Day 16 (July 22nd). Me and My OC
You guessed it! Today is all about original characters. Today's prompt is all about OCs!
*laughs* ok u guys it's clear to anyone looking at my profile that my favorite OC/Canon pairing is
MOTHERCUSSING APORAIN THAT'S RIGHT FOOLS TODAY WE'RE DIVING INTO A MUNDANE AU OF RAIN X PRIMO(APORIA)! this AU is sort of a "what-if they lived in our world" treatment, so no card games, robots, or time travel -sadface- all the cool stuff is gone
This one's long too but I ain't sorry. FYI the appearance I write Placido/Primo is based off the episode(77) he appears as butler to Lucciano/Lester
Grief Counseling
Six folding chairs were set out in a circle. Half the high school gymnasium's lights had been shut off. The six participants sat on the light side and watched a roll-down screen. A projector rolled a video of testimonials from survivors and emotional advice on how to get out of bed each day.
The video rolls a short credits section and displays potential talking points on its contents. The young woman leading straightens her stack of papers. With a bright smile, she said, "Today, let's go around and introduce ourselves! For starters, I'm Rain! I started this group half a year ago when my boyfriend passed away. We'll go clockwise, and remember you only have to share what you're comfortable with!"
Rain hadn't initiated the introductory phase in a few months. Their group had been the steady same five until this session. The other four she knew well were far older than her – a mix of forties and fifties.
Jan had lost her child and partner in a car crash; Vlad's brother lost a battle with cancer; Dina's father died in hospice care; and Bobby, the gym teacher who coerced the school into allowing their sessions to take place there, saved his daughter from a house fire without realizing his wife was trapped in the bathroom.
The sixth attendee was the new fellow and reason for the introductions. Rain picked clockwise because he'd be the last introduction. She figured he could use the extra time. The other four struggled with tightened throats and pricking tears – except Vlad, who'd struggled with being the "macho type." Rain only earned emotional moments from him in one-on-one conversations.
She was happy to see them all find small solaces, which she hoped for the new member. He seemed different. He appeared far younger than the others, like her, and his expression hadn't shown a flicker of empathy through the intros.
His turn came around after Bobby's sad tale. Beyond sniffles, silence settled.
The smile she gave the new guy was awkward, she knew, but it was all she could muster. "It's, uh, your turn!"
He glared at her. His eyes were Jell-O red, she noticed. Perhaps he wore colored contacts or good Lord why was he still staring? She fidgeted with her notes. Sweat built on her temples.
"Th-that's okay!" Her voice boomed out louder than she intended. "Um, for the first talking point, let's open with any swings we've had in the past week when it comes to managing moods and feelings, if anyone's struggled-"
The newcomer, arms crossed, snorted.
Bobby shouted, "You got somethin' to say?"
"Oh, excuse me." His insincerity was biting. "I didn't mean to shatter your kindergarten kumbaya circle. Are we finger painting next?"
Bob shot out of his chair and grabbed the new guy by the collar of his suit coat. "You think you're fuckin' better than us 'cause you haven't suffered, you asshole?"
The grin plastered on his face didn't do any favors in combating Bob's accusations. But the forced movement revealed a necklace the newcomer wore. On that necklace was…
Rain rushed to his side and said, "Umm, let's all try to get along-"
"Kumbaya," the newcomer repeated in a mocking tone.
Bob's fist reared back, and Rain sprung. A collective gasp rung out. A ringing filled her hearing. Her hand moved to the skin upon her cheekbone, which was rapidly swelling. The area felt numb but, oh, she knew it'd be hurting later.
"Christ," Bob murmured, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit ya-"
"And on top of all else, this is a group advocating for violence against women," the newcomer commented. She noticed his smirk had fallen, though.
"Shut yer trap," Bob snapped. "This is all 'cause of yer fuckin' wisecracks- y'know? Get the hell out of here!"
"I have to agree." Dina's stare had fallen to her hands folded in her lap. "Your goals are clearly malicious. I cannot agree with including you in our sessions."
Jan added her agreement, and Vlad threw in an approving grunt. Bob said, "Hit the road."
Rain's head spun. She lifted her face towards the ceiling and rubbed her cheek. Oh, God, was her nose bleeding? Nah, nope, just sweat. She said, "I'm not so sure we should ban anybody… that doesn't really agree with the idea of the group, is what I mean."
