As The Dust Settles (fem!Geten X Dabi)

Chapter 19: Old Chains

The girl bowed and left the room in a hurry, nearly tripping over her feet as she did so. Geten watched her go, her lips pursed. Her behaviour reminded her of that messenger at her lodgings, but while she had smirked at the boy's cowardice just a few days ago, she felt uneasiness coil around her stomach.

Do they all look at me like that? How long has it been since I've been in the city?

She rarely ever walked down a street, not having any need to with her cryokinesis. Transporting herself with her ice was much preferable to reducing herself by commuting alongside the other soldiers in the MLA. The few times she interacted with them...they always had the same look on their faces.

She put those thoughts aside and returned to an even more unpleasant subject: the book in her hand that she had requested the girl bring to her. It was familiar to her like a mother to her infant. The same indented red cover with its engravement of the symbol of the MLA. The same title emblazoned with gold.

Meta Liberation War.

She knew the book back to front. If prompted by anyone, she could recite the pledge, the paragraphs or the sign off by Destro in a heartbeat. She had spent years memorising every key sentence, every declaration made by the founder of the Army she belonged to, and so on.

So why am I holding it in my hand?

Well, for one, she needed something to keep her distracted while she was stuck in the hospital ward, thanks to a certain fire-user and a dumb pact made just an hour or so ago.

"Ok, five day hospitalisation, doc's orders." Dabi turned to leave the room.

"No, I'm leaving tomorrow," Geten shot back, crossing her arms.

"Uh huh, because you'd be fully recovered, right?"

She paused, searching for a retort. "You can't make me stay here."

Even to her, it sounded childish, and Dabi's choked laughter told her he was thinking the same way. "Tell you what, what's your favourite food?"

The question caught her off-guard. She blinked twice, wondering if that question came from him. "I don't have one."

"Bullshit. Everyone has one."

"Unlike you, I'm not that much of an adolescent to show preferences for food. I eat whatever's there."

"It's something cold, isn't it? Soba?"

"How – wha –" She spluttered. "No, no it's not."

"You chill here until Friday, and I'll get you soba."

"Even if I did like it, I could just get it myself." She was hoping her expression wasn't betraying how much she liked the noodles.

"Not in Deika City, obviously. You think this shithole has any good food?"

"We can't just leave –" Her exasperation was overpowered by his when he cut her off with, "Do you want the soba or not?"

A spasm of pain coursed through her ribs, causing her to wince. "Fine," She muttered, and sat down on the bed.

"See you Friday then. My god, you're stubborn." He left and shut the door.

The memory, fresh in her mind, was oddly warming to think about, while the metal-engraved title of the book felt cold to the touch, pulling her back to the present.

The second reason was too much repetition. She compared it to her mastery over her meta ability that made it a part of her, that she barely gave a thought whenever she levitated ice anymore. Likewise, she could recant any part of the book with no hesitance. But even though I speak the words out loud, how much thought have I given their meaning?