[M] Sniped Through the Heart (Iwazuma x Hannelorian)

[Iwazuma]

Regina wasn't sure what Anke meant by 'that being where they were', but said nothing as she nodded at her insistence that they head out. She just wanted to go somewhere with her. Something to get her mind away from the entire day. Something to keep herself feeling functional for the first time that day. Regina groaned to herself as they walked, doing her best to look like she was still the same old Regina, still the same old Terminator. She walked with stoic authority, ignoring the stares of soldiers trying to catch a glimpse of the Phantom and Terminator in their best clothes. At the entrance to the compound, Regina merely addressed the guard with a cold stare. "It does not matter where we are going. You know we have clearance." A far different response than the obedient, if demeaning, response she'd given just days before. Even the guard could tell something was off; he hastily allowed the two women exit in spite of Regina's failure to answer the question.

Regina walked with Anke into Urlachen proper, catching a few more glances on the way. Regina's eyes wandered, avoiding the gazes of the citizenry and instead looking to the road and the buildings around them. The people didn't know she was a failure. That was something only Anke and her superior officers knew. Yet that was enough to leave Regina withered. She was unsure, the usual confidence she exuded missing as she walked side by side with Anke. She didn't know how Anke did it. Regina thought she had the best poker face in all of Osnen, yet Anke seemed to know everything that was on her mind. Meanwhile, she was certain not a soul could tell what she was thinking in that moment. Regina stuck close to Anke, brushing shoulders with her every now and again. She stopped short of taking her hand; sure, the public knew they were an item, but...she didn't know. It felt...strange still. She still wanted to get used to the idea of having someone who cared for and supported her.

Their walk led them to a small bistro located deep within the heart of Urlachen. It was small, hidden amidst the bigger names and bigger buildings. Regina looked up at the awning with the bistro's name, 'Fontaine D'grâce'. She didn't know what language that was; she wouldn't have been shocked if nobody else knew, either. Osnen had insisted on a single language throughout its nation, and Regina knew precious little if-and even what existed-overseas. She followed Anke to their table, thankful for the silence from the host. Regina sat quietly for a while, staring at her one exposed hand, her metallic arm hidden beneath the veil for the moment. Only after she felt it was getting awkward did she speak. "Herzberg gave lead sniper to you. I am to be support for foreseeable missions." Regina spoke quietly, the shame in her voice palpable even if she didn't know it. "Congratulations." There had to be something to celebrate...if they were going to be dressed up and all...

She said nothing even as the waiter approached them. She wasn't sure what on the menu even was, let alone what was good. She couldn't read a lot of it, so she simply placed her hands in her lap, saying nothing and letting Anke take control. She'd ordered what Regina had last time, so perhaps she'd do the same...

[Hannelorian]

"Congratulations?" Anke scoffed lightly and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She exhaled deeply this was going to be a far more painful experience than she bargained for. Knowing now that she had been promoted at Regina's expense made her skin crawl. It was like a shot to the heart, or even in her brain. She had now betrayed Regina in another way. To be honest Anke wasn't even sure why Regina bothered to accompany her.

As the waiter approached the two conversed lightly in a long dead and forgotten language. Between the two of them they exhausted all they knew, what little had remained. Anke ordered for the both of them, salads, red wine, a delightful filet of beef. Things she had indulged in when she was someone vaguely important, before she had lost her identity to her life as a shoulder, as a Phantom.

"I think we can both agree this is uncomfortable." Anke leaned back in her chair, her legs crossing as the same with her arms. "And I can't stand it." She looked up toward the ornately decorated ceiling. "You know they're lying to you right? They're manipulating you?" As the waiter arrived with the wine, Anke fell silent. The bottle was displayed and opened, a small sampling of the dark red liquid that Anke raised to her lips and tasted, nodding in approval before the waiter poured two glasses and set the bottle upon the table.

"And if you think for a second that I take any pleasure in becoming lead sniper not based on my own merit but because they are fucking with you? No. Not really. Because you made a mistake? Regina... your jealousy while potentially flattered is entirely unwarranted and misplaced. And the simple fact you cannot even look me in the eye..." Anke sighed and raised the glass to her lips drinking deeply of the glass and its contents. "We're going to need something stronger than this."

[Iwazuma]

Regina said nothing while Anke spoke to the waiter, only vaguely recognizing tiny bits and pieces of whatever language was spoken that sounded familiar to her own tongue. She knew precious little of foreign affairs, her eye having always been turned inward to domestic disputes and attacks. She was the hero of the nation, but not the one sent out with exploration in mind. She didn't even know if Osnen had a division that dealt with foreign nations, or if any even existed. That was far above her pay grade. Perhaps if they ever promoted her to general, she'd be keyed in to what she needed to know there, but for the moment she had no business even caring. Anke, however, seemed to have mastered an unknown language to her. Truly curious. When did she have time to do that? She supposed she'd had quite the life before coming to Osnen. She knew of some of it, but there was always more she could learn...

