Funnily enough, a bunch of you are reading this story (about 7 thousands actually), yet only one person commented on the last chapter. I wonder why? You guys need to understand something: what takes you 40 minutes to read usually takes me weeks to write. I dedicate a lot of time to writing this story because I want to see how it ends. However, I am posting it on here for you. A little line to tell me how a chapter made you feel or what scene you liked most would actually be great. Especially since I know people are reading.
vocab
peplos is a type of clothing
Skeuos is a bag
Klinē is a type of bed/couch people used to lie on during Ancient Greece/Ancient Roman
an A380 is a plane. A very, very big plane.
Eye of the Beholder
by Hazel Liebovsky
Chapitre Seize
Lara hears it above the commotion, above the unnatural snowstorm whipping at her hair and tearing through her ruined clothes. Sam's ear-piercing scream of agony chills her to the bone.
Keep going. Find her. Keep going.
"The ritual has begun!" a Solarii hollers before her arrow hits him in the chest with a final thud that would have made Lara sick, had she not been so desperate.
"For the Queen!" another one snarls as he dashes towards her. He tumbles down just as he reaches her, a crevice the size and shape of her axe indented on his skull. Flecks of bright red blood spray out from the wound as Lara pulls the axe out, immediately crystallizing and blowing away in the cold, harsh weather.
Keep going. Just keep going.
Lara can barely see past her nose. Snowflakes are slicing through her skin like shards of ice.
"Pour forth! Fill up this mortal coil!"
It's not Mathias' voice she hears above the howling winds. Lara squints, both in momentary confusion and to shield herself from the brutal weather, and keeps running.
"Awaken, my Queen... "
She knows those inflections, she's heard that accent somewhere before, but Lara can't spare the focus to figure out whose voice it is; raving Solarii are sprinting towards her like a pack of dogs, one after the other, she must take care of them first. Kill the threats. Kill them all.
"Awaken!"
Sam is screaming. Sam is screaming and screaming. Lara keeps shooting arrows, keeps pushing forward, heartbeat in her veins. "Get out of my way, you bastards!"
Protect her. You promised to protect her.
"Himiko of the Storms!" the voice is chanting along Sam's wails.
Lara is close, she can see the platform; the hooded figure with their hands raised in the air, Sam levitating just above, writhing in pain. Her limbs stretched unnaturally. Her arms are forced outward by the pulse of the bond between her and the decaying corpse on top of the small stairs.
"Stop!" Lara yells above the winds. "Don't hurt her! Stop!"
They don't hear her above the chaos. A chunk of ice whizzes past, barely missing Lara's head. Sam is still screaming, still floating above. The wind is too strong, it forces Lara down, she crawls and crawls to reach the wooden bridge. It's disintegrating fast, but she manages to get on the other side before it's blasted away.
"Sam!"
Lara scrambles to her feet, barely keeping her balance as she runs towards her friend. "Sam!"
The figure tosses back the hood and turns around sharply. Eyes like liquid honey, a smirk on her face.
Lara feels a sudden weight in the palms of her hands, raises them, observing the pistols. Roth's. Roth who died protecting her. Roth who took an axe to the spine. Roth who is dead. Like Grim, like Alex, like so many others.
Protect Sam. You promised.
Her hand stretches and aims. Kassandra tilts her head, palms outward towards the young woman. "You would kill me, Lara?" she frowns.
Lara doesn't want to. She opens her mouth, but her tongue feels like cotton, too thick. "You've hurt Sam," she croaks. Her words feel foreign.
Kassandra is still smiling. "I did what was necessary, for my Queen," she takes a step forward, then another and another until the canon of the pistol is pressed against her. "You wouldn't kill me, would you?"
Her voice is sweet, all smooth baritone. Her fingers curl around Lara's shaking hand. "You would kill someone you care about, Lara?"
No.
Kassandra lowers the weapon, cradles Lara's mud and blood-streaked cheek with her other hand. Her thumb runs across the fresh scars there, soothes the burning ache. "You won't kill me," she whispers.
Lara wants to lean in the touch, but it feels wrong. It feels wrong, wrong like the churning in her guts, like her mind screaming at her to shoot, like her heart begging for a kiss.
It feels wrong, but she wants it.
"You won't do it," Kassandra repeats, breathes on her lips. "Because you love me."
She doesn't know who leans in first, her mind is laser-focused, drinking in the lips pressed against hers. Lara searches and searches but finds no comfort in them; it's everything she's wanted, and nothing at all.
It wasn't supposed to happen that way.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. It feels wrong, and right, and wrong, and right again, with each swipe of Kassandra's tongue on her lower lip, in Lara's mouth when she opens it, teasing her when she sighs. Her mind, her heart, they scream.
Stop it.
Keep going.
Stop.
Continue.
