"Maybe later, buddy, I think we're about to have a big group moment." Ruffles said to Aesop.
"Gotcha." He said, slinking away.
"I'm sure it will be good." Florian added, briefly turning away from the scene of the gathering crew.
Soon enough the captain made her appearance and set about the task of giving a rousing pubic speech, as people in her position usually have to do. She made a good show of it but the sight of her being cradled by Axel was still fresh in Florian's mind and the whole thing rang hollow. Still, it served its purpose and the canteen was filled with raucous cheers and laughter as Florian watched in obedient silence.
"We're gonna work with Gents over there on a new score. I won' lie to y'all, it's a BIG score, but I reckon we're gonna go a more subtle route. Anyway, see'n as how we're all on the same page now. Any questions?"
Florian coldly over to their self invited guest. How is his suit still in such good condition? Still it did help explain his continued presence. Hopefully this score would be big enough to be worth all the hassle he'd caused them. What Florian had to say would wait until after the meal though, it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to make a scene here. Crew morale was already feeling the tension. He took a seat and helped himself to a few bites of steak but his mind was everywhere at the moment and it was beyond Florian's ability to enjoy it. Typical.
Time passed, so much so that Sprout almost dozed off in Lilith's arms before Cranston entered the room, "Oh, am I interrupting something?"
Sprout sprung backwards, standing up straight against the far wall, sweat trickling down his forehead, "Oh, uh... no! No... We were just..."
He smiled, "Relax, kid. I brought dinner." Cranston handed him a plate with a nice hunk of steak and some mashed potatoes on the side. He took a seat and went to town almost immediately. He hadn't eaten anything all day and steak! His favorite meal!
Cranston turned to Lilith and produced a tall glass with whipped cream and cherry on top, "Figured you'd rather sip something through a straw tonight, so I used some of the stuff we hauled in yesterday to make you a chocolate shake." Cranston chuckled. "Haven't had one of these for quite some time myself, but they're a delicacy around here." He stuck a straw in it and handed it to Lilith.
Pixie had to force herself to finish her meal. After a crew member came by to take it back to the kitchen she got up from her seat to leave. The room boomed, shouting her name as she left. She replied with little more than a half-assed wave before leaving for her room. She knew more than a few of her crew, including the Gentleman, saw through her facade tonight but she really didn't care at this point.
Staggering into her room, she dropped to her knees and hurled half the meal she just ate into the toilet. She sat there, hugging the aluminum idle awhile as her stomach calmed down. It wasn't often heartache manifested into physical illness and it was never pleasant when it happened. What a waste. It was a decent steak.
After flushing the toilet she went over to the sink to wash herself off. Staring at herself in the mirror she shook her head.
What's done is done.
She sighed and turned around to examine her room. She would need booze. Plenty of booze. She'd thought long and hard about what she should do with Lilith and Sprout since this afternoon and it was clear now she'd need the aid of a few drinks to make said decision.
Lilith liked scotch right? Of course she did. Pixie grabbed her oldest bottle of scotch (a bottle about as old as she was) and two scotch glasses before heading out the door.
Aesop sat and cheered along with Pixie and her shouts as he dug into his steak, he had no idea what was going on but morale needed to be kept up. If Pixie was the one, 'Oh who am I kidding, she was the one,' that fucked Lillith up so much then... he still probably wouldn't say anything in front of people. He might say something later, but he had done worse. When Pixie had found him he was stealing water from a disabled boy, he was no saint. He was a coward. But this shit couldn't stand. Still, even if the Valkaries had seen her go apeshit the rest of the crew hadn't and they needed her as the leader to be unquestioning, at least in public. He might say something later... no, no he would. But it would only be a question. Aesop still had no idea why Pixie had brought him on in the first place. A selfish drunk ex cop who abandoned the town he was sworn to protect? Who the fuck would want that. And a beating to a crew member was nothing compared to that.
If it were any other Captain. This was not any other Captain. This was a woman that would kick your ass for being bad at your job but treat you and care for you as family, fucking family. That was what made the maidens. Pixie was not one to beat one of her family within an inch of their lives. Pixie was not the one to leave a loved one bloodied and let others take up the slack. Meredith was a bandit but god dammit she was a hero on these ashes, even if she still sees herself a bandit. A bandit would have ignored that poor disabled boy and taken the water. Aesop was a bandit. He was brought on the right path by a woman who was no selfish sick psychopath. Being here was the closest Aesop came to being a cop again. Beating Lillith, that is just not the Pixie he knew. The Pixie that saved him.
