Acacia always had a taste for dark places where she could flaunt her skills as a bounty hunter. It was predictable really, she was not only a Valkyrie but Dark also. There wasn't a Valkyrie that lived that was anything but Dark, and the enticement of killing was embedded in each Dark's character. Tamsin knew exactly where she would find her, the one place where any bounty hunter could go to sustain their livelihood. A place not too dissimilar to Brazenwood, somewhere one could drink, fight and kill without consequence. It was a place where all the unwanted Fae went to drown their issues at the bottom of a beer keg and others to satisfy their hunger for blood. It was the Nether. A town that was so Dark, the sun was rumoured to never shed its light on any of the surfaces within it. The Valkyrie was sure she would find her old mentor there, she would bet her life on it.
The Valkyrie had decided to travel directly there, without going back to the apartment that she had rented out. Fatigue was starting to set in, she had imagined she would have all her answers by now – but she was determined to get them before she would relax. She had wandered the dim streets, stepping over the homeless Fae that slept on the floors and avoiding any litter that drifted through the air. She hadn't been to this place, ever. Entering one of the bars, she knew why. It was disgusting, not even she would stoop so low to get a job from this place. But Acacia was less proud. She was more about getting the job done.
The bar was dark, matching the ambience of the whole town. In the centre two Fae were fighting, Tamsin imagined it would've been over a spilt drink or something else along those petty lines. She rolled her eyes and strutted towards the bar itself, leaning her arms folded on the uneven wooden surface. A couple of men eyeballed her, as if to analyse why a woman like her would be entering their territory. However upon completing their investigation, they were quick to notice that Tamsin was more powerful than she first appeared. Tamsin of course was fully aware of their analytical stares, and concluded the reason why they didn't try and hit on her was because they had seen a Valkyrie before. Possibly Acacia?
She turned and grinned at one of the men who stood next to her. Tamsin concealed her disgust at his stench, offending the man wouldn't get her any information. "I'm looking for someone." She told him, his gaze had turned to the beer in his hand but Tamsin knew that he was listening intently. Valkyrie had a way with intimidating people. There were only a few of them that still remained on this earth but every Fae who heard of the species knew why to fear them. Harbingers of death, instillers of fear and doubt. Any Fae who chose not to fear the deadly women were fools, even more so the Fae who chose to cross them.
"Aren't we all?" He grunted, a small laugh escaping him. He chugged a large gulp of his drink, and Tamsin knew that from the smell of his breath he was already two sheets to the wind. Was this really what she had been brought down to? Asking for leads from drunkards in the Nether? There was a time where she was proud and noble, only fighting in the largest of wars and serving no one but herself. How pitiful it was that she had fallen so far from glory.
Swallowing her pride, she decided that this was the last act of desperation on her part. She would find Acacia and ultimately her mark. Then she was free to live how she pleased. She didn't have to serve the Wanderer, the Morrigan or anybody. She would be her own Fae. "I'm looking for another Valkyrie." She scrunched her nose, a grin still on her face. "Acacia. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"
The man snorted and nodded at the same time. "That old bitch has been taking our work for decades." He took another gulp of his favourite poison. "She's usually in the back. It's where the board is, next to the ring."
Tamsin raised an eyebrow. "The ring?" She repeated out loud.
He turned his gaze to her, confused. "Some Valkyrie you are. You've never been here, have you?" He shook his head, almost disgusted that the woman next to her must have thought herself too good for this place. "The fighting ring. Fae but wagers on other Fae. You know, like a boxing match with no rules?" He nodded his head towards the end of the room, in the direction of two large wooden doors that were closed.
The Valkyrie sighed, irritated by the Fae judging her. "Thanks." She muttered, although she lacked the conviction in her appreciation.
Tamsin lifted herself off of the bar and sauntered towards the back room, her hand pushing one of the doors open with ease. The room was practically empty. The Fae wasn't lying about the ring, in the centre of the room there was a large caged ring that was still covered in blood and dirt from presumably the previous fight. The room was a stark contrast to the drinking area she was just in. Here the walls were bright, white paint still looking like it was dripping from the walls. Upon further inspection, it was just where it had aged and was now peeling off. A few lights were on and lit the room generously, however one irritably flickered on and off, making a buzzing noise each time it did so. There were hardly any seats, but Tamsin noticed a few tables at the back of the room, still with a few patrons passed out with their drinks still in their clutches. One woman still remained conscious, taking a drink and reading some case file. Immediately the blonde recognised her. It may have been decades, but she would never forget what Acacia looked like. The Valkyrie boldly walked over to the woman, who hadn't even bothered to look up at the blonde.
