Chapter Fifty - Post-Combat

I almost collapsed on arriving at Caroline’s yard. All the exhaustion, the little bit of blood loss from a few cuts that I’d been ignoring, all the adrenaline I’d spent. It all hit at once.

The sun didn’t help, pounding down from above, only occasionally shaded by some passing smoke plumes from Daggerwren burning.

“We should get you cleaned up,” Clin said.

I straightened my back and brushed by him. The elf was fine, barely even dirtied up by all the fighting and shooting.

I shook my head and kept heading towards Caroline’s garage. The woman in question was following behind, and Clin rushed over to the doors, pushing them open so that Sally could stomp her way in. The mech walked right up to the garage, then stopped.

The next step would be shutting down, which was never pleasant when someone was new to piloting.

I moved over to the mech’s front and knocked on the hard steel. “Open up the front first,” I said. “Before you disconnect.”

Didn’t hear a reply, if there was one, but soon enough the front of the mech hissed and opened up with barely any noise. Good maintenance that.

Caroline looked like crap. Her shirt was stuck to her by sweat and a bit of blood. Two needles, I noticed, one in each collar, and both had bled out down front. From the look of it she’d tried to pat the wound down too.

Her hair was stuck to her in wet tangles, and her eyes were a bit wild. Her breathing wasn’t any better. White knuckles were gripped around a surprisingly simple set of sticks, only a dozen controls on each.

“Hey,” I said, soft and low, like I was talking to a stray cat instead of an old friend. I put a foot on the edge and climbed up to be next to Caroline. “Hey, you’re alright,” I said.

Caroline nodded. “I’m okay,” she said.

That was a flat lie, but maybe not a deliberate one. “Yeah, you did really great out there. You and Sally here. She’s a tough little mech.”

“Y-yeah.”

“You ready to disconnect?” I asked. I wiggled out of my coat, wincing as moving my shoulder pulled on some sore muscles. I tossed my jacket out, letting it flop to the ground with a heavy thump. Clin might have been right about me needing a break, but that could wait for after I had Caroline settled down. She looked half-way shell-shocked, and I knew it was about to get worse.

Caroline swallowed, and then she started flicking things off. She was going through each and every one, purging sub-systems and pausing for a while between some of them. It was the long, slow, and proper way to shut down a mech. Never met a pilot that bothered, but Caroline had always insisted that it was how things ought to be done, and she wasn’t a hypocrite.

“Okay,” she said. The mech was nearly shut down. Nearly.

“Alright, you’ll want to do this with your lungs full. Close your eyes first, and then try not to move. Especially your head, that just makes it worse.”

Caroline licked her lips. “Right.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, then flicked a few last switches. The almost imperceptible hum from the mecha stopped. Caroline didn’t move for a moment, then her eyes went wide and she flopped forward.

“Damn it,” I muttered as I caught her. I tugged the needles out of her with two quick flicks while holding her in place. She shuddered, and I heard her breathing in and out, each breath ragged. “Oh, please no,” I said.

Contrary to my wishes, Caroline vomited all over me.

“Okay, okay,” I said as she started to sob. I turned my head away and held her hair back. The good news was she didn’t get any on herself. That’s where the good news ended.

It took a minute for her to stop shivering, and for everything to return to normal with her. Then I helped her down.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Get some water in you. And maybe take a seat while Clin makes us some lunch.”

The elf in question was standing nearby, looking particularly useless. “You want me to cook?”

“No, but I’m not going to, and Caroline’s in no state to cook, so by process of elimination, that leaves us with whatever sorry excuse for a lunch you can pull together.”

He nodded, not even arguing the point. “I’ll warm up some water too.”

I had a change of clothes in Rusty, which would do for a bit, but scrubbing away at all my cuts and bruises wouldn’t be bad either. I could use some wound-licking time.

“Yeah,” I said, even if he was nearly gone already.

“I... should get to work,” Caroline said. “Rusty needs the help, and I think... Sally took some nasty little hits too.”

“She’s fine,” I said. “A bit of sanding, some basic maintenance, and a fresh coat of paint, and she’ll be as good as new.”

Caroline tried on a smile, then sighed. “I’m going to wash off my mouth. I’m sorry for--” she gestured to my shirt.

“It happens.” I patted her on the back. “Especially when you’re cutting off for the first time.”

She nodded, and I walked with her back into her home. Clin was already at the stove, heating things up over core-powered elements. Caroline trudged off to the washroom, and exited some ten minutes later.

I wish I could have spent that time being useful or, barring that, relaxing, but it felt like stopping would be a mistake, and I knew to listen to myself when I felt that way.

Clin helped me carry a tub of hot water to the washroom, and once he left—with a few threats about not missing this time if he interrupted my bath again—I undressed, then stared at myself in the dirty mirror Caroline had stuck over her sink.

The skin over my ribs and breasts was purple and blue. I winced as I pressed it in. The bruise was motley yellow on the side. It would get worse before it got better.

The few cuts I had weren’t too bad. Little things, mostly scrapes from throwing down. My chin and jaw had a nice colour to them. That was going to be hard to hide.

My right arm had a few ugly marks on it too, and I was gaining a few welts already.

I let my shoulders slump, then pushed myself past the pain and started washing off.

Getting dressed afterwards was a chore and a half, but I managed.

I found Clin setting the table. “I’ll get Caroline,” he said.

I nodded and took a seat and started eating while it was still hot.

Caroline genuinely looked better when she returned with Clin. Not by much, but better. Figured she was the sort to drown things out in work.

“Food’s good,” I complimented Clin.

“Thank you,” he replied. “Made with love, and the contents of three unmarked cans.”

I snorted. “The best meat always comes from an unmarked can.”

“Let’s agree to disagree,” he said.

Caroline tittered a bit and took a few bites. Soon, she dropped her spoon and just stared at her bowl. “I... that was hard.”

I paused, then reached out to grab her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Yeah,” I said.

“I don’t think you know,” Caroline said. “You’re not... you’re harder.”

I clenched my jaw. “Wasn’t always,” I admitted. “We’re all soft until we don’t have a choice otherwise. Nothing wrong with it, as far as I figure. Besides, we did good. You did good.”

Caroline looked up, staring at me for a moment. “Thanks.”

“You did,” I repeated. “You kept the heat off me and Clin here. We saved those cores.”

“Just cores,” she said.

“Just the town. Just a dozen buildings, and gods know how many homes and families.”

“Right,” Caroline said.

I patted her hand and got back to eating. It wasn’t often I wished I was more like my mother. She had a knack for comforting people. At least, people not like me.

We finished up, and Clin picked up after us. Caroline went off to bed early, a rarity for her.

When Clin returned he set a mug before me. “Tea,” he said.

“Dirty water.”

“It’s anti-inflammatory. It’ll help with the bruising.”

I blinked at him, then nodded. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He sat across from me. “What now?”

“A few days of quiet, I hope,” I said. “I know I’m meant to be protecting you, but I’m in no shape for it. Two days and I’ll be better.”

“I don’t recall humans healing that quickly.”

I grinned. “Alright, then two days and I’ll just grit my teeth and bear it then.”

Clin actually smiled. A small, soft smile, but one that took me by surprise. It only lasted a moment, but it was there. “You’re a strange woman, Charlie.”

“You’re a strange elf,” I shot back.

“I am,” he agreed before standing up. “Do you need help with anything? Otherwise I’ll just wash up.”

“Can you keep guard for a bit?”

“I’ll... try to stay up until Caroline wakes up. I doubt she’ll sleep all night.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks Clin.”

“You’re welcome.”

***