Task Orientated

Part 1.4

I...

There's a dull ache.

I'm bouncing about.

Augh, there's that awful shrieking sound again.

That breeze feels nice on the left side of my face.

I...

There's something warm and memory foamy under me.

It's like a bamboo pillow.

Where did that warm memory foamy thing go?

The breeze isn't as cool as what I'm sat upon.

One by one my senses came back to me, after what felt like an eternal recalibration. My eyes fluttered open, the colours blurred, and the shapes shifted until Vanessa appeared before me. I feel her scaly fingers wipe my exposed face.

Her worried expression shifts, to a meek smile then to a relieved grin as she exclaims, "Oh, Thank fuck..."

My eyes water, as she holds a finger in front of my nose. Feeling a test, I follow them side to side. Vanessa's hand shifts off my face and now tugs at the chin strap. She lifts off my helmet and places it beside me. Her fingers lift my chin and she gently rest her brow against mine.

She pulls back, and begins to speak, "thank god, it's just a... mild... concussion... I reckon that's the only time, anyone has ever been thankful for a concussion, eh Audax?"

She sits down on my right side.

I groan, feeling the ache morph into a puncture. Vanessa pats my chest.

I can hear her gathering her breath, pausing to weakly chuckle. Her head rolls around to look at me, and she says, "we got fucked in there didn't we? Least we're alive... and as an added benefit, I know who I'm working with finally. Even better he's kinda cute. I'm joking, I'm joking audax. Laughter is the best medicine eh? To be honest Audax, for a while I kinda though you were a robot... like I'd tease you and you wouldn't even react. It was like you were this solely objective focused drone for a lot of the time y'know."

She pauses, almost laughs at herself, "point is... it's nice to know that the guy under the bird mask you'd accidentally hint every once in a while, exists."

My response comes out as a sputtering cough.

Vanessa hugs her knees to her chest, continuing, "Like earlier, you asked if I was cold... completely dropped that mask for a second there. Changed accent and everything... from as per usual, or over the top... typical no non-sense Audax... to ... well... some who... something that well caught me off guard."

"You're... not... a fan of... Audax, are you?" I could only muster a weak raspy tone, but Vanessa heard every word of it.

Her face tensed up momentarily, and she awkwardly spoke, "err... let me put it this way, I like you. But I don't like... I don't like Audax - the persona that is."

"I'm... I'm sorry. I've been worried about you..."

"But Audax never did, to unprofessional... eh?"

I nod.

"I worry about you too," Vanessa spoke, "especially these previous few months... you've been colder and even more distant then ever..."

She pauses, looking away briefly, "what's been going on?"

I chuckle but begin to cough. Vanessa looks to me confused. "I've fucked up royally, Vanessa. I was keeping secrets from... err... I guess, my now ex."