The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

"Come 'ere, I wanna tell you a story."

"Okay." Amy complied, dressing down herself before snuggling up next to her on the bed. She smiled while trying to ignore the vague sense of unease eating at the back of her mind.

Pixie wrapped her arms around the girl, holding her close before resting her chin on the top of Amy's head. She was smiling, sadly, "A few years back we got in to'a big tussle with some other bandits. Don' remember who they were, but I do recall what the town looked like when we were done. A lot'a civilian casualties, mostly from their guns, but I don' doubt we had blood on 'ar hands too. Anyway," She sighed. "The fight ended with a big ol' blast that tore down an inn near the townsquare. Didn' think anythin' of it until this man came up ta' me. He was covered'n ash'n had a few nasty burns and bruises."

Pixie was silence for a short time before continuing, "He says ta' me, 'My daughter was in there! How could you monsters do that!?'. We didn' blow the buildin', but I wasn' gonna waste anytime arguin'. I did somethin' stupid then, but I don' regret it. I looked 'im in the eye an' I said, 'I'll get yer lil' girl back to ya'.'." She laughed. "I spent six hours, bleedin' from cuts n' bruises of my own all the while, diggin' through debris, lookin' fer his lil' girl. I was 'bout ta' give up when I heard a faint cry underneath me. It was a goddamn miracle is what it was. Found the lil' squirt under a busted pillar. Damn thin' saved 'er life. So, I dug 'er out an' brought her to 'er daddy. Jus' like that."

She ran her finger nails up and down the length of Amy's arm in silence, letting the story sink in. Whispering in her ear, Pixie added, "It ain't always helpful, but sometimes its good ta' 'ave hope, darlin'."

"I know," Amy said. "Maybe all the times it doesn't work out can be worth it, for the one time in a million that your faith gets rewarded. I just... I don't know if I can do it Pixie. Where was someone like you when I was the trapped little girl? What use did I have for hope, when I couldn't even remember what the world looked like outside my cell, when I couldn't even remember my own mother's face? The other girls they brought in sometimes hoped that somebody would come and get them, but sooner or later, that hope always gave way to despair, and then they'd either die, or be willing to bargain anything just to feel like things weren't so bad. I saw it happen so many times. Not having hope, not being able to escape inside my own mind... it kept me alive. I could always focus on where I was, and what was happening to me. It never occurred to me to try and escape them, so I manipulated them instead. Hope was a luxury I never had then, and now, it's a complication I don't need."

She was quiet for a while, before she continued, unbidden, "It's hard not to want to die sometimes."

Pixie bit her lip and rested her forehead against the back of Amy's head. That one had hit close to home.

Pixie didn't reply for a while. It was hard to find the right words at times like this. She had suspected Amy felt this way, of course. It was certainly an understandable mentality, especially considering what she'd gone through.

"Amy," She squeezed her tighter. "I won' pretend ta' understand what you went through, but I can' say I know exactly how you feel. When I was still'a stupid kid jus' tryin' ta' survive with a child ta' take care of, I thought 'bout little else. The only thin' keepin' me goin' was a promise I'd made ta' myself. That I'd make sure he surived, even if it killed me. Instead'a hurtin' myself, I took it out on 'im. I got over it, though, it took a long time an' a lot of dicipline, but I put it behind me."

Until I struck out at Lil...

"Still," She sighed. "I feel that way a lot. I picture jus' how easy it'd be ta' end it all. Ta' ferget all my troubles with a bullet to the brain. But then..." Her voice softened. "I think of 'im. I think a' Sprout n' Lilith. An' I think'a Ruffles, an' Cranston an' Bennie. I think of my Maidens, all the people I'd be leavin' behind. All the people that depend on me."

Pixie propped herself up on one arm and looked down at Amy, caressing her cheek with her other hand, "Sure, people suck. People can betray you, hurt you... make you wish you was never born. But, ya' know, life's finite. In any instant you can lose it all, an', well... I don' know, I guess I kinda appreciate the beauty in that concept. I wanna live so I can appreciate what I have while it's still here." She smiled. "Is there anythin'... anyone you 'ave in this world that you feel that way about? That you wanna live jus' ta' appreciate them while they're still here?"

Amy drew back, just far enough so she could look into Pixie's face, and stroke a had through her hair.

"There is now."

Pixie blushed, fighting against the inevitable smirk. Whether she loved the girl or not, she couldn't help but admit how charming she was. Even when she wasn't acting. Wrapping an arm around Amy, she held the back of her head and collapsed into Amy's arms.

"Bein' alive, in this world... it's painful, Amy. But, ya' know, it can be purdy amazin', too." Pixie nuzzled the girl's neck, smiling. "Moments like this ar' what many people live for. Jus' bein' with someone you care about an' talkin' to 'em. No matter what happens, I'll always be there fer you, Amy. Ya' need someone ta' talk to. A shoulder ta' cry on. Anythin'. Yer one'a my own, now an' I'll do anythin' fer my people."

Something was still wrong, but for once, Amy couldn't put her finger on what it was.

'What is it? What am I not seeing?'

'What you refuse to see.'

"I know.," she answered "and thank you for being patient with me. It's just that, we can't afford to keep pushing each-other like we did every time one of us is having a bad day, because I don't see the days getting any shorter anytime soon. On that note, we should probably get some sleep."

Pixie rolled back over onto her side and pulled Amy in as close as she could, "Sleep sounds good." Pixie giggled softly and closed her eye. "G'night, Amy." She whispered.

Though she had every reason to be distraught over the night's events, Pixie was surprisingly content. Before she could figure out why, however, she'd already fallen asleep.

