Chapter Fourteen
Gypsy knew today was going to be an issue the moment she woke up. You see, the Witch had a number of expectations, enough to form a list as women are want to do -especially women with a large family and a house to maintain. At the top of that list was for the general area of her face to stop feeling so damn sore, but that was not to be. A heavy throb above her eyes stirs her awake and her long lapin ears fold back with a wince and a groan. It's painful enough for her to forgo attempting to brush her hair, and instead she ties it back in a silk scarf and goes about her morning without another thought.
Stepping out of her room she can hear things going on in the kitchen, part of her more than thankful that someone's up before her -someone she can ask for help until she can get herself together properly. The closer she gets to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma of coffee, and stronger the sense of hope that she'll feel more like herself soon. She'll find Jessica by the stove, the pot on one burner and her working a skillet on the other. Her eldest daughter offers a gentle greeting, Gypsy grumbling a response as she hugs her.
"Pups?" Gypsy asks as she makes her way to one of the cabinets above the adjacent sink.
"Yumi and Lola are getting them up now."
Gypsy nods as she pulls down a mug. "Thank you for helping."
"Of course, momma."
Gypsy barely has time to dress her coffee and reach the lengthy dining table before Lola and Yumi are making their way through the living room, their approach announced by baby babble. Gypsy takes a quick, hot sip and swallows it along with the visible discomfort of a punctuated squeal from Tema. She doesn't even bother to sit down, meeting her daughters when they've entered the kitchen, and negotiates Rahne from Lola's arms.
"Are they on their way here yet?" Yumi asks from over Gypsy's shoulder, hoping to gain her mother's attention.
"Yeah." Jessica answers. "Billy called almost an hour ago. Should be any minute."
"Glad they called you and not me." Gypsy chuckles. She'll swing around to give Tema some attention -have to keep it as even as possible with lycan cubs. "You hear that? Momma's on her way to see you."
Both of the little ones flail and yip in excitement.
"That's right; and your naanee and babba are coming too, but don't tell them I'm your favorite, okay?" and she kisses them both.
Then, even over all the noise of people and cooking in the kitchen, Lola's ears flit upward. "Someone's at the door."
"That's likely them. Come on, sweet pea," Gypsy starts on passed the dinning table, Rahne perched on her hip as she moves towards the little hall leading to the front door. "Your mom's going to be so happy to see you, but you have to be nice to her, she's not feeling so good." Somehow the baby seems to understand, green-blue eyes attentive and focused.
Without a second thought Gypsy opens the door, expecting -at the very least- to see the looming shape of Billy on her front step. But that would be another item on her mental list that wouldn't be met today.
She didn't know who this woman was, and after a split second she didn't care, because she knows what she is, and the fact that she has an infant in her arms is suddenly terrifying.
Emerald feels that same fear, or some breed of it. It's the kind that most others would freeze in, but not Emerald; she's the fight or flight sort, and her brain is frantically scrambling to decide which is which in the few fleeting seconds it takes for her to process the sight of Gypsy Arc and for her heart to drop into her stomach.
Fight and risk your life. Flight and risk Cinder's fury.
Gods above, was that really a choice?
Whatever it is, Emerald's brain reacts on its own accord, seeming to split in two opposing directions. Fight and flight is the order of the day, and in a single instant, she both shrieks in fright and swings wildly with one clenched fist.
Gypsy had tried to retreat, meaning to slam the damn door shut and throw up every ward she could think of, but she hadn't expected for that thing to just throw hands with barely a blink exchanged between them. Just as she attempts to duck behind the door, a set of knuckles connects with the bridge of her nose and everything goes black.
Emerald yelps again, shocked at herself -she was convinced she hadn't been close enough to actually land a blow- and scrambling to catch the baby before it can hit the floor. Rahne squeals with unexpected laughter, likely having no idea what was actually happening when Emerald gets both arms around her.