"If you want someone gone, it's 10k. You want me to get rid of the body too? That'll be an extra five." The older woman grumbled, flicking the pages of the file in front of her.
The blonde couldn't help but let out a laugh and roll her eyes. "Oh Acacia, your prices are a tad ridiculous." She teased.
The older woman snapped her gaze up almost the same time as when Tamsin laughed. Acacia would know that laugh anywhere, she spent long enough listening to it centuries ago when she raised her. "You bitch." She grunted, standing up and slamming her files down. She followed her insult with a scoff. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get back to work after your fuck up?!" She pointed at Tamsin accusingly, who could say nothing in response, only look on in confusion. In any situation, the chestnut haired woman could never stay mad at the blonde for too long. Even if the younger woman made her lose her hand. "I swear to god, I'd hit you but I'm scared of breaking the damned thing." She shook her head and sat back down. "I'll just have to make you pay later. Take a seat, tell me what you're doing here in this shithole."
Tamsin let out a sigh. Obviously she did something to piss Acacia off in her past life time, she didn't know whether or not to appreciate the fact she didn't remember, or regret it knowing that Acacia will punish her later on. She liked to predict people's actions before they made them, however if she didn't know what exactly she did to the older woman then she would be oblivious. Hopefully Acacia could shed some light on her past life. Tamsin took a seat opposite the older Valkyrie and leant against its back. "Well…" She started, not sure exactly what to ask first. She wanted to get straight to the point about the Wanderer. But she would need to do a bit of explaining first. "I don't exactly remember what happened. Acacia I…" She sighed and looked down, almost embarrassed to continue. For a Valkyrie to admit to another that she had been reborn was frowned upon. It was embarrassing to talk about their expiration, and if it were any other Valkyrie other than Acacia, she would probably be ridiculed for being weak. But at the end of the day every Valkyrie expired, it was just Tamsin may have been close to the end but she was nowhere near to expiring. If Acacia had met her in her last months, she knew that. Acacia would know that she had been killed by someone somehow, and showing her weakness was not something Tamsin was so ready to do for anyone. "I uh…" She sighed and looked away. "I was reborn."
Acacia leant back in her own chair. Since she had her hand taken by the Wanderer, she hadn't tried to make contact with Tamsin. Instead she was recuperating from her torture. For the blonde, she would have endured far worse. But the mess that Tamsin got herself in, Acacia decided she needed to allow her to endure it herself. It was evident at the time that Tamsin did not want to give Bo in, she dug her own grave. It just saddened her that because of her stupid choices, she had to waste another rebirth. "I see." Although she disapproved of the blonde's decision, she didn't judge her. Tamsin was practically her daughter. She loved her unconditionally, nothing would change that. "What's the last memory you have of your past life?"
Tamsin let out a sigh of relief, glad that the woman hadn't laughed at her or judged her. She could handle anybody's judgements, but if Acacia were to be disappointed in her then it would destroy her. Of all the people she had ever met, the older Valkyrie was the only one she had ever let in. Ever loved. "Nothing of worth. Just working for the Morrigan like some sort of lapdog, something that I've inherited into this life." She shook her head and frowned. "After that, everything's black."
The older Valkyrie laughed. Having her protégé describe herself as a lapdog was amusing, they both knew she was much more than that. So, Tamsin had no recollection of Bo and Tamsin's ridiculous decisions. Now she was here, presumably wanting the answers. "Right…" She muttered, smiling at the blonde. "So you want me to fill you in on what happened after, right?"
The blonde shrugged. "You got me." It was the unwritten rule of the Valkyrie not to ask about their previous lives, anything that they've forgotten. To them, it must have been forgotten for a reason. No point in digging up what had been buried. But Tamsin needed to know, it wasn't about petty curiosity. It was about ending her contract. It was about saving her life. About redemption. When she reached her final death she wanted to go in peace, free of the evil she had lived with. "Look, I'm not asking for war and peace. I don't care about what a bitch I was, who I boned or whatever." She scrunched her nose and tilted her head to the side. "I know I met my mark. The mark." Acacia's smile fell, a more serious look in her eyes now taking over. "I want to know who it is, where they are, why I didn't bring them in and…" She paused, watching Acacia look away. "How do I find them?"
