Chapter 78
"W-Wait! I need my…weapons…" Oh man, that hurt to shout and she regretted doing it, not meaning it to come out forcefully. "A-And I need to get dressed first. Please?"
Crow nodded, ordering her to keep the door open and she didn't have a problem doing that. He thought of her as only family, a sister, so she didn't think he would sneak a peek while she was dressing. How could McBurn get past an 800-year-old witch's wards so easily? Was he always able to do that and just waited for the opportune moment?
I need to stop analyzing everything, get dressed and leave with Crow. Everything else could be sorted out later, but one thing was certain: they could NOT stay in this apartment building anymore.
Crow was on his ARCUS II, letting Machias know over a secure, encrypted connection what had happened. He didn't bother saying what they were going to do next. Machias was well aware they'd take off, it was what any smart person would do when confronted with a rogue McBurn. When Melyssa came out dressed, with her weapons and a bag over her shoulder, he nodded.
"I got my weapons and my wallet, let's get out of here." Crow had a bag in a stash here in the city, on the way to one of his safehouses.
Crow was a firm believer in the paranoid survived and right now, he was paranoid. Lacing his fingers through hers, he pulled her from the apartment, trying not to walk overly fast, they needed to sort of appear casual. Wherever they were going, she trusted Crow explicitly and tried not to let what McBurn said bother her.
You're on borrowed time, Melyssa. What did that mean? Was he going to kill her at the 'right' time or whenever he wanted to? Was Ouroboros going to do it? Nobody trusts you.
What he said about Machias really bothered her because she wondered if it was true. Did Machias give her this job only to keep her closer? They slid inside her orbal car and Crow took the wheel while she buckled up in the passenger seat, their stuff in the backseat. In no time at all, they were on their way from the apartment building and toward some unknown destination.
"Machias is down in the sewers, Rean is in town and they went to clear out a nest." Crow informed her, once the lights of Crossbell City were in his rearview mirror.
He knew Melyssa and Ash had gone to Ymir to deal with Rean and break that spell. Rean had remained holed up in his hometown for a while before coming back and immersing himself back into his old life. Too bad Ash hadn't been under a spell… it would be easier to deal with the idea of his friend having… issues.
"The work on the sewer, the repairs, and then blocking off the older tunnels is supposed to start soon." This she already knew since she had to give that press conference. Obviously, she hadn't divulged the other aspect, about using parts of it to bottleneck Ouroboros and other shady characters, who dealt beneath the city in their illegal deals and whatnot. "When he comes out, he'll call and properly debrief."
"Do they need our help?"
How big was the nest? Would they be able to handle it with just them? Melyssa didn't feel the butterflies at the mention of Rean anymore, which told her the feelings she had for him when he was her Instructor had disappeared. Maybe it was also partially due to the fact she had been with Ash. Crow shook his head at her question and she left it at that, instead turning her head to stare out the window.
"Did you tell Machias about McBurn's visit?" She wasn't surprised at Crow's nod and she clasped her hands in her lap, not believing what a nightmare this night turned out to be. "Where are we going?"
"I have a safehouse."
Being on both sides of the good/evil equation, Crow currently considered himself to be chaotic good. Meaning he did some weird, random stuff that sometimes made no sense except at the end of the day, he knew which side to toss his lot in. The side that wasn't going to try killing him for being a deserter, thanks mostly to Rean's kind heart and potentially equally soft head. That wasn't very nice of him, considering Rean had been his best friend for years, but one thing about Crow was he called things as he saw them.
"And I don't know the size of the nest, but between the two of them, I'd imagine they got it." Machias probably needed to vent and blow off steam, anyway, not being able to get his hands dirty due to his position on top of Emma expecting triplets… Crow would have lost his mind by now.
"Yeah, if the Divine Blade of the Eight Leaves and the mayor can't handle a simple nest, we're doomed." Melyssa tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out stoic. She wasn't in a joking mood, for obvious reasons. "Sorry, that was terrible." Just keep your mouth shut, Mel, for Aidios' sake!
At least Rean wasn't holed up in Ymir anymore feeling sorry for himself, so that was good. He was in Crossbell City – when did that happen? Had she been so wrapped up in the crap with Ash that she didn't notice? Melyssa vowed right then and there to NEVER get so wrapped up in a man again that she neglected the world around her. It was dangerous, especially under her circumstances.