 

[Fappy]

Four dead, including his right-hand man, Carter. Sure, they'd wiped out over half of Sandringham's men, but this was Chimera Squad. They were the best. To lose half of them in a single skirmish. It felt wrong.

His head bowed, Ortega grit his teeth, closing shut Carter's eyes. He'd bled out... slowly. Rising to his feet, he spotted Rebecca and ushered her over, "Contact HQ. Tell them what happened."

"Yes, Sir!" She saluted, warily.

"The rest of you," He looked to the others. Many of them were injured. "Collect our dead. Clean-up crew can handle the rest. Let's move out."

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"Still, we've made the best out of a bad situation. But we got a long ways to go I reckon."

"Damn straight," Mila smirked. "I---What's that?" She held a hand to her earpiece. Her brow furrowed, she nodded. "Roger that, Rebecca."

Looking off in the distance she crossed her arms and bowed her head, "Goddamn... I should'a been there..."

"I'm gonna see who that was. Maybe Ortega."

"No, stay here. Ortega is still out in the field." She demanded, noticeably upset, but not with Hannibal.

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"I uh, I'm not sure I should say. The-the short version is I learnt something I probably shouldn't have, and I um, had a bad reaction to it."

"Ah," Cameron shrugged. "Yeah, I think I know. The 'rape' thing? Don't worry, I've known for a long time. Pixie told me all about it several years back." She offered Aesop a sad smirk. "I can't say I blame you for how you reacted."

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After being cared for, Tsubaki's men were allowed into her room to check up on her. She was laid out in bed with an IV in her arm, but other than those telltale signs of injury, she just looked worn out. The pain killers had done a number on her, but she was conscious when they approached her. Wearing a weak smile, Tsubaki looked to her men, "I got fucking lucky." She sighed. "I'm sorry I pursued them alone. That was... the wrong call."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Severa groaned and pressed the glass against his cheek, "I said, beg!"

A little smile picked up the corners of Florian's mouth as he looked off into the middle distance as if remembering something funny. The beginnings of a chuckle sent a little rumble through his throat.

Severa cocked an eyebrow, "What's so funny, Father? I don't like being left out of jokes, you know."

"Memories is all." His voice struggled to get the words out. With nothing else to do but settle in for the next bout of pain, Florian leaned back and took in each slow, painful, deliberate breath.

"Hm," Severa grunted, bobbed her head to the side and let Florian drink the water. After downing the entire glass, Severa tossed it to the ground, shattering it into a hundred pieces. Crouching down, she picked up a particularly jagged piece and held it to Florian's throat.

"Tell me," She smiled. "Would you rather die a quick death or hang onto what life you have left in hopes that your God will answer your prayers? Father, I want to know how strong you are. I want to know how much your heart can take. But..." She frowned. "I like you, and I know you're scared. If you truly don't want the demon inside to rise up, please, tell me now so I can put you out of your misery."

"[Stand proud in the place of ash and know you are already dead.]" He said quietly to himself yet again. Smaking his lips and relishing the feeling the water had left. The shard of glass poked spitefully at his throat, prodding the old lessons out of their sleep and refreshing old memories.

"Beg." Florian shrugged.

Severa burst out into a fit of laughter before discarding the shard of glass, "Okay, Father. Anything for you."

Kneeling down before him, the small woman squealed and squirmed as the small shards of glass poked through her legs. She purred as blood began to pool underneath her. Clutching the insides of his thighs, she rested her chin between his legs, "Oh, please, Father. PLEASE! Show me the animal within you! Show me the beast that has been entombed within your heart! I want---I MUST see it! I'll do anything." She giggled.

"You have no idea what you're asking, girl." Florian's eyes sank, suddenly feeling very heavy. He could only keep his guard up at this point, keep her occupied and put as many gaps between the physical tortures as he could. If that was still the only thing he was guarding against.

 

[The Funslinger]

Ruffles took a long drag and held it before blowing the smoke out of his nostrils. Then he glanced at the joint disdainfully before passing it to Whiskey, who followed suit.

"Yeah, I think I know. The 'rape' thing? Don't worry, I've known for a long time. Pixie told me all about it several years back."

"Really? I figured Bennie only knew 'cause of how close they were. How come she clued you in?"

=========================================================

"I'm sorry I pursued them alone. That was... the wrong call."

Bryan sat down in one of the distinctly uncomfortable visitor's chairs. "Eh, I ain't gonna tell ya otherwise," he said.

Casting around, he took in the drab hospital room. "Can't say I envy your position, Commander. I've always hated hospitals. Being in one o' those beds would be me own personal Hell."

===========================================================

Owain's first stop was a fairly large market, from which he was able to purchase almost everything he wanted. Dried meat, bread, some bacon and several large bottles of water. This was Frostfall, and no doubt whatever came out of the taps would be unbearable.

He also bought two hooded coats, heavier and warmer than those he and his sister had brought with them. Finally, he found a stall for 'personal defense'. Here, he was able to restock on nine millimeter ammunition.

There was only one thing he was unable to find at the general market. Fresh fruit. This was, after all, Frostfall, where little could be grown. As such, good fruit was in high demand, and so an enterprising family had managed to cut a deal with the Bread Basket and get large quantities imported. This meant they had no need of a stall, as business was more than good enough that they owned a shop. And so this was where Owain found himself, surrounded by shelves of the stuff.

Taking a fistful of brown paper bags, he filled them with grapes, apples, peaches and strawberries. He and Severa did both love fresh fruit, after all. Hefting the bags of fruit, he carried them and the rest of the shopping he was dragging along to the counter, behind which stood a doe eyed girl with curly brown hair. She smiled brightly at him.

