"Christmas soon," Soultar cooed, scraping the blade of a knife along one of his many 'Operating' tables, "Tell me Chryses, what do you wish for?" The sphinx, who was attending to one of the many wires that had managed to dislodge itself, gave him a sideward's glare and flicked her tail in dismissal. "I thought as much," he chuckled, staring at his own reflection in the silver weapon and sitting himself down on the table, swinging his legs like a daydreaming little child. His eyes had captivated him. When did they become so in-human? Completely grey, nothing but the smoky colourer staring back at him. With every year that passed he seemed to stray further away from his species, becoming one of his own. He smiled to himself – the way he looked could never be wrong if he was the only one, the original.
It was true that he never imagined his once frail body reacting like it did to the dark arts that he used. Now that it was a part of him, it seemed to want to make him its own in some respect, changing his body in subtle ways. More muscle, keener senses, unbelievably fast healing abilities...he would even say he looks better. Hansom even, not that that mattered. With his powers he had managed to maintain his youth over the years, only gaining a year or so in what should have been at least one hundred, he wasn't really counting.
Sighing, he put the blade down and watched Chryses, who was still working on fixing cables. She seemed to be in her own world, though he knew she was aware of him staring. She had been his only companion over the last century and she tolerated his mood swings well. In all the time he had known her, she had only done what was best for him...like a protective mother tiger looking out for a cub.
"Is it my pelt that has trapped your gaze? Or the soft human skin that that intrigues your eyes?" She asked suddenly, not turning away from her work. Soultar looked away, a crooked smile taking over his face, "Or perhaps both sides of who I am that encourage your admiring watch, flattered though I am, I would prefer not to ogled at by the likes of any male."
"Never Chryses, never," he laughed dryly, knowing this was as close to a joke you would ever pry from her lips. She twitched her ears slightly, then continued with what she had been doing, her delicate hands moving wires into place. "I'm going to check on one of my treasures, will you be alright here?" he asked, jumping off the table and strolling idly to where his katana rested, its blade leaning against the weapons rack. The hilt was snug in his hand, a perfect fit after years of use. After a few swings of the light sword, he placed it into its scabbard at his side.
"I will be fine," she answered quietly, "But where is your destination?"
"Firstly," he stopped as he secured more blades to his belt and fastened his long coat, "I will be checking on the creature that resides here, you know how her struggling sometimes loosens her bonds," Chryses scoffed in response, "Then, if the night is still young...I'm going to visit the Elf," he waited for a reply but got none, the silence filled with a hint of anger...or disappointment.
The corridors of this cave were filled with the noise of the sea that lay above them. Most of the passageways and tunnels were below water...far below water. Soultar wandered along one of the many routs that he had become so familiar with, snarling at any chimera that approached him. The vile beasts always seemed to be almost intrigued by his presence, but knew that if they got close, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
After a short while, he came to the chamber which held Venus, the once mighty red dragon. He smirked at the sight that greeted him – the colossal monster, already hooked up to the cables, ready for him to use her body for his twisted plans. She moved her golden gaze to him when he advanced towards her, unable to change the position of her head because of the chains that held her in place.
"How are you today my dear friend?" he asked playfully, leaning on one of the huge nails that pinned her powerful wings down. She winced in pain, before giving him a deep growl that emitted from her chest, sending vibrations through the floor. "Not too well then?" He clicked his fingers, causing the torches that were set into the walls to come to life. The light bounced off her crimson scales, creating an illusion that made her glow. She eyed the fire longingly, wishing that her massive jaws were not bound together, so she could reduce this man that had caused her so much pain to ashes. He was playing with something in his hands, it glittered with every movement he made. That watch he always had with him, she thought.
"Still fidgeting with trinkets?" she spoke harshly into his mind and he screwed his face up in pain. Her mental abilities were something he could do nothing about. If a dragon could smirk, that's what she did.
"Bitch," he spat, drawing his sword and plunging it into the soft membrane of her wing before dragging it along for a good meter. She screeched, wriggling fiercely, but the action only made it worse. Still, she noticed, his nose was bleeding, that made the pain ebb slightly. Seeing her gaze on his face, he brought a gloved hand up to the top of his lip and was almost surprised to find blood there. He would have to be careful with this one. Retrieving his weapon from the skin it was still embedded in, making a point to twist it a few times, he gave her his trade-mark lopsided smile.
"I wish I could stay to play your little game longer," he said, wiping the scarlet onto his black trousers, "But, alas I have people to see. Don't worry though. I'll be back tomorrow," she grimaced at his words, knowing he wasn't joking...knowing what he meant. He loved to torture anything weaker than him, or in her case...something that just couldn't fight back.
He took a step away from her, meeting her gaze on last time before disappearing into the air.