Though perhaps not now. Anke ordered for the both of them, which Regina appreciated. However, once the waiter had left, Anke spoke up. Uncomfortable? Regina folded her arms, not sure what Anke was getting at. "They have no reason to lie to me." Osnen had set her up for success over the last several years, and she had taken advantage of it. This was her first true falter. She had been punished accordingly. This she saw as factual. She didn't understand what Anke meant by them messing with her. Regina shook her head, but remained silent, evidently trying to figure out exactly what Anke was trying to say. She didn't feel manipulated. She was a cog in the machine. An important cog, yes, but her duty was to serve Osnen. Why was Anke insistent that she was being manipulated?

As the wine was served, Regina gave it a passing glance, but did not touch the glass in front of her. Given her missing body parts, wine would flow through her all the more quickly. It made things all the riskier for her to drink. Instead, she focused on Anke for the moment. "I don't know why you aren't happy. You got the promotion you always wanted. You wanted to match me..." Regina shook her head. "And you've surpassed me in the process. You succeeded where I failed. What is the problem? I will simply have to train harder to take my spot back..." Regina was still distressed. She wasn't used to being someone else's sidekick, and she didn't really like it. She was used to being the best there was, and here she was...a failure.

Yet Anke was still insistent that Regina was somehow being messed with. "I don't follow your reasoning whatsoever." She watched Anke down a glass of the wine presented to them, and leaned forward, her elbow resting on the table to catch her chin. "I feel ashamed that I underperformed, but I will not allow my weakness to jeopardize another mission. That has been the modus operandi for me since I joined Osnen. Why do you think my behavior constitutes some sort of foul play?" Regina asked Anke inquisitively, wondering if there was some piece of information she didn't have. Something Anke was privy to that made her conclude something Regina was not.

[Hannelorian]

"Why aren't I happy?" Anke asked as she waited patiently for the waiter to refill her glass of wine. "Because I got a promotion that I don't deserve? Because in fact I haven't matched or surpassed you. I'm shocked you would give me that much credit." Anke seemed angry. For the first time ever she was having feelings of anger and partially toward Regina for her insistence at continuing to defend Osnen's every action.

"They have every reason to lie to you and you just so casually accept it because they're all saints aren't they?" Anke did not name Osnen out loud, she was far too smart for that. "Everything is training with you and pushing harder. It's exhausting." Anke exhaled deeply and took another deep drink from the glass, essentially downing the second one just as easily as she had the first. "You have no idea. You are the best. You're so far above the rest of us it's insane and your answer is to train harder? For what?"

Anke bit her lower lip, she could feel her foot angrily tapping against the floor of the restaurant. "You are so infuriating sometimes." Anke folded her hands in her lap fidgeting all the while. "They replaced two of your bullet with blanks Regina. You didn't miss the shot. Either shot." Anke set her hands on the table and looked around. "You work harder when you think you've failed. They don't even have to push you'll just perform exactly as they expect. You'll be forced to compensate. For a failure that didn't exist."

She laid her cards out on the table. "Regina you are their perfect tool."

[Iwazuma]

Now Anke was angry. Regina shied away from the frustrated voice across from her, wondering what she did wrong. She wanted Anke to enjoy her achievement. Even as she claimed she'd done nothing to keep up with her, Regina shook her head. She'd come so close to beating Regina's best times without enhancements. On equal ground, Regina wasn't sure she could beat Anke consistently, if at all. With no mechanical arm, no boosted strength, Anke went toe to toe with her, and she was insisting beyond a doubt that Regina still completely outclassed her. And now she was angry about it. Regina stared down at the table, feeling a wave of another strange feeling come over her. Shame? Possibly. She didn't understand it, but she somehow felt...bad. Just for insisting Anke deserved her promotion. She'd made her angry...she wasn't supposed to do that in a happy relationship, right? 'Happy'. This was not what she recognized as 'happy'. She wasn't sure if she'd ever been, but she did know this was not.

As Anke berated Regina for her insistence on her training regimen, she clenched and unclenched her hand, feeling a combination of hurt and frustrated. She trained because that was her point. She needed to remain the best, and couldn't let anyone catch up to her. That was her directive. Be the best for Osnen. And yet Anke kept challenging that. She was 'frustrating'...why? Regina bit her lip, trying to figure out what she was doing wrong. "I..." A thought quickly perished as she failed to find words to support the opener. Anke was challenging her slate of beliefs, her facts of life. But something stuck out to her that made her head shoot up, her eyes wide.