"That's quite a haul you've got there, sir," she said.

"Oh yes," Owain replied. "Well I just go through so much, it's better to have too much than too little, you know?"

The girl giggled at this. It hadn't been a particularly funny remark. Owain filed the reaction away for later consideration as the girl opened the contents of each bag and weighed it.

"That'll be around two hundred thirty pure grams," she said. Owain nodded and thrust his hand into his inside pocket, spilling a handful of shining, smooth black stones onto the scales. And then a little more. It only came to one hundred and eleven grams. Owain frowned and put his hand back into the pocket. It was empty. He had filled it from the pouch in his suitcase, and it had seemed like plenty. But he had spent more than he had intended. It had been the sudden decision to purchase ammunition.

"Is something the matter, sir?"

"Ah, nothing," he replied. "Just seems I'm a little short on carbon."

"Ah," the woman replied with a knowing smile. "The shopping spree catch up with you?"

Owain leaned against the counter smiling. "Oh yeah. You go on holiday, and you see all these nice little odds and ends and it all just sort of snowballs. You know how it is, uh..."

"Tabby."

"Tabby," he agreed.

"Well," said Tabby, blushing slightly. "I never really get the chance to go anywhere."

"Really?" asked Owain, feigning curiosity. "But that's not a Frostfall accent, come to think of it. You know, it's delightful, but I just can't place it."

Tabby went an even deeper shade of red, but her smile widened. "Oh, my family is from Paradiso originally..."

"Of course!" Owain exclaimed, softly. She was mirroring him now, leaning forward on her side of the counter, bringing their faces closer together. "I should have gotten that right off," said Owain. "I've been to Paradiso a few times, actually. You fit right in there, it's unmistakable. I mean there's a certain captivating beauty the women have there that really makes the place live up to its name."

Tabby giggled again. "You really think so?"

"Oh, I know so." Their noses were almost touching now, and his voice was almost a whisper.

"Do you travel much, then?" Tabby asked.

"Oh, quite a bit," Owain replied.

"That must be absolutely amazing," said Tabby, her shy smile turning slightly wistful.

"Well maybe when I leave, I could take you with me," said Owain softly.

"You'd take me?"

"Oh yes, I'd take you... all sorts of places," said Owain, moving a strand Tabby's hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. She was breathing deeply now, and he could feel her breath on his lips, which he parted slightly, observing that she did the same.

"Anyway," he said. "My apologies, Tabby, I should put some of this back and be on my way..."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tabby replied immediately. "There's plenty more where all of that came from!"

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Well... alright then." Owain straightened up, and Tabby leaned with him before stopping herself. Owain gathered his bags, turned on his heel and strode towards the door. "Until next time then, Tabby."

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Ah," Cameron shrugged. "Yeah, I think I know. The 'rape' thing? Don't worry, I've known for a long time. Pixie told me all about it several years back. I can't say I blame you for how you reacted."

"Really? I figured Bennie only knew 'cause of how close they were. How come she clued you in?"

"Wait wait what? How can you speak so calm about this? Is it cos it happened a while ago or something?"
========================================
"No, stay here. Ortega is still out in the field."

Hannibal's eyebrows lowered, trying to hide his disappointment. Of course, whatever was going on was clearly far more important, but he was still a little let down he couldn't snoop around. "Alright." He answered her.

 

[The Funslinger]

"You have no idea what you're asking, girl."

"Girl?" Severa giggled. "Girl?! Hmmm, I like the way you say that, Father. So... disappointed." Pushing his legs apart, Severa slithered closer, between his thighs and bit a bit of fabric above his crotch. "What I ask of you is a bit of a process. Perhaps it'd be easier to release the little one first. Let us receive his rage." She looked Florian in the eye, grinning.

With the amount of things he was carrying, Owain opted not to take the stairs. Instead, he dragged everything into the service elevator and pulled the lever, counting the floors as the platform rose shakily.

When he came out on his floor, hefted everything and went to the door, pushing the handle down with an elbow. Setting everything down, he took in the scene in front of him.

"Well I can hardly say I'm shocked," he said, grinning.

Florian could only slowly turn his head between the two is disbelief. This was easily the strangest interrigation method he'd ever seen. There was mentally ill and then there was this! How the hell was he supposed to find some solid ground to work on.

Severa looked to Owain like a deer caught in headlights, "Brother! Oh," She shivered. "I didn't expect you to return so soon. Will you... oh, but not in front of, Father! He can't see that side of me yet!" Her face was glowing red.

"I don't think anyone's in a position to judge anyone here." Florian droned croakily.

"Can he not?" asked Owain idly as he set the bags down on and around one of the beds. Crossing the room, he gently took Severa's upper arm and lifted her to her feet. "Shouldn't we show him what he's missing?" he whispered softly into her ear, although he didn't doubt Florian heard everything. "Or are you embarrassed?" he asked, laughing as he ran his hand up her stomach, to her breast. "It's been a while since I've seen modesty from you," he said as he found her nipple through her shirt and pinched down. "It's very... intriguing."

"BROTHER!" Severa screamed out, a mix of pain and pleasure in her voice. Stumbling forward into Owain's arms, she clutched his sleeves and trembled. "B-brother, i-i-it hurts. Why are y-y-y-ou punishing me? I've been a g-g-good girl. I p-promise! Tell him, Father!"

Owain glanced at Florian, an amused smile forming. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Has she? Has she really?"

