Chapter 2
The cities streets were empty as Illithan led the way; the rain was coming down in waves soaking through his thin shirt in no time, the fluid bounced off Illithan's coat without seeming to taint its fabric. It was cold and the streetlights cast little light onto the streets, their glow making Illithan look ghostly and oddly angelic. She ducked into a building and he followed her inside, shaking excess water from his hair that was now plastered to his forehead, dangling into his eyes. They ascended three flights of stairs before she twisted the key into a lock and pushed open a door, she entered first and then he shut the door behind them both, it locked shut as it closed.
"There is a bath room through there, a friend left some clothing here when last he stayed, I believe it will fit you."
"Thanks,"
He entered the bathroom and stripped out of his wet clothing, Illithan stuck her head around the door just before he stripped off his trousers, "A towel, please place your wet clothes over the radiator." He nodded slightly and she left. He dried his body before slipping into the clothing he had been giving, rubbing down his hair as he looked around the bathroom, it was tidy and yet run down, rust corrupted the edge of the bath and the shower looked like a relic. He entered the main living space to find Illithan standing with her back to him, she was changing her shirt and he noticed that she wore a plain bra entirely by accident.
The main living space was simple, consisting of a sofa, an armchair and a plain kitchenette, a mirror hung on the wall near the door and a computer port was close to it. The rug on the floor was ornate, decorated with a black dragon. "I'm done now thanks," He said simply, she started slightly and turned to him without a shirt on. He averted his eyes with difficulty, and she covered up, hiding her form from him. "Sorry ma'am."
She bit back a chuckle, "Ma'am? No, my name is Illithan."
"It's a nice name,"
"Nice?" She hated the word, it seemed like a patronising word one used by unimaginative teachers and those thinking something else; the application of such a word to her name seemed insulting.
"Strong,"
She bit back another laugh, looking at him, he looked tired and wet, "So, Seamus, would you like some food?" She moved to the kitchenette, he watched her from where he was standing, "Please sit," She offered motioning the sofa and he did so.
"I am hungry," he admitted. "But I thought Shalench only drank blood."
"Yes, you are thinking of the Shalench not of my kin."
"Eh?"
His questioning sound made her look to him, for a moment their eyes locked and Harper found himself drawn into the murky brown depths, wanting to know more about the beautiful woman before him. "I thought you were smart, perhaps I should have allowed my foe to capture you." He looked shocked and she waved a hand slightly to show that she was teasing him. "My kin are not Shalench, you hold the common off world view of our whole planet being one kind, we are not, I cannot tell you much more but suffice to say I do not drink blood."
She turned her back to him, looking into the fridge and began to make something to eat as he sat looking about the room. "So Illithan, what brings you to this hell hole of a world anyway? I mean isn't your world supposed to be a utopia?"
"I am here because this is where I must be."
"You're as cryptic as Rev,"
She moved to where he was seated and handed him a plate, "Who is Rev?" She asked as she folded herself into the armchair, looking smaller then he had seen her before and more defenceless.
Harper watched the woman for a while; to him she seemed almost perfect, if not lacking a little personality. "He's the crew's psyc, a Magog priest, a Wayist, a counsellor." She looked a little baffled and so he decided to press on, "He's not like the other Magog, he's like a vampire with a soul or something, he feels for the things he's done."
"A Magog with a sense of remorse? Never in all my years have I heard such a thing,"
This posed an interesting question to the human, how old was the seemingly young woman before him? Her kind aged so slowly as to be immortal to the guesses of the out side worlds. "And you trust him? A creature like those who infested you?"
He turned to her again, it was his turn to look a little baffled, he shrugged, "Yeah, I mean it's Rev." His explanation was feeble and it did not satisfy Illithan yet she let it go, not questioning him. "So, what about you? Why did you take me in? Unless you're in the habit of picking up fiendishly attractive male engineers."
She looked up from her meal, considering his question as she looked into his face; he was attractive but he was not all that striking, if he were in a crowd of men she doubted it would be him she would choose. Yet, he was here, in her room, something only one other had shared before. "You had to stay somewhere," She settled on finally, yet it did not convince her.
"Yah, thanks,"
She allowed a rare smile to crease her lips, "Stop thanking me," She insisted. She stood and placed her plate back in the kitchen space. "I will show you where you are to sleep; we can go about finding your friends when we wake. I will sleep out here on the couch as I still have some work out here to conclude." She led him through to her room.
The space was devoid of personal effects, a plain bed took the rooms centre with a cabinet to one side, her clothing was hidden in a walk in wardrobe but it looked more like a military accommodation then a girl's room. "A little sparse but a bed no less, sleep well." She left him standing there closing the door behind herself as she left.
When she was certain he was sleeping, she moved to the computer terminal, it activated as she approached it and another of her kind appeared. "I just caught your little episode," He sneered coldly, "Cease in these acts and I will spare your life." She just looked at him, used to the claims on her life.
"That which you would spare all ready, you would give me to cease?"
He growled slightly, unlike her he was of the Shalench, a bloody thirsty mercenary. "I spare your life because of what you hold and for no other reason. The code of honour means nothing to a Shalench, surely you know that Illithan?"
She cut the link before sinking into the armchair, she hated the arrogant male more then she hated living on this world and yet she stayed, waiting for a way out, for a way to get away, for an easy way home. She curled to sleep, her head rested on the chairs side and she slipped from the conscious world.
~*~*~
Please R and R!
