Hey everyone! It's been a little too long since the last update and i hadn't planned for that, but things have been happening IRL. I'm now typing this AN from a hand me down laptop that's ten years old and still running on Windows 7...so it's a bit slow and outdated for me. Not that I'm really complaining about a gift from a generous family member.
Anyway, this chapter deals with sensitive subject matter so it comes with a Trigger Warning for anyone who has been through ANY kind of physical or sexual assault. And as you guys would expect, that also means that there will most definitely be a warning for rough language. You might want to involve a teddy bear or other kind of plushie because this chapter is a bit rough.
Lastly, in this chapter you'll be meeting a pretty awesome OC. I won't give to much away, but I want you guys to know that in creating her, i delved into the realm of various body types and decided on the need for a muscular woman with a kick ass attitude and though i don't plan to use her that often, if she gets enough love, i might bring her around more often. We'll see.
Lastly, before you guys get on with reading, I wanted to address a little something happening on my Facebook page. After the last chapter, a wonderful reviewer asked what i had planned for Elisa's Miscreant Name. I've decided to leave it to you readers to come up with a fitting code name for her. I've gotten a couple of responses and i wanted to give everyone a chance to chime in before i put the options to a vote.
If you'd like to give a suggestion, the link to the Facebook page can be found on the profile page. I'm giving it a few more days before I set up the poll. Last chance to make suggestions!
I guess that's about it for now, so strap into your 5 point harness and get reading! I'll see you at the bottom!
"Hey, you really okay?"
Rook shrugged nonchalantly. "What? Being alone? I'm good with that…besides, I've been monitoring the MySpace activity online. You guys go ahead and be lovey-dovey. If there's anything big that comes up, I'll find you."
Katsume frowned. "Is it that bad on our page?"
Rook shook his head. "No, for the most part the commotion has blown over. Other than a few people leaving comments and asking questions about what we're up to, things are quiet. Though, I expect that to change once we get back home, and start maintaining an online presence. For now, take some as much downtime as you need."
Katsume grinned and looked at Elisa. "I like the sound of that."
Rook shooed them away. "Yeah, you guys go do that, I'll see you guys in a little while."
Elisa leaned into her boyfriend. "So, what should we do with all this downtime?"
"I think just being with you is enough, though I did buy a portable DVD Player back when we were at the mall. I've bought some movies for us to watch."
Elisa re-positioned her crutches and looked up at him. "Lead the way, Lord Paladin."
(Continued from the last chapter)
Rook's smirk faded when the lovebirds walked away. He exhaled softly and walked towards the observation car. Once there, he pulled out his portable computer and sat in one of the corner booths.
One of the car attendants acknowledged him and started making way towards Rook.
"Good morning! Is there anything I can get you from the menu?" As he said this, the gentleman handed him a glossy looking menu with all kinds of drink options.
The call he was about to make wasn't going to be fun. The email he'd gotten was despicable and would be addressed soon…
He looked at the menu and his eyes zeroed in on the large peanut butter with chocolate malt and whipped cream.
That would hit the spot.
He pointed to it and the older gentleman nodded. "Would you like some extra whip cream on top?"
Rook nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna need it."
When the gentleman walked away, Rook sighed heavily and pulled up the email with the link to a video.
He'd seen it this morning and so had most of the school and knew it for what it was; razing. What made him even more angry was that it was Joy Lyn that was the victim.
The video was so very intrusive, and it violated her on a whole different level.
Someone and he had a feeling he knew who it was, had caught the beautiful girl as she cleaned up after gym class in all her naked glory and had pointed out the fact that she had some extra padding and would never score any hot guys.
That morning when he'd seen the video, he was about to turn it off in disgust, when he heard the voice as it taunted the hotly blushing girl.
"What's wrong Big Bertha? Are you afraid that stupid crush of yours will know about your muffin top?" Then the masked figure turned to the camera. "What do you think, Ranook? Would you ever even think of fucking such a disgusting whore?"