"She's been very... welcoming." Florian searched for the right word. What the hell is going on? Though with any luck they'd continue on this path of maddness and kill eachother. "It's a while since I've felt a woman treat me so kindly."

Owain laughed at this. "Well that's not an answer, but alright then." He turned his attention back to Severa, still holding her in his arms where she'd swooned. "Well then, I assume by being so... accomodating, you must be finding out all sorts of things. Is that right?"

"Yes, I've seen glimpses of his soul, Brother! He's like us underneath! He just needs a push! He needs to see!"

"I can't be like you two, I'm an only child." Oh dear god man, shut up! Why do you do that?!

Owain laughed again. "Well you've at least succeeded in getting that distinctly devilish wit out into the light, sister." He kissed her then, running his hands through her thick hair. Then as he was pulling away, be bit her lower lip. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood, but still enough to surprise.

"Just keep your ah... propriety in mind." Then Owain smiled. "That aside, don't let me interrupt you. It seems like you're doing an excellent job. Perhaps soon we can start asking the pertinent questions again."

Severa held her fingers to her lip and nodded, frantically, "Y-yes, Brother, of course. As you wish."

"Oh fun times..." Florian grimaced. Though what questions they thought they were supposed to be asking seemed to be taking a backseat to strange sexual escapades.

"So, 'father'," said Owain, turning to face him. "I'm curious... seeing as you're clearly a native here, how long were you with that abby in the first place?"

"I never trained in Frostfall. Decided for warmer domes. I wouldn't reccommend the local sights these days." He shifted a little more in his seat. "But what of me, you said The Gentleman is your target?"

"Well I just think that when you plan to spend the duration of time with someone that my sister and I shall be spending with you, it's nice to learn as much about that someone as possible," said Owain, spreading his hands.

"But if you have something ah... Gentleman related to share with the class... by all means."

"I know only a fool gives his target time to go to ground unsupervised."

Owain shrugged. "Implying he can be so simply 'supervised'," he replied.

"In any case, I said I wouldn't get in the way. Severa?"

Severa had been sitting on the coach as the two men talked business. Yawning, she smiled at Owain, "Yes, let us get back to fun," She looked to Florian, "Shall we?"

"Well I'm not going anywhere." He sighed.

Owain rubbed his hands together. "This should be entertaining," he said, turning to allow Severa to move past him. As she did so, he whispered, "with nowhere to put him, that priest will be seeing quite a few of my favourite sides of you soon enough."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"I'm sorry I pursued them alone. That was... the wrong call."


Asad rotated his wounded shoulder, which had been given the once over and bandaged since his return. "Eh, I think we all caught some fire that round." He smiled wearily. "Some of us more than others." He leaned on the wall next to Tsubaki, crossing his arms across his chest.

"The important thing, is that we all managed to remain not dead, and in my books, that's a draw." He frowned slightly. "Maybe a slight loss."

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, we got our asses kicked." Asad conceded, chuckling slightly.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Damn straight." Mila said with a smirk before being interrupted by her earpiece. "Roger that, Rebecca." She then added with a furrowed brow and a worried look on her face. It was then that the arms were crossed, and Mila's head hung low, obviously something bad had happened, which was confirmed by a sudden; "Goddamn... I should'a been there..."

"I'm gonna see who that was. Maybe Ortega." Hannibal said as he made his way towards the door.

"No, stay here. Ortega is still out in the field." Mila said adversely. Taking a moment to collect her thought, Viola calmly approached the soldier, her hat on the counter next to her rifle.

"I take it something happened then to one of your comrades?" Viola asked, knowing fully well that she wasn't being exactly subtle regarding the situation, but she wasn't exactly sure what else she could have said.

 

[Fappy]

"Really? I figured Bennie only knew 'cause of how close they were. How come she clued you in?"

Taken aback, Cameron chuckled nervously, "W-well..."

"Wait wait what? How can you speak so calm about this? Is it cos it happened a while ago or something?"

"I mean, yeah, it did. The thing with Carlos happened like... twelve years ago? Anyway, I mean, the reason I know is kinda personal, but, uh... give me that!" She snatched the joint away from Aesop before he could take his first hit and inhaled. After taking a moment to let the chemicals seep into her brain, Cameron continued. "I had, uh... a really close call once. Shit terrified me, you know? So, I was all shaken up and manic, and then Pixie comes up to me and just..." She smiled. "Pixie just hugs me. Tells me everything will be okay, and then she tells me what happened to her. It helped a lot."

She looked out into the distance, as if she were seeing the past in front of her, "I think that's when I really fell in love with her, you know? Undying loyalty. I'll never turn my back on our Captain, no matter what. She may be a loose cannon sometimes, but she's closest thing I have to family." Suddenly, she locked eyes with Aesop. "What you did back there? Understandable, but don't ever do that again. Never undermine her, you understand me?" She was suddenly very serious.

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"I take it something happened then to one of your comrades?"

"Not just one," Mila gritted her teeth. "Anyway, I'm to escort you off the premises immediately. The city's under martial law right now and we can't have any civvies on-base. Sorry." She apologized as she gestured towards the door. "I really did want to see how sharp your eye was."

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"Okay, we got our asses kicked."

"By a couple of kids and a senior citizen no less," Tsubaki sighed as she shook her head.

"Can't say I envy your position, Commander. I've always hated hospitals. Being in one o' those beds would be me own personal Hell."

"Well," Tsubaki tried to conceal a subtle smirk, "Now I know how to discipline you in the future, O'Lafferty. Next time your laid up in the ER I will be sure to send a clown to cheer you up."

The group shared a small laugh before a man Tsubaki knew very well appeared in the doorway, "Excuse me, Commander Saburo?"

