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A New Experiment	By : JuxtaposedWars Category: +S to Z > Soul Eater Views: 2718 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Atsushi Okubo's Soul Eater or its characters, and do not profit from their use. Nor do I know Fever Ray's song lyrics, or profit from their use.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
A New Experiment

Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: I do not own Atsushi Okubo's Soul Eater and gain no profit from its use. This is strictly a fan fiction.
Story Pairings: SteinxOC, SoulxMaka, mild SpiritxBlair

The glint of spark caught Rowan's attention, but she knew better than to react to it. Instead she busied herself in the library while Stein was teaching his class; from what he said, the start of the school year had been delayed by the recent battle and there was a lot of catching up to be done. She took the opportunity to read further into weapon and meister history and the mechanics of it. Vaguely, she noticed the Lord Reaper's son and the two girls that always followed him…probably his weapons. It was apparent he noticed her too and smiled at her, nodding his curtly as he walked by.
Rowan nodded back, but didn't return to reading when she saw the older girl with the long hair slump miserably into the chair across from her.
"Hey, you're that woman Stein's paired with aren't you?" The girl had a faraway look and aloof lips as she fumbled with the lollipop between her teeth.
"Yes. Are you…Patti?" Rowan asked, unsure of her words.
The long-haired girl shot her a look of surprise, but brushed it off. "Pfft…no, Patti's my little sister. Name's Liz Thompson. You're Parker, right?"
"If you prefer it." Rowan's voice came as coolly as her eyes.
"Cool." Liz simply ignored the strange answer, but very much paid attention to the grumbled stomach coming from her company and smirked at the opportunity.
"Hungry, huh?" Liz pointed to Rowan's stomach.
Rowan looked down at the distraction she tried to ignore under her shirt. "Nh…yes."
Laughing Liz took a little jab at the newcomer, "What the hell, doesn't the nut-case give you any food money?"
Figuring she meant Stein, Rowan closed the book and resigned to conversation. "Yes, he did give me currency, but…" she stopped when she began to feel incompetent.
Liz looked quizzically at the brunette, "But what?"
Rowan paused, trying not to sound like an imbecile, "I…don't know how to use them." She mumbled lowly.
Not quite sure how any female could not know how to use money, Liz caught on that this woman, she guessed five years her senior, needed to be shown the ropes. Smiling impishly as she did, Liz shouted out in the library in no particular direction, "KID! PATTI! I'M GONNA GRAB LUNCH WITH PARKER! SEE YA!" Quick as a flash, Liz snatched Rowan's hand and took off before any rebuttal could be voiced beyond the angry shushing of readers.
Bursting out in glee, Liz led Rowan down the street about a block or so before she stopped, laughing a little. Rowan smiled a little as she picked a hair from her eye. The auburn haired girl noticed Liz's eyes following her pinky-less hand, but the attention soon turned into an understanding glance—the signs off a weapon's life was more visible on some than on others. Sighing a bit, Liz brushed her wind-whipped hair back into place, and the two strolled onward. Naturally, Rowan felt threatened by the dirty-blonde's critiquing glances, like she was giving her the once-over, but dominating her instincts was the knowledge that Liz was a devoted weapon of the Grim Reaper's son, and she could be trusted despite Stein's annoyed commentary.
"So, Rowan, what do ya like to eat, anyway?" Liz piped up, not very patient with silence, as Rowan quickly surmised.
"Rabbit's nice." She mused while drifting mentally over the warm amber of Liz's trail.
A slight cringe played on the girl's face, "Ehh…I don't think we've got any of that. How about Italian?"
Rowan looked a little inspired by the suggestion. "I've seen pictures of Italian food, is it any good?"
"Any good?! You're joking, right?" Liz stopped dead in her tracks and dropped her jaw just enough to lose her lollipop on the dirty street at her feet.
Rowan simply looked at her, but didn't really know how to respond.
"Ro, are you seriously telling me you've never had Italian before?" Liz's eyes were becoming critical again, but Rowan reminded herself that it wasn't meant to harm.
