Maya walked slowly through the streets. She was still a bit sore. At least her wounds were fully healed though. She could see and hear Axton and Salvador. They were by the cliff, arguing about how they were supposed to set up the beacon. Luckily they were shut up by Gaige who walked by, grabbed it and began setting it up without a word. She had actually been looking for Zero. Since he left the shack she hadn't seen him. It took her a few minutes to actually go looking for him. She had needed to get ahold of herself first. Gaige's teasing had really flustered her.
However she couldn't deny how surprisingly good it felt to realize how worried Zero had been for her. The assassin really didn't seem to care too strongly about anything, besides killing. But after hearing from Axton and Salvador how Zero had been even more brutal and quick about dispatching his opponents. How he had practically held a knife to their throats to get an insta health then run back here at break neck speeds. The idea of her causing Zero to act so…differently caused warmth to course through her and her stomach to do small flips.
If she was going to be REALLY honest then yes, Gaige also hadn't been lying about her…appreciation of Zero's form. Could anyone really blame her though? That suit just fit him so damn well! She wasn't going to deny that she liked Zero…but did she really like him in that way? Sure she was attracted to him, hell she knew for a fact that half the women in Sanctuary wanted to hit that. Moxxi in particular had been very vocal about wanting to know just how flexible Zero was. But was she attracted to him more than just physically? He was distant, cold, a bit arrogant, and secretive as hell. But he was also nice…in his own way. He took the time to teach her how to snipe, always seemed to take an interest in her powers and how she used them. He could also be surprisingly sweet and caring. Today had proved that. After everything she had heard from the others she would have to be blind not to recognize that.
Okay…so maybe she did like Zero. Just what in the hell was she supposed to do about it?! It was Zero! No way in hell he liked her too. Even IF he did, even if her reading into today's events and coming to the crazy conclusion that he did actually like her as well. No way he would actually be up for dating her or something! That kind of thing required…talking and stuff. He would actually need to take off that damn helmet if she wanted to kiss him, not like he was going to do that anytime soon!
Instantly Maya felt herself blush faintly at the very thought of actually kissing Zero. This was all crazy, absolutely crazy. But it could be so worth it. Maya almost growled to herself. Shut up scumbag brain. There is no way anything could happen between them, even if she wanted it to. Zero just wouldn't go for it. Never know if you don't ask.
I thought I told you to shut up. She would worry about this later, or you know, not, maybe just forget it all. Either way she did need to find Zero and thank him for everything he had done. Yeah, maybe you can rip off his armour and fu-
I said shut up! Maya practically stomped around the corner, coming to a stop as she finally found the object of her search. Zero was seated on the edge of the cliff, she could see his sword resting in his lap across his folded legs. His back was perfectly straight and both arms seemed to be folded on the blade. He actually looked pretty peaceful. Well as peaceful as Zero could look. Maya found herself simply standing there and watching him. Only now realizing she didn't know what to say. Thank you just sounded so…bland. She wanted him to know how much she appreciated what he had done for her. She wanted him to know-That you love his ass.
I will kill you!
Maya was about to take a step forward, before her damn brain could screw her up anymore. She stayed where she was as a red armoured figure walked towards Zero from one of the side streets. She watched as Athena approached the assassin. From here she couldn't hear their words but after a moment the armoured woman sat down next to Zero, bringing her legs up to her chest.
What were they talking about? Were they friends? Gaige said they were going to fight, maybe they were talking about that. Does he like her? Does she like him? Bitch is trying to steal your man! Maya didn't even have the ability to shout at her stupid brain. She only stood there, staring like an idiot.
She tried to calm herself, this was cool, nothing to freak out about. They were probably just talking about their duel. After all, it wasn't everyday you ran into someone who used a sword. Zero had told her how frustrated he got by the lack of challenge provided by their enemies so far. Athena had said the same thing back in the hut. They were both just excited to find someone just as skilled. That's all it was. Just two badass warriors wanting to fight eachother. Yeah then they can have hot sweaty sex after.
I am not jealous! Maya practically stomped her foot at the internal exclamation. She was just curious what they were talking about. After all they barely knew Athena. It was perfectly normal for her to be curious about the woman's intentions. She was sure they were just talking about the duel, nothing more. She was not jealous. Zero's helmet emitted a red smiley face.