Oh gods oh gods oh gods. Her breaths are heaving as she clutches the child to her chest, almost too tight, tight enough to stop the child's giggling. I just...oh sweet gods I just hit Gypsy Arc. Wait...oh no. It's too much to think about now; she has what she came for, time to make a break for it.
Emerald can hear voices rising from withing the house when she spins on her heels and jumps from the steps to the gravel path. Already the baby is starting to tense in her grip and whimper as she breaks into a healthy sprint towards the trees. She has a deathgrip on the hope that if she can just disappear into the timbers again, she'll be home free.
Before she can even make it half way to the treeline, Emerald is reminded of the rumble over her shoulder, what she was certain was a car coming up the path. She was right; a large, silver SUV pulls into view, making her skid to a stop almost in unison with the vehicle. That jolt is enough to scare Rahne, the cub starting to instinctively wail with all the force her tiny body could muster. Once she can push the fear down again, Emerald cuts away in a different direction, bolting across the lawn.
Pyrrha heard it. That shattering noise that both her maternal and lycan instincts know in spite of never having heard it before. Her eyes snap open and she bolts upright in her seat. In a matter of seconds, before anyone can process what the hell is happening, Pyrrha squirms out from beneath her seat belt and shoves the door open. Her nails are still long and stout enough for her to claw her way out of the SUV, let her scramble up to the roof before she leaps towards the swift moving thing she spots in the grass. She jumps with enough force to make the vehicle rock on its shocks, enough to nearly throw Billy to the ground as they try to get out.
Her strides are long and fast, her heart hammers behind her ribs, her blood pounding hotly in her veins. The heat mounts higher when she comprehends what she's seeing, when the wolf fully understands.
It's her. And she's after the cubs.
Pyrrha's lips flare to show fangs, her bones rattling with a heavy snarl. With a supernatural ease she begins to run on all fours, closing the gap between her and her target with a startling quickness. This isn't lost on Emerald, who chances to look over her shoulder to see red hair, green eyes, and fangs. Pyrrha skids when Emerald makes a sharp turn, fistfuls of dirt tearing out beneath the pull of her claws, but she's in hot pursuit once more in less than a second.
Emerald curses -she's supposed to be dead!- having to make a herculean effort to maintain focus through the panic that threatens to swamp her. She keeps heading for the trees, countless ideas for how to get out of this in once piece crowding her mind.
Pyrrha's so close, almost within reach, just a few more strides. Her vision is tunneled, wholly focused on the back of Emerald's head. She pounces.
Emerald disappears. She had been moving fast enough to run up the trunk of the nearest tree, two long strides before she kicks off, leaving Pyrrha with nothing but a split second to stop herself from crashing headlong into it. Her lycan reflexes react and adapt, Pyrrha pulling herself up so her hands and feet cushion her momentum against the wood, letting her change direction and spring back into action just as Emerald is touching down. Pyrrha gets her on the rebound, able to snatch Emerald by the waist with claws and teeth.
Emerald is screaming through a tight jaw, somehow forcing herself to keep moving against the weight that she feels is threatening to pull her spine right out. She only makes it a few more steps, a few more gnashing bites to her side, before her knees buckle and she hits the ground. But once she feels the teeth and claws release, she's working on a response. An incantation flies fast and silent between her teeth, unleashing a brief but brilliant flash of pale light.
Pyrrha barely flinches, but it's a sufficient diversion to cause genuine confusion when she looks back to see there are now three of them. Emerald split herself, and all three were up and running, mimicking the same quick limp, each holding a perfect replica of Rahne. Her mind can't process it, can't tell which is which or if either of them are real. Still, she has to chase, because that's what lycans do.
Billy knows they can't run as fast as they used to, but they're praying to anything and everything that could hear that it's still fast enough. They know Pyrrha's going to run that woman down, no doubt about that, but they had to be there. Had to be there to keep their former charge from wildly ripping her to shreds, possibly oblivious to her own child caught in between. Though, with all their gear left behind in the car -not enough time to grab anything- they aren't at all certain how they intend to stop her. Still, they charge ahead all the same, still praying for some kind of miracle.
