Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.
Chapter 17:
Lynx. Posse. Wolf.
Effie crossed her arms and tilted her head. She sighed, staring at her grinning brother.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the galaxy?"
"No hug? You sure? I'm really in a hug mood," he widened his green eyes. She saw the slightly tapered pupils that she hadn't seen for years. It looked like he had just stepped out of her past and into the cabin.
"How do I even know it's you?"
"You can't recognize your own brother? C'mon, Kath, is this adorable face forgettable?"
"You never know. You could be something that looks like you but really isn't you," she began to pace as she ranted. He stood by and watched, mildly interested. "You might be a shape-shifting man-eating alien thing or a government conspiracy or-or-"
"An alien?" He arched his eyebrows. He was so adorable when he did that. It brought back so many memories.
"I wouldn't be surprised," she narrowed her eyes, searching for some imperfection, any clue that he wasn't what he seemed.
"So what do I do to prove myself to you? Quote a line from your favorite movie? Tell you the name of our neighbor's third dog? Play a few lines of 'Petals Through the Wind'?"
Effie's eyes brightened. 'Petals Through the Wind'…she mouthed the words as the song ran through her mind. It was their song. A song he had written just for her. Only the real him would know about it. It only took a few moments for her to race forward and throw her arms around him.
"It's really you, Nathan. It's really you."
"Watch it, babe. Don't rumple the ensemble," he pushed her away gently, playfully smoothing out his shirt. "And cut it with the Nathan stuff. In case you forgot, no one's called me that for years. I changed my name too, before it became all hip." She smiled and shook her head. God, she had missed him so much.
"Sorry, Lynx. I didn't mean to cramp your style."
"No foul, darling, just don't do it again."
"Seriously, though, what are you doing out here? How did you get into this dimension, for one thing? And why?" He smiled and spread his arms wide again, looking very messianic.
"I work in mysterious ways, hon." Effie rolled her eyes at her brother's non-answer. And people wondered where she got it from.
"How have you been? Have someone special in your life?" He reached into his pocket to pull out a small, square pair of violet-tinted sunglasses. He slid them on, then tilted his head down to look over the lenses at her.
"Are you kidding, Blossy? I think all the hot guys followed you on your great adventure. They are seriously scarce back home."
"Lynx, it's Wyoming. People are scarce," she reminded him, laughing at the new nickname he had already bestowed on her.
"Too true. Too true."
"And…Mom and Dad?" She looked away, but the pain was evident in her voice, "How are they?"
"Alive," he replied simply, but he wrapped his long arms around her again.
"They haven't come around yet," she said, sounding frustrated, angry and sad, all at once. She strained against his embrace, but he held her tight.
"Tell you the truth, I'm not sure I've entirely come around. These things take time."
"Oh, so a few years hasn't been plenty of time? I'm not going to wait around for them to decide to approve," she stared down at his hands and trailed her own hand over his slender fingers, "I can't afford to."
"I think that has something to do with it," he reminded her gently. Effie rolled her eyes and summoned the strength to break out of his arms.
"Don't you dare, Nathan," she stressed his real name out of the pure spite that had suddenly filled her, "Don't you dare get all high and mighty with me. You were the one who inspired me to break out of the little box I was living in, you know!"
"And I regret it. Every single day." His voice was so filled with pain, Effie had to relent.
"Don't," she was quiet, but he could hear her perfectly, "I'm not ashamed of the life I chose. It's my life, and I can do whatever I want with it."
"I know you can," he whispered. Effie bit her lip to hold back tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"So," she forced her voice to become chipper, determined to lighten the mood, "what am I gonna tell my friends about the exceedingly attractive man in my room?"
"Tell them…" he contemplated for an instant before curling his lips into the satisfied cat grin that had earned him his nickname. "Tell them that I am your Eurotrash lover," he threw on a terrible French accent and began to gesticulate madly, "that has tracked you down so I may force you to be my love slave." He seized her hand and pulled her close. "Oh, dahling, let me press my lips over every square inch of your body."
