An Amusing Interlude: Part 10: Caravan – In which Quoll and Kurapika are forced to choose an alternative travel method.
By
Deborah (Kosagi) Brown

Hunter X Hunter is copyright Yoshihiro Togashi. Quoll and Kurapika aren't mine more's the pity. (They don't belong to a certain other person either, but that's beside the point. Heh.)


Cold walls of steel and glass rise around me. Beyond them, silent watchers gaze at me, their eyes open but showing nothing of their thoughts. I shudder under the force of their regard, the cold judgment with which they watch me.

"Again, Q013," a metallic voice says in the darkness above me. I turn to face the next machine and prepare to fight for my life. I am not the first they have brought here. Not the first they have fashioned to their needs. If I am not to follow in the footsteps of my predecessors I must obey. I must learn. Though my body trembles with exhaustion I must grow. Grow until I am strong enough.

Grow until I can free myself.

QUOLL:

"I'm sorry, officer. I'll move along immediately. I just stopped to wake my companion"

Kurapika's voice, or more precisely, the tension in it, draws me out of sleep as forcefully as a smack on the shoulder or a shout. I keep my eyes closed, though, listening to the conversation.

"You were asleep," a man's voice says. The voice of authority everywhere. Weary, distrustful and promising all sorts of retribution if its recipient doesn't cooperate. I frown slightly, wondering why the hell Kurapika hadn't woken me if he was too tired to keep driving.

"Yes, sir. I'm afraid I'd gotten a bit tired. I just closed my eyes a moment."

"I'll need to see your identification." I hear Kurapika cooperating with the officer.

As the man goes back towards his car, I sit up. "We can't let him call in," I tell my companion. Kurapika looks at me helplessly. "No time to discuss it. Am I right or not?"

"You're right but do you have to kill" I'm out of the car before Kurapika can finish the sentence. Out of the car and summoning my Skill Book. The officer is turning, hand on his pistol, as I choose the page. Deep Night Slumber. He slumps and I turn the power onto his partner before he can call for back up. "Quoll" Kurapika says as he gets out of the car.

"Not dead," I reassure him. "That would be worse than letting him call you in." I flip thru the pages to another Skill, Lost Day and Night. The energy flickering around my hand flows through the two men and wipes the memory of what had happened from their minds. They'll lose a whole day in the process – the ability is not as precise or as neat as Pakunoda's was. I tell Kurapika as much, carting the first officer over to the car and settling him comfortably in his seat.

Kurapika follows me. "Don't forget the video tape," he says. "And what if they called in the license number before?"

I stop and blink at him. "Damn." I'd been moving too fast and too concerned with justifying my actions to my companion to think about all the other potential difficulties. "Damn, damn, damn."

"The tape's easy to deal with," Kurapika murmurs, leaning into the car and fiddling with the apparatus. "As for the call-in. They didn't have my driver's license at the time and if I understood Mr. Sirsun earlier, there's no record of our renting this car."

I nod, partly irritated with myself for having not thought of those things earlier and partly irritated at being put so far off balance that Kurapika has to straighten me out. Which is stupid, frankly. I'm just as capable of making mistakes as anyone else. Just be glad that he's not the type to gloat. "Good thinking," I tell him after a moment. "Let's get moving, then. They're sure to have back up and I want to get as far as we can before any possible pursuit starts."

"It's too bad you haven't stolen a skill that can change the color of the car. Or its license," Kurapika says as we head back and I take the driver's seat.

I laugh sourly. "That's one of the negatives of Skill Hunting. You get what you can steal and no more. So far I've not had an opportunity to steal a skill like that. Believe me, I would if I found one."

"Quoll, you'd steal the ability to scratch the back of your head without moving your fingers if you found one," Kurapika shoots back at me sourly.

KURAPIKA:

Now where did that come from? I wonder as Quoll's eyes go incredibly wide and he starts to stare at me, only to force his eyes back on the road.

"You know, you've been hanging around me too long," Quoll murmurs after a long silent moment. "Are you feeling all right?"

