a pugilist's weapon.Â
Askier closed his eyes and thought back on the tense moments in the Golden Bazaar last night when he had completely removed Kiht's collar and disarmed the explosive in Miah's collar. It had taken three people, Kahn'a, Alexei, and himself to disarm them, but it had worked! Soon the other collars would be disarmed and removed as well. He wasn't sure why Miah had requested her's left on, but she seemed to have a plan and any plan against the white-haired runt was a good plan.
Askier kept gazing at the tool and smiled to himself. For the first time since he had been carried, bloodied and broken, like a babe from Itar's clutches, he felt a sense of pride and confidence in whom he was. He still had nightmares, he still hated surgery equipment, he still had to sleep with a stuffed animal, which currently rested beside him, but he had used his knowledge and skills to help someone in need, and it felt good.
It made Askier smile. Maybe he really was worthy of the rank of engineer that Erik had bestowed upon him. Just maybe.
