Depression Debilitater: Heroes Don't Stay Down (Me/Rackie/Ema)

It had been nearly two months since the incident, and though the Toromakis had been sure to provide Millie with lodging, care, and an automated wheelchair, it had seemed all for naught. Even now, she had yet to leave the room that had been made into her own, spending her days staring blankly out of the window, at best. Getting her to leave the room, much less the manor, had seemed an impossible endeavour. What the meister had yet to grasp, however, was that she was living with Toromakis.

Impossible didn't exist.

Fed up with the frankly "pitiful" behavior, Rin stormed into her room, dressed for a day at the park, and forced Millie from it, pushing the wheelchair, the power control temporarily disabled. Protests had followed, of course, but the powerful girl dismissed each one, intent on getting the other to health, once more. Perhaps she would, in fact, never walk, and it wasn't exactly like her arm could just spontaneously grow back, but rotting away indoors wasn't going to do Millie or anyone else any favors.

Certainly, it was not behavior befitting a hero.

Millie had given up protesting when Rin wheeled the chair out of the house. Instead, she sat quietly in her chair, allowing the Toromaki to maneuver her around the city as she pleased. The now sixteen year old girl sat in her chair, her hair left to hang down, brushed only due to the care the Toromaki family ha been providing for her. Her eyes had a look of pure defeat in them, the dull brown color having lost all shine. She was scrawny, but she had always been scrawny... The nub that she now knew as a right arm hung at her side, bandages no longer necessary for the rounded stub that barely hung out of the sleeve of her tee shirt. She seemed more like a messed up doll than a person, but the occasional rise and fall of her chest proved that the girl was still alive... At least, her body was...

Stephanie walked into her favorite park with excitement in her eyes. The young engineer was carrying two big bags in her hands. She had a wide smile on her face and her eyes were shining with excitement. She wanted to test her newest little toy, her awesome remote-controlled drone equipped with two small jet engines. What could possibly go wrong? Stephy hummed "London Bridge is falling down" as she put her bags under an oak tree and pulled her toy and her tools out of them. She wanted to test her drone as soon as possible. "This time, it'll work for sure~!" The engineer told herself cheerfully with excitement in her voice. Stephy started preparing her drone for its first flight. The weather was perfect and she was sure that this time nothing will explode. It was her lucky day! ...Probably. Uh..Evacuate the area, please!
Stephanie decided to take a short break after she finished her preparations. She pulled a can of cola out of her bag and opened it. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and started drinking her favorite sweet cola.

If nothing else, it made sense, to Rin, at least, for Millie to try to not look like she was dead to the world. What the other meister could possibly be thinking, where she could be within that little head of hers, was beyond the Toromaki entirely, but that was not going to stop her from trying to drag Millie out of it. If that meant that she would do so with the girl metaphorically kicking and screaming, then so be it. Honestly, that would be a far better reaction than the complete and total lack of one that she was getting, at present.

Rin carted the wheelchair through the city and down to it's expansive park. The fresh air would do Millie good, and maybe the sunlight, the views, or just not being completely and totally left alone would help, as well. At any rate, she found herself pushing the wheelchair along the paved walking paths, careful to avoid the ones that had been replaced with gravel.

Millie sat in her chair, watching as things ranging from people to trees passed by. The girl looked at the ground, watching the pavement roll under her feet. She watched the children playing and the elderly feeding the animals. All the while she maintained her defeated look. At some point, she attempted to glance back at Rin, but did not bother to turn her head. The woman had been trying pretty hard to cheer Millie up lately... She almost felt bad for Rin, if only for a moment...

Stephy threw the empty can into her bag and grabbed a remote controller. "Alrighty~! It's time to start the first test flight of my "Super duper jet drone Mk.4!" Teehee!" The girl commented as she started the drone's engines. The machine started to gain speed very quickly and finally took off the ground. Stephanie got very excited. "Yes! Great! It works!" She said loudly with happiness. Her drone finally worked. Stephy started to use the remote to control it. The young engineer started to play with her new toy. It was so much fun. However, she quickly noticed that something is not right. Why..Why did the drone suddenly started to lose height? Why did the engines stop working? Why didn't the drone respond to the movements of her remote controller?
"Uh-oh...This is bad!" The young engineer commented loudly.
Her drone was about to crash right next to a girl in a wheelchair and her friend! "Watch out!" Stephanie shouted to the two girls, but it was too late because her drone had already crashed about 3 meters (~10 feet) away from them.

In moments, Rin's bandages were flying from her arms and patching themselves as a weak shield between the pair and the explosion. Grinding her teeth, tears tried to well at the corners of the meister's eyes as the soul-powered creations took the impact, some tearing and others separating from the main group entirely. Those that broke away fell useless to the ground, and when all was said and done, Rin was wincing, summoning what remained back to her. Mentally, she made a note to replace them. Her first focus was Millie, whom she was in front of and checking for injuries in moments, repeatedly asking if she was okay.