Fuck. She was jealous.
Excited. I am actually excited. The feeling has only grown since the first wave of foes were cut down. Athena's skill in incredible. She is utterly ruthless, cutting the loaders apart with a strength belied by her small size. Her technique is different than my own. She relies more on brute strength, switching between offense and a very aggressive defense. But she is still quick and her skill is unquestionable.
I feel myself smile, actually smile as I watch her hack a loaders leg off. She runs up its body when it falls and bashes her shield into its face, utterly destroying it. Earlier today we discussed our duel, trading Echo frequencies so we could rendezvous.
I cut down another loader, not even taking my eyes off the red armoured woman. Her hood has fallen off her head as she obliterates three loaders in the span of five seconds. She now has one more kill than me. Unacceptable. There are only two loaders left on this street and she is already engaging them.
The sounds of gunfire echoing from the street over signals a fresh wave. I take four running steps and vault onto the roof of a nearby building. Running across the metal roof I can see over a dozen loaders advancing on the beacon. The others have all taken up defensive positions nearly it, unleashing volleys of fire into the machines. Although I notice they are being conservative with their ammunition. Even the mechromancer is picking her shots.
Maya unleashes her devastating power right in the midst of the robots. Half a a dozen are sucked towards the vortex, fire and slag destroying their bodies. I grin at the sight. Her powers grow stronger with every passing day.
I leap off the buildings, landing at the rear of the now disrupted column. I waste no time in cutting a loader in half. Spinning past its falling body I slice the leg from another, shooting it in the face with my pistol as it falls. One turns and tries to smash me with a fist but I pivot on one foot to avoid the attack. My blade removes the offending appendage and I shoot it three times in the face. Now Athena and I are even.
I quickly roll to the side as gunfire erupts around my position. Two loaders are trying to bring me down with their useless weapons. Although I admit I am a bit envious of Athena's shield. It is quite handy. Activating my cloak and double I easily maneuver away from the enemy fire and into striking range.
As my double is destroyed it hurls the explosive projectiles in all directions, striking the two offending loaders. With the foes knocked off balance I grab onto ones leg, pulling myself onto its shoulder where I hack off its head. As the body falls I leap towards the next one, twisting in the air as it tries to shoot me down. I grab the extended arm, stabbing my sword into its chest as I use my momentum to spin on the arm. I end up cutting a large hole in the robot. It topples to the ground in pieces.
I turn to see the last of the loaders cut down with a burst from Maya's SMG. A rather accurate burst to the head. It seems the lessons have paid off. She looks at me and I can see her smile. I also not a shade of red entering her cheeks, the colour of blood. I really need to ask someone what this means.
I can hear Athena's soft footsteps as she emerges from the alley beside me. She looks at me and I cant help but smirk.
"Five," I say simply knowing she will understand the meaning.
I can see her visibly huff, eyes narrowing. I now lead by three. The sound of more loaders landing draws everyones attention. My eyes lock with Athena's blue ones. Her lip twitches faintly, pulling it into a barely recognizable grin. We both take off as fast as our legs will carry us. Luckily mine are longer so I reach the group first.
Athena rolled her shoulders as they walked back to the fast travel station. Today has been a pretty good day. Lots of killing. It was actually kind of...fun. She cant remember ever actually using that word before. But from her understanding of its meaning, she did have fun. Her and Zero had been engaged in a contest for most kills. It ended in a draw since both of them ended up hacking the last loader to death at the same time.
She has also enjoyed watching him fight today. His skill is utterly astounding. He flows like water when he fights. She is impressed. That doesn't happen often. She has to admit to actually being excited at the prospect of their duel. Their styles were different so it would no doubt prove to be not only challenging but also very interesting.
She looked away from the assassin to the rest of the group, who stood waiting by the new fast travel station. Most of them looked up at their approach. Athena noted that the Sirens gaze was fixed on Zero for a moment. They came to a stop by the group, the assassin was standing right beside her. She noted the Siren's gaze shifted to her and gave her a...strange look, it wasn't something she could identify.
"So who won?" Asked Gaige, a smile on her face.
"It was a draw." Athena answered simply.
"Wow. Either Zee is getting rusty or you are just hella badass." The girl gave another beaming smile. "Im gonna go with you just being totally awesome."
