In Recovery

[Nika Novak]

Nika, without any clue about what to do and where to go from here, does the only thing that makes sense to her. Get back to honing her body into shape after the numerous injuries she's suffered. The bullet-wound is mostly healed, but she still has countless cuts and bruises, a stitched up muscle in her leg that pulls every time she moves, a couple pulled tendons and a mild concussion. As much as she wants to push herself hard, she's also not a complete idiot, so she's on a mat in the Rec Center, doing some very light and focused exercises. Granted, for every stretch she does the ring of metal rods around her snaps up into the ceiling or back down to the mat and the ring of shallow holes in both ceiling and mat shows she's not always perfect about stopping them.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"You'd probably do better if you focused on one thing," a voice comes from the side of the room.

[Nika Novak]

"I can... do these stretches in my sleep..." she huffs without looking up. "And I need to... be able to use my power... alongside my body. The instinct for most people with... mental powers... is to freeze up."

Only after finishing out her set does she straighten up and look at Isolde.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"So is the point not to get it right? Or were you hoping to berate yourself for being sloppy?"

A tall and imposing dark-haired woman is standing at the edge of the room, arms crossed. There's a hint of a German accent.

[Nika Novak]

"The point is to rehabilitate my injuries. And no offense, you don't look like a physio-therapist." she says, catching her breath.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Do they normally leave you out of breath?"

[Nika Novak]

"They do when I've been shot and stabbed recently, yes. I know my form is shit, that's why I'm working on it."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"That's not what you're doing," she says flatly.

[Nika Novak]

"Then what am I doing, huh?" Nika asks, not even trying to hide her annoyance.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Hiding," the woman says, unfolding her arms and approaching.

"Badly," she adds.

[Nika Novak]

"No shit. I'm in the middle of the damn room." Nika deflects.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"What will you do when you're recovered? What's the distraction then? Or are you just hoping this will solve itself in the meantime?"

[Nika Novak]

Nika narrows her eyes. "And what exactly do you think I'm distracting myself from?"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"A problem. A boy. A girl. Possibly all three."

[Nika Novak]

"A job." she corrects Isolde and regrets it immediately. "And it's not up to me if I get to keep it."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"So that's who you're avoiding."

"Going to have your... performance judged?"

[Nika Novak]

"I betrayed her. Besides, she doesn't need me anymore."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Don't want to prove yourself to her?"

[Nika Novak]

"I saved her life. But it doesn't matter, she doesn't trust me anymore and she has every reason no to."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"She's told you this, then?"

[Nika Novak]

"I talked to her on the phone. She didn't have to outright say it. I can read between the lines."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"Yes, you're clearly an expert in the subtle arts."

[Nika Novak]

"I may not be subtle but I know when I'm not wanted anymore."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"So you've decided for her."

[Nika Novak]

"Fuck you, lady!" she snaps, pulling herself up from the mat. "I should still be in jail for what I've done, not even daring to bed forgiveness."

[Isolde Schwarz]

"I'm aware of what you think you deserve."

[Nika Novak]

"Really, do you now? Who exactly are you that you think you know everything about me?"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"I'm someone who's very familiar with running from her problems rather than dealing with them."

"<And I'm older than the borders between your nation and Lord Doom's fief.>" she says in Symkarian, albeit an antiquated and perhaps overly formal dialect.

[Nika Novak]

"<Great, I'll put you in contact with our historical society.>" Nika snarks back. "<And it doesn't matter if I'm running from my problems or not. I'm a fugitive from my own land and my betrayal of Princess and Country is unforgiveable.>"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<Think for a moment. If anyone who mattered thought for a second you were a danger to her, would you still be where she is?>"

[Nika Novak]

"<It's not about being a threat. She cannot trust me anymore and I'm not making the call for her. I'm not sure I can trust myself!>" she bursts out with poorly concealed surprise at her own realization.

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<Then it's not about country, but it might be about the princess.>"

[Nika Novak]

"<So what? It doesn't matter anymore.>"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<If that's what you're telling yourself to keep from getting hurt.>"

[Nika Novak]

"<And what if it is. I dedicated my life to protecting her and I threw it all away because she...>" Nika sniffs and wipes at her face to compose herself. "<Because of some head-in-the-clouds idealist who thinks you can just change up anything and everything!>"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<I assume the traditional way is to never tell her how you feel and pine away stoically?>"

[Nika Novak]

"<The traditional way is that this is not something that happens or exists in Symkaria.>"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<Oh come now, I've been to Symkaria and I can offer firsthand evidence that's not true.>"

[Nika Novak]

Nika stares at Isolde.

"<And I can send a pen through a steel plate. Some aberrations are more tolerated than others.>"

[Isolde Schwarz]

"<I narrowly escaped being burned at the stake for kissing a girl. Tolerance is a sliding scale.>"