Lynx had a rough time holding onto his little sister, she was shaking so hard with uncontrollable laughter. She was overcome by the sheer joy of having him by her side once again. And she would never let him go.
It had been early morning when Miyu and Larva were revived. Effie and Duo had shown them to a cabin shortly after fixing a "five-o-clock breakfast" and retiring to bed themselves. Now it was nearly noon. Miyu sat alone in the cabin, thinking quietly and looking up at the low wooden ceiling not commonly associated with a high-tech spacecraft.
"Wow…there must be something really interesting up there that only you can see," a voice commented.
Miyu turned to see a tall blond girl around Effie's age standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face.
"I'm sorry?" she tilted her head slightly, trying to remember the girl from the night before. It hit her then that she had not been there.
Tabby smirked and held out her hand. "You must be the new girl. I'm Tabby."
"Miyu," the vampire replied, shaking it.
The taller girl looked around. "Wasn't there supposed to be a guy with you?"
"He's not here at the moment," Miyu answered. "I could find him for you, if you like."
She shrugged. "If you want. Just wanted to let you know there's lunch ready in the kitchen if you're hungry. Or…you're another vamp, right? Do you even eat?"
"I don't have to. But I'd like to meet the rest of you, if that's possible," she responded.
Tabby grinned. "Figured curiosity'd get the better of you sooner or later. Well, come on. Don't know about you, but I'm starved."
The two females made their way to the galley, which resembled some sort of 1950's Earth style kitchen, complete with metal dining table and chairs, most of which were occupied. Besides that, Saxen stood at a counter drinking a steaming cup of chai, Moksha was laying half asleep beneath the table, and Duo was fixing himself a sandwich. The only person missing seemed to be Effie.
"Look who finally decided to stop being antisocial!" Tabby announced as she led Miyu inside. Duo waved cheerfully, while the other vampire smiled and the two older ones nodded.
"Well let's see. Time to introduce the posse," Tabby grinned. "As I said, I'm Tabby. You already know Duo, I hear. Effie too, but who knows where she ran off to. The vampy girl over there is Dru, and the big guy is Van Helsing. Under there you'll see our resident critter, Moksha. And the scary chick with the one eye is Saxen."
"Flattering, Tabby. I'm obliged," Saxen commented, causingDru to burst into giggles and Van Helsing to crack a small smile.
The blond girl put an arm around her. "Always a pleasure, Saxie dear."
"Don't touch me."
Miyu raised an eyebrow. Were these people really the ones who….killed? Larva and herself the night before? They looked the same. As her eyes wandered to Van Helsing she could almost feel the arrows from his crossbow in her chest again.
"They all seem pretty normal now, don't they Miyu? Not much power at all," a gentle voice pointed out.
Miyu blinked as she found Shiina perched in her usual spot on her shoulder. "Shiina? How did you get here?"
"Whoa! What the hell is that thing?" Duo cried, jumping up from his chair.
"Hmph. I'm not a thing," the beast called Shiina commented. "My name's Shiina. I'm Miyu's assistant."
Saxen paused and looked at the creature. "Was it supposed to come to?" she murmured. "Washu didn't mention anything…"
"Not to worry, little one," Dru replied, taking a sip of tea from her cup. "The cute beast is not unlike poor Miss Edith, or the magic tome, or the red one. An accessory, nothing more, nothing less. Needn't worry."
"And you would know this how?" Duo asked.
Dru giggled and tapped his nose. "Secret, little knight. A fun secret, not for telling, no no."
Saxen rolled her eyes and looked at Van Helsing. "You're experienced with vampires. Any idea why she's so strange and Miyu is so normal?"
He shrugged. "I've never seen anything like either of them."
"You're a vampire hunter?" Miyu looked at the dark man.