"Yeah, it was shit, just sit back and relax, Lyssa." Crow glanced at her, reaching out to take her hand and squeezing once in what was meant to be a comforting gesture. "You don't have to try entertaining me or keeping conversation, you've got the best excuse in the world not to."
McBurn's creepy ass in her shower. He felt like he had creepy crawlies going up and down his spine, resisting the urge to shudder like a little girl. Silence reigned for the rest of the over an hour-long ride and eventually, Crow pulled off the road, steering through the countryside until reaching trees and went right through those as well.
"Don't freak." He advised, the trees giving way to black, a tunnel, and he went through that too.
Now she grabbed his hand this time and held it, teal eyes wide in both wonder and a little fear because she hadn't been expecting this. Crow went ALL OUT for his safehouse, didn't he? The tunnel was long and it took a good five minutes to get through it before they entered a clearing. In the distance, she could see a cabin and her brows drew together, wondering if anyone knew about this place besides her now. Was it warded to prevent Ouroboros from entering? Did Ouroboros even know about it? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but all Melyssa did was sit back and take in the scenery because it was breathtaking.
"So, unlike Carbide, I am a firm believer in using magic to do whatever I need it to do." Crow informed her, knowing he could trust her with his secrets. Not only because they had grown up together, but because at heart, Melyssa was turning out to be like him, someone who wanted to LIVE, to survive. "I know a guy, he's kind of… unconventional and Rosalie would hate him." Crow liked him because obviously, Rosalie's wards weren't as good as they should have been, given her age. "Place is warded and only he and I know about it, he's across the sea…so I doubt anyone would find him… should be safe." It WAS safe unless they had been followed.
That made her breathe a little easier, even though some guy she didn't know warded the place. If Crow trusted him, so did she. That was one thing about Crow she'd never lost and that was her trust and faith in him. "Thank you for telling me." She murmured just as the car came to a stop in front of the cabin. They grabbed their belongings from the backseat and she went to head for the door when Crow stopped her. "What are you…? Ouch!" He had just sliced her hand with his double-saber and kept hold of it while doing the same to his hand, pressing them together moments later. She felt something wash over her, a warmth she couldn't describe and Crow nodded before pulling her toward the front door. "Okay, mind telling me what the Gehenna that was about just now, Armbrust?" Melyssa demanded once they were inside and Crow pulled out a first-aid kit to treat their cut hands.
"See, Rosalie's magic is all well and fine, but sometimes, you gotta toy with the darker shit, and blood magic is sometimes," At her look, he rolled his eyes, but mentally conceded the point. "A lot of the time, frowned upon, better? Anyway, with this ward, it's based on DNA recognition, mine to be exact, and whoever I pass it on and share with. If I hadn't done that, you'd be dust right now. Now the barriers, the wards, will recognize you as part of me and let you through." A little extreme? Maybe. But McBurn wouldn't be getting to her here.
Blood magic?
She looked down at her hand and then at his, realizing what he'd done. They shared blood now and the wards wouldn't vaporize her into dust. "That's…wow. That's definitely a security measure I never would've thought of." Crow trusted her completely or he never would've brought her here or shared his blood with her to let her past the warding. It did her heart good to know at least he trusted her, but she didn't know about the others. Damn that McBurn for planting doubts in my head like this! "Thank you, Crow. Here."
He was struggling with wrapping his hand with the bandage and she took over, doing it for him. This place was not only beautiful, but it was HUGE and she couldn't imagine how many bedrooms it had. It definitely looked smaller from the outside…was that magic too?
"Give me the grand tour."
To be honest, the place resembled a toned-down version of the Thors Academy, though not as massive. It was one of the few places Crow had felt totally safe and comfortable, so it made sense that his safe house would be an imitation of the real thing. "Sure, but as we go on, you're going to laugh." He cautioned her, bringing her bag along as he headed further inside, the lights coming on automatically as they walked. On the bright side, there were no sharing rooms or anything like that since it was only them. When she began realizing what she was walking through, he laughed at the look on her face.
"This is JUST like Thors!" She exclaimed, looking around in both amusement and awe, wondering how he managed to have something like this built without anyone knowing.
Then again, he was C – the leader of the Imperial Liberation Front. A terrorist group that could never seem to be found unless they WANTED to be found. She supposed it made sense he'd have something like this far back in the woods.