"God, you look so beautiful!" exclaimed Taya in one of the grisliest moments she had ever had. Liz blushed, angling her body into a different position as she inspected herself in the mirror.
"You really think so?" she asked, smoothing down the silky green material of her dress. Taya nodded, joining Liz in the mirror. She smiled at what she saw, which was strange, mirrors being one of the many things she took pride in avoiding. She looked...well, not like herself. Her hair had been curled delicately, Goldie-brown locks tumbling over her exposed shoulders. Her dress, plain black and hugging her body perfectly was something she'd bought when her and Liz had gone shopping. Both of them had detested the idea, but both of them came home with more clothes than any man would ever buy in a year. Her jet coloured heels added a little height to her otherwise average frame, but she couldn't walk in them very well. She wasn't too sure why she was making a big deal out of tonight, it was only a formal party, but she found she couldn't resist showing off her feminine side for once. Everything from her painted nails to her shadowy make-up screamed that. She had a bubbling thrill inside of her, one that wouldn't let her loose the smile on her face.
"You look great too," Liz smiled at her in their reflections. Taya's smile widened.
"Thanks," she said, grabbing her bag. "We'd better get going or they'll start without us," grabbing the pregnant woman's hand, she gently pulled her out into the corridors. Surprisingly, waiting for them was a pair of familiar faces. Red and Blue stood, looking very stiff in the tuxedos that had been forced to were. Liz threw herself at her boyfriend, giving him a squeeze,
"Aww, H.B you made an effort this year?" she laughed, linking her arm with his. The demon rolled his eyes, but said nothing. The two began to walk towards the sound of the music. Taya gave Abe a playful glance. He looked so different in a suit, she thought to herself, but he looked a lot better suited to it that Hellboy did.
"May I?" he asked, holding out his arm to her.
"It would be a pleasure," she grinned, putting her arm through his. Together they followed the couple that strode a few meters ahead of them. Little did they know, they were being talked about.
"Have you seen those two?" whispered Liz, nudging Hellboy gently in the side. The giant gave a grunt,
"Yeh, I know," he looked behind him, to see Taya laughing at something Abe had said. They both looked so natural together...well, as natural as a pair of freaks could look. Red shook his head sadly, "But Abe's not gonna fall for anyone again, Liz...he's to...scared," Liz snuggled into Hellboy's side.
"And she'd far too stubborn," they fell silent, walking into the room of the party.
Taya and Blue followed them inside, pausing to assess the situation. Neither of them truly enjoyed social events, but both had made an effort this time around. They tried to ignore the fact that it was to impress and not for themselves. Taking a deep breath, they plunged themselves into the crowed, nervousness plane on their faces. Then Taya saw the alcohol and a smile split her face. Abe saw this reaction and shook his head in amusement,
"Not yet," he warned, "there is a meal first, then the celebrations begin," Abe placed a hand on hers, the one that still rested in the crook of his arm. She looked at it, then at his face, giving him a warm smile. He blinked slowly, trying to decide if that smile was a smile she only wore for him. He swallowed, "I think we should find a seat, before they are all taken," he managed. She nodded in her agreement, clinging to his arm as they shuffled past people.
Taya didn't eat much at the meal, but she blamed that on the fact her, Abe and Krauss were busy discussing their findings. At one point Hellboy, who was sat across from Blue, got sick of hearing about immortals and flung a well aimed pea at Johann's 'head.' The man began to yell, causing Taya to hide an amused giggle and Red to throw another pea. Before it could turn into a full-blown food fight, their antics were stopped by Manning. Liz just about managed to stop Hellboy from throwing his mash potato at his bosses head as he walked away. After the meal, (In which Red managed an amazing fifteen plates of food, along with desert and still complained that he was hungry at the end of it,) the tables were cleared away. Music started again and people began to socialize. This was the bit Taya couldn't handle all too well. Taking a delicate glass of Champaign from a passing waitress, she gulped it down and replaced it before the woman had a chance of moving.
It carried on like this for an hour of so, Taya discreetly drinking as much alcohol as she could without being noticed, until she found she was brave enough to join in with any convocation. Apparently Red had drank a lot to and had high jacked the stage and was now singing 'Hot Blooded,' causing a lot of cheers from the drunker members of the BPRD and a lot of scowls from Manning. The band that had been hired were quite happy to play the music for the giant though, so there wasn't much the bald man could do. Overall, even Taya could say she was enjoying herself. She had found a group of men that were having a shot drinking competition and was now joining in. This felt like the good old days, the only thing that was missing seemed to be a bar fight, but she was quite happy one hadn't broke out quite yet.
Slamming her glass down onto the table, she yelled,
"12th one boys, you're lagging behind a bit," the agents all laughed, before downing their own shots. One of the smaller looking ones coughed it back up again, causing even more laughter. It was at this point she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking around she saw Abe, wearing a nervous smile on his purple tinged face.
