XIII
Chapter Twenty
It's dark. Middle o' the night maybe. Look up and see stars. Standin' out here on dad's porch, arms crossed and the wind in my face. The air's warm somehow, dry...that can't be right. It's mid-winter. A scent's on that wind, somethin' I should know. It stings a bit in my nose, just a bit, like smoke or ozone. No...that ain't right either. I know that scent.
Of course she does, had been doused in it since the day she was born. Dreamed about it for weeks now.
Blood. Can't be anythin' else. Thick...heavy like a hot stink. An' it ain't no animal, either. Somebody just bought it. A scream's cuttin' the air now, shattering like a bolt of light.
Light.
Lightning.
Gods...Lightning.
Now I'm fulla horror, runnin' into the dark, somehow knowin' I'm missin' all the gopher holes in these wastes full of 'em. Pushin', pushin', gainin' no ground. Like my feet are putty. There's that scream, an' I know who's screamin'.
Her mind knew, as one's mind always does. Didn't matter if it was true.
I'm comin' darlin', I'm comin', just hold on. The wastes are stretchin' for miles in front of me, on and on and only goin' further away. But that screamin' is still with me, sharp like shards of glass on my eardrums. Can't breathe fast enough, or run fast enough though my legs are stretchin'. Can't stop now, gotta keep pushin', gotta make the screamin' stop 'fore it drives me nuts. It just keeps ringin'!
I see it, a big black shape in the wastes under the moon. Its writhin', snarlin' and smackin' its lips, smoothin' 'em over with its tongue. Its all twisted up. It's got its big black paws around somethin'...someone. I'm comin', darlin!
It lunges at me, turns real sharp and flashes fangs and angry green eyes.
Green eyes...my eyes. Good gods above, it's not me! It can't be me!
I shy, but it runs me down, swallows me, wraps me up in the dark. Its claws are in me, pullin' my veins, rippin' me up! A white hot streak of pain and then it's gone. I'm back in the waste, back under the moon. The screamin' stopped and I feel so alone. But I ain't, lookin' down at my feet I see her lyin' there. All ripped up and bloodied. Naked.
Those blue eyes fallin' on me like a two-ton terror, fillin' me up, cold and stabbin'.
"The secret's out."
What secret, darlin'? I gotta know. I kneel down, try to hold ya, but ya won't let me. Ya turn to dust in my fingers. Scattered in the wind. Now everythin's changin', the worlds metlin' away and becomin' somethin' else. Now I'm feelin' boxed in...air's goin' still... a sterile stink to it. Surrounded by steel walls and blinkin' lights, gotta a bad feelin' I've been here before. Steel's painted red with light. Ghost blood. I'm not turning so much as the room is, swingin' round in circles, makin' me sick to my stomach. And it doesn't get better when it stops. My guts bottom out. There you are, darlin', shot through with wires and tubes, floatin' like you're dead.
Gods...was that what it was like? Did I look dead too? Did I thrash and twist like that? The respirator blocks most of your face, but I see your pain. Pain I caused...
"The secret's out, it's all your fault. You infected me."
I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it, I swear!
I feel the claws comin' out, a sharp pain that radiates up into my shoulders. Gotta break that glass, I'll cut ya loose, darlin'.
But my claws are like twigs, fractured and feeble as they splinter and fall away. I can't do a god damn thing.
There's that screamin' again, ringin', stingin' like mad. Makin' my brain burn. And the stink of blood, so much of it. It's yours, darlin'. I know it, it's been on my tongue, so I know. The room spins, the redness fades away to white, or gray maybe, that haze in a dark room from a single, too-bright light.
That black shape, all talons and fangs, it's back. Perched on one of them fancy metal tables, hoverin' like it's curious. And there you are again, darlin', still sufferin'. You can't move but ya try, arms and legs strapped down tight. But your insides are on the outside an' that beast is pickin' at 'em. Then it looks at me, sees me with my eyes.
"Come an' see," it growls real low, almost lovin'. "Come an' see."
No, no, no, I don't wanna. Don't make me.
"Come an' see,"
Stop usin' my voice. I ain't you, I can't be you.
