Human Test (Ouroboros/Melinda)

The water was cold. It was a deeper cold than one would expect, the kind that sunk into one's bones and permeated the soul. Ouroboros opened their eyes, barely able to see anything at all. They breathed deeply, looking up towards a faint light. With a kick, arm over arm, they went to the surface.

They breached, shaking their head and sending water all over as they fought the current, going back to the side of the river. They tossed a bag onto the ground, hauling their large frame up and heaving a cough.

It was unsettling, adjusting to breathing with lungs after using gills. Fingers touched their neck, but found no trace of them. Already, they had adjusted to the ground. But they had not adjusted to the harsh wind that bit into their skin, cold sylph fingers worming their way into the folds and creases of their clothing, like ice on their breast.

Ice might be warmer, actually.

Ouroboros shook, stomping their feet to get some semblance of warmth back. The river that cut through the city was deep, and their only way in or out. Besides the sewers, Ouroboros thought, but that wasn't an option they felt desperate enough to use.

Perhaps it would be easier to set up a forward operating base in the city proper. But, that required funding. Funding Ouroboros was lacking. Or, maybe they weren't, and they simply didn't know how to access it. Either way, the result was the same. Long treks through the river, then standing around hoping to get warm.

Strange, since the days were so hot here, that life under the water was so... cold. At least the lab was temperature regulated. Ouroboros grabbed their bag, slinging it over their shoulder. Tonight, they were in need of supplies. To procure them, to restock the lab with medical supplies, food, and other necessities, they had acquired this waterproof bag. And now, to find things to fill it within their budget of... zero yen.

The day had been warm. This pleased Melinda. In fact, she loved the heat. So much so that she decided to spend the day at the river basking in the sun. Sometime during the day, however, she had fallen asleep and slept the day through. Now, it was night, and the warmth that had permeated the air during the day was dulled. It wasn't a cold night, not by any means, but it wasn't as warm as it was during the day either.

However, Melinda hadn't been awoken by the day turning night. No, she had slept through that entirely and was surprised nobody had bothered to wake her. Not that anybody waking her would have been met with a pretty sight. The burn marks across the right side of her face were fairly prominent when she moved her hair out of the way. The fact she was also wearing a black bikini meant that the scars across her body were also fairly prominent, so she had probably been avoided by most people during the day.

What had woken her was hearing a disturbance in the river. She knew this river well, as she usually dumped bodies into this very river after some of her...escapades. Opening her yellow eyes, Melinda would scan the river and see a...giant of a person climb out of the river a few feet away from her position.

"They look interesting."

"That they do Linda...that they do...perhaps we should go introduce ourselves? What do you think?"

"I don't know Mel...last person you met, you killed."

"Hey, they looked at me funny...plus they gave me pickles on my burger...you know I hate pickles."

To an outsider, it would appear as if she were having a one-sided conversation. However, in reality, or rather, Melinda's reality, she was having a conversation with her imaginary friend, Linda.

Ouroboros shook their upper body, rubbing their arms to get the blood flowing faster. Gradually, their pale skin took on a slightly pink hue. Ouroboros, however, was distracted by the sudden realization that they were not alone.

Late at night like this, one would assume few, in any, people would be by the riverside. Let alone a young woman in a bathing suit. Was she a victim of abuse? That was quite a collection of marks upon her body. Ouroboros tilted their head, examining her from a short distance as the girl spoke to herself. Or perhaps she was using one of those... ear-things, that people used to talk to people far away. The name was unknown to Ouroboros, but they would recognize it if they saw one.

A brief thought came over Ouroboros, wondering what the girl had endured. Were the wounds inflicted all at once, sequentially, over time, or completely unrelated to one another? Were they self inflicted, done by another, done by some accident, or a combination of the aforementioned.