"Howdy," she giggled, at this point finding everything and anything funny. Abe became quite aware that the agents Taya was sitting with all had their eyes on him. He cleared his throat,
"May I have this dance?" he ventured, offering out a hand. Taya took a moment to register the softer music that the band was now playing, blissfully free from Red's voice. She also saw all the couples dancing together, holding each other like they never wanted to let go. Taya blushed, before turning to her drinking buddies,
"Sorry lads, prince charming awaits," playful noses of disagreement erupted from the group, but Taya had already found Abe's hand and was clinging to it tightly. They found a place on the dance floor and faced each other, both of them looking at their feet. Then the cat-girl thought of something.
"I can't dance," she said. Before she had time to react, Blue had placed both his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. She gave a startled cry, but was grinning like a cat. Tentatively she looped her arms around his neck and they began to move, awkwardly at first, but their bodies soon began to sway together. All thoughts of anything but each other had left their minds and Taya hoped dearly that it wasn't just the alcohol that was making her want to move even closer to Abe...that she wasn't leading him on in any way or form. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his muscular body tense beneath her touch, her breath warm against the side of his face, sending tingles down his skin. She closed her eyes, feeling more a part of him than anyone else in the world.
"I know this song," she whispered, listening to the lyrics carefully. Yes, from one of her more 'sappy' bands she enjoyed. "Iris, by Goo Goo Dolls...right?" She felt Abe nod against her own head. She held him tighter, so there wasn't an inch to separate them. If he was being truthful to himself now, he had never been this close to a woman...except Nuala...and she had been dying in his arms. He snapped himself away from that thought...breathing in Taya's scent as he took a breath to steady himself. She smelled like...like...the wind and a cool starry night, like nothing he had smelled before. He brought up a hand to stroke her hair, something he had always wished to do, the feeling being something new to him. At this action she berried her head in his neck, relaxing completely in his safe arms. This moment was something he would treasure forever, even if tomorrow he couldn't bear to face her because of his fear...his fear of losing her. He couldn't love, the word was not made for him...it was made for the lucky and the brave. He was neither. But he would enjoy himself now. he would make sure she knew that he would always be there...always.
"Blue..." she said, pulling away from him slightly. "I want you to-"she was cut off by a voice from behind her.
"Erm, may I cut in?" She jumped, turning to see Nuke. She bit her lip to stop a cry of anger from escaping her mouth. But, she couldn't really say no. With an apologetic glace towards Abe, who looked like she'd just slapped him in the face, she allowed the agent to take over.
Feeling rather down hearted, Blue walked away from the dancers and sat down on a chair facing the dance floor and staring at Taya almost longingly. How he wished that moment had gone on forever, the feeling of it still clung to his body. Suddenly Red stalked over, looking miserable. He sat next to Abe, both of them not acknowledging each other's presence at first, staring into nothingness.
"Crappy gas-bag," Red finally exclaimed, frowning. "Stealing my dance." Abe looked at Hellboy, before returning his gaze to the agent and the cat-girl, now laughing about something. "You two, hu?" asked Red, nudging the Fish-Man. He nodded. "All men are the same, with bodies or not."
Abe agreed. Then he was suddenly disturbed by the fact Nuke had just whispered something into Taya's ear and the pair were now headed out of the hall, out onto the BPRD's external premises. Hellboy saw this too, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Your not just going to let her walk away are you?" he questioned. Abe didn't dare move. Was it that clear that he...liked Taya? But as the two disappeared out of view he got to his feet automatically.
"Come on Red, we have to do something!" he decided, marching away from Hellboy. Red was quite surprised, but grinned,
"Now that's fighting talk!" he yelled catching up. The two soon found themselves standing outside, their breath forming in front of them in the cold air.
"But what do I do?" asked Abe, close to despair. He wasn't sure of what he was doing at all, fighting for something that wasn't even his. With Nuala he knew that his feelings were returned...but with Taya, he just wasn't sure about anything. He hoped she wouldn't hate him later for anything he was about to do. Hoped.
Red bent down and plucked something off the floor. Abe saw with a growing horror that it was a small pebble. He tossed it around from hand to hand, a determined look on his face. Blue cocked his head to one side, blinking at the stone.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about this Blue, I'm an expert at spoiling lovely moments. Had a lot of practice," An evil grin split his face.
Yes, Abe hoped no one would hate him after tonight.
A/N: Meep! Finished chapter...finally. A cookie to anyone who can guess what Reds about to do ^^ lol.
Anyhoooo...I recommend you listen to the song by Goo Goo Dolls to get the feel of the moment XP Oh, and don't we all just hate Nuke for spoiling that lovely dace between Abe and Taya? Haha, well all shall be put right...Maybe :3 Loveness to the reviewers!