"Thanks." Athena knew her response came out somewhat awkward. Probably because it felt so awkward to have someone being so nice to her. Without hitting on her.
"So you gonna come back to Sanctuary with us?" The girls eyes almost became pleading. "Pleeeeeasseee! You are super awesome and we could use another badass fighter."
"Laying it on a little thick there Gaige." Said the soldier, Axton. "Seriously though, you fight good. We definitely wouldn't mind having you along."
Athena could see and feel the soldiers eyes roving over her. God, he was like a male version of Janey. Although Janey had at least been...more to her liking.
"Not a good idea." She replied, shaking her head.
"Look, whatever Lilith's problem is with you, it'll be fine. We will all vouch for you! Right guys?" Gaige looked around at the group, all of whom nodded their heads in agreement. Even Zero and Maya. Although the Siren seemed to be hesitant about it.
"I...appreciate that. But its not that easy." She knew these people were nice. But she was also aware their kindness would probably dissapear once they found out why Lilith hated her.
"Why not? Whats the deal between you guys? You try to kill her or something?"
"Other way around," Athena muttered.
"What?! Why?" Gaige was shouting, her eyes wide with surprise.
Athena wanted to avoid giving an answer. She could have just blathered something about it being complicated. But she also wanted to be honest. Deep down a part of her wanted to go to Sanctuary. She wanted somewhere that she could fall back to, somewhere she knew would be relatively safe. She needed supplies desperately and Sanctuary was the best place to get them.
But to do that she would need to come clean. Athena may not know much about interacting with people beyond a professional level, but she did know these kind of things were better told then discovered. She was also aware that once it came out they would probably rescind their offer to bring her to Sanctuary. Hell they would probably attack her. Well some of them might. She didn't think Gaige would, the girl seemed far to nice for that. Zero also probably wouldn't care.
"I...used to work for Jack." Silence, utter silence.
Gaige's eyes were wide with shock. The short man, Salvador, looked just as shocked/confused. Axton's grip tightened on his rifle. The Sirens eyes narrowed on her, fist clenching, likely in preparation to summon her powers. Zero gave no reaction at all.
"It was back before he became CEO of Hyperion and a total asshole. Long story short he hired me to help stop a rouge Dahl force from destroying Elpis. In doing so we uncovered a vault. By the end he was the murderous bastard we know today. Lilith and Roland tried to stop us but they failed. Jack came to power because of me. Now I am trying to set things right." Athena let out a heavy breath as she finished. That was probably the longest she had ever talked at once in her whole life.
The silence was almost deafening. Athena instantly began regretting her choice. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Still, they hadn't attacked her yet. That was something.
"I still think you should come." Gaige broke the silence, that smile was right back on her face.
"What?" Athena blurted the word out without even thinking.
"Yeah. Look we have all done some stupid shit that we regret. The point is you are out here trying to set it right. You just killed a fucktone of loader bots. Plus you probably saved Maya's life. If Lilith wants to make an issue of it she can take up up with me and DeeTee."
Athena felt her lip twitch into a smile. She was utterly taken off guard by this girls sincerity and acceptance. The assassin in her warned her it could be a trap. But she refused to believe Gaige would do that.
"You guys with me?" The girl looked around at the assembled group."
"Oh yeah," Said Salvador, a grin on his face. "But lets avoid fighting the scary Siren, okay?"
"We've all done dumb shit. As long as you are helping to kill Jack then I got your back. Besides I don't really want to go against you." Axton grinned as he spoke. "Plus it could be nice having you around." He winked at her then and Athena almost rolled her eyes.
"Zee?" Gaige looked at the assassin.
"Agreed." He nodded his head to Athena.
"Maya?" Gaige gave what was probably the worlds best puppy dog eyes.
"Yeah," The Siren muttered her answer. "You helped me out when you didn't have to. I'll talk to Lilith."
"I..." Athena had no clue what to say. She was not used to a single person being nice to her, let alone a whole group of people. "Thank you." She really hoped it sounded sincere because she actually meant it.
"No problem! You are one of us now!" Gaige said happily, wrapping and arm around Athena's shoulder. "To Sanctuary!"
The girl pulled her towards the fast travel station, arm still around her armoured shoulders. Athena could only hope everything with Lilith went down as smooth as this had. She doubted it would. If it came to a fight...well she had beaten the Siren once, she could do it again.