"This is…incredible, Crow." Stopping, Melyssa looked up into his crimson eyes and every other thought vanished from her mind. It was almost as if her worries had vanished the moment she stepped through the door.
"Yeah, sometimes, I guess." Crow shrugged, idly ruffling his own hair, staring down at her. He was expecting her to laugh and he hadn't missed the amusement in Melyssa's tone, though she hadn't laughed. "It felt safe and it's a safehouse, I'm a dork sometimes. It's a lot smaller and I didn't put everything in, the grounds are gone and I only include one dorm with only a few rooms…" Because Thors was HUGE and this safehouse was… not.
It just felt that way.
"It's the same design as the dorms." There was no way that was a coincidence. Melyssa wanted to laugh, but she just didn't feel very humorous after everything that happened tonight. "So, which room can I use?"
He gestured to the one they were standing in front of and opened it, revealing one bed, a dresser, and a desk with an orbal radio on it. Crow informed her his room was across the way if she needed anything. As much as Melyssa didn't want to be alone tonight, she knew asking Crow to stay with her wasn't an option.
I'm a sister to him, family. She reminded herself, cracking the barest hint of a smile as he set her bag on top of the bed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Make sure you do." He said seriously, watching as she set her bag down before gently pulling her so she was standing before him.
His hands wrapped around her upper arms, keeping her at arm's length as he studied her. This just hadn't been a good night for Melyssa, in any capacity and he inwardly sighed, wondering how much more the Goddess was going to allow to be tossed in Melyssa's lap before finally saying enough was enough. He bent down, brushing his lips against her forehead, his eyes closing for a moment.
"I mean it, if you need ANYTHING, even a damn glass of water, come get me." He doubted he'd sleep, not after tonight, after Ash and then McBurn.
He'd probably be up all night meditating or practicing his stances.
"It's okay. It's okay, Lyssa, you're safe now." A younger Crow crooned to her, holding her while rubbing her back soothingly. "You're outta that barrel now, no need to cry anymore."
"I-I was so scared…so scared no one would find me…" Melyssa whimpered, her face buried in her best friend's shirt with her arms wrapped tightly around him. "T-Thank you…thank you, Crow…"
The boy chuckled, kissing her forehead softly. "I'll always be here for you, Lyssa, never forget that, okay? I'll always protect you from anything and anyone. They'll have to go through me to get to you."
That made her smile as she looked up at him and kissed his cheek, wiping her tears away. "I feel safe with you, Crow." She sniffled, letting him swipe the rest of the tears from her cheeks. "Okay, I feel better now. Come on, let's play catch or something." She was properly bathed after getting out of that nasty barrel and dressed in fresh-smelling clothes, thanks to her mother.
"I'll race ya!"
"You're on!"
Why did that memory suddenly pop into her head?
Melyssa felt the emotions overflowing inside of her and tossed her arms around his waist, her tears beating down on his chest. "I-I don't want to be alone tonight, Crow. I-I know it's asking a lot, but…please, don't leave me alone in this room." Her voice cracked, her vulnerability showing, and the old Melyssa, before she became a warrior, was seeping through. "I feel safe with you." Just as I always have, even when we were kids and he saved me from that fish barrel.
Honestly, Crow had been waiting for this. Sure, she was a big and bad Ouroboros Enforcer, but…that only went so far and her time with Ouroboros hadn't shown her any real combat or situations where she needed to steel her nerves, outside of training. She was still almost as green as the day she had joined Thors. She was still just as softhearted as she had been, always beneath the exterior and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers.
"Of course not, Lyssa. Come on, you can sleep in my room and I'll take the chair."
That wasn't his game plan at all, he doubted he'd sleep, and when he did, and he was here, it was usually in that damn chair. Something about sleeping upright, facing the door, especially if he was in hiding helped calmed his nerves. She was stronger and she had been put in life-or-death combat situations during her training. Ouroboros did not half-ass anything when it came to training their people and only the strong survived. However, right now at this moment, she was that girl he had befriended, thanks to their grandfathers.
"I don't want to sleep. I'm not tired." Surprisingly enough. "How about we play some Blade or another game?"
Melyssa pulled back to look up at him and that smile on his face warmed her from the inside out. He loved his games, that much had not changed about Crow, even with everything he endured and suffered. They hadn't played Blade together since that night at the Twin Dragons tower.
That was fine; it was in the past and she didn't fault him for anything.