In the Company of Spirits

by Starhawk

Chapter 14: Communication

He had maybe five minutes before he was way more than late for the morning shift. Since the restaurant actually opened in five minutes, being not way more than late probably wasn't the best goal, but it was the one he was stuck with. He didn't even clear his stuff out of RJ's room, just left it where it was and knocked on the porch door at the near end.

"Yeah," Dominic mumbled, from the other side of the screen.

"Hey, man." Casey pushed the door open and grimaced at him apologetically. "Sorry. Can I borrow your computer?"

Dominic muttered something incoherent, accompanied by a hand gesture in the direction of his backpack. Casey figured that was as close to permission as he'd get from someone who was half-asleep. He grabbed the laptop and crouched down against the wall, figuring it would take less time to check it out here than to take it in and bring it back.

"Casey?" Dominic didn't sound totally sure of this. "Why'nt you just use RJ's?"

"It's downloading something," Casey said absently. "I flipped off the SETI screensaver and got a status bar, so I left it alone."

Dominic grunted, and that was the end of the questioning. From him. Casey had plenty of questions, and several of them involved the anonymous e-mail threats he'd been getting through the KFA site lately. The community coordinator had warned him not to respond, but...

Tigers fall, the last e-mail said. Lions rise.

He hadn't replied to any of the e-mails. He would almost rather think it was a random stalker. But if he had a chance to find out, he figured he owed it to the team to take it.

Casey hit "reply" and wrote, moonrise?!

He sent it, closed the browser, and stowed Dominic's computer in his bag again. He wasn't sure why RJ's friend felt the need to stay packed all the time--what, was wanderlust going to strike in the middle of the night? And if it did, didn't he have a flashlight? It wasn't like he had so much stuff that he wouldn't be able to gather it up in a matter of minutes.

Casey didn't have a chance to check his e-mail until his lunch break, and RJ gave him a funny look when he said he was going upstairs. So Casey told him the truth: he wanted to check his e-mail. RJ looked even more taken aback at that, possibly because Casey rarely bothered with the internet during work hours. He also looked vaguely concerned.

"No worries," Casey added, as he headed up the stairs. "I'll tell you later."

RJ nodded, but Casey figured he had minutes at most before RJ found an excuse to follow him and ask about his sisters. Which was fair. Most of the e-mail Casey talked about, let alone waited on, came from Shelly or Celerity.

Not today, though. RJ's computer had finished whatever it had been doing earlier, and Casey logged in to find two more messages forwarded from his KFA address. One was from Todd, explaining that he would have to miss a class. The other was anonymous, and he'd swear he could feel phantom hackles rise when he saw it.

Before moonrise, moron. Unless you want everyone to see you.

Great. It was official.

Dai Shi had his e-mail address.

"Uh, hi," RJ said, poking his head into his own room without coming in. "If you'd rather be alone--"

"No, hey, come in," Casey told him. "You're going to love this."

"You say that in a tone of voice that leads me to doubt it," RJ said, but he came in anyway. "Family e-mail?"

"Not so much." Casey frowned at it, but there wasn't any way around it. "From Jarrod, actually."

"Jarrod, one of your students whom I haven't heard about?" RJ asked. "Jarrod, one of your sisters' boyfriends?

"Or one of yours?" he added, after a brief pause.

"I only have one boyfriend at a time," Casey informed him. "Nice try, though."

RJ tilted his head, and Casey figured now would be a good time to move on. "Jarrod, exactly who you think he is," he said. "He's been sending weird e-mails to KFA for a couple weeks now. I wasn't sure it was him until today when I replied and he said something about the quarry."

"Did you just tell me you're getting e-mail from Dai Shi?" RJ asked, with a calm that was definitely a disguise.

"It's not like they don't know where we live," Casey pointed out.

"I'd have felt better if I knew about this two weeks ago," RJ remarked, frowning.

Casey deliberately didn't smile. "No," he said. "You wouldn't have."

"Assuming I was going to know about it eventually," RJ amended, "I would have felt better finding out when it first started than I do finding out now. Weeks after it started."