There was the familiar flash of light, the familiar chill of being digistructed ran through her body. Then her vision cleared, her body returned to the real world. Gaige's arm was still around her shoulders. The girl released her hold and stepped forward, gesturing dramatically.
"Welcome to Sanctuary!"
Athena look around. They were in a circular room. A shattered window gave a clear view out into what was probably the center of the city. Scorch marks and holes marred the pavement, there were also a fair amount of blood stains. A few people looked in her direction as they passed but nothing more than a glance.
"Alright, now lets go have a chat with our Firehawk." Gaige headed out of the room. Axton and Salvador quickly followed her.
Athena looked back to see Maya look at Zero for a long second, then to her before following. The gladiatrix sighed as she followed. This was a bad idea. She couldn't hear Zero's footsteps behind her but she felt him following.
They entered into a medium sized building nestled between too larger ones. A guard clad in what looked like bits of crimson lance armour, stood outside. Gaige waved happily to him as she walked inside. Athena had almost forgotten that the Raiders were formed from remnants of the Crimson Lance. She wondered if any of them would remember her. She doubted it. Anyone that had actually seen her face was dead.
The room inside was dusty and there was various clutter scattered across the counter where a woman sat. She seemed completely absorbed in whatever she was hunched over. They walked past the woman and up the stairs. They passed what looked like a rec room and headed towards the room beyond. It contained various monitors and a holotable. Athena immediately recognized the two figures standing on opposite ends.
"Roland! Firelady!" Shouted Gaige, practically skipping into the room as she hugged the Siren and then Roland, who looked just as uncomfortable as Athena had.
"It's good to see you guys safe." Said Roland in his usual level tone.
"We were starting to worry about ya." Lilith smiled at the girl, ruffling her hair slightly. "Shoulda known better."
"Damn right! Nothing can stop us!" Gaige declared proudly.
The others began filing into the room, offering their greetings. Athena made sure to enter after Zero, his tall frame hiding her for as long as possible. She kept a tight grip on her sword and was ready to deploy Aspis. The odds of Lilith attacking were pretty high.
"What happened to you guys anyway? I was-" Lilith stopped talking as her eyes finally landed on Athena. "What the fuck?!" The Sirens arm immidiatly lit up with her powers and she took one step forward before Gaige jumped infront of her.
"Woah! Hang on! She's a friend!" The girl put her hand on the Sirens shoulders, seemingly unafraid of her powers.
"What?! This bitch is-"
"We know she used to work for Jack." Gaige was speaking quickly. "But she is fighting him now. She saved Maya's life then helped us fight off a tonne of loader bots."
"Oh no! I'm gonna fucking kill her!" The Siren tried to side step the girl but Rolands hand landed on her shoulder.
"Stop Lilith." His voice was commanding.
"She tried to kill us!" The Siren whirlled on him, the anger evident in her tone.
"Lets just hear her out. She obviously isn't here to kill us now."
"She isnt!" Shouted Giage. "She is totally on our side! And she is our friend!"
Friend? Athena stared a bit dumbstruck at the redheaded girl. She had never been referred to as a friend before. Well Janey had but she also wanted to be more than friends. As far as she could tell Gaige didn't have those kinds of feelings. Could the younger girl really view her in such a regard to quickly?
"She's a killer!" Lilith was seething as she shouted, her tattoo's flared as her fists clenched tightly at her side. Athena gripped her blade tighter.
"We all are!" Gaige waved her hands frantically as she shouted back, seemingly totally unafraid of the Siren. "Zee is an assassin but you don't care about that. What's the difference?"
"This is-"
"That's enough Lilith." Rolands voice was still calm but firm. He fixed Athena with a hard, calculating stare. "What do you want Athena?"
"To kill Jack." She said flatly, she really didn't know how to convince them. It should be pretty obvious she wasn't working for Jack anymore. If she was then she would have killed them all.
"That doesn't really prove anything."
"The only proof I can give is actually killing him. I'm working towards that but it's not easy." Right now her only actually proof was the twenty two loader bots she had killed while helping the Vault Hunters earlier today. "Look," She sighed. May as well try a slightly different tactic. "I recognize the part I played in Jack's rise to power. Now I am trying to fix it. No contract, no payment. This is my choice." The lack of a contract had been painfully obvious due to her inability to afford the majority of supplies.