"Raphael? What are you doing here?"

Raphael, Dio's butler, bowed, "Excuse my interruption, but I am here to inform you that Master Basilio will be stopping in to check on you momentarily." He looked to her squad. "Please, make what ever precautions you deem necessary to receive him."

Tsubaki nodded, "Thank you, Raphael."

"Of course, Commander." And with that, he was gone.

Tsubaki closed her eyes and sighed, "You better be on your best behavior. All of you."

She was already preparing for the worst.

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'I jus' wanna stay like this a lil' longer. Please,' Pixie thought as she remained lying in the grass, looking up at the twin suns in the sky.

She was moving around a lot. Kicking and wiggling around inside her. Tracing her hand from the bottom of her chest to the peak of her belly, Pixie smiled warmly as she imagined what she would look like. Or if she would even be a she, at all.

It had been eight months, or perhaps nine. Pixie wasn't sure. This wasn't a dream, after all. This had never happened, nor would it ever. That fact was irrelevant, however. She was here now, so she'd enjoy it while she could. Her eyelids weighing down heavily, she had almost fallen asleep when she felt the warmth of the suns eclipsed by a form above her. Bennie had appeared, baring a bottle of wine among other things.

"Hey, girl." He grinned.

Pixie returned the smile, "Hey. Where ar' Sprout n' Lily?"

Looking over his shoulder, he shook his head, but his smile remained, "You know how they are at that age. Sprout's a lady killer, you know. And, Lily? She's, uh, eccentric."

"Yeah," She giggled. "I reckon she is."

Bennie knelt down next to Pixie and put his hand on her stomach, "Decided on a name yet?"

"Margaret." Bennie cocked an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smirk. "What?! It's a good name!"

"You're so predictable."

Pixie closed her eye and scoffed, "Whatever! Ya' know I---" Her words died in her throat when she opened her eye once more. Bennie was gone, and in his place stood Cherry. Margaret. "N-no... No way..."

Spoiler: Creeeeeepy

"This isn't real, Meredith." She stated simply.

"I know." Pixie replied, bitterly.

"Is this what you want?"

"Maybe."

"Is this something you can ever expect to have?"

Pixie winced, "This isn' like you, Cherry."

"I'm not Cherry."

"I know."

Suddenly, Cherry's form warped into that of Pixie. A reflection of her. Somehow, she appeared... taller. Stronger. The shade of Pixie frowned, "It's dark down here, you know. The darkness. The abyss. It's lonely."

"I know."

"Do you really believe ya' can continue like this? Be of two minds? Be a lovin' mother'n a ruthless monster? It's quite the contradiction."

Pixie shrugged, "I don' know anythin' else."

"Neither do I. What Amy said to us. Do you believe it? Is their no point ta' ar' hope?"

"Don' reckon I 'ave a clue."

The shade crossed her arms, "What would ya' do if not fer that hope? What would ya' do if not fer Sprout? Fer Lily?"

"I'd be nuthin'. Jus' a monster."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes." Pixie quivered as she spoke.

She was terrified.

"Austin... you'll have ta' kill them. A lot of them."

"I know."

"Can you do it?"

"I... I don'..." Pixie crossed her arms over her chest and started shivering. "I don' wan' to, but..."

"There, there," The shade wrapped her arms around Pixie, pulling her into a warm embrace. "It's okay, darlin'. It's okay. I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe....

Jus' let the monster handle everythin'."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"You better be on your best behavior. All of you."

"When am I ever not?" He shrugged, smirking.

Asad's expression hardened slightly as he looked at the woman, a knowing look in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

'You gonna be okay?' He asked, wordlessly.

He was curious as to Basilio's intentions.




=================================

"... Roger that." Cranston spoke over his radio before turning it off. The Maidens had found their way to the Gentleman's final bastion of secrecy in Feroxi: a secret basement in one of downtown's most rowdy saloons. By the time Cranston had led them their via Sandringham's instructions, all of the patrons had cleared out, thankfully. Taking off his tactical vest along with the attached radio, Cranston dropped them onto a nearby table and sat down. He was exhausted.

Sprout had already been led to one of the beds in the small hideout and was lying down, completely drained from his injuries. He'd heard Sandringham had lost quite a few men in the battle, but they'd still be more than short on beds. The basement was no bigger than your average bomb shelter. This place truly was a last resort, "They should be here soon." Cranston sighed. "We'll be spending the next few days in hiding, planning our escape. Waiting for the right moment."

Elizabeth had been sitting by Sprout's bed since they'd arrived. Furrowing her brow, she looked to Cranston, "Won't staying here only---"

"Yes," Cranston interrupted. "The longer we're here the more danger we're in. You're right, but we have no other choice. We have to plan. We have to wait for the right opportunity. The best thing we can do for Basilio right now is to go back out there and look for a means of escape while we're still exhausted and their entire army is out on patrol. The city's under martial law right now." He smirked. "We caused quite a ruckus it seems."

Standing up, he looked at the four before him, "I wouldn't chalk it up as a win, but you all did good out there. I want you to know that."

Sprout simply gave him a thumbs up while he remained laid out in bed.

Maria nodded, "At least we get a chance to rest, then."

Lilith leaned against the wall next to Sprout's bed, sliding down it as she sat on the floor, one leg raised to her chest as she draped an arm over her knee.

"I'm guessing I can't smoke down here?" Lilith smiled slightly as she tilted her head to look at Sprout.

Cranston shrugged, "This placed has ventilation, so you can, but," He nodded towards Elizabeth. "She may not be too keen on the idea."

