Story:The Day Hanji was Happy/4

&lt; Previously

The day of the concert was here, and while everyone else was awaiting Artemis’ performance Hanji, Concord, and Xaras were putting up the final touches on their sound system. The one at their makeshift stage was finished a while back, but the real test was for the one at the manikin pens.

After all, having a concert near Hanji’s pets didn’t seem like the best plan.

“That does it on my end, you two good?” Xaras asked, looking at the scientist and the robot.

“This unit has completed her task.”

“Oh yeah, ready as rain!”

Sokutei and Iae exchanged worried glances. One was there as part of the experiment, much to her dismay, and the other simply as a failsafe. While the four of them could easily deal with any mishaps, having a scholar around to whip up some magic didn’t seem like a terrible idea. After a few basic sound tests, violin music started pouring out. Both onto the small crowd in front of Artemis and to the manikins. While the musician was able to disguise his nervousness behind the soothing melody, the group of scientists far off only started to grow in theirs. One question would make or break this experiment:

What if they didn’t have emotions after all?

At first there was no real change. This was to be expected, as even Hanji wasn’t under that harmonic enchantment when it first lulled into her ears. However, manikin psychology was a largely irrelevant field up until this point. All previous experiments showed that a tame manikin was largely one made by accident, and that by default they were inherently hostile to any organism besides themselves. As the effects of the music started to make a light calm upon the audience, there was almost no effect out at the pens. Sure the nervousness of the scientists was lessened, but the manikins themselves didn’t change in the least.

“Come on…” Hanji’s arms were crossed as she nearly growled the words while idly chewing on the knuckle of one finger. A bad habit she’d developed, although when and where had been long forgotten. Nearly a half hour passes and Sokutei scoffs at the intense look their handler was giving her manikins.

“It’s not working, let’s pack up and go to the concert in person.” She pointed out, eagerly ready to just leave. She was only hear as an over glorified peer review, so if the experiment failed than her usefulness was outlived.

“Maybe it just-”

“Did it take you this long?” Sokutei asked, looking among everyone. Hanji turned with a confused, almost disbelieving, expression. “When he played for you, did it take this long?”

“No, but perhaps manikins are different. Or he just isn’t as good playing for a crowd.” Hanji looked for any reason to explain that this wasn’t a direct failure. She turned back to the manikins, gazing along all of them with pleading eyes. “Work, damn it…” She murmured to herself, chewing on the knuckle again.

“We detect no changes in them.” Concord pointed out, with Hanji idly growling in response. Disappointment may be the primary emotion among them, but frustration was the only thing Hanji felt. Frustration and anger welling up inside her that such indirect music could not suppress. Xaras looked between everyone and shrugged, knowing that she couldn’t do anything else for the situation. Her and Sokutei were in similar positions, but opposite mindsets. While Sokutei wanted the experiment to be called off before she left, Xaras didn’t mind just leaving.

“Well, my work’s done here. If anything changes, let me know.” She waved as nobody stopped her, although Iae and Sokutei would nod in acknowledgement.

“We’ll be sure to fill you in on the final results.” Iae called back before turning to Hanji. “Whenever that happens, anyways.”

“It’ll work. If not like this, then somehow. I know it will.” Hanji murmured, pulling the knuckle out from between her teeth as she tapped her finger on the other arm. Light bite marks could be seen where she was chewing on it, and a fire growing in her eyes as reality sunk in. A complete, and total, failure.

Hanji nearly roared in anger as a fireball was flung out from her digitizer, careening straight toward Concord. The robot didn’t move, however, as it knew that it wasn’t a threat. Instead, it merely landed harmlessly off to the side with a small explosion. Heat may have licked the legs of the machine, but no damage was done.

“Calm down!” Sokutei called out, walking up to Hanji. Not the best idea, and everyone knew this, but Concord wasn’t in the best position to help out and Iae was preparing for if Hanji’s flashes of anger started getting more violent.

Hanji turned to Sokutei, the digitizer brought up again, but stopped herself. Lashing out wouldn’t solve anything, and if she’d gotten the manikins riled up for combat it would only make things worse. Instead, a sigh merely left her lips as she walked past the group.

“Go join the concert. I’ll catch up later.” She told them. As she continued to walk off, Concord gave a quizzical look to the others. The robot didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“Come on. Best to let her be alone.” Sokutei answered the unspoken question, walking off with Concord to where Artemis was.

In truth, Hanji had actually been preparing a special manikin. One she had captured and relocated to her pens. Not just to grow her ever expanding collection, but also because she held a special interest in it.

All manikins had titles, monikers, to symbolize who they represented. Shirayuri’s was a Reprinted Peacekeeper, Concord’s a Bizarre Cathexis, and for reasons Hanji didn’t know Vania’s was deemed a Duplicate Empress. This one, Hanji had declared the Altered Scientist. The girl stared down at a crystalline version of herself, seeing it now as a symbol more than a creature or object. This was the source of her frustration, all of her obsessions, and perhaps if she beat this she’d be able to overcome this torrent of emotions that welled inside her. Even if she knew that she was assigning metaphorical values to a physical object.

