Almost Human

Posted on Sun May 10th, 2020 @ 9:26pm by Skyplex Administration Scarlett Wilson
Edited on on Sun May 10th, 2020 @ 10:10pm

Mission: Bright and Shiny things
Location: Administrator's office
Timeline: Following Welcome To The Jungle

A stream of crimson wound down Scarlet's hip and leg and circled the drain of her shower. She could feel the thick layer of filth and blood break up on her head and start sliding off of her. She squeezed an inordinate amount of shampoo in to her hand, stared at it for a moment and proceeded to pour it directly on her head instead and start scrubbing with a fury of revulsion.
The red tinted soap bubbles washed across her whole body. One rinse wasnt enough as she deluged her hair again with the shampoo. And again a third time. She pulled back the curtain of the shower and looked at her reflection in the steam coated mirror as best she could. She looked... wet. Wet and naked. She closed her eyes and pulled the curtain closed again as she proceeded a through cleaning of her body to get the last remnants of the scarred man off of her.

The shower was turned off, Scarlett wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at her dripping self. Her skin was a bright pink from the heat and scrubbing, but she still felt dirty. Her hair was still a dark tone of red, purely natural, just wet. She brush a longed strand out of her face and looked at the freckled woman in the mirror. How had it come to this? How was this supposed to be just a day at the office? Her eyes looked small and beady, her skin imperfect in its complexion, least of all from the freckles that she never outgrew. She was too tall, too thin and looked like a stretched out child. Her chest was too small as were her hips. The laundry list of self loathing continued until a knock at the office door pulled her back in to the moment.

"Everything ok in there?" Moira's concerned voice came through the door. "You've been at it for a long time."

With a long exhale Scarlett responded. "I'm ok. Just need a few more minutes to look presentable."

"If you say so Ma'am. I got Chief Shepard's file filled in. She should have full permissions as Security Chief now." Moria reported.

"She'll be glad to hear that I'm sure." Scarlett responded, wrapping herself in a towel. "Can I get back to getting dressed?"

"Yes Ma'am, take your time." Moira stated in a voice not as leisurely as the words.

Scarlett wrapped another towel around her hair and walked in to office to find a new set of clothes from the file cabinet she kept them in. Laying a comfortable flannel shirt and jeans on the desk she sat down in her father's large leather chair. She could still dimly make out her reflection in the desk monitor. She suppressed any further criticism as her eyes went to the metal flask on the corner of the desk. Oh god she needed that. It was working hours, but what difference would one sip make. The flask appeared in her hand before she realized it and the sip had been long and drawn out. She felt her sinuses opening as the warmth of the whiskey flowed out through her body. She smiled a little at her own weakness. She took one more sip before discarding her towel and started to slide into the undergarments and clothes she had picked out.

A long visit with the hair dryer later, she was feeling almost human, and a little bit buzzed. She clipped on her IDent card and opened the door to the out office. Moira turned to her with a compassionate smile. "Well' you look a lot better than how you came in."

Scarlett chuckled a little. "I almost feel right, still, lots to get done still today. What's the report from the Hub?"

Moira switched to her professional analytical tone. "Three deaths in the riot, a couple dozen injuries being looked into at medical. It looks like our new Security Chief is off to a good start. Quite a bit of damage to common areas, mostly cosmetic, luckily not that much chaos reported from the merchants. The bars on 5 are jumping and you've got about 40 minutes til they are supposed to be restarting the lines."

Scarlett was thankful for the little mercies of the day. It could have been a lot worse. "Good. Keep me updated. Has Ms. Hart checked in yet?"

"No word as yet Ma'am." Moira replied.

"I'll hit her up directly. Find Shepard for me. I'm heading back up to 3."

With that she walked out the front door and back into the game.

-Scalett