"I didn't know who it was," Casey reminded him. "I used something Camille said this morning to confirm it was him. Or her, I guess. How many of them are online, anyway? Do you think they have a dedicated server? Dai Shi at internets of doom dot com?"

"Well, you'd know better than I would," RJ muttered. "Also, I submit that getting weird e-mails from someone you can't identify is no less significant than knowing those e-mails come from Dai Shi."

Casey raised his eyebrows at him, and RJ frowned a little. "Maybe incrementally less significant," he admitted. "But only because getting them from Dai Shi is so stupendously... disturbing."

"I didn't want to worry you guys," Casey said. "People send weird e-mails all the time, and it's not like he signed it 'Jarrod, the Evil Lion of Dai Shi.'"

"I wouldn't know, would I," RJ mused. "Given that I never saw them."

"Okay, you're a little heavier on the aggressive side of passive-aggressive than usual," Casey told him. "Obviously this is more important than I thought it was, and next time someone sends me a threatening e-mail I'll tell you, okay? I'm sorry."

"Thank you," RJ agreed. "That would be appreciated." He paused, then added, "Is it selfish to feel offended that I was included in 'you guys,' as in, 'I didn't want to worry you guys'? Because I do. And I'm not really used to that."

"I came this close to calling you my boyfriend a few minutes ago," Casey pointed out. "Any grouping I did there included friends and... others."

"I think I like being a boyfriend better than being an other," RJ said thoughtfully. "It's entirely possible that 'boyfriend' is a label I could live with. Were you to use it."

Casey tried to suppress a grin and a whoop of triumph. He succeeded with the latter, but the former leaked through despite his best efforts. "Likewise," he agreed, with as much solemnity as he could muster. Which wasn't much.

"I... don't want you meeting with Jarrod tonight," RJ said, and Casey almost laughed. RJ was terrible at this. For all his ease with strangers, he seemed to get more awkward the closer the relationship got. Any relationship.

"I'm not too excited about it myself," Casey said, since the least useful thing he could do right now was probably to call RJ's attention to Things He Needed To Relax About. "On the other hand, we'll probably learn something."

"Yes," RJ replied with uncharacteristic sharpness. "Whether Jarrod wants you dead, or just a captive toy for his own amusement."

"We've fought before," Casey pointed out. "We're evenly matched, RJ. He's not going to kill me."

"Even if he couldn't get in a lucky shot one-on-one," RJ said, "I don't know why you think he's going to fight fair."

"I don't think he's going to fight at all. I think the whole point of meeting when we are is so that no one knows it's happening and he can say whatever he wants to say without being overheard."

RJ stared at him. "He has your e-mail address."

Casey shrugged. "Maybe it's a clan thing. All he's done in e-mail is insult me, anyway."

"Don't think that makes him harmless."

"Oh, and I was just thinking that," Casey told him. "Good, I'm glad you cleared that up for me."

RJ gave him a reproving look. "If I can't talk you out of this, I'm going with you."

"You're not going with me," Casey said.

RJ folded his arms.

"You're my second-in-command," Casey added. "Come on, RJ. You know as well as I do that if something happens, we can't both be there."

"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to watch you walk off to meet Dai Shi?" RJ asked. "Alone?"

Casey looked at him for a long moment, because either RJ had something else to add or he hadn't thought that through at all. When he didn't say anything, though, Casey said, "Yeah, I do."

RJ actually frowned, and Casey glared at him. "You surrendered to him. In front of us, in broad daylight; we watched you walk away and we couldn't do a damn thing, so don't tell me I don't understand."

RJ opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything, and that was probably the smart choice. After a moment he looked down, and Casey turned away from the computer and stood up. "Hey," he said quietly. "It'll be all right. I know it will."

"And that," RJ said half-heartedly, "is probably why it will. Because you know."

"You should know too," Casey said.

RJ tilted his head, and Casey smiled. "If you say 'know what?' I'm going to have to kiss you. That's just the way it is."

That made RJ brighten. "Know what?"