"Blanks?"

Regina leaned forward, focused on the one tidbit put in front of her. "What do you mean, my rifle had blanks?" She'd checked her rifle at the range. Nothing had seemed amiss at the time. "I checked my rifle...how could there have been..." Regina shook her head in denial, trying to understand why Anke would...say that. Anke wouldn't lie to her...there was no reason to do so. But how could there have been blanks? Why would Osnen do such a thing? Nothing was adding up from that single sentence. Regina said nothing, her mind trying to latch onto something she could continue the conversation with. Anything. Eventually, Anke's comment about her being a tool finally got her mind working again.

"Of course I am a tool...that was how I was made...it's my debt to them for my life..." Regina sounded unsure of herself. She stared out into the street, looking at nothing in particular. "Blanks...but..." Regina just wanted things to make sense. Why did Anke continue to challenge her loyalty? Was this some sort of test? What in the world did she need to do to just make things go back to the 'normal' she'd just started to experience the day before? The 'normal' that was the routine she'd had for years?

[Hannelorian]

"Yes." Anke said slowly and softly. "Blanks." Anke understood how worked up she had gotten, and in this she needed to calm herself down and just be here for Regina. This wasn't about her. Not right now and perhaps not ever. "They removed two bullets and replaced them with blanks. Just enough to make sure you would believe you had failed, just enough to know you'd take a second shot and by the time you moved to inspect your rifle nothing would be wrong. "They set you up." Anke lowered her gaze and exhaled rather deeply.

"I am sorry for getting so mad there. You just test my patience." Anke had limits. She was many things but perhaps patient was not really one of them. But this was Regina. Regina was worth doing the good thing, the right thing. The worthy thing. Regina was always going to be worth it, no matter what. "You don't owe anyone anything. There is no debt that needs to be repaid." Anke nodded her hand and reached her hands across the table to take Regina's into her own and hold them. It mattered not that one was flesh and the other metal.

Anke just held them there. "You are nobodies tool. No one just gets to use you. You are a living person. You have a brilliant and beautiful mind. You have a heart that beats. You have air that fills your lungs." Anke didn't know if Regina would hear anything she said, or believe her. Or would never want to hear from her ever again. "You aren't a tool... and you need to start seeing that. You are so much more... the things you are capable of... magnitudes. Regina, please. Remember that I love you." Anke said the words.

She said the words and she could not believe she had said them. They slipped out, no...they had flown out of her mouth at lightning speed. "I... love you." Anke's face turned red and the waiter who was about to deliver their food turned around to give the two women a moment before he interrupted. "You are more than a tool to me. You are the only person I think about. You are all I think about actually. From the moment I wake up and you are there to the moment when I go to sleep and you are there. I'm not alone in my head... or in my heart. Because no matter how frustrating you are... you are important to me."

Anke let go of Regina's hands and looked down at the table, hiding her own expression which was somewhere between fear, shock, and absolute horror. "I... shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." Anke was moving too fast, but she couldn't take the words back. She would never be able to take those words back once they had been spoken, once they had been put into the universe it was made real. And what was more is that Anke had no idea she felt this way, not in the slightest until the words escaped her. It was a revelation not only for Regina but for Anke.

[Iwazuma]

Blanks. Two of them, to be precise. Regina heard Anke speak of Osnen's alleged plot, her mind focused on even the remotest possibility of that idea being true. That Osnen could possibly have set herself up for failure. She, their greatest weapon...the idea seemed laughable to anyone on the outside, but Regina had lived that failure. She knew what doing the company wrong could result in. And she'd paid the price. "But...why...?" That was what Regina didn't get. What did they get out of her failing her mission? She would work harder all the same-hell, Anke alone had been a catalyst of that exact reaction. Why would they set her up to fail...? Would they even? Regina shook her head, clearly not entirely at the bistro anymore, and at least equally as much in her head as anywhere else. She was present enough, however, to see and hear Anke begin to calm down, which in turn had Regina taking deep breaths, slowing her own racing mind down. Okay. She just needed to think.

Regina testing Anke's patience was to be expected. Just about everyone else who even tried to be near the Terminator had their patience tested and subsequently failed. That Anke continued to stay with her, be with her, be affectionate with her...all those things left her confused above all else. Not that she was trying to push Anke away...but she truly didn't know how she put up with her robotic nature. It was...perplexing. Regina blinked as Anke took her hands, forcing her to look her partner in the eyes. Regina found herself speechless, but she really couldn't identify why...perhaps because of the compromising position she was in. Dressed in an unwieldy outfit, with her hands taken by someone else...her combat-oriented brain was retching at the position of weakness she'd left herself in. Yet she did nothing, letting Anke speak. Telling her that she was capable of...what, exactly? What 'more' was there for her?