Halfway between their car and Pyrrha, Billy notices the dull burning in several of their tattoos. But with this mess in their lap, they can't discern which ones, so it only adds to the already harried cadence of their heart.
Emerald can see both of her doubles in her peripherals, can see them break away from her to run in different directions, her ribs loosening up when the lycan follows one of them. She'll break for the treeline again, feeling much more confident, almost calm in her chance at success. She didn't need to get far, just out of sight for half a moment...
There's a blur of color between the trees ahead, a shimmer of white and green and black. Emerald feels her heels dragging the dirt again to stop herself, feeling a wave of energy push against her when the kirin comes fully into view. She can't help but hesitate, to stare at the exceptionally rare creature, but she isn't so entranced that the shaman coming up so quickly behind her can catch her off guard. She'll duck and twist away, jerking her gaze free of the dazzling kirin to press on.
The air around her is shifting again, this time with a biting edge and little pops of static. There's a fresh surge of energy, but it's much more raw, more primordial, and the ensuing shatter of light and sound is enough to knock Emerald onto her backside. Emerald can just make out a faintly human shape within the veil of mist and arcing, crackling light, a frame shrouded in bright blue that now blocks her path.
It's too much, there's no way out, time to cut and run.
Emerald shoves a hand into her pocket, palming the other glass phial she carried. With a wince she crushes it in her hand, feels the wetness against her palm, then pops her hand against her chest to splash whatever had been inside against herself. She twists to her feet, counting seconds in her head, taking stock of just how cornered she is. A kirin, a shaman, a storm elemental; there's no slipping away from this...unless.
It's desperate, and Cinder will probably kill her; Emerald bites her lip, mentally cursing, then hurls the still screaming baby straight up into the air. In the same instant, as her hands empty, the solution soaking into her skin takes affect, and she vanishes completely. But no one sees that, not really -it's like Emerald was never there- not when there's a lycan pup falling helplessly towards the ground. Billy's there, holding their breath at one last frantic push of their feet, sliding across the grass and bending their big arms just so at the elbow, breaking the child's fall. Rahne still squirms and cries, but she seems to be unharmed otherwise.
The double disappears like vapor on the wind, abruptly, and Pyrrha slides to a stop. Her head whips from side to side, bright green eyes searching for any sign of her target. Nothing, not a scent, not a sound...it's just gone. She eases upright, body still tight, feeling on the verge of rupture, ribs still surging with breath, but somehow the more she straightens the more she starts to feel herself coming back. Like her instincts know it's time to replace the disguise.
"Pyrrha, sweetheart,"
She jerks around, nerves charged for a split second until she comprehends her father's voice, realizes it's him. She can't speak, feels like words wouldn't fit between her fangs, so she just stares and pretends there isn't fear in Theron's eyes.
"It's over." He assures her softly, keeping his distance and his body language subdued but receptive. "It's okay, Rahne's okay."
"Rahne," she exhales, sounding like she's trying to catch a fleeting memory. Then it clicks, then she remembers what had spurred her frenzy, now she can hear the still loud fussing of her pup. "Rahne,"
Theron's heart twists painfully when he puts an arm out to catch her when Pyrrha tries to rush past him. Tucking her to him is almost no effort, but he hates doing it. "Not yet, baby. You need to wind down."
"No, babba, please,"
"Listen to me, honey." His arms tighten around her a little, the filigree in his skin shimmering briefly. Not that she's putting much force into her resistance, but for simple safety. "I know what you're feeling, but you need to take a minute. Rahne's safe now, but you have to let this pass first."
She looks at him with a face full of desperation and fangs and the onset of tears and smears of blood. Wait...blood? When did... something else clicked in that moment, flooding Pyrrha's senses with the taste and smell of copper. The color is sapped out of her face in an instant.
"Oh gods." she whimpers. "Oh gods." her head drops against her father's chest and she sputters on the first of a chain of choking sobs.