"Oh no," Elizabeth shook her head and blushed. "Don't mind me, please. I understand it can be a... stress reliever of sorts. By all means." As she said this she crossed to the other side of the room where Maria stood. Just because she was okay with Lilith smoking it didn't mean she wanted to be next to her when she partook.

"Fuck," Sprout croaked. "I need'a goddamn smoke too."

Lilith chuckled as she slid her jacket off her shoulders. "Dude..." She pulled out her smokes and matchstick book before folding the jacket and using it as a makeshift cushion. "You have a bloody hole in your lung, are you fucking stupid?"

Lighting up, she took a deep drag, stretching her legs out as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. She was quite the sight, dried, cracking blood from the wound on her cheek, very blatant bruising around her neck, the piece of jacket leather still wrapped around the wound on her arm.

"Hey Doc, mind taking a look at this?" She smiled wearily, pointing at her cheek.

Sprout laughed, "No, let it sit fer awhile," He shoved Lilith's shoulder. "Maybe it'll look more badass if ya' let it rot fer a bit!"

"And end up looking like Merry?" Lilith laughed along with the boy. "I can't. I'm the pretty one, that's all I've got going for me. Let Cam and Pixie fight over the 'battle-scarred veteran' look."

Maria fiddled around in her doctor's bag for a cloth and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. She warned Lilith that it might sting a little and began cleaning the wound, with gentle dabbing motions, until the doctor could see where the dried blood ended and the wound began. Underneath her right eye, it trailed down her cheek and stopped near her lip.

"Are you sure you're not competing for that prize?" Maria remarked.

Lilith winced as the alcohol began to sting. "You haven't seen Pixie, trust me." Lilith winked at Maria, quickly turning her head to take a drag of her cigarette. "Eye patch and everythin'." Lilith covered up her left eye with the palm of her hand. "If she don' be soundin' like this..." Lilith exaggerated her captain's accent. "You be thinkin' she's a pirate like outta one of them there story book readin' majigs." She glimpsed up at Sprout.

"I know, I know, I sound just like her. No need for an applause."

Sprout shook his head, disappointed, "Ya' think after spendin' this much time with us you'd 'ave figured out the accent by now. Fuckin' sour ****." He chuckled.

"LANGUAGE!" Elizabeth berated him, realizing suddenly that she had no place doing such a thing. After all, he still didn't know she was his aunt.

"Yeah Sprout, fuckin' Jesus, effin and blindin', what a twat, you fuckin' wan-OUCH!" She breathed in sharply through clenched teeth as Maria probed her wound.

"Oh c'mon..." Maria laughed as she finished dressing the wound.

"Sure you don't want some dirt packed in there to make it look extra nasty?" She teased.

"Extra nasty?" Lilith squeaked? "It's not that bad is it?" She whimpered. "Oh god, I'm not even twenty three yet, and I look like a pit fighter." She pouted sadly.

"Hey, don't knock my skills!" Maria replied, mirroring the pout, though she didn't mirror the sadness, "It'll heal up nicely, don't worry."


Sprout scoffed, "I'd prefer a Pit Fighter to'a pussy at any rate. I won' bother keepin' you 'round if you go all soft on me, Lily." He laughed. "If we're gonna keep goin' on as a team yer gonna hafta toughen up. Boo hoo, you cut a cut yer cheek. I 'ave a hole in my lung! GET. ON. MY. LEVEL. *****!"

Elizabeth dropped her forehead into her palm and shook her head. Glancing over to the doctor, she smiled, "Maria, can we just leave these ingrates behind?"


"Sure, why not?" Maria said with a devilish grin.

Lilith looked up at Cranston. "Look at this green ************, takes one fucking bullet and he thinks he's the dog's bollocks."


"Sorry," Cranston turned his head away from the group. "I can't hear you over the landfills I have filled with the remains of my victims. You kids and your smacktalk."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lilith closed her eyes as she put her hands behind her head. "Fucking old bastard."

Elizabeth scowled, "No respect for your elders. Typical scoundrel." She scoffed.

"She should be smacked on the bottom." Maria quipped, elbowing Cranston.

"Pfft, he knows I'm joking." Lilith opened an eye slightly as she looked at the girl, a wry smile curling her lips. "Been giving him lip since I was fifteen."

"Been givin' everyone lip, woman!" Sprout barked.

"Did I ask you?" Lilith barked back, reaching up and clipping the boy around the ear. "Cheeky bastard."

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop relaxed his shoulders and cast his arms down by his side, nodding as he listened to Cameron. Finally as she locked eyes with him, he answered her.

"I understand. I won't I promise," he then tried a bad attempt at humour, "and I ain't broke a promise to her yet. She scares me too much." Aesop was quiet for a moment before running a hand through his long hair. "This is gonna kick of a shit storm isn't it?" He lay on his back and lifted his left knee to rest his right leg on. "God damn its been not even three weeks and more shit's happened now than in the past eleven months I've with you guys. Jesus." He stared at the spliff in her hand for only a second, thinking she'd need a whole round to herself considering the topic.
========================================
Hannibal was extremely disappointed, yet this was overpowered by a worry for Mila's fellow soldiers. "What happened?" His curiosity was getting the better of him, a trait which often got him into trouble in the past, sometimes even near death situations. "Why is the city on lockdown? Is it about Sandragghim?"

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

The Maiden's playful bickering was interrupted by the sound of multiple footsteps coming down into the cellar. Their voices muffled, the seven men who were what remained of The Gentleman's forces in Feroxi appeared to be in the middle of a heated discussion.

"We should hand over the Maribel girl ad get shot of all this. The Gentleman doesn't pay me to die for some stupid girl."

