nah, it's cold indoors too [derLampman]

==> Crystal
@"DerLampman"

Warmth. Crystal's mind was stirring and all she could think of was the comforting warmth that enveloped her entire body. She wasn't cold but she liked the warm feeling. She didn't even feel like moving. She just wanted to stay like that for a while.

Crystal couldn't remember what happened; everything felt like a blur. Her eyes were closed but there were images flashing in her mind. A boat, the escape, the cold breeze of the air biting at her skin.

She was finally free from that wretched laboratory. She could do what she want and she didn't have to suffer each day trying to up her level, only to get disappointed by the researchers that she wouldn't be able to get what she wanted.

She and Alex sneaked into the boat that was meant for West's escape along with a few others. She didn't have to go through trying to put up a show by fighting Alex just to give them results they wanted. Crystal reveled in that moment when she thought things were finally looking up.

And then the missile happened.

"Alex!!"

Crystal woke up with a start, sitting up on the bed from the shock. Sweat ran down from her temple as she tried to catch her breath. Once she got herself together, she realized she was in a room. A rather cozy one. The lighting was bright but not too much like she was under a spot light. It felt just right for her. She could see from the window across the room that it was bright outside. The sun out was out. She let out a soft sigh. "Where am I?" she muttered absentmindedly.

@"DerLampman"

Crystal was somehow a little jumpier that even Eph's reactions made her almost jump. She turned to the source of the voice to see... a witch? Wait, no. Wrong. Someone.. a woman, she thinks. A bit scaly though-- not out of disrespect because there's really, in no way, that that was an insult because it was right there.

Crystal said nothing as the person threw aside (quite literally) her book to the shelf. Crystal was sure she wasn't hallucinating when she saw that the fall was significantly slowed down before it reached landed on the row. She opened her mouth but no sound came because she herself wasn't sure what to say. Should she comment about the book and what it was or should she just go straight a head to how the heck did you do that question.

While that thought processed in her head, Eph moved to her side, dragging along her chair with her... tail? Whoa. Freaksville. Crystal took a good look at Eph when she got near and as suspected she was some sort of... lizard person.

"So, in case you're wondering, I'm Eph and I'm not going further than that with naming, and I fished you out of the water when you were drowning... or I think 'I froze you, carved you out, and thawed you out here' is more accurate. Yeah, that. Chicken soup? It's a bit bland though."

There were one thousand questions in Crystal's head. What did she mean about not going further about naming? Okay, the lady saved her but why? And how? The part she could freeze things like Crystal was no mystery but how could she freeze the water when in the first place, the water was really cold. There was no heat conversion there. Where was Alex? Was she alone when Eph saved her? Is that chicken soup not poisoned?

But only one question tumbled out of her mouth:

"Are you a lizard or something?"

@"DerLampman"

The moment Eph started laughing, Crystal almost went into panicking because she really did think that the lizard woman was dying right in front of her. She started to fumble around her, looking for something on the bed that might be able to help-- she didn't know anything actually. For one thing, she never got sick that was related to coughs or any of the sort. None of the scientists ever approached them that was sick — she knew about people getting ill but she knew nothing about how to deal with it.

One moment she was in a panicked state, the next she was thrown off and confused. Crystal looked at Eph with wide eyes when started clearing her throat. She looked perfectly fine like she never had a fit of horrible coughs.

"In case you thought something else, that was how I laugh. You might want to not make jokes around me unless you're fine with regularly hearing someone die of plague. Also, yes, why, I am indeed a talking lizard. Nice to meet you, person who was suspiciously cold for too long after I thawed her out."

There was a moment of silence before it was Crystal's turn to have her own fit of (normal sounding) laughter. "You-- you sounded like a dying animal I-- It's like one of those that ate bone fragments by mistake and-- I'm sorry-- I can't stop laughing--" she tried to say in-between laughs but it might have been incomprehensible.

She did stop but that was only after about 5 seconds when she finally started settling down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you but that was really weird, it was funny to me," she explained, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"I'm a lizard, but you're no normal lady either, are you?"

"No, I'm not," she responded casually. She was still smiling as if it was the most natural thing to say. Crystal lifted a hand and placed it on her neck as if to check her temperature, "My body temperature is low compared to normal people, so if I was suspiciously cold then, and now, this is actually my normal temperature. I assure you I'm not sick from being in the water for a while than I need to," a pause, "or having been encased in ice."

The glare didn't faze her. That or she had shrugged it off. Eph didn't seem like she was going to harm her since she looked like she'd already plan to take care of her instead. There were no forms of hostilities (other than that glare).