Through his teeth, Bob said, "I like you. You've done a great job managin' this, but if you let that guy stay, we'll have to start our own group."
The others didn't seem entirely in agreement. From what she could see of them, anyway. Everything was starting to swim. Jan said, "We'll give her a week to think, won't we?"
"Whatever gets me out of here faster," Bobby grumbled. Jan and Dina followed him out. Vlad stared at her and the newcomer, who was glaring blatantly at her documents. The lights above were beginning to flicker off.
Vlad said, "Use ice."
He left. Rain sighed and hurried to collect her papers in stacks. She folded the chairs and pushed up the projector. The newcomer watched her hurried work. Another large light above shut off.
She stacked chairs against the wall and said, "Uh, so, what's your name?"
By the time she turned around, he had completely packed away the projector setup and carried the foldaway screen. The last light shut off. Echoes of his footsteps approached the glowing red exit sign. She hurried after him.
The sunshine outside blinded her. She sneezed into her elbow. Stupid allergies. She sniffled and observed the parking lot, which was empty except for two cars. Geez. The others had left quickly. She was used to them sticking around and talking afterwards…
"What," the newcomer barked, "are you going to force me to carry this all day?"
First of all, she never asked him to carry it, and second of all, they'd been outside less than a minute. She pouted and approached her car. The hatchback opened, and he tossed the screen inside haphazardly. She winced. Mental note: check later for rips.
The crinkling of paper caught her attention. He held out an official-looking document with place for signature. Before she could even ask, he said, "Sign it."
She took the paper with a light grasp. The declaration went on and on. It appeared to have been crumpled and straightened out several times. The gist of the agreement was to confirm that the man had successfully completed three sessions and was mentally fit to return to work.
She chewed her lip. "I… can't do that."
He crushed the paper as he ripped it away from her. So that's how it got so wrinkled! He shouted, "Why not?"
"You haven't even been a part of a single session yet," she murmured.
"The trauma of that session was surely the total of three combined."
"I mean, technically, nothing happened to you?"
The crossing of his arms ruffled the white button-up beneath his black suit coat. She saw it again, that plain string necklace with two very important items looped through. He said, "It's so very simple for you. Sign it and you keep your little kumbaya circle and never have to see me again."
"That'd be lying, though."
"Are there no chaotically good lies? Do you wish for a world where you never received gifts from Santa Claus?"
She wrapped locks of hair around her finger. The movement of her hair jingled the bell attached to her hair tie. The melodious sound calmed her. "My dad told me I'd never get Christmas gifts."
The troublemaker withdrew a pen from his coat pocket and clicked. "I'll write your name for you."
"That's illegal," she pointed out.
"Then what's the answer?" he snapped.
"Actually do the sessions?"
"How is that possible when the sessions no longer exist? You've been ousted by your own group." She winced. He noticed and leaned forward with the pen and paper. "All your problems will disappear if you sign the sheet."
Nah. The man standing before her was all her problems. She intended to discover a solution. "Three sessions! We meet on Wednesdays right here!"
He clenched his fists. The poor paper was a casualty. Again. Rain did her best to keep up a grin. If she'd learned anything in life, it was that killing with kindness was the best route.
"Anyway!" she said. "Your name? I asked earlier, but- oh! I'm Rain. Um, did I already say that?"
Through grit teeth, he seethed, "You'll regret this next week, Odom."
She blinked. Her brows furrowed. "I… never told you my last name. How do you-"
That mocking grin of his spread again. It was on the verge of scaring her. He said, "My name is Aporia."
He spun on his heel and slammed closed the door of his black car. She pursed her lips. She wasn't the smartest – never finished high school, even – but she knew that wasn't a real name.
Wind tore through distant trees. Rain sneezed again. She scratched at her nose. Ugh. It was looking like a rough month.
Determination fired through her at a memory. The newcomer, "Aporia," needed help. She knew it because of his necklace; two wedding bands touched one another on the string.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Humidity choked the atmosphere. The heat surely matched the eighth circle of hell, and the purgatorious nature of his current situation must have confirmed his place there. The "botanical gardens," as the place of recreation was deemed, appeared far too… bright.
The one good aspect of the meeting was that the parking lot of the place was majority empty. He kept his coat thrown over his shoulder and approached the entrance. She waited outside the turnstiles.
Rain Odom shifted up and down, standing flat to rising on her toes. The movement rustled the bells attached to her hairband. A violet was tucked into her silver hair, which was pulled into a ponytail. "Wow! You showed up!"
