Human Factors

[SeaFalcon]

Battleship Yukon

[...]

Pete let out a heavy sigh once Kathy was gone. Leaving his own apartment to head to the gym, wanting to see if venting that way would work. At the gym he really pushed himself with several kinds of workouts, just to return home a few hours later being exhausted. Again going to clean himself up in the bathroom, taking a short shower this time and pulling on his working clothes, planning to go and see Nydia after a patrol as he hadn’t yet made up his mind properly on what he wanted to do with her or the rest of his problems. Hoping the patrol would give him that little extra time.

Nydia was discharged from the medical bay on the Yukon the same day. Pete receiving a message to come and pick her up. The Navy not letting her walk around freely on the vessel as it was still restricted for normal civilians. And even when the Bundschuh didn’t seem to have any quarrels with the Navy or Liberty, she was still seen as suspicious. Pete had received the message on his phone while he was in the shower, only seeing it once he was already at his Guardian, ready to head to West-point. But the message had changed his plans once more as he was now headed to the Yukon, arriving not much later there.

He was shown the way by an attendant at the medical bay to Nydia’s room, her having been given a bed in a room for her alone. The cuts having been taken care of and cleaned even better than what Pete had done. Pete wore a little frown on him as he was still unamused about the way he had woken up to say the least. But having thought about it several times, thinking nothing had happened as they were both still with all their clothes on, but anything before that he’d rather not want to know about either.

Nydia made herself comfortable in the room she was given and thought about several things, one of which was Pete as her entire life would evolve around him now. But also the Bundschuh and the consequences of her escape were going through her mind, making her nervous and scared. She tried to relax a little on her bed, but was still quite tensed about everything and had problems to calm down.

Pete knocked on the door quietly when he stood in the door opening. The door having been open before he had arrived in the first place. His expression was still neutral, seeming to simply ignore most of his surroundings still. Nydia startled a little as she heard the knocks as she was lost in her thoughts. She turned her head and looked at the door, smiling softly as she saw Pete.

..."C-come in!" She said, being still nervous from her thoughts.
...“Hey... how’re you doing?” Pete asked slowly as he moved to the side of her bed, pulling out a chair to sit next to it, unsure if she was already informed by the doctors about her being discharged from the medical bay.
..."Doing good so far and you?" She replied, concealing the fact that she was haunted by dreams and thoughts that were far from any good.

...“Hope they didn’t mess you up too bad?” he asked carefully, wondering if she could remember more, him also meaning mentally for her.
..."No... I don't think so. I am not that weak." She said, being unsure herself about what she just said.
..."You still didn't tell me how you're doing."
...“Not really myself lately.” he confessed, but didn’t explain.
..."Why not?" She asked, showing a worried expression on her face, sitting up on her bed.
...“Things...” he replied vague, making it obvious he didn’t want to elaborate about it.
..."Is it about Jennifer?" She asked, simply thinking he is still worried about her.
...“Amongst other things.” he replied, letting out a sigh and looking around the room some before he looked back at her.
...“Don’t want you at home really, so I thought of something else.” He said slowly, thinking it wasn't safe for her at his apartment, neither did he want any more strange encounters. Like that with Jennifer, thinking the same could've happened between Kathy and Nydia last night if she had been at home.

..."Don't want to stay here either." She said, looking around in the room, frowning a little as she looked at Pete again.
..."What do you have in mind then?"
...“Can make you a room on the Odyssey, a Logistical vessel.” he said quietly to her.
..."Is the room there better than this here?" She asked, looking around the room again with a chuckle, smiling softly at Pete.
...“Well, at least no medical gear.” he said slowly, unsure if he should let her stay in his quarters or that of a simple crew member.
..."Oh well, anything is better than my cockpit seat." She said happily, flashing a smile at Pete. With a swift move she stood up from the bed and made her way to Pete, hugging him tightly on the chair.
..."Thanks!"

...“Will not be as fancy as my place.” he told her but moved an arm around her to return the hug, but only a little as he still felt off.
..."Will you be there anyway?" She asked with a smile, pulling away from the hug and looking down at Pete.
...“Will try to be there as much as possible. But can’t always be there at all times, okay?” he said carefully, wanting her to understand.

..."Okay." She nodded, letting out a soft sigh, making her way back to the bed to sit down on the bedside, looking at Pete with a smile.
..."How's Jessica doing?"
...“Fine I guess.” he said, thinking he should call his parents to ask how it was going.
..."I wish I could see her smile again." She said sighing, obviously missing her, too.
...“We’ll visit once you are back being healthy, okay?” he said on a caring tone, not wanting to visit his parents with Nydia being under the bruises.
..."I am being healthy!" She replied, sighing a little and letting herself drop backwards so that she would lay fully on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
...“Have to get your strength back.” Pete said simply
..."You could carry me!" She said, sounding disappointed like a little girl that simply doesn't get what she wants.

...“You need rest, and I’ll have to go and check if I can really get you to the Odyssey without too much trouble. Until then want you to stay here. Will come back before dinner. I promise.” Pete said, not really wanting to get into a discussion.
..."Okay..." She said, letting out another sigh, turning herself a little to the side to grab the pillow, hugging it tightly.
...“Everything will be okay...” he said, also talking courage into himself.
Nydia smiled a little, looking begging at Pete as if she wanted to have him instead of the pillow.

...“Got to go.” he mumbled and got off his seat to head back to the door, the look making him feel uncomfortable.
Nydia sighed heavily and closed her eyes, hugging the pillow even tighter than before, not saying anything to Pete.
...“Be good.” he told her in a mumble and left the room again, moving down the hallway to say he’d pick her up later today once he had the actual time to do so, but in fact was only an excuse to buy some more time on arranging her stay on the Odyssey.
..."Y-you too." She replied before he left the room, herself feeling lonely and bored again she continued to hug the pillow.