When the blast hit, Rin's bandages shielded Millie. The familiar sound of a blast echoed through her head, causing Millie to grab what was left of her right arm, the wound's mental scar tore wide open, leaving Millie to yelp loudly at the memory of her arm being blasted away. Simultaneously, the nub sparked up, giving off a quick flash of wavelength. When the bandages fell and the blast was scattered, Rin was in the dazed child's face questioning her condition. Millie seemed to give a distant look, almost as if struggling to identify Rin, before giving a slow nod. "I-I'm fine... What happened...?"

"Well! At least it diddidn't explod-.." Stephy commented. However, she was wrong because right after her comment, the drone exploded, turning her face pale. Maybe she is a bit care-free, but not stupid. She knew that the explosion of her drone could have harmed the two girls.
The weapon quickly approached the two, laughing nervously and started scratching back of her head.
"Uh...A-are you two okay? Uh.. My experimental drone apparently...was..well..I've lost control over it..my apologies" The self proclaimed engineer said and once again laughed nervously. Stephanie noticed an unusual expression on the face of the girl in the wheelchair. The weapon looked her right into the eyes. That girl needed someone who would change her broken fate. Someone who would release her from her wheelchair that apparently was her cage, her prison.
Stephanie calmed down and gave them both a friendly smile.
"Anyway. I'm Stephanie Phillips, the demon exosuit and the amateur inventor" She introduced herself with a friendly tone as she put her hands on her hips.

The expression on her fellow meister's face made Rin go pale, her worry only increasing, folding in over itself and multiplying. Finally, Millie spoke, and a breath of relief fell forward in the form of a sigh, easing a steady calm slowly into being across the Toromaki's nerves. As the weapon approached, however, those same nerves seemed to bristle, needle thorns akin to any quilled being, ready to be launched even before a notice could be given. Looking back, Rin managed to maintain a cool exterior, appearing just as noble as ever, though her hand remained on Millie's immobile leg. Presenting the weapon with a falsely warm smile, she nodded, calming as swiftly as she could, though it wasn't enough to dull the fire raging beneath the surface. "We're alright," she began simply, nodding gently towards Millie, "Rin Toromaki, this is... well, why don't you introduce yourself?" Her attention was back on Millie, tone thoughtful, expression earnestly soft and encouraging.

The girl gave a small, exhausted sigh, locking eyes with the weapon. ".... Achilles... Student..." She spoke flatly, having re-composed herself. She took care not to state that she was a meister. She could no longer do any of the things she could do as a meister before, let alone anything spectacular like some meisters. Most people didn't use her first name, they used her middle. But she felt that sharing a name with a fallen warrior was fitting now... Exoskeleton though. That was a very interesting weapon form, and Millie couldn't help but glance the girl up and down silently."What... What does it do...? Your Exoskeleton...?" She finally asked, almost in a mumble.

In Stephy's eyes, Rin was definitely from a noble family. Maybe she's a princess? The engineer had always thought that every princess behaves politely just to look good in people's eyes. So, she easily noticed the fake smile that the young Tomoraki had on her face. "I am the master of smiles! You can't fool me, princess~!" She thought. The weapon's smile turned into a grin as she focused her attention on Achilles. "Nice to meet ya~!" Stephanie replied.
The young inventor needed a short while to come up with an answer to Millie's question.
"Well...It..Exoskeletons exist to enhance the physical capabilities of everyone who wears them 'n' stuff~!" Stephanie explained cheerfully with pride in her voice.
"I, for example can be wield through my meister's thoughts which is awesome, because thoughts are faster than muscles." She added.

Rin's expression turned to genuine curiosity, and she stared at the weapon student critically, looking her up and down. "You don't operate on a physical level?" The question was earnest, even with the concern still tinging its edges. If this suit could be operated by non-physical means...

Millie's face grew VERY serious at Rin's question, looking to Steph, a fire lighting in her eyes that had gone long unstoked. "R-Rin, help me up.." She stated, reaching her left hand out to the meister. It was a long shot, but if she could force her soul to match this weapon... That is... If the weapon would let her try...

Stephanie shrugged. "I can, but it's not fun, right? It's too mainstream! Too cliche! Controlling stuff with the power of your mind is cooler!" The engineer replied to Rin's question just to let her know that she can operate on a physical level.
The weapon looked at Rin and smiled even wider than before. Her heart started beating faster from excitement. "Oooh~! Achilles is a meister huh~!? Great~! Come on, White-haired princess, let's help this hero get up~!" The great excitement was in her voice. Stephanie approached the meister and waited for Rin to start helping Millie up. "I kinda knew, what to do when I saw you, Achi! I somehow knew, you want to escape that wheelchair. With my help, it'll be possible!" Stephanie's voice was loud and filled with hope.

Rin obeyed the girl without question, aiding her as needed into standing. At a certain point, she had to fully support the other meister's weight herself. However, as long as Millie was moving, she didn't care in the slightest. "Whenever you're ready.." She said, only the slightest hint of strain in her voice.