His eye twitched. It was clear to any-fucking-one how, how much he longed to be anywhere else. Yet there she stood, clapping like a seal at his appearance. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Three. Only three.
He said, "I'm guessing you're standing outside because they don't allow twelve-year-olds in without adult supervision."
"I'm not twelve!" She clapped her hands over her mouth the instant the high-pitched whine escaped. A corner of his mouth lifted. He knew full well she was twenty-two-year-old Rain Odom, botanist and volunteer lead of the local grief counseling group. He had enough time to gather that much from her file before getting the boot from his superior.
Goddamned chief.
"You have one hour," he said.
Her smile was nervous. "Um. Usually when we have everyone together, we go for two! That is, if everyone was willing to come…"
He thinned his eyes. This woman. First she takes a hit for him. Next, she's giving up the group she's built from the ground up for years. All this despite him providing ample reason to earn her hatred in the first ten or so minutes after they met.
In a nutshell, she appeared annoyingly persistent.
"Um, anyway!" she said. He realized he'd been staring. Not on purpose. Not- "No time to waste! Let's get going!"
She waived at the man in the ticket booth and dashed through the turnstile. I followed at a leisurely pace. Too hot to run. To exist. I fanned my face with my hand as she guided me through vibrant gardens bursting with color. The statues laced with blossoms were… passable. Not impressive by any standards.
"Here's my favorite." Her whisper was conspiratory. She threw out her arms to present a massive statue of a dragon. The "skin" upon its bronze skeleton was crafted from finely-clipped hedges and blooming violets. Its flowery, purple lips had been designed as a smile. "It may have been my idea, but I can only take credit for growing the flowers! The architecture and stuff is beyooond me!"
"Surprise, surprise," I deadpanned.
The grandiose gesturing of her arms flopped. She bothered her ponytail and stopped looking him in the eye. "Right."
He groaned. He told himself not to do it. It'd be a horrible mistake to…
Through grit teeth, he relented, "It looks nice."
She beamed. He regretted living. Rain led the way through an archway of roses and past a floral arrangement resembling a peacock. She unfolded a parasol and leaned it on her shoulder. The lavender color matched her flowy blouse.
"I burn easy. My brother got this for me. It was his idea to start the group, too. After my boyfriend died. Oops. That's obvious, huh. He was in a gang. Dangerous stuff happened all the time, and he'd say things like, 'Be ready for me to not come home one day.' I… guess it wasn't the biggest shock, but it still hurts."
He snorted. "Sounds like an asshole."
Her pace halted. He wondered if he'd finally found a way to wound her. She said, "Sorry. Uh, it's funny in a weird way. My sister says the same."
"Two siblings?" he said. The file only mentioned the brother she spoke on.
"Yeah! An older brother and a twin sister. She lives farrr away, though – moved as soon as she could. Changed her last name, too. I don't blame her. My dad's kinda the worst. How about you?"
Different last names explained the sister escaping the file. "Only child."
"Lucky you, never having to share!" She stuck out her tongue with her smile to accentuate the poor attempt at a joke. "Sooo. This is where I work! If I didn't make that clear. I go through bottles and bottles of sunscreen, if you can imagine. What do you do?"
He stared at her. She broke off eye contact. He huffed. Talking would, at least, keep the minutes from slogging on. "Detective."
"Ahhh! No wonder you knew so much about me. I don't feel so creeped out now."
"Shame."
Her elbows leaned on the pale railing of a bridge. A series of waterfalls dumped their ripples beneath. He scowled. What a waste of water. She said, "That explains why your document was all fancy. Why do you need it signed?"
"Someone thinks I'm unfit for work."
She hummed. The pouring water distorted the detailed casework behind the waterfall. "I know… sometimes, people throw themselves into work because of grief. Could it be that someone was trying to cut you off from-"
"No," I assured. "I was working on a very. Important. Case."
"I see." She watched the water flow underneath us. I turned away to find a red petal spinning in the breeze. Many more fell into the river, helpless to battle its flow. Rain said, "Does it have anything to do with the other person who wore the ring on your necklace?"
He stomped in his movement to face her, prepared to roar about how the hell she knew that-
His watch beeped.
He hissed, "Time's. Up."
"Mkay." She didn't look at him. "Bye, Aporia."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Rain waited outside a shopfront for the nameless man. She wondered if he would show today. What she said last time would impact him, she knew, but she had no other way to get him to speak other than being direct.