The truth was that he'd never seen her naked before and she'd always been such a pretty girl to him. He'd appreciated her happy eyes and her cheerful disposition, but now that he'd seen her naked, she was even more beautiful to him. Her curves were very generous, and her breasts were perfectly formed. Her belly was a little more rounded but definitely not fat. To his eyes, she was a decadent goddess he'd love to worship.
If they were to ask him if he would bed her, the answer was 'Hell Yes.' If she offered, he'd happily take everything she gave him; just as long as it was on her terms. He was still a virgin, but he'd happily hand over his v-card for that dark-haired beauty to punch.
The attendant brought over the malt and handed him a thick straw. After thanking him, Rook took a deep breath to center himself. He fired up the Miscreant Myspace page and looked over the comment section. To his surprise, he saw that he had more than a few comments asking for his response to the video.
He paused and considered his actions and then he typed in the following:
Joy Lynn is a beautiful woman and if there is going to be anything between us, it will stay between us. That's all I'm saying on the matter. – Rookery
Rook sat back for a few minutes and waited to see if anyone would respond. Sure enough a message popped up and he recognized the profile picture. It was one of Joy's friends, he checked the profile and saw that it was Phoebe Phobia. She was the biggest of the group and she was mighty. Standing tall at 6'3, she was an amateur kick boxer and she was the one of the few chicks you didn't mess with. She'd kick his ass if she knew he'd used that term do identify her; if he was the enforcer for his group, then Phoebe was his equivalent…
But at the moment, he didn't care; he was more concerned with how Joy's well-being than about his own ego.
He clicked on the messenger icon and read the message.
If you really care about Joy, then click the link and we can Skype.
Rook hesitated for only a moment before he clicked on the link and waited for the chat window to load.
When the camera on her end popped up, Rook took the concerned face of the giantess in. Her hair was braided back in the 'Laura Croft' style and her expressive green eyes were guarded and yet, full of concern.
"Ranook. "I wasn't sure you'd actually click on the link."
Rook nodded. "I go by rook now, or Rookery. I haven't gone by that name since I became a Miscreant."
The girl gave him a skeptical look. "What is that, some club you guys made up?"
"It's more than just a club. The night we became Miscreants, we went through a legitimate rebirth ceremony which included a ceremonial cleansing and were blessed by a real shaman. The old Ranook burned away in the bonfire."
Phoebe gave him a wide-eyed look. "That sounds intense."
Rook nodded in agreement and then sighed softly. "It was an unforgettable night, but that's not why we're having what is about to be an awkward conversation. I called to see how Joy is faring after being razed."
"She's handling it about as well as I expected. With all the insanity happening right now, I going to drag you over the coals to make sure you're not just some fuckboy looking to dip into the honey pot."
Rook smirked. "Yeah, honey pot is an outdated term." He paused and schooled his expression. "I'm not some dude that only thinks with his…" he paused remembering that he wasn't alone in the car.
He gave Phoebe a look full of meaning and she caught on. "Where are you anyway?"
Rook paused as the attendant brought him the malt. After thanking him, Rook looked back at his screen. "I'm in the café car on Prism Railways. I'm not alone so I need to keep things PG-rated."
He looked at Phoebe seriously. "The long and short of it is that I'm not a promiscuous guy and I still have my V-card. When the time comes for me to cash it in, it won't be for a one-night stand. I'd prefer for it to be cashed in by someone I want to build my life with."
At her surprised look, he added. "Look, I'm surrounded by couples who are crazy about each other and I'm the odd man out, so you'll have to forgive me for waxing poetic. I literally can't help myself right now."
"No, no, it's okay. That's what I was hoping for. I didn't realize you felt that way…" When she trailed off, Rook gave her a small smile as he took a sip of his malt.
"The truth is that even before all this crap happened, I was attracted to her. When I saw that video today, I felt just as violated by being called out by Jezebel and her minions. Now, that I've seen that video, I'm even more drawn to Joy." He paused and considered his next words.
"Look, I think things will go much smoother if we talk to each other one protector to another. The only thing that video did was allow me to see the beauty underneath, though I would have preferred to discover that myself and only with her consent; but now that her image is seared into my brain, I can't say I won't file it away forever."
