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Italics = Inner most thoughts
Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'
Chapter 7
"Fuck, where you goin'? I ain't done with you, kitten." Riddick jumps from the bed and follows after Rain, his tone only half joking.
The pleased, carefree smile on Rain's face makes up for the distracting throb between Riddick's legs, but only temporarily. I got more plans for you, babe.His beast rumbles a halfhearted agreement, satisfied with the way things are progressing in the meantime.
"I think I hear Johns calling your name." She heads for the exit outside. "And I'm parched after sippin' nothing but wine for a while. They've probably got more water by now, right?"
Riddick grumbles under his breath as he follows her. Now that he's not as distracted, he can hear Johns' voice too. They find him standing outside a building marked as the 'coring room'. As they watch, he pulls off a tarp half hanging on the buildings' roof, to uncover Jack hidden beneath it. Jack is sporting a newly shaved head and a pair of half broken goggles. Jack's hero worship of Riddick seems to have gone to the next level. Cute.
"Where's Riddick, kid?" Johns demands with a glare up at Jack.
Jack doesn't reply, and gives a very 'Riddick'-like head-tilt, instead.
"Here." Rain interrupts their standoff, and Johns spins around.
"Where you all been?" His voice is irritated as he gives first Riddick, then Rain, a thorough once over. Fuck you, and keep your eyes off my kitten. The beast inside Riddick's mind crouches low and growls.
Riddick replies with silence, moving partially in front of Rain as she answers Johns, "Just checking the place out. Did you need something?"
Johns stares them down before answering, reluctant to believe Rain's explanation. "Paris and Imam's group got the water working better. We're all gettin' together. Come on." He gestures with one hand before stalking away.
Rain follows Johns slow enough for Jack to catch up with her and Riddick before they enter the building where the group has gathered. Jack looks like a miniature Riddick, adorable. The reactions of the others at the sight of Jack are priceless. Lots of raised eyebrows and meaningful looks tossed around.
"It's the winner of the look-alike contest." Paris comments playfully.
Rain can't help but smile as she passes Jack, moving to grab one of the glasses of water on the table in the center of the room. Riddick follows her example before moving to an empty doorway on one side of the spacious room. He keeps one eye on the group as he uses some of his water to clean the grime off his goggles. He's so aloof around everyone else. Avoiding interaction unless necessary. Like me.
Paris and Shazza strike up a conversation about the settlers that used to be here, guessing that they had been geologists.
"Nice of them to leave so much stuff here," Carolyn interjects. "Why'd they leave their ship?"
"It's not a ship, it's a skiff. And it's disposable, really." Johns adds from where he's reclined back in a chair with his feet propped up in front of him.
"It's more like an emergency life raft, right?" Paris, this time.
Shazza sits down before adding her two cents. "Yeah, they probably had a big drop ship take them off planet."
Riddick seems to have heard enough. "These people didn't leave. Come on. Whatever got Zeke, got them. They're all dead." He pauses for dramatic effect, and to put his goggles back on, everyone's eyes on him. "You don't really think they left with their clothes on the hooks, photos on the shelves." He has a good point.
Shazza holds a secret belief that Zeke's death is still somehow Riddick's fault. Her reply is almost angry, "maybe they had weight limits. You don't know."
Riddick's reply is immediate, "I know you don't prep your emergency ship unless there's a fuckin' emergency."
"He's fuckin' right." Jack tries to imitate Riddick's low voice and vulgarity. Oh my god, can Jack be any cuter?
"Watch your mouth." Johns reprimands Jack.
"Hey, he's just saying what we're all thinking." Carolyn stares into space, thinking. She finally turns to Riddick, "so what happened? Where are they?"
Riddick opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, Imam bursts into the room and draws everyone's attention. Wow, I hadn't even noticed him leave, I need to pull myself together and focus.
"Has anyone seen the little one? Ali?"
Riddick finally answers Carolyn, and unknowingly, Imam as well, "has anyone checked the coring room?"
An ominous scream slices the tension of the room. Rain's heart skips a beat in worry. Was that Ali? Imam calls out Ali's name as he darts from the room. The rest of the group clambers to follow Imam.
