Too cool for a title [open]

”Flank me!” Nell whispered as she conspiratorially hid behind her two friends as they stepped into the medical wing. The Water girl cast her a look and asked, ”Are you sure about this, Nell?” Nodding in determination, Nell said, ”I need to see that she’s all right.” Her more neurotic Earth friend gave her a worried glance and Nell squeezed his hand. ”I hate asking this of you and putting you in harm’s way, but—“ He cut her off and shook his head. ”I put myself in harm’s way the instant I sided with you,” he pointed out. She nodded. Yes, everyone who sided with her was in danger. But now she was urging her friends into the hotspot.

”Though…” The Water girl smirked. ”You could live without the disguise.” Nell adjusted the fedora on her head, into which her hair was tucked up and a mustache that one of the Water students had. They entered the medical wing unnoticed really with all the other kids around suffering from injuries in the war. She approached a nurse and asked in a falsely deep voice: ”Excuse me, but do you know where Hannoly DeVrois is?” The nurse gave her a strange look before directing her toward the girl, and Nell hurried off.

Opening the door, she almost gasped. There was tubes shoved up her nose and everything! ”Nono!” she cried out, coming up to the girl. The Water student looked a hot mess with dirt all over and everything. ”I heard that you were in the medical wing because of a concussion and I came to see how you were doing. How are you doing?” Nell asked, the concern clear in her tone. Then she giggled a bit and said, ”Please don’t mind the fedora and mustache. I needed to sneak in here.” And it was worth it to see if Noly was okay. She started fussing around her, fluffing up her pillows and inspecting to make sure everything was all right. Hospital-esque areas gave her the creeps thanks to her first and last admission into one after she murdered her mother. ”What exactly happened?” She was curious, though she knew it might have had something to do with the war. Of course, it was always the war.

Even as Noly grabbed her and told her to cool it, Nell was just grinning stupidly at her face. The Earth girl pinched her cheeks. Nell couldn’t help it. She was being totally adorable after all! ”So cute!” she cooed. Kay, time to be mature and not fawn over every adorable sight. More serious, she said, ”You sure? Because…I could get a nurse or something.” Speaking of nurses, one approached about the Water girl having taken out the wires, Nell felt a bit ridiculous in her disguise. But with Noly’s reassurance that she was okay, the nurse left them be.

Then suddenly Nell was being admonished again and she blinked a few times as she processed the little tirade. ”I had friends escort me. I needed to see you in person, they told me—“ She stopped short when Noly practically collapsed into her, sighing softly. She clearly wasn’t as fine as she claimed she was. ”Oh Nono…” Nell murmured, rubbing soothing circles in the girl’s back. Poor thing, must have been terrible. Nell felt her protectiveness for the girl shoot through the roof. Especially when she said that Alex was the one causing the problems. That guy was seriously starting to tick her off, fucking with her friends like he did. She was about ready to stomp up to him and demand that he lay off her friends, but that was a very dangerous notion. Even more dangerous than going in to the medical wing. But she realized how much she needed to be with her baby right then. ”It’s all right, niña, he won’t hurt you when I’m around.” The Spanish word was something she used to say to her twin to when the girl had a fit and coughed up blood and would break down. It meant baby, but that wasn’t what had mattered—when she used to say it to her sister, the girl mentioned how she liked how it sounded it didn’t even care for the meaning.

It was times like these that Nell wondered at Elaine’s affection for Alex. That he could be so cruel sometimes, and—Then she remembered she was friends with Josh, someone who tried to kill her. There is something wrong with this world. Nell waited for the Water girl to calm and make her request. She studied her eyes for a moment before sighing once more. ”You need to rest, niña,” Nell said softly, wiping the tears from the other girl’s face. ”You’ve obviously been through a lot, and you’re going to hurt yourself even more by trying to move and go somewhere.” And the Earth girl was afraid her friend would go and do something very dangerous with Alex. Nell couldn’t let that happen. This war was already bad enough, she didn’t need Noly to keep getting hurt. ”In the meantime, do you want me to get you anything? Like food?” With Nell, food always made everything better. But she was reluctant to leave Noly’s side. However, if Noly did need anything she can just ask her friends to get it. They were in the other room, keeping watch, so she just needed to hail them over…

Nell even thought the girl’s glare was cute, which would probably be her greatest downfall once Noly decided to kick her ass. But she couldn’t help it! Calm down, Nell. ”Sorry, Nono,” she said, ruffling up the back of her hair. Yeah, the Earth girl could get a little carried away with herself.

Woop, another mood whiplash! Nell blinked as the girl scolded her once more, and she still looked so cute, but she behaved herself, hands in her lap. “I’m always in danger. Everything I do might get me killed.” She winced slightly. “But I’d rather be killed protecting a friend than as a coward who turns her back on the people she loves.” That was rather dramatic and martyr-like, but it was true. Nell didn’t want to be the coward she knew she was—a pussy just like her father, as her aunt had told her—an so even though she couldn’t defend herself, she’d make sure her friends stayed safe. Even if that meant putting herself in even more danger. ”…it’s really that bad?” Nell stroked the fake hair on her upper lip as if mulling over it. Yeah, it was pretty damn terrible, she knew.

Nell waited patiently and silently as Noly slipped away, and waited for her to return. So the girl wasn’t letting her leave? She grinned. Well, that was fine, in Nell’s eyes. She’d stay with the Water girl as long as it took. ”But of course,” she replied, as Noly took out the bag. She didn’t have anything to do, which is why she was able to come here so quickly in the first place. Taking the bag from Noly, she peaked inside and squealed. ”Blue!” she chirped. It was her favorite color, and so she grew excited as she rifled through the contents and pulled out the wig. Taking off her fedora and placing it on her head, she said, ”I always wondered what it would be like as a blond.” Then she chuckled, moving her head around so the hair swayed. Then, she asked the Water girl, ”Why do you have this stuff with you?”

She looked back up at Noly when the girl explained that she was about to bolt out of here and Nell eyed the wires around her. ”I noticed.” She was being hypocritical since she’d pulled a similar stunt—but she ran away from the hospital because otherwise she’d be released into police custody. But the poor girl sounded so tiny and innocent, Nell just wanted to give her anything she wanted. ”I know, it sucks here. But you got hurt, and it’s a necessary evil, Nono.” She would know. Because she ran away, her stitches opened a few times and now it healed like she was cut with a serrated blade. ”Just sleep her for the night, and I’ll stay with you and keep you safe, kay?”

A smile found its way onto Nell’s lips. Would a party be good in her condition? It must have been a minor concussion…but still. Well, Nell would just keep an eye out for her. And she said she’d asked if she had wanted anything. ”All right,” Nell replied. ”I’ll call our peeps tomorrow and pay for the hotel room.” She felt proud when she said she could pay for the room—her dad gave her a very high limit. ”As a matter of fact, I’ll get us a suite in a nice hotel, kay?” At least Noly was getting better. Hopefully the prospect of a party would make her feel up to snuff.