"Come an' see!" now it's roarin'. Lookin' more and more like me with every second. "Come an' see WHAT YOU DID!"
Tavisen would jackknife out of his bed, sheets twisting about his legs with a threat to trip him in his hurry. With a jerk of his hand they collapsed to the floor as he turned down the hall. Such a commotion! Had to be if it could rip him out of a dead sleep like that. Sounded like a rabbit squealing in its last moments followed by a horrible crash. His first instinct was to duck into his daughter's room, make sure she was all right. She was, well, in a sense.
He focused on Fang just as he switched on the light, his eyes quick to adjust. Naked, sweat shimmering on her skin from head to toe, droplets of it fell from the cutting edges of her bent elbows and chin. Fang's back was to him, hunched in a savage bow, muscles raised in tense relief, heaving with heavy and frantic breaths. There were whimpers hidden in the sounds. She shivered, hands shaking and allowing the light to catch on her unsheathed claws, and allowing her father his first glimpse of the numerical tattoo on her arm. Tavisen would look up just a bit to see the disaster; the closet door and the corner nearest to it were devastated, slashed to pieces with chunks and slivers on the floor. Then he glanced to the bed. Sheets all twisted up, blankets on the floor, and a darkened space where Fang had once been lying, sweat soaked.
Another nightmare, he thought as his heart wrenched. But this one was bad. He'd been listening all week to her tossing and turning, muttering in her deep sleep over things he wasn't sure he wanted to understand. All she said when he had asked about them was "about what happened." The only explanation he would ever get. Still, couldn't have been good, as he would often check on her in the middle of the night, lingering in the doorway with his arms crossed and his head shaking with worry. Needless to say this wasn't like all those nights.
"Baby," he said carefully, keeping his distance yet. "Baby...say somethin',"
For a long moment Fang didn't seem to realize he was even there, maybe the ringing in her ears was just too loud, or the roar of blood pumping through her. Then her whole form shivered as she took a deep, deep breath, straightening a little, and let it out with a pitiful sob. One knee buckled, her body jerking to the side as it hit the floor, and then the other. Her face fell into her palms, claws now shimmering among wolfish tangles.
Tavisen moved slowly, kneeling down and picking up the discarded blanket. Opening it between his hands he stepped closer, bit by bit. Bending to his knees he eased forward, arms closing about her. She lurched against him with a grinding grunt, pushing back and putting him on his rump with the force. He tightened his grip.
"Now, now, ease up, it's just me," he tried, "be still." And he held on, a hand locked on his wrist, pulling her against his chest. He could feel the hard muscles in her back and shoulders resisting, but they shook. Not much fight in them. "Be still, don't wanna hurt y'self."
Fang pushed again, heels slipping over low pile carpet, no traction. Then the resistance caved, the claws retracted with a quick snackt, and she shuddered with the first of a long onslaught of gut deep sobs. Tears started down her face. She wept.
Tavisen felt his heart wrenching again, harder now. His eyes began to burn. "Oh darlin'," he paused to swallow. "S'all right." One rough, calloused hand smoothed her hair, touching hers. "I'm here now."
Fang's mind was burning with thoughts, horrible snarls of bitterness. Where were you then? Why didn't you stop them from hurting me? Do you have any idea how much pain... but as quickly as they coursed they fizzled, died like a star and went quiet. Replaced by the pain that haunted her, that pain she had been shoving down for weeks and weeks, never addressing, never resolving. She never wanted to admit to it, to having been vulnerable and unable to regain control, and to the shame of it. And the fact that there was no one to blame, the fact that she had simply been a victim of chance. Fang Yun was not a victim, yet she had been victimized. Random, tragic. Just too damn bad.
She had never taken the time to accept that, her ego too big to let her. Sometimes you just need to let yourself mourn misfortune, but not her. Not Fang Yun.
But yes. Even Fang Yun.
The bloodletting would last a good while, almost a solid hour, and her father was there to help her through it. "It's all right, darlin," he'd whisper from time to time. "Just let it out." And he would fight his own tears as her form trembled against him, still gently resisting. Although, like the frame-wracking cries, this too would ease, and she would come to lay against his chest without a care, too tired and red eyed. Tavisen would continue to hold her close, his palm still petting, still trying to soothe.
