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

[Iwazuma]

Regina's walk to the range was uneventful. She noticed the berth she was being given was...wider than usual. People would stick to the edges of the hallways away from her, giving her as much space as they possibly could. Undoubtedly they believed there was no way the Terminator could possibly have missed the news reports, the public announcements, that the woman who nearly stole her record had very outwardly expressed her interests in her. Though she had all the space and more to walk, she also felt far more eyes on her than usual. Searching the emotionless soldier for the thing she'd lacked for years, trying to find what Anke apparently had in just a week's worth of time. Regina doubted they'd find much. Just Regina in her usual clothes, wearing her hair in its usual ponytail, carrying a very familiar sniper rifle case on her back. But internally, Regina felt difference. She was striding with purpose...and not her usual purpose. She wanted to see someone. Work with someone. It occurred to her just how...odd that was. She never wanted to go somewhere for someone else. Yet here she was, more interested in the range for Anke and what she could do than practicing her own skillset.

She arrived at the range to find the sun hovering high overhead; she supposed she hadn't quite been asleep as long as she'd thought. Probably for the best; she didn't want to destroy her sleep schedule. Anke had beaten her there, given she did not need to change and her barracks were closer than Regina's private quarters. She watched Anke put together her rifle for a moment, then nodded, opening her own case and putting her rifle together just as quickly. Her Barrett M82 was factory-built and particularly nothing special, perhaps a surprise to many who assumed the world's greatest sniper would have a rifle custom-made to her. No, to Regina, any rifle ought to be equally as functional in her hands. She did not particularly see modifications as taboo, but merely shunned them for herself, focusing more on her individual skill than the ability of her weapon. Regina inspected her rifle once, nodding to herself at the visual once-over and affirming that everything seemed to be in working order.

With that in mind, she turned back to Anke. "Shoot with me." That was her only request as she headed to the range itself, situating herself at a spot in the corner and waiting for Anke to join her. Regina wasn't often one for words, especially when she was focused on her targets. Yet for all their competition, it had occurred to Regina that she'd never actually seen Anke shoot. All she had to go by were the numbers. Regina took her position, aiming carefully at the target far down the range, and began her session, shooting carefully and precisely with the ability of a maestro. This was her piano; Regina operated a rifle like it were an extension of her hand, guiding bullet to bullseye with absolutely no degrees of uncertainty. She was confident, not a hint of hesitation in her shots nor even a degree of inconsistency. After every clip, she'd turn and watch Anke, seemingly studying every tiny thing she possibly could about the blonde, from her stance, grip, down to the very angle of her posture. Regina mused for a moment after the third such set, leaving her rifle at her stand to walk to Anke.

She stood behind her a moment, folding her arms. "You're too tense." Regina moved behind Anke without apprehension, her chest pressing up against her back a moment. Her right hand slid past Anke's arm, coming to a rest on her own hand. "There's too much motion here. Just a bit too much...." Regina fought for a word, then decided on one. "Oomph. Rather than focus entirely on aiming, once you have your shot lined up, focus on your own body. Sync your movements. Line up with your breath...with your heartbeat." Regina took slow, deep breaths with Anke to emphasize her point, closing her eyes as she held the close-quarters position for a few moments. Yikes, I am...too close. This has to be strange, right? Is it? Regina fought off the intrusive thoughts, a blush on her cheeks as she righted her mind, focused on the gentle rise and fall of hers and Anke's chests, the tiniest pulse of their heartbeats. When she felt every tiny thing align, she twitched her index finger atop Anke's, firing the rifle together. She then took a step back, only making a cursory glance upfield to see the results of their work. "Better. Focus on that for your next set."

[Hannelorian]

Anke wasn't normally one for criticism or correction. So used to her own perfection was she, that it was almost an insult to tell her otherwise. But in this moment, Anke had to relax and come to appreciate that Regina was trying to help. In fact, this is what Anke wanted from the very beginning to learn from Regina. So when Anke felt the warmth and press of Regina's body to her own, she focused in and began to listen, to absorb. What Regina could see would be imperceptible to most. To the casual observer, the two women looked almost identical in terms of their posture and demeanor and when holding the sniper rifle, but this wasn't the case. But most people were not capable of looking that closely, of truly seeing what was happening.