Her breath caught. He was there, across the street, looking annoyed at the wait on the crosswalk. She considered whether she'd seen him have any expression but annoyed.
Nnnope.
He remained easy to spot, at least, because he wore the same suit every day. She wondered if he ever got it dry-cleaned. He never smelled bad. Those suffering rough times tended to let go of their hygiene. But, no. The black suit was pristine, and his black hair only appeared greasy because of the styling gel slicking it back.
"How the hell are you wearing a hoodie," he growled.
"Hi to you, too."
The anger harshening his features relented for neutrality. "Where are we suffering today?"
"Oh! I'm wearing this because I was waiting inside, which has nice AC." She hid her hands inside the sleeves of the oversized purple hoodie. The heat was starting to drain her, but she didn't want to slip it off just to put it right back on. "Um. I'll lead the way!"
The aroma of warm bread and sweet pastries graced the atmosphere. Their two-person table by the window allowed plenty of light for the sunflower centerpiece. The condensation on her lone glass of water left a circle on the painted wood.
His nose wrinkled. "Do they not clean the tables?"
She hurriedly brushed off crumbs. "That was, um, breakfast."
"You've been here that long?"
"Yes?" she squeaked.
He started to speak. Another voice cut him off. "You showed! Can I grab you anything? Water? Juice? Pie?"
The worker's overly-enthusiastic questions seemed to confuse "Aporia." Rain bit her lower lip to keep from grinning. No need to introduce the two of them yet. Plus, she was enjoying knowing something he didn't for once. He demanded, "Water."
Wow. Charming. As if she should've expected anything else. The worker delivered the water and went to wiping down the table behind "Aporia." Rain said, "When're you gonna tell me your name? I don't know what to call you, really."
"I told you it."
She pouted. "I'll call you Po."
"Don't."
"Soo!" She smiled and pressed her fingertips together. "You must be hungry! What looks good to you on the menu, Po? Do you like-"
He slammed a fist that rattled the silverware. "Stop calling me that stupid excuse for a nickname you negative IQ dropout-"
He kept ranting. The worker behind him shot a glance over his shoulder, eyes wide. He turned and mimicked his ranting with a silly expression. Rain couldn't contain her laughter. Po paused, blinked, and glared behind him. The worker was back to sprucing up the table set.
"How about a pair of blueberry pies!" Rain suggested.
"I hate it here," Po said.
"Two it is!"
The worker shot her a thumbs-up and hurried behind the counter. Po kept glaring at him. He said, "You come here often."
"Yep! How about you? Got any comfort restaurants?"
"Takeout at home alone."
"Aww, there's no shame in not having any friends!"
"I have scores of friends!" he shouted. "Scores!"
"I've been wondering something." She twirled a fork between her index finger and thumb. Sunlight shimmered on silver. "Why didn't you boss send you to, like, an actual therapist?"
He reacted to the final word like it was a knife coming at him. For the first time, he forced himself to look away. "He wanted to force me away for a good amount of time. A quick search turned up your group. He tends to put in minimal effort. It begins and ends there. I doubt he even knows your group broke up because of me."
A-ha-ha. He really believed that, huh. She didn't have it in her to tell him the group met on a different day. She just knew a group setting wouldn't really work with Po. And. She didn't want to break up any more fights. Or get hit.
Oddly, he appeared… guilty about it. Until he noticed her looking, that is.
A pair of pastries slid onto the table before them. Steam warmed her face. She was reminded of the good parts of being home and the best of her family. The server said, "Blueberry for Rain and blueberry with whipped topping for Po! You seem like you could use the extra sweetness!"
"What did you call me?"
She laughed, laced her fingers together, and said, "Thank you, Ranue!"
He formed a heart shape with his hands and she matched it. Po appeared more shocked than angry for once. "You're siblings. You two?"
Guess his detective work didn't include the fact that she and Ranue were technically half-siblings. Eh. She was used to turning heads whenever mentioning the opposite-skin-and-hair-color pair were siblings.
"Need IDs?" Ranue asked. He slid her a hot chocolate unprompted. She smiled her thanks. He returned the favor.
"Ah. I understand," Po said. "Your insufferableness matches. Naturally, you share blood."
"Naturally!" he said. He stole a bite of her pie. They battled forks. Po looked like he could upchuck any moment. "You-know-who's visiting next week."