"No. He pays you to follow my orders." Sandringham's voice was rasping and weak. "We're not giving her up."

"Like hell we're not! If she's who they want-"

"What? They'll let us walk? That diversion worked too well and you know it. Ortega's men were hunting us, not the girl. You try and hand her over, you'll play right into their hands, now get it together!"

As they filed in, The Gentleman's men made for the corners and edges of the room, covering all angles even now. Five walked in single file, while one was being held up on his feet by another.

"Good to see you made it in one piece." Sandringham wheezed, already looking much like a dead man, with what little colour he had in his face to begin with drained from it. A nauseating stench of burned meat filled the room when he enterred, and it was not hard to see why. Underneath the agent's left arm, stretching all the way down his side to his hip, the skin and tissue had been boiled by plasma. The hazard suit that he had been wearing was now fused to him, rubber melted into black, necrotic flesh. Half walking, half being dragged, Sandringham made his way over to the wall next to Cranston, and leaned against it, determined to remain standing.

"We've got a plan." he said to the old assassin, doing his best through gritted teeth to take no notice of his still smoking wound. "You're not going to like it though."

=========================================================================================================================

["You are certain?"]

["Yes."] The wizened old shopkeeper replied, in the guttural tongue of Frostfall. ["I have seen this man that you describe. He was at these markets earlier today. He bought some ammunition from me, and spent some time over at the fruit stall across from here."]

["Was he alone?"]

["From what I could see, yes."]

'He would not have strayed far,' The Gentleman thought to himself. 'and they will require somewhere secluded. It would seem my search is narrowing.'

["Thank you, Yuri. I knew you could be relied on, even in the middle of such turmoil."]

["You do me too much credit."] Yuri replied, a little nervously, recognising The Gentleman's tone.

["Oh, I sincerely hope not. I hope that this information leads to the swift recovery of my companion, and that he remains in one piece, and that the people who hold him are not in the least forewarned of my arrival, else the Bejik's will know who you have been smuggling munitions to under the table."]

Yuri hung his head. ["Of course. I hope your friend does not have long to wait... You know, I was wondering if you had anything to do with what was happening."]

["For once, it seems I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had I anything to do with this chaos, you would find me in a distinctly better mood. Good day, Yuri."]

 

[Terratina.]

Sure, they laughed but Jun didn't like hospitals either. Or anywhere that forced him into a state of uselessness for any amount of time. At least the bickering had stopped when the butler came in. Jun automatically stood up straight when Raphael made his appearance. Afterwards, he slipped into standing at attention and waited for Basilio, ignoring the shiver that when up his spine.

***​

Maria's eyes when wide as soon as the stench of burning flesh mixed with that of burning rubber entered her nostrils. The sight of Sandringham soon answered the question of where it was coming from. The agent, in trying to ignore the fact that his left side was all sorts of nasty, was just making the elephant in the room more noticeable. A third-degree burn or worse. It needed treatment.

"Can this wait?" She said to the smoking man, "Not point having a plan if you're not there to carry it out."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Not point having a plan if you're not there to carry it out."

Sandringham tried to smile, but it came out as more of a pained grimace. He had no doubt that the doctor was good at her job, but even if she had the supplies to back that up, the writing was already on the wall. Little more than adrenaline was keeping his heart beating as it was. He'd been in the business long enough to know what sort of wounds people generally did and didn't survive.

"Go ahead, Doctor." he replied, letting his guard down a little. "We can talk at the same time."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Not just one." Responded Mila with gritted teeth, sounding regretful of mentioning that there was more than one. "Anyway, I'm to escort you off the premises immediately. The city's under martial law right now and we can't have any civvies on-base. Sorry." She then added with an apologetic voice as a hand gestured the door to both Viola and Hannibal. "I really did want to see how sharp your eye was."

It was then that Viola raised a smile. "Likewise Mila, perhaps we'll have the opportunity to do so, under more fortunate circumstances and sunnier skies."

"Why is the city on lockdown? Is it about Sandragghim?"

"I'd wager that silver haired snake has something to do with it, though it may be that the Maidens were trying to escape, or possibly both."

 

[The Funslinger]

"What you did back there? Understandable, but don't ever do that again. Never undermine her, you understand me?"

Ruffles would have agreed with Cameron in a heartbeat. But then, he had undermined the Captain more than anyone in the past couple of weeks. He still felt like he had made the right choices on those occasions. He remained silent.

Whiskey leaned over and patted Cameron's leg. "She's lucky to have someone like you around, Cam."

======================================================

"You better be on your best behavior. All of you."

Bryan grinned. "If it makes you feel better, I'll do even better than that," he said. "I'll ah... I dunno, I'll be on Jun's best behaviour! Really up my game."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

'Jesus Christ.'

Unless his wounds looked a lot worse than they actually were, Sandringham was a dead man walking. Here they were, making idle chitchat, while this man was suffering, all because of them.

"God damn it." Lilith muttered quietly under her breath as she took a long drag of her cigarette. The girl's expression hardened as she glanced at the other men. Sure, they're obeying orders now, but if the conversation she overheard was anything to go by, that might not be the case without Sandringham around.

Sliding up the wall as she got to her feet, Lilith subtly got Cranston's attention while the others were preoccupied with Maria's doctoring, beckoning him over to her.

 

[Fappy]

"God damn its been not even three weeks and more shit's happened now than in the past eleven months I've with you guys. Jesus."

Cameron shrugged, "That's just how it goes sometimes. We'll get past this though. We always have."

"She's lucky to have someone like you around, Cam."

