Faithful, or Faethless
By the time they had gotten to Lauren's apartment Bo was carrying Vex over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The Mesmer was alternately singing rather softly, a nice 80's ballad actually, and snoring. The succubus rather enjoyed the singing, Vex had a very good singing voice.
Lauren was actually in the living room when she got home. Her eyes widened slightly as Bo came in carrying the Mesmer over her shoulder. When she flipped the snoring fae over and he landed on the couch, the doctor was a little flabbergasted. Bo proceeded to take the male faes boots off and covered him with the afghan. Before turning to her lover and indicated they should go to the kitchen.
"Is he drunk?" Lauren asked curiously as they entered the kitchen together.
"No, just a little…hung over, sort of." hedged the succubus.
"Isn't it about the same thing?" she said with a slight smile as she started a pot of coffee.
"Not when he's not drunk on alcohol or whatever drugs…or substances Mesmer's get drunk, high or whatever on…." floundered Bo, as she waved her hands expressively.
"Then what is he hung over from?" Asked the lady doctor as she took down her thermos to refill it before going in to work. The long pause before Bo answered had the doctor turning back around to look at her girlfriend suspiciously, "Bo?"
"He says he knows what's going on with us. I assume from the fae grapevine or maybe cause he is a Mesmer." Bo began.
The human doctor's eyebrows knit as she considered, "Telepathy, is possible in the stronger Mesmer's."
"Yeah, and if he's to be believed, he is one of the strongest. Sorta makes sense I doubt that Evony would have him around if he didn't live up to his self-made reputation." seeing her girlfriend responding with a nod Bo continued her explanation.
"He said he knew a way to give chi without having to have sex involved. Apparently Mesmer's can use their power to intensify the experience for a succubus, while experiencing the increase in uhm brain chemicals is good for Mesmer's, I'm not explaining it right, am I?" she said noticing the frown on Lauren's face.
"I'm not sure, but I think I get the general gist of it. Where were you last night?" Lauren asked again with some suspicion in her voice.
Bo totally missing the suspicion in the excitement of the good news said, "Went to see Trick and asked his advice about making up with Kenzi. Vex was there and he and Trick gave me some great advice and a suggestion. I went over to see Kenzi and we are besties again. Thank goodness." She paused for breath and because she didn't want to endanger Lauren by letting her in on too much of what Kenzi was doing.
Taking a deep breath she continued, "Went with Vex to the Morrigan's compound so he could do something or other. He told me about the whole kissing for chi or whatever, did that a little. Went to his place so he could change clothes after he fell down."
"Totally not my fault by the way, despite what he says, and then brought him here so he could sleep it off, not alone. Plus I think…I think he's like really, really lonely Lauren. Though he'll totally deny it of course." By the time she had finished that rather rambling explanation, the succubus really was a little out of breath and had finally begun to notice her girlfriends angry expression.
Lauren unfortunately had not really heard the last part of what Bo had said, but had mainly focused on the part where Bo and Vex had kissed and how the kissing between the succubus and Mesmer was more intense and satisfying. Supposedly more so than between a human and a succubus she assumed. After baring her soul to all of Bo's friends basically she was still getting shoved to the side due to her less than fae status.
After burning her hand with coffee and cursing under her breath, she said, "I have to get to work, have an Isada coming in having complications with their pregnancy." Lauren said as she closed her thermos firmly and put it in her tote. Without a kiss goodbye she said, "Call you later." and was out the door.
That was about when Bo figured out she might be in trouble.
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"Ok so first I try to talk the Deva down, if that's even possible. I mean I am the charming Kenzimeister. Master of charms and wiles but after what has happened to this poor devil uhm Deva… " Kenzi said in a more serious tone as she considered the implications of all that had happened to the fae in question, "How do you recover from something like that? Can he or she recover from something like that?"
"They can. When a group of them are together it has a healing effect on them or anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity from what I remember, Even if the healing is a more mental or emotional one." said Trick, his gaze distant with the memory.
"Ok but are you guys sure you can get the Deva's to help without anyone getting killed. I mean you said there were less than thirty of them. Wouldn't that make it kind of a close knit group, a family, right. If someone did something like that to one of you guys…" the young wolf shook her head, "I may not be able to change yet, but for what she did to you, dad. I definitely would have booby-trapped Evony's showerhead if I'd had the time."
All three of the elder fae gave Kenzi a blank look. She shook her head again and said, "Never mind, generation gap. So do you think you can convince the Deva's to come if I can make sure there are no more traps to catch more Deva?"
"Yes, I've already discussed it with several of them and when you give the word, three of their best healers will be there to take the other Deva in hand and to a safe place for healing. They have sworn not to avenge themselves on the innocents in the compound," said Ennoi gently to her grand daughter.
"I wouldn't be too surprised though if the Ashe doesn't find himself under seige at some later time," said Misha with a bloodthirsty grin, "and richly deserved too."
Trick nodded in agreement as he pulled a small scroll out of his pocket and handed it to Kenzi. "This should bring down the containment spell surrounding the Deva and disable any other Deva oriented spells around the compound and chamber. You must time it precisely though, so be careful."
Sliding the scroll into one of the many pockets on her cat suit, Kenzi nodded in agreement. Checking to make sure she had everything else she needed before she left the warehouse. Kenzi smiled at the very concerned expressions on the elder fae's faces. "Don't worry I think we've planned for everything, and freeing the Deva should give us a few extra positive karma points right?" she said with forced cheerfulness and a mega-watt smile.
