Aerrow had wanted to just leave him.
We finally got him down. Why not just finish it off?
A glare from a pair of vibrant orange eyes had left no room for negotiation.
That's horrible and low, killing a man when he's down.
The Sky Knight gave up. Now, the dark-haired man is a vegetable on the bridge of the Condor. Stork tentatively asks if the Cyclonian is dead. Piper glares daggers at the pilot, and Stork turns back to the helm, knowing better than to ask questions of an angry woman.
She lays him on the table. She cleans and dresses the gaping wound in his arm. Massages ointment into the lump on his forehead. Waits. He is still a vegetable.
She ignores the dark looks from Aerrow. Ignores Stork's paranoid, skittish mumblings. Ignores Finn's squeaks of terror. Junko is the only helpful one.
She watches over him the entire night. Fear creeps at the back of her mind, raises goosebumps on her arms. But she knows that he can't be dangerous, can't be malevolent. Not now. Not in his unconscious state. But still, the Cyclonian looked as if he could spring from the table at any moment and pounce on her, like a large and sleek black cat.
Piper shivers and reminds herself that he would be heavily discombobulated, and that Aerrow has stashed his blade away.
Halfway through the night, she falls asleep. In the morning, she is jarred awake by someone shaking her. She peers blearily up from her slumped position, and nearly screams when she sees the Dark Ace hovering over her.
Don't you dare. His eyes narrowed and he pulls her roughly up. She clamps her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from yelling. Her eyes are wide with fear.
He offers no thanks, just demands to be led to his Switchblade. She obeys and leads the way to his skimmer. He climbs on and revs the engine. Softens. The Dark Ace casts a quick glance over his shoulder and gives a small smirk.
You're not so bad.
Two days later he is back. Aerrow isn't happy.
Forgot my blade.
The man asks Piper politely for his sword, and she retrieves it for him. Aerrow expects him to leave right away. But he doesn't. Says he wants to repay them for helping him while he was down. Aerrow rolls his eyes and goes into his room. Junko is fixing things in the engine room, and says he won't go, but appreciates the gesture. Finn is too scared. Stork is disinfecting the Condor - he says it's really important. Mindworms. And he also doesn't trust Dark Ace. The older man smirks and turns to Piper.
How about you, then?
Hesitates. Agrees.
Dinner. On me.
The meal is delicious - better than anything Piper has ever had. In the end, Dark Ace asks if Piper would like to go for a short walk. To relax a bit after dinner. She's wary, knows that it is late, and that she should get going. But she has been treated better than she has been treated in a long time, and she decides that she'll go.
The terra they are on is nice. Tropical. It's not quite as warm as Terra Tropica, but it's close. The night is balmy, and there's very little breeze. Piper feels more relaxed than she has in a while. They talk, make small bits of chit chat. Everything from crystals to the latest strategies are discussed. Finally. Intelligent conversation. She finds that they get along quite well.
It's nice talking to you, Piper. It'd be nice to be able to talk to you often.
She laughs and tells him that this is a one-time thing.
Well, what if it's not?
She freezes. Oh no. He notices, and laughs, dispelling any tension.
Don't worry. I don't have any ulterior motives. No Cyclonian recruiting. It's just been a while since I've been able to hold a pleasant conversation with someone. Too long.
Piper purses her lips. Considers it. It has been too long since she has had a good, satisfying conversation. The night has been extremely pleasant.
Conversation buddies it is.
How about next week? Same time.
What about Aerrow? He won't be happy seeing you.
He doesn't need to know.
A hesitant nod, and they move onto another subject.
When Piper gets back to the Condor, she pulls Stork aside. Tells him about Dark Ace. He quirks an eyebrow, throws up his hands, and tells her that it didn't much matter to him if she wanted to go and kill herself. She ignores the comment and continues, tells him that she's scared Aerrow would get offended, and the merb finally realizes what she is getting at. He chuckles and pats her on the shoulder. Tells her not to worry. He'll take care of Aerrow.
The next week, Piper sneaks off of the Condor. Stork has spiked Aerrow's evening OJ with a little sleepy powder. She is eternally grateful to him as she climbs onto Dark Ace's Switchblade, and they fly off to another terra. This time, the terra is colder, and Dark Ace ends up lending Piper his coat. She wraps himself in his cloak and giggles as the Cyclonian shivers, but tries to not show it.
As they lie down on the grass, he notices the stars and points them about. They talk about astronomy. Physics. Math. Logic. Philosophy. They eventually arrive at love.
It's an interesting concept.
What makes you think it's only a concept?
You're still so young, so naive, so innocent. You've never really seen the world. There's no such thing as the fairy tale-esque love you see in movies and read about in books. It simply doesn't exist. Therefore, it is a concept. Anyone that chases after it seems rather foolish to me.
How do you know? Haven't you ever been in love? Ever loved anyone? Been loved?
Dark Ace frowns and shifts positions. He tells her no. Although he'd certainly like to see anyone try to love him. Apparently, he simply is not lovable. Piper feels sorry for him.
But what about love that isn't fairy tale-esque. That can exist, can't it?
The Dark Ace is quiet for a long while, contemplating his answer to her question. He shifts onto his side to face her, and ruffles her hair (she protests). Smiles and gently drapes an arm over her waist. She doesn't protest.
I suppose.
This was meant to be a prequel to 'Pied Piper'. Sort of explains how Dark Ace and Piper are together and how they have regular meetings.
-MC