Van Helsing paused. "I used to be. Not solely vampires; whatever I was sent to take care of. But now, I just do what Washu asks me to."
"Washu?"
"That, would be me."
Tabby screeched as the short woman appeared in solid form next to her. "What the hell…? DO NOT DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!!!"
Washu giggled and patted her arm. "Sorry. Hm, this is the first time you and I have met face to face too, isn't it Tabby? Although, I did catch you last night when you were passed out. I'm amazed at your lack of hangover. Natural gift or did you get help?"
"Van man made a nasty-ass cure, if that's what you're asking."
"It is. Thank you, Gabriel."
"Don't mention it," Van Helsing replied nonchalantly.
"Now then," Washu turned to face Miyu. "Welcome to our humble little family, Miyu. I am Washu, Goddess of Jurai. And you, whether or not you choose to believe it, are Miyu the Judge, Goddess of Justice. And your partner, wherever he may have disappeared off too, is Larva the Executioner, God of Justice."
"What?"
"It's the reason we had to kill you, Miyu," Duo answered. "Effie tried to explain it to Larva, but I don't know if he understands fully."
"You're not alone either babe," Tabby smiled reassuringly. "All of us, minus Effie and Saxie and the wolf, we're all gods and goddesses of some sort. I get to be Chaos. Cool, no?"
"And if you couldn't tell already, I'm the God of Death," Duo winked. "Van Helsing is the God of the Hunt, and Dru is the Goddess of Majick."
Miyu looked at Saxen and Fire Blossom. "So what about you two?"
"Just staff," Saxen replied. "I'm a bounty hunter by trade. Moksha's my partner. And Fire Blossom is just here to make a nuisance of herself."
"Ooh...I'm telling her you said that!" Duo grinned. Saxen rolled her eye and took another sip from her mug.
Washu put an arm around Miyu's shoulders. "So you see, you're actually in very good company here. And for all intensive purposes, these folks are your family now, so you'd better get used to it!"
The young vampire said nothing. Awkward silence filled the galley.
Finally, Washu stepped back. "Well, that's all I got to tell you guys for now. I'll check back in a while with your next target. Until then—"
"Wait! Washu, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Maverick cut in. One catlike eye narrowed and shot her a look of impatience. But the hardened bounty hunter had dealt with worse, and she just shook it off and lead the goddess into the hallway.
"Huh. Wonder what that's about?" Duo wondered, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"What is it, Saxen?" Washu asked, hands on her hips as she tilted her back up to take in the Gaganite's full height.
"I need to ask you about something that happened last night when we were fighting Miyu and Larva. Something happened to the others," she said.
"That's a very general problem, Saxen. Pick up the pace please."
"Duo had wings. Dru could control both Miyu and Effie's fire powers. And I already told you that Van Helsing was able to see through the others' eyes. Why?" she asked.
"Why are you worried?"
"Because it's not normal!"
"How do you know what is and isn't normal for beings of their status?"
"You know you're only making me trust you less when you don't answer the question. What are you hiding?" Saxen asked, orange eye glittering.
"Nothing. They're just changing, that's all. Their powers already have holds on their souls. Now they're just starting to affect they're bodies. That's all. Duo has wings because the God of Death is a demon from Hell. If Duo had been born a demon, there would be little change. But his body has to adapt to his soul. The Goddess of Majick was a sorceress, but Dru has no magical abilities to speak of, so her power is to control those of others. As for Van Helsing, he is the ultimate hunter. The mental link helps him see through the eyes of his prey. It's all very natural," Washu explained, sounding a bit like a mother trying to explain puberty to a child.
"So what is going to happen to Miyu and Tabby?" Maverick pressed.
"I don't know for sure. When it comes to Chaos, there are no rules. I wouldn't be surprised if Tabby's skin started changing colors. As for Miyu...I think she's still trying to accept the change in her destiny. Her physical appearance may not alter for quite some time yet."