She loved her.

Anke...loved...her.

Regina blinked, evidently taken aback by the language Anke used. Both of them could merely gawp at one another for a moment, evidently equally as shocked as each other that Anke had spoken those words into existence. Love...love. "...love..." Regina repeated the word that echoed in her head. Yes, she knew Anke was her girlfriend, but...somehow, the word had never come up to her. Love. "Love..." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a tray of plates waiting for them, but it was like time had stopped. How could Anke...love...her? She struggled to understand even attraction, but to take it two steps further...she was at a loss. "Anke, I..." Regina's voice wasn't working, and neither were her thoughts. Disjointed and confused, Anke was quick to flare a bright red, brighter than even the blush that decorated her own cheeks. She'd spoken so fondly of her. As though she were the most important person in her world...

Regina blinked twice. "It's...it's alright." There was an overwhelming part of her that did not wish to see Anke's terrified expression any longer. She didn't know what to say to stop her from looking that way. What COULD she say? She could say it back, but she had a feeling an insincere admission would only make things worse. And Regina...she just couldn't process that emotion. Love? She had no idea what that truly meant. It was an emotion that bemused her more than most. It was a reaction that caused the mind to act irrationally, and yet...she wasn't about to tell Anke to stop, either. She couldn't if she wanted to. What...what truly was love? Was it just what she described? Someone being your entire world, all you could think about from dawn until dusk? Or was there more?

Regardless of Regina's internal dialogue, the waiter arrived then, an awkward cough and a smile interrupting their thought. Regina noted that this was not the waiter that originally gave them the bottle of wine, which Regina recognized she'd not had any of. She eyed it apprehensively, but was luckily distracted by their meals being presented to them. Thankfully, she recognized the food in front of her-beef was something she would understand no matter the dead language. "And absolutely no rush, madam, but here is your bill to consider while you enjoy." The waiter slid Anke a slip of paper, listing off their identical orders and prices, as well as the wine. At the bottom, however, was a hastily scrawled note, written in cursive so as to not stand out too much in the bistro:

"Find Project: Culmen."

[Hannelorian]

The first piece of the puzzle was to address Regina who in typical Regina fashion responded to Anke as best as she could. Anke knew not to expect a reciprocation. Love was a big emotion, an all consuming emotion. Regina was just beginning to get the basics of emotion down, the smaller things. But this was a big thing, a bomb of a thing, a roller coaster of a thing that kept moving and wouldn't cease but for right now that was too much. Regina would need time and practice and something to awaken her in order to understand what exactly it was that she was feeling and how to understand it.

"You... don't to return my feelings... I don't expect you to. I don't expect you to even know how to.. respond to what I'm saying... " Anke didn't know what she was saying anymore. Everything seemed to be disappearing into the corners of mind, like some sort of twisted tangle of metal. She had lost sight of what she was doing and why she was even here. She wanted to help Regina. From the beginning she wanted to help Regina, and now Anke was terrified she would only lead the woman to more harm. Maybe Anke should have left well enough alone, and let her exist without the idea that Osnen isn't what any of them think it is. "I... we should... let this go for now." Anke leaned back in her chair and slowly picked at her food.

First were the snails drenched in an herby butter sauce that was divine. This was kind of food Anke ate when she had been a pianist. When she had nothing but time and money to spend on her own excesses. It was food of the Gods or so she thought. But it was hard to enjoy it. Knowing Osnen sabotaged Regina. Knowing she had just confessed her love for a woman who may never be able to love her back. Anke was lost at sea... but as the next dish came and was one of tender and delightful beef with crisp vegetables... It was only then when the cheque was delivered that it contained a message. Anke may no visual indication that she had seen it anything untoward.

"Find Project: Culmen"

What the hell was that? Anke moved to pay the bill her attention returning to Regina. Whatever the hell this thing was she would worry about it another day, another time. Anke was eager to bring them back to the original subject at hand. "If you make mistakes, if you think you have failed... You only push yourself harder, you break your own limits. You surpass all expectation. That is why they replaced your bullets with blanks... you become a better killer after you've had a taste of failure. They are playing with you... they are manipulating you in every possible sense of the word. They... are not here to help you. They are here to help themselves."