Phoebe frowned in acknowledgment. "So now what are you going to do?"
Rook sighed and took another long draw from his treat. " I have no idea. I know what'd I'd like to do, but it's not just my emotions and ego that's involved. I'm willing to bet that Joy is feeling pretty raw right now."
Phoebe nodded. "What the video didn't show was me rushing into the showers to get her out of there. I got her to her house as soon as I could and spent the night on her living room couch. She's slept heavily all night and has only gotten up long enough to get some breakfast. Her parents are at the school talking to the principle."
Rook nodded. "If that's the case, then she needs her sleep. When she wakes up again, you can tell her everything I said, and let her know that the ball is in her court. I don't know what the next right step is, but I'm here when she's ready to talk."
Meanwhile in one of the Miscreant's state rooms…
It had all started out so innocently. Katsume and Elisa had curled up in one of the seats and she'd brought over the blanket he'd bought her from the zoo. They'd both been sucked into the magic that was 'My Neighbor Totoro' but soon the loving kiss Katsume had placed on Elisa's head as she rested in his lap had turned into a loving squeeze of his hand now the innocent touches had become a make out session.
It was all unhurried and they were both enjoying themselves and the subtle zings going through their systems. Katsume could feel himself coming alive as Elisa shifted on his lap.
As their lips slid over each other's, Elisa held on to him tighter and Katsume reveled in her closeness and the warmth of her body against his. She was all softness and cuddles and…
He gasped harshly as the mental images from his past invaded his brain like a painful intruder. Elisa pulled back as her boyfriend broke the kiss off and squinted his eyes.
"Katsume, are you okay? What's going on?"
Her heart broke as he covered his face and groaned.
"I can't. I can't."
She carefully crawled off his lap and sat cross legged on the chair next to his. She spent a few moments studying him, trying to understand what had happened to ruin the moment they were having. Then she understood.
"Are you having a flashback?"
He nodded miserably and her heart constricted when she saw the tear track making its way down his cheek.
"Can you tell me about it?"
Katsume felt his breath catch and he looked at his girlfriend, trying to convey that he couldn't possibly confess the ugly thing he'd done, even while intoxicated, to the beautiful girl at his side.
"You didn't sign up for this…you'll hate me if tell you…"
Elisa cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Huh, I thought I made it clear that I wasn't some token girlfriend the last time we destroyed a demon from your past. I'm pretty sure we can slaughter this one too."
Katsume looked at her in shock; he had no idea what to say to that.
Elisa sighed when he closed his eyes and rested against the cushion on the back of the couch. She paused to think and made a decision on the spot, hoping it wouldn't backfire on her. She stood up for a moment and pulled the blanket around both of them again and then leaned into his chest.
"You're not the only one that was sexually assaulted."
The moment she mentioned the word sex, he flinched, and she knew then that she had his attention.
"There's a reason I said what I did at the airport, about needing a strong Paladin to help keep the vultures away."
"Who hurt you?" Katsume's voice was quiet but deadly sounding. If she wasn't cuddled up with him, she would have had a hard time hearing him.
"I'll tell you but before I do, I need to get through this while I still have the courage."
When Katsume grunted softly, she continued. "I told you that when we went to Sea World, I'll need someone to keep people from taking advantage of my being in a wheelchair. The reason I said that, is because the last guy I dated, tried to force me into having sex with him.
"He raped you." Katsume prompted in a deadly angry voice.
"Yeah, he did though I'm not sure if I can classify it as rape."
When Katsume looked at her, she added. "We were hanging out at my house and it was just the two of us. We'd been dating for a little over a month and it was our first time being alone. I've blocked some of it out, like I have no idea what scary movie we were watching, but suddenly his hand was down my pants and he was unbuckling his belt and I tried to fight him, but he's a lot bigger than I am."
"Before I knew it, he busted my barrier and was pushing inside, it hurt a lot and he was scaring me. I guess the fear I felt turned into adrenaline and I was able to summon enough strength to shove him off me.
