Author's Note: I'm still pretty new to fanfic and would super appreciate reviews/feedback.
All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters and plot are copyright 2014 MorchellaElata.
Sibling RivalFae
There was quick rap at the door. Kenzi groaned a half-hearted "Go away, it's too early." When another insistent knock came, she gave up and stumbled over to the door. Her pink wig was askew and her makeup slightly smeared from falling asleep in a tequila haze the night before. "Whaddyou want?" she demanded, blinking against the bright glare of morning sun.
A slender figure in a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up stood perfectly still for a moment, looking Kenzi up and down with a puzzled expression.
All Kenzi could see was a sharp silhouette. "Hell-ooo! Can I help you with something? Or did you just want to buy some sweet drugs, because we sort of took over this crack shack to do more legit business." When there was still no response she turned to slam the door behind her.
Without warning, the figure reached out quickly and silently to grab the door just before it could slam. "Wait."
At this point Kenzi was more than a little annoyed. She grunted as tried tugging the door shut, but the grip on it was firm.
"I came to ask for help from Bo," said a clipped but distinctly feminine voice.
"Try coming back at a reasonable hour," snapped Kenzi, still yanking on the door.
"I can pay." There was a short pause. "Money isn't a problem."
Kenzi abruptly stopped tugging. "Well why didn't you say so?" Kenzi plastered on a big grin, suddenly chipped. "We make exceptions to our normal business hours for our VIP customers. Come in, sit down, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a drink?"
The woman sat down and shook her head. "I don't drink."
"Ooo-kay," responded Kenzi, still with a vapid grin. "That is just wonderful for you. You just sit tight and I'll get Bo."
Kenzi hurried into Bo's room and shook the sleeping succubus, who was curled up around a pillow. "Bo! Bo. Bo. Bo! Wake up!"
"Since when are you up before noon?" grumbled Bo, grabbing a pillow to cover her head.
"Since somebody shows up at our door saying money isn't problem!" hissed Kenzi. "Come on, it's time to do your thing, missy. Mama could really use a little mulah - I mean, we could." Kenzi physically dragged Bo to the edge of the bed.
"Okay, okay! I'm getting up." Bo rolled out of bed, rubbed her eyes, and started heading towards the living room.
"Um, you might want to put something on before you walk out there. Unless the help she needed is a lap dance."
Bo looked down to see she was only wearing a lacy bra and underwear. "Right." She grabbed a tank top and a pair of black jeans off the floor and pulled them on while she walked.
The woman stood up immediately when Bo entered the room. She nodded respectfully, her expression serious. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early. I didn't realize it would be such an inconvenience."
Bo offered a sincere smile. "Don't worry about it, really. We just had a bit of a late night."
"Still, I hope you'll accept this as a token of my apology." She presented Bo with a golden feather.
"Oh, you really don't have to…" Bo gazed down at the trinket in her hand. It was about five inches long and seemed to be solid gold. Kenzi's eyes widened as she watched from the kitchen.
"Please, take it. All I ask is that you hear my request, and decide for yourself if this is a job you'd like to take."
"Bo would be happy to accept this and hear your request," Kenzi insisted, plucking the feather from Bo's hand. "I'll just put this away for you."
Bo shrugged and sat down. "Okay, I'll hear you out. What's the deal?"
"My name is Mahtab." She finally pulled her hood down, revealing a short asymmetrical haircut of silky black hair. She pronounced cheekbones, a coppery complexion, and sharply arched eyebrows above her dark brown eyes. She had a silver stud piercing above her lip on the right side, which somehow seemed to bring symmetry with the hair that fell across her left eye.
Bo took a sharp breath as she took in Mahtab's appearance. There was no question that she was beautiful, and the tough vibe she gave off only added to Bo's attraction. She managed to recover herself and extend her hand. "Well, hi Mahtab, I'm Bo. Nice to meet you."
Mahtab's mouth just slightly in what could have been a smile as she shook Bo's hand. "The pleasure is mine. Now, as to the job. I run a women's boxing gym on -
"Whoa, hold up," interrupted Bo. "I just had a run-in with a boxing gym a few weeks ago and I'm not exactly eager to get back in the ring." Mahtab seemed about to speak again, but Bo held up her hand. "And before you go any further, if there's any kind of underground Fae fighting going on, I know for a fact the Ash doesn't go easy on that kind of thing."
Mahtab shook her head sadly. "No, you have misunderstood me completely. First off, I don't want you to fight; I would like to hire you for some, shall we say, detective work. Second, I don't have any kind of Fae fights, underground or otherwise. I run a business for humans that's mutually beneficial and I take good care of them. Third… I don't answer to the Ash."
Bo stood up. "As happy as I am to hear that you're not masterminding an illicit fight club, I am not getting involved with another Dark Fae right now. When I worked for the Morrigan it ended up ugly, and the last time I took a job from a Dark Fae who claimed to be taking care of humans, he was really having his wifey turn them all crazy while she snacked on their nightmares, which was more than a little unpleasant when she decided to snack on me. Sorry sweetie, but I'm not in the mood to deal with the Dark."