The cities streets were empty as Illithan led the way; the rain was coming down in waves soaking through his thin shirt in no time, the fluid bounced off Illithan's coat without seeming to taint its fabric. It was cold and the streetlights cast little light onto the streets, their glow making Illithan look ghostly and oddly angelic. She ducked into a building and he followed her inside, shaking excess water from his hair that was now plastered to his forehead, dangling into his eyes. They ascended three flights of stairs before she twisted the key into a lock and pushed open a door, she entered first and then he shut the door behind them both, it locked shut as it closed.
"There is a bath room through there, a friend left some clothing here when last he stayed, I believe it will fit you."
"Thanks,"
He entered the bathroom and stripped out of his wet clothing, Illithan stuck her head around the door just before he stripped off his trousers, "A towel, please place your wet clothes over the radiator." He nodded slightly and she left. He dried his body before slipping into the clothing he had been giving, rubbing down his hair as he looked around the bathroom, it was tidy and yet run down, rust corrupted the edge of the bath and the shower looked like a relic. He entered the main living space to find Illithan standing with her back to him, she was changing her shirt and he noticed that she wore a plain bra entirely by accident.
The main living space was simple, consisting of a sofa, an armchair and a plain kitchenette, a mirror hung on the wall near the door and a computer port was close to it. The rug on the floor was ornate, decorated with a black dragon. "I'm done now thanks," He said simply, she started slightly and turned to him without a shirt on. He averted his eyes with difficulty, and she covered up, hiding her form from him. "Sorry ma'am."
She bit back a chuckle, "Ma'am? No, my name is Illithan."
"It's a nice name,"
"Nice?" She hated the word, it seemed like a patronising word one used by unimaginative teachers and those thinking something else; the application of such a word to her name seemed insulting.
"Strong,"
She bit back another laugh, looking at him, he looked tired and wet, "So, Seamus, would you like some food?" She moved to the kitchenette, he watched her from where he was standing, "Please sit," She offered motioning the sofa and he did so.
"I am hungry," he admitted. "But I thought Shalench only drank blood."
"Yes, you are thinking of the Shalench not of my kin."
"Eh?"
His questioning sound made her look to him, for a moment their eyes locked and Harper found himself drawn into the murky brown depths, wanting to know more about the beautiful woman before him. "I thought you were smart, perhaps I should have allowed my foe to capture you." He looked shocked and she waved a hand slightly to show that she was teasing him. "My kin are not Shalench, you hold the common off world view of our whole planet being one kind, we are not, I cannot tell you much more but suffice to say I do not drink blood."
She turned her back to him, looking into the fridge and began to make something to eat as he sat looking about the room. "So Illithan, what brings you to this hell hole of a world anyway? I mean isn't your world supposed to be a utopia?"
"I am here because this is where I must be."
"You're as cryptic as Rev,"
She moved to where he was seated and handed him a plate, "Who is Rev?" She asked as she folded herself into the armchair, looking smaller then he had seen her before and more defenceless.
Harper watched the woman for a while; to him she seemed almost perfect, if not lacking a little personality. "He's the crew's psyc, a Magog priest, a Wayist, a counsellor." She looked a little baffled and so he decided to press on, "He's not like the other Magog, he's like a vampire with a soul or something, he feels for the things he's done."
"A Magog with a sense of remorse? Never in all my years have I heard such a thing,"
This posed an interesting question to the human, how old was the seemingly young woman before him? Her kind aged so slowly as to be immortal to the guesses of the out side worlds. "And you trust him? A creature like those who infested you?"
He turned to her again, it was his turn to look a little baffled, he shrugged, "Yeah, I mean it's Rev." His explanation was feeble and it did not satisfy Illithan yet she let it go, not questioning him. "So, what about you? Why did you take me in? Unless you're in the habit of picking up fiendishly attractive male engineers."
She looked up from her meal, considering his question as she looked into his face; he was attractive but he was not all that striking, if he were in a crowd of men she doubted it would be him she would choose. Yet, he was here, in her room, something only one other had shared before. "You had to stay somewhere," She settled on finally, yet it did not convince her.
"Yah, thanks,"
She allowed a rare smile to crease her lips, "Stop thanking me," She insisted. She stood and placed her plate back in the kitchen space. "I will show you where you are to sleep; we can go about finding your friends when we wake. I will sleep out here on the couch as I still have some work out here to conclude." She led him through to her room.
The space was devoid of personal effects, a plain bed took the rooms centre with a cabinet to one side, her clothing was hidden in a walk in wardrobe but it looked more like a military accommodation then a girl's room. "A little sparse but a bed no less, sleep well." She left him standing there closing the door behind herself as she left.
When she was certain he was sleeping, she moved to the computer terminal, it activated as she approached it and another of her kind appeared. "I just caught your little episode," He sneered coldly, "Cease in these acts and I will spare your life." She just looked at him, used to the claims on her life.
"That which you would spare all ready, you would give me to cease?"
He growled slightly, unlike her he was of the Shalench, a bloody thirsty mercenary. "I spare your life because of what you hold and for no other reason. The code of honour means nothing to a Shalench, surely you know that Illithan?"
She cut the link before sinking into the armchair, she hated the arrogant male more then she hated living on this world and yet she stayed, waiting for a way out, for a way to get away, for an easy way home. She curled to sleep, her head rested on the chairs side and she slipped from the conscious world.
~*~*~
Please R and R!