Stricken by curiosity, Ouroboros didn't leave just yet, looking down at the bikini-clad girl. "Pale, you might be. Can't tan at night, I don't think?" Ouroboros said in extremely awkward Japanese. The way they slowly pronounced the words made it clear they weren't use to actually saying them aloud. Had Ouroboros talked to anyone since awakening? They couldn't recall.

Mel tilted her head at the woman's broken Japanese before giving a bit of a chuckle at what she said. It was true, she couldn't tan at night, not that she could tan to begin with. She couldn't get sunburns either. Her layer of...slime...prevented that from happening.

"No, no. You're right. And you're funny."

Standing up, she would hold a hand out for the woman, feeling the time to be polite was upon her.

"Name's Mel."

She spoke with a thick accent that was vaguely Russian mixed with a bit of American.

"What about you? You got a name?"

She was distinctly curious about this strange person who swam through the river, at night, and had surfaced just before them. And while it was true that 'curiosity killed the cat', it was also true that 'satisfaction brought it back to life'. And Mel had died once before, or at least she thinks she had. Some of the scars she had sure seemed to have been fatal. Especially the large ones on her back.

Ouroboros turned to properly look at the young woman. Another question came to mind at that; was Ouroboros older than her? How old was Ouroboros? Strange that they had never questioned themself about their age before.

"Me, the Scholar, Ouroboros. I funny? Told no jokes." Ouroboros tilted her head, her skin slowly turning back to white as the bloodrush settled down.

Ouroboros' eyes shifted from the girl's face down to her countless scars. She truly was curious where they had come from... and how many more the girl could endure. Humans were truly something.

"Why here? Is late for humans, no?"

Ouroboros. What a strange name. Mel pulled her hand back, a smile upon her face.

"Well that's a fancy name."

Mel bent down a little, picking up a flower, smiling a little as it started to wither, die, and crumble to nothingness.

"Probably a good thing you didn't shake my hand. I forget about this sometimes."

She gave a light wink to her new friend before standing back up, dusting herself off in the process. She would casually turn around and walk up the hill to the street, the scars on her back even worse than the ones on her front. Looking back, she would open her mouth to speak.

"Why are any of us anywhere? I'm here because it's where I fell asleep. The question is, why are you here?"

She twirled on her heel before bowing a little, exposing what little cleavage she had to the giant of a woman.

Ouroboros watched the girl with dull eyes, though hidden in the flat blackness of her irises, there was a glimmer of curiosity as she had her gaze wander along the girl's figure. An aura of death? Some bodily secretion that was anathema to life? How? Why? Ouroboros had to examine it thoroughly.

They held up the water-proof duffel bag, miming wrapping bandages. "Supplies. Food. Curiosities." Yes, Ouroboros' 'shopping list' had acquired another item. It was imperitive that they find out just what it was that made the girl work. Was she similar in nature to themself, who could alter their physiology? If so, why the scars? The scars implied that non-living matter could come in direct contact to cut flesh, or that the ability could be suppressed. More information was required.

Ouroboros walked towards the girl, gesturing to the river, then further up river, out of sight. "Home, has little. Long, long walk to city. Must get much one trip." As Ouroboros stood near the girl, a faint popping noise could be heard, followed by a series of creaking and snapping sounds.

Ouroboros' body dramatically hunched over, their spine curving in a highly unnatural way, shoulders drooping and dislocating until Ouroboros was nearly at eye level with the girl, their bones forcing them-self into a new configuration.

Injuries:

"Hmmm..." Melinda casually straightened her body, smirking a little at the woman's answer. She would casually raise her arms up, stretching them out a little before returning her attention back to her companion.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, why don't you come to my place first? We could catch a drink together after I change. I'd like to hear more of what you say, and I'd love to accompany you on your little excursion."

She gave a smile to the taller woman, however that was quickly wiped away as she heard the bones cracking into place as Ouroboros seemed to physically hunch themselves over to be on equal eye level with Melinda.

"Hmm, neat trick. Sounded like it hurt, but...I'm not one to judge others."