Lara kisses back and she hates herself for it. Her body reacts, it's primal, it's instinctual, the response, like the fluttering in her stomach when Kassandra's hands start traveling, rough pads drawing patterns on the sticky skin of her bare arms, then down encircling her hips, bringing her closer none too gently, with the pistol still pressed between them.
The motion pulls on the wound at her side, but Lara is too far gone, lips moving, growing frantic, and hungry, and open-mouthed as she searches and searches again for a sliver of warmth in the furnace of want. Kassandra's hands travel again, settling on the seat of her pants and squeeze, drawing a whimper out of her.
Their proximity pulls on her side again, enough to take Lara out of her search, with Kassandra's lip trapped between her teeth. She tugs a little, before letting it go, entranced by the swell of those lips stretching into a smile.
It's unsettling, the way Kassandra looks at Lara. Like a stranger, like a threat. Like an…
"Outsider," Sam's voice materializes behind her. "You were too late," she whispers in Japanese, close to her ear.
Get away!
The throb is acute in her back when Himiko stabs her. Lara tries to scream, but Kassandra's lips are on hers again, swallowing her wails and drinking her blood. It's sick, it's twisted but Kassandra won't let go and Himiko is still stabbing.
Let go...
…
Eyes like liquid honey peering over her. It was the first Lara saw when she opened hers. She didn't notice the crease of worry on the woman's face. Delirious with the phantom sensation of being trapped in Kassandra's arms while Himiko repeatedly stabbed her in the back, she reacted:
Lara swatted Kassandra's hand away. Recoiling from her, she leaned up and scrambled away awkwardly, huddling against the wall. "Don't touch me!" she snapped.
She could still feel the pain. The yearning, the lips, and burrowed into herself, willing her body to just stop.
Kassandra froze, hand mid-air and mouth agape. "Okay, Lara," she muttered softly, both palms up and facing the archaeologist. "No touching," before crawling away to the middle of her bedroll. "You had a nightmare," she said, noting Lara's rasped breathing and shivers.
The archaeologist blinked warily at her until Kassandra stood up, joints popping with the motion as she navigated in the dark. Lara heard her open a crate, before the weight of a heavy curtain enveloped her frame. She winced, when Kassandra crouched next to her, keeping her distance. "Do you want water?"
Eyes like liquid honey. Looking at her like she was a threat. Worried, looking at her like they knew her.
Lara closed her eyes, trying to chase the images away, digging her nails in the skin of her knees, her mind flailing wildly, trying to grasp at the threads of reality. She shook her head after a while and swallowed thickly. "I'm…" her voice was hoarse. Had she been screaming? "Okay."
She was still in it. Vivid, like the feeling of those lips on hers, the touch of those hands, the blinding pain in her back. Lara winced, digging deeper, breathing in and out, in and out again and again.
It was a nightmare. You are safe. Safe. You are safe.
She lifted her head, seeing as much as sensing Kassandra withdrawing, face closing and lips drawn.
"I… I…"
Kassandra shook her head. "It's my fault, I apologize," she frowned, biting her lip. "You were saying my name, I thought…"
I thought I hurt you.
Silence draped over them like a black veil. Kassandra stood up and shuffled awkwardly on her feet, eyes focused on her cloak nearby. Lara watched her profile, saw the crease near her lower lip, the way she kept biting at her cheek. She knew the signs by now; frustration, helplessness as plain as day. The archaeologist curled on herself, bringing her knees closer to her chest. Kassandra moved, throwing the cloak over herself.
Lara startled again when she came closer again to grab the mask.
"I'll come back later," Kassandra told the younger woman, already up the stairs to open the hatch.
She didn't come back.
It went on for days; waking up in cold sweats, fear gripping at her chest. The fourth night it happened, Lara jerked upright - only to find the bedroll next to hers empty. Relief and guilt had squeezed tightly at her heart then.
Kassandra started avoiding her at nightfall, leaving the hold, coming back only when the bellowing sailors started their morning routine and Lara was awake. She would find her above deck sometimes, giving a hand to the sailors who had the misfortune of working at night or early dawn, or up the mast standing guard, waiting to see land.
They spoke, but never really talked. Every attempt to deride from shallow topics was met with monosyllabic answers, when Kassandra wasn't blatantly ignoring her. She couldn't get to her neither at night nor during the day.
Lara just wanted to talk, damn it. They needed to talk, about Yamatai, about… about things. Her frustration rose as a few more days went by and the captain of the ship informed her they would be reaching Attika soon.
Sod it, Lara gritted her teeth, glaring at the horizon. If Kassandra didn't want to talk, then she would listen, at least. Even if it meant the archaeologist would be giving a monologue to a wall for one hour. She took a deep breath and stomped her way to the hatch, ready to deal with this.