"No. I'm not," I answer, tiredly. "I am really wiped out. I've never driven so far before. I'm sorry not to wake you, by the way. I tried and you just lay there like a log."

Frowning, Quoll shakes his head. "That's strange. I don't usually sleep that heavily except when I'm with someone I tru" He stops, blinking, and stares ahead of him for a moment before saying. "I don't usually sleep that heavily."

I know the word Quoll was going to say. Know too that he nearly made an admission that he doesn't want to make. Accepting me as a travel companion is one thing. Asking me to go with him to his home yet another. Trusting me, a third and very different thing. For him to feel safe enough around me to allow him to sleep without care means a shift in very basic attitudes. I'm going to have to remember that for future reference.

"Next time I'll shake you awake." I yawn, "For now, I'm going to take a nap." I lean back in my seat and prepare to do just that.

Quoll chuckles softly. "I thought you already took one."

"Not a very good one. I had a lousy dream," I tell him. "Must be the result of hanging around you too much." I close my eyes and go to sleep.

QUOLL:

Lousy dream? Him too? I don't know why it bothers me. Bad dreams happen. Hell, I'd had one myself just before those policemen interrupted. Something is trying to work its way into my conscious thoughts but somehow I can't work out what it is.

In the meantime there's the problem of getting to Star City without attracting any more notice. We're going to have to ditch the car. Shrink it back down and get another elsewhere. Kurapika's not going to like it but I don't think we can avoid doing so without outright theft Unless we could work out a trade? I remember something Phinx had mentioned when I'd recovered from my last visit to the Kurota's village. A group that might – just might – be willing to assist me a second time. For a price.

I drive for most of the morning before coming to a small dusty little town in the middle of nowhere. As I stop the car, Kurapika wakes up and looks around. "Where are we?"

"Belin, according to the map," I answer, getting out and stretching. All this driving is beginning to take its toll on my back. "It's barely a dot beside the road."

Kurapika climbs out of his side and stretches as well. "So. What do we do now?"

I raise a brow at him. "Are you asking me to take charge again?" I ask, amused, and he gives me a sour look. "I've got some ideas, but before we do anything else, I think we should have lunch over at that fine restaurant," I gesture at the rather dilapidated building that served as the town's one inn.

Kurapika looks at the building. "Five star, obviously," he says dryly, as he heads towards the entrance. "Do you think they'll let us in, dressed like this?"

Chuckling, I follow.

KURAPIKA:

"The way I see it, we have only a few choices. We could go on foot – in which case it'll take us a year to reach Star City." Quoll stirs his coffee and sips it, making a face at the flavor.

I glare at my companion. "Be serious."

"I am," Quoll answers, smiling. "We'd also need some special underwater gear, considering we're on the wrong bloody continent."

Taking a sip of my iced tea, I shake my head. "You, Quoll, are a smart ass." At his satisfied smile, I wave my hand at him. "Why don't you give the reasonable possibilities?"

Quoll nods, going serious suddenly. "In the end we'll need to get to a plane or a ship. Either would work, but a plane has the advantage of being quicker. And surely we can't hope for another bit of Transit Performance Art courtesy of the terrorists of the week. A ship leaves too much time for our pursuit to trace us."

"Is it at all possible to get a private plane?" I ask, trying not to smile at his description of our friends from the last plane flight.

"Possible, yes. But I'll point out that I have no skills as a pilot. Do you?" As I shake my head, he sighs. "Too bad, but too much to hope for." Quoll sits back from his lunch and wipes his fingers. "All right. Then we either take a regular commercial flight – which means getting to one of the local airports – or we have to get access to a slightly more illicit means of flight."

I don't understand him and I say as much. Quoll shrugs. "The last time we were here, we made contact with a group of alternative transportation specialists," he tells me. "We can see if they're still in the area. Perhaps with your ability to scry?"

"Oh." I'm non-plussed. On one hand I don't like the idea of using people who – unless I misunderstand Quoll – are basically outlaws. On the other hand, if we're going to get to where we're going, without getting caught by our various pursuit, then worrying about legalities may not be the best of ideas. "All right. I can't think of anything better for the moment."