Saxen still didn't look convinced, but Washu didn't seem to care. "Now, I have to get back to work finding your next little friend. You should relax a bit, Saxen. I think this is getting too stressful for you."
"I'm fine," she hissed, clenching her fist.
Washu stared at her, grinned, and vanished.
Maverick narrowed her eye. "My you burn eternally in the thousandth hell, Washu."
"Thousandth hell? Last time I counted, there was only one," an unfamiliar voice commented.
Reflexively, Saxen drew a revolver and spun to face a tall young man with messy violet hair.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" she growled.
Effie stepped out from behind the amused boy. "Saxie, easy. This is Lynx. He's my older brother."
"You're what?"
"Yep," Lynx smiled jovially, putting an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Can't you see the family resemblence?"
"Not particularly, no," she answered, suspicion still clear on her face.
"Maverick? What is it?" Van Helsing stepped out into the hallway. He cocked his head as he looked at Lynx. "Who're you?"
"Effie's brother, apparently," the bounty hunter answered.
"My name's Lynx. A pleasure," he held out his hand and grinned. Van Helsing warily shook it.
"Van Helsing."
"And this is Saxie!" Effie grinned enthusiastically, practically leaping onto her friend.
"Do not touch me," the older girl muttered, shoving her off, then looking back at Lynx. "My name is Saxen Maverick."
"Hm…I like Saxie better," Lynx replied.
"Mother Vyasa…"
"Well, don't just stand there! Come on! You have to meet the rest of the posse!"
Saxen looked mournfully at Van Helsing. "I'm going to my cabin."
At Miyu's request, Shiina had left to join Larva while the former Guardian explored the mazelike passages of the Tsunami. She had been wandering aimlessly for a few hours now, and yet, seemed to know exactly where she was at all times. But when she rounded a corner to come face to face with Saxen's blood red wolf, Moksha, she took a step back in surprise.
"Are you all right?" the wolf asked in a voice like wood smoke and spices.
Miyu nodded. "Yes, just a little startled."
"I'm sorry," Moksha apologized. He was pleased to find that Miyu was not at all surprised at his ability to speak. The only other person who knew was Saxen, and possibly Dru. There was so much that girl seemed to be able to find out…
"What are you doing out here?" Miyu asked him, crouching down so she could stare into his gold eyes.
Moksha cocked his head in a canine version of a shrug. "Saxen is in a mood. I tend to leave her alone when she doesn't need me. There was no place better to go. May I walk with you a while?"
"I don't mind," Miyu answered, rising up and continuing down the hallway, the wolf next to her. She looked down at it curiously. "You didn't speak to me in the kitchen."
"I tend not to if it isn't necessary," Moksha replied. "The others don't know I can. It frightens some people. But I knew it wouldn't frighten you. Not when your assistant is also a creature that talks."
"Miss Saxen knows?"
"Oh of course. Saxen knows most everything there is to know about me. She and I are not unlike your companion Larva and yourself, I think."
"I see…what about the other one? Effie?"
"Effie will find out when the time comes. My part to play will come soon. Until then, I am content to continue as I have. I have grown fond of the Sacred Ones, and Fire Blossom. I have tried to become friends with all of them," Moksha paused and looked up at her. "Shall you and I be friends, Miyu?"
She smiled slightly. "We could. It has been some time since I have had friends."
Moksha turned to face forward and continued walking. "A shame. I think you will become friends with everyone here. They are your brothers and sisters, you know."
"Yes. Washu spoke of it like that. It makes the transition easier for me. They are all very kind, if not strange."
"Very strange," Moksha agreed. "And everyone has their secrets, and their desires. But you can see them, of course. You are the Judge, after all. But they are not a bad lot. There is goodness in them all."
Miyu stopped and thought hard before she spoke again.
"Yes…I believe I have seen it, now that I think about it. Goodness in them all…"
The two continued down the hallway.