Too much movement, check. Anke steadied and stilled herself. Breath with the beating of her heart. Check. Anke slowed down her breathing, her heart rate already low, calm. Now the two forces matched one another and Anke could truly allow herself the freedom to focus. Focus on her own body, check. At the moment, her body was pressed against the woman she had deep feelings for, and that in and of itself could be ever so distracting, so painfully distracting but Anke pushed those feelings down deep within her, leaving only her focus for her targets. Regina's finger pressed down on her own and triggered the first shot of her rifle, striking the target cleanly. Anke knew that Ivy, her beloved weapon was an extension of herself, and as such, she let it flourish.

"Alright." A simple word was all Anke said at first, another nod of affirmation and now Anke searched for her targets, they were easy to spot and she fired repeatedly with deadly accuracy. There was something so simple about pulling the trigger, there was no thought to it. There never had been. Anke, even when taking the lives she had, never paused to think about it. She just aimed and pulled, over and over again. It was easy if you didn't think about it. Often times if Anke had stalked her targets and their routines, or had the right information she would hum entire symphonies or concertos in her head, timing her shots with her own mental crescendo. For every target there was a piece of music. Anke would assign them all pieces based on what she knew, or sometimes based upon what she didn't. Everyone had a song. Some were beautiful, light and airy, others dark, trembling, tumultuous. Heavy notes that poured out of her, like her very soul onto the ground.

Today there was no music, there was only Regina. The feeling of Regina, the sound of Regina, the smell of Regina. Everything to put the taste of Regina in her mouth and leaving Anke desperately craving for more. With each passing shot Anke got better, and better. She was a quick study, an immense talent. Regina should feel threatened, she should feel nervous because Anke, beautifully unaugmented Anke was right on her tail the entire time and she was improving. Anke and the rifle moved as one, acted as one, thought as one. It was like the perfect pairing. Her heart rate fell and rose, fell and rose. Was that Regina? Yes. Undoubtedly Regina was making her heart yearn to race, and Anke had to do everything in her power to slow it down, calm, tame it like a beast. And then she was done, all targets down. Seconds had passed and felt like hours.

"That helps. That was better." Anke nodded, she seemed pleased.

[Iwazuma]

Regina didn't often spend her time around others at the range, let alone tutoring them. She was more content to set the standard, and allow that be her guide for others. However, this was a case where Regina did not mind giving advice. She watched her partner work the rifle with her guidance in mind, nodding as she watched the bullets fly at their targets with a perceptible grace. This was much improved from just moments before; while most snipers would have been happy, even impressed, with the marks Anke had set, Regina noticed the way her bullets hit ever so more imperceptibly close to their center. Such accuracy was needed in the field. While simply shooting the enemy seemed like enough, Regina had been asked more of her. Shots directly through the heart or frontal lobe of the brain. Shooting an explosive shot down the barrel of a cannon. There were plenty of things she'd had to do that required so much more than simple basic accuracy. To train someone else in that would normally be a challenge, but Anke seemed to frankly excel at it. Her precision had improved just from a simple set of guidelines, reminding Regina that, deep down, in spite of everything that had happened between them, she was still a rival. And the slightest hint of competition flared in Regina's eyes. She'd never seen Anke shoot...but Anke had never seen Regina shoot her sniper rifle.

"Much better, yes." Regina nodded in agreement. "But there's still room for improvement. Even I am not perfect. I have to always keep training to stay on top of my game. However..." Regina walked back to her station, reloading her sniper rifle and turning back to Anke for a moment. "I dare say I'm the best there is." Regina took to her spot once again, pointing the sniper rifle downfield with a single hand, her right hand hanging idly by her side. With her left eye closed, Regina took aim with just her left hand, one-arming the large and heavy rifle with the ease of a baseball player picking up their bat. She fired once, every hint of knockback completely absorbed by her enhanced arm's strength. She drew her arm back, providing enough force to load the next bolt in the chamber. She then fired again, and again, and again...then turned to her right, firing at Anke's target instead. Then the one past her, and the one past that. With her final round, Regina whipped back to her own target and fired one more time, then hit the button to bring every station's targets forward. She paced from one station to the next, inspecting her work and nodding. Perfect bullseyes, every one.

