Lost and found ~open~

[Soma Brume]

Soma stopped examining her arm and tensed a bit when she heard the question. Most people didn't ask her about her prosthetics, usually just dancing around the issue. Normally, this suited her just fine, and even when they did ask she normally didn't answer straight away or tell the whole story. But since Key was going to be her teammate for the next four years, she figured it would probably be for the best to get it out of the way now. She picked up the can of oil and cloth she had used on her leg, and busied herself with rubbing oil into the creases and joints of her arm to keep her nerves calm while she told the story.

"Yes, I was in an accident. When I was eleven I was traveling by train in Haven when something went wrong and I lost my left arm and right leg. If my dad hadn't taught me to use my Aura at an early age, I probably would have died, but when the authorities found me, my wounds had already sealed themselves," she winced and stopped when she felt a wave of phantom pain, which tended to happen when she recounted the story. "Sorry, I have to stop for a moment. My fingertips are starting to hurt. My left firngertips."

When she felt like she could go on, she sighed and started again; "My dad initially wanted to stop training me, but I told him that I wouldn't give up, and my progress with Aura use was obvious when I saw my missing limbs. Dad agreed that I had the potential, and he called a few people he knew in Atlas, and we worked something out so I could have these. Though my original prosthetics were nowhere near as articulate as these, because these are designed to be more permanent." She finished oiling her arm, and held it up to the light of the window to examine it better. It sparkled, the gunmetal exterior polished to an impressive finish.

[Alibaster Key]

Alibaster knew he was probably being a little rude by asking the girl about her robotic limbs. But at the same time he did genuinely want to know. After all they seemed rather advanced for just being prosthetics. As Soma began to speak up the young man slowly lifted himself to a sitting position on the bed. Her story grabbing his full attention. More than once he wanted to speak up with more questions. Wondering if her reptilian blood would allow her to grow back a limb. But he refrained, not wanting to earn another slap from the girl.

Although when she suddenly paused Alibaster found himself even more curious, wondering what she could have meant. After all her arm was fake. He remembered hearing about something called phantom pains once, his brow raising as he wondered if that was what she had meant.

He didn't even notice how transfixed he was on the girls story. Not even speaking a word, or making a rude comment for the entirety of the tale. As she finished though Alibaster suddenly got up from his seat and moved closer to sort of inspect the girls prosthetics. "So they only work in function? I mean.. you can't really feel them right?" He said with a hint of curiosity, his thoughts getting the better of him as he begun to ponder what they actually felt like. "I may be able to help." He said as he held his hand out toward the girl gently. "Just... please don't slap me again."

[Soma Brume]

At first, Soma wasn't sure what to make of Key's strange interest in her prosthetics. At first, she was angry because she thought it was a morbid curiousity, but when she heard the tone in his voice, she realized he really was genuinely curious about them and how they worked. "No, I can't feel anything from these two limbs," she said, extending her left arm towards his outstretched one, "I miss it, though. The phantom pain hurts like crazy sometimes, even though there's nothing there to hurt." The faunus flexed the arm a bit, then reached up to her shoulder with her right arm.

Soma flicked the pins that held the arm in place, then gave a sharp twist, detatching it from the mounting point on her torso. She left the wires and optic fiber cables that kept it attached to her nerves connected, hanging free between her body and arm. "Sometimes I have to remove it like this to maintain it," she said, setting the limb down on the bed next to her. "It's connected directly to my nerves that govern motor control, so I can actually still move my fingers and stuff." To demonstrate, she curled her left fingers into a fist, then let them relax. "But don't worry, it only looks bizarre until you get used to it."

[Alibaster Key]

As Soma began to ponder Alibaster's inquisitive nature the young man continued to move ever slowly closer to the fanus girl. The way she kept describing the odd sensation of her phantom limbs causing him to become increasingly curious. He wanted to know more, what it felt like, in more ways than one. "it makes you wonder doesn't it? Why someone would want one of these." He said as he watched the girl suddenly pull her arm from her body.

The sudden action caused the young man to jump a little, his eyes growing wide as he really wasn't expecting her to do such a thing. Although after a few minutes to compose himself he was back to looking over the bionic limb. As he got closer he didn't even hear what soma had to say. Jumping once more as the hand suddenly sprung to life in front of him.

