CW: There's some rather aggressive misgendering in this chapter, starting after Acronix settles in for some television.
When Wu entered Acronix's cell the next morning, he was curled up in bed, looking miserable. He looked up when he heard Wu, giving him a lopsided smile and halfhearted wave, but not speaking.
"How are you feeling?"
Acronix sighed, rubbing at the bandages on his face, "painkiller's worn off- hurts to talk" he muttered.
Wu winced in sympathy, he knew how resilient Acronix was- whether it was just the pain of surgery or the psychological effects of his prolonged imprisonment, if he was acting this down, he must've really been suffering.
"s'not the worst" he noted, absently, one of his hands came up to touch his breast, "I can handle it"
Wu smiled, "Thats good to hear" he pulled out a vengestone band, "give me your arm" he said, and Acronix did so, allowing Wu to snap it around his wrist.
He seemed to perk up a little at this- a vengestone band meant he'd get to leave the cell, something he hadn't done in over a month.
If not for the pain, Wu had no doubt he'd be bouncing off the walls in joy.
He kept a close eye on him as they left the dungeons beneath the monastery, but Acronix didn't try anything, only looking around with a grin.
Wu escorted him out of the building and the two undertook the long journey down the stairs in silence.
There was a car waiting for them in the village, driven by Jasper, who refused to meet either of their faces as they got in, staring determinedly out the windshield even as the two got into the back, not once speaking as he drove them there.
He parked in front of the gate, and waited in the driver's seat as Acronix and Wu got out.
It was a nice facility, an electrified fence surrounding a beautiful, well-kept garden, the building proper was made of polished marble, overlooking a shining lake, blue as the sky above,
It looked idyllic- not the worst place to live out your days, Wu thought.
Acronix eyed the fence with trepidation "and... this is where I'll be staying?"
Wu nodded, a smile on his face, "yes- it's nice, isn't it?"
Acronix scanned the grounds, brows furrowed, but then he smiled, "sure beats a cell" he conceded.
Wu felt himself relax, then strode confidently up to the gate, gesturing for him to follow, which, after a moment of hesitation, he did.
Wu went over to the woman at the front desk. She looked up at him with a practiced smile, "Welcome, how can I help you today?"
"I'm dropping off Acronix on behalf of his brother"
Acronix, who'd been admiring the artwork decorating the lobby walls, looked up at this.
"and, why couldn't he be here?" he asked.
Wu ignored him, handing over the forms.
The woman at the desk looked them over, then turned back to Wu, "alright! Lets get him settled in"
She set down the stack of paper and got to her feet, gesturing for the two to follow, she opened a door near her desk.
Acronix went through it, but when Wu moved to follow, she stopped him, "I'm sorry, sir, but it's employees and residents only past this point.
Wu frowned, but nodded, "I understand, I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt"
"Visiting hours can be found in our pamphlet or posted on the board"
Wu nodded in acknowledgment, already planning his first visit.
_
When Acronix realized they hadn't come with him, he was, briefly, annoyed.
It was only a couple seconds before the woman at the front desk- Naomi, her nametag read- followed him, and normally it wouldn't be a problem, but he hadn't eaten today, and his face hurt.
"I'm sorry, there were some things I needed to clear up- do you have any questions?"
"Yeah I do! When do we eat!" Acronix snapped.
Without missing a beat, she said, "your breakfast should be in your room, which is number 23b, down hall three"
"Oh, that's so helpful" grumbled Acronix
"There are six people staying here, including you, but our facilities can hold up to a hundred at a time" Naomi continued, as though he hadn't spoken.
She led him into a common room with five other serpentine, and was about to speak, but then a phone started ringing from the other room, and she stopped, "Uh, the bedroom's are over there" she pointed down one hall, "med bay and library are over there, and the kitchen can be found that way, you can talk to then if you have any requests"
With that, she rushed back out the way they'd came.
Acronix huffed, then looked around.
On a couch, was a couple hypnobrai- one an adult, the other, looking curiously up at him, was obviously a child. The adult nodded at him as he came in.
Acronix shuddered, had they turned kids?
By the window was an anacondrai, reading a book by the sunlight.
He looked up at Acronix when the two came in, gaze venomous, and grunted before looking back down.
A venomari and constrictai were collaborating on a puzzle in the corner.
Neither seemed to notice him, too wrapped up in their task.
Acronix looked up as he heard a door slam- the woman had left.
Normally this wouldn't phase Acronix- he loved meeting new people- but normally, he was meeting people. Serpentine were a lot harder to talk to.
He ran over them all again.
The hypnobrai and constrictai were clearly busy- Acronix doubted they'd welcome his intrusion, and as for the anacondrai, he knew how his brother hated being interrupted while reading.
That left the hypnobrai.