(II)
Jaune's nerves crackle under the light touch at his shoulder, rousing him to fuller awareness without his permission. He finds himself where he last remembers being, in the mostly empty dining hall, and briefly wonders just how long it's been. Blinking his drowsy vision clear is a conscious effort, but he manages it, and makes out Tag at his feet.
"Hey, tough guy." Tag offers him a gentle, sympathetic smile. "Hanging in there?"
A huff of breath resembling a laugh. "Begrudgingly."
"Come on, let me help you back to bed."
"Might as well just leave me here." he sighs. "What difference does it make? Really?"
"Well," Tag straightens, like a meerkat in a way, looking over the table to see the doorway on the far side, to see if it's still vacant. Then the volume of her voice drops. "I have an idea, and I need your help."
"Well," another weak chuckle, "by all means, lead the way."
It's a joint, unsteady effort to get him out of the chair, primarily due to his profound lack of strength -he can barely stand up by himself, and secondarily due to Tag's lingering fatigue. But, somehow, she gets one of his long arms across her shoulders and lifts him up. They need to move quickly, she thinks, but knows she can't push him too hard. When he asks about her idea she shushes him, whispering that she'd explain once they're behind at least one more closed door.
"Where is Cinder, anyway?"
"I have no idea, and that's half the problem." Tag twists her neck to look over her shoulder, thankful to find nothing. "If you need to talk, change the subject. You know, speak of the devil and all that."
"Fair enough." he grins, mostly to himself, then winces when his foot comes down harder than he meant for it to, sending a fresh charge of pain up his leg. "So, this...whatever I've got...does it usually get to someone this fast?"
"Every case is different." Frankly, Tag doesn't want to talk about this either, but between the two, it's the preferable subject. "And I've never heard of a human catching it."
"Even working with Billy for so long?"
Tag nods. "As far as I know, anyway, they were never too keen to discuss it at length. Too hard for them."
"...That bad?"
"For the most part. The quickest case was just a matter of hours, and it was messy. Billy never said for certain, but I'm pretty sure a whole pack was wiped out before they were put down. Pups included."
"Gods."
"But that wasn't the one that hit them the hardest." Tag pauses long enough to shift, centering his weight in a more comfortable way across her back. "I actually got to meet her a few times, sweet woman. Billy had a lot of hope because she was recovering, she had been symptom free for months. Then Billy gets a phone call in the middle of the night, rushing out the door in their underthings without a word to me. Then an hour later they finally call me and explain themselves...poor woman killed herself. She had called them to say goodbye."
Jaune scowls hard enough to feel it, his ribs clenching a little.
"Turns out her symptoms hadn't actually resolved, she just got used to them, I suppose. But, if that's the case, I can't imagine just how exhausted she had been at the end. Can hardly blame her."
"How did she catch it?"
"Her mate died in an accident. One of those random, tragic things that make you wonder if the gods are real or if we're all just jerking off." Tag shrugs. "So it can go a lot of different ways...though, not to sound morbid, I don't think you'll have to worry about it for too long."
"It's all right, part of me was hoping you would say that at some point."
"You're taking this uncomfortably well." she says flatly.
"I'm too tired to be upset about it." Because, at this point, all his energy seems allocated to missing his wife, and both that and the fatigue will be resolved in due time.
At last they make it to his room and Tag hauls him to the bed, bracing him long enough so he can gently sit down. She'll check the corridor one last time as Jaune collects himself, still needing to convince herself that it was empty before scurrying back to kneel in front of him again.
"So what's the plan?"
Tag takes a breath, trying to steady herself. Adrenaline is setting in right next to the anxiety. One hand dives down the front of her shirt, fishing for something as one of Jaune's brows lifts in curiosity. The other tawny brow joins the first when she produces the knife, unfurling it from the cloth and passing it to him.
"...What is,"
"I think it can kill Cinder." she cuts him off, feeling like there's so little time for them to pull this off. "That's partly where you come in."
"Me?" He chuffs. "You're kidding."
"Not at all. Do you have any idea how low her opinion of humans is? She'll never see it coming."