"What! That's next week?"
"Figured you could use a reminder. Lemme throw a few things in the oven."
He wiped his hands on his apron, which was littered with white, powdery fingerprints already. Po was staring at his pie as Ranue left. "He owns this place?"
"Nah," she answered. "Co-owns. Been a dream of his to open a bakery since he was a kid, so opening day was the greatest celebration of all time! I have a picture from that day framed at home… My former partner's in it, though. It's been a long time, but pictures still make me sad."
He fiddled with the string around his neck. "I've turned them all around."
"I did for a while, too," she whispered. "Hey. D'you have anything like that- erm, from way earlier. Like a dream job?"
"I have a plain old dream – not job-related."
"Oh? What's that?"
He was staring at the ceiling. The intensity in his expression was close to scaring her. She leaned closer anyway. In the quietest of voices, he said, "Locating the individual who murdered my fiancée."
Unnatural cold smothered her senses. The reason why he was suspended, then…
The touching of glass to the table snapped them both back to the now. Ranue said, "More water! Figured a pitcher would be easier than going back and forth."
"You're a poster boy for hard labor," Po growled.
"Thanks!"
Po's eye twitched.
Rain winced. Her stomach gurgled. She held it and got to her feet. Ranue shot up with her. "Gosh, are you sick? Need to throw up? More water? Wet washcloth? Need to pee?"
Po snorted. "And here I thought she was a grown woman."
Ranue gave her a look that said, "Wow, how insensitive he is." Seeing her reaction, though, he moved to more of a "He doesn't know?" sort of shock.
Indeed he did not know, which was better for everyone, really.
"You can go ahead and leave," she told Po. "Sorry. It still counts as a session!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Odom waddled off to the restroom. Her brother followed close behind, caring for her every step. They had him counting my blessings not dealing with siblings of his own. Her brother returned to the table and forced a smile. Or maybe not forced. Hard to tell with them. "Good thing she got to eat!"
True. Only globs of dark fruit paste remained in her pie tin. Mine had a good couple slices left.
Too sweet.
"Want anything else?" Ranue offered. "Coffee, maybe? I make a mean iced latte. Summer sucks around here, I know."
His grip tightened on his cup of water. A bead of condensation rolled over his white knuckle. "Is your family inhuman?"
Ranue snickered. "She's kinda weird sometimes. When we were kids, Rahlin and I made up a planet we're sure she's from."
"I don't mean your childish jabs," he said. "I mean your inhuman kindness."
"I've never been complimented rudely before today," he mused. "I don't know what to tell you. My mom taught me to 'treat others the way you want to be treated.' That help?"
He crossed his arms and tilted his chair back. "A silly mantra means nothing."
"To you."
What the hell? Was her brother- God, he even pouted the same way she did! He had to escape this insanity. He shook his head and said, "One last thing before I leave."
"Oh, boy," the brother said unenthusiastically.
He clapped the top of Rain's hot chocolate over the escaping steam. While securing the cap, he spat, "Consider caring for your customers."
He smoothed down an unruly lock of hair. The goddamned humidity would be fine. Everything would be okay because today was the last of his forsaken meetings with the inhuman woman. He'd get back to his investigation, and everything. Would. Work.
The aquarium was today's choice of torture. Summer meant the building was packed. Hell, from here he could spot the massive crowds swarming around the building. Then there was that… fishy smell surrounding the place.
He spotted a familiar head of silver hair on the other side of the crosswalk. The sign changed, and he easily caught up with her. Odd. She tended to be extra punctual. Ugh. Tens of sweaty, stinky bodies swarmed. He hurried next to her and hissed, "Nice choice you made."
She glared at him. Glared. She didn't say a word and drifted away. She walked excruciatingly slow. He followed. She stopped, and something rung out like a firecracker. He spread his stance and scanned the crowd for firearms. Everybody was looking at Rain, though.
In a low, threatening tone, she said, "You don't want to come closer."
Hold on. Now that she was looking straight at him, he noticed a medical eyepatch over her left eye. She walked with a cane whose slamming caused the ruckus. Her attire was far more professional than usual; she wore a white button-up, black slacks, and loafers. He said, "What is this getup?"
The lack of emotion in her expression compared to normal was mildly frightening. She said, "I'm calling the police."
"What? But you-"
"Wow! You guys met already!" A second Rain approached with a dripping popsicle. She looked far more normal than Rain number one with her smile, hair pulled up, and flower in her hair.