Stepping down towards the hold, she found Kassandra sitting cross-legged on her bedroll, hands folded in front of her and eyes closed. Lara had rarely seen her meditating openly since they started travelling together, Kassandra had the habit of stopping right when she would feel her presence, joking about interference and how her thoughts were too loud.
Not this time, though.
Lara watched her take slow, deep and measured breaths for almost two hours before Kassandra opened her eyes, looking disoriented for a split second, dazed, like she had just woken up from a slumber.
Maybe she had been sleeping. God knows where she slept lately, if at all.
Eyes like liquid honey.
"Hey," Lara tried and winced right as it came out. Too loud. Out of place.
"Hello," the woman's voice was scratchy from misuse.
"Feeling better?" she forced out. This was going awfully bad.
Kassandra hummed, a leather band trapped between her lips as she gathered her hair up in a half-loose bun and tied the knot. It was strangely entrancing to watch fine strands of hair gliding through the space between her fingers when she wrangled them up with practiced movements.
"I do," her speaking startled Lara out of her observations; she'd forgotten her question. "I can breathe normally now," Kassandra inhaled, wincing a little and deflated. "Well. Almost."
"I'm glad," it was like every word that came out of her mouth proceeded to dig a deeper hole between them. A sense of dread filled Lara when hazel eyes leveled on her, studying the young woman for a long time.
Her face was completely blank. She opened her mouth, but Lara beat her to it, blurting: "I'm sorry about the—"
"Please," Kassandra interrupted her; hand raised limply. "No more apologies, I told you," she managed a weak smile. "Besides, you're not responsible."
I am, is what her words said.
Lara didn't want her thinking that because it wasn't true, it wasn't true at all. If only Kassandra would listen…
"There's something I always tell myself," Kassandra began and fidgeted with her fingers. "Words can be deceiving, even eyes can lie," her hand went up, tapping at her temple with her index finger. "But not your brain." she breathed, looking down, and then back at Lara. "I've lied to you enough. And now you're lying to yourself, but your subconscious can't. It catches up with you every night."
No…
"Kassandra, please," Lara's voice was meek. "Don't say that, it's not—"
"True?" she asked before chuckling quietly. "We both know it is," she rose to her feet and approached the archaeologist, keeping her distance. "You might not want to see it when you're awake, but you can't ignore it when you're asleep."
Lara shook her head stubbornly. Kassandra was reading this backwards, shouldering a burden that wasn't hers to carry.
"You'll keep having those nightmares, Lara," she said, no louder than a whisper. "And I will keep being in them," her head tilted down, searching the young woman's eyes.
Lara saw where this was going and shook her head. "I don't want you to leave," she knew it sounded desperate, but it was true. If Kassandra wanted to hold her accountable for the nightmares her brain cooked up, fine. But she wasn't going to let her leave. Not after everything that had happened. Not after Chios. "I… I will get through this, I'll find a way," words came out, rapid and needy. "Just, please don't…"
"Hey," Kassandra stopped her, reaching and squeezing the tension out of the archaeologist's shoulder. Lara hadn't realized how on edge this discussion had made her. "I'm not going anywhere," she muttered, soothing her turmoil. "I'll still be around."
Lara gaped, staring helplessly at Kassandra.
No…
"I'll just make myself scarce for a while. I think you need it."
No, no, no.
She was reading this completely wrong. It wasn't what Lara wanted nor needed. She had to tell Kassandra. She had to open her mouth and tell her. They needed to talk this out, not avoid it.
No…
"Can't really do much in this hold," her arm made a wide arc around them, her smile wry. "But I've been trying. And I'll let you breathe when we reach Athens."
No!
"There's a lot to see, anyway for someone like you," Kassandra forced out. "You'll be busy, you won't notice. The city is full of wonders."
She would notice. She absolutely would.
Lara deflated completely; all the pep talk had been useless. Kassandra, bull-headed as she was, refused to listen. The young woman swallowed, her tongue poking out to wet her lips before she looked up, and stared, stared until it dawned on her.
"I'm doing it to protect myself."
Eyes like liquid honey, resolute and intense, hiding the cowering woman beneath them.
"You have no idea… How much you scare me."
"Is it really what you want?" Lara asked.
Tell me the truth.
Kassandra swallowed, eyes boring into hers. "It's what you need Lara, whether you admit it to yourself or not."
For God's sake.
"Bollocks," the archaeologist spat, surprising both Kassandra and herself. "What I need," she went on. "Is for you to listen to me," she lifted her hand when the other woman opened her mouth. "Listen," she stressed. "And don't interrupt. Okay?"
She waited until Kassandra nodded. Lara started fidgeting, feeling the other woman's gaze on her. She took a deep breath and spoke, "I don't blame you."