Acronix took a moment to compose himself, puffed up his chest, and approached.
"Hey" he said, taking a seat next to the hypnobrai, who'd watched him approach.
"Hello!" said the smiling hypnobrai, proffering a hand to shake.
"The name's Acronix, master of time"
Briefly, as if by reflex, the hypnobrai's hand retracted, their smile becoming strained- the young serpentine gasped, ducking behind their adult counterpart.
"Well." they said, "That explains the bracelet- normally, only constrictai get those, I'm Hannah, by the way"
"Hannah" said Acronix, "thats a strange name for a guy"
"I'm a woman" she said
Acronix felt blood rush to his cheeks and prayed that it wouldn't show through his scales. Catching on to- or, perhaps, predicting- his embarrassment, she added, "don't worry, I'm not offended- it's pretty hard to tell if you aren't familiar with serpentine"
"Are- uh, are you, familiar with serpentine?" Acronix tried not to sound nervous, unsubtly looking down at himself.
Hannah let out a short, sharp laugh, "more familiar than you are, certainly"
The child, who'd been silently watching him from behind it's mother, spoke up, "I don't think you look like a girl" they said.
Acronix turned his attention to the child.
Subtly, Hannah shifted, putting more of herself between the Elemental Master and the kid.
"Well, I don't think I do either" he said.
Hannah got to her feet, "Well, it was lovely meeting you, but oh, look at the time! My daughter must be exhausted, I'm afraid we have to go"
And with that, she hurried off down the hall, her 'daughter' in tow.
Well, that was odd.
Acronix only had more questions now.
He looked around again, but none of the remaining serpentine seemed any more interested now than they had before.
He might as well get settled in.
Acronix trotted down hall three, where he'd been told his room was, and scanned the numbers by the doors until he found room 23b.
It was small, but hardly the worst place he'd stayed.
The bed wasn't the most comfortable, and the only entertainment available seemed to be religious literature, extolling the virtues of the First Spinjitzu Master and the dangers of the serpentine.
Not that Acronix had any problem with that, but those stories were boring! He was going to be staying here for weeks! Was a television too much to ask?
As promised, they'd left a meal on his desk, served with a couple of pills that he recognized as painkillers.
Cheering to himself, he swallowed them dry, and was about to sit down to eat.
But then, hesitated.
Maybe he should take it to the common room, without Hannah and her kid hogging it, the TV should be free, and maybe he could find the sci-fi channel.
It'd been too long since he'd seen a good movie.
When Acronix returned to his room that evening, he found that it wasn't empty.
Hannah sat at his desk, the chair turned to face the door.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her, instinctively falling into a fighting stance as a horrible hissing snarl fell unbidden from his throat.
She seemed unimpressed, looking up to meet his eye.
"What, are you that interested?" Acronix said, not letting his stance drop "Sorry to break it to you, lady, but your not my type"
Hannah sneered "Don't flatter yourself, you bastard- I know your secret"
Acronix felt his stomach drop.
There were a number of things she could be referring to. Maybe she'd heard of his Interest in serpentine.
Worst, maybe she'd heard of his interest in men.
But, thinking back to the conversation they'd had earlier, he realized that it was so much worst.
He laughed, the sound forced and painful, "You don't know what you're talking about, I've got nothing to hide"
"I know you're a woman"
Acronix stiffened. He'd been right, then.
"I'm no woman" he said, his hood flaring.
Hannah got to her feet.
"You can't fool me, serpentine can tell based off smell, and you" her tongue flicked out, for emphasis, "smell like a woman"
Acronix shrunk away, it felt like there was a blade in his gut, and he had to hold back tears, "Stop- don't tell anyone, please, I don't want- no one can know!"
"I don't know why you're doing this, and frankly, it's none of my business" she got to her feet, looming over Acronix, and he was suddenly aware of just how big she was, "I won't tell anyone, so long as you do as I ask"
He was sure he could beat her in a fight, but this wasn't the battlefield and she wasn't an enemy combatant- a fight on his first day wouldn't go down well, he thought.
So, he decided to play along "What do you want from me?"
"Stay away from my child, and we won't have an issue- but if you so much as look at her in a way I don't like" she leaned down, so her face was level with his, "yeah, we are going to have issues, got it?"
Shaking, Acronix nodded, "got it, ma'am"
She smiled, bitterly and without joy, "good"
Hannah got to her feet and left, shoving past the Master of Time.
When she was gone, Acronix relaxed- Well, so much for getting along with everyone, if this keeps up, he'll have to stay in his room! With no TV!
Ah, well, it was no big deal, his brother would visit as soon as he was able, and would surely bring Acronix some of his belongings- including a few good books he'd never got around to reading.
Comforted by these thoughts, he settled into bed.