"Fenrir Squad's gonna be comprised of: Smiles, Aesop, Silo, Cameron, Barrot and Ruffles."
"The fuck is this? Team ethnic cleansing?" Aesop yelled. 'Thats right. More repression. Sweet sweet repression.'
He followed the rest of her speech while digging into his down right delicious steak. Jeez it was good. However he was troubled by the mention of keeping the nobles. Why keep them? Why not trade them off? This was weird, maybe he could get a good word from someone who hadn't spent the whole day being a hermit.
"We're gonna work with Gents over there on a new score. I won' lie to y'all, it's a BIG score, but I reckon we're gonna go a more subtle route. Anyway, see'n as how we're all on the same page now. Any questions?"
'Gents? Oh fuck you can't be serious?' He turned to see the bastard, a small smile creeping up on him. It was good that Aesop had almost finished his meal as now his appetite had nearly been taken from him. Why work with him? Was he that worth it? Balls to this, fucking psycho. Silently Aesop continued the rest of his meal.
Axel was a good hugger, and he knew how to give shoulder rubs. It was all starting to fall into place. She isn't as stable as I thought...
Time passed, and she enjoyed the moment far more than she thought she would. She was about to ask the kid if he had fallen asleep, when Cranston entered the room, scaring the crap out of Sprout.
"Oh, uh... no! No... We were just..."
Lilith giggled slightly as she watched Sprout squirm. Same old Sprout.
"Relax, kid. I brought dinner." Lilith's eye sparkled slightly as she watched Sprout quickly tuck into the meal. "Oh god, steak..." She whispered to herself, it seemed the beating didn't put a dent in her appetite. She turned back towards Cranston expectedly.
"Figured you'd rather sip something through a straw tonight, so I used some of the stuff we hauled in yesterday to make you a chocolate shake."
She looked at the milkshake for a few seconds, taking in all its magnificent chocolatey glory. "Cranston, I..."
"Haven't had one of these for quite some time myself, but they're a delicacy around here."
A curly straw too!? A GODDAMN CURLY STRAW! Lilith took the shake from Cranston, cradling it gently, a look of awe on her face. She hadn't had a milkshake in years, let alone with a goddamn awesome curly straw. She placed the straw gently between her lips and took a small drink.
"Oh god, this is like, this is-" She interrupted herself and lowered her mouth to the glass, breathing some of the cream into her mouth, and getting most of it on her nose.
Cream covered Lilith looked at Sprout, grinning widely.
"Gorram curly straw!" She held up a hand towards the man who bore this great gift. "Cranston! Cranston, high five!"
Finishing off his steak with little appetite left Aesop stood up and yelled over to Warren "Hey why don't you tell everybody how I spent the day, I gotta go ask the captain why she's grouping all the brown people together." Aesop headed towards Meredith's cabin, bumping into her on her way out. She was carrying scotch and two glasses and he couldn't help but get a whiff of it. 'Fucking c'mon not now dickhead.'
"Captain I um, can I ask something? I'll be quick I know your busy."
"Captain I um, can I ask something? I'll be quick I know your busy."
Pixie was light-years away when Aesop spoke. She stopped after a few steps, took a second to snap back to reality and turned to him, "What's on yer mind, Aesop?" She asked with a forced smile.
"What's on yer mind, Aesop?" Pixie asked with a forced smile. He knew it was forced, he could read liars well. However Meredith was brilliant liar, if she wasn't able to hide it this time?... fuck.
"Um yeah. What happened to Lillith?" Maybe a bad way to phrase it, but Aesop really didn't know the situation that well.
Pixie stared at him with a blank expression for far longer than was comfortable.
What happened to Lilith?
Pixie didn't even realize she was trembling until she heard the two scotch glasses tapping each other in her hand. She looked him in the eyes and simply said, "I did."
Not wishing to spend another moment dwelling on it, Pixie turned and left down the hallway before Aesop could respond.
