Variables – Documentation
Renton was a waif of his former self, a dejected mass of unwashed fabric and mussed hair in the hangar. Dominic's brow furrowed as he watched the strange protégé of Adroc Thurston trace the exquisite grooves of his LFO. The poor guy could hardly be considered a living being any longer. The ship's medic confided in Anemone that he hardly ate; Talho practically had to force feed the little bastard every few days while Matthieu or Hap held him down. Gidget and Moondoggie kept to the corners, hesitant to show each other any affection when Renton was nearby. Dominic, however, doubted if the former Nirvash copilot even acknowledged them, drifting through his days as if he wasn't aware where his own feet would take him.
He and Anemone strode purposefully through the hangar, careful to keep their gaze from lingering on Renton for too long lest he feel their pity pierce the back of his neck.
"Mr. Sorel?" a small blond girl hovering near the hangar door squeaked. "Have you found our mama yet?" Dominic's mouth twisted into a sad, pained smile. From the corner of his eye he glimpsed Renton shifting almost imperceptibly.
"Not yet, Maeter," he said, resting his hand gently atop the child's tousled curls, "but don't you worry. Miss Anemone and I are looking as hard as we can." The miserable shadow shuffled behind the wheel of the Nirvash, leaving a heavy awkward silence hanging in the air. Dominic led his female companions away, leaving Renton to his impenetrable thoughts.
-
"Where the fuck is Holland?!" A furious, very pregnant Talho shrieked at Dominic as he crossed the threshold of the bridge. Maeter clung to the loose cloth of Anemone's dress, paused and cautiously eyed the woman whose name had been spoken with such fear not months before. Unsure how to treat her new attachment, Anemone spared her an uncomfortable smile and looked on as Dominic was verbally torn to shreds by the gravid acting captain.
"I can assure you, Mrs. Novak, that I'm just as confused as y-"
"What did you just call me?!" Talho exploded, her bob practically levitating off her skull by the sheer force of her fury. Dominic couldn't help but notice the veins of her neck shared the exact purple tint of her floral beauty mark. The barrage of words were lost on him as the self-preservation section of his brain contemplated whether the lavender flower was a piercing, tattoo, or some abnormal growth brought on by Talho's proximity to a toxic being like Holland Novak.
"I mean if anyone is going to be changing their name, it'll be that lazy bastard! I'm the one doing all the work on this ship and carrying his little hellspawn around on top of that! I refuse to let this kid come into the world a Novak, it'll be Yuuki on that birth certificate, not that damn Euroshit surname! God when I find that man I am going to murder him!"
"I'm sorry," Anemone interrupted, "but are you saying Holland isn't here?" Talho whirled on her, eyes blazing, then instantly relaxed as she recognized her addresser. One hand absentmindedly caressed her swollen stomach and the Gekko pilot sighed heavily.
"I haven't seen him all morning. He's supposed to be helping me choose a drop point for the cargo, schedule refueling, and pick the baby's middle name today, but no one has seen him." Waddling over to the captain's chair, the laden mother-to-be reclined with an exaggerated whoosh of exhaustion. Maeter released her grip on Anemone's skirt hoop and scampered down the hall to find her brothers. As the rushing blood in Dominic's ears subsided, he plucked at the collar of his jacket and wiggled his toes in his boots. As Anemone attempted to make small talk with a far less frightening Talho, he took the time to once again admire the view from the Gekko-State.
Wide blue sky fringed and floored with waves of cottony-white cloud engulfed the new windows of the bridge. Emerald and chartreuse swoops of windowpane framed squares of azure and thin slices of Trapar beneath the boards of the LFOs. Matthieu and Hilda were riding, cutting through air like dancing human blades, Hap snapping shot after shot from the copilot seat.
"Ray=out's been selling like crazy," Talho mused, tearing Dominic from his reverie. Anemone sat as close to the captain's chair as she dared, looking out of her element and yet strangely fitting next to the motherly figure of Talho. "All those kids trying to join the State or start their own, it's ridiculous. They caught some nuts outside Hacienda trying to launch a homemade ship they called the Mander State. Can you believe it? Kids these days…"
"Well, um, if you don't need us for anything," Dominic began as he inched toward the door," we should probably try to find Holla-"
"If you see him," Talho interjected, suddenly livid again, "tell him if he doesn't make a decision, the kid'll be Derby Ray Yuuki unless he can come up with something better!" Dominic could hear her raving to herself as he led Anemone back into the hall. "I swear if I hear him bring up 'Azmodeus' again he's being ejected with the cargo."
-
Jobs led them to the sulking Holland, perched atop one of the examining tables in the infirmary. Smiling wearily at Dominic, the Gekko captain's eyes flickered over Anemone's face, perhaps seeking familiarity in its features. Finding none, the bedraggled Novak brother motioned for them to sit.
"I take it you ran into Talho?" he asked gruffly, scratching his stubbly chin. "She didn't like my idea of Devilfish McFly much." Anemone stifled a giggle, which brought a brief genuine smile to Holland's face. Swinging his legs over the side of the table, he leaned forward and slouched, bringing his interlaced fingers over one knee.
"What was so urgent that you needed Jurgens to contact me?" Dominic asked, wrapping one hand protectively around Anemone's wrist. The smirk slid from Holland's face and his features matured to that of the stern captain the of the most infamous revolutionary group to own the skies.
"We may have found it," he mumbled, a huskiness creeping into his voice that he hurriedly tried to banish with a cough. "We're not sure and none of the LFOs can get near enough. I'd hoped," he paused, looking pointedly at Anemone, "I could ask a favor of the two of you."