Ch. 51
Imported from SF2 with no description.
--Trainer--
I held Helena until she fell asleep. It didn’t take long, she’d run herself ragged. She’d run herself to pieces, carrying the weight of the world on her back. Once she was allowed to set that down, she didn’t have any strength left to fight with. Annabelle tended to her feet while Mira and I discussed what to do next.
“We need to get Claire. Do you remember that trip through the mine?” I asked, my hand stroking Helena’s back, slowly. “We need to help them find us. I know she’s going to be looking.”
Mira laughed, softly. “As much as I wish we could all forget that, yes. Vividly. She heard you, in the end. Knew you were afraid, lost, hunted. Knew you were alive, most of all.” She said, with a thoughtful look. “I never gave it much thought, but she knew everything you managed to tell her.”
“So let’s give her something to find.” I said, with a nod.
“You sure that’s a good idea? Could be they’re listening too. They’re hunting an absol, how do you think they’re going to go about it?” Annabelle asked, with a wary glance towards the trees.
“Not like we have a choice. She’s going to go looking, I’d rather she found us than found them.” I left the other part unspoken. I’d rather they found us than her.
Annabelle nodded at that. “We’ll be better off as a group. You have me. I can fight, even though this little bitch tired me out.” She said in exasperation. “I’ll give her this, she can hold a grudge.”
“Hey, Annabelle, will I be able to walk? Or should I just try and take it easy?” I asked, as I looked down at my leg. It was hard to believe that just last night it had been broken. It still hurt, but in a different way. A dull, yet incredibly pervasive ache where the wounds used to be.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Annabelle said, with a shrug. “I’ve never tried it on anything that bad before. Everything else has been fine, so … who knows?” She stretched and sighed. “I don’t think we’ll have much choice but to find out, to be honest.”
Not exactly a comforting notion, but Annabelle did strike at the heart of the matter. So it was that I pulled Mira into my arms, her ribbons entwined up my body, her feelings and mine, closing off the rest of the world, one sound at a time. Shrugging off the fatigue, the anxiety. Piece by piece taking away the worst of it, and pulling away the distractions.
A color, violet. Her eyes. I focused on that. I could feel Mira, her understanding of my feelings. Of the longing to look into Claire’s eyes. My feelings reflected hers, a want for all of us to be together again. To not feel alone. To not feel isolated without her friend.
Violet. The whole world became that color to me, with eyes shut. And when my whole world became that color, it was nothing to push it outward. Slow, at first. Then faster, bigger. I felt it expanding as if it were a giant balloon.
In that moment, I felt as if I’d grown a lot, in a very short time. I had learned from her, something she had tried to teach me that was once difficult.
Violet, a beacon she would understand immediately. A color that bore fruit.
--Claire--
I could feel it, the familiar sensation as we descended from the top of the mountain. Tickling at my consciousness, but growing more insistent by the moment. I felt as if I were looking into my own eyes, and knew he was out there. That he was looking for us.
Reaching back was the easiest thing in the world. I missed him so much. I could feel his laughter, his joy. I could feel the ache in his heart and the tears in his eyes and all the wonder and splendor of the moment.
And I could feel my mother, at the edge of it, watching, in her own way, from nearby. Watching as the two of us were complete in an instant, from miles apart.
Forget the trail. I knew where he was, his laughter reached my ears in a way no sound could. Down the hill, Tempest trailing me with an expression that was partly resignation, and partly a fervent belief I had just lost my mind.
The four of us had no trouble crossing the woods, and if it weren’t for Tempest following my sense of direction, she’d have scrambled on ahead just to make sure things were okay. But even with the rough footing and having to wind back and forth through the brush and tangle, getting to him felt like it would take no time at all.
The closer we got, the louder he got, until I had to put into practice what my mother had taught me, pulling his pressure to one side, and twisting it away. There was no force to him. Not like Morrigan. It was nothing to me. I could have cried for joy if I weren’t too busy laughing and following his own happiness in turn.
Whatever had happened, it couldn’t have been that bad. Not if he was too busy bombarding me with questions and loving thoughts to express any kind of worry.
He was on his feet and running to me before I’d cleared the last hill. A nervous
Looking lucario calling after him to be careful, but her warning fell on deaf ears as he all but sprang into me, scooping me up off the ground and spinning me around.
Tempest caught up before he’d made it all the way around and wrapped her arms around the both of us. She shook her head and held us still as Cocoa, Mira and Penance circled around us.
“Good to have you back.” He said, his hands, normally so strong, so confident, almost trembled as he held me. Clutched me close as if an errant breeze might have taken me away. It was a feeling I understood too well. My arms were wrapped tight around him, as I nuzzled against him.
“Missed me?” I asked with a teasing little smile. “Good to know.” I whispered, kissing his neck. “But for now, let me introduce you to my mother, Morrigan. She’s been wanting to meet you.” I said, finally pulling away.
Morrigan laughed softly and swatted my arm. “Shame on you. He’s only been worried sick about you. I can wait five minutes.” She chided, but she took his hand and smiled. “I know you were worried about how I’d react. Don’t be. She loves you, and she’s happy. A girl could do a whole lot worse than in love and happy.”
“She’s crazy, but we both knew that.” He replied with a teasing wink in my direction. “I don’t know where I’d be without her. Or even who I’d be. I can’t picture myself apart from her. I’m sorry that you had to find out like this, but I’m glad to meet you.”
Morrigan smiled, taking my hand and bringing it to his. I could feel the warmth of his skin, the sensation of his sudden shyness as he looked at me. As if he were seeing me for the very first time.