Her eyes landed on soup that Eph offered. "Well, if it's anything but something that tastes like cardboard, I'm all up for it," she said, gently taking the bowl from Eph. The moment her fingertips brushed on to Eph made her relax by a degree. Yep. No worries about accidentally freezing her if she brings her guard down for a moment.

She smiled at Eph again before looking down on the soup bowl that was on her lap. For a moment, she only stared at her reflection. "Hey um... was there someone else around when you found me?"

@"DerLampman"

"Permanent ice age more like," Coral added with a shrug. If anything, being lively and active made her feel less cold. But even that wasn't enough. She just really needed to keep warm so she'd be happy but nope. She had a high chance of she took other people's body heat. Bummer.

Crystal's thoughts were still a little more focused on trying to remember what happened before this. She was breaking out of the laboratory with Alexander, and then what? It was blurry around that point. For a second there, she felt like she was just dreaming about it. Crystal squeezed her eyes shut, focusing back to her host who had been kind enough to be taking care of her right now.

"You were the only one that I found alive. Some people washed up on the shore all... not alive.

Hearing that from Eph, Crystal's smile died pretty quickly. Only one found alive? That couldn't be. All of a sudden the dream came back to her. No, it wasn't a dream. It was her memories. Right before she lost her consciousness. The last person she saw was Alexander. Crystal didn't want to believe what Eph was saying. Her next words barely even registered with Crystal because all she could think of was that Alexander shouldn't be dead. She didn't want to think of that even happening.

I took the time to carry you here and then had you frozen for two weeks while I got stuff back from the city to fix you up with. Couldn't leave you be, bleeding out from that hunk of ship you got stuck in you when I found you. It's out back if you wanna see it by the way after I thawed you out. Also, I use the term 'frozen' loosely - I'd explain but I can do that later - and then halfway back here I figured I could have just brought you back to the city."

Crystal couldn't even spare a thought that she'd been frozen for longer than she should have. Her concern was about survivors. Especially her only friend. But by the news Eph had broken to her, there was a huge chance that... he didn't survive. Trying to even imagine that she could have bled to death almost ruined her appetite. Almost but that was two weeks of hunger (at least she thinks of it that way).

She closed her eyes shut as she tried to erase the mental images that was stating to form in her head. She turned to Eph, faking a smile, "Hm, maybe later. I think my hunger is catching up and I'm a little more than hungry," Crystal laughed but even that sounded a little dry after hearing the news.

"You know... when I found you, you were so cold. Like you were freezing on your own basically. You're not normal, obviously - and considering I found one kid washed up with three wings on his back, you were probably from somewhere weird. But I won't pay attention to that - if you want to talk, you'll talk... is what I think. Could be wrong. God knooows I'm wrong all the time."

Crystal smiled weakly as Eph said those words before looking back down to the bowl of soup that was now in her hands. Somewhere weird should probably feel appropriate enough to describe the lab. But that never covered every other shit it did to the others. Then again, they were just manufactured weapons; why should they need special treatment. "Yeah, weird places.." She laughed awkwardly.

"I could also be wrong about this next thing... but I heard this angry, crying voice when I found you."

Wait, what?

"I might have imagined it... and I don't really like false hope, but for your sake I hope it's a miracle and it's whoever you lost just walking around, waiting to be found."

Crystal puffed her cheeks. Well, screaming and crying could be by anyone in the island but by the way Eph was phrasing it, it was like she was making Crystal hope for something. Well, it's not like Alex would go that far if they got separated. Assuming he was still alive-- oh God, she hopes he was still alive.

All Crystal could do while stuck on the bed was imagine scenarios right after that last moment she could remember. Did he manage to get out of the water? Holy hell, she didn't even know if Alex could swim. But then again if he actually tried, the speed force could let him run on the water's surface. But did he even get to the surface first?

Crystal was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice that Eph had returned with food until she spoke.

"One of the many fictional gods I read about knows you need it. Also, I wasn't sure whether you liked water normal or cold so...I just gave you one of both. Also, you might have guessed that that's kind of how I hauled you over here."

Crystal just stared at the glass at it began to chill. Which felt both a little alarming and amazing because-- how can this woman freeze things? Geez, she needs to get out more to know things.

"Um, I'll go for the no-chilled one," she said as she took the glass with warm water and drank that one. She didn't need to feel colder than she already is. "So you can freeze stuff, too? Uh- how exactly?" she asked curiously. The freezing up cold ocean water didn't add up. No harm in asking.... right?