When it seemed like the worst was over, he thought it all right to speak again. "Haven't held ya like this since ya was a wee thing." And he smiled before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, thinking back to the scrawny girl with messy hair that resembled him far too much.
Fang had shifted, her cheek to his bare chest, soft hair prickling against her face. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath through her nose, taking in his scent. Motor oil...cigars...Old Spice...yup, smelled like home. Comfort washed over her as she exhaled. "Sorry I woke you."
"S'all right. Could ya talk t'me about it?"
Her brow knitted, eyes closing again. "Dunno how to describe it...I'm scared."
"I know, baby," he nodded. "I can smell it on ya...hard on this ol' man's heart. Still...as much as I respect yer right t'have secrets...I can't do anythin' for ya if ya don't tell me what's goin' on."
"Couldn't rightly tell ya what's happenin' m'self." Fang admitted.
"Could ya try?" he encouraged gently.
She was quiet a moment, thinking. Maybe she could. But that would mean telling him a lot of things. All the things she'd been through, done, all the people she had hurt and worse. She would have to tell him about Lightning.
The thought of the now not-so-human hume made her shrug.
With any luck, her bisexuality would come across as big a surprise as her being a L'Cie. She could only hope.
Seemed like this night was only going to get longer.
(II)
She had been awake, just for a moment, maybe a minute at most. The sound of an engine, the gentle shake of a vehicle in motion, voices dull and as they moved back and forth. Her lids parted in that short moment, but didn't open fully, and her body moved with very little thought. Sluggish, though strong as she lurched forward, one arm swinging as if to soundly deck someone in the puss. It hit something, the knuckles tensing against the sting of impact. But a moment later she was down again, on her stomach with the sensation of the whole world just rolling over and settling in the middle of her back. Then what little she was aware of faded, went dark.
The next thing Lightning would grasp was the slight pain in her cheek as her head laid against a hard surface, skin stuck to what felt like varnish. She slowly straightened, feeling her stiff back protesting, as well as her shoulders, wedged tight from having her hands restrained behind her. Wasn't handcuffs, she'd figured out after a testing twist of her wrists. Nope, no such luck, she could have gotten out of those. Felt tight like zip-ties. Gods damn it. She tried to stretch in the chair she was sitting in, legs out in front under the table. It was quiet and she was alone. At least it seemed that way.
Voices again, from the next room, though upon a closer listen she found it to just be one. One she simply didn't like the sound of. She leaned back, slowly, carefully against the back of the chair, craning her neck just so to look through the opening into the next room. And there he was, the big cat himself with a cell phone uncomfortably to his ear. He looked to be sifting through a briefcase, but one of those hard shelled, metallic looking ones with insides padded with foam. It sounded like he was having to assure and reassure whoever was on the other end that he would send it out as soon as possible, firm lines forming around his felid eyes in irritation. Lightning settled back just as she saw him take the device from his ear and slam the briefcase shut. His heavy footsteps went pounding through the floors.
Lightning didn't see him but felt his presence enter the room, felt him move around the table to sit in front of her, clawed hands folding to rest in front of him.
"Afternoon." his voice had a natural roughness to it.
She said nothing, her eyes low, unconsciously focusing on his huge, hard hewn hands.
A small smirk turned his mouth. Why did they always try the silent treatment? "In case you were curious, you're family is safe. At least I believe so. Surely your NORA friends have reached them by now."
Still no reaction, though her heart clenched in worry. She prayed Serah and her mother were all right. Maybe, just maybe they others reached them.
"How long had you been working with them? I'm curious." he waited, still without an answer. "Was it before or after you came to Aggra? I'm going to assume before..."
And though he was right, down to the letter, she wouldn't say so or even make a gesture that remotely resembled an answer.
"Yeul tells me you knew the runt before then," he tilted his head, searching for something, anything, or perhaps just expressing an inquiry. "Is that why you infiltrated us? You felt sorry for her?" a puff of air. "You must think yourself so righteous."