Kassandra couldn't understand why. "You should—"
"Don't interrupt," Lara's fingers stopped her halfway, a gentle press on her lips. "I don't blame you," she blinked, eyes flickering towards her fingers before she removed them and looked Kassandra in the eyes. "What happened there… Roth, Alex, Grim and all the others, is my fault. I led them there."
There. She said it. The guilt over the fates of her friends and the poor souls who had followed her would never leave; the therapy sessions weren't going to cure her of it. That's not how it worked. There was only so much she could share with shrinks, and the sessions did help to some extent. But this burden was hers and hers alone. Not Kassandra's.
The woman swallowed and shook her head. Bull-headed as always. "Without me—"
"Without you," Lara cut her off before taking that last step, and allowing herself to cradle Kassandra's haunted face in her hands. It's not a dream, the thought buzzed about in her head. This was real. "Without you, Himiko would have enslaved every island of Japan. If what you said is true, and I know it is," she squeezed her cheek, gently, bringing hazel eyes back to hers. "The world would have been doomed."
"Lara…"
"You did the right thing, Kassandra. It was the only way," she smiled, soft and tentative. "What happened afterwards wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."
She couldn't have predicted that a shy bookworm, with a fresh archaeology-degree and something to prove, would be the one to uncover the secret sealed within the dragon triangle.
"My nightmares…" she went on, shrugging helplessly. "They come and go," Lara lowered her hands. "I have no control over them, but I'm getting better," she blinked, flashing Kassandra a nervous smile. "So, bear with me?" Lara cleared her throat, running her finger down the other woman's arm until it reached her hand. "We're in this together, remember?"
Together.
Kassandra lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands and squeezed, nodding silently.
Together.
-0-
The road from Phaleron's bay to Athens was surprisingly empty, save for the two women walking. It was good to feel solid ground under her boots, Lara mused, after months of creaking and groaning wood floating on the waves. Her excitement skyrocketed the closer they came to Athens, to the point that she subconsciously fast-walked ahead and left Kassandra in the dust, twenty meters behind her.
"The city isn't going to disappear, you know…" she heard her companion say, muffled by the mask.
Lara slowed down a little, giving her a sheepish but bright smile when she turned around. "Sorry. I'm just…"
"Excited?" Kassandra finished for her, chuckling when Lara nodded. "I'm sure you'll like it."
The archaeologist grinned again; she was practically vibrating with anticipation when Kassandra fell into pace with her. They walked in comfortable silence, Lara taking the lead once again, while the other woman got so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Lara froze, and collided right into her.
"Why did you…" Kassandra followed her gaze, drinking in the humongous city below. "Oh."
The Acropolis on the hill, standing strong, tall and whole. A bronze and golden Athena was guarding it, just as high as it was, the helmet gleaming under the sunlight. The colors, petals, peplos, music and voices droning, white noise. She could see people, moving like little ants in the maze of small houses and lavish temples.
Athens bubbled with nervous energy, just like always.
"Wow…" Lara gaped, staring until her eyes started to burn. "What a view…"
A smile tugged at Kassandra's lips, seeing the archaeologist's reaction. "Told you," she whispered. "I felt the same when I first came here."
Lara still hadn't teared her gaze away from the city encircled by walls. "Really?"
She nodded. "Kephallonia is tiny, Sami was a small town, and Sparta…" Kassandra trailed off before shrugging. "Bad memories," her childhood forever tainted.
"I see," Lara squeezed her arm above the gauntlet and offered a sympathetic smile. She'd had a love-hate relationship with Croft manor, too. Growing up happy, surrounded by parental love, never questioning its fickle fragility until her mother's death. Following her passing, Richard had grown distant and dismissive, refusing to allow himself to mourn with his daughter, preferring to throw his last forces into the research of Kitezh and the Divine Source with the foolish hope to bring Amelia back. Her father's death had been the last straw, and the time between Lara's visits gradually turned from weeks into months, then the occasional Christmas celebration with Winston - until she didn't come back anymore and left the Manor to decay for almost a decade.
It didn't compare to Kassandra's trauma, but still.
The other woman cleared her throat, looking around them again to make sure they were alone, before she spoke, "You will be meeting a lot of people here," she paused. "Famous people."
Lara could already hear it in her tone, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "No gawking," she said. "I know," she was seasoned now.
Kassandra nodded once, but she still looked at her. "If you meet Sokrates…" the archaeologist's face lit up. "Don't fall into his trap, he will talk you to death."
If… Lara frowned. "You will be here, right?" and saw her shrug, moving her head left and right.
"I have some things to take care of," the archaeologist quirked an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "There are a few Cultists here…"
Hearing those words made Lara's blood freeze instantly, a cold shudder rattling through her, flashes of Chios, the smoke in her nose, the smell of death. "Your brother?"