Jaune looks at her, looks to the bone blade in his hands, and then back again. Then he shrugs. "Okay...but you said partly."
"Yeah." she nods once, but her gaze drops to his lap, to the knife. "I...being the Gatekeeper, I can leave this plane any time I want, but...Cinder put a sigil on me so she can keep me from using my powers without her permission. I need you to use the knife to cut the it out."
"What? Tag," he all but shoves the knife back into her hands. "There has to be a better way. Besides, I don't think that thing can even cut through butter."
"Trust me, if it is what I think it is, it'll do that and more. Please, Jaune, I've tried to escape before, and it was a disaster. And I don't think either of us have the kind of time to find a better way."
They just look at each other for a moment, both of them pleading with the other silently.
"Please," she begs again, throat tight. "I know I'm asking a lot, asking you to let me leave you here, but...gods, it's all I've got. I swear I'll bring back help as soon as I can."
She's right. He can see the truth of it in her eyes, the frail hope she's desperately holding on to. And he believes she would follow through with her promise, no doubt there. But even if he didn't...in reality, what did he have to lose? She had better chances, anyway, trying to drag him along would slow her down, and travel like that might kill him anyway. At least staying here, he'd have a shot at Cinder.
"Alright." he nods after a moment. "How do you want to do this?"
(III)
Most of them are in the kitchen; Gypsy is at the dining table, ears back at the renewed pain in her face and holding a kerchief to her nose that just would not stop bleeding. Theron and Rhea are with her, placating the cubs who seemed to have forgotten all about the morning's crisis. They laugh and squeal and babble at their grandparents, with Theron having the time of his life bouncing Tema on his leg.
Jessica steps around to Gypsy's side, having come from the refrigerator. "Here's some ice, momma."
Gypsy squints up at her, eyes sensitive to even the soft lights in the dinning room. She takes the cinched up dishrag stuffed with ice cubes with a groan and a nod, gently dropping it onto her face to cover her eyes.
"I'll get the others together and we'll start warding up the property." the eldest daughter continues. "Whatever she was might still be out there somewhere."
"A lamia." Gypsy explains roughly, tipping her head forward and hunching over the table. She thinks to check the kerchief one last time, relieved to find no more fresh blood on it. Maybe it finally stopped. "It's bad enough I'm still pear-shaped from yesterday, but it'd been so long since I'd seen one -and having Rahne right there- I could barely think."
"No one's blaming you, madam," Theron assures her.
"Except myself." she shrugs with a little wince as she straightens.
"Not often you see their kind on this plane." Billy is walking towards the table, a mug in each hand. One has the tail of a tea bag hanging over the side, which they pass to Gypsy after gently nudging her shoulder. "You saw through her glamor?"
"Lot of good it did."
"Well, I couldn't,"
"Neither could I," Rhea added.
"So it did plenty good." the Shaman adds. "Speaking of which, I think Pyrrha recognized her."
"I did as well, from Pyrrha's memory." Rhea tips her chin. "So this wasn't random chance."
"No." Billy agrees, sipping their coffee. "Safe to say she's at least working with Cinder. Shame we couldn't catch her."
"If I had known that was an option, I would have tried." Ren speaks up from across the table.
"I'm just glad you came when you did, that you came at all, your highness. And Nora as well."
"Sorry we took so long." Nora sags a little in her seat, looking genuinely guilty.
"Nora was stalking a man." Ren explains flatly. "Trying to strike him dead with a bolt of lightning."
"He tried to kick a cat!" she defends.
"Perfectly reasonable." Theron agrees aloud, then turn to Tema. "Isn't that right?"
"Bah!" the child declares.
The ensuing chuckles from everyone present alleviates some of the heaviness in the air, a good change. But it only lasts a short while, as when the laughter stops, suddenly everyone is looking at each other. The silence is begging a question that's lingering in all of their minds.
"How bad is it now, Billy?" Rhea asks gently. "Pyrrha's condition?"
