ZEDD
Work done for the day, I stretch and head downstairs. It's actually been a rather satisfying day. I got my informant to fall back in line, was able to make Thomas feel better about whatever it was that was bothering him this afternoon, cleared a couple of other contracts.
Remembering the interlude I had with Thomas brings a smile to my face - along with a sense of impatience. Now that he's ready and willing to move forward, I'm both eager and anxious about the prospect. As I told him this morning, I don't want things to go badly for either of us. Unfortunately, it'll be two or three days before the supplies I ordered get here and as we both also saw this morning my subconscious apparently doesn't want to wait.
A short way away from the kitchen, I hear Thomas and Dar laughing about something, drawing my thoughts away from my own activities with the human. I don't dare hope that they are actually getting along - building a real friendship this soon. As I get closer, I hear their conversation. It seems like they're talking about Thomas' weapon practice this evening.
"I don't know how often you guys practice, but I was thinking - if you guys are willing - whoever isn't working with me could be working with each other."
"I'd already thought about that," Dar admits. "But I'm curious - why are you pushing so hard on this? It's not so you can go back home and be a Ranger again, is it?"
I stop, listening intently for Thomas' answer. "First of all, no it isn't so I can go back to Earth and be a Ranger again. Second, unless you guys are going to throw me out, this is home now. Truthfully, Dar, I'm hoping that the kids will have Mesogog beaten before I go back to take care of things, but if not I'll try to help them however I can, though I doubt it will be in an active Ranger capacity. Besides, now I have something to live for - besides fighting the next big evil that comes along and I kind of like that… Though like I said earlier I do wish I had more of a purpose here, that I could help you guys out more or just have something to do."
"I'm certain that once you regain your lost skills, you'll be able to be of use somehow with our business." What now? He's actually suggesting that Thomas help with our work? This is in truth far more than I'd hoped for.
"I'm not sure what help I'd be."
"Well, while it's true you really couldn't have contact with many of our informants, mostly for your own safety, there are times we do deal with more legal items, or need information concerning new clients we acquire. You do have some contacts of your own you know, Rangers from other worlds, some of which that might be able to give us information on the people wanting to hire us that we might not otherwise know or that might take too long to find out about our own ways."
"Maybe, I just, I don't know, I get restless and once my lessons are done and I'm back to being as good as I will get, I know I'm going to be climbing the walls trying to find something to do that isn't going to interfere with the work you all do. I don't want to go back to battling, not really, but I also don't want to be without a purpose, and what you just suggested, while a nice thought really isn't a purpose but more you guys throwing me a bone I think. To be honest, I kind of liked when you guys were sick, it gave me something to do that was helpful." Frowning and worrying again about something that he said while evil, mentioning his lack of purpose and use, I realize that I am definitely going to have to help him find something that interests him if he's to stay.
"We'll figure something out, there's plenty of time and as I said until you do decide what you want to do with your time, we could use some help with certain business related matters. Also your time will be occupied a good bit once you do regain your powers you know."
"How's that?"
"Well as Zedd told you, once you have access to your powers again, you'll be able to use them in conjunction with your staff. However such a thing will take a lot of time and practice, something I know he'll want you to do each day until he's certain you can safely handle it." Maybe even twice a day to be honest.
"True, but that aside I know I'll still be left with a good bit of time to climb the walls if I don't have something else to focus on as well."
Long pause. "Fair enough. So why did you want a staff instead of a sword? You've used them both, and if it was just an issue of you liking the power in Zedd's we actually could have gotten you a sword as well."
"I've actually used several types of weapons in competitions and such. One day, I'd like to have several other weapons as well, a sword included. But for now, I thought something - I don't know - less lethal? - would be a good idea."
"Why? After all, almost anything can be lethal when used correctly."
Thomas is quiet for so long, I wonder if he's going to answer. "It's going to sound stupid."
"Like I'd expect anything else from you, brat. What this time?"
"Look, when I was evil, I sank to a depth that I didn't think I was capable of. As I told Zedd, that's just what I did, never mind what I was planning to do, wanted to do. Even worse - I enjoyed it." His voice shakes as he speaks and I can feel a brief flicker of distress before he controls it. "Really the worst part is that it wasn't the spell making me do it. The spell just - opened up my darker side, I guess. All kinds of dark things that I've never let loose before suddenly were free, you know?"
"Not really. I've always had kind of a mean streak. It's why I joined up with the alliance in the first place. Hand me that bowl, will you?" There's a pause before Dar continues. "Honestly, you have Zedd and Pina to thank for reining me in. As unpleasant as I was when you first arrived, I could have and would have been far, far worse had it not been for their influence over the years."
"How?"
"Before I was assigned to Rita, there was a time where - and quite frankly, Zedd probably doesn't remember this - I was fresh out of the academy and full of myself. Well, I suppose 'fresh out' is a relative term. It was about ten years or so I'd been out and had just joined up with the alliance. I was due to undergo alterations in about a week. Alterations is where we were magically changed. It's where I gained the form you were familiar with all those years ago. I hadn't learned my place yet. I was in a bar and I was - what's the word? - bullying pretty much everyone in the place."
He sighs. "One of the barmaids had caught my eye and I propositioned her. She refused me, much to the amusement of the other patrons. One of them had the audacity to laugh at me. She was a little thing and, looking back, I think her laughter was a nervous reaction. She was nearly half Pina's size but I was going to teach her a lesson. I had her collar in one hand and my other fist was drawn back to strike. I realize now that if I had hit her as I'd intended, I'd have probably killed her with the one punch."