Pixie stared at Aesop blankly, no expression. Damn near deadpan and hands trembling. 'Shit, I fucked up this time. Okay I can get out of this just apologise and walk bac-'
"I did"
Aesop was stunned. His body froze as Pixie made her way down the hallway. His mouth hung open in disbelief. This was so fucked up, so god damn fucked up. How the hell could this happen? This is wrong so wrong so god damn wrong! How could she? Was something up that he didn't know about. 'God dammit. If I hadn't gotten my ass stuck in that damn crate I could have seen this, helped or something. Jesus fucking mother fucking fucking fucking christ!' Aesop ran his hands through his hair and panted through his teeth before forcing himself to calm down, mouthing the words to himself he continued his trail of thought. "She was shaking. Obviously felt guilty. Full eye contact, even with just one. So she wanted to make a point. Went off in a hurry, clearly its a bad idea for me to follow her. Its almost like she wanted to shock me so I didn't follow her. Fuck, she's not in control. I don't think I've ever seen her like this." He sighed and stopped for a moment. "God. I'll leave her alone tonight, but I gotta talk to Lillith and see how she is." And Sprout too. If he can handle his momma then... damn little fucker has balls.
Florian left the hall with little fuss, slipping out while everyone was busy digging in and talking among themselves. He hung back from full on trailing the captain totally, she was extremely close to the edge at the moment and pushing her now would be a rookie mistake, it would probably lead to another outburst. That said Florian was no saint and he didn't have enough patience to leave this for another day. He may have understood why she flipped but that didn't mean he could let it stand.
He found Pixie walking through the hallways, geared up for a night on the town.
"We talk, about the girl, now." It was clear to anyone who heard him that it wasn't up for debate.
Pixie was about to weave around him, ignoring him completely until he uttered the word "now". She stopped dead in her tracks and shot him an icy glance. Some of the crew nearby started peeking their heads around the corner to see what was up prompting Pixie to scoff and grab Florian by the arm, leading him into a more private area of the hallway.
After taking a second to collect herself, she placed the scotch and its glasses on a pipe nearby. When she turned back to speak to Florian it was with a sarcastic tone, "Which one're you on about? The girl I sent to the ER'r the one rolln' in 'er grave 'cause I roughed up her sister?"
"Both and the one in the hold." Florian said bluntly, ignoring any scorn pointed his way. His voice drenched in grim disappointment. "That was beneath you."
Pixie bit her lip and her face flushed bright red. A dribble of blood pooled up on her bottom lip before she fired back, "Don' you think I know that!? Don' you know I'd give my worthless fuckn' life fer either of them?!" Seething with anger, she attempted to calm herself by placing a trembling hand on her forehead and aggressively ran her fingers through her bangs. "Look, I didn' ask fer your god damn input on this, okay, so back the fuck off!"
"You're afraid of your emotions because this girl is close to you... but she isn't. You let her hurt you because she does not know you, cannot begin to know you and this is a good thing. What do you think would happen if she learned who you are? What would become of her? She would be destroyed, outcast, maybe even hunted. We have already hurt her and we will hurt her more before the end, would you add this to her burden as well? The two of you cannot be friends, cannot be family. But you can do what family would do for her."
He wasn't speaking as a priest here. This was Florian the bandit talking, cold and distant as a Frostfall night. He didn't notice it but his accent was even beginning to come out more, it tended to when he got agitated. "She hurts you because she is close to your heart but in this you cannot afford to feel. Kill your heart or you kill the girl." For a moment he almost sounded like his old self.
Midway through Florian's monolgue Pixie actually took a step backward. The one good eye she had, the one the men of this world feared, was wide and filled with terror. She knew everything he said to be fact, and that's what hurt the most. What scared her the most. No, Elizabeth wasn't her real family, he was right. She was nothing but a reminder of Pixie's former life.
Still, family or no, she had to be protected and scaring her half to death wasn't going to help. Florian was right, so why couldn't she just back down? Why did she feel the need to bash his head in against the bulkhead just to 'hurt' him back?
Pixie took a deep breath and slouched against the wall. She needed to calm herself. She needed to regain control. She looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. After a moment of medatative breathing she looked to Florian, "I knew there was a reason I recruited ya'."
