Unpretentious

Chapter Four: Unpretentious

Chapter Four: Unpretentious

The return to the shuttle is spent in silence, Call keeps her fingers firmly intertwined with Ripley's, but doesn't force her to talk, nor does she glance at her insistently.

The experience in the woods has been so overwhelming that she cannot expect it to be erased by mere words of comfort and in a blink of an eye.

Once in their little cabin, the android helps her sit on the edge of the bunk, helps her to take the jacket off the shoulders, to pull the dirty boots off, as well as her torn pants.

She throws everything in a corner, she will think about later.

She leads her in the narrow bathroom, opens the shower jet and leaves her there while she's looking for clean linen and a towel among Hillard's things.

In some part of her conscience, Ripley watches the young woman's gestures apathetically, her memory is still stuck at those images and deep emotions experienced in the woods, as if she wanted to hold them back for the terror that if she let them go she would lose even the last memories of Newt.

She doesn't know how long she stayed in front of the shower curtain, beyond which the water flows noisily. The steam has already invaded the small room.

Beyond the veil in her eyes, she senses Call approaching back, she feels her gaze on her for a few seconds, yet, she's still unable to react.

The Auton takes a deep breath, but there is no hint of irritation in it, she deposits what she's carrying, quickly takes off her boots and pants and spurs her silently and gently. Her delicate fingers brush lightly her lower back, while the girl enters with her under the hot water spray.

Encouraged by the dialogue they have had before Ripley's rush into the woods and motivated by the hybrid's abulia, Call wins the embarrassment that would otherwise have paralyzed her.

The shower is so tiny that no matter what movement she makes, the curtain keeps going to stick on her skin. She shoves away the annoying feeling, focusing on the still apathetic woman in front of her.

After soaping the soft sponge hanged on the hook, she lovingly cleanses her scratched face and neck, taking care that the soap doesn't end up in her eyes, already abundantly irritated. With the same care, taking her hands one at a time, she washes away from her long arms the dirt, the dried blood and the sweat accumulated for days.

Her wounds are already healing, she notices, there's no longer risk she will burn herself with her acid blood, but even if there was, she wouldn't care at all in this very moment.

She helps her to takes off her wet tank top, ignoring the sight of her naked body, she washes her back and hair. Then she makes her turn around and with a gentle look, she deposits the sponge in her hand.

"Do you wanna try on your own?", she proposes. She waits patiently until Ripley shows her an indecisive nod.

Moved by the cares of the young woman, slowly the clone awakens from her inertia, striving to cooperate when requested. Call looks at her with an encouraging smile, before turning around and stepping to a corner to give her as more room as possible to allowing her to move in that tiny space.

Ripley sees her to take off her tank top and briefs, in quick and practical gestures, and starting to wash efficiently.

The hybrid's movements are still a bit uncertain, but she manages to complete her own personal cleansing, including getting rid of the briefs she's still wearing.

She observes the young woman struggling in small space, trying to wash her hair, and she feels the need to help her, she feels her stiffing under her hands for a brief moment as soon as her long fingers sink into her hair, she stops.