"Hey Lynx! Come and spar with us, yeah!!" Somebody called, and she looked around; a man who looked to be from one of the Southern regions, grinning, his smile as bright as the shine of his dark beard. Standing in the small gym she'd been introduced to with two other men, the man seemed perfectly friendly.
"Yeah?" Lynx raised an eyebrow, stepping closer.
"Why not? They've got you on a five fight track instead of normal tournaments," The same man chuckled. "My name is Kato. You're not a gladiator like us; you're a spectacle, the main attraction. I wanna see what makes you so special, is that wrong?"
"No. Brushing up on your skills never hurt anybody," Lynx shrugged. "I'd rather you not call me a spectacle, though."
"Why not? You are one," Kato grinned, and the others backed off, watching as he began to bounce on the balls of his feet, hands raised defensively. "Now come on, hand to hand, show me what you're like."
Lynx stepped in, and Kato went for the punch- Lynx guarded her face and huffed, as he sucker punched her in the ribs, only to punch her in the jaw a moment later, sending her reeling, spinning and kicking one of his legs out. With Kato off balance, she darted forward, and he laughed mechanically, staggering out of her way… but Lynx faltered, pausing.
"You…"
"Me?" Kato grinned, and Lynx shook her head, stepping back.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Oh, uh- I don't know. It's just, what you do when you fight, you know?"
"Sorry, I uh. I need to pee," Lynx smiled weakly and turned on a dime, walking off. I can't become anything like the dogs in this pit- that's not what I am, not who I am. Not an actor laughing for the crowd- I'm going to grind that albino vampire-looking piece of-
"Calm, dear girl," A voice whispered from her back pocket, and she narrowed her eyes, headed back toward her run-down hotel room style apartment.
-
"Yeah, I was trying to talk them into letting me start a new excavation under the pretense of safer maintenance routes… they were kind of interested, but said it would take over a year before anything could start happening, and that's not the kind of time that we have." Alice's voice came through the phone, exasperated, and Nara sighed, closing her eyes. She could practically hear the tear tracks being cut down her cheeks. How frustrating it must feel; all that wealth and power, and yet you're completely useless here. So am I.
"I have an idea, Alice," Nara whispered. "I need to let you go now, okay?"
"Alright, I'll be here," The succubus's voice broke with a sob as she hung up, and Nara nudged sideways, through a door marked 'Staff Only'.
"Hey- hey I can't let you in there- hey who are you!!" A flustered man tried to grab her arm, but Nara slipped through, walking into a well lit room and looking around as her eyes dilated, adjusted. Striding forward, she stepped onto a mocked-up replica of a pleasant office, where a man in a suit sat at the desk, and a young woman dressed nicely on the leather seat beside the desk.
"O-Oh, who is this??" The man behind the desk made a chopping motion at his neck, and Nara turned… smiling at the cameras, and bowing deeply.
"My sincerest apologies, for interrupting your local broadcast. How are you, people of Ravenwood?"
"Alright, cut, cut," The man behind the desk insisted, but at Nara's next words, everybody went still.
"You may recognize me as Nara; demon behind the night of a thousand songs. Saving Eastbrook was my pleasure, and also my duty- I had the strength to assist, and I could not stand idly by. How have your families been, in the time since? I pray that you've all recovered well."
Don't let the anxiety win. Breathe, Nara…
"The truth of why I'm crashing this broadcast…" Tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. Gods. Hard to breathe. "-you've been wondering; where did I go? I was sighted with the Director of Ravenwood's CA, and then I vanished. I'm here to tell you where I've been; falling in love."
Deep breath. Let them wonder. This place broadcasts live; they're seeing me right now.
"Falling in love with a woman named Lynx. She can be found in the CA's Student Registry, as well as being the miracle patient saved by an angel and demon working together." That was the story, right? What if I got it wrong-?!
"There's a problem, though," Nara continued. "Lynx has gone missing… in the old city. I wish that I could save her, but how can a demon who draws her strength from revelry, cheer, and joy…" Nara grit her teeth, fat tears spilling down her cheeks, a sob threatening to break her voice. "How can something like that save the girl who she loves… when my h-heart feels like it's sinking into a hole, further every day?"
Sobbing, now, Nara looked to the camera with watery eyes. "I saved Eastbrook, and I'll c-continue to save everybody that I can. I want to open a path to help my lover come home, and I need your h-help too, please- I hate to play favors, but please, for me. Come to the concert, tomorrow night at Ravenwood's eastern park, near that stupid little cat café. Who's gonna be playing? I don't know, just… please."
"Wow… Did you guys get all that?!" The man behind her shouted. "Nara, the Hero of a Thousand Songs- she needs another thousand!! See you tomorrow night at Ravenwood's eastern park, by the cat café!! Woot woot, let's help this girl save her lover!! After this commercial break, we'll get back to interviewing the rising star about her latest film!!"
"We're cut!" A woman shouted, from somewhere, and Nara turned, smiling a watery smile.
"I sincerely apologize. Are you going to call CA, to deal with me?"