Goodness, the commander was resilient. So stiff, so quiet. He couldn't even smell a reaction, couldn't hear a quickened heartbeat. He had read her file a time or two, knew she'd had some preliminary training in interrogation during her military service, but he hadn't expected someone so collected. So distant.
"We know where she is." he said casually. "In fact, once I've finished here, I'll be going to meet with her myself."
Tension in her shoulders, that's all the statement caused, and it wasn't even sudden. Slow, creeping, her thinking it unnoticed. But Caius noticed.
"It's nothing personal," that smirk twisted tighter, revealing a hint of a long tooth. "I'm just following orders. You understand, I'm sure. I just want what's due me."
Though, for a split second, she had to wonder what that might have been. What did he have coming to him that was worth all this trouble? Did he want to have that procedure done on him so badly?
"When you're as old as I am you don't ask for much. Maybe if you live that long you'll come to know what I mean. Speaking of which," he adjusted in his seat, leaning forward to put his weight on his thick elbows, claws pointing into the table. "I've noticed your scent has changed, in a way I'm rather certain it shouldn't."
What the hell would he know about it?
Quite a lot actually. He was old enough to be, at the very least, her great-great-grandfather. PSICOM hadn't even been able to determine his age.
"You're blood...something is drastically different." he nodded slowly, as if coming to the realization in that moment. "The runt's stink is all over you...but then there's something else. And you heal so quick for a hume." his eyes narrowed on her, though she refused to meet them.
More tension, a sharp wave of it this time. Maybe a part of her was convinced that symptom had passed, that the mild mutation had resolved. Yet another part knew it hadn't. Still, she did her best to hide the reaction, hide the anxiety. She did it for the most part, but Caius caught wind of the slight sweat gathering in her palms.
"However, that's not my current concern, more like a curiosity. What is is getting those bones back to my superiors. And you're going to help me."
"Hmph,"
"Ah, so you are listening." he appeared amused. "Good, and here I thought I was being ignored."
"Can't have that." She had yet to look at him directly, but her brow moved up and then down.
A slight chuckle and then he stood, great shoulders bunching as he pushed up, palms on the table. He rounded the table, coming to settle behind her, and his great paws cupped her shoulders. The tips of his claws pressed, threatening gently. And for the moment he simply stood there. Was he listening to the quickening of her heart, now that he was so close? Could he hear the organ pounding against her ribs? Likely, and nothing she could do could stifle the noise. Gods, just do something already...
He shrugged. "Surely you have someone you care about, enough so that you would do anything for them..." he paused, though he wasn't waiting for an answer, and his features had darkened with heavy creases. "If so then you understand what I'm doing. Had I any other choice, we would not be speaking now. But this is my road and I must walk it. As you must walk it with me for a spell."
Caius Ballad cared? Not just cared, but did so for someone other than himself? How was that possible? The L'Cie never showed evidence of having a single give-a-damn bone in his whole body.
"Although, on the bright side, I don't require much of you." his hands lifted, a tightness left behind by his talons. He moved a little behind her, his hands in his pockets. He revealed a single sheet of paper which he unfolded, and a pen which he carefully held in his hands to write. It was a quick selection of scratches, putting ink to paper, and then he set the page in front of the hume.
Lightning didn't look at it, just as she had yet to look at him.
"I wish to give the runt a message. You know, to show my sincerity."
"Fancy that. What the hell do you need for, then?" call it morbid curiosity.
"Your signature."
In a split second she felt his hands at the back of her head, fingers curling into a fist, gripping a handful of her hair before shoving forward and down. All the force he could muster was put behind the motion, her face bouncing hard on the top of the table. Her nose was crushed, blood gushing after an initial splatter of crimson across the page. A short grunt upon impact was the peak of her reaction, after which she could only manage to rock her head back and forth in a sluggish way, wet paper under her cheek. The world spun as she rode out the pain, eyes troublesome to keep open and she had to try and think to breathe. Gods that hurt.
Caius gripped her hair a second time, just long enough to lift her head and retrieve the letter, then simply let her fall back to where she lay. Thump, right on her already tender cheekbone.