"Oh." The one with the eyepatch threw hair over her shoulder. "You know the creep."
He fumed but didn't speak. Her threat was too powerful. If he made trouble that attracted the cops, he'd never get his job back. Rain said, "Yeah! Rahlin, this is Po. He's my beeest friend."
"We have a business relationship," he grumbled, "and my name is not-"
"Boy am I excited for today!" she said. "My favorite is the wh…"
Her eyes went glassy. "…ales…"
He waved a hand in front of her face. Nothing.
"No." The single word held the distress of thousands. Rahlin's hand was on her sister's shoulder and shook with effort. He realized why: Rain teetered backwards to where her skull would slam against sidewalk.
He sprung. She collapsed onto his chest instead, and his ass landed on the concrete. Rahlin stood over them. She studied the ground. "She needs to be at a hospital. I don't think I see any blood, so hopefully it's nothing horrendous."
"Call 911!"
"The hospital is a block away."
"What, you expect me to-"
Her stare was a threat in and of itself. He stared to lift Rain. Rahlin said, "Careful around the stomach."
"Why?"
Her brows threaded. "You seriously- Rain is pregnant."
Heat rushed to his face. Then, last week, and the way her brother reacted- Was it really meant to be obvious? Sure, she had some weight on her, but wouldn't it be rude to assume…
He shook his head. Now was not the proper time to assess the past. He settled for a piggyback carry and rushed through crowds and crosswalks. In the lobby, the emergency services took her off his hands.
Next week would have to be the last session, he supposed. He didn't know her well. Not really. For now, he should leave.
But he waited.
And waited.
Rahlin showed up after approximately an hour. She fell into the chair beside him. "I sincerely doubted Rain when she called you her best friend, but I've been wrong before. Strikes me even stranger, then, that she wouldn't tell you."
Humph. Made sense to him. They were not friends. She didn't know his name. They were not…
That man stumbled in. Ranue, the foolish baker. Shiny balloons in his grip battled each other midair. He scanned the area while struggling to catch his breath. The instant he spotted him and Rahlin, he rushed over. The balloons once again slammed into each other.
"I came as fast as I could! Look! I brought both just in case."
One of the too-shiny balloons read "Get Well Soon" while the other said "Congratulations." Rahlin sighed and rested her face on the heels of her hands. "No. It's too early. It's impossible for the news to be 'Congratulations.' The news is either bad or neutral."
"Wrong!" Ranue countered. "The news is either bad or great! Health isn't something to take for granted!"
Rahlin smiled at his tomfoolery. How, of all goddamned things, was that what got her to show joy? They were a family of idiots. The approach of a nurse snapped him to attention. The woman said, "You're with Rain Odom, correct?"
Ranue leapt to his feet. The balloons bounced off one another. "Correct!"
"Rain requested to speak privately to Rahlin."
She struggled to rise, her expression grim. Ranue said, "Which balloon are you taking?"
She cracked a smile. "Save them."
They left. He remained with the too-joyful brother. Ranue cleared his throat. "Sooo, you didn't know?"
"No."
"Aw. It's kinda cute in a way. You were so respectful you didn't even ask-"
"Not cute," he said.
The smile lines flanking Ranue's eyes showed his years. Thirties, he'd guess. "It's been tough on her. The worst was that she only found out after he- you know. I'm sure you've at least talked about him considering you're in the grief group."
Oh. He was saying the father was… oh. Weight crushed his chest simply imagining her position.
"You should hear Rahlin go off about him," Ranue continued. "Rain will try to stop her, but she'll say, 'Why respect the dead when he had no respect for himself or you?' He was always throwing himself into bad situations according to Rain. She's still buddies with his gang members, too. They've brought tons of gifts for the kid. I was afraid to tell them what happened, though, because Rahlin might kill 'em!"
Ranue laughed. Good. Rahlin's capability to murder wasn't serious. He couldn't quite gauge himself.
It certainly seemed possible. He said, "If you don't mind me asking so I'm not more out of the loop – what happened to her? She appears to have many… injuries."
"Ohh, her leg and eye, you mean. Yeah. She's a top researcher at MIT for some top-secret shit if you'd believe. Said she went on a ski trip with her colleagues and got into a nasty accident. Here's the kicker. Rahlin tells us a rival of hers set it up!"