The demon-glaive glanced away briefly and answered this time. "No."
Liz stared her in the eye, comfortably so since they seemed to be the same height. Sighing heavily, she hooked her arm around Rowan's, and led her along, side-by-side.
"Doesn't that creepy doctor ever let you out of the lab? That guy's such a weirdo." Liz rambled on in thinly veiled offense.
"He said that was the plan, when the target was off of my head. Apparently, I've been causing a lot of trouble." She frowned, not liking the idea of causing so much unrest.
Liz shook her head in disbelief at the words she just heard. "Tch! No more trouble than what everyone else starts. Do you really think people like Stein, Death Scythe, and…hell, even me and Patti don't have any enemies and price tags on our heads? It's part of the job, ya know."
"Well, the only thing that feels different is the scenery and way I'm supposed to fight. This whole killing-on-the-order instead of need is new to me."
"I know whatcha mean." Liz smiled. "Back in Brooklyn, before Kid, things were harder…a lot harder…but me and Patti never off'd anyone unless they were out to get us first. That whole 'don't ask questions' and 'need to know' bull was rough getting used to."
"Do you ever miss Brooklyn?" Rowan eyed her curiously.
"Hell no." Liz laughed out with no hesitation, "Yeah, we didn't have to answer to anyone in our borough, but there was no home to go to, and hoping for the next day to be better was stupid. I wanted Patti to have better and I wanted the good life, so no. Never." She concluded as she kicked a rock and lead Rowan into a small building.
Reading the sign, Rowan spoke to herself, trying to remember the little bit of Italian she'd learned. "Il Giardino Romano…The Roman Garden?"
"Yeah, this place has class." Liz grinned excitedly, "We all call it Romano's for short though…by the way, how much ya got?"
Rowan pulled out the wad of twenties from her tattered shorts pocket and passed it to Liz.
"Jeez, woman, can't you just tell me?" fisting the wad Rowan offered her with gawking eyes.
"Math's not my specialty."
Liz shot her a suspicious look, "Why the hell not, it's just addition."
Rowan paused for a bit, not realizing her ignorance in mathematics was a problem. "Never needed it. Just know the distance, the sizes, the weight, and take only what's needed…nothing complicated." She spoke plainly, not ashamed or embarrassed about it at all.
It donned on Liz then at how out of touch her new friend was with this life she'd been thrown into. Just she was about to say something, the hostess greeted the two. As they were walking to their table under the arbor, Liz watched Rowan from the corner of her eye, and at how those violet-eyes were looking dazzled at the warm stucco and impressionist paintings on the walls. As sad as it made her, Liz could appreciate the wonderment that played on Rowan's face; when Kid first took her and her sister in, she acted like a giddy school girl at the sight of the mansion they'd be living in, all of the new clothes and makeup she was given, the warm beds, hot meals every day, and the way Kid constantly doted on them both while only asking for their weapon-skills. They were more alike than Liz would care to admit, but right now, she could tell Rowan needed someone who could understand what she was going through.
"What would you like to drink, ladies?" their waiter piped up happily as they unlocked arms and took their seats.
"The usual, Mark, but I'm going to a new dish today." Liz leaned forward, propping her chin on hand, sending the muscular waiter a sly smirk and a wink.
Mark grinned doggishly and turned to Rowan, instantly turned into a innocent man, "And for you, Miss?"
"Water, thank you." Rowan spoke respectfully, but didn't stop staring at the different kinds of vines tangling in the arbor above them.
Liz and the waiter exchanged affectionate glances as Mark leaned over to watch the flowers with Rowan. "Beautiful aren't they? There're morning glories, wisteria, and moon flowers."
"For the morning, day, and night…" Rowan smiled at the creative arrangement for time.
Mark chuckled as he returned to his order book, "Exactly right, but I wouldn't expect any less from the great meister's weapon partner. Would you two like to order now, or do you need some time?" his smile beamed.
"Some more time, please." Liz smiled as she looked at the menu for this first time in what felt like a year.