She picked up the booze and placed a hand on Florian's shoulder, "I'm gonna have a chat with ar' resident cripple here in a minute. S'what the booze's fer. I reckon you could make yerself useful and bring our guests dinner?"
Florian simply nodded. The captain seemed to have learned from her mistakes or at least reflected upon them enough to see them properly. He had his task and a possible way to start bringing their guests back into line. Perhaps Pixie would even be able to start healing the tear she had made between herself and Lilith.
"This happens again you come to me, talk, fight or drink. It does not spill over into the rest of the crew. This does not happen again." He stepped in just that little bit closer to Pixie, making sure that no passer by could hear him. "I will not allow it." And in that moment Florian truly was his old self. It was nothing obvious but to people like Pixie, people from the life, it was clear as day. Florian's control had slipped and his own demons caught a glimpse at Pixie's as they silently sized each other up.
He didn't give her a chance to respond and left to go about his task.
Pixie watched as he left down the hall. Despite feeling like a scared little girl, she shrugged to herself and laughed.
Not that she needed it, but now she had yet another reason to get plastered tonight.
"What of Lord Basilio, Milady? Do you really think him capable of what they claim? Be honest, please. I have only met him a number of times and I never got the impression that he had a vile bone in his body."
"Nor have I. When we met, he was respectful. Verily a gentleman," Josephine replied. "Ne'r have we seen nor heard anything questionable about him or the rest of the Basilio family." Her eyes went to the golden pin hanging above her breast.
"Our family suffered a loss years ago. My brother..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "He was thrown off his horse. Lord Basilio personally attended his funeral. We were verily grateful for all of the support he wrought. Lord Basilio a foe? Hardly!"
Josephine ran her fingers through her hair, her brow furrowing. "But wherefore would he withhold information from the captain if they have formed an alliance?"
Cranston allowed himself a brief chuckle and gave Lilith a firm high-five, "You better treasure it now. Once you're in Feroxi it's going to be straight to business."
Sprout, already having devoured the majority of his steak, looked up at the two of them. Mashed potatoes oozed out of his mouth as he spoke, "Feroxi? What're you on about?"
"The two of you are to take Bartholomew to Feroxi for the ransom. Some of the others are being sent to Boomhower. And come on, Sprout! Don't talk with your mouth full!"
Sprout swallowed the mess before speaking this time, "Sorry! Wait, so me n' Lily'r gonna do this on er' own?"
At that moment the door flew open and Pixie entered with her hands full, "We really need butt-access door nobs 'round here." Cranston took one look at the scotch and raised and eyebrow. Pixie nodded towards the door and looked at Sprout. "I'll brief y'all on the Feroxi business tomorra'. Fer now I'm gonna have ta' ask y'all to clear out."
Cranston nodded and left without a fuss. Sprout took a quick look at Lilith, "Come on, kid." Cranston goaded, causing Sprout to dash out of the room with the remainder of his meal in-hand.
After the door shut the room was left with silence for awhile. Lilith continued sipping on her straw as Pixie walked over to the counter and poured the scotch into both glasses. Her hands planted firmly on the counter, Pixie took a minute to collect herself before she spoke up, "Okay, this is how it's gonna work: I'm gonna siddown an' listen ta' what you gotta say. Don' hold anythin' back er' ferever hold yer peace an' all that. When yer done I'll speak."
With that she turned around and placed Lilith's drink on her nightstand and took a seat by her bedside.
The duelist was fine following Bennie to his 'friends' place, since he knew that at least Bennie was within kill range at all times. When he wasn't, one could perhaps notice that a certain revolver was trained on his lower back, stealthily of course. He stopped when Bennie pulled him aside, with a slight warning.
"Look, he probably has a look out somewhere around here. If I don't come too close to where he's hold up we should be okay, but this place ain't no playground. I'll stay close in case you need back up."
'Every place is a playground if you're crazy enough.' Kayneth thought idly, gripping his sword. Seems there was some work to be done before an interrogation, which was always a bit annoying. It was better to take out aggression on the true target, too bad he seemed to think he was a cleverdick.
"Anything goes wrong in there and you let me know, okay? I know this place pretty well as you can imagine in my line of work, so figuring out where your at won't be an issue. Ready?"