"Yeah, right," Cameron scoffed. "That woman doesn't need me. She just needs a big dick and a whole lot'a lovin'!" She laughed, slapping her knee.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"I'd wager that silver haired snake has something to do with it, though it may be that the Maidens were trying to escape, or possibly both."

Mila put her hands on her hips, "I am not clear on the details myself, but that doesn't really matter right now. I need to get you two off base before the Colonel shows up. I imagine new intel has come to light if he doesn't need you anymore."

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"When am I ever not?"

Tsubaki offered him an unimpressed look, before clenching her jaw and wordlessly replying.

'I'll be fine.'

"I'll ah... I dunno, I'll be on Jun's best behaviour! Really up my game."

"I'd like to see that," She rolled her eyes. "Follow Jun's example and keep your mouth shut. I don---" Tsubaki's words died in her throat when the door suddenly opened.

It was him.

"Commander." He stated warmly, a solemn frown painted on his face. Like her men beside her, Tsubaki did her best to sit up straight and salute. She could only hold it for a moment before she clutched her side in pain and doubled over. "Tsubaki!" He shouted, rushing to her side. "No need to push yourself for my sake, Tsubaki."

He grabbed her hand in his own and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, tenderly. Tsubaki was so taken with his concern that she'd completely ignored how inappropriate his behavior was. Especially in front of her men, "No, Sir. It is habit more than anything else." Her voice cracked as she chuckled. "Saluting you is as natural as saying hello to a friend."

"Well, we are friends, Tsubaki." He assured her.

Tsubaki hesitated for a moment, lost in his... sharp gaze, before nodding her head in compliance. After he stood up straight next to her men, Tsubaki spoke, "Have you heard?"

"Yes," Dio nodded. "The mission was a failure."

Tsubaki bowed her head, "I apologize. It was my fault, I---"

"Who was it?"

Tsubaki looked confused, "Excuse me?"

"Who did this to you?" He pointed to her chest.

"Um," She clutched the end of the blanket as she fought to remember. "It happened so fast, I... No, I know who it was. It was the old man. It was 'The Cook'."

As he turned to face her squad, Dio's imposing stature cast a shadow on all three of them. He scowled, "You find this man and you bring him to me. We will have justice for your commander. Do not fail me in this."

Tsubaki furrowed her brow, "M'Lord, am I not to lead them?"

Rubbing his jaw in thought for a moment, he turned back around and locked eyes with her, "No, I'm sorry, but with your injuries that would be impossible. Spend this time to rest up and regain your strength. Chimera squad suffered several casualties. Ortega will be taking your men under his wing while you are on paid leave."

"M'Lord, I can still fi---"

"This is not up for debate, Tsubaki." Stepping forward, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Get better soon. That's an order."

Tsubaki simply nodded, returning his faint smile.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably at the edge of the bed as she overheard Sandringham's men discuss her fate. Once they had appeared in the room, Sprout ushered her over and had her sit behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he whispered, "Don' worry, Liz, yer not goin' anywhere you don' wanna." She simply nodded in response, her eyes now glued to the half-dead man at the front of the room.

Cranston was about to ask Sandringham about his idea when he noticed Lilith beckoning him, "Just one moment." He assured him as he walked over to where Lilith was standing. "What is it? He doesn't have much time."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"What is it? He doesn't have much time."

"Exactly," Lilith muttered to the man in hushed tones, her eyes locking with his. "Are they gonna be a problem?" She whispered, as her eyes shifted to the back of one of Sandringham's men. "I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep if I think I'm gonna wake up with a knife in my back." She nodded towards Elizabeth. "Promise me they won't touch the girl."

The woman was clearly concerned, despite how much she tried to hide it.


================================================

Asad tried his utmost to appear professional, and for all intents and purposes, that's exactly how he came across. The commander was going to need rest, that was a given, so it was no surprise that they'd be moved under someone else's command, at least until Tsubaki had recovered.

What did surprise him was Basilio's general attitude towards the commander. He wasn't sure if he was genuinely concerned or not, but that he had to ask himself that worried him even more.

'Fucking snake.'

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Promise me they won't touch the girl."

"Nobody's touching anyone." Sandringham replied across the room, as loud as his voice would allow, regretting it almost immediately. He sucked in air with sharp, shallow breaths. Thankfully, no-one raised their voice in decent.

"We have larger concerns now." he continued "Those troops belonged to two of Basilio's most accomplished Special Ops squadrons. One had orders to apprehend Lady Elizabeth, while the other's objective was eliminating us. We've been compromised, and I think I know by who, but that's not important right now.

I'm sure Cranston's explained, there's nothing we can do until the lock down is lifted, but even then, I don't rate our chances of just walking out of here. Every checkpoint will be watching for us, and we know longer have the resources to dupe or overpower them. We'll need to split up, my men drawing attention away from you and giving you a window to leave the city; but even then, it's worthless if we'd only be drawing away the forces that are after my people in the first place."

Sandringham paused, looking uneasily at Cranston.

"As far as the enemy knows, you're responsible for the Maidens here. We can use that. If you come with me, and we feed our location to Basilio's forces, they'll believe that the rest of the Maidens and Lady Elizabeth are with us as well. That's the only way I can see of drawing everyone off to our position, giving the others a window to escape. We only need to be in the open long enough to get everyone on our tail, and then we'll go to ground again, for as long as it takes."

He meant that last part, as far as the rest of them were concerned at least. However, as he slid down to a sitting position up against the wall, he tilted his head and whispered to the doctor.

"Just do what you need to do to keep me functional for the next couple of days. Let me worry about the rest."