"Still got it." Regina didn't seem to be bragging or boasting, merely in approval of her own trick shots. She turned back to Anke, realizing she might have gotten the slightest bit carried away. "Ah....sorry. It's not often I get to show what I'm truly capable of to someone who isn't responsible for my well-being or my paycheck." Regina had had to make performances like this to her superiors more than once to show she was still the most capable soldier the nation over. It wasn't often she got to show off...just for the sake of it. She awkwardly ran her free hand through her hair, the barrel of her rifle still smoking from the quick action. Regina lowered the rifle to her mouth, cautiously blowing the smoke away before walking back to Anke. She was going to suggest another round, but she noted the rumbling of her stomach and frowned. Had she not eaten since yesterday? "...hm. It's not like me to forget meals..."

[Hannelorian]

Anke stood by and watched as Regina set herself to work. It was graceful, easy, almost like there was no thought to it, but there was. A million tiny calculations all being worked through with little effort, because that was the nature of a true sniper, an expert marksman. The calculus was easy, thinking about the wind, the recoil, every last bit was factored in, and it seemed to be done in no time at all. Regina had been changed, altered, augmented to be generous. And these modifications certainly had their strong benefits. She could shoot like no one else, in this way she could truly shoot in a way that Anke was not capable of executing, at least not to nearly the same degree.

Anke watched, almost stunned, a bit in awe, a bit with jealousy. It didn't quite seem fair, but then again, Regina had made an enormous sacrifice which enabled this. "Well." Anke said with a bit of a pout, "that was quite the performance." Anke's words were true, she was, in fact enamored, and understood that Regina was showing off now, perhaps showing off just for her. A part of that was cute, sweet. Regina was beginning in her own way, to feel comfortable around Anke, to begin to put her guard down. "I wouldn't apologize if I were you." Anke finally said after a few moments taking her time. "You have an enormous talent, an innate ability that most people would kill for." Anke at least was not included in that camp.

At the end of the day, Anke was happy, proud even. But to know that she was not perfect, that she had to improve was hell, a gnawing, clawing hell. She longed for perfection, she longed to be put on a pedestal for her talents, but this is one area where despite her practical excellence, it would never be good enough. Perhaps she was more like Regina than she had previously thought. But she would not agonize over the range. Not today. Instead she would opt for the meal that was not entirely offered, but the notion was still accepted.

"Let's go." Anke nodded and slowly disassembled her rifle, returning it to its case which was sealed and carried faithfully by Anke. "Time to eat." Anke nodded and moved toward Regina, resting a hand on her shoulder for a moment before heading back inside. "No slop today, alright?" Anke seemed to demand, more so than ask. "Take out." This felt appropriate. "Pasta. Yeah." Anke was once again not asking for commentary or approval, but instead simply informing Regina of her decision as the two would walk toward the hall that contained the restaurants. "Then your place, yeah?"

[Iwazuma]

Anke's insistence that Regina not apologize was met by a cocked head. "I think apologies were in order, honestly. I don't want you to think I feel threatened by you." She did, ever so slightly, but she at least understood Anke was not seeking the destruction of her livelihood. Not maliciously. And that at least was enough to ease her doubts for now. Regina shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't the one with the innate talent, anyways. I was made to be a talent." Regina blinked once, the only indicator that she realized something in what she said was off, ever so slightly. If she wasn't the one with the innate talent...who was? Regina thought for a moment about it, then shook her head. She knew who it was. That same name that'd been haunting her, both in memory and voice, for a few days now. Regina chose not to pursue that line of internal questioning and proceeded to the next point-food.