"That should do." he seemed satisfied to say. "Though, I must confess, there's still one more thing I need you to do for me. Again, it isn't much." and he popped his knuckles, claws flexing. "Just hold still."
(III)
It had been nearly two weeks now since Tavisen opened his front door to find his daughter on his porch. Nearly two weeks that had been full of rough patches and smooth sailing. Mostly smooth, he was thankful to say. The worst had been a few nights back, the dream that had Fang shaken up so. Thinking about it still made the old L'Cie's heart clench. He'd had no idea just how bad it was. But that same night he and his daughter had a long heart-to-heart, and now he understood. As best as anyone who hadn't been there could at least. What Fang had divulged kept him from sleeping well for several days, left him fretting, wracking his brain for some sort of solution, anything that might help her cope. It's what father's do, after all. Worry, that is.
And it wasn't even the whole bisexual thing. He just chalked that up to Mother Nature having a sense of humor.
But that kind of trauma, it wasn't something you could put a band-aid on and forget about. Not a chance in hell. That kind of pain would take years to dissipate, if it did at all. And that doesn't even take into account its impact on her emotionally and mentally. He hated to admit it, but PSICOM had screwed her up bad. And it filled him with such a rage. The only thing that made him swallow it down was knowing it wouldn't help her, it wouldn't make anything better, and Tavisen had never been someone to waste his energy on things he couldn't change. Instead he focused it on his thoughts, coming to the conclusion that -if nothing else- maybe he could take the edge off. Make it a little easier for Fang to manage.
That was the driving hope behind him as he tried to rouse his daughter from sleep before sunrise one morning, telling her to get dressed and that they had ground to cover. Naturally she protested, confused and groggy and grumbling as she shuffled about the house in search of her boots. "No, I don't wanna, you can't make me," you know the drill. Somehow she made it to the passenger seat of the jeep, eyes mostly closed. She even got the seat belt on all by herself, though don't get too excited as she was right back to sleep by the time Tavisen had the vehicle backing out of the driveway and pulling onto the road.
They wouldn't leave the reservation. In fact, the only thing they left was asphalt as Tavisen maneuvered the jeep off road. Out into the wastes for several miles, which didn't take as long as you would think. Tavisen knew this terrain too well to lose much time driving it, even in the dark. It would still be dark, though the sky was beginning to brighten with dawn when the vehicle skidded to a halt. The sudden jerk had Fang grumbling again, waking with resistance.
"C'mon, darlin', we still gotta ways t'go."
Eyes wide open but clearly displeased, Fang twisted around in the seat to see her father pulling what looked to be a large backpack out of the back seat. Then a cooler, some fishing rods, all the odds and ends a camper might need. She resumed her initial position and blinked, rubbing her eyes, then looked up. Nothing but mountains for miles ahead, some rounded at the top and speckled with forests, others further back that were peaked and still showing bits of snow. Without knowing it Fang smiled a little, taking a sniff of the air. Seemed to give her a bit more get-up-and-go. She climbed out of the car and took up a fair share of what her father had brought along. Together they started to walk towards the peaks, up a game trail that had been there longer than even Tavisen could remember.
The reservation's property boundaries had been under dispute for decades, the most heated of these being just within the first five years of its inception. The continental government wanted the more fertile regions for its own use, such as the meadows and mountains, but the tribal council protested nearly to the point of open revolt. Those areas were sacred to the Oerban people and a necessity for their culture to continue. Temples and burial grounds had been discovered by federal surveyors shortly after the land had been acquired. And while revolt would've cost the natives everything, would've wiped them out to the last man, they were ready to stand on that risk. The government, at the time, couldn't have withstood that kind of bad press, so they managed to come to a compromise. The government would be allowed several hundred acres, provided they construct an educational facility that was open to the public and maintained the property as would be fitting a national park.
So far the arrangement had been well kept. Which was really saying something.
Though Tavisen and Fang would be keeping their distance from the government controlled area. No need to go there seeing as they had all the rest of it to themselves. And Tavisen knew his way around, knew where they could go and be separated from the world. Which was his plan. Maybe if he got Fang back to this place, reminded her where she came from, it could help. Maybe she would find herself again. Or, at the very least, begin coming to grips with whoever she had become.
