Monday Banshee
Jan. 4th, 2010 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2Taaaa-daaaahhh! BFB Part 102 is now finished! ^___^ I'll have to go back over the whole thing and see to any random typos, before posting (or attempting to) the whole thing. ^____^
It'll be a bit before Part 103 starts cranking out; Wufei is busy kicking the furniture and Tiffany is getting pissed. Once she sorts him out, we'll resume. ^___~
I was pretty pleased with myself, I have to admit. I’d arranged for Ctik to be responsible for his own security, gotten him a phone, a conversation with Gisela – and the check to deliver, which I was sure she would protest – some fresh clothing and a couple more acquaintances. Inazuma was clearly charmed by the gentlemanly vampire and Enrique had shown no hostility. He’s quite a bit older than we are, though, so I expect he can take care of himself against most any aggressive Creature, and Ctik is far from aggressive.
I parked carefully in Heero’s preferred space under the shed roof and jogged across the lot and the commons and up the stairs to my room. I made quick work of my shower – damn, but having shorter hair is great – and was comfortably ensconced on my bed with a soda and my cellphone by ten till.
The expectation of phone sex was actually secondary to my desire to tell Heero all that I had accomplished since noon. Yeah, I really want him to be proud of me. It would kill me to think anyone talked behind his back about his lame choice in Chosens.
When 2200 arrived, it wasn’t my cellphone that rang, but the brazier in the corner that flared. That was unexpected; you really don’t want to do anything as intimate as distance sex through the fire; it’s not private from anyone with the knowledge or power to hack in. I know, cellphones aren’t secure either, but no one’s watching through a cell hack.
I scrambled off the bed and across the room to tap the copper bowl. I’m not saying I was worried, but a little confused? Oh, yeah.
The flames parted and Heero’s image appeared. I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“Angel…” he said wearily.
“Heero! What’s wrong? What happened?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “We had a… an incident. We won’t be home until late tomorrow. I’m sorry; I’m not…”
Up to phone sex? Well, duh!
“Never mind that! Tell me!”
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “First, we are both unharmed. Q is monumentally pissed – not at me, though maybe he should be – with everything and everyone else.”
“Okay, that’s good. That neither of you are hurt, I mean.” Crap. Was he going to make me dig it out, fact by fact? I’d reach through those flames and smack him if he did. “But what happened?!”
“I told you about the ‘festivities’? It consisted of a banquet of local delicacies and traditional entertainment; dancing, music, the usual.” He wasn’t looking at me, which is not like Heero at all. He tends to fix the object of his conversation with a stare that could melt steel; this shifty-eyed stuff was not in his repertoire. Not at all. I started to get scared.
“Yeah, you mentioned that…”
“Part of the festivities included a blood sacrifice.”
Damn. I know that goes on in some places with some religions; chickens or goats, I guess. Heero wouldn’t look so rattled for a chicken, though.
“Heero…”
He wasn’t looking at me, but past me, as if he was seeing it again in his head.
“They brought out a- not a child, but a young person, male, I think.” Oh shit. Oh fucking shit. I bit down on my lip, knowing what was coming. “The headman was going on about honor and demons… and he took up the carving knife and just… slit his throat. A Human sacrifice! In front of *us*!” he growled, outraged. “I reacted badly,” he grumbled after a moment. “I ripped his bloody damn barbaric head off.” He brought his hands to his face again. I could barely breathe. “I am supposed to be expecting the unexpected with these idiots, but I… reacted automatically. I am… ashamed of myself.”
“Oh, fuck… Heero… Don’t do that… What’s wrong with them?! Of course you would react instinctively!” I snarled.
“But I am supposed to be better than instinct,” he argued wearily. “I am a Dragon; a Wyvern. Our standards are higher, our expectations more exacting.” He groaned; a sound he’s never made before. I wanted to crawl through the fire – or call a porter – and get to him. Heero Yuy is not supposed to look so despondent. It’s… it’s unnatural, dammit!
“You stop that, Heero Yuy! I will not have you beating yourself up over the psycho actions of a bunch of lunatic Humans! I’m coming there!” I turned to grab some clothes and Heero reacted.
“You will *not*!” he snapped. “You have a job to do and you will stay right there and do it!”
Okay, that sounded a lot more like my Wyvern.
“Then you give me a damn good reason why I can’t come!” I snapped right back.
He gave me an offended look that softened and melted into another sigh. “Because Q is in the process of chewing the asses off the entire African office? Because I have to stay until this is sorted out? Because I want to spend a quiet night with you before I have to report to my Clan council?”
“You what? The Clan? You mean Giniro?” My heart sank.
“I do. I have talked to her and Q has talked to her, but I still have to appear. She is Not Amused at the moment.”
Ah, shit. Now Heero was in trouble with his Clan. Dammit! He is never doing this again without me! I opened my mouth to tell him that when another voice came from behind him.
“Duo! You can discuss this affair later. This is not a secure fire.” Q’s head popped into the corner of the flames. Can a person look both homicidal and eager while not being a serial killer? Q managed it. “Report on your assignment.”