Regina folded her arms at Anke's insistence they not eat slop, but decided not to argue. Regina was someone who didn't care about taste. Appreciated it if it was there, but didn't mind things being bland. The only taste Regina would ever object to was a bad one. Thus, when Anke suggested pasta, Regina nodded in quiet agreement. "Sounds good." Regina didn't often get food from other places, though she wasn't averse to doing so if Anke wanted to. She supposed one could only have so much slop without wanting to change it up. At least for anyone else. Regina set down her sniper rifle, slowly and carefully disassembling it with the care a mother would give a child. She then calmly set it back in its box, closing it and placing it on her back. "Pasta..." Regina mused on where to go, but a place came to mind rather quickly. She followed Anke down the hall from outside, but quickly took the lead, steering them away from the more traditional restaurants to a smaller facility within the food court area. Regina didn't exactly know the location this food came from-Osnen called it 'Far-Eastern', but did not specify a nation. Whatever the case, Regina could tell from the smells alone that this was where she wanted to eat.

Regina stepped up to the counter, which seemed to catch the cashier off guard, given the Terminator was not a particularly common guest, and with Anke trailing behind her, it was evident Regina was here on more than just a typical grab and go. She seemed awkward and hesitant to Regina, almost afraid to say the wrong thing. Regina cocked her head. "I am just another soldier. You have no reason to be afraid of me." Regina reassured her before looking up at the menu, eventually deciding on a box of chicken lo mein. She stepped away to let Anke place her own order, leaning against the side of the facility as she waited patiently. Her sniper rifle sat on the ground for the moment, Regina staring at nothing in particular as she willed time to move just a little bit faster. She was not a fan of being left waiting, especially when she had other, more private places she wished to be. She sighed, staring up at the artificial ceiling of the compound, technical units displaying the sky above as though it were outside. Some people preferred this-it allowed people to believe they were out and about without the risk of poor weather. Regina preferred it indoors, if only because it minimized the likelihood that she would be uncomfortable.

"Miss Terminator?"

"Huh?" Regina blinked at the moniker, looking in the direction of the food stand. Seemed the workers didn't-or couldn't-remember her name. Either that or Terminator was her name to the common citizen. "Right...that's me." Regina didn't seem particularly enthused by the name.

"Your order is ready." The cashier shyly showed Regina the two boxes waiting for her and Anke, and backed away when Regina grabbed hers. She motioned for Anke to do the same, then turned to head towards her dorm.

"Thanks." Regina spoke softly as she always did, giving a backhanded wave before she walked off wordlessly towards the private dorms. She said nothing for the entire walk, only heaving a sigh once the door to her room slid closed behind her. Still she said nothing, instead choosing to sit at her desk, where she cracked her pair of chopsticks and opened her box. The drawing from a few days earlier was still there...Regina cast it a glance for a moment, then turned to focus on her food, a shiver running down her spine. That smile...and the reminder that she couldn't draw it well enough...

[Hannelorian]

There again Regina was dropping small hints of her past, bits and pieces of herself that left Anke with more questions than answers. She wasn't the one with innate talent, if not her, then who? Or was this some kind of broad generalized statement about having to work hard for what you have? Talent is bred, not born, all that kind of thing. It hardly seemed to matter because at the very least Regina had embraced the idea of not eating slop, and had indeed seemed to take some initiative as to where the couple went to procure their meal.

It didn't take long for Regina's presence to have an effect on the woman working at the counter who seemed to be shaking when Regina approached. Anke couldn't help but roll her eyes at this. Regina having to qualify that she was just another soldier, this woman shouldn't be afraid. That seemed almost.. disgusting to Anke. Why would this woman assume that Regina, to her a total stranger, bring her harm? To Anke's mind it was vile, off putting, worthy of a good put down. But for the moment, the pianist remained silent and waited for Regina to complete her order before placing one of her own. The notion of chicken lo mein seemed acceptable, and in solidarity Anke would order the same.

It was however the 'Miss Terminator' which seemed to push Anke over the edge. "Are you joking?" Anke began, Regina had collected her food and passed off a simple and kind thanks. "Because if you are, I'm not laughing." Anke stood now directly before the cashier, only the slim counter and register separating them. "If you're afraid of her, you haven't met me. I'll give you something to be afraid of little girl." Anke smirked, and it was within an instant her cruel streak had come to the forefront. Anke reached forward and grabbed the woman by the neck and began to tighten her grip slowly. "Can you feel that? Can you feel it now? Your body slowly beginning to struggle for air?" Anke gripped tighter as the woman's face slowly turned different shades.