***

Pete headed back to the hangar of the Yukon, sighing as he watched his Guardian. Taking the time to thinking a little before he decided to head back to his quarters on the Yukon, wanting to see if he actually had been dreaming on not. Hoping he wouldn’t find any traces of a fight with Tiffany there.

Tiffany, having almost spent an entire day on the bed, passed out, where Pete had left her, finally got back to her senses after a rather long time. Her head was pulsing and aching from the hit against her head caused by the crash with the wall.

She used the time to process everything, wanting to remember what had happened to her and slowly but steadily began to remember the scene in this room again. The moment she remembered what or better said who had caused this made her shiver in fear. She could clearly see the image of Pete hurting her, which made her motionless, almost hypnotized as she was processing the pictures in her head.

Pete carefully opened the door of his quarters after he had walked through the ship. Looking inside, just to see Tiffany still being there on the bed. He froze up a little for a few seconds before he headed inside the room fully and closed the door behind him. Watching Tiffany but wasn’t daring enough to ask her about what he thought might’ve really happened now.

Tiffany was still lost in her mind, processing every detail and trying to find a solution. She didn't notice Pete going into the room, in fact, she didn't even know she was there in Pete's room. It was a part of her memory that she didn't process yet as she thought she was in her own quarter.

Pete had his jaws clenched a little when he noticed the bruise on her forehead, unsure on how she was doing as she was still on the bed and the dream was quite a while ago already.
...“Tiff...?” Pete asked in a careful whisper, leaning with his back against the door while watching her.
Tiffany opened her eyes a little, sat up on the bed and rubbed her head, clearly suffering from a bad headache.
..."Mh?" She hummed and groaned a little, turning her head to the direction from where the voice came and stared at it, taking her time as she thought her dad or someone else was waking her up. It took her a little until she finally recognized the person, she then opened her eyes widely in fear and crawled backwards, eventually bumping against the wall and curled up into a ball.

...“Tiffany?” Pete asked on a concerned tone, needing to put some effort into not stepping to her as he didn’t want her to freak out more, but it was now really clear he had hurt her, making him wondering how to solve this problem, feeling a bit hopeless in the situation himself.
..."D-don't kill me, please!" She screamed begging, fearing for her life, beginning to cry in desperation, pushing herself just more against the wall, having grabbed the pillow and held it up as 'defense'.

...“Not so loud...please” Pete begged, approaching her as he wanted to calm her down but didn’t really know how to act himself, just hoping no one could hear.
..."Heeeelp! Someone help me!" She shouted, throwing the pillow in a desperate act against Pete, wanting to get off the bed but eventually stumbling as she neared the edge of the bed and fell down on the ground, desperately she crawled away from him until she bumped against a wall again with her back.

Pete followed her, ignoring her shouting now. Just wanting to make her quiet, pushing the pillow to the side as it flew towards him. Acting out of desperation unlike last time where he was simply not thinking at all.
...“Tiff...” he begged once more and moved closer, trying to put his hand on her mouth, not knowing what else to do as he didn’t want people to find out and just for her to calm down, hoping he’d be allowed to explain, if he could even do that himself.

Tiffany simply mumbled something into Pete's hand as he put it on her mouth, barely resisting against it, her hands only loosely holding Pete's wrist. She simply closed her eyes and cried as if she gave up the hope, still being convinced Pete was going to kill her now.
...“Please listen...” Pete begged, feeling desperate and sad about seeing her cry as this never had been his intention, not even knowing why he had hurt her before. Tiffany opened her eyes and looked with tears in her eyes at Pete, kind of wondering what he was waiting for.
...“Promise you won’t scream when I take my hand off..." he asked her, still sounding like he was begging her as he sat a little hunched down next to her to have the same eye-level.
Tiffany looked at him, still having tears in her eyes that were running down her cheeks, but eventually she nodded, wondering what was wrong with Pete and why this sudden change. He moved his hand off her mouth carefully while watching her, moving it onto her arm and lightly pulling upwards, meaning to gesture for her to get on her feet.

...“Not here to hurt you.” he told her quiet, hoping she’d manage to calm down.
Tiffany slowly got up on her feet, though was still shaking and unstable on it as she was still scared, somewhat holding onto Pete's arm as support even if she didn't want to.
..."You... y-you tried to kill me." She said nervously, wondering if he was even aware of that.
He moved back with her carefully, before he sat down on the side of the bed.
...“Sit down...” he told her quietly, meaning for her to sit on his lap while he tried to find proper words to use on how he couldn’t explain on what had happened.

Tiffany, now being more confused than afraid to die, gave Pete a confused expression on her face, wondering what he had in plan. Being still scared she simply obeyed, thinking he would hurt her if she didn't do what he wanted. She sat down on his lap and closed her eyes, stopping to care what would happen to her.
...“I’m sorry, didn’t know what got into me.” He mumbled to her quietly, holding his arms loosely around her when she was sitting on his lap, for her it being possible to simply get out of the embrace without any real effort as he’d let her.

..."What is wrong with you Pete?" She asked, still being a little nervous but stayed where she was.
...“Can’t explain...” he mumbled, feeling sorry for her, which showed in his tone.
..."Then find some help." She said, her tone turning more serious now and less nervous.
...“Just have to wait...” he said slowly, thinking he’d be fine once there was news about Jennifer.
..."And in the meantime you let things like this here happen?" She asked, sounding a little bit angry now.

[...]

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