As they stepped out of the warehouse she said, "I do wish I had something to travel in other than the Funky Clunker," she said indicating her and Bo's set of wheels. "This is probably going to get noticed by the Ashe's security if it sits for very long on the street."
"Your grandmother and I actually had intended to give this to you later," said Misha as he came out of the shadows of a lean to type shed by the warehouse. He was followed by a black mare with steel gray mane and tail.
Kenzi stared at the beautiful horse in awe and not a little consternation, "Daddy, she's beautiful." she said as she moved forward slowly so as not to startled the beautiful creature, "But I can't ride," she reached to touch the very soft nose of the mare as it leaned its head toward the approaching young fae, "And even if I could, in this day and age a horse would be a kind of conspicuous form of transportation."
Misha chuckled as he said, "Show my child what you can do old friend." The horse shook it's head up and down several times, snorting mist into the air, it's eyes began to glow an electric blue. The steam began to circle around the horse until a layer of mist surrounded the creature. The horse whickered only the sound was more guttural and mechanical sounding and then when a breeze began to blow the mist away from the creatures form it had changed into a motorcycle. Chrome gleamed wickedly against the black chassis of the motorbike.
"Beautiful," said Kenzi staring at the bike but she shook her head as she stared at her adoptive father and said, "Can't drive one of those either dad."
The older fae chuckled and just said, "Name it child, name your new friend."
"Chrome," she said without thinking. The bike seemed to drive itself over to lean against her slightly as though it were still a horse seeking attention.
"Aye," said her father as he chuckled at her bemused expression, "Chrome can drive herself. She had her own mind, but I am quite sure she will take excellent care of you."
"Seems appropriate that the future ruler of the Shifters, should have a Shifter steed." said Trick as he gazed at the creature in wonder as it shifted back to a horse. Only to be gifted with an apple from Kenzi's adopted grandmother.
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Lauren was sitting in the clinic office, trying not to think about what Bo had told her before she had left her apartment. She hadn't been lying about the pregnant Isada, but then there were always complications with Isada.
Isada were a unisex race, they did not have to have sex to reproduce but they did have to have help to give birth, Parent and child were both doing well right now, and were resting comfortably.
Unfortunately the human doctor couldn't say the same. She couldn't relax and she was still wondering what was going on with Bo and Vex.
Bo had said there was no actual sex involved, just a kiss or drawing of chi. Lauren of course, had done extensive studies in succubi before Bo had ever been discovered. However, there was limited information available to her on the relationship between Mesmer's and Succubi. Simply because most Mesmer's, well all she knew about anyway, were dark fae, and dark fae were inherently secretive about themselves.
Vex was a dark fae, honesty wasn't supposed to be a strong suit for them, except of course when it caused a bit of mayhem or chaos. So he probably would tell the truth especially if it wasn't something she really wanted to hear. Then she wondered how the pair had gotten together in the first place.
On the positive side, Bo had looked healthier than she had in several weeks. Her cheeks had a little color to them and her skin had looked less sallow. If it was just the drawing of chi, and no sex involved, well she could deal with that. The problem was…WHUMP…Lauren stared up at the ceiling in dazed curiosity. Alarms, shouting and screaming could be heard coming from all over the compound.
The Isada infant and parent were both crying out in the next room. Lauren untangled her legs from her rolling desk chair and tried to roll over without getting cut by the glass on the floor. Finally untangled she levered herself up using her desk for support. She managed to get through the door of her office and rushed to check on her patients. The infant was fine, it's incubator made of sturdier stuff.
The Isada, still weakened from the delivery, however was on the floor trapped under the gurney and blankets. It took a few minutes for Lauren to untangle the Isada and get them back into the bed all the while reassuring the concerned parent that the baby was fine. Once it was back in the gurney, Lauren reunited infant and parent and secured them to the gurney in case they had to be moved in a hurry.
After calling more of her staff in from their residences for the emergency situation. She then ran out into the hall trying to determine what had happened and where she might be needed. She ran to the right since that seemed to be where most of the cries of alarm were coming from. She saw some of the Ashe's retinue coming toward her two males helping an obviously injured female. She directed them toward her clinic when it was obvious the woman wasn't going to die without immediate attention. She came upon a pair of guards next, using one of their ties she made a tourniquet for a leg wound.
The doctor continued down the hall and turned a corner in time to see Kenzi running toward her, looking over her shoulder. Lauren stared in shock as Kenzi dove out of a window in front of her, just before Dyson came running around the corner behind the younger fae. Lauren was still in shock when Dyson partially changed and then went out the window after her.
She was still standing there when less than a minute later several guards and the Ashe came around the far corner at a full run. The Ashe seemed to be bleeding from a head wound and the guards all looked a little the worse for wear as well.
Two of the guards went to the window, one spoke rapidly into his radio, while another climbed out of the window a great deal more carefully than the two Shifters who had come before him. Meanwhile two of the other guards took Lauren's arms, a great deal more roughly than wasn't absolutely necessary, and half dragged her to the Ashe.
"Doctor," said the Ashe, "I would like you to tell me what you saw. I suggest you give me the information I require." The look he gave her was the coldest, most unfeeling thing she had ever seen.
"All I saw was Kenzi jump out of the window." Lauren said weakly without thinking and could have bitten her tongue. Especially when the look the fae leader gave her positively feral.