"Alright," Roland gave a faint nod. "Welcome to the Raiders."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Lilith was practically shaking with rage.
"Thank you Roland!" Gaige shot forward to give the larger man a hug once again, completely ignoring the incredibly enraged Siren. "Come on Athena, I'll show you around!" She quickly grabbed the gladiatrix by the hand and led her out of the room. Despite being slightly uncomfortable with the action, Athena did not resist. She had no issues with leaving Lilith's presence.
The headquarters was small so it only took Gaige a few minutes to show her around. Athena was now standing alone in 'her room.' Apparently each of the Vault Hunters had their own private room. The room contained a cot pressed against the west wall with a nights stand at the head and a trunk at the foot. A window on the south wall allowed natural light to stream inside. Athena's first action was to close the blinds and cut off all sightlines into the room. After that she simply…stood there. She actually had a room. A bed. Her first instinct was to fall onto the mattress and catch up on the many hours of lost sleep. However her mind was drifting to something more…enticing. There were showers here.
Athena was quick to leave her room and head towards the showers with determined strides. She had been surprised to find out that the showers were personal rather than group showers. Of course only one person could shower at a time. Still, it was nice. She walked into the women's shower and quickly locked the door behind herself. She noted the rack of towels near the door. With practised movements she shed her armour and clothing within moments. She rested both her sword and shield near the shower itself. Easily within reach.
Turning on the tap she was greeted by a blast of ice cold water. She didn't even flinch as it hit her skin. She was well accustomed to cold showers. However much to her approval the water soon began to heat up and within a moment steaming hot water was running down her skin. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she stood under the water, taking a few seconds to actually enjoy it.
She quickly shifted her attentions to scrubbing her body as clean as possible. She had noted a rack of cleaning supplies, both for skin and hair. However a quick sniff indicated all of them had powerful aromas therefore she decided against their use. Such smells could easily give her away in the right conditions. It was most tactically sound to smell as neutral as possible. Her cleaning routine took three minutes and ten seconds. Once she was done with that Athena simply stood under the water. She delighted in the feeling as it ran over her entire body. This was one of the few luxuries she wished she could experience more often. She had always enjoyed a nice hot shower. In fact she enjoyed it so much she permitted herself to stay like this for exactly five more minutes.
Athena turned off the shower and walked towards the towels. As she began drying her body her eyes fell on her dirty and battered clothing. She would have to repair the tears and holes. As for the blood, dirt, oil and various other bits of grime...she would need to do something about that. They were beginning to smell quite strongly. Picking up the clothing she headed back to the shower and rinsed the garments out under the water. She did her best to get them clean before ringing them as dry as possible.
Her task completed she put the damp clothing back on. Slinging the towel over her shoulder she gathered her armour and weapons before heading back to her room. Once there Athena stripped out of the damp clothing, handing it along the head and foot of the bed to dry. Once she was certain her door was locked she leaned Aspis against the head of the bed before finally laying down on the mattress. She was certain the softer beds existed, but to her it was perfect. She gripped Xiphos tightly in her sword arm, the blade resting on her right side. She let out a contented sigh as her eyes closed, maybe this wouldn't turn out to be such a bad choice.
"Want another one sugar?"
"Mhm." Maya nodded her head to the bartender, not bothering to lift it up from its resting place in the crook of her arm.
The bartender poured her a fresh drink, giving Maya a full view of her ample bosom as she did. Of course it was probably more due to Maya's position and a force of habit from the bartender. She had stopped hitting on Maya at every opportunity after realizing the Siren wasn't really interested. Now it was more to tease than anything.
"Wanna talk about it?" Asked Moxxi, looking down at the Siren.
"No, it's fine." Maya mumbled her answer as she took a swig of her new drink. This was her third one in a row, she had downed the other two within five minutes.
She really didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to talk to someone but the other part told her that it was incredibly stupid and she just needed to stop being a baby. She had been wandering around Sanctuary for the past two hours trying to get her mind off this foolishness. At first she had distracted herself with trivial things like restocking supplies, getting a new suit. Of course that only last so long before her thoughts came back to the same thing.