Made me somethin' I dunno how t'be.
Hearing that tore at his heart, and there was so little he could do. But he still had hope.
Most of the morning the two of them spent walking the trail, their bootprints added to the dozens of animal tracks. Deer, bear, small game like what the natives called Dream Hares. Bipedal rodents that never came out in broad daylight and seemed to move about the twilight like spirits. The only thing known for sure about them was their beady little eyes, pelts that came in any color, and four long ears that shimmered like gossamer feathers in the moonlight. That is, when they were seen. Then, of course, the wolf tracks. They'd roamed these mountains since the beginning. But there was nothing to be afraid of, so long as anyone visiting followed their rules.
Fang always loved the smell of this place. All the different trees, the way the sunlight dappled the trails coming through the leaves. The air was so clean up here, no dust, no fumes of fuel, all those little things only people like her and her dad could pick up on. It was warmer up here than down in the valley, all year, hence the dense growth. No one could really figure out why, it had always been that way. Just one of those weird things. Maybe generosity on the gods part, allowing the Oerbans to always have access to a food source and building materials. One of the main reasons Big Brother tried to boot them down into the valley and snatch up all this property for itself.
It was just before noon when they reached the site Tavisen had in mind. With the snow caps at higher elevations, melts that came and went throughout the year, the lower mountains were full of natural lakes. The largest of which had a temple nestled on its northernmost bank. But that wasn't this one, no this was one of the near hundred or so smaller ones, woods surrounding it like a loving embrace. There were traces on every bank of people have been there, though not the traces you would initially think. No trash, no bottles bobbing in the water, no carvings of peoples' names in the bark of the ancient trees. The little things like charred ground from centuries of fire pits and hiking trails walked bare to the dirt.
"Nice spot ya picked out, dad. What's the occasion?"
"No occasion," Tavisen shook his head, smiling as he set the knapsack down. "Just thought it'd do some good for the two of us t'just...get out I suppose. I mean, last time we went fishin' was..."
"Eighteen years." Fang scratched the back of her neck. Yeah, a while too long. "So...just a father-daughter getaway for fishin' an' drinkin'? Ya did bring the beer, right?"
"What d'ya think I am, a savage?" he chuckled. Beer yes, cigars no. Nobody, and I mean nobody smoked here. Ever, no exceptions. "Once everythin's squared away we'll park it on the bank and get to it."
And they did just that for the next three days. Fishing, drinking, shooting the shit as people having a good time do, and even went swimming in the lake. The weather held well, the woods were quiet, and the beer was cold. Enough to make anyone happy, more than enough for Fang to let go of her trouble for a spell. The comfort seemed to reach its height in the middle of the first night as she slept for thirteen hours straight, gently rocked in a hammock by the breeze with one leg hanging over the side. No shoes, no shirt, her aussie cap covering her bare breasts, and snoring to high heaven. Not deep enough to dream, but just deep enough to rest. Naturally, Tavisen didn't have it in him to bother her.
Aside from reconnecting with her dad and appearing to take a much needed break from her life, Fang found herself with ample time and a noticeable desire to rethink her situation. At least from a personal standpoint, as it was fair to say the PSICOM fandango wasn't going change just because she mulled it over.
Her thoughts went straight to Lightning, as much as she would rather think about the shit her genes were trying to pull these days. Though there wasn't much of a stretch between the two. She looked out over the lake, ignoring the fishing pole that tugged occasionally, considering the hume without much effort. Maybe...maybe she'd been too quick to pass judgment. Confused and angry over what her genetics were doing, she needed someone to point a finger at, someone to take it out on. But, in her own defense, she had told Lightning to stop.
Then again, the hume had done so much for her sake...
Fang grumbled a bit with a shake of her head. Damn the hume. One of the few problems she couldn't ignore long enough for it to go away. Too damn pretty and way too damn stubborn.
Another thing she wasn't too fond of, how her genetics in all their infinite wisdom were somehow drawn to her. It felt like she had no choice. What if she never came to have a deep attachment to Lightning, would she still be stuck with her? Would the hume, the whims of her blood, eventually make her prisoner instead of those that would do the same at PSICOM?
