"Baby, we're gettin' outta here." They were back in their room now, and with stiff achy movements Cap was packing up what little stuff they had, plus a handful of snacks he'd salvaged via a quick charm of the cavecook. Yus sat on the room's thick blankets, rocking and sobbing. "Don't call me 'baby'. I don't even know who you are..." Sighing inwardly he mumbled "Yes, you do, but that damn Qaro did some witchdoctor hoodoo on you." "I don't remember anything much," sobbed Yus in reply. "except Duncan, and Jyce. But she's dead isn't she? I remember THAT." At the pained tone Cap glanced over and, remembering his own disorientation on exiting his Thread, strode wonkily over, sat down and gave her a cuddle. "Hey, you'll be ok, promise. This'll fade." He reckoned it would, it was just taking longer because she'd been in so deep. After an all-too-short moment of warmth and comfort she shoved him off. "AAOOOUUWWW!" he yowled and moved reluctantly away, creating little friction-noises as he rubbed his sore arm. "Dammit Yus." "Voice of a moobeast..." she muttered, causing him to wonder about her sanity. Not that she could see it, but he snapped an arm-grumping glare her way. "What?" "I do remember. Aren't you my--" Surprising even himself Cap did not lie, managing to heroically suppress the urge to insist he was her husband, fiance, boyfriend, yoga instructor, BFF, or tantric sex coach. "Captain" he said simply, and somewhat stiffly at the effort of such blatant honesty in the face of such open opportunity. Yus mulled it over a moment, her perfect little brows knotting. Then, before he could even smile at the adorable sight, she unexpectedly launched herself at him, knocking him over backwards on the blankets. "What th--" His enquiry was cut short as she began raining down ferocious blows upon him. Thump after thump followed slap after slap before punch after punch. She was like an unstoppable smacking machine. He wasn't likely to admit it, to anyone, ever, but in the moment she'd flown at him, the expression in her pale unseeing eyes had genuinely frightened him. "Yus stop! Have you lost your Godsdamn marb--OW!" He angled his good elbow, holding his arm up in an attempt at shielding himself, but the blows kept coming. He wanted them to cease but didn't want to hurt her in return. He wasn't even entirely sure he'd be able to stop her if he did fight back - the girl seemed possessed. "THE CAPTAIN!!?" *WHACK* "IT'S" *SMACK* "YOUR" *THUMP* FAULT! *SLAP* "Wha--?" As with the previous query, the attempt to speak was interrupted, but this time by a teeth-slamming fist to the jaw. "ALL THOSE PEOPLE" *PUNCH* "DEAD" *BACKHAND* "BECAUSE OF YOU" *CLAW* "JYCE! AND THE FLUFF-HAIR MAN!" A heart-jolting image of Jim swum across Cap's mental viewscreen. "But!" *BASH* He wanted to explain about old Aggy, about the unexpected assailants who shouldn't have even been in that sector, that he'd done everything he could... Before he was able to get it out though she said something which trumped the lot. "YOU WERE THE CAPTAIN." *THUMP* "IT WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!" *SMACK* Till now, his injury-muddled mind, and being forced into sheer Survival Mode, had kept the thoughts behind a millimetre thin barrier. Now though he was healing, and currently relatively safe. Yus's words struck his consciousness as hard as she was smacking his physical being. She was right. The beating continued. He slowly lowered his protective arm, allowing, now wanting her to hurt him. A hand came for an implant-heavy part of his face and he turned his head to make sure she didn't hurt herself more than him by hitting his cyb-eye or surrounding paraphernalia. Hardest parts safely out the way he just lie back and let her go to town. ~~~ In the cave-idor two passing cavefolk exchanged a baffled glance and came to a halt. There were some very strange noises coming from within the guest quarters - howls, grunts, and irregular thuds. The two held a hushed conversation in their native tongue, recounted here in Erythian for ease of understanding. "Do you think they are mating, Zhleedleplip?" Zhleedleplip listened for a moment. "Hm, no I do not think so Shninkon. This sounds like a most violent encounter." Sharing another look, both ignorant of ancient courtship and combat rituals, yet most keen to learn about them, they crept to the slightly open door and peered through the gap. "Ah." "'Ah' indeed Shninkon." "It would appear that the small fe-male creature is killing the male one." "So it would seem." "This is not a good thing." They shuffle-scurried off to report the unsettling behaviour. ~~~ Cap waited for the next thump to come. Anticipated it, even looked forward to its merciful distractive properties and the miserably sweet justice the pain brought. He reckoned this next one would be a bony fist to the chest. No blow arrived though. He cautiously opened his re-bruising eye, and blearily made out Qaro's hand holding Yus's fist in a firm grip. "Stop now" Qaro instructed in the most soothing voice Cap had heard the strange one use. "You... You don't understand!" Yus insisted "He killed my sister! And thousands of other people!" Qaro shot a harsh look Cap-wards at the accusation. He shut his eye again, in shame. However, the elder responded with a doubtful-toned "You did not mention this when first you arrived. You seemed rather fond of him." Yus's sobs turned into a confused little choke. "I did?" Cap felt her indignant, rage-fuled shivering cease and sensed a portion of tension leave her body. With a minor head-shake at the emotion on display Qaro looked down at the two odd but likeable aliens. The red haired one seemed so small and weak but evidently was in fact very strong. She was vibrant, and significant. And so oddly female. The brown-haired one was a ridiculous creature full of silly notions and unnecessary drives but... still crucial. Despite his many, obvious flaws, one thing was very clear; he would always guard The Significant One, without hesitation. Qaro smiled. "Qaro?" enquired Yus in a shakey little voice, interrupting the elder's ruminations. "Ahhh? Oh, indeed you did. Myself I think him to be an arrogant fool, but yourself you seemed enamoured when you came. So much so we took him to be your pet, or best toy, or lover even. He is dull-minded as most pure males I have read about tended to be, but I do not think him a killer. Perhaps you are mistaken." Cap didn't even have the muster to grumble about being called a toy, or even register the fact that he'd been called 'dull-minded'. He just lie there, still, beaten, listening. Qaro uttered some mysterious words, and like a lazerbeam to the psyche Yus's brain suddenly recovered the missing memory data, and Cap heard her clap her hands over her mouth. "Oh... Gods." Here it came. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't your fault Cap..." But it was. He tried to say as much, but just couldn't bring himself to force the words past the deceptively golden ball of emotion which was lodged in his throat. "Cap?" she whispered, leaning down and hugging close to him, placing her cheek against his. No answer. She felt something which she reasoned was either a warm tear or a droplet of blood run down his cheek and through his stubble. She wasn't too keen on either idea. She sat up and got off the poor man. He stayed where he was, motionless. She didn't like that either. "Wh-why did I attack him Qaro?" The leader at least had the good grace to sound a little ashamed. "For a Thread - the dream you experienced - to Take, one must be of appropriate mind-state." A foot shuffle. "Methinks your head was too distraught and shocked for a Successful Thread experience. That child is why it went badly." Yus nodded her understanding. Qaro continued. "However, I believe it has done you well. In coming back this way thou has relieved some pent grief and angst. This very good for you..." Qaro glanced at Cap and chuckled "... not so good for this one." "How hurt is he?" "Hmm.." Taking in the newest injuries, the crashed-caused wounds, the old scars, and his implants, Qaro assessed the 'broken toy''s appearance. Why his eye was so mismatched was beyond the leader's understanding, it was completely unlike his natural, attractive, one. The mechanical eye was a most superfulous affectation in Qaro's opinion, and rather annoyingly, this coupled with his massive scar caused him to appear irritatingly unsymmetrical. It would not do if he were a cave-child. When a Craltharg was damaged they did not highlight their disability so unsubtly, they did not boast and make a fuss, they just patched themselves up as best they could, and got on with things. Perhaps it was fashionable among the wounded to show off their injuries in such a way in other parts of the System these days. How pretentious and self-celebratory. But that was a large part of this one's personality, was it not? Sigh. However, whether he'd previously been owned by someone else before Yus, someone who had treated him cruelly, or if he had served as some kind of soldier in an unknown faraway war, or had been a gladiator in a ring with animals like the Wyrm Weavers, he'd obviously been through a lot. This at least earned the leader's grudging respect. Like Yus's femaleness was obvious, this one's maleness was unmistakable. He even smelled male somehow. It was not unpleasant. If he was symmetrical he would have been very pretty... Shame. For a brief moment Qaro wondered what it would be like to couple with a gendered person, then cackled loudly at the preposterous thought. Yus blinked in Qaro's direction at the unexpected utterance, and the leader made an impressive composure-recovery. "Ahem. From the looks of him, he's been through far worse. He's just bruised and cut. Your to-- Your p-- Your friend, is fine Yus dear." Yus burst into tears, streams of relief. "But why isn't he saying anything?" "Oh" Qaro tossed off nonchantly "he has simply regressed to a similar state of him before he twelve year old. Trauma." Cap's good eye now snapped opened wide. How the hell could Qaro know about him as a kid? Yus was almost as thrown. "I... don't understand..." "My dear Yus, your Cap as you call him, he did not speak a word until he was twelve years of age." There was a beat while she took it in, then Yus said "No that can't be true. I've never met anyone who talks as much." "Mmmyes, him does like the sounds of his own voice." Cap scowled. Qaro continued, unaffected. "However, tis true. Do not judge solely by a pleasant aura. How was the aura made you must wonder? We have a saying here 'Even the mightiest of Sandworms started as tiny grublings'." At that Qaro patted Cap gently on the stomach, with something resembling affection. He flinched. Yus rubbed her forehead trying to mentally process and translate Qaro's strange style of speaking and take in the meaning. "Um... Okay... But even if you're right, how would you even know that?" "Ahhhh" Qaro swept a hand majestically, Yus felt the air shift around it. "The Purple Pool... It tells us many things. Not enough, mind, but unlike your friend currently, it says a lot!" Cap was not in a state to register his irritation, so he just abruptly sat up, grabbed his pack, tapped his cyb-eye, and took Yus by the hand. Yus didn't understand what the flapping and tapping noises were all about, but Qaro seemed to. Cap stared, waiting for a response. "Hm." The elder grunted. "Are you sure?" Cap nodded firmly. "Then, so be it." ---- Some hours later, and - courtesy of a rather nervous Zhleedleplip & Shninkon who'd dropped them off and zoomed away - our two plucky, confused, beaten, and more than a little pissed-off heroes stand at the outskirts of the Settlement Near the Desert's Edge. To be continued... |
Imagining hilarious, beautiful
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