"Oh I recognize that look. Somebody is love-struck."
"What?! No!" Maya's head shot up to look at the bartender with wide eyes.
"Oh hun, you can't lie to me." The bartender chuckled faintly at the Sirens outburst. "Why are you so down?"
"It's stupid" Maya sighed as she looked down at her drink for a second before swallowing a good portion of it. She had been hoping that the alcohol would either give her some clarity on the situation or help her forget about it. Not her greatest idea in retrospect.
"Matters of the heart are never stupid."
Maya looked back up at the bartender, surprised by the sincerity in her words. She was also giving Maya a warm, kind look, one that she had never seen from the flirtatious bartender before. She couldn't not remember ever hearing Moxxi be so serious. She didn't even have her trade mark smirk or grin on. As she thought about it, Maya supposed there were worse people to talk to. Besides, she could really use some advice right now.
"It really is dumb." Maya mumbled, once again realizing just how ridiculous it all was.
"Let me be the judge of that. So who is it that's caught your eye? Most men would leap at the chance to be with you." Moxxi smiled at the Siren. "Or woman." She gave a flirty wink at that point. It actually made Maya chuckle, which she was grateful for.
"He...uh...isn't exactly your normal guy." Maya was still uncomfortable talking about it. After all she had only come to terms with her feelings earlier that day.
"Oh hun I don't think we even know what normal means around here." Moxxi chuckled a bit and Maya joined her. She was increasingly grateful for the bartenders company.
"He is...extra not normal." She wasn't sure if she should say the name. There were only a few patrons at the bar and none of them were close enough to overhear. Still...ugh this was embarrassing. Maya took another drink.
"Are you ever just going to admit that it's Zero?"
"What?!" She began coughing as she almost spat the drink everywhere.
"Sorry sugar, but it was taking you way too long to say it." Moxxi was laughing as the Siren struggled to regain her composure.
"I don't-it's not-" She could feel her cheeks heating up and sighed in defeat, slouching against the bar. "How did you know?"
"I see and hear things." Moxxi smirked at the statement.
"I don't know what to do."
"Well admittedly that is a doozey. Zero is pretty odd. But nothing you can't work around. I would say find out how he feels, but that is probably impossible. Why not just talk to him?"
"I can't do that!" Maya practically shouted, her posture going rigid.
"Why not?"
"Because its...awkward."
"Welcome to romance sugar," Moxxi smiled faintly. "Is that why you are so down? Can't figure out how to score with the sexy assassin?"
"I-" Maya was about to shout how she didn't want to score with Zero, how she didn't have a crush on him. But that would be stupid. She had already admitted it. "For the most part." She sighed again, slouching in her stool once more.
"Is it something else to do with Zero?" Moxxi spoke as she refilled Maya's glass. Something the Siren was incredibly grateful for.
Maya took a long drink before she answered. "Yeah...kinda."
"And?"
"I don't..." She really didn't know what to say. It was by far the craziest and stupidest part of all her feelings.
Moxxi opened her mouth to speak but her eyes looked up and locked at something behind Maya.
"Well I'll be damned. Never thought I would see you again." The bartenders voice sounded pleasant as ever, but her free hand visibly went to the pistol at her hip.
"Moxxi." Came the curt reply.
Maya spun in her chair to see Athena walking into the bar. She noted that the gladiatrix's clothes appeared cleaner than last time. Her shield was still strapped to her arm and that scarf was wrapped over her head.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'm looking for Zero." Athena's eyes scanned the room as she spoke.
Instantly Maya felt herself scowl as she heard the words. Why was this woman so obsessed with Zero? God it was like all she did was talk about him. Okay maybe that was a bit unfair…and crazy. But she had never seen the gladiatrix talk to anyone other than Zero. What did she like him or something?
"Haven't seen him. 'Course that doesn't mean much." Moxxi looked around the bar. "Hey Zero, you here?" She shouted across the bar. A few patrons looked up but the assassin did not appear.
"Guess not." Moxxi said with a shrug.
"Alright." Athena turned on her heel and marched out of the room.
Maya turned back to her drink and immediately downed the rest of it. She really didn't know why the gladiatrix bothered her so much. Really she had only talked to Zero two or three times. But that was more than anyone else besides Maya. She tried to stay rational about it, tried to say they were only talking about their duel. But everytime she saw the other woman talking to Zero, she just got insanely...jealous, if she was honest.