She heard Kassandra swallow and hum lowly. "He will come," the woman looked around again before taking Lara's hand. "But he's not here yet…" she trailed off, peering down at the city again. "At least, I don't think so," before refocusing on the archaeologist. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
Lara's heart skipped a few beats at those words. Her gaze lowered when she felt the familiar, acute flush of reddening cheeks.
Oh.
She blinked slowly, as if coming under a bright light. Her heart was doing somersaults in her ribcage, her mind burrowing into itself, causing the woman to inspect her feelings under a magnifying glass. She could disregard the mirages that cowered when she woke up, ignore the phantom sensations lingering from her dreams. Those emotions hid away in the confines of her head, waiting for nightfall to manifest. But the sun was bright, and this was neither a dream, nor a nightmare. This was real, which meant the little tingling in her heart was real as well. And Lara knew exactly what that meant.
"Lara?" she blinked again, lifting her head, looking at Kassandra behind the mask, recognizing the flicker of worry in her voice.
Eyes like liquid honey.
"I'm fine," the archaeologist told her. She was too busy contemplating the life choices that had led her to her recent epiphany. Oddly enough, it was not filling her with dread, or fear, not exactly. Not even any kind of anticipation, really. It was just… there. A new addition sitting idle in the myriad of thoughts occupying her mind. She did not see more clearly, colors weren't suddenly brighter, birds weren't chirping away, singing an ode to her finally figuring out her feelings, she wasn't feeling any lighter and her heart wasn't threatening to burst with the weight of it all.
Yet she knew. She saw it clear as day, now.
"Let's, uh…" Lara blinked again, trying to subdue the raging turmoil inside her. "Let's try to avoid him?"
That was weak, forced, even to her own ears. She could feel Kassandra's gaze on her, could acutely picture the frown of her eyebrows behind the mask; she knew the archaeologist was hiding something. Thankfully she didn't push on. "We will."
It took a great deal of inner strength, but Lara managed to shove her newfound realization at the back of her mind to be revisited later, when she was alone. She gave Kassandra a meek nod, a small smile and turned around to walk towards Athens. They reached the fortified walls after a few hours of trekking on the bumpy edges of the small cliffs surrounding the city. Troops were walking out of the Eastern gate, the polemarch leading them back to where she and Kassandra had come from.
Lara knew it was silly, but she couldn't help twirling around herself when she stepped inside the agora. So much to see, so many people, the temples… it took all her self-restraint not to run from building to building and launch into a tirade, comparing her extensive knowledge of Greek history and customs to the real thing.
Visiting Athens was like a dream come true, Kassandra was right; there would be a lot of things to do here before they left. The other woman had been pretty cryptic as to why they had come, only asking Lara if she was up to date on her vaccinations and to keep a waterskin of alcohol and clean cloth with her at all times. The archaeologist hadn't asked questions, but she wasn't stupid; she figured the plague would be hitting soon.
Only a third of this humongous human cluster would survive. It was strange being in Athens knowing what would happen soon; was this how Kassandra always felt? The dread and apprehension squeezing her ribcage? It was even worse not being able to do anything about it, lest they alter the passage of time.
Bellowing merchants drew Lara out of her musings, the sweet scents of roasted goat and vegetables inviting her to step closer to the stalls. Her belly rumbled; the nervous excitement of being here subduing a little as she eyed the food. Everything looked so delicious, mouthwatering - especially after two months at sea, chewing on dried meat and nuts.
"Are you hungry?" she asked when she felt Kassandra behind her and tilted her head. The other woman shrugged, nodding a little behind the mask.
Right. No talking, especially so close to other people. The archaeologist surprised herself wondering just how many of them Kassandra knew personally. Had they walked by a friend of hers without noticing?
"Okay," Lara turned back towards the stall owner, an old man with a stained peplos that did a very poor job at hiding his protuberant stomach. He grinned, giving her a bit of everything and complimenting the young woman on her Greek. "Thank you," she stammered awkwardly, walking away with her arms full. Once she made sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop, she spoke again. "People are a lot nicer here."
Kassandra walked closer, taking one of the skeuos as she whispered back in English: "Athenians are generally open. A little more than the rest," she drew her index finger and thumb close together.
Lara nodded along; she had read about that as well. It felt different to experience it first-hand after almost two years of roaming the Greek world. She was going to talk again, when the other woman froze, her whole body stiffening as she looked ahead.
"Maláka," she pivoted suddenly, holding the bag in a vice grip.
"What is it?" Lara whispered back.
"Kassandra, ten o'clock."
"Ka—w-what?" the archaeologist veered around with all the finesse of an elephant, gasping quietly when she noticed the Eagle Bearer striding towards them, all swagger, her golden linothorax shining under the sunlight. Trust her to be wearing Spartan garbs of armor in Athens. The Eagle Bearer was sure to draw the attention of wary civilians and troops alike. How did she even find them in this crowd?
"God, damn it," Lara cursed. Of all people. Of all places.