Bowing slightly, Mark strolled off leaving Liz to pick up the old subject. "So what about you?" the blonde spoke as she skimmed the menu.
"Pardon?" Rowan broke out of her trance.
"Alaska. Ya miss it?" She looked up to meet eyes with the wild-haired woman.
"Sometimes…" Rowan paused, looking past the wrought-iron terrace to the surrounding wasteland. "…It wouldn't be the same though. It's lost its worth."
"What kept you there?"
Rowan looked from the corner of her eye to see that critical stare again. "My first meister." She didn't turn her head, but her eyes still locked on Liz as a nod of deep understanding came from across the café table.
As Mark returned with their drinks, Rowan quickly scanned the menu, and found what she wanted in a few seconds. Her tastes were open, and she knew years ago, what she wanted her first Italian meal to be and to her luck, Romano's served everything she wanted.
"What can I get you both?" Mark turned his head side to side, seeing who would order first.
Liz gestured for Rowan to start as she winked at Mark a second time. "I'd like this antipasto sampler, puttanesca, and tiramisu for dessert please."
"Excellent choices." He scribbled down the order. "Miss Thompson?"
"Mmm…that scallop linguine sounds really good…let's go with that. I'll share her appetizer and dessert." She smiled and passed him her menu in what Rowan thought was a very sultry way.
Mark kept rambling on, but Rowan didn't really listen, as her eyes followed Liz's hands. The nails seemed what looked more glossy than normal, and very clean. They were lightly scarred, but anyone that wasn't focusing wouldn't notice. She watched as Liz's dirty-blonde locks seemed to have their own vigor, shimmering like gold in the few spots where the Sun escaped the vines. Taking in a deep sigh, Rowan caught her companion's scent—it was sweet and bold, like the Lily of the Valley Kodiak kept potted in the cabin a wild rose she found one time, and a little hint of musk. Her cowgirl hat and tie made her seem silly in a way, but to each her own.
Mark had left to put in their orders and Liz was saying something about how the servings were big, how sharing wouldn't be a problem, and how much she liked scallops. Then it hit Rowan, "You eat scallops this far from the coast?" her eyebrows quirked in bafflement.
"Yeah, so? They sell them everywhere. Why? Something wrong?" Liz's questioned.
Hearing her speak of how commonplace it was, Rowan decided against her original concerns, "No. Guess not." She smiled. "You smell nice, by the way."
The blonde-haired girl didn't really know where the strange compliment came from, "Thanks, it's Anne Klein."
Liz feigned dumbness at times, but everyone who's anyone knew she wasn't an idiot—she could see what was in the smile that that violet-eyed girl gave. It was wishful thinking: the smile someone gave when they wanted something that they'd given up on trying to find. She'd noticed several times how Rowan always wore the same two oufits: suede and jeans, or shorts and fishnet.
"Got any other clothes?" Liz asked off-handedly.
"No. I didn't tell them where the cabin was, so I left with what I had on me." Rowan shrugged lazily, staring once again at the wisteria, trying to ignore something black that was making a fuss on the floor beneath her and sending pins and needles up her calve.
A mischievous twinkle was in Liz's eyes as she counted up the wad of twenties. Satisfied with the amount, she smirked, "Cool. You just gave us an excuse to go shopping."
They both laughed carefree as Mark brought their plates to the table. Rowan could see Liz would become something precious to her soon enough.

~*~

"Hey! Dr. Dissect! Open the damn door, or I'll just pick the lock!" Loud pounding on the door and the Thompson girl's attitude were drilling into the backs of his eyes.
In light of the recent insurgency, he had to teach the first years about martial law in emergencies and he had a couple of 'anarchists' distracting his class. It left his eyeballs feeling bloated.
"Pick away." He grumbled, chucking bifocals aside to massage the bridge of his nose. "You can log it on your timesheet as circumstantial training, for all I care."
Stein heard the clinking of the lock and in less than twenty seconds, the sound of two pairs of feet walked in. He looked through his mind's eye to see Liz's soul and surprisingly, Rowan's. Opening his to see nothing but two blurs, his face remained drained and emotionless.