"Anyway, before I could, a hand locked onto my wrist. I dropped her, literally, and spun around to deal with whoever had dared to stop me. There was Lord Zedd, in all his evil glory. He'd only been with the alliance about a hundred years or so at that point, but he'd already made a name for himself. He said, 'You've already made your point. If you continue with this foolishness, I'll make sure that you don't live long enough to do it again. There is nothing to be proud of or honorable in hurting or killing someone that is that much smaller than you.' I left in a rage and looking for a fight somewhere else. I don't know if he followed me or it was coincidence, but I found the fight I was seeking. When it was over, there was the sound of someone clapping. When I turned, there he was. He told me, 'That was a fight worthy of you, not that little girl. Learn to control your violence and you'll go far. Perhaps one day, when you prove yourself, you can serve at my side.' From that day, that became my goal - to be Zedd's second in command. Serving under Rita was just another step on the ladder - at least I thought so, until she kept screwing up. Then Zedd came and was he pissed off. I became the biggest bootlicker in the universe to try and get him to see that I was better than Rita."
"But you and your friends kept making a fool of me and the others and eventually, Zedd too - at least as far as the alliance was concerned. That's why they sent the Machine Empire in to take over from us."
I do remember the bar incident, so many centuries ago. This is that same angry young man? Goldar? My best friend and companion? I'm so stunned that I almost miss Thomas' question. "So is that why you've been so angry at me all these years? Why you thought that I was trying to steal your position from you?"
"Look, Tommy - when you got here, all I saw was the child who had - intentionally or not - stolen everything from me. And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk to Zedd about this either."
"Why not?"
"Because the past is the past and I'm not particularly proud of it. I've matured a lot since then and I'd rather not bring it up." Understanding quite well what he means by that, I decide for now to not bring the matter up.
"It's weird."
"What is?"
"How Zedd is." What now? Listening closely to Thomas' tone, I'm taken by surprise at how thoughtful he suddenly sounds. "He's…different, isn't he? I mean, like you said you had a mean streak and that's partly why you joined up with their side, but for Zedd to stop you from hurting some innocent girl, and not just stop you but make note of how wrong it is to hurt someone weaker and innocent when he was already evil, it's weird, right?" Not at all liking where his train of thought is going, I know I'm going to have to derail it if I want to keep my own past in the past.
As I close the distance between myself and the kitchen, Dar responds, "Well, he does have a sense of honor, despite the social standing he comes from. You saw that when you were younger. Also while having a temper I've never seen him actually physically lash out at anyone that didn't openly ask for it or deserve it. He's one of the few that doesn't think that evil and dishonorable behavior go hand in hand."
I take a breath and push open the door to find the two working companionably side by side. "Who doesn't think that?"
"You," Thomas answers. He puts down his knife, comes around the counter and kisses me, which I return wholeheartedly. "How did things go? I'm guessing that they went all right since you don't have that look you had this morning."
"Not perfectly, but things are handled. How did your lessons go?"
He blushes slightly as he returns to what he was doing. "I'd be further along if I hadn't gotten sidetracked this afternoon."
"Sorry." But I'm really not and he knows it.
"You'd also have gotten further along if you hadn't forgotten your glasses."
Goldar's comment bringing my attention back around, I look between him and my now blushing mate. "Glasses?"
"He needs them to see fine print clearly. That's what he was retrieving from his room when you sidetracked him."
"It's not a big deal" Thomas insists softly, though by the color on his face I'm not sure if I believe him completely.
"Why aren't you wearing them now?"
"Because I only need them when reading and working on detailed things."
"You're chopping celery, that's slightly detailed" I argue, though by the look on his face it's apparently not going to cut it as a reason to get him to wear them. "Can I see them?"
"Maybe later. My eyes are tired now from working so long." A weak refusal and reason, but still considering he has been working all afternoon I suppose I can give it to him.
"You've gotten much farther than I expected you would," Dar comments. He directs his next comment to me. "At the rate he's going, he'll easily be caught up by the end of the week."
Pina speaks from behind me. "That's excellent. According to today's scans, he can probably be done with the shots after tomorrow and the rest of the medication by the end of the week as well. Well, unless he regains access to his powers first. At that point, the Ranger healing should take over."
"Good news indeed. So, Thomas, who would you like to work with first with weapons?"
Dar protests, "Why does he get to choose? I'd like to see him work with you so that I know what to watch for."
"And see, that's what I was thinking - watching him with you."
Pina cuts in. "Oh for hells sake - I'll have him first."
"I don't think so," Thomas responds. He doesn't look up at us, but I can see the smirk gracing his face as he does. "Wrong equipment and besides Zedd's already called dibs on that honor." A beat of silence and then we all burst out laughing. "I think it'll be best if I work with Zedd, though. Since we've been sparring anyway, he already has an idea of how I fight - even if armed is different than unarmed."
"Fair enough," I agree. "So then, dinner, cleanup and then practice." Agreement all around and Pina and I move to set the table and transfer dishes to the other room. The meal is a cheerful affair and - happily - uninterrupted this time. It seems like no time at all before it and cleanup are finished and we're all trooping outside for practice.
Once we begin, it's all the more clear how much Thomas has learned in the intervening years since I saw him last. I'm greatly enjoying the match. He almost has me at one point when Pina and Dar start working together and my concentration is briefly broken by the clashing of their swords. I recover quickly, however and keep moving.
Thomas and I both stop when we hear a growl coming from the other battle. I'm surprised to see that Pina's fighting as if she's suddenly trying to kill her mate rather just have a competitive match as they'd intended. What the hell? I've not heard Goldar say or seen him do anything to make her angry since they began, though I'm equally surprised at what Thomas says next. "Oh hell, not now. Not yet."
He launches himself toward the pair with me right behind him just as Pina disarms Dar and puts him on the ground. She raises her sword in a move that - if completed - will cleave him in two.