She gave a shrug of her shoulders at her words before turning around a giving a little wiggle of her rear.

"My place is just over here. I promise I'll help you after, unless you'd want little old me to walk around half naked with you all night?"

She turned her head and gave a teasing little wink to the woman.

Ouroboros, from their new vantage point, nodded hir head. With hir head lower than hir shoulders, Ouroboros resembled a medieval painting of a hunchback, but that was fine. This new form was so radically different visually than when standing that, even though only hir posture had changed, not hir clothing or face, that it provided enough of a disguise.

Ouroboros kept their not-quite-human eyes on the girl. Going to the girl's domicile was beneficial. It would provide key information about her habits, likes, and loved ones.

"We go, then. Pain... Just limits you. Ignore it." Ouroboros shrugged hir shoulders, to a resounding crunching of bones. Ouroboros viewed physical pain with cold indifference. It was simply the body's attempt to signify a level of damage and trauma... Damage that could be identified from a glance in this case. It was safe to ignore.

The doll-like Human's ability could allow them to distance their mental facilities from their biological drives and sensations.

"Lead." Ouroboros gestured, making shooing motions with one hand. They watched the girl's hips swaying, but their focus lay on her body itself. What hidden properties did it possess? Ouroboros needed to know.

As Melinda turned her head to start walking, she would casually lick her lips in anticipation. Oh the plans she had for this one. Normally, she was against killing women, especially cute ones.

"You're not seriously thinking of killing her, are you?"

"Maybe...maybe not...I'll think about it as we walk..."

She kept her voice at barely a whisper so that her companion couldn't hear as they skipped along.

"Hmmm...but she's so cute though...don't you agree?"

"I do...hence why I said I'll think about it."

They walked along the street for a few blocks before coming to a large river-side apartment complex. The complex was at least twelve stories tall and looked well out of the budget for someone of Mel's standing. The truth of the matter was, this was but one of Melinda's apartments throughout the city, all of them funded by the shadowy organization that payed her to take out her targets.

Walking into the lobby, Melinda guided her companion to one of several elevators. This elevator, however, only went up to the twelfth floor, where the penthouse suite was located.

"Come on, not long now."

Smiling as her companion entered the elevator, she would push the button to go up to her apartment, not even waiting for the doors to close before she started stripping her bikini top off.

Ouroboros followed the woman, staying relatively quite along the way. Their thoughts were preoccupied, running several hypotheses of how to go about with a more thorough examination and experimentation. With the girl's deadly secretion, it may prove difficult to handle her body, which meant tools would be required.

But how potent was the young woman's ability? Strong enough to kill plant matter, certainly, but Reiatsu had to play some part in that as well. Unless... was it purely biological? Ouroboros themself had spiritual powers, but they functioned organically. Depending on how Mel's powers functioned would dictate the best approach.

Ouroboros followed the pale woman into the elevator, tilting hir head slightly as the girl began undressing. Ouroboros had read about this, they thought. When two people were alone together and one undressed, it had one of several meanings. "Seduction, yes?" Ouroboros asked, reaching out a hand to grab the girl's shoulder in affirmation.

But, there was a burning sensation, followed by intense pain and heat. An acrid scent, of burning flesh, coming from Ouroboros' hand. The not-quite-human tilted their head the other way, flexing their fingers while still holding Mel's shoulder. Ouroboros hadn't hardened their flesh nor coated it in spiritual energy, meaning Mel's power had directly eaten into Ouroboros' bare skin, down to the bone. In fact, it was continuing to eat at Ouroboros hand as they stared at it.

"Potent. Its ruined." Ouroboros said in a flat tone, pulling their hand away and getting a good look at the destroyed ligaments and bones of their palm. Ouroboros couldn't feel the hand any longer. "Need to replace it."

Combat and Injuries:

Melinda gave a chuckle as the security guards gave a slight blush at her state of undress as the elevator doors closed. She pressed the button to go up and a keypad popped out of the wall. Entering the code she gave a smile as the elevator began to move.