When Rain tries to scramble after the others, to help search for Ali, Riddick holds her back with a swift grip on her wrist. What is Riddick's fascination with grabbing my wrists?
"Let them go ahead. There's nothing we can do." He keeps his hold firm, but not hurting.
"B-But…" Rain starts to protest, cutting it short when Riddick backs her against the wall and cages her in with his arms. Does everything have to be about intimidation with this man? Wow, he's tall. Focus, Rain, focus.
"We need to have a little discussion of our own first, darlin'. I need a few answers." Riddick pushes his goggles up and stares her down. In the distance they hear Johns fire two shots, and Rain forces herself to stay focused on Riddick.
"Ah, well, okay, about what?" She nibbles on her lower lip, nervous, and Riddick's eyes flick to them briefly.
"To start, how did you get on the Hunter Gratzner? Where are you from? Because when I was marched onto that ship with Johns' gauge at my back, you weren't there. I smelled all the others, 'cept you."
That's a very good question. "Ah, that. I actually don't know how I got there." At the narrowing of Riddick's eyes, Rain pushes on. "Um, in fact, where I come from, space travel isn't even a commercial thing."
Riddick continues to stare at her, silent, and Rain starts to get nervous.
"I'm just a student, you know? Senior level undergrad, at my local University, I want to be a psychologist. I work the nightshift at a hospital, answering phones. I live alone, talk to my mom maybe once a month or something. I'm a recluse, a nobody. No siblings, few friends, and very little money to my name. I have no idea what I did to get me here. I don't even know where here is." Rain finally finishes rambling. God, he probably thinks I'm crazy.
Riddick lets a moment of tense silence pass before continuing. "Another question. What year were you born?"
"Uh…1990?" Why does that matter? Rain is exasperated and confused.
Riddick looks thoughtful as he pulls away and begins pacing. "Hmm. Over five hundred years."
"What? Five hundred years?" Rain runs a hand through her hair and tugs it free from its tie. "I'm so confused right now. Do you know what's going on?" Please tell me.
"Not really." Riddick stops his pacing. "Last question. Back at the crash site, when you first saw me and Johns interrupted, he asked you about your name. Tell me what it means." It was more of a demand, than a question.
Rain raises her eyebrows. "You want to know the story behind my name? It really is a long story."
"Tell me anyway." Riddick insists.
"Um..okay. But can I ask you a few questions first?"
"Hit me." He gives a bored look.
"When you say you smelled who got on the Hunter Gratzner, what does that mean?"
"Exactly like I said. I have a strong sense of smell, and nearly everything has a scent. Sweat, blood, objects, even strong emotions." That's kinda cool.
"You told Jack you had a shine job, and can see in the dark. Do you still see color the same as the rest of us?"
"No. My color range is limited. Mostly shades of purple."
When he doesn't elaborate, Rain continues. "So you'll never see the other colors again? Can you reverse the shine?"
"Too many mercs on my neck, to want to reverse it. There are lenses and filters out there that can fix the color issues, for the right price."
Then it would be all the benefits with none of the disadvantages. Nice. "I see. Final question: Did it hurt to get it done?"
Riddick replies with quirk of his lips and silence.
"Ah, right, no comment. So, the story behind my name, well, I originally come from a small town, a large farming community. My grandfather, my mother's father, was the biggest farmer in the area of our little town. His farm kept our community afloat with its revenue every year. Except one year, the summer my mama was going to give birth to me, there was an epic drought like our town had never seen before. Weeks turned into months with not a storm cloud in sight, and everyone suffered. They used irrigation to get some water to the crops in the beginning, but after a while the rivers just got too low and there was nothing they could do. They had lost hope for any sort of recovery, until the day my mother gave birth to me. The day the drought finally broke. My mama told me that after they took me out of her, and I screamed my first scream, drops of rain came down on the windows of her room, and a downpour started. She said I brought the rain with me, and she forgot whatever else she would have named me, and named me 'Rain' instead. A farmer's life depends on the rain, you know. It's their saving grace."
Rain braces for insult at the end of her story. Please don't make fun of my name. But when Riddick steps up, it's to brush her forehead with his lips, a whisper of a touch, and say, "then it's a fitting name for you."
A/N: Do you have more questions than answers after this chapter? Me too! Review, Review, Review!