[Iwazuma]

Anke was right; Regina didn't know how to respond to what Anke was saying. Almost none of it, in fact. Love was such an alien topic to Regina that she likely would have gotten more out of her trying to explain quantum physics to her. At least that was somewhat more likely to result in her making sense of a practical subject. Emotions were irrational nearly by definition, and yet she didn't necessarily want Anke to be more logical. Which in turn meant things made no sense to her and...this was getting nowhere. While Regina wasn't sure dropping the subject entirely was the correct way to go about it, Anke didn't seem interested in pressing the subject any further. She said nothing, but kept her eyes downcast a bit, evidently unhappy she wasn't properly understanding right away, and worse, frustrating Anke. It was problematic enough to her when she didn't get concepts and ideas quickly. Regina was a fast learner, part of what made her Osnen's star so quickly. But this...this she didn't understand.

Luckily, food was being served as a distraction to said frustrations, both for her and Anke. It made sense; they had ordered the same thing, after all. The first dish was...it took Regina a moment, bringing her eyes level with the dish to figure out what she had just been served. Whatever it was, Anke seemed to be enjoying it quite a fair bit. Was it...slug? She'd only seen mollusks a few times in the desertscape that made up a large part of the continent. What few survived were mostly farm-grown. She knew them to be a delicacy, but had never seen them so....close. She tentatively poked one with her fork for a moment before picking it up slowly, putting it in her mouth experimentally as though she weren't certain what was in front of her was food at all. It took a few moments of chewing, but Regina swallowed the first snail with a hint of trepidation. It was...different. The meat was a bit chewier than steak, but not unpleasant. Quite juicy, even. The sauce was an excellent complement as well. She picked up another piece with less hesitation, watching Anke quietly as she ate her food. What was going through her head right now...?

Regina didn't have to wonder for very long. Anke brought her thoughts to the forefront, causing Regina to frown and forget about the food for a moment. Regina did push herself when she felt she wasn't good enough...and failure was a strong signifier of that. Failure was unacceptable, after all. She had to train herself so that failure never happened. But to facilitate said failure...was Osnen unhappy with her current place? Did she need to go further? What would it take? Regina mused, but glanced up at Anke when she mentioned the idea that she was being purely manipulated for their sake. Regina looked down. "Is it manipulation if we want the same thing?" Regina questioned Anke with a shake of her head. "I want Osnen to succeed. I dedicated my life to that fact when they gave me a second chance of one. If they think the job I'm doing is insufficient enough to facilitate my own failure..." Regina was trying to justify things in her head. Osnen wanted her to do better for their sake, enough to sabotage one of their own missions...something just wasn't right. Something was off. But Regina didn't know what to make of it. She caught the whiff of beef and realized her second course had been served. She eyed the wine apprehensively again, wondering if she was supposed to partake or not, then turned her attention to the cut of meat, taking a piece and chewing thoughtfully. "I don't...understand. I want Osnen to do well...why do you keep trying to make them to be villains?" Regina spoke between mouthfuls, savoring the meltiness of the perfectly seared cut.

[Hannelorian]

Anke was not sure if she felt like a child, or that she was dealing with a child. Regina seemed so confused and yet so unwilling to see. Even now through her eyes if Osnen had sabotaged her it was all in an effort to help her, to make her the incarnation of their significant investment. She believed in what they were doing, she wanted to help them just as Anke once had. But now everything was different, and the pain Anke felt as she listened was immeasurable. Her heart breaking as Regina so casually ate her meal, questioning what Anke was saying and by extension Anke's motives. "I..." Anke began but she could not push herself to finish her words.

Taking a pale hand to the glass of red wine she raised it to her lips and downed it. Setting the glass back upon the table with the subtlest clink. "I... uh..." Anke again seemed caught on her words, unable to communicate. Her brain was turning over and over again to come up with some kind of response but in the end very little came forward. If she allowed anger to show, it would not have the intended effect, Regina would not understand her anger.

Anke had told the truth and Regina questioned Anke instead of questioning Osnen. In a breach of propriety Anke rested her elbows upon the table and held her face in her hands gently rubbing her forehead and allowing her finger tips to move to her temples. "I'm sorry." Anke finally said after what felt like hours of silence but in reality was only minutes. "I should not be pushing my beliefs upon you, nor my suspicions. That isn't fair." Just as it wasn't fair that Anke had foisted her love upon Regina. What was she doing? How had Anke managed to get so lost in this? "I need to go to bed... I'm exhausted." Sliding back to push her chair out Anke rose from it. "Finish your meal." Anke had barely touched the rest of hers, the notion of an appetite was entirely gone.

Anke raised a hand in the air and the waiter appeared. She whispered something to him and he vanished only to return a moment later with a bottle of the same wine which Anke took eagerly into her hand, holding it by the neck. "Good night Regina."