Disclaimer: I don't own any recongnizable characters from the original AoD plot. Aysha, Ethaniel and others that will appear from time to time, however, do belong to me.
The rain plunges down from the sky in heavy water strings, mercilessly flooding the grounds of the Croft estate. A lonely woman stares thoughtfully as the water drops draw abstract patterns on the window pane of the library. A rumbling sound announces the arrival of a thunder storm. Lara watches as a black cat hurriedly jumps down from the tree she was standing on and rushes inside through the kitchen door. She sighs.
Stupid cat, standing in the rain like that. She'll reek of wet fur for ages now.
No problem. She'll just have Winston dry the annoying animal up, after all he was the one who brought her home anyway.
'It'll do you good, my dear, it'll be a company! And God knows you need one…' had been his words. Lara snorts. If she wanted a company she'd have come up with one long ago and it most definitely wouldn't be a little curtain wrecker with an even more anti-social personality than her. All the stupid cat has done so far has been ruining her couches, hiding in the attic and rubbing herself on Winston's legs. For some reason, she doesn't seem to like Lara. No problem there. It's mutual.
As if on cue, a loud 'meow' disturbs the quietness of the library. Lara glances back at the door to find a very snob looking cat, dripping wet. On her carpet. Her eye twitches involuntarily.
"Winston!" she bellows, a little louder than necessary "Come get this wet thing at once!"
The old butler hurries upstairs, quickly (or as quick as he gets) appearing at the threshold of the library's door.
"You called, my dear?"
"Yes!" Lara replies, aggravated, slamming shut the book that rests on her lap "The cat is soaked, she's been standing in the rain for ages. Could you please clean her up?" Winston gives her a reproachful look.
"Lara, dear, would it be that hard to clean the poor thing up?" 'The cat', which Lara hasn't even bothered to name yet, gives her a defying look that states very clearly 'you just try'.
"What, so she can do to me what she does to those curtains everyday? No way, Winston, I still got the scratches from last time I tried to pick her up…" Winston sighs and picks the now docile kitten up, giving Lara a confused look.
"Honestly I do not understand why she doesn't like you!" Lara shrugs and waves her hand dismissively. Winston takes the cue and leaves her alone with her book.
After the door clicks shut behind her, Lara lets out a long sigh. She doesn't feel like reading anymore, so she sets the book down on the table.
She's perfectly aware of the reason why the cat doesn't like her. After all, who would lately? She knows very well how much of a bitch she has been ever since she returned from Egypt… even worse after Prague.
After the dark and confusing swirl that the Nephilim business had proved to be had subsided, Lara had felt herself slumping back into the harsh and gloomy reality that her life had been before. Sure, the times in Paris and Prague had been much darker and harder to deal with but she had been fuelled by the adrenaline all along.
Now even that has subsided and she is left once again to deal with the still fresh scars from Egypt, worsened by the more recent pain of Werner's last betrayal.
"It's too dangerous… But she'll be able to!"
After all these months, the words still sting like sharp needles.
The worthless coward little piece of crap!
First betraying her and leaving her to die in Egypt, then having the nerve of calling her for help and finally offering her to a killer in return for his own life. Maybe she could take that from somebody else, but from Werner… the man who had been like a second father to her… it just hurts too badly.
Lara stands up and heads for the window, dragging her feet in the process. She presses her forehead against the cool glass, closing her eyes as she listens to the rhythmic compass of the rain outside.
Ever since she had come home, she had been trying her best to overcome grief in the only way she could think of: making herself numb. She hopes there will be a time in which she will have gathered enough indifference to be able to just ignore any of these painful memories. That implies, of course, never allowing anyone to come close ever again. That way, she is sure nobody will be able to hurt her.
She had adopted that plan, as a matter of fact, when she had come home after Egypt, but it had been blown to hell when Werner had called, hysteric with fear over some 'dark business' he had gotten himself into. She hadn't been numb enough yet. She had gone to his aid.
A long sigh escapes her lips. And then, of course, there was that man. The American. Kurtis. Temporary partner, skilled fighter, short time companion… friend?
No.
They weren't friends. Partners, yes, perhaps even companions but not friends. She hardly knew anything about him, as him about her… She doesn't even understand why she is spearing a thought to this man. He's gone know, so what's the point…
Her eyes invariably wander off to a corner table in which a strange object lies. A metallic disk with an odd symbol engraved into its surface, four metallic blades now resting permanently in its core. Ever since it pulled out of Boaz's arena in the Strahov, the peculiar weapon has been still and dormant. Dead.
Like its owner.
The thought saddens her, although she isn't sure why. Maybe it is the fact that he was the only person she could relate to in the middle of that messed up world, maybe because he hadn't gotten to killing Eckhardt himself and avenging his father like he wished to… or maybe she just needs him too damn much.
She rolls her eyes at herself.
How do you need a complete stranger?
The answer is quite simple, in her mind: it isn't the man himself that she misses, it's what he represents. Somehow, defeating Karel and going back to that arena only to find a blood stain with no body to go with it had left her with an overwhelming feeling of incompleteness. It had been as though something was missing, as if it wasn't over yet. As if it hadn't been finished properly. And then his weapon, tugging on her arm, pulling her into the darkened pathway… She had wondered around in the bowels of what was left of the Strahov for has long as her injuries had allowed her, but had found no Kurtis. Dead or alive, he was gone. And the weapon never sprung to life again.
Somehow, not seeing him after the final battle had felt like something had been left undone. And that feeling is still biting at her heart.
Then there is the fact that she owes him. He had, after all, stood behind to fight Boaz so she could go after Eckhardt. Quite a selfless gesture, as a matter of fact.
One that cost him his life.
There was a time when she had refused to believe that he was dead. A time when she would stare at the weird little weapon for hours, hoping that it would spring once again to life and lead her to its owner. No such luck. She keeps it in the library, as somehow it seems wrong to stash it away with all the other artefacts, as they are all hers now, their owners being dead. But this weapon…
… belongs to a dead person too. He's not coming back.
Yes. With that ultimate resolve, she feels that it's time to let go once and for all and picks up the circular disk, resolutely heading downstairs.
Instead of making her usual way through the garden maze, using the switch and sprinting for the door of the trophy room, she just turns a wall lamp that promptly opens the wooden panel. She walks inside slowly but resolutely, descending the stone steps and crossing the distance between the treasure chests without even bothering to turn the lights on. She knows this path by heart these days. Entering a section on the far back, reserved for the most important artefacts, she goes to stand before a vacant cabinet. Opening the lid and carefully laying the circular weapon down on a velvet base. As she carefully seals the case and types in a small keypad the combination that will keep it sealed, she can't stop the words from escaping her lips:
"Goodbye, Kurtis."
It's short, I know, but when I wrote that last line I thought that looked like a good way to end the chapter.
I meant to post the 3 first chapters at a time, but it just hit me (this being saturday night) that I have a ridiculously huge school assignment to deliver on Monday, which I have yet to start so thechapter will have to wait.But I promise I'll have the 3rd chapter up soon...ish. lol
Constructive reviews appreciated!