That day was a day of accidental introspection. One she’d capitalize on since the experiment had ended in a whimpering failure. Both Hanjis drew their knives, as a spectator wanded up nearby. Iae would not enter the makeshift battlefield, but would remain on standby nonetheless. Though she was a field agent, Hanji was no fighter. This manikin would be, for all intents and purposes, a more ferocious version of her. One that wouldn’t hesitate or stall.

No words were exchanged between the two as they drew knives. Hanji’s started to glow as plasma emitted out of it, while the crystal mimicked the behavior with some brand of magic. As soon as knives were drawn the manikin shot forward at peak human speeds. Hanji wasn’t prepared for the sudden onslaught as plasma licked across her cheeks and the attached blade cut into her.

She stumbled back with a cry of pain, the manikin quickly followed through by stabbing at the girl. The blade, alight with energy, sunk into her stomach. Iae was prepared to stop the fight then and there, but her casting was interrupted.

“LET ME DO THIS!” Hanji cried out through the pain, her digitizer forming an electronic pistol in her hand. Iae was reluctant to agree, and instead casted her magic far more subtly. Hanji needed this, but she also needed healing. Lustrate would be a good spell to start, much as Iae wanted to be more direct.

Hanji fired off and drained the battery of her gun into the manikin’s stomach, photonic rounds punching through the crystalline structure. It was forced reeling away, pulling out the knife as Iae healed the wound. Hanji digitized the gun and lunged forward, plunging her own blade into the shoulder of the manikin before ripping it out and hacking at it’s head in one crazed swing. This wild attack was met with a knee to where the knife wound had once been, following through with a punch to the head with the knife hand and a pommel strike across Hanji’s temple.

Again Iae begun casting magic, only to remind herself that stopping the fight would only aim Hanji’s anger and violence at her. The lalafell was conflicted, but if Hanji needed this than her help would remain subtle. Especially if it seemed like she was doing nothing at all, which is where Excogitation would come in handy. A nice little spell that would do it’s work if Hanji started to get into danger, but would allow Iae to watch from the sidelines claiming to have done nothing at all.

The manikin continued it’s assault, slashing downward to cut into Hanji’s neck. Normally a powerful blow but it healed much like the crystal beast healed from it’s injuries. Hanji shoulder bashed the manikin during the small opening, digitizing a shield onto her arm and slamming it flat onto the altered scientist. Both the knife and shield were put back into the digitizer and replaced by a two handed cannon. A single shot would release from it, causing an explosion of light that would knock the manikin onto it’s back.

It was the look on Hanji’s face once the cannon dismissed and the knife reappeared. An angered snarl, eyes still alight with flame. Iae knew that this wouldn’t end without her intervene after all. The manikin was defeated, but the fight was not over.

Hanji lunged onto it, sitting atop the fixation of her anger. Her knife went to stab down, but didn’t connect. Again and again she stabbed downward. Both hands upon the knife, and not enough strength to punch through. Only enough to let out a cry of anger towards even this failure.

“Sacred Soil.” Iae spoke up, waking into the pen.

“WHAT!?” Hanji looked over, her eyes wet and red despite the teeth gnashing snarl.

“This isn’t helping, so I cast a spell on it so you couldn’t do more damage.” Iae explained, reading herself for Hanji’s assault. But it never came. Instead, the girl dropped her knife and just let out heavy panting. While it did quell the fire inside of her, she was still frustrated. Frustrated that what could have been a breakthrough ended up being a wild goose chase.

“...Go away.” She spoke out finally, picking up the knife. Hanji got up and walked out of the pen, knowing the manikin would recover sooner than not. But Iae followed.

“You always deal with your problems in unhealthy ways, Hanji. Did you think nobody would notice?” The lalafell asked. She caught up with her friend, hanging close despite being told to leave. She wanted to help. She knew she could help.

“That’s my business. I mean… things have improved since I distanced myself, right?”

“No. People do miss you. Even if your pranks get on our nerves sometimes, you brought energy to the place.” Iae corrected. Words meant to fall upon deaf ears.

“...Really?” But they didn’t. Hanji stared at the sky. Though it was always grey and lifeless on Sundry, sometimes she swore that a sun rose and fell with the days. A living thing way up above the clouds.

“Of course. One experiment failing doesn’t mean you’re any less of a person. Science is all about trial and error, we just keep notes and keep trying.”

“Because even a failed hypothesis can be transformed into a working theory of the cosmos.” Hanji continued. She gazed down at Iae, a smile upon her lips and eyes still puffy from crying. The two shared the reassuring expression for the moment before Hanji popped up again. “Think the concerts still going on?”

“It’s been a while, so it might be over by the time we get there.” Yet, even through the powerful emotion upon her face, that infamous grin reemerged.

“Good. Then perhaps we can force Art into trying his music far more directly. A proper follow up, don’t you think?” Yet Hanji gave no time for answers. She rushed off towards the venue that had been constructed, leaving Iae happy to help but worried for the musician.

“Aiya…” Being the only phrase that could possibly express those complicated emotions.

 Fin