"Well I think I see what's bothering you now." Moxxi chuckled faintly as she looked at the Siren.
"What?"
"Somebody jealous of a certain purple haired woman and her time with a certain assassin?"
"No! I'm just...I don't know." Maya sighed in defeat. "I just...whenever she is around him or talking about him I get so...I don't know. Jealous I guess."
Moxxi chuckled and Maya knew it was at her ridiculous behaviour. She didn't care at this point though. She had already started venting, may as well finish.
"I don't get it. I mean if he talks to Gaige or anyone else I don't care. I am usually excited because he is actually talking to other people. Not that he ever does." Once more she was reminded that Zero only people Zero ever actually initiated a conversation with was her...and Athena. "But whenever he and Athena talk...I dunno. Just gets me mad. They have only talked like two or three times! I don't get it."
"Its pretty simple." Moxxi shrugged her shoulders but smiled. "You like Zero and it's pretty obvious that he and Athena would get along well. You don't want her to steal your man."
"But Zero and I aren't even...you know, together or anything." Annoyingly she could feel herself blush at the mere thought of actually being with Zero.
"That's because you are too chicken to say anything to him."
"I'm not-" Maya groaned loudly and thumped her head on the bar. "I just don't know what to do." She mumbled into the wooden surface.
"Alright, look at me."
Maya slowly raised her head to look at the bartender. She was met with a surprisingly gentle look. But still hard enough to make sure the Siren took her seriously.
"You are going to talk to Zero. Just tell him how you feel. I know it'll be weird. But it's usually those quiet types that are the sweetest. Besides, I have a feeling he likes you too."
"What?!" Maya's eyes went wide as the words sunk in. "How do you know?"
"Like I said, I hear things. You are the only person he talks to. He actually spends time with you," Moxxi grinned. "You think he gives you those sniping lessons because he is bored?"
"How did you..." Maya's only response was a wink. "But what about Athena?" The two of them seemed to already be getting along. It took Maya way longer to get Zero to interact with her.
"I am sure they are just excited to fight eachother."
"But-"
"Trust me sugar. She is far more likely to go after you than Zero." Moxxi grinned wickedly at Maya with the statement.
She looked at the bartender, mildly confused for a moment. Then the words actually sunk in. "Oh...really?" She tried not to sound excited at the idea of Athena not being attracted to Zero, she probably failed.
"Really. Now go and get yourself cleaned up and figure out how you are going to get your man." Moxxi pulled the empty glass away and gave Maya a warm smile before shooing her away.
"Thanks Moxxi. I really appreciate it." She returned the bartenders smile. She was glad that she had someone to talk to about this. She normally would have chosen Lilith. But the other Siren was probably still yelling at Roland.
Maya gave the bartender a final goodbye before she headed back to the HQ. She would have a nice shower and try to figure out just what to do. She would take Moxxi's advice and just talk to Zero. After all, it would be better than just sitting around and mentally torturing herself. She found herself smiling as she left the bar, in a far better mood than she had entered.
Moxxi watched the Siren leave. It was obvious she was in a far better mood now than when she had ordered that first drink. She had meant every word she said to the Siren. She just hoped her hunch about Zero was wrong. That could complicate things.
Yay! Another chapter! Sorry I didn't manage to get this posted earlier. Although I did end up getting to add more so YAY!
Not much to say about this one. I realize that Moxxi may seem a bit OOC in this one. However I always imagined her being a pretty good person to talk to about romance. I feel like the would actually be very genuine and caring towards someone struggling with their feelings. It was nice to show that side of her.
The only other problem I can see people having with this chapter is Athena's acceptance into the Raiders. I just felt like Roland could be very practical about the situation. Athena's skill cannot be doubted. She would be incredibly useful towards the Raiders. Also with Roland being a former soldier he could understand Athena's professionalism towards remaining loyal to her contract with Jack earlier. Just felt like Roland could be logical about it. Lilith, not so much.
I hope you all liked it!
More fun stuff in coming!
As always feel free to PM me with questions, concerns, or ideas.
I greatly appreciate every review, follow and fav. The support for this story has been incredible! Thank you all very much! You are wonderful people! :)
Stay Classy!