Crap. I’d forgotten about that. I suppose it would be better to hear the whole craptacular story in person; at least then I could get my hands on my Dragon. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Okay. Sorry, Q”
“Give us something else to contemplate, Banshee. Have you housed the vampire yet?”
Encouraged by Heero’s tired smirk and a wryly waggled eyebrow, I took it from this morning. I explained that Inazuma was helping and Q nodded his agreement. I went over our list and ticked off the things we had accomplished. I brought up the plan to visit New York to deal with the Pumas and see to shipping Ctik’s goods. Finally, I had to admit I hadn’t found a place for the vamp yet. Heero frowned, but Q called from somewhere behind Heero that I should call the Magical real estate agents. Heero nodded along and then said that Tiffany knew a couple of agents; they handled the sale of her condo.
“Thanks, Q; Heero. I thought of that, but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Are you sure it’s okay for us to go tomorrow? Shouldn’t we be in the office…?”
“We won’t be back until late; possibly after sundown,” Q assured me. “This is your job, so there’s no reason to change your plans.”
I could argue that, but I didn’t want to make Heero feel any worse. He needed me to stiffen up and be a professional, not start whining like a sulky Human. Q left the room and Heero relaxed a bit.
“I miss you,” he said softly. “I am sorry to disappoint you. This is not the way I intended to spend our call.”
“I know. It’s okay; you’ve had a crappy day.” He smiled for me and I felt better. “It can’t have been… um… I mean, seeing someone killed like that…”
“I know I threaten to rip off heads, but I’ve never actually done it,” he muttered. “Certainly not like this… I’ve killed, of course, but not a Human, not like this,” he repeated and shook his head slightly. “Never mind. Talk to me about your day. I’ve heard the over-view, now tell me the details,” he commanded. So I did.
Told him about Farq and Teal and the gargoyles and vampire groupies. I told him about telling Ms Cranky Badger to make sure Farq was in his less stinky form from now on and he agreed and said he'd back me up on that one. I even got him to laugh a few times. When I finally ran down, he gave me a look, and even knowing that the fire image wasn’t real, I leaned in. He held up his hand and I laid mine against that image. We both sighed heavily and I giggled.
“I love you,” he murmured.
I smiled and got as close as my inner demons would let me. “Backatcha, big guy.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You know it.”
The fire fell and went out, taking his image with it.
I flopped across my bed and growled out a heartfelt, “Fuck!” I so wanted to go where they were and take out my irritation on whoever was left of those lousy excuses for Human beings! Sap dammit! I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, that’s for sure. I dragged myself upright and went in search of my usual insomnia cure: yarn.
It'll be a bit before Part 103 starts cranking out; Wufei is busy kicking the furniture and Tiffany is getting pissed. Once she sorts him out, we'll resume. ^___~
I was pretty pleased with myself, I have to admit. I’d arranged for Ctik to be responsible for his own security, gotten him a phone, a conversation with Gisela – and the check to deliver, which I was sure she would protest – some fresh clothing and a couple more acquaintances. Inazuma was clearly charmed by the gentlemanly vampire and Enrique had shown no hostility. He’s quite a bit older than we are, though, so I expect he can take care of himself against most any aggressive Creature, and Ctik is far from aggressive.
I parked carefully in Heero’s preferred space under the shed roof and jogged across the lot and the commons and up the stairs to my room. I made quick work of my shower – damn, but having shorter hair is great – and was comfortably ensconced on my bed with a soda and my cellphone by ten till.
The expectation of phone sex was actually secondary to my desire to tell Heero all that I had accomplished since noon. Yeah, I really want him to be proud of me. It would kill me to think anyone talked behind his back about his lame choice in Chosens.
When 2200 arrived, it wasn’t my cellphone that rang, but the brazier in the corner that flared. That was unexpected; you really don’t want to do anything as intimate as distance sex through the fire; it’s not private from anyone with the knowledge or power to hack in. I know, cellphones aren’t secure either, but no one’s watching through a cell hack.
I scrambled off the bed and across the room to tap the copper bowl. I’m not saying I was worried, but a little confused? Oh, yeah.
The flames parted and Heero’s image appeared. I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“Angel…” he said wearily.
“Heero! What’s wrong? What happened?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “We had a… an incident. We won’t be home until late tomorrow. I’m sorry; I’m not…”
Up to phone sex? Well, duh!
“Never mind that! Tell me!”
He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “First, we are both unharmed. Q is monumentally pissed – not at me, though maybe he should be – with everything and everyone else.”
“Okay, that’s good. That neither of you are hurt, I mean.” Crap. Was he going to make me dig it out, fact by fact? I’d reach through those flames and smack him if he did. “But what happened?!”
“I told you about the ‘festivities’? It consisted of a banquet of local delicacies and traditional entertainment; dancing, music, the usual.” He wasn’t looking at me, which is not like Heero at all. He tends to fix the object of his conversation with a stare that could melt steel; this shifty-eyed stuff was not in his repertoire. Not at all. I started to get scared.