QUOLL:

I scan the horizon, using all my senses. "Do you feel them?" I ask Kurapika, who nods slowly. "At least twenty. We'll have to move slowly and quietly. Try to follow my lead. These aren't the sort of people you deal with on a regular basis." I frown. "To be honest, I'm not sure they're the sort of people I deal with on a regular basis, either. The last time I was here, I was raving, barely aware of my surroundings. The others negotiated our escape with these people and I only know that – for a price – they will transport anything and anyone."

"I understand," Kurapika answers with acerbity. "Do you have any other warnings, noble leader?"

"Yeah. Don't run with scissors and always look both ways," I answer and grin at the way he rolls his eyes at me. "Actually, if you think something's wrong or need to warn me of trouble" I hesitate over the suggestion, but it's the only one that will really work without alerting anyone. "call the Ruby Eyes for a moment."

Kurapika blinks at me fro a long startled moment. "But."

"If I do it, we end up fighting each other, yes. But we've already established I can stand your calling them for short periods of time." I sigh, starting up the slope towards the men I know are waiting for us. I don't like the idea of Kurapika using the Ruby Eyes, but it really is the only thing that he can use as a warning without being obvious. These people have nen users. I can see that in the way they've concealed themselves up the hillside.

"All right," Kurapika answers, following me. I can see him imitating my walk, keeping his movements clear and his hands where they can be seen. "Are you sure these are the right people?"

"Who else would be hiding out in the wilderness like this?" I ask. "Besides, you're the one who scryed for them."

"I scryed for a group of wanderers. There's no guarantee they're the smugglers you think they are," Kurapika points out and I'm forced to agree. "Still, I can't think of another reason why they'd be hiding."

"Perhaps," a voice says from behind us, "because we don't wish to be found?"

KURAPIKA:

I have to force myself not to drop into a defensive stance as I turn to face the speaker. Quoll has less trouble doing so – he must have been expecting someone to creep up on us – and he simply turns, saying, "You have good technique. I didn't sense you at all."

"Never mind the compliments, boy," the speaker is an old woman dressed in an outfit strangely reminiscent of my own people's costume. "It's been a long time, and you seem in better shape then when I saw you last. Who's the sprat?"

"A friend of mine," Quoll answers. "We're traveling together for the time being." He bows slightly. "May we visit your encampment? We are in need of some traveling assistance."

She eyes Quoll, then me, for a long moment. "Come with me."

A half hour later we're standing at the center of a circle of wagons. Men and women watch us warily and from the safety of darkness beyond I can see small children watching with wide-eyed curiosity. "What's the deal?" the old woman, very obviously the leader, says quietly. "And how much trouble do you bring behind you this time?"

"Did my last visit bring trouble?" Quoll asks, frowning. "I wasn't aware of the situation."

"Nothing that we could not handle," the old woman answers grimly. "We sent them to follow your path. Your friends had not paid us enough to conceal you from the sort of creatures that hunted you then. If they pursue you now, we will not block them. Nor hide you if they come upon us while you are here."

Looking thoughtful, Quoll considers the matter. "Will you at least assist us as far as it does not put your people in danger?"

"I shall have to confer with my family." The group's leader glances at the others. "It will depend on what you have to offer. I should warn you, money is of little use to us, here. We will barter goods and services, as before. Nothing else."

QUOLL:

I curse inwardly. Phinx hadn't really gone into details about how he'd gotten these people's help and I wasn't sure what we could possible do that might serve as a good enough bargaining chip with a group that had no more real interest in money than the Ryodan had.

"Ma'am?" Kurapika asks in a soft voice. "What services did his friends render you the last time?"

The old woman glances Kurapika's way. "Healing. The little girl, the one so good with nen threads, did much. Her healing skills were used to my people's benefit. They repaired our caravans. They assisted us during our travels until we reached our airfield. I warn you, our plane is old and our pilot overworked. If you expect to use them again, you put your lives at risk."