How was it, that Tamsin knew she'd met her mark? It would have been so much easier for the blonde to have forgotten every detail, rather than bringing her shit into this life. Acacia grumbled, not wanting for the young protégé to make the same mistakes and bring herself to her end in this life cycle also. But maybe, if she had no recollection of the Succubus now, she would have no qualms in shipping her off to the Wanderer? A small smile crept back to her lips, there was hope yet. "If you forgot everything, how is it you know about your mark?"
"A tarot card." She stared intensely at the other woman, knowing that she was so close to the answers she needed. "I woke up in some human hospital. When I discharged myself, they gave me whatever stuff they found me in back. The tarot card was inside my jacket."
Acacia nodded and sighed. "I heard those places are almost as shit as the place we're sat in." She let out a laugh, but when Tamsin didn't return her sense of humour she sighed. Obviously the blonde wanted her answers, fast. "Fine." She grunted. "Your mark? You two got close before you found out you needed to take her in. She made you soft around the edges, you lost your touch!" Acacia pulled out a cigarette from her jacket, lit it and put it to her lips. "That's when I came in. I tried to help you, he knew you found her. He was threatening to kill you if you didn't bring her in pronto." She let smoke flow from between her lips and drift away through the air. "I gave you all the tools you needed to weaken the bitch. But would you?" She took the cigarette away from her lips, again letting the smoke flow. "No fucking way you would. Jesus TamTam, I didn't know who you were!"
Tamsin smiled and put her tongue to the end of her mouth, to prevent herself from cursing. The blonde leant forward, her hands pressing on the table. First Bo, now her mark? Tamsin never got close to anybody. But now apparently she had a friend in her past life, and another that was the one she was supposed to bring in? Acacia wasn't the only one who didn't recognise her. Whoever this woman was in her past life, it certainly wasn't Tamsin. "Enough. Just tell me who 'she' is, and how to find her."
"Her name is-"
Before Acacia could give Tamsin a name, the doors to the fighting room flung open. Two men threw a woman in front of both Acacia and Tamsin as she doubled over, her hair covering her face as she held her stomach. Apparently, they had been fighting. The woman had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, but the two men looked worse off with blood covering their noses. Tamsin growled in frustration and stood up, wanting to murder all three of them. However, Acacia raised her hand at the blonde and gestured for her to stand back.
The older Valkyrie spoke up. "What the fuck do you two think you're doing?" She put her hands on her hips, looking like she was scolding the two men. "Do you realise it's rude to interrupt people whilst they're talking?"
One of the men answered her, he looked just as rough as the man at the bar that Tamsin spoke to earlier. "She asked for you, Acacia." He spat some blood onto the floor. "But she aint no Dark. She's some sorta spy, is my guess."
Acacia rolled her eyes and dismissed the two men. They turned and returned to the drinking area, to find another fight. "You wanna tell me who the fuck you are, and what you're doing in the Nether?"
The woman coughed, and stood up properly adjusting herself and straightening her hair out. "I'm looking for Acacia." She muttered, wiping the blood away from her mouth.
Both Valkyrie's eyes widened. "Bo?" Tamsin whispered, eventually blinking. Did this woman always bump into her like this in her past life too? Why was she looking for Acacia too? The older Valkyrie's gaze turned to Tamsin after she spoke. Tamsin told her she had no recollection of what happened in her last months in her past life. So how was it she knew Bo? Did they really just happen to bump into each other?
"Tamsin…" Bo smiled, somehow seeing the blonde settled her a little. Ever since she stepped foot in this decrepit town she felt anxious. The people were rough, the buildings were derelict, and everywhere just stank of death and despair. But why was the blonde here? She was thankful of her presence, but finding Tamsin in a place like this wasn't something she had anticipated. It could have been she just wanted to spend some time with a fellow Valkyrie.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Acacia grumbled. The two had met each other since the blonde's rebirth. That just made everything all the more confusing. She let out a deep sigh and looked back to the brunette. It seemed all three of them were confused. "Pull up a chair, Succubus. I'll get us a drink." She walked towards the bar, past Bo. "You'd better make yourself at home, though. Because this is gonna be one fucking long night."
An: Sorry for the short chapter! Just wanted to get everything lined up for their chat haha. Thank you all for following the story! Hope you guys are enjoying it! P.S, Did we all enjoy the latest Lost Girl episode?