Billy doesn't answer right away, though the nature of whatever they mean to say is written all over their face -brows heavy and furrowed, eyes on the cup in their hands in the seconds before they take a bigger than usual mouthful. "I...well, I had a feeling things would be different once she got out of the hospital and settled, we all expected that, right?" They chance to look at the others, see them all nodding in agreement, even those that hadn't been involved directly. "But I didn't think it would be this different. She shouldn't have been able to get up and go like that, not after the dose I gave her."
"So her body burned right through it? That fast?" One of Theron's bushy scarlet brows lift. "Gods above."
"Don't get me wrong, her maternal instinct is incredible, even for a lycan, but she still shouldn't have had that degree of clarity or the energy to run someone down."
"What do we do, then?"
"...I'm still thinking." and they hate that they don't have a better answer. "Everyone's safety, Pyrrha's included, is my top priority, of course, but our options are pretty limited."
"How so, shaman?" Gypsy asks, long ears seesawing. "You're all more than welcome to stay here as long as you like."
"But what if there's another attempt on the pups? What if Cinder comes to your door next time?"
"Then I smoke the bitch."
"Momma, not in front of the girls," Jessica reminds her.
"Oops." Gypsy covers her mouth with her hand long enough to cover a weak but mischievous smile. "Still, you understand my meaning."
"Of course I do." Billy nods, smirking a little as well. "But you're not fully over that counterspell, and that isn't such a good plan if we don't want Pyrrha's illness to get worse. This is the second time in a matter of days that the security and safety of her pack has been violated, it's a huge stressor for her -it's a big deal for anyone, but especially Pyrrha. Everything about this situation is working against her, but all I can think to do about it...I think it'll just make things worse."
"You want to isolate her." Ren says plainly, not so much as a question but more like stating the obvious.
"Yeah." Billy grumbles. "It's what you do when things are this risky; it's the first line of defense I was trained to use, but I feel it in my bones that it isn't right, not for her."
"Now, more than ever, Pyrrha needs people around her," Rhea has to pause mid-sentence to work Rahne's hand away from her earring before she can pull it. "But that also puts those people at risk, which will stress her just as much as being alone. Yet, by the same token, putting her in a cage isn't going to help matters much either."
"But she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone." Billy adds. "But you can see why I'm feeling cornered about it."
Everyone nods and Billy actually finds that a little comforting.
"Although," Theron gets everyone's eyes on him. "I don't think we should do anything without talking to Pyrrha first."
"Of course not." Billy shakes their head. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I was planning on it...just had to get all that off my chest, you know? I need input from everyone, Pyrrha included."
"Alright, just making sure." he sounds satisfied, that is, until Tema gets a hold of his beard and tugs, then he winces while trying to laugh through it.
Pyrrha feels like she's been brushing her teeth and gargling mouthwash for hours, but nothing has prevailed in removing that awful taste from her mouth and the ghost of a lukewarm oiliness around her fangs. Now she's nauseous on the flavor of coppery mint and her entire mouth throbs from being rubbed raw. She grips the rim of the stainless steel sink, head hanging, shoulders peaked as they holding the sagging weight of her body. She tries to straighten up, to stand properly, but once she's pushed her hair out of her face she immediately ducks aside and wretches over the toilet again. Nothing came up, but she wasn't exactly grateful for it. She did her best to compose herself and freshen up after that, all but dragging herself out of the bathroom.
They're all still talking, she realizes. She had been able to hear them, not as well as when they were at the hospital earlier because of the greater distance, but she didn't really need to. She has a good feeling what they're talking about. And if she hadn't, she would've when she noticed how all of them clam right up and look her way when they realize she's coming into the dining room.
"Hey kid," Billy greets first. "How are you feeling?"
"Awful." no point in lying, she laughs pitifully. "But...no need to stop the conversation on my account, I just came in to get the girls. I think it's my turn for a while."
And while her tone is somewhat humorous, everyone seemed to miss it.
"You're just as much part of the matter as any of us, Pyrrha." her mother says.