"You're so desperate now... longing to breathe free. You're not even worried about the fact that I might not choke you to death. I could snap your neck. Like a twig." Anke's voice seemed almost care free, like her cruelty didn't bother her. It didn't. "But now you are, now you're starting to realize who really holds the power." Anke released the woman and stepped back. "Her name is Regina. Or Lt. Carlisle to you. Not 'Miss Terminator' I'd suggest you tell your friends. She is a person, just like you. I could say like me... but that isn't strictly speaking a general truth."

Anke waited and kindly took her food order into her hands. "Thank you. And when you close your eyes tonight, just remember it wasn't the Terminator who came for you, no. It was the Phantom." Anke gave one final smirk and turned to move away, following Regina all the way back to her room, where the door closed and the two women were at last alone in privacy with a sense of safety.

"A desk is a space for one. Why don't you sit on the floor with me." Anke suggested, somewhat coyly as she moved to sit down and patted the floor space before her. The suggesting however, was not a question, nor was it an order exactly, but a strong preference. Anke opened the contents of the box, and withdrew the pre packaged chop sticks, slowly opening them and casting the paper wrapping aside for the moment. "I appreciate your immense tolerance for ignorance. But I cannot allow people to treat you as some sort of thing... rather than a person. Perhaps you don't understand it, but it truly makes my blood boil."

[Iwazuma]

There was much Regina could have said about the sudden spectacle Anke put on, injuring and threatening the takeout worker with her life. She could have stopped her, told her off, gotten her to back down. But she said nothing instead, merely regarded the spectacle with a turn of her head and not a word. Regina didn't necessarily approve of the display...but she wasn't about to stop it. To oppose Anke in the moment would draw more attention than the Phantom physically abusing a minimum wage worker. So she said nothing, simply allowing the abuse to continue, and walking down the hallway without so much as a spare moment to look back to see if the girl was okay. She simply wanted to go back to her room and enjoy some lo mein. That was all she could ask for in the moment.

Once Anke had sit down on the floor, she took a slow look over as she insisted Regina join her. She nodded slowly, going back to stare at her noodles for a moment. "Yeah." Regina took her box and chopsticks and slowly moved from the chair to the floor, sitting beside Anke and taking a bite of her noodles. She appreciated the flavor for a moment, closing her eyes and saying nothing to Anke as she spoke of her tolerance of other people. She simply took a few more bites of her food, trying to decide on the proper words to say before she gave Anke a quiet stare, one unlike her usual meaningless looks. This time, she seemed serious. "She didn't deserve that." Regina posited quietly, before looking down at her noodles again. "I have an intimidating presence. Someone who doesn't see me often...is more likely to remember my moniker than my name. She was just trying to be polite while she was afraid." Regina spoke her piece, looking away. "Osnen isn't just this place...it's its people too." Regina seemed reserved, keeping her arms close to her body as she ate her noodles as quietly as she could.

Osnen was more than just a name, an army, a leader. Osnen was everyone within its lands. Regina didn't just fight on orders or for her superiors, she fought for everyone in it so they could feel safe. She didn't want what happened to her to happen to anyone else...and seeing Anke terrorize the takeout worker had her feeling rather small, like what she strove for was being undermined. Even if she was called the Terminator. Anke had even called herself by her own pseudonym...so what was so wrong with hers? Regina sighed and turned away from Anke, simply focused on eating her admittedly tasty lo mein and focusing on what else they were supposed to do. It wasn't like Regina hadn't seen soldiers terrorize the smallfolk before...she'd just never seen Anke do it, and that left her just the slightest bit out of sorts. Her usual laser focus was astray, leaving her staring off at nothing in particular.

[Hannelorian]

Anke was suddenly confronted with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment coming from Regina. Yes, perhaps Anke had acted somewhat extremely, she could grant that allowance. However, Anke did find fault with some of what Regina had ultimately said, and quietly set down her chopsticks, and noted that Regina could not even truly look at her, but rather had lost focus, seemed distracted, or at the very least perhaps did not want Anke's company.