"Wait, please…" implored Mahtab. "Please hear me out before you make a decision."
Bo stood rooted in place with her arms crossed. She looked at Mahtab skeptically, but she didn't say no.
"I would hope that you, of all people, wouldn't be so quick to judge between Light and Dark. Not all of us who join the Dark are sadistic psychopaths. Most of us are just living our lives quietly, trying to get by, just like anyone else. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to survive without picking sides." The envy was obvious in her voice. "I would further ask you to consider whether the Light Fae haven't lied to you, used you, and even hurt you more often than the Dark."
"Okay, yeah, you have a point there." Bo sighed and sank back down onto the couch. "Fine. So you're just a simple Fae trying to make it in this harsh world. Let's pretend for a minute that I believe you, and I'm not saying I do, but go ahead and finish your story. What kind of detectiving do you want me to do?"
Mahtab looked immensely relieved. "As I said, I take care of the humans who come to my gym. I benefit from their continued health and physical fitness. You could think of me like a farmer, tending to my herd."
"So… you need them in good health and fitness so you can eat them?" asked Bo.
"No! No, not that kind of farmer. I guess… More like a dairy farmer, perhaps."
"You milk them?!" Kenzi interjected from the kitchen, her face twisted in disgust. "Sorry, but that is just wrong."
"No, no, no," replied Mahtab, clearly getting frustrated. "Not like that! I just…" she mumbled something so quiet that Bo couldn't hear.
"You just what?" demanded Bo. "Come on, be honest with me here. Just spit it out."
"I drink their sweat," Mahtab explained, regaining her composure. "I survive on their sweat, and they get a high quality training experience that's as good as any boxing gym in the city, but without all the macho bullshit."
Kenzi was still making a face, but she said, "I guess that's not so bad. Not like people need to keep their sweat or anything."
"Exactly. I perform a service to humans, as you can see, and I respect them as a food source."
"Okay, with you so far," said Bo, with a slightly annoyed glance towards Kenzi. "You claim to run a legit gym with nothing funny going on underground, and you take care of your humans like some kind juice bar for sweat. Let's move on to the actual job, shall we?"
"I would like nothing better. The problem is that membership at the gym has been tapering off. Even members who have been coming in for years, women I know personally, have stopped coming in. I started to worry, so I tried to find out if they were joining other gyms, or what was going on. What I found is that four of the twelve or so women who've stopped coming in have been reported missing at some point after they quit."
"So you want me to find these four missing women?" asked Bo.
"Yes. And I would like you to find out what is going on with the others who have left, and perhaps find out why any of them are leaving."
"Maybe they got tired of being your sweat slaves," piped Kenzi. "Or maybe there's a really a killer deal at 24 Hour Fitness."
Mahtab didn't bother responded. She just looked at Bo, holding her breath.
"Why should I trust your word that you didn't have anything to do with this? And why did you come to me, besides the whole 'Bo-won't-pick-a-side' thing?"
"That is an important part of why I came to you, of course. And everyone knows you care more for humans than most Fae do. I'm sure you realize the Morrigan would laugh me out of her building if I asked for help finding a few stray humans - but for me, these women are important. They've worked hard to be strong fighters. I came to you as soon as I figured out about the four reported missing. I hope you can find them… I hope you can find them alive."
Bo tapped her foot as she considered the situation. As reluctant as she was to trust a Dark Fae, at least Mahtab had been up-front about her affiliation. And she couldn't help feeling a certain amount of empathy with this Fae who seemed fond of humans, and who made her living helping women learn to fight for themselves. She realized she'd been staring at Mahtab for a while, so she snapped out of it and called out, "What do ya think, Kenz?"
Kenzi was turning the golden feather over in her hands. She didn't quite trust this Fae as much as Bo, but she did like the idea of having some literal gold. "Exactly what is the pay-out, McSweatypants?"
"For each of the missing women you find, a golden feather, and if you discover who or what is behind all this, ten golden feathers."
"Let me think, Bo," Kenzi called, using her phone to look up gold prices. Her eyes widened when she realized the actual value. She rushed over to Mahtab. "We have heard the sad, sad predicament you find yourself in, and of course we've very concerned about these missing women, and we will take your case and bring those sweaty bodies right back to your little gym!" She shook Mahtab's hand enthusiastically. "We just can't wait to get started, you better get out of the way so Bo can do her thing, she's really very good, you know."
Mahtab turned back to Bo as Kenzi ushered her towards the door. Bo rushed over. "Thanks, Kenz, I can take it from here." She shooed Kenzi away.
"I am so grateful that you're taking the job," Mahtab gushed. "I feel better already knowing that you're going to look for them and find out what's going on. You really are a hero to some of us, Bo."
Bo smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. I'll do my best." On an impulse, she hugged Mahtab as she was leaving.
Mahtab returned the hug, her muscular arms holding Bo tightly. She ran her tongue up Bo's neck to just under Bo's ear. "I can't wait to see you again," she whispered, then turned away. While Bo stood there with goosebumps, Mahtab pulled her hood up and jogged away down the street.