She then looked over as she felt a hand placed upon her shoulder and gave an internal chuckle as the woman's hand started to corrode away, down to the bone.

"Well...I did warn you...and no, I wasn't seducing you...not yet at least...but I can start if you'd like."

She held a teasing tone to her voice, a smirk upon her lips as she looked over at her companion.

"Now, how would you 'replace' a hand? Prosthetic? I can tell you, those aren't as good as the real thing."

She gave a light chuckle as the doors opened up to her living room, or at least what passed as a living room. It was bare aside from a black leather couch, a large flat screen TV, a game system in front of it, and nothing else. The room barely looked like it saw use.

"Excuse me while I go get dressed. Feel free to make yourself comfortable."

Without even waiting for a response, she stripped herself of her bikini bottoms and walked into the tiled living room, her bare feet touching the cold floor and sending a shiver up her spine. The entire place was coated in a protective layer of anti-corrosive material, tailored specifically to keep Melinda able to live a perfectly normal life...aside from her actual life and job.

Walking to the bedroom, Melinda opened up her closet and pulled on her usual attire of a schoolgirl uniform. While she had no need for it, she loved the look it gave her and refused to wear anything else aside from when she had to for work, or if she was wearing her bikini. She didn't bother putting on any underwear or stockings and went back out into the living room wearing just her skirt and uniform shirt.

Ouroboros let their arm fall to the side, shrugging off the injury. If there was nothing to do about it, there was no point in focusing on it. "New hand, will make. At the lab." Ouroboros shrugged their shoulders.

The doll looked around the living area when they came to it. It was certainly different from what they were used to. They weren't familiar with some of the machines here.

But as Mel left, Ouroboros' eyes followed the stripping girl. How was it that she could melt Ouroboros' hand, but her garments were fine? Ouroboros tilted their head in wonder before straightening back up.

Their back protested the change, shoulders popping loudly as they realigned them to their correct position. With the damage done to their hand, their was less reason to stay in a hindered form.

Standing correctly, Ouroboros went to the television, examining the strange machine connected to it. She glanced over as Mel came back, dressed in a matching outfit.

Ouroboros held the system's controller in her good hand, her fingers touching the buttons lightly without pressing them. "That was fast."

As Melinda heard her companion's words, she gave a coy smile.

"Well, I can't exactly spend all night getting dressed, now can I?"

As she spoke, she twirled around a little, her skirt flaring up a little, briefly revealing her bare nethers to her companion.

"Besides, its not like we have a rush or anything, do we? Most of the stores around here are 24/7. Unless there's something specific you need, the stores around here should have it."

She casually walked over, her bare feet making the softest of noises against the tile flooring, and hovered her bare hand just a mere inch from her companion's cheek, a smirk across her face.

"If you are in a rush, then I'm afraid I'll have to stop you...as I feel like playing a little game with you, if that's OK with you."

She pulled her hand back, her smirk remaining ever present. She casually grabbed one of the controllers and booted the system up as she flopped back onto the couch, her skirt flaring up again of its own accord. She would casually smooth it out, a light blush on her face.

Ouroboros looked at the television and game system with mild interest. A game? For what purpose? Ouroboros turned and moved to sit, positioning themself to be able to see Mel and the TV. Following the girl's example, Ouroboros had taken the second controller.

"Why play?" Ouroboros asked, holding the controller the same way the girl did. Ouroboros' flat black eyes took in every detail they could. They knew that games were meant as a form of passing the time, for joy, or for bonding between two people. But Ouroboros did not yet know why specifically this girl desired to play.

And it was rather difficult to hold the controller with only one hand.

Manipulating the buttons or joysticks required dexterity and fine motor control; neither of which Ouroboros had in this hand. Ouroboros frowned, attempting to move their fingers. All that they could achieve was pain and a sound like gears grinding together harshly.