"You're right. She did not deserve that perhaps. But let us not forget the only reason she fears you is because of Osnen, and Osnen brands and markets you." Anke sighed and looked down into her food, thinking for a moment. "You aren't just scaring away rebels, or resistance fighters, you're not a deterrent. You're a tool through which the people of Osnen are governed. You're a tool of fear, fear of the state and the state's authority. You aren't keeping them safe, you're keeping them complacent."

When Anke was upset, or feeling hurt, she could lash out, be hurtful. It wasn't a particularly healthy coping mechanism, perhaps more akin to a temper tantrum than any kind of rational or appropriate response. "You should not be seen with fear just because you show up. Just because you're there. You shouldn't be met with fear when no one has do anything to warrant said fear. Fear should be rational, you're afraid because you're hiding something, because you're breaking the law. Not just fear because Osnen's very public facing weapon is in the same room."

Anke was not particularly loyal to Osnen, especially given how Osnen was so willing to blame someone else for their own wrong doing. Osnen shot her, robbed her of her womanhood, not a resistance fighter. Osnen in a sense created Anke, not only had they brought her up, supported her career, paid for her education, they had also done their very worst, and used her own feelings, her own need for vengeance as a weapon to their own end. "You are a person, Regina. You aren't just a symbol, a tool, a piece of very expensive propaganda. Osnen has taken your humanity." Anke stood up, picking up the box and her chopsticks, sealing it carefully.

"You are far too smart to accept something so blindly. But I am even more sorry for being a disappointment. I was too emotional, acted with my heart before my head. I'll go apologize." Anke sighed and quietly saw herself out of the room and indeed moved back toward the restaurant and saw the woman at the cash register, who immediately looked away. Anke could see the fear, and having caused it, she did feel poorly about it. "Hey." Anke called and slowly approached the counter.

"I'm sorry, for what I did. That was unacceptable. You should have every right to feel safe and protected in your place of work. I was horrifically out of line." Anke accepted her own responsibility, she had been in the wrong. The poor woman was crying, not because of an apology, but because of the trauma that Anke had inflicted. Seeing the outcome of her behavior, well, perhaps that was most upsetting and striking thing. She knew exactly what she had done, and how long it would last. All because she felt a strange desire to protect Regina.

[Iwazuma]

Regina wasn't sure what Anke was getting at. The woman feared her, yes...but because of Osnen? Regina frowned and turned away. "Look at my left side. This isn't normal. People fear what isn't normal. It's just a fact of life." Regina sighed and looked down at the floor. She was used to being feared. Sometimes, that fact stung, just a little bit. She knew she was supposed to be the fearless, emotionless harbinger of the law, but...sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she didn't have to be. That she could be like the other soldiers she often saw socializing around the compound. But she wasn't allowed to....at least, until now. She never understood those 'concessions', but from the way Herzberg had spoken to her, she was allegedly going to have an opportunity to explore that...what could she do with that?

But more importantly, Anke was saying she kept the people complacent. Regina wasn't sure what to make of that. "But if they follow the law, they will be kept safe." What was so wrong with complacency? Do what you were told, and no harm would come to you. Regina had operated that way for years now with no issue. She did what she was ordered, and she was rewarded with accolades, a private dorm, and the face of the company. What was defiance going to get anyone? Regina shook her head, not sure why Anke would bring this up. "I have been a tool for Osnen for a long time. I sacrificed what I could to serve the people who saved me..." From an outside perspective, Regina admitted she sounded a little off-kilter. She'd given so much, leaving her with nothing for herself...

In the middle of her self-reflection, Regina glanced up at Anke as she mentioned Regina being a 'person'. Regina was a person who chose to fight for Osnen. She wanted to be that tool and symbol. It showed Osnen's strength. Her strength. The strength of the people who brought her back from the brink of death. Yet..."Ugh, this is so..." Regina was frustrated. She didn't know what to do with these concepts, these ideas that challenged the way she'd been thinking for years. "I just don't understand what I'm supposed to..." Regina's thought was interrupted by Anke getting up, expressing remorse for being unnecessarily cruel to the cashier from earlier. Before Regina could say anything else, she had left the room. Regina rose from where she'd been sitting, following Anke out of the room at a safe distance. She didn't want to interrupt her, but she also wasn't sure if going all that way was entirely necessary, either. Yet Anke was putting the work in, walking all the way from her room to the food court once again.