"So, trust you to back me up? Fuck it, I'm two drinks and a few blocks of walking into this already." Kayneth replied, walking towards the place. Officially letting Bennie out of quick kill range. He expected a round to the back of the head that never came as he entered the den of Sin.
He expected it to be shabby, of course. It was a place where the destitute payed for extraordinarily short lived happiness. Seems a few were inside today, and temptation to cut off a head seemed nigh irresistible. Unfortunately he needed the info from one such individual. He did a quick scan, taking in every desperate face and crack in the dingy walls, before noticing someone not strung out. And looking at someone, keeping his eye on him. Bennie said he had a bodyguard...
Kayneth drew his sword, following the motion into the mans neck. It sunk in to his adams apple, the gurgling was a bit unsettling but otherwise it was quiet as a mouse's fart. The Duelist quickly grabbed the man by the collar with his other hand, pulling him back onto the floor as he swung his sword near his heart.
"You better treasure it now. Once you're in Feroxi it's going to be straight to business."
Feroxi huh? She wondered what Pixie had in store for her.
Lilith grimaced slightly, as Sprout nearly spattered the walls with the contents of his mouth.
"The two of you are to take Bartholomew to Feroxi for the ransom. Some of the others are being sent to Boomhower. And come on, Sprout! Don't talk with your mouth full!"
So that's what she meant. And she's still sending him with me? She furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
"Sorry! Wait, so me n' Lily'r gonna do this on er' own?"
Lilith was about to respond, until a familiar face entered the room. Her appetite quickly disappeared, but she continued to drink her shake. She focused her eyes on her feet.
"I'll brief y'all on the Feroxi business tomorra'. Fer now I'm gonna have ta' ask y'all to clear out."
The room went silent as the door closed, time seemed to slow down. Lilith could feel Pixie's eyes on her, but she refused to look up. Still focusing on her feet, she heard the pouring of drinks, Oh Christ, we're having a 'talk' aren't we. Just waiting for her to sit down felt like an eternity.
"Okay, this is how it's gonna work: I'm gonna siddown an' listen what you gotta say. Don' hold anythin' back er' ferever hold yer peace an' all that. When yer done I'll speak."
As Pixie finished speaking, Lilith's straw ran dry, a loud slurping noise echoed throughout the room as the straw hit nothing but empty glass.
Shit. Now she had to talk. For a few moments she did nothing, her lips still on the straw. Without looking up, she asked the first thing that came to her mind.
"Who's the girl?"
Pixie was a violent person, but she didn't get angry for no reason. One of the noble tarts had said something to her to rile her up. which in itself was no simple feat.
Shakes had been rocking his head back and forth to the beats of his favorite metal when he felt a warm liquid splash across his face. It was blood.
"Answers or your Maiden head, choose wisely."
Shakes removed his headphones and furrowed his brow, "Do I look like a fuckn' Maiden to you?" In a situation like this a decapitated corpse would usually clear out a room rather quickly. Due to their state of mind however, most didn't even notice anything had happened.
"... He was thrown off his horse. Lord Basilio personally attended his funeral...."
Elizabeth reflexively put a hand on Josephine's back as if trying to heal an ancient wound.
"But wherefore would he withhold information from the captain if they have formed an alliance?"
Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't know, Milady, and that's what is bothering me the most. I fear the Captain, especially after what happened earlier, but there is something... far more sinister about that man." She sat in thought for a moment, trying to put a finger on what it was about the Gentleman that put her off.
Sadly, it was no use. The recent memory of Pixie's assault still fresh in her mind, it was hard for her to think of anything else.
"IF YOU DON' LISTEN YER GONNA END UP CARVED UP LIKE A FUCKN' PIG, BLEEDN' IN THE SHIT-FILLED GUTTER LIKE YER SISTER!!!"
Elizabeth winced as she relived the encounter. There was a reason that line stuck out in her head more prominently than any other, however. What did she know about her sister, anyway? Elizabeth scratched her head, "Why do you think she mentioned my sister like that?"