"I know...but I don't really have it in me right now. I just...I need a minute and I need my babies." Part of her is surprised that Rhea is so quick to pass Rhane to her, and another part of her is ashamed for suspecting that her mother would resist.
"I'll come with you, sweetheart." Theron is already standing up from his seat.
"Actually, babba," she hesitates, surprised at herself, "If it's okay...I'd like to sit and talk with Ren a little bit." Because everyone else is too damn close to her, too scared of her. Ren knows how to make her feel his distance, he's practical to a fault, but he's kind with his truths.
"Oh. Um, okay, if that's what you want." he looks to the younger man across the table, asking with his eyes, to which Ren just nods and stands up. Both of them start around the table to follow Pyrrha, meeting in the middle for Theron to pass off Tema.
Pyrrha takes the liberty of settling in Gypsy's recliner, taking up a long-standing invitation from her mother-in-law from forever ago. Rhane giggles at the few bounces she gets out of Pyrrha sitting down and pulling the lever to lift the leg rest. Ren waits patiently nearby, waits until she gestures for him to hand her Tema. It's comforting to see the smile on her face when both of the twins sit in the crooks of either arm, giving Pyrrha all of their attention.
He lets her have that, choosing to sit quietly on the sofa beside the recliner. He watches them, not out of worry, but in silent wonder. Babies are fascinating.
Being here, with the pups like this, is somehow more right than anything has felt to be in the last few days. This feels like normal, achingly human, and for a time Pyrrha is lost in this little bubble of ordinary. She forgets about the claws and fangs and terrible taste in her mouth, and the whole world becomes little more than the three of them and baby babble.
The twins eventually settle, laying on her chest and appearing to nap.
"When were you going to tell me you were a prince?"
Ren chuckles. "I don't tend to brag about it. Some folks tend to change their opinion terribly fast when they realize you're royalty."
Pyrrha laughs a little as well. Then "So," just above a whisper, "what are they planning on doing with me?"
"Nothing yet, just discussing options so far." he answers just as gently. "They're concerned for your illness. According to Billy it's advancing quicker than they expected."
Pyrrha hums in acknowledgment. "Understandable, I guess."
"But we wanted you to be part of the conversation before making any decisions."
"As much as I appreciate it, it isn't like I have much choice on the matter. I'm dangerous."
"But you're still you, and we all love you. You deserve some comfort in all this, too."
"But that's not something we can really afford. Security comes first...for everyone's sake."
"True." he nods once. "Although...I had an idea, if you would humor me."
"By all means."
"I could take the twins." he waits for a reaction, but all he sees is the knitting of her brow. She doesn't look at him, but the ceiling, confused curiosity in her eyes. "They could come back to Nirvana with me, stay at the palace. They'll be perfectly safe. I would ask your mother and Madam Gypsy to come as well, so they have familiar faces to watch them, that way you could stay here and be safe with your father and Billy and Nora."
Pyrrha takes a deep breath after a moment, her eyes closed but brow still heavy. "Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into it."
"I have, for a while. Since I heard Jaune was missing." he admits freely. "I know I may not show it, but you and Jaune mean a great deal to me. You've both been so kind, I'm practically family."
"You are family, Ren. Really."
"So let me help, even if it's just this once."
Saying no to Ren had never been easy, Pyrrha realized in that moment. Maybe it was something inherent to kirins, or just his manner, but somehow she always wanted to agree with whatever it is he wanted. But, even if that weren't the case, he made a convincing argument. She wouldn't have to be put in a cage, the vulnerable people she loved would be out of harm's way, and if everything went wrong, there was a plan to deal with it.
"Let me think it over." She shrugs quietly. "At least let me have today."
"Of course."
Author's Note: I don't know why writing has been so hard lately, but it is what it is. Only a couple chapters left, I think, and the last of the setup for the ending climax is almost finished. Hope you're all still having fun, and please send any comments or questions my way, I love knowing what you all think. Maybe it'll help me push through the last of this.