He was super pissed and coming at me again, so I kicked out and nailed him in the balls. He staggered out the door and had to go to the hospital. I have no idea what happened after that, but that's why he likes to paint me as a clingy girlfriend. I knew enough from sex education to know what he'd done to me, and I did the whole self-check thing, but nothing more ever came of what happened."
"My brothers don't even know about this. Only Miss Kim and you know what happened. I was too embarrassed to tell my lady doctor and my brothers would be pissed."
"They should be pissed. That fucking idiot took advantage of you and raped you."
"And so did those girls. I don't know what else has happened to you, but if you reveal what ugliness just popped into your head, then we can purge it and get back to sharing whatever sweet moments we have left before our chaperones come find us."
Katsume sighed heavily and told her everything. "I don't know how many video files are floating around the dark web that have to do with me jerking off in the shower, or me fucking that poor girl that was just as drugged up as me, but I hate the thought that any pedophile is using that for his fodder. Ever since those flashbacks resurfaced, I've hated the idea of taking a shower or even…messing around in one. I'm even more paranoid now and I hate worrying about being watched…not even the idea of showering with you would help me relax in the shower anymore."
Elisa was quiet for a few minutes and then looked up at her boyfriend's worried face. "None of this BS changes how I see you and I still love you."
Katsume looked at her in askance. "You can still say that…after how I had sex with that girl."
Elisa nodded as she scooted further into his lap. "What you did was done under the influence of a drug nobody on Earth has heard of. The fact that you're worried about us having sex in the future shows me that you're nothing like Brock."
"I see no reason why we should let either of our pasts invade and pollute this beautiful relationship we have going on between us."
"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Katsume asked. "I can't even kiss you without having those flashbacks…"
"Then we'll work through it. I have a feeling that this issue is going to pop up a lot as we work on us. I want to experience every milestone with you and I'm excited for it."
Katsume looked at her in wonder. "You're amazing. All of this and you still want to be with me."
Elisa smirked and sat in his lap again. "I want to be with you in every possible way and I'm not about to let either of our violent pasts get in the way with that."
"I don't want that either."
"Good, then kiss me again."
Katsume only grinned at her and leaned down, resuming their lip lock. This time, the kiss was slower and more cautious. It was also more emotional as they made out, each knowing the other's past and even more determined to defeat the other's demons.
This was another step for them. Katsume gently gripped her hip as she ran her fingers through his short hair. That particular sensation was an unexpected turn-on for him and he groaned in appreciation. Also, that was the worst time for his nether regions to pitch a tent.
The moment she felt his bulge, she ended the lip lock and looked down between them.
"Sorry, Elisa," Katsume panted. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"Is having your scalp touched that much of a turn-on?"
Katsume shrugged. "I honestly didn't know that…I've never gone farther than a simple kiss with you. I'm sorry if my…hard on bothered you…after what that other asshole did…"
Elisa silenced him with a sweet kiss. "There is a major difference between you and my ex. I can kiss you freely without worrying that you'll try and force yourself on me."
"Never gonna happen." Katsume replied with a shake of his head. "We've both had our choices taken away from us, and I never want that to happen again. I'm not going to do anything that you don't want me to."
Elisa kissed him again and gently scratched his scalp. "When we go beyond kissing, it'll be because we both want it." She paused as she saw Autumn and Kyle smirking at them through the open curtain. "And it won't be on a train where just anyone can just walk through the door."
Katsume laughed at stole another kiss. "Count on it; but for now, we better behave before we both get in trouble."
Elisa kissed his cheek. "I'll just give you some time to…calm down. I need to use the bathroom anyway."
Katsume chuckled and groaned when she scooted off his lap. Yep, he'd need a few minutes to himself.
The conference car
A few hours later
It was lunch time now, and Daniella waited for them as she directed the kitchen workers about where to put he lunch plates.
When they were all seated, Tommy took up his place again. "So, I hope that we are all ready to continue with our meeting?"
I hope everyone is okay after reading this chapter. I know it's full of heavy subject matter, so I promise to do my best to lighten things up next chapter.
A very important meeting is in the next chapter. What would you guys like to see them discuss? Let me know your thoughts in the review section!
I'll see you all next chapter!