Pixie wanted to smirk and say, "yer smarter than you look" but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Where she'd been light on the details with Florian, she was prepared to relive her tale for Lilith. She deserved as much at this point no matter how painful it would be to recall. However, she wasn't about to tell her story unless Lilith would agree to one thing first.
"That's a fair question, but if I'm ta' tell you this you have ta' promise me one thing: once I'm done relivin' the worst nightmare I've ever had I'm gonna ask somethin' difficult of you and you will do it. Understand?"
"That's a fair question, but if I'm ta' tell you this you have ta' promise me one thing: once I'm done relivin' the worst nightmare I've ever had I'm gonna ask somethin' difficult of you and you will do it. Understand?"
A few moments passed, before Lilith finally raised her head. There was no warmth in her pale blue eyes as she met Pixie's gaze.
"I let you beat me half to death to stop you from making one hell of a dumb fuckin' move."
She placed the empty milkshake glass on the table and grabbed the glass of scotch. She raised the drink to her mouth and downed the whole thing, grimacing slightly as it burned her throat.
"You look like you're trying to waste my time." Kayneth replied frowning, driving the tip of his blade into his lesser's right shoulder.
"Let me try again," He said slowly, pulling back his blade and letting the blood flow. He quickly cut the headphone's cord, "Information, location, where they're going to be, armaments. Or I start removing limbs, starting with your member. Get me, junkie?"
Leaning forward in her seat, Pixie broke eye contact and stared at the glass in her hand. She didn't say anything in response. There wasn't anything she could say in response. She simply nodded. Another minute of silence passed before she summoned the courage to meet Lilith's gaze once more. Staring back into those cold eyes was soul-shattering. It felt as if her heart had suddenly plunged into the depths of her stomach.
She broke eye contact once more, and sighed, "Fuck me..." She downed the whole glass in one go and got up to pour herself another.
So the girl... it was time Pixie stopped pitying herself and answered Lilith's question. Sitting down once more, Pixie sipped her drink and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs. She no longer had the courage to look at Lilith, so she stared into her glass. It would be an easier story to tell if her feelings of guilt weren't clouding her thoughts.
"Ya' know, I was n' orphan too. Ol' Nan was one crazy *****." Pixie laughed. "You did the stupidest lil' thing an she'd knock yer fuckn' teeth in! That was my childhood, ya' know? Runnin' 'round with other kids, raisn' hell 'cause we didn' know any better. If Ol' Nan didn't whip us it was the Sheriff or some rich prick. That's all I knew a' the world back then."
Pixie's face suddenly lit up in a way Lilith hadn't seen before, "Then I met someone very special." She pointed to the twin cherry tattoo she had on her shoulder. The letters "P & C" were written across them. "See this one? I reckon it reminds you of the slots, but to me it carries a' whole different mean'n. Lady Margaret Maribel, er' as I called her, 'Cherry'."
Filled with joy, Pixie looked like a whole different person as she recalled her old friend, "Cherry was the most beautiful lady I'd eva' seen. Smooth, pale skin and long, curly cherry-blonde hair." Pixie laughed. "I reckon you figured it out already, but yeah, that's why I called er' Cherry! She was a noble, but she wasn't like the rest of those fuckers. Cherry was different, she cared about gutter-rats like me. She was a bit older'n me and when I was 'bout eleven she came by the orphanage an' found me lien' on the ground, bloody n' and beatn', fresh from a good ol' ass whoopn' from Nan."
Pixie burst out into laughter, "She was so mad she started reprimandn' the old hag right there in front a' the whole orphanage! She said she'd seek the sheriff on er' if she didn' get her act together. That night, Old Nan was SO PISSED she kicked me out a' the place n' told me that I should go lookn' fer my new friend if I wanted a place ta' stay. An' so I did! The next day Cherry was so worried she came into the city lookn' fer me, an' when I heard her voice calln' fer me I came run'n outta my lil' cardboard house to see 'er! From then on I lived with her in 'er estate at the base a' the tower. Her parents were fuckn' furious, but she didn' give a flyn' fuck! Cherry never took shit from anyone!"