Regina watched quietly from a distance as Anke apologized to the girl still working her shift. For all the talk about Regina causing her fear, Anke had given her several very good reasons to be afraid, and apologizing was at least a small token of acknowledgement that what she'd done was wrong. It wouldn't fix everything; even from where she stood, Regina could see that the girl was crying. She was probably in pain and fear both. Regina wanted to walk over, but refrained from doing so; what she was considering was probably something not to be seen by many people. As Anke left the Eastern food stand, Regina walked over to her. "Thank you for apologizing. That means a lot to me." Regina took a breath; it had been entirely too long since she tried this. It took a moment or two of her muscles remembering the proper action, but Regina forced a smile onto her face, one she showed Anke with a hint of nervousness. It probably looked unnatural or even creepy. But the Commander had said she could experiment and learn...and Regina truly wanted to impress Anke with something. Anything. Even if it was a shitty smile.

[Hannelorian]

Anke wasn't entirely sure how she felt. Perhaps relieved, she had issued a deserved apology. That would do little to help the woman in the long run, but it was a step. Anke did feel regret, and did feel remorse. Though there was still greater pain of having disappointed, or hurt Regina. Love was not rational, but was that what she felt? Was it love? There had been two great loves in Anke's life, aside from her family which she felt didn't quite count the same way. The first was naturally the piano. She experienced no greater joy then when sitting before one, her fingertips working their way across the keys. She understood the keys and they understood her. It was an unspoken bond, a love that ran deep, the kind that settled into the bones.

The piano never failed her, it was only Anke that could let it down. Though she tried with everything in her power never to do that. She could feel anything when she played, happiness, deep and profound sorrow. Whatever piece suited her mood, whatever thing would help her feel her true emotions. The music, the joyful music of the piano, that was love, that was passion. Anke knew what that felt like, she knew it like the back of her own hand. Every last flaw.

The second of course had been a boy when she is in school, the two were both talented musicians. Together they had an intense love affair, one that lasted for years until suddenly it was gone. Anke achieved the success and fame that he hadn't. She had sacrificed everyone and everything in her life, even him to attain perfection, brilliance. That was a love that had a limit, and she had reached it, and so the two great loves of her life were in competition for one another, the man or the piano? Anke always chose the piano. That love was forever, until that too betrayed her. But it didn't, no, it didn't. Once more Anke had betrayed it, sacrificing it for revenge. Revenge for her ravaged body, for the end of her career. There was nothing more dangerous for Anke in the world than herself.

But what did this feel like? It didn't feel like either of these things, in fact, it left Anke confused. Everything in her should hate this woman, should want to kill this woman. Regina was at fault, Regina was to blame for the last two years of suffering, of nightmares, of trauma. Regina was the one who should suffer, not Anke. But here she was, doing something she wouldn't ordinarily do because it would mean something to Regina. Because it might make Regina happier. Because it might remove some of the pain... or whatever it was that she had caused. Anke began to wonder if something far greater was wrong with her, or her mind. And now she was trapped in a very public love story.

Strangely it all melted away, every piece of doubt when she caught sight of Regina, who had apparently followed her. Not only had she followed her she had watched, and expressed a genuine kind of gratitude. Not only had she expressed gratitude but she was smiling, even if she forced it. Even if it look so desperately unusual, unnatural, off putting. But only so because one could hardly believe that Regina was even capable of a smile. Anke couldn't look away, she couldn't resist or find a single thing in her mind to pick at. Not a one thread.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep that up." Anke made a silly joke, but by now the smile had returned to her own face, and for the moment she was at peace. "Though I might argue that looks better on you than any dress ever could." Anke slowly approached Regina and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. "Thank you." Anke whispered into Regina's ear. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to be my dessert tonight?" Anke laughed and moved now back toward Regina's room.