He let out a soft sigh as he slowly turned his head toward the girl. "C..can I try something?" He said as he took a step closer to her. "Just... don't freak out." He said, mostly to calm his own nerves. Slowly he reached forward, taking a hold of Soma's right hand. Suddenly his white aura began to shimmer, covering his body as he stood there breathing slowly.

He didn't even know why he was doing this, after all he barely knew the girl. And up until now he had only ever linked himself with his uncle. And this girl was much different than him, in many many ways. Suddenly Soma's own dark green aura began to glow around her hand, seeming to come to life with Alibaster's own. The deep color seemed to spill like ink suddenly, rushing throughout the young man's aura.

Alibaster's eyes stayed closed in focus as everything started to happen. His mind racing as he tried his best to limit himself, to take as little as possible. After all he didn't want to become the girls slave anytime soon. All he wanted was to link their sense of touch. Slowly his eyes began to open, his hand pulling away from the girl as he began to take a step back. "Ok... ca-" His words were cut off suddenly by a rather odd sensation as he began to step back. Namely the fact that he could no longer feel his own leg. Sending the young man falling on to his back suddenly. "What the hell!" He cried out suddenly as he began to look up, wondering what had happened.

[Soma Brume]

Soma cautiously let Key approach her, letting him hold her right hand, the real one, for a second. She was going to ask him what he had planned, but before she could his Aura began to shimmer and sparkle. Her curiousity go the better of her and she simply let him carry on to see for herself. She saw her own Aura being activated by his which perplexed her. Normally her Aura didn't flare up unless she was being hurt, but whatever this was wasn't painful. The feeling was difficult for her to comprehend at first, but it suddenly changed and took a turn for the worse after a few silent moments.

Some could feel the sensation of her left arm all of a sudden, an arm that had been missing before, and the sensation of a right leg that wasn't supposed to be there. Key fell to the floor exclaiming something, but as soon as he lost contact with her, the feeling of her limbs were gone. It was like they had been snatched away again, newly lost with fresh waves of phantom pain, now more intense than ever. She clutched her knee with her right arm, writhing on the bed and yelling, her artificial hand that was still disconnected clenched tightly in pain.

She yelled out something incoherent, nearly forced to tears by the intense throbbing pain of her missing limbs. After a moment, she managed to collect herself and sit up, eyes averted from Key. "Whatever you did," she said, voice wavering, "Don't do it again without permission." Without looking up, she picked up the fake arm on the bed and reattached it to the open socket in her shoulder, flexing her hand hard enough that the blade hidden in the forearm flicked out of her elbow in a quick motion.

[Alibaster Key]

As Alibaster began to look up toward Soma his eyes began to grow wide. The expression on her face turning from one of curiosity to that of pain and confusion. "Wai-" He began to cry out, hoping she would calm down. But it was obvious to the young man that his link had been rejected, causing each other's sense of touch to be sent haywire.

His hands suddenly clenched in pain as it felt like his own limbs had been ripped off for a moment, causing the young teen to tense up on the floor much like soma. He begun to catch his breath as he slowly felt his senses becoming his own again. Only looking up from the ground as he heard a voice coming from up on the bed.

The young man couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew he had made a mistake, as his semblance often caused problems. However this was different, after all he had to spend four years with this girl. And he had already gone and messed everything up. "I...i..." He said quite worried as he suddenly got up from the floor, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I should go." He said nervously as he suddenly rushed toward the door, darting out into the hall.

[Soma Brume]

Soma let the blade slide back into arm, watching Key run out of the room. She collapsed onto the bed, curling into a ball, her tail slithering around herself. The sensation of having limbs again only for them to be suddenly taken away was enough to make her shout before, but now that she was alone she let the tears flow, gripping her pillow so tight both the real and metal claws peirced it, making feathers spill out around them. The faunus knew she didn't have to hold a tough girl act, but she still felt embarassed that she was crying, even over something so serious. After a while she sat up, walked into the bathroom and checked her face. She didn't normally wear makeup, but a little wouldn't hurt to make it look like she hadn't been crying just now. When she had finished, she left the room and walked down the hallway towards the auditorium, where the team formation ceremony was bound to begin.

[EXIT SOMA]