I wouldn't have picked her...yeah, bedded her, but I wouldn't have stayed. Like all the others.
And then her father's voice pushed its way into her thoughts. "We don't always pick who Mother Nature pairs us with, and it'll often take us by surprise."
Fang struggled to find understanding of the philosophy, though she gave an honest effort. Perhaps a small part of her genuinely wanted to be with Lightning, but the L'Cie dismissed it as the animal, that thing she had seen in her nightmare. It had wants and needs too, but rarely did they meet with her own.
It was the serum, another part of her kept saying. It was all due to Moira's meddling. The reaction would never have occurred in the first place if it hadn't been for her. But before the serum, came an arrangement for dinner that fell through. So what, if not the geneticist's intervention, had brought that about?
Just wanted to fuck her, I bet. As that was the most likely. And again, the animal was at odds with her. Where she just wanted to scratch an itch, it wanted to keep, it wanted to hold on and possess. Fang didn't want that, not for Lightning and not for herself. Though the human might in spite of herself. After all, her blood was changing too, according to Moira.
With a huff Fang finished off her near warm beer and shook her head again. In any case, perhaps an apology was in order. If nothing else, a come to Etro meeting was certainly on the to-do list.
"Watch it, babe, ya got somethin',"
Her father's voice broke her deep brooding, but it was a welcomed interruption. All of that could wait until she returned to Muir.
Fang's sleep wouldn't be as sound that last night in mountains, though still it went dreamless as before which she was very thankful for. She would find herself protesting only a little in the wee hours of morning as Tavisen roused her and they began to gather their things to carry back to the jeep. And she would openly admit that the trip, though seeming so brief, had done her some good. Her skin felt like it fit better.
The trail was quicker going down the slopes, allowing them to reach the car just after dawn. The ride back to the house was quiet, though not for any lingering anxiety but for the comfort. Two creatures in their natural habitat, nothing to be anxious about. Back at the house Tavisen suggested they just drop off the gear and go into town for a bite to eat. Sounded like plan, so they just dumped everything in the living room and went back on their way.
There was only one restaurant on the reservation, a little diner called Gau's. At this hour they were just opening their doors to the breakfast crowd, perfect timing as it was bat-shit busy once everyone was headed off to work, which would be in the next half hour or so. The pair pushed through the door, a little bell ringing over their heads.
"Go ahead an' grab a seat, darlin', gotta run t'the facilities." Felt like his back teeth were floating.
"Want coffee?"
"Sure."
Fang chuckled to herself as she slid into an empty booth, picking up a laminated menu to peruse while waiting for a server. When the girl in a skirt came by she made the request of two coffees and she went on her way, completely unaware that Fang watched her walk away. More so watched the sway of her hips and backside. The L'Cie shook her head. Damn. Then she focused on her appetite. What was she into this morning? She tried not to be distracted as the bell at the door chimed again, not to be distracted by the heavy footsteps that came through the floor. And when something slid into the seat in front of her, she just assumed it was her father.
"Morning."
But that wasn't her father's voice. Far from it.
Her green eyes raised from the menu, and forest met ice as Caius Ballad's gaze met hers. Her reaction was subdued, though every muscle in her body clenched and every short hair across her body bristled sharp. When his scent caught her nose her heart rate jumped. The animal inside snarled in warning.
"Surprised to see me?" he seemed to purr, smirking. "I would imagine you thought yourself safe here? Hardly."
"You ain't gonna start shit in fronna gods an' everybody," at least she was hoping so.
"No, not really. That's not what I'm here for, actually." he shook his head, casually settling his weight forward and on his elbows, fingers lacing together. "I just wanted to speak with you a moment, pass on a message from a mutual friend."
"If you gotta friend, they ain't no friend of mine."
"That's where you'd be wrong, I'm afraid." and he chuckled, husky, reaching one taloned paw into the heavy leather coat he was wearing.
A new scent hit her before he even revealed what his pocket contained. Blood, old but unmistakable. It made her hackles higher, her features lining with tension, doubly so when her eyes saw the bloodied envelope. Caius set it on the table and pushed it to her, gesturing with his hands for her to go ahead and take it. Almost silently pleading for her to open it.