She saw the look of surprise on the misthios' face when she noticed a very-alive 'slave' standing right next to the archaeologist. It was gone a second later, replaced by a sly grin.
Lara's hand flew to her axe on instinct before Kassandra caught her wrist halfway. "What do you think you're doing?" she muttered urgently. "Let go."
The young woman turned around, looking at her with wide eyes. "W-what if she tries to kill me?"
Lara heard Kassandra blow through the mask. "Here? In the marketplace?" before shaking her head. "Mercenaries do not attack their own outside the battlefield," she squeezed Lara's wrist gently, prompting her to release the axe. "I cleared your bounty, you're safe. Now, let go of the axe before she sees it," she said before grabbing the other bag in Lara's arms and stepping back.
Right, that made sense.
But still. "What do you think she wants?" Lara's ribcage was tight, her pulse through the roof. Kassandra chanced a look behind the archaeologist, and shrugged helplessly.
"To talk?"
Right. Obviously.
"Very insightful," Lara rolled her eyes at the other woman before smacking her lips together. "Thank you," she took a deep breath to gather her thoughts, and stepped in front of Kassandra.
Don't let them touch, she reminded herself. For someone so close to instant death, Kassandra had sounded deceptively relaxed just now. Lara decided to tap into it. If she was this calm, then there was nothing to fear.
Hopefully.
The Eagle Bearer was on them in a blink. "Chaire, foreigner," she removed her Korinthian helmet, revealing her twinkling eyes and a luminous grin. "We finally meet again."
She had never seen Kassandra smile like this before. So big and open, with a boldness that tethered on seductive. Very confusing.
"Yes," Lara's tone wasn't intentionally flat, but given the situation, she couldn't give her the impression that she was interested. "The Gods certainly favor you," she said, using one of the generic expressions she'd been taught a while back. "Eagle Bearer."
Kassandra's grin widened, all cocky energy and definitely seductive, Lara mused. It was odd to be on the receiving end of it. She felt awkward, especially with the other Kassandra standing just behind them. "The Gods have nothing to do with this," the charismatic misthios gave a dismissive wave with her hand before leaning over the young woman conspicuously. "I wanted to see your pretty face again."
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Lara heard a snort behind her and fought to smother her own smile. She kept her eyes trained on Kassandra - who had thrown a fleeting glare behind the archaeologist at the sound escaping her 'slave'. "Why?"
The question, coupled with Lara's poker face, was enough to throw the other woman off her groove. Her nose scrunched up; brows creased in a slight frown - eerily similar to the face (her) Kassandra made every time something she hadn't accounted for happened.
The confidence that had been oozing out of the Eagle Bearer as she strode towards them lost a bit of its intensity at Lara's apparent unwillingness to entertain her, before it came back in full force like a figurative slap to the face:
"I would like to speak with you," her voice rose up in a nervous laugh as she added hastily, "For real this time. With words, not swords. In private?"
She flashed Lara a smile, as if to ease the woman's sudden tension at the proposal, and glanced back at her slave again, "Nothing will happen to her, I promise," before refocusing back on Lara and adding with a wink, "I don't mind company, but I prefer not to share."
There was another snort behind Lara, followed by a loud and obvious scoff. The archaeologist could feel the rising tension radiating from both of them as they engaged in a stare down. She opened her mouth, ready to speak when a flash of dotted yellow caught her attention. It was running straight towards them, and fast. Lara froze, stiffening, ready to make a run for it.
Kassandra moved closer, grabbing her hand discreetly and squeezed it. It's okay, she let go a second later.
The cheetah rounded them, coming to a halt at the Eagle Bearer's feet. Lara saw the pleased, honest smile on her face when she crouched down. "There you are," she cooed while scratching the animal's head. Its tongue lolled out, trying to lick her palm as it purred in delight. "Good boy."
Really, now?
Lara blinked, captivated by the surreal scene playing in front of her. Kassandra didn't just hunt cheetahs, no. She tamed them, too. How does one even tame a cheetah?
The patting and cooing went on for a few minutes, the Eagle Bearer tuning everything out until she froze and stopped suddenly, standing up with a nervous smile as she refocused all her bubbling attention back on Lara and left the animal to roam around. "Sorry, he can be a handful," she was sheepish, rubbing at her neck awkwardly. "He's still learning to be around people."
The archaeologist blinked in sheer disbelief. "Uh," she tensed when the animal approached her. "I see…"
It sniffed at her leg, rubbing its head against it for a bit before completely bypassing her to glide its way behind. The purring came back in full force when it sniffed at Kassandra's prone form, complete with a small high-pitched meow.
Crap.
The Eagle Bearer frowned at the display, clearly confused by the turn of events. "He doesn't usually do that…" she mused out loud before offering another smile. "Your slave—I mean friend," she stammered, clearing her throat when Lara glared, waving her hand in apology and tried again. "Your friend, he must like your friend's scent."
