A short piece that came out of nowhere. Read on, and say what you will, or say nothing at all.
He hears her before anything. Her voice carries through the crowds and before he can stop himself, Rex is stopping in the middle of the bustling Hong Kong area. Six stops as well, looks back at him and raises his eyebrows, but Rex ignores Six and turns around.
The streets are busy, and the people are bumping into Rex without so much as batting an eyelash. The Evo that had them all running scared a few hours before is gone, and now that clean up is done, life is becoming peaceful again, as if no bloodthirsty monster had come to wreak havoc upon them. Vendors are wherever they can squeeze their stalls, waving merchandise at tourists or flipping food in sizzling pans to entice hungry onlookers. There are bright lights and people are chatting on cell phones, glancing around for any pickpockets that frequent the streets. It is a hustle and bustle that is all to common, and as Rex's eyes scan the crowds, he wonders if he imagined the voice.
Until he spots the black hair.
He has to bite on his tongue to keep from calling out, and it does not stop him from stepping forward. He narrows his eyes on the familiar red shirt, but ducks in the crowd when he notices the woman turning around. He hides behind a bulky man, ignoring both Six's calls and the man as he peers down at him with brown eyes.
Circe looks the same as she ever did though. Her eyes are still a dark red, and she is pale and thin. She looks around the crowd before turning to the young woman next to her. She points up toward one of the buildings that tower over the people, says something that carries toward Rex, and he smiles as her broken Chinese.
You'll need to do better than that, Circe.
A part of him swells, expands in his chest, and he feels glad and smug watching her in Hong Kong. He steps around the man just as Circe turns away, but Rex stops in his steps when she starts to walk away from him. Their last meeting falls into his mind and he remembers, briefly, her hair whipping back as she rode away from him, a dust trail kicking up behind her. Recalls how she wanted to find herself, saying it wasn't with Providence.
And Rex stops himself from raising a hand and calling out her name. He does not pursue her when she starts to run down the streets, effortlessly weaving through the crowds of people and disappearing into one of many alleys. And he does not consider asking the young Chinese woman where Circe might have went.
Instead, Rex turns around and smiles at Six, walking past the green suited man before anything can be said. Six says nothing though, only turns and follows Rex for a while, watching the younger one's steps.
Finally, Six asks, "Why didn't you go after her?"
Rex pauses for moment, almost stumbles when a businessman shuffles past him, unaware of Rex while chatting on his cell phone. Rex turns back to Six, eyes wide and searching, before a smirk crosses his face and he turns around, shrugging.
"Don't have to." Six blinks behind his glasses and begins to follow Rex again when he starts walking, once more maneuvering around the people. Six presses closer to Rex, refusing to lose him in the crowd, and waits for him to elaborate.
Rex does not disappoint.
"I figure she needs some away time, you know? I mean, basking in my awesome is bound to take its toll on anybody."
Six raises an eyebrow again, resists the urge to snort at Rex, but Rex senses it somehow and narrows his eyes at the man.
"Don't be that way, Six. You know I'm awesome." Rex turns away from him and his eyes are darker. More serious. Rex sighs silently and looks up at the sky, only to meet the towering buildings and bright, almost neon lights, or paper lanterns strung on wire or string.
"She needs it anyway. To find herself. Find what's important to her."
"And so do you." Rex stops again, his back bumping Six's front as understanding hits him. He looks back at the green agent, eyes wide, but Six prods his back and forces Rex forward. Six takes the lead again, leaves Rex trailing behind, but Rex is so lost in his thoughts that he does not notice the growing gap between him and Six. He lifts his hands up, studies the gloved fingers and feels a smile tugging at his lips.
I do, don't I? Except…
Rex looks back at Six, shakes his head and hurries to catch up with him. He says something about leaving him behind but the words are lost on both of them-it is an automatic response. His mind is still buzzing and he feels like poking at Six, just to get a rise out of him.
I think I found it.
Rex grins and reaches for Six's pocket, biting his lip and narrowing his eyes, but Six slaps his hand away. The agent shakes his head and walks faster and Rex puffs his cheeks out, trotting to catch up. When he does, he opens his mouth, ready with several complaints, only for the man to hold his hand out to Rex. Rex tilts his head to the side but sticks his hand under Six's clenched one, grinning when a small green mint drops in his open palm.
"Sweet!" Rex stuffs the mint in his mouth and starts sucking away, the burst of flavor coating his tongue and clearing his throat and nose. He does not say thank you, but just grins, walking ahead of Six and yelling something about getting back in time for dinner.
And as Rex turns the corner and spies a small group of Providence soldiers, he wonders if he should call Noah over, just to piss White off. Pizza starts to float to his mind, and Circe is slowly being pushed to the back of his thoughts. But that does not stop him from thinking, just as Six claps him on the shoulder and steers him toward the soldiers,
I hope you find what you're looking for Circe.
Whatever it is.