“She is crazy.” Morrigan agreed, with a nod. “But she’s crazy for you. Take care of her, just like you are. It would put my heart at ease to know it.” She said, kissing his cheeks and letting us go at last. “I’m glad she has you. Even if I still want to scold her for ignoring everything I ever said.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Well, how about we deal with the donphan in the room, and then you can scold me?” I sighed, my hand reaching up to brush master’s cheek. “So, how many? How bad was it?” I asked. For a moment, I wished I hadn’t.
Images of the approach. Of his initial assault. It was satisfying to see. He was ruthless, and that’s what he needed to be. The blow to the head, the way the machoke was fought away by someone else. The sandslash, the pain, the fear. The resolve.
It wasn’t at all what I’d expected, yet, knowing him as I did, I wasn’t surprised by how it could have ended.
Morrigan picked up on it just as readily as I did, and sighed. “Well, now I would say I’m very lucky to have met you at all.” She murmured quietly, before she smiled a familiar, wicked little smile. “Well, we could leave well enough alone... “ She said, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder.
“But since when have either of us settled for that? Your mate, that makes him my son, doesn’t it?” She asked, with her free hand settling to rest on his shoulder. “That means we have a duty to uphold, don’t we? Both of us.”
“Let’s go show them our family isn’t to be trifled with.”
--Trainer--
Something about the way Morrigan said it was a little worrisome. There was an anger there, slowly growing. Smoldering, consuming the edges of her thoughts. She didn’t try to keep me out, at all. She opened herself to me, but I realized, only to me, as we began our walk through the brush and undergrowth, back towards the cabin.
I could feel her love, for Claire. By extension, for me. Conflicting feelings, turmoil and frustration and a desire to accept things she didn’t want to acknowledge. I could feel her thoughts searching mine, and I tried to relax and let her see what there was to see.
Fifty two weeks was a long time for an uncertain future. To not know how things were going to turn out, and not really be sure of what I would even do after that. To be afraid of failure, to be afraid of success, too.
Claire, the way we were at first, my hands trembling to touch her, to hold her. Afraid I was doing it wrong, or that she’d hate me. Afraid I was pushing too hard when I taught her what I could. Afraid I was asking for too much in our first awkward battles together.
Those weren’t the memories she wanted, she dug further, and I lowered my guard more. Welcomed her, as best as I could. Our first night together, as lovers. She was so small, but we needed each other so much. The way we welcomed one another, accepted it, her to my needs, and I to her resolve to answer them. And further still, teaching her of those desires, of those pleasures. Learning through her more and more of my own.
The addiction it became, the way she sought it out, again and again. The way she pushed me to go further, every time. The way she actively sought out my darkest perversions. Nothing sacrosanct. Nothing too far. Her anything for me, and in return my everything for her.
The first time she introduced me to Tempest, guided us both to take that offered pleasure. The way her eyes feasted on that sight, how much it turned her on to see me take another lover right in front of her. How much it turned me on to do it.
She stopped there, and I felt her consciousness as though it were a physical touch, warmth like her hand on my cheek, and a gentle knowing.
“She must get that from me. I’m glad she discovered it in better circumstances than I did.” Her words were bittersweet, but also a little playful. “Don’t be embarrassed. Nothing wrong with finding things you didn’t know you wanted before.”
I would have replied, would have tried at least, but we were fast approaching the edge of the clearing.
I was relieved to see my tent was still standing. Some of the traps had been triggered, and that had been enough to dissuade them from poking around an abandoned camp any further. I’d have to thank the diglett and scyther both if I saw them again.
The cabin was in shambles. The door had been torn off the hinges and tossed out to the walkway in pieces. One of the windows on the second floor was broken out, and parts of a computer were strewn about down below, among the shattered glass and splintered wood. Half of the railing on the porch was torn out, and the stairs had buckled.
But the place was abandoned. Blood marred the trap I’d lured one into, and I could see the splintered remains of the weapon I’d used that night. A clump of hair, adhered to the door frame in dried blood. Tempest couldn’t hide her satisfaction at that one. We were careful as we made our approach, trying not to disturb anything. Blood in the grass, places where it trailed, places where it pooled. They’d taken the time to lick their wounds. We wouldn’t find them for a convenient trail.
The inside of the cabin was trashed. I couldn’t tell if they were searching for something, or if it was just borne of malice and frustration. Either way, it was a wreck. The furniture was in pieces. Anything made of glass had been shattered. Parts of the wall had been torn out, on the inside. Water leaked from damaged pipes beneath the kitchen sink.
I sat heavily on the porch, and found myself quickly surrounded by everyone.
Helena sat at my feet, and nudged her horn against me, the first to speak.
“You did everything you could. There was nothing more we could have done about these fuckers. Gwen is safe, and this is just stuff. Stuff can be replaced.” She said, with a shake of her head. We’re safe, you’re safe, so what if they tore this place up?
It was Penance who spoke up next. “The hell with that.” She said, as she hopped down to sniff around. “Let’s go find these bastards.” She added, as she began her way through the grass.
I stood up, and nodded. “You know… I don’t want to go looking for a fight. Or to walk into an ambush.” I said, as I followed after Penance. “But what I really don’t want to do is let these pricks hurt someone else. Stay or go as your conscience dictates. They won’t have gone far in the shape I left them.”
Morrigan shook her head and laughed, grabbing Claire’s hand and chasing after me, Tempest moving to my other side with Helena. Mira hopped up on Cocoa’s head, tugging her forward with her ribbons. Cocoa laughed aloud at that, “As if y’all need to tell me twice. Let’s go!”
Even Annabelle joined us, to my surprise. She moved to the front, quickly, but looked back at the cabin for just a moment, with a glare. “This was her home. My home.” Annabelle more growled than said. “I’m going to leave them as broken as they left it.” She declared, as she followed Penance into the brush.