"You don't say," he murmured. His mind got stuck on how twelve-year-old number two was a "top researcher."
Thunk. The falls of her cane approached. Rahlin watched the floor tiles. "You should see her next week for a reschedule, Po. Ranue, she's being discharged tonight. She'd rather have time to herself. I'm staying with you."
When Ranue moved to stand, the "Congratulations" balloon slipped from his grip.
"Sorry." Rain toed the rickety pier with her ballet slippers. Sunset threw blood orange onto her loose, black shirt. Her messy hair fell over her slumped shoulders. "That must have been inconvenient for you."
He nearly went off on her about how she shouldn't have been sorry for that which was out of her control or how it wasn't an inconvenience at all. He didn't want her to believe he cared too much, so he said, "Take care of yourself."
Her smile appeared as a brief flicker like a spark among darkness. "It's our last day. I'll… try to make it count. You've used bug spray, right?"
"Right."
The pair boarded a bayou boat. She kicked up the large fan towards the back, which drowned out all other sound. Dusk threw shadows of low trees and vines, and he wondered what lurked in them. He'd lived near the swamps all his life but never had the guts to adventure through them.
The fan stuttered to a stop. The tiny island was an ant among giants; no towering trees or grasses the height of his chest filled the land. The flat, empty area appeared… managed? The grass was clipped and the remains tied into bundles near the edge. Rain leapt onto the isle. Her shoes sunk into the mud but she kept on unsurprised.
He followed in her muddy footprints. An individual pair there and back indicated her experience on the island.
Rain stopped next to a poorly-carved cross driven into the earth. She sat on a small patch of dry ground, and he joined her.
"It's not much," she said. "I mean, there were a lot of people after him, so it was the best I could do."
"I imagine he'd be honored by your effort."
Her smile lasted longer – more like a candle in the wind this time. "I started the group when I found out I was gonna have a kid. Well, I wasn't likely to have a kid. They said I wasn't built for that kind of thing. I'm not the luckiest woman. If my daughter made it that far, it was more likely she'd have to go on without me. I sorta, stupidly, ignored that news. I made the group because, for one, I wanted to prove I could take care of something myself! Without anyone else! And, for two, I truly, sincerely believe we are united at the point of grief. I think that started when I was a kid and my dad left on all those 9/11 broadcasts, you know? I remembered everyone being so sad and all the smoke and fire, but even more, they showed off complete strangers doing everything they could to save one another. So, so even in these big tragedies you find the greatest unity. I'll never quit believing that. The group proved it true again."
"Which I ruined."
"No, we meet on a different day, and I use you being nice to me as an example."
"What?"
Her smile showed pride. "I've never brought anyone else here – not even my family. I thought you might understand. You do, right?"
He grimaced. "My fiancée, Eurea, was a therapist. A true empath like you. We were total opposites, but she put in so much effort to understand me. You'd never meet a kinder person. She was- she had a patient that needed more than therapy, but she wanted to give him her best effort instead. She didn't want to see him detained. She was too kind. He was obsessed; he stalked her until kidnapping her and-"
He swallowed. The tightness of his throat remained. "Chief knew therapy wasn't the right move for me, so he forced me to go to your group. Thought it'd be different enough. I couldn't get rid of this stupid idea in my head of which of those others was plotting to kill you. I'm sorry, Rain. I'm glad I didn't break you all up."
He managed to make eye contact. The blush, red, and orange of the setting sun caught in the crocodile tears running down her cheeks. He sat up straight. She rubbed the heels of her hands beneath her eyes. "S-sorry! That's- it's really sad, and I'm super sorry for what happened to her. And you. That's awful. And, and you apologized!"
"Don't tell anyone." That earned a laugh. "Maybe I'll join next week. The group, that is."
"I'll tell them about how you rescued me."
"You'd better not!"
"Will you actually introduce yourself this time?"
He stared at his muddy shoes. He nodded to himself and extended a hand. Her grasp was light as she accepted. He said, "My name is José."
"Josie!"
"No-"
She immediately burst into laughter. He glared to the side. The hand he held in front of his mouth had to hide his smile. She couldn't know; not ever.
Rain hugged her knees to her chest. Pastel pink pooled on the bayou's calm waters. He scooted a note closer to her. They watched the colors shift darker and darker.
United at the point of grief, she'd said.
Maybe he could keep on beyond that bloody dream of his. He'd… hate to leave his best friend alone, anyway.