Millie gave a nod, her legs refusing to keep her up. If Rin wasn't here, this would have been a lot more difficult. The girl had done a lot for Millie, there was no denying that. With a deep breath, Millie focused on her soul. "That's what I'm hoping for... Will you transform for me...?" She asked, an almost desperate look in her eyes.

Stephanie suddenly hugged Millie without a warning. "Alright..I'm holding you now" Said the weapon with a smile. Stephanie was holding Millie's body with her arms. Rin could rest a bit, because most of Achilles' weight was on the weapon. "I'll have to learn to transform as fast as it is possible" The engineer commented as she focused her body and her soul. Stephy started the transformation. Her body disappeared, or rather turned into energy which started to form something around Millie's body. Soon the energy turned into a exoskeleton. That's right. Stephanie appeared around the meister's body. Or if I have to put it into different words: after the transformation the meister was already inside the exoskeleton. That was their exciting moment of truth. Even Stephanie was surprised how serious she became. She focused her soul. She wanted to be able to work with Millie. She wanted her soul to be able to match Millie's.
"Alright..Transformation has been completed successfully. Welcome on board Achi~!" Stephy said cheerfully.

Rin had stepped away, slowly, when Stephanie took on the weight of the girl. Keeping a reasonable distance, she watched as the weapon took shape, forming around the meister. No signs of rejection seemed to occur, but the Toromaki knew better than to say such flat-out; they needed time for their souls to settle to know whether or not they worked.

"How are you doing in there, Millie?"

Millie took focus as her soul attempted to sync up to the weapon. As soon as the transformation finished, Millie knew something was wrong. A bit of steam came off of Millie's body where the weapon made contact. It burned her... This lasted mere moments before Millie closed her eyes tight, gritting her teeth. Steph and anyone with Soul Perception could feel Millie's wavelength fluctuate violently, settling to the rhythm of Steph's, despite being very... odd. Millie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as thee steam and the burning stopped. "Thank you, I'm alright." She replied to the two, focusing her mind on taking an initial, albeit awkward, step.

Stephanie could feel the tension. Her face appeared in a strange reflection that was on the exoskeleton's arm. The engineer's face was pale as she noticed steam coming off of the meister's body. She was afraid to hurt her. Stephy noticed the changes in Millie's soul. Her face showed signs of stress. Cold sweat was dripping from her forehead. However, after a while, everything seemed normal again, so the girl sighed in relief. Her healing wavelength started working and the burns on Millie's body began to disappear. Stephanie smiled as she felt how the exoskeleton moved forward. Her reflection disappeared from the weapon's arm. "Good job, Achi.." The engineer thought. Stephy completely forgot that as long as Millie was inside the exoskeleton, she could hear her thoughts.

The Toromaki's face betrayed her, in this moment, beaming as she observed the pair. The step wasn't perfect, and no one could, by any accounts, expect it to be. However, it was there. For the first time in months, Millie had been able to move her legs, even if she wasn't directly the one doing so. "Millie," She said, watching her, moving so that she was a few paces directly in front of them. "Look at you!"

A large grin struck Millie's face as her foot hit the ground. So that was how it worked... "I think I got it..." Millie stated, hopping in place a few times with a bit of focus. "It might take some practice... But it doesn't feel unnatural..." She stated, seeming to move into thought. "If you'll have me... I think you're the only weapon that suits me now..?" She offered, experimentally trying to move the right arm, though having trouble getting it to do what she wanted.

Stephanie giggled loudly on Toromaki's reaction. "See, lady princess?! Your friend can walk again! All thanks to my good luck! Haha!" She said cheerfully with a great excitement. The weapon observed the meister's movements carefully, ready to help her a bit by moving one of the limbs by herself. Well, for now, she didn't  have to intervene, so she let Millie do what she wants.
Well, it doesn't feel unnatural because...Hm...How to put it into words...my mechanical limbs have replaced your muscles. You move them like you would normally move your body. So it's probably the most natural and intuitive way of "wielding" me" The engineer commented with her bright smile. The weapon helped Millie move the right arm.(ooc: If my memory is correct Millie lost her right arm, correct?) "If you have troubles with controlling the right limb, I'll help you. I'm able to move on my own in this form." She explained.
Stephanie grinned wiedely when she heard the meister's offer. "Yup~! I can be your partner, your friend, your weapon and your sidekick if you want, Achi. Also, well, I kinda want to make your life cool. I mean, come on, you can become Death City's Iron Woman with my help. So yeah... I can be your weapon if you want." Stephy's positive and energetic attitude was surely impressive

She's nearly as bad as Takumi... Rin thought, realizing how hyperactive the exoskeleton weapon became. Still, she smiled at the two, noticing the glimmer of hope and light return to Millie's eyes. The girl had already been injured by the time Rin had met her, and Ace was certainly of no help when asked what she was like before she was crippled. Still, they had done their best to keep her comfortable. Maybe she would finally allow her family to visit, now...?