It occurs to me that we do indeed have something to barter, but it depends on Kurapika. I glance at him, careful not to let my expression betray my thoughts. I don't want to push him into making any offers. I know how uncomfortable he must be with the situation, after all.

Rather to my relief, however, Kurapika murmurs, "I have healing abilities. I'm sure Quoll can help with other things, too."

I nod, agreeing. "If it's in my ability to do, I'll help as much as possible," I tell the old woman. "Though I suspect you'll find Kurapika's skills more useful than mine."

The old woman eyes us both, expression showing nothing of her thoughts. "Remember though, that if you are followed, or if your enemies catch up with you, we will not put ourselves in danger for you." I nod agreement and she glances at the others. They talk quietly in their own language for several minutes until, at last she turns back to me. " Very well. You may come with us and we will permit you use of our plane. Given, of course, your pursuit does not find you."

To Be Continued


Author's Notes:

Another low action episode, but hopefully one that helps move things along. I was going to get them to Comet Star City this chapter, but things just didn't work out. They have a bit of traveling to do, unfortunately. Next chapter I hope to put some action in, and get them to their destination.

Just as a note, I've temporarily turned off anonymous reviews. If you can't log in to review, don't worry. I'll turn it back on in a day or so – about Thursday, probably. I'm wanting to see if a certain troll is desperate enough for attention to try and review with a real identity. If not, I can always delete her again. I refuse to dignify her foolishness with attempts to argue. (Especially laughable considering this isn't, and probably won't become, a Yaoi fic.)

Masami: Losing a friend to a fire is terrible. (Offers Masami a hug). My friend wasn't a young woman and she wasn't well for a long time, so in a way it was a relief. I still wish I'd been able to do something for her. Thanks for the nice review.

Silver: Kurapika and Quoll did that routine to me while I was listening to our local "Easy Listening" station. I couldn't resist putting it in, now that it won't kill Quoll.

Shinomori: I don't disagree with the idea that music doesn't need intellect to appreciate. But Quoll may not be able to stop thinking and analyzing the music if it's something more complicated than brain candy. You're right about the song, by the way. Another thing to fix in the final version. Quoll as arrogant bastard. Isn't he just? grin Though he's also being ironic about his reputation, not claiming it's true. Re: Hoshnin. I figure that there almost has to be more than one language spoken in Togashi's universe, for all that he doesn't seem to acknowledge it. Hoshnin is, however, original to me. And you picked up on the languages I'm mangling for it very well. It's essentially a sub-dialect similar to New Orleans Creole. A schtick I borrowed directly from the movie Fifth Element. Hisoka I might just end up using him, but I'm not sure I want to be the one to kill him or Quoll off and frankly I don't think either would let the other go.

Bleeding Heart: I might change Kurota to Kuruta when I do my fixes. Depends on if I find my copies of the manga where the tribe's name is shown.

Lynlyn: It's looking less and less like I'll be doing a Yaoi fic this time around, which makes yours all the more fun for me because of the difference. (Don't let that silly wench scare you off, by the way. "She" is either a troll or just a silly nutcase, not worth the time/trouble of responding to. You can delete her review if you think it's worth the time/effort.) Thanks for the compliment on Quoll and Kurapika being in character. I like their interaction. Re: The language. See my comments to Shinomori. I'll have to clarify what Quoll and Phinx are talking about. You guessed right in your email to me, btw. I agree that if there's any teaching going on, it's going to be Quoll teaching Kurapika. Kura's good, but he's younger than Quoll by what, 5 years? He needs experience. (Shuts the Gallery up since they're busy suggesting the sort of experience he needs. *sigh*) I think you're right about Wing not being Kurapika's teacher. Does anyone know the man's name so I can correct it? Don't worry about condolences. I'm lousy at 'em too.

Ryo: Thanks! I think that idea is going to work. And boy is Kurapika in for a shock. Heh.

Yukitsu: I'm glad you like the way it's going, though I fear you may be disappointed in the end with the non-Yaoi solution I'm likely to go with. Re: The dream. Yeah, not hard to catch, but you're the only one who commented on it.