Pixie's elated expression sank as she continued her tale, "I learned a lot from her. Nothin' 'bout this life. Stealn' killn', all that stuff I learned on my own. Stand'n up fer myself, personal stuff, stuff that really matters? She taught me all that. And yeah, she continued liven' life 'er own way and I was right there with her! But... when I was 'bout fourteen she came to me to tell me she was gonna get married. To Lord Dio Basilio of Feroxi." Pixie took a large swig of her drink. "She was hesitant, but excited. I didn' know the guy, so I was indifferent at the time, if not a bit excited. I mean, my friend was gettn' married an' I was gonna be in 'er wedding! Me! A gutter-rat from the streets at a noble's wedding!?
"I should'a known somethin'd go wrong from the start. From the moment I met him I got a bad vibe, but everyone else just ate up his charm. Truth be told, Cherry didn' buy it either. She did it anyway... was 'er duty after all." Any joy she'd displayed earlier was gone now. "Fifteen years and four months ago, she had a baby boy with Dio. She said he took after me more'n either of them. Despite the kid, it didn' take long fer me to figure out things were goin' sour in their marriage."
Pixie looked up at the ceiling as she continued, "I saw a few new bruises show up on 'er every now an' then. Dio was operate'n in Feroxi most of the time fer business, so Cherry spent a lot of the time alone with her son in Boomhower. I told her to leave 'im, but she said she didn' have a choice. It came as no surprise then that she started an' affair with a local merchant in the city. The guy's name was Ricko, he was a nice fella. The two a' them went steady fer about two years... that was until..."
Pixie clutched her scotch glass tightly and her voice began to waiver, "Dio came back from Feroxi one night before he was s'posed to..."
Cherry and Ricko had been flirting all night, so Pixie took it upon herself to entertain the young boy they'd neglected in his bedroom. Third-wheels had to stick together after all. Apparently he had been expecting her as he had dawned a scarf and hid behind the door, waiting to ambush her. She saw through his deception, however, and swept him off his feet before he could get the jump on her, "Gotcha, ya' lil' rascal!"
Sprout, as they'd come to call him, giggled as toddlers often do as Pixie threw him down onto his bed and started tickling him. A few minutes later Cherry came into the room to see Sprout passed out in Pixie's arm. It appeared she'd rocked him to sleep, "What are you doing with my son!?" Cherry questioned with a stupid grin on her face.
Pixie held up a finger to her lips in order to silence her friend and placed the boy gently into his bed, "He's a lazy lil' bastard like his mother, ain't he?" Cherry pushed nudged her shoulder in retaliation and the pair left together.
Later that night, Ricko and Cherry had passed out together in her bed while watching an old western. Having eaten burritos that night Pixie booked a one-way ticket to the porcelain god, waiting out her upset stomach until she felt comfortable enough to leave. just as she was finishing up she heard a commotion outside and promptly left the bathroom to see what was up. As soon as she caught sight of Cherry she was shoved into her closet, "Stay in there. This isn't looking good." Cherry whispered as she closed the closet door before Pixie could protest.
She placed her hand on the knob and was about to leap out until she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the door, "Who the fuck is he?!"
Oh, God...
Pixie knelt down so she could look through the shutters of the closet. What she saw before her was a confrontation she had hoped would never happen. Dio was standing in the doorway, having just thrown Ricko across the room, and Cherry was kneeling beside her lover at the foot of the bed, "How long has this been going on, Margaret!?"
Cherry held out her hands in protest, "It's not what it looks like, Dio! I swear---"
"ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIT!" Dio shouted as he approached the two, his hand held high above his head ready to strike.
Ricko sprung to his feet and stood between them, "I won't let you hurt her anymore!"
Pixie would never forget the expression Ricko's words were greeted with. That day, she saw into the heart of the devil himself. Dio's eyes went mad and his frown turned into a wicked grin, "WELL THEN I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO HURT YOU THEN!" Ricko was down on the ground again moments later after trying in vein to defend against Dio superior might.
As he followed after Ricko for another attack, Cherry intercepted him, slapping him hard across the face, "STOP THIS! OUR BOY'S IN THE OTHER ROOM!"
Dio flew into a psychotic fit, "YOU WERE SLEEPING WITH ANOTHER MAN IN THE SAME HOUSE AS OUR SON!?"
Shivering, Cherry stood her ground, "Y-you need to leave. Now!"