"Hello ladies. Had a good day?" He didn't want to come off like an ass, but his headache was forcing a little more attitude into his words than he would've liked.
Just as he was expecting an insult from the comeback queen, Stein heard a wretch and the sound of running footsteps.
"Scallops…" Rowan sighed with no signs of surprise. "You wouldn't happen to have some ipecac lying around, would you?"
As Stein massaged his eyes and returned his glasses atop his nose, he leaned back in his chair to see Rowan flipping through a little field book…in leather? Lot's of leather. White leather…knee-high boots, bolero jacket, and a snug mini-skirt, in fact. Under it all was a red satin corset top…and a white leather spiked collar. A shiver ran up his back, "Damn it…" he hissed; there was no hope of escape now.
"Stein…ipecac?" she mumbled, not lifting a glance from her book.
With a solid kick to the desk, he rolled right into Rowan, successfully—though not gracefully—knocking the demon-glaive into his lap. She shot him a look of annoyance as her book landed on his head. He was wearing that stupid, cheeky grin that she'd only seen once before, and it destroyed her composure.
Seeing his hungry eyes roaming her up close she tried to hold back a fit of laughter, "What are you thinking now?" knowing fool-well what his thoughts were.
"Nothing appropriate at all." He laughed huskily, still with that goofy smile slapped on his face, and latching a hand firmly to her leather-clad backside.
Rowan lost it, and giggled madly as he ignored the students who passed by in the hallway; how he acted around his weapon partner after school hours was none of their damn business. His weapon pushed herself off of the mad professor while trying to stifle her laughter—she would never be able to take the gray-haired man seriously if he kept on with that smile. The tiny book fell from his wiry-locks down to the spot on his charcoal and stitched pants that were quickly losing Rowan's heat.
Flipping through the pages of tiny, worn reference, colloquial names and technical sketches were easily recognized by the scientist and caught his interest. "Adder's Tongue…Belladonna…Garlic…Juniper Berry…Ramps. Quite a collection you've created here. How many years did it take you to compile this?"
Rowan wiped a laughing-tear from her face, "One hundred and twenty-seven plants. I think it took eight years, more or less."
"Oh my!" His face lit up in that stupid smile again and Rowan didn't even try to fight the second bout of laughter. "Who knew foxglove was a combatant for atherosclerosis when handled correctly? You little vixen—" He wheeled over and slapped the book over his partner's ass.
"Ich!" The wild-haired girl squeaked in surprise.
"—you've been holding out on me." He waved the little field book in front of her, swiveling his chair every time Rowan tried to retrieve the text. "I might have to confiscate this for research purposes!" Stein grinned impishly.
Rowan's violet-eyes were aflame as she snatched her precious book from the annoyingly-playful professor, pointing an accusing finger at him. "No sir, you have a patient dying of seafood-poisoning. So hop to it!"
"And you have to have chat with me over some tea!" A perky voice cut in.
Rowan nearly jumped out of her skin while Stein simply waved at the glass pane that contained Lord Death's image.
"Whoops! Sorry, very sorry, but you do need to try some of this tea! It's just delicious; there's a nice hot cup waiting here for you! See ya soon Rowan Parker!" The reaper waved and disappeared from the glass pane.
Yes, she had spoken to the Grim Reaper once before, but barely. His strange physical form and his constantly imposing presence since her arrival in Death City left her unwilling to speak most of the time when he was mentioned. The feral girl wasn't exactly sure if taking an audience with him was a good idea.
"Better not keep him waiting, love. You'll be fine." Stein smiled warmly. "He's a harmless old geezer. Besides, I'll be waiting for you outside of the Death Room when I get done with Thompson."
Rowan paused for what like a long time as she considered his words, still not buying it fully. "Mm…sure. Thank you."
Sated with her answer, Stein started to scoot his chair to the door, sighing heavily. "To the Dispensary, then. Damn scallops." He grumbled and kicked off into an acceleration down the hall, nearly running over any students in his way.
- 12
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A New Experiment