The irony of that statement didn't escape Lara, nor Kassandra behind her who was doing everything she could to get rid of the clingy animal begging for belly rubs. It rolled on its back gazing at her expectantly. The archaeologist heard a quiet sigh before Kassandra relented and crouched, running her hand on the clear but coarse fur.
The Eagle Bearer watched her thoughtfully, before tilting her head. "Meet me on the heights of Thorikos?" she blurted after a long while, surprising both women.
Lara startled, turning around to face her. "What?" her eyes narrowed when she saw the look on Kassandra's face.
"Tonight," the misthios grinned, radiating with smug bravado - like she knew Lara wouldn't refuse her, "Meet me on Thorikos at sunset."
Kassandra put the Korinthian helmet back on her head, "I have something of yours," she said and bowed her head, not waiting for Lara's answer before biding her goodbye with a wink and another sultry smile, "Chaire, Daughter of Hephaïstos."
Lara watched her leave with the cheetah stalking close behind, utterly confused by the conversation.
"Congratulations," Kassandra muttered in English, behind her when they were alone. "You just scored a date."
The nerve.
"What do you mean you're not coming?" Lara had reached a shrilling octave that was on the verge of breaking her voice.
Her distress would have been hilarious, had Kassandra been in the mood. She shrugged, checking if the door was locked for the third time before she removed her mask, breathing a sigh of relief. The day had been hot, her forehead was gleaming, she could feel sweat running down her forehead. She eyed one of the water pots nearby, mulling over the idea to just submerge her whole face in it and scream. Kassandra shook her head.
"Why?" she asked, gathering water in the palm of her hands and splashing her face. "I will drop dead if she sneezes on me," her voice was dull, muffled by the cloth she used to towel her nose and cheeks.
Lara's shoulders sagged. Kassandra had a point, she knew it. The risk was too great, and she would appreciate not reliving another perfectly avoidable death.
"Besides," she continued, walking towards the heap of pillows on cushioned rugs she had claimed while Lara took the klinē - the inns were ridiculously expensive in Attika but lavishly decorated, "She said it herself, she just wants to talk to you."
"I don't see why," Lara lamented, but oh - Kassandra knew exactly why, "I almost killed her last time," the archaeologist said in a breath. Lara plopped herself halfway on the table and observed Kassandra carefully, "What if it's a trap?"
"It's not a trap," Kassandra removed her cloak and worked on untying her breastplate.
"How do you know?"
She stopped halfway, looking at the young woman from the corner of her eye and wondering if Lara was genuinely that oblivious to her power of attraction, "Because this isn't the face I make when I want to kill someone," she said plainly and mimicked the seductive grin her younger self had been sporting, while ignoring the brewing feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach, "She is intrigued, is all."
Aka intrigued.
Lara observed her for a long while, with the same expression she had when they stopped on the hills overlooking Athens. Confused and unsure, like some unspeakable thought was buzzing about in her head - one she desperately wanted to share, but fear sealed her lips shut. Kassandra ignored it as best she could. It wasn't her place to ask. She busied herself with untangling the chains around her arms before crouching to remove the greaves.
"And you're…" the tinge of nervousness was palpable in the archaeologist's hushed voice, "Okay with that?"
Kassandra froze midway again, lifting her head to give Lara a long look. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Answer a question with another question, like the coward you are.
All she got was a shrug followed by more silence. Lara was lost in her head and Kassandra was trying everything to get out of hers. She should have seen it coming really, she wasn't blind, which meant the Eagle Bearer wasn't blind either. And when that Kassandra saw something she liked, whether that be a shiny piece of armor, the sweet clinking of drachmae, or a pretty face, she usually went for it. Consequence be damned.
Her younger self was brash and oozed with all the impudence of her age. She would sweep Lara away right under her nose and give her a mock curtsy to add offense to the injury. Kassandra had enough emotional luggage to fill a dozen A380 to the brim. Unlike her, the Eagle Bearer wasn't tied to some ancestral prophecy (yet), she had seen nothing of the horrors of humanity (yet). And she wasn't old, withering under the weight of too many heartbreaks, barely standing on her shaky legs. Her younger self was a breeze of fresh air in winter mornings. The kind of cold, prickly wind that made one feel alive.
And she had Lara in her sights. Obviously.
It was a sharp, painful reminder of Kassandra's own mortality. Impending death and these emotions were a bad mix, no matter how she had yearned to feel that way again. A twisted irony, living two and a half millennia, longing to feel the flutters of love again, only for it to happen when there were next to no time left.
As Daphnae always said, the Gods had a sense of humor. A twisted one.
Kassandra stood up, only wearing her chiton as she approached a pensive Lara, who was still leaning on the table. She chanced a look through the window, at the sun slowly beginning its descent.