Ultimately, Casey did go alone and RJ didn't stay behind. Of course. He should have expected the Wolf Ranger to follow him. What he wouldn't have expected even if he'd known, though, was that Camille would catch RJ sneaking around the quarry while she was doing exactly the same thing. For disturbingly similar reasons.

Luckily, he and Jarrod didn't know either of them were there until afterwards. Even better, their meeting didn't result in anyone's death or captivity. It wasn't particularly helpful otherwise, except in that it did confirm the Dai Shi spirits were acting just as unpredictably as those of Pai Zhua.

At least, Casey thought that was what Jarrod meant. It was hard to tell with all the growling and insulting and posturing that seemed to be the backdrop for most of his communication. And efforts to figure it out in retrospect came to a halt when he found RJ waiting for him at the edge of town.

Blending into the shadows that spread from the corner of the large animal veterinary clinic, long closed at this hour, Casey wouldn't have even noticed him if the tiger hadn't looked first. And second. Because that figure, here, deserved a double take.

RJ didn't look up. He was leaning back against the wall, one foot braced against it, head tilted back. Eyes closed.

Waiting.

Casey couldn't explain the feeling that came over him. He knew. He just knew what had happened, what RJ was doing here, that he had never really been alone. That he might never be again, if tonight was any indication, and someone had to draw the line.

RJ didn't move when Casey changed course, cutting across the deserted lot, through the light and into the dark. Casey wasn't trying to sneak up on him, and he had no illusions that he could even if he'd meant to. He wanted to be acknowledged. Right now.

"RJ." It came out as a growl, and for once he didn't care. "The loft is back the way you came."

RJ's eyes opened. They flashed purple in the dark, and Casey felt the tiger surge. He knew a challenge when he saw it. They'd had this conversation over and over again, and every time, RJ agreed that Casey was in charge of the team and Casey should assign them as he saw fit.

The agreement never seemed to stop RJ from doing whatever he wanted to. It didn't stop him from making his own assignments, unilateral decisions, and Casey crazy. Most of the time it was a toss-up between the good kind of crazy and the bad. That was the only reason Casey hadn't fired him yet--or jumped him. If you could fire your boss, which he wasn't totally sure about.

He was pretty sure you could jump your boss, but he was still afraid it would be horribly awkward the next day. Or immediately, depending on RJ's reaction. So far, the potential awkwardness outweighed the short-term gain. Barely.

"I told you that I was coming with you," RJ said, sounding light and puzzled and exactly the way he always did. Like he hadn't noticed Casey's frustration--or he didn't care.

"And I told you that you weren't," Casey said. "What part of me being the leader doesn't matter to you? Because you always make it sound really good when we're talking about it."

"Ah, but part of being a good leader," RJ began, lifting one hand to emphasize his point, "is knowing what your people are capable of."

"I think you're capable of staying away from the quarry for one night," Casey told him. "It's just a guess. Call it leader's intuition."

RJ tilted his head. "You may find that reframing the situation makes it more clear."

"It looks pretty clear to me," Casey replied. "I told you to stay behind--"

"And I told you I couldn't," RJ interrupted. "I did tell you, Casey. There are things that you can ask and still never receive if they go against someone's basic nature. You can't ask a bird to be a fish."

"What is it with you and birds lately?" Casey demanded. "You're not a bird. You're a wolf. And last I knew, wolves could take orders just fine."

Once, he had pushed RJ far enough that he actually apologized. And it wasn't unheard of these days, just in general, to hear the words "I'm sorry" from their Wolf Ranger. Tonight, however, didn't look like it would be one of those times.

"Why is it so important to you that I do what you tell me?" RJ asked. He was odd and unreadable in his black and violet uniform: the only time they saw him wear dark colors.

"Because I do what you tell me all the time!" Casey exclaimed. "I train however you say, I run the restaurant when you ask, and I spend a frankly frightening amount of time trying to guess what you want so you won't have to tell me directly. When you can't even do the few things I ask as Red Ranger, it feels like you don't trust me! Like you think I'm not good enough to make those decisions!"

