Answers and Blank Spaces

[Little Rose]

Rose looked up at the not normal voice, between Evan and Lilith stood something strange. It looked like some things in the laboratory she’d been shown through on her first day of Takusen. Smooth white metallic elements peeking out of his filthy cloak. Her gold eyes caught his three dim sons in a blank stare which lasted so long the one asking the questions might consider her stupid, or ignorant to his language.

“It’s rude to ignore a direct question.” Rose’s eyes drift over to the right where Evan stood hoving over her like the man in the cloak. “You do remember your name, right?”

“Rose.” her voice was as flat as her expression.

“Correct.” Evan praised with a smile.

The electronic voice of her interrogator repeated it. “Rose..” he attempted to recollect any memory of a Rose on the Empire’s list of damned primes. However, there was none such on his list, nor any other list.

“By any other name…” Evan said thoughtfully.

Lilith grew impatient, she stood straight and stared down at Rose from behind her perky nose. “For God’s sake… Get up Rose, we should get going.”

“Where do you intend to go, Lilith?” Evan questioned, Rose’s eyes drifted to the left now where she could see her pink friend.

“I don’t really care!” Lilith threw her hand in Rose’s direction. “Are you saying you’d rather her just lay there on her back like a fish?”

“I mean… Fish tend to flop on their side.” Even smirked.

Lilith's face burned. “The point is we’re wasting time!”

“We have nothing but time.” Evan argued, gently.

“Doesn’t mean we have to waste it.” Lilith declared, stomping her foot. She then turned to their host. “Rose. Get up!”

Rose’s eyes blinked slowly. She considered her options. After all, it wasn’t very comfortable laying there on the ground and she had every means to do as she was told. However, Lilith was being particularly pushy, and part of the teenager didn’t want to give her her way. She turned her eyes on Evan.

“I must confess, getting up would probably be a step in a good direction. You are in pain, right? They may be able to help you.” he explained gestured to the lab-man.

Rose’s eyes follow back to the three suns. “Help?” she repeated, thoughtfully.

This must have been enough of a question directed at him that the lab-man nodded and encircled the girl to offer a hand. Rose took it, as she didn’t have any reason not to.

As her back rolled up, it is revealed to have on it several large purple chitin spikes along her spine. Though questionable, they were meant to be sticking out of her back. What stood out as something that didn’t be the large pieces of the hourglass impaled in various parts of her backside. Blood oozed out of a couple while the sand bath seems to have temporarily stopped the bleeding in others.
His companion couldn’t help herself and reach out for one of them. One of the larger pieces was ripped out of the younger female’s back. The spray of crimson followed the harsh trajectory of the blade in a beautiful aerial arc, but the cry of pain did not follow and the woman blinked in her surprise. Even when you pull porcupine needles out of a dog they cry…

“Gross!” Lilith shuddered.

“Rose, you should ask for their names.” Evan instructed a gentle but forced smile.

Instead, Rose just looked up at the three suns. “What do we call you?”