ten. spam & video. like the empires of the world unite.

[indispensible]

spam } open

[It doesn't take Vin long to realize that the people she is seeing who look like Elend aren't really Elend. It wouldn't make sense for him to be here, after all. They are illusions - she understands later, a wish gone wrong. And anyway, most of them are walking around without a book in hand. Not him. The thought almost makes her smile.]

[But the first expression she gives the people who wear Elend's image is a dual flash of sorrow and joy, an incomprehensible twist of emotion that she'd much rather conceal. This, though, she can't control, and turns away as quickly as possible when she feels it creeping across her face.]

video } open

[She is in her cabin now, a large stone room expensively furnished, and looking annoyed. There is a pile of records in front of her, and in the background, Lunatic of God's Creation Is playing.]

This is ridiculous. I can't figure out how to make it stop.

Comments

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena listens for a while before commenting. Look, it's not that bad, okay?] What was your wish?

[indispensible]

I wished--

[For Elend.]

I wished for metal.

[adelphoktonos]

You got heavy metal. [But seriously.]

What good is metal to you?

[indispensible]

Heavy metal. [?? query ??]

I eat it.

[adelphoktonos]

Angry music. What do you mean, eat it?

[indispensible]

Oh. [Seems legit, it's definitely loud.]

I put it in my mouth and swallow it, and it makes me strong. Isn't that what eating means?

[adelphoktonos]

[Y-es...] But metal isn't food. People eat food.

[indispensible]

I eat food. And metal.

[adelphoktonos]

Are you human?

[indispensible]

Yes. Very.

But also no.

Do you want to see what I can do?

[adelphoktonos]

[Well, really, what other answer is there?]

Yes.

[indispensible]

Will you come up on deck?

[adelphoktonos]

Yes. Now?

[indispensible]

Now. Right now.

[She likes showing off, so sue her.]

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

I'll go there.

[And lo, Helena makes her way up to the deck. Call her intrigued. She lives on the first floor, so she's there quickly.]

spam!

[indispensible]

[As soon as Helena steps on board, a coin will go flying past her ear and clatter down the stairs. Vin is sitting on the rail, legs crossed at the ankles, smiling innocently.]

Hello.

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

[She half-jumps away from it as it goes past, following its progress through the air and down the stairs with her eyes before turning back to Vin, eyebrows raised. There's an obvious question here but for the moment she just says.]

Hello.

spam!

[indispensible]

It's a Push. A Steelpush.

[She burns steel again and presses her mind against Helena. Anything she's wearing that's metal, zippers or buttons or clips, will push lightly against her skin for just a second before Vin lets up and jumps off of the railing, light as a cat.]

Human but not human. Do you know what a furnace is?

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena gasps and looks down at her clothes. Her hands go to the zipper on her jacket, pressing into her chest. It's witchcraft, magic; it's fascinating and frightening. She's seen a lot more than she thought possible here, but this is the first time it's been clearly coming from one person. She can feel the light pressure of the metal fastenings in her boots pushing against her feet, the rivets and zips of her jeans doing the same. It stops quickly, but her fingers remain on the zip even after the pressure lets up. She looks back up to Vin, a touch wild-eyed, almost wanting to run.]

For melting metal. Yes.

spam!

[indispensible]

[Her hand rests over her belly.]

That's what I am. A furnace. I eat the metal, and it fuels me. It lets me do things like that, or this--

[She tugs the coin she Pushed away back towards her; it zips past Helena's head and into Vin's open palm.]

Or other things. Lots of things.

Are you afraid of me?

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

[Helena's head flicks to follow the coin's passage through the air, her blonde hair flying out around her head. She takes Vin in, her fingers scratching down the open teeth of the zipper as she answers.]

Yes. [The answer sounds simple, but she doesn't move to leave. She's still scared, yes... but she's also captivated.] What else can you do?

spam!

[indispensible]

[Vin thinks this is probably the smart answer. She is frightening. She doesn't deny this or try to downplay it. She simply is what she is, and if people are afraid of her because of it - so be it. People have been afraid of her before.]

[She smiles slightly - not the grin of a creature who loves being feared, but a reassuring flash of expression from one girl who is sometimes afraid to another.]

[Then she closes her eyes and sniffs the air, flaring tin.]

You had toast for breakfast. And juice. And you've been in the garden not too long ago. Near the roses. You didn't touch any of them, just walked around.

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

[The smile Vin shows is reassuring. She's human but not human, and that smile is the human part showing through. It's enough for Helena to relax ever so slightly more, still watching the dark-haired girl.]

You have many gifts. [She steps forward, moving closer slowly, like an animal.] Can you tell more than this?

spam!

[indispensible]

Well, I could pick you up and carry you around.

[She is pretty sure that wouldn't go over very well, though. Instead--]

Hold still.

[And she takes off running, rounding the entire deck in about ten seconds. She accelerates quicker than she should and runs faster than a horse, skidding to a stop far enough away from Helena that the other woman can step back and away if she wants to.]

spam!

[adelphoktonos]

[She does shift her body back, but it's not quite a step. Her hand goes to her mouth, hovering there, fingers resting on her lower lip. You're fascinating, Vin. After a moment, she asks:]

Why are you here?