Fang didn't want to touch it, let alone see what was inside. That smell was too familiar, too unsettling.
"It's rather important." he encouraged, his voice slightly hushed and his brows raised. "Humor me, would you?"
"Suppose once couldn't hurt." she was trying to show ego, but was failing. She knew Caius could smell her nerves, her tension. With one hand she put it to the stained paper, pulled it to her and lifted it from the table. With no visible hurry she pulled it open, sliding the page within out before unfolding it in the same casual manner. She took a moment to read what was written, glancing away only once to look at Caius cautiously. Then her brow scrunched.
"The hell is this?"
"Coordinates. In three days you will meet me at that location."
"Or what?"
"Well, there could be a myriad of consequences should you refuse. But, before I elaborate, do take a closer sniff of that, would you?" he waited, watched as she took his advice, smirking a little wider. "Smell familiar? It should."
Fang's eyes widened, brows raised. There was the slightest hint of her own scent on it, hers and...sweet gods. Her eyes fell sharp on Caius, who only laughed. And now that she looked, she found more brownish stains on his fingers, the tips of his claws.
"She lives for the time being, and that continuing will depend greatly on what you choose to do."
"My grave or hers, I suppose?" her jaw was tight, you could hear it beside the slight snarl.
"That, among other things. Could be worse. Rest assured, should you decided to follow my suggestion and meet me, you will die. Although what becomes of her is still up for debate. If I'm feeling generous, once I have what I want, I could make arrangements for your friends at NORA to find her. If not,"
"If not?"
"Don't interrupt, please," he chastised. "If not...you see, I've noticed that the hume can handle a great deal of...pressure. And she heals rather quickly, don't you think? My superiors would be very curious indeed to discover why that is. In fact, I would imagine there's a collection of rather invasive procedures they could administer to find out."
Fang flinched, lips flaring slightly to show teeth. Images flashed in her mind, back to the nightmare, back to Lightning in the reactor and shot through with wires.
"So you mated her? How did you accomplish that?" and he appeared genuinely curious, almost excited in his inquiry. "Can't be too conducive to continuing the species...but that's beside the point. Still," his expression sobered, darkened, "should you fail to appear, I will see to it that she dies. Slowly. Painfully. However,"
Gods, would you stop talking... The animal was foaming at the mouth, snarling and snapping.
"I would understand if you didn't show. I would imagine you don't really care about her all that much, do you? Creatures like you...you hardly even know what you are. All this time pummeling your way through a pointless existence, selfish. Yes, I know you, better than yourself it seems."
"Ya need t'get outta my face." she warned, pressing the letter down onto the table.
"Which I'm in the process of doing, so relax." he nodded slowly, gesturing with one hand. "Let's not make a scene. I came to deliver a message and I've done that. The rest is up to you. So," he stood steadily, pushing down on the creases in his clothes. "Perhaps I will see you again?" Then he left the diner, the bell above the door jingling once again. Though to Fang it was intense like a gong, and chimed louder than even the blood pounding through her.
It was mere seconds later that Tavisen reappeared, his comment about "that must've been the longest piss ever" going completely over his daughter's head. It troubled him that she didn't laugh, as that kind of humor usually would. Then he became aware of the horribly serious look darkening Fang's face and he felt his heart sink. He saw the envelope and letter under hands as well, the feeling intensifying.
"What's wrong, hon? What's happened?"
Fang looked up at him, nostrils beginning to flare and jaw still tight like a steel trap. "I gotta go back t'work."
Author's Note: Yeah, so a little more filler and a little plot. Next chapter is going to be the end-all-be-all battle between Caius and Fang, so stay tuned. After that is the epilogue, and thus this tale will end. As for anymore FLight in this particular piece, I'm not too sure. Likely heavy suggestion at most. Though I'm planning a one shot follow up shortly after, so you can look forward to that. Strictly for the fanservice, just like before. But that's later. Thanks for the patience everyone, and hope you enjoyed the ride. Also, be sure to send in any questions you might have because the slots are filling up fast. Now I'm off to bed.