Giant Diapers

BETHESDA, The Hub, 2420AA, Brown. Brown not Red. Havillah had pondered this occurrence for about a week now. Still she could not make heads or tails of what had happened to her. Was she restored or not? Did it mean that her glory was now no better than that of a novice? Why brown of all colours? It bothered her. Being a colour that reminded her of the days of her beginning and the torment that had awaited her. Was it meant to make her reflect about something. Truly, with the Light there must have been a reason for this,  right? And yet, none of what she had gone through truly made sense. Brown. Why Brown? As if to answer her, a voice spoke from behind. "Brown." The woman sneered. "I guess for some people, a change of colour equals to a change of dress." She added as she shoved past a surprised looking Havillah, who yelped in the wake of her fury. Havillah's eyebrows dipped as she steadied herself. What was the woman going on about? she wondered even as she tried hard to pin a name to the face. "Cri..? No.  Cra..?" Still frowning, she raised up her arms and took a whiff at her armpits. "Oh... Eeew!" She cried, disgusted by the smell that had assaulted her senses. She had been right though. Whatever her name was. She did smell terrible. How many days had it been? Six? Seven? A week since her last bath? Once again,Havillah shook her head in disbelief as she stalked off to find the ever elusive Captain. "Not that I don't like your hub and all. It is all smart and techy." she said throwing in a word that she had just learned that week.  "However, pardon me for saying that there is no place here for a girl like me. How am I supposed to groom myself here?" she said as she threw open the door to Killion's office. "I thought I asked Calla to show you around and that included the ladies' room?" Killion replied without looking up from mounds of work that were piled up high on his office desk. Calla. Yes, that was the name. She  had to take care to remember. Not to earn the ire of the female sergeant who seemed like the last person she needed to offend. Speaking of which, she hurried on to defend her, just in case Killion ended up concluding that it had all been her fault. "She did, but there is no way I can bathe in a toilet." Havillah answered, cringing as she shook her head at  the very obscene thought. "Oh, sorry I forgot about that. You do not have a suit." Snapping back from her disguted ruminations, Havillah stared back at the man with a look that spoke great lengths of the inner turmoil and confusion at his words. A suit? What did it have to do with anything. "I don't understand." she voiced her concerns." And while we are it, why does everyone, everyone here keep on bringing this up? Isn't it that obvious enough?" She threw her hands in the air in a show of vexation. "Oh...You do need a bath." A voice said from behind her and she turned back to glare at the source. "Why are you looking at me like that? It is not like I am responsible for your stench." Gabriel snickered. "Urgh...Killion! I need a bath!" she cried out, short of stomping her feet in a frustration. "Right away, ma'am." The Captain  chuckled. He stowed away his work and stood up ready to escort her out of the Hub. "Shall we?  I also think it is time you met my mama and what better way than to kill two birds with one stone?" Finally. She breathed out a sigh, relieved that he had finally heard her. Not about meeting his mother. She would never ask him for that. Though at the moment, it did not concern her whatsoever that he had mentioned it. No, she was too elated. Too hanged up on the prospect of having a bath that what should have made her panic barely registered in her mind. Havillah turned to follow Killion out of the office. She cast Gabriel one final scathing glare and was answered by a bout of annoying laughter that followed her all the way to the gates of the hub. What was his problem anyway. She huffed, nose upturned at the weird tendencies of the man that she had just recently learned was whole junior lieutenant. For all his rank, he should have been more mature. More grown up and not incarnation of the meddlesome twins that she had left back in city. Why? The gall of that man. She seethed within herself. "I am so sorry. I got caught up in all the meetings and the paper work... I am a terrible host!" her angry thoughts were interrupted by Killion by the way of an apology. "I didn't mind. I know that you are a busy person. What I really detest though is being all smelly and grimy." she replied playing back the woman's comments at her appearance. Did she really hate her that much? Was it that much of a big deal being this close to Killion. Even though she had barely seen him all week and had instead spent time being tormented by that Gabriel? Havillah had to admit that she did not understand the ways of this world. Let alone the norms that governed their relationships.  Had she therefore unknowingly stepped on a mine where the woman was concerned? Or was it something else? "I have to. Though I am surprised at that. I really thought for sure that you would have a trick to handle that or something." his voice pierced through her thoughts once again. "Like what? Your suits? I am surprised you even need toilets at all." At that, Killion laughed. "They cleanse us thats all,  but we still need to use that toilet." "How disappointing. It would have been so great to imagine the lot of you walking around in giant diapers." "I am sorry to disappoint , but we haven't perfected that technology yet." he added with even more laughter and she had to admit that she liked the sound of it. For all he had gone through. The man was a cheerful fellow and she had to wonder how he managed it. "I haven't perfected mine too. If only I was good with the First, my hygiene would never have been an issue." "But your crystals? They are awesome Havillah!" he protested even as he turned around to face her. They had just exited the gates and the view of the town below them was now coming to view. For a fort, the hub was isolated. Standing on a hill at the edge of the peninsula it had ocean on every side of it apart from the front where a meadow spread out before it. A little trek and the town of Bethesda could be seen from a hilltop. With the ocean on the east and grasslands to the west. A view that was only possible because of their elevated position. It was beautiful in the light of day. The cool ocean breeze pairing well with the warmth from the midday sunshine. The fragrant of the meadow and sounds of the little creature doing more to sooth than any sound in the city. She had been right. The world below may not have been a paradise, but it was still beautiful beyond words. "Yes, I am fairly good at the Second Virtue." she finally turned back to Killion. "but it can't help me here." she told him sadly, putting a damper on the once lively mood that had existed around them. Killion did not know what to do to make her feel better. Instead, he did only what he could think of and attempted to change the topic. Hopefully this dark mood would change as well. "So, is everyone back at home capable of doing the great things that you now do?" Havillah blushed despite her darker skin tone. "As far as I know, I am the only one who can make Hope Crystals and even that is something that I have been keeping as a secret for quite a while now." "Why?" asked he, genuinely surprised by her statement. "If one had that kind of power, wouldn't they want to share it with their kin? Wouldn't they want them to know?" "Most of what I know about the Second was gotten out of ancient scrolls. Scrolls that I was supposedto just read through and makes notes." Yes,  the chores that her mentor had given her. But onstead of just doing that, she had gone on ahead and used them to teach herself. She had not known if it had been the right thing. But she had been feeling frustrated at not knowing anything and having her cohort leave her behind because of it. There was also the fact that her mentor had the kind of emotional disposition and temperament that made it really hard to know what he was thinking, or even how he would have reacted after knowing what she had been up-to.  She could not tell Killion all these so as not to burden him,  but he being the kind of person he was,  he read it from her eyes. "So you played it safe and hid it from prying eyes." Havillah nodded. "But you're doing it here. Aren't you scared that they my be watching you?" It seemed that he recalled the viewpoint clearly and had even gone into great depths to figure out one of its uses. One that she had once employed as well. "Maybe, but I don't think so. I am also banking on their arrogance and that other fact that is, they may be too disgusted with me to even bother. To them, humans are way beneath and without my Virtues, Great or not, I am just like you and that is what they think I now am."