"Leave? LEAVE!? YOU WANT ME TO FUCKING LEAVE?! NO! NO, NOT UNTIL I'VE GIVEN YOU A PROPER PUNISHMENT! A WHORE'S PUNISHMENT!"
Paralyzed with fear, Pixie could do little more than cover her mouth so Dio couldn't hear her screams. Once he'd produced the knife it was over. Cherry and Ricko died in each other's arms. Butchered like animals and lying in a pool of blood almost a quarter of an inch-thick. Pixie watched the whole thing. She couldn't look away. Cherry's pained expressions, locked away in the recesses of her memories for the rest of her life.
She never called out to her but Pixie knew what she saw. As her life faded from her eyes Cherry had asked one thing of Pixie, "Protect him." And that was what Pixie set out to do. At seventeen-years-old, having never fired a gun in her life she took a revolver from the Maribel estate and followed Dio to his penthouse, where he had taken Cherry's child.
Terrified and alone, Pixie barged into his personal quarters in the middle of the night and attacked him, tears streaming down her face all the while. The night ended with Dio crumpled on the floor with two gunshot wounds to the abdomen and a partially blinded Pixie fleeing for her life with a blood-covered toddler in her arms.
By the time Pixie was done with her tale she'd already finished two more glasses of scotch. The last words to leave her mouth seemed more like those belonging to an old woman on her death bed. Reliving the events of that night had brought back that pathetic, weak little girl that could do nothing as she watched her best friend slaughtered like an animal before her. Tears rolled down her face, but beyond that no one would suspect she was crying. She was silent and still as they poured out.
"Ya' wanted to know who the girl was? Well, I s'pose I told you a lil' more'n that, huh?" No form of inflection or any emotion to speak of could be detected in her words.
Pixie told her story. Lilith's expression remained unchanged for the most part, not that Pixie would know. Lilith already knew she was an orphan, although that's where the similarities in their upbringings ended. That kind of life was difficult enough as it was, even with carers who actually gave a damn, let alone with what Pixie must have had to face.
As Lilith made the connection between Margaret, Elizabeth and Dio, a wave of realisation washed over her face.
Axel...
As Pixie continued with her story, a light shone on why Pixie was in the line of work she was, and why she hated the nobility so intensely. Lilith felt sick to her stomach as Pixie neared the end of her tale.
"Ya' wanted to know who the girl was? Well, I s'pose I told you a lil' more'n that, huh?"
The room was quiet as tears streamed silently down Meredith's face. Lilith was speechless, her eyes glistening. A few moments passed before she painfully shimmied off the medical chair, she ignored the aching in her ribs as she walked around the front of the room and stood over Meredith, anger in her eyes.
Lilith reached down and grabbed Meredith's glass, placing it on the medical table along with her own. She took hold of Pixie's hands, lifting them in silent beckoning. As she stood, she refused to look Lilith in the eye. Lilith didn't need to hear how sorry she was, the shame was written all over her. Lilith raised a hand to Meredith's chin and lifted her face. She slowly moved her hand towards Meredith's eye patch and lifted it. Lilith looked at the woman who had taken her in when no one else wanted to, the woman who had filled her with awe for so many years, the woman who was the equal of any man in a fight. The woman who took shit from nobody, the woman who treated her friends like family, the woman who raised a child when she was little more than a child herself. The woman that Lilith loved and respected more than any other person in the world. The woman who needed her now more than anyone had ever needed her.
Lilith's expression hardened as she slapped Pixie hard across the left cheek. As Meredith recoiled in surprise, Lilith stepped in and wrapped her arms around her neck in a tight embrace. She cared not for the pain that racked her body in doing so.
Before Meredith's story, Lilith didn't think there was an excuse Pixie could give her, no way to justify what she had done. Lilith's eyes remained dry as an anger burned in her heart, one desire now echoed throughout her mind more than any other, a lust for revenge she'd never thought she'd ever want, Meredith's purpose was now Lilith's. She shifted her face and kissed Meredith gently on the cheek she had slapped, resting her forehead against Pixie's, there was spark in those pale blue eyes of Lilith's, a spark that would forever burn if given the right trigger.
"We'll kill him." She'd never thought she'd hear the words come from her own mouth in such a way, her voice was threatening, filled with purpose.
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