RJ was staring at him. "I want you to know," he said thoughtfully, "this isn't meant as an excuse, or a reason, or even a diversion. I just..."

He paused, absent gesture landing unexpectedly alongside Casey's face. "Can't get it out of my head," he said, stepping closer.

Do it, Casey thought. Just do it already.

But RJ waited, watching... inviting.

Casey kissed him. The conversation wasn't going anywhere anyway, he told himself. And RJ was wearing his uniform, which was really easy to grab onto and it had been a long day and he didn't have any excuse except that RJ's hands were on him and he had never done this before. Not like this. Not with RJ, who was as distant as he was familiar, who held everyone just close enough that they would think they knew him without him actually having to answer their questions.

RJ made a small sound that prompted another growl and a shove and the fact that he had RJ up against the wall only meant that he could push harder. Not rough. Not now. But his hands flexed and clenched on RJ's shoulders, kneading, warm and strong and he could feel heat through his shirt where RJ was holding him in return. His mouth, trying to steal that breath, careful to avoid sharp movements that might send his head into the wall.

"I trust you," RJ mumbled, the words slightly muffled by Casey's repeated attempts to kiss them out of him.

"Me too," Casey said, just in case some sort of response was required. "More kissing."

A slight huff, a catch in his breath that might have started in his throat, was the only indication that he recognized the irony. "That's an order I can follow."

"Oh--" He didn't really want to talk--it took away from kissing--but it was better than having the conversation without kissing. "This is the kind of decision..." Casey didn't get it all out in one breath. "You think I can make?"

"One among many," RJ muttered, easy to understand even so soft because the words went directly from his throat to Casey's lips, "that I think you're perfectly capable of."

He was talking and Casey was kissing his neck and why hadn't he even noticed when that happened? Because he'd only been kissing RJ's mouth, and then the side of his face, and then his jaw, and--RJ wasn't saying anything. Wasn't stopping him. Could he have done this any time? Had RJ been waiting for him to do it?

Was he going too far, or not far enough?

"I have to follow you," RJ gasped, and hey, he sounded kind of ragged and that had to be a good thing. Casey flicked his tongue over skin and the body against his moved subtly. "That's why, sometimes... I can't follow your orders. If you--"

The sound he made was incomprehensible when Casey licked again, sucking on his neck this time, and the movement unmistakable. RJ's head tipped back, the rest of him arched forward, and Casey totally knew what he was doing now. He danced. He knew when to slide an arm around his partner's waist and cup the other hand behind his head.

"If you get that," RJ breathed, eyes closed, like he was finishing the sentence by rote. "Oh, this is... so not where we should be, right now."

He was either going to scare RJ off or make him moan, and he wasn't thinking clearly enough to weigh the consequences this time. He shuffled his feet, shifted into RJ, and they were pressed together in a way that got the better response. From both of them.

Not just kissing, not anymore, and he probably shouldn't have said anything but he whispered, "I think the tiger wants you."

"Ah." And it was hard to tell if this was a response, intentional or involuntary, but RJ mumbled, "Sure, mi amor. Blame the cat."

He didn't have to ask what "mi amor" meant. He wasn't totally sure he'd heard right, but if he hadn't, now wasn't the time to ask. "I want you," Casey whispered against skin turned damp and sweet with kisses.

"Yes, well." He thought RJ was teasing when he said, "The wolf is very flattered."

RJ had started it. He nipped the skin under his teeth playfully and was surprised at the whimper it evoked. He ran his teeth over RJ's neck again and felt the body pressed against his shudder. Then he was getting pushed away, and no, Casey was not excited about that and no, he wasn't letting another order be countermanded this soon.

He cupped RJ's face with his free hand, the other still behind his head, and pressed a gentle but insistent kiss to lips that were already open. Breathing hard. The hands that were pushing him back stopped, lost their focus as the mouth under his responded. Too much. So biting was too much. Okay.

Funny that RJ was allowed to bite him, but he apparently wasn't allowed to return the favor.