“Yeah, you mentioned that…”
“Part of the festivities included a blood sacrifice.”
Damn. I know that goes on in some places with some religions; chickens or goats, I guess. Heero wouldn’t look so rattled for a chicken, though.
“Heero…”
He wasn’t looking at me, but past me, as if he was seeing it again in his head.
“They brought out a- not a child, but a young person, male, I think.” Oh shit. Oh fucking shit. I bit down on my lip, knowing what was coming. “The headman was going on about honor and demons… and he took up the carving knife and just… slit his throat. A Human sacrifice! In front of *us*!” he growled, outraged. “I reacted badly,” he grumbled after a moment. “I ripped his bloody damn barbaric head off.” He brought his hands to his face again. I could barely breathe. “I am supposed to be expecting the unexpected with these idiots, but I… reacted automatically. I am… ashamed of myself.”
“Oh, fuck… Heero… Don’t do that… What’s wrong with them?! Of course you would react instinctively!” I snarled.
“But I am supposed to be better than instinct,” he argued wearily. “I am a Dragon; a Wyvern. Our standards are higher, our expectations more exacting.” He groaned; a sound he’s never made before. I wanted to crawl through the fire – or call a porter – and get to him. Heero Yuy is not supposed to look so despondent. It’s… it’s unnatural, dammit!
“You stop that, Heero Yuy! I will not have you beating yourself up over the psycho actions of a bunch of lunatic Humans! I’m coming there!” I turned to grab some clothes and Heero reacted.
“You will *not*!” he snapped. “You have a job to do and you will stay right there and do it!”
Okay, that sounded a lot more like my Wyvern.
“Then you give me a damn good reason why I can’t come!” I snapped right back.
He gave me an offended look that softened and melted into another sigh. “Because Q is in the process of chewing the asses off the entire African office? Because I have to stay until this is sorted out? Because I want to spend a quiet night with you before I have to report to my Clan council?”
“You what? The Clan? You mean Giniro?” My heart sank.
“I do. I have talked to her and Q has talked to her, but I still have to appear. She is Not Amused at the moment.”
Ah, shit. Now Heero was in trouble with his Clan. Dammit! He is never doing this again without me! I opened my mouth to tell him that when another voice came from behind him.
“Duo! You can discuss this affair later. This is not a secure fire.” Q’s head popped into the corner of the flames. Can a person look both homicidal and eager while not being a serial killer? Q managed it. “Report on your assignment.”
Crap. I’d forgotten about that. I suppose it would be better to hear the whole craptacular story in person; at least then I could get my hands on my Dragon. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Okay. Sorry, Q”
“Give us something else to contemplate, Banshee. Have you housed the vampire yet?”
Encouraged by Heero’s tired smirk and a wryly waggled eyebrow, I took it from this morning. I explained that Inazuma was helping and Q nodded his agreement. I went over our list and ticked off the things we had accomplished. I brought up the plan to visit New York to deal with the Pumas and see to shipping Ctik’s goods. Finally, I had to admit I hadn’t found a place for the vamp yet. Heero frowned, but Q called from somewhere behind Heero that I should call the Magical real estate agents. Heero nodded along and then said that Tiffany knew a couple of agents; they handled the sale of her condo.
“Thanks, Q; Heero. I thought of that, but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Are you sure it’s okay for us to go tomorrow? Shouldn’t we be in the office…?”
“We won’t be back until late; possibly after sundown,” Q assured me. “This is your job, so there’s no reason to change your plans.”
I could argue that, but I didn’t want to make Heero feel any worse. He needed me to stiffen up and be a professional, not start whining like a sulky Human. Q left the room and Heero relaxed a bit.
“I miss you,” he said softly. “I am sorry to disappoint you. This is not the way I intended to spend our call.”
“I know. It’s okay; you’ve had a crappy day.” He smiled for me and I felt better. “It can’t have been… um… I mean, seeing someone killed like that…”
“I know I threaten to rip off heads, but I’ve never actually done it,” he muttered. “Certainly not like this… I’ve killed, of course, but not a Human, not like this,” he repeated and shook his head slightly. “Never mind. Talk to me about your day. I’ve heard the over-view, now tell me the details,” he commanded. So I did.
Told him about Farq and Teal and the gargoyles and vampire groupies. I told him about telling Ms Cranky Badger to make sure Farq was in his less stinky form from now on and he agreed and said he'd back me up on that one. I even got him to laugh a few times. When I finally ran down, he gave me a look, and even knowing that the fire image wasn’t real, I leaned in. He held up his hand and I laid mine against that image. We both sighed heavily and I giggled.
“I love you,” he murmured.
I smiled and got as close as my inner demons would let me. “Backatcha, big guy.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You know it.”
The fire fell and went out, taking his image with it.
I flopped across my bed and growled out a heartfelt, “Fuck!” I so wanted to go where they were and take out my irritation on whoever was left of those lousy excuses for Human beings! Sap dammit! I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, that’s for sure. I dragged myself upright and went in search of my usual insomnia cure: yarn.