"She just wants to talk to you," Kassandra muttered, offering a small smile when the archaeologist glanced up at her, "You came out of nowhere and beat her into submission."
She stood there, forcing herself to remain still, to not reach for Lara and squeeze her hand. "You spared her life when you could have killed her. I think she just wants to understand."
Lara shook her head with a quiet huff. "When you put it like that…" she smiled a little when Kassandra chuckled.
If only she knew how much it was costing her. "You should go, try to see what she's been up to," her brow creased into a frown. "She wasn't supposed to be here, it's too early."
Kassandra conveniently ignored the glaring fact that the Eagle Bearer's presence in Athens, a couple of weeks before she was due was probably her fault.
Maybe she should have thought twice before leaving the drachmae for Barnabas to find, like the altruistic, emotional fool she was. Maybe then, she wouldn't be standing there nudging the woman she cared too much about into the arms of someone else.
Well… not someone else, per se. Just not her.
Kassandra closed her eyes, willing the raging storm inside to subdue. She opened them to see Lara peering at her curiously.
"We've altered the course of time," the archaeologist said.
Kassandra did. Nuance.
"I think so, yes."
Lara squinted, thousands of thoughts, probably running in her head. Kassandra could literally see the question marks aligning one after the other. She clenched her jaw in anticipation, feeling the archaeologist gaze on her. The woman took a small breath to steady herself when Lara opened her mouth.
"How did you tame a bloody cheetah?"
Her eyes bulged out for a second, staring back in disbelief before she barked out a relieved laugh. "What?" the young woman shrugged, waving her arms around, clearly waiting for an answer.
Kassandra shook her head, eyes still twinkling with mirth. Of all things Lara could and should have asked…
"I…" she cleared her throat, rummaging through her memories. "I was a little lonely," admitting it didn't feel as uncomfortable as she would have thought. Kassandra scratched her cheek. "Male cheetahs are social creatures, like dogs. They usually live in pairs. He was alone too, when I found him. Very young," she remembered how he'd bared his teeth at her, frightened and curling upon himself in that cave in Messara. "I lied on my back next to him and waited until he came to me," she grinned. "Took a couple of hours. The next day, we were best friends."
Lara hummed thoughtfully. "This skill could have come in handy when I was in Peru," Kassandra quirked an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "The scars on my back," her lips tugged up, small and insecure. "Jaguar."
"Ah," the woman nodded in understanding. "I see."
"I didn't want to kill them…" Lara trailed off; eyes downcast before shrugging helplessly.
"But you had to," Kassandra said, finally allowing herself to reach out and squeeze the archaeologist's shoulder. She had been in that position too, whether it was hunting for pelts, drachmae or simply survival. "Tell you what," her voice rose, sounding more cheerful. "I will teach you how to tame animals when we get back to the present, deal? It will help for your next expedition."
"Or you could just come with me," Lara blurted, realizing too late that the thought materialized out of her mouth.
Kassandra blinked, her heart skipping several beats in her ribcage. "What?"
The young woman started fidgeting with her fingers, she took a deep breath and looked at her in the eye. "My next expedition," her voice was quivering a little. "You could join, if you want. Whenever it is. I mean…" her arms flailed around the place, as the creeping realization of what she was implying registered. "If you're not busy with other things, and uh, maybe looking for a job?"
It took several attempts for Kassandra to finally close her mouth. "Really?"
Lara averted her gaze for a second. She swallowed before giving her a resolute nod. "We make a good team. I usually work alone, but I…" her cheeks colored faintly. "I would feel better knowing you have my back. Safer."
Safer.
Lara felt safe with her. The thought was filling her with warmth, an open admission that made Kassandra's whole being flutter. "Okay," she grinned, ignoring the growing sense of dread churning in her guts.
It kept screaming at her, squeezing painfully at her fast-beating heart, tempering her light-headed emotions.
Don't make a promise you can't keep, the words kept blinking in her head like warnings, even after Lara left to meet with the Eagle Bearer.
Don't make promises you can't keep.
I mean... they did kiss... in Lara's nightmare.
(They'll kiss for real I promise. Soon.)
Outsider is how the Solarii and Mathias called Lara every time they spotted her.
So, I had that scene between the three of them written for ages until my phone crapped on me and I lost everything. It was ready! I had to rewrite it from memory and forgot half of the original scene, but I hope second meeting between the Kasses did live up to your expectations! EB!Kass trying - and failing - to woo Lara gave me second-hand embarrassment, not gonna lie.
Also, who is on for a showdown between EB!Kass and Keeper!Kass fighting over Lara's affections?
And yes, male cheetahs are like cat-dogs. They live in pairs or three and are super social, unlike females which are more solitary. They purr! And meow! And could claw you to death, but I mean... they purr!