"Gods no!!" The interviewer stood. "Do you know who I am?!"
"A popular talk show host. The most popular in Ravenwood."
"Yes. However," The man stepped forward. "I am also, more importantly, a married man. If my husband was missing, then I wouldn't have any problem crashing any party in the world, if it meant getting him back." Still smiling, he clapped a hand onto Nara's shoulder. "Good luck, kid."
-
"RANK THREE, BABY!!! HOW FAR WILL LYNX GET?!" The announcer screamed as Lynx stepped into the arena, sighing, looking across at Kato. Short katana in one hand; the thing was worn, and rusted at the grip, but it was sharpened, wire wrapped, and sturdy. In her other hand, a small bundle of fabric she'd prepared in her bedroom; this one wasn't given to her by the guards.
"Why didn't I expect it to be you?"
"I was hoping our sparring match would go further! I wanted to try and spot a weakness, can you blame me?" Kato grinned, rolling his shoulders.
"KATO, LORD OF THE NIGHT, MASTER OF SPEED, VERSUS THE DIRECTOR'S CHOSEN!"
"Master of speed, huh?" Lynx sighed, walking forward and twirling the katana. "I'm not especially fast, you know. Will you take it easy on me?"
"Ha! You wish," Kato grinned as Lynx stowed the bundle of fabric in her back pocket, readying herself. "Now come on, cat, let's put on a show!!"
"He was beside Lynx on the left, then the right, and then Lynx found herself sailing forward through the air, tumbling, rolling and spinning to her feet. Kato stood where she'd been a moment before, and the crowd was laughing, cheering; most of them were cheering for Kato, she noticed, and one even had his name painted across her naked chest- woah. Focus Lynx. Not the time.
"Come on, don't get distracted!!" Kato grinned, winked, and then he was in front of her, not even a half inch away. "You're not even trying to kill me," He whispered, smiling. "That's no way to put on an entertaining show, now is it?"
"I'm not here to put on a show. I'm going to live," Lynx stated flatly, and rammed her head forward, going for the headbutt, only for Kato to be standing across the ring, grinning.
"Director's chosen doesn't matter down here, no plot armor for you, no way for him to reach you," He laughed, and vanished again; Lynx sprang, slashing behind her, but Kato ducked the blade and picked her up, both arms cinching around her waist. The cat-cop huffed as she was thrown; but Kato was there to catch her, slamming her back against the wall by her throat and a grip on her waistband, grinning devilishly.
When she tried to ram the katana into his stomach, Kato darted to the side and threw her down onto the ground, where she landed on hands and knees, shuddering, springing to her feet, blade in hand.
"You get it right?" Kato asked, lounging, leaning on the wall with crossed arms. "You've met your match. I guess I was scared for nothing."
"Trouble isn't me, it's you. Half baked fighter who needs their speed because they don't know how to fight." Lynx shrugged, relaxing, holding the katana casually at her side.
"Really? Head games? Wow, I hadn't thought of those," Kato gasped, covering his mouth sarcastically. "How about you, the dumb cat who walked into a demon's lair, still has nothing on her top half but a sports bra because you can't win a fight without flashing your enemies like a slut, and to boot? You're delusional enough to think you can get past, what? The arch-demon, or the god-stalemating dragon, the legendary Bleeding Ice? Even if you killed everybody down here, what then? Director chose you? Really? Maybe he should have gone for somebody with a scrap of intelligence instead of choosing based off who had the nicest tits in the room!" He laughed, and Lynx grit her teeth, darting forward and swinging, hard. Lurching sideways, she swung again, and he laughed wickedly, spinning and ducking away.
"Wow!! So not only do you fail to make me angry, but then you let me get in your head as well? I swear, I don't even kill my enemies, they do it themselves with their own volatile emotions; that's why they call me the false killer, ISN'T IT?!" Kato, standing across the pit again, grinned, and the crowd roared with laughter as he splayed his arms- and then he vanished, once again using Lynx's throat and waistband as the handles to arc her through the air and slam her down into the concrete; except, this time, she managed to cinch her legs around his waist, and a half second later, Kato was standing across the arena with Lynx attached to his torso. Grabbing the bundle of fabric from her back pocket, she leveled a punch at the man's face, coming from the right… and slammed her open palm into the space to the left of his head. Kato dodged into it and yelped, taking a faceful of grit, dust, and sand as Lynx shifted and kicked off of his chest, making him stagger back.
"Wait a second!!" Kato laughed, and it sounded so genuine, but Lynx backed off, grabbing her weapon as he tried to grind the grit out of his eyes… but when his hands came away, there was horror in his eyes; he was crying blood, confused. "What the hell did you do?!"
"Rat poison does a number on the retinas. Scared they're spies of the arch demon outside, seeking a weak point? Or maybe just protecting your food," Lynx grinned. "Either way, you're the lord of speed, but do you know what I am?!"
"What?!" Kato darted maybe twenty paces to his right, and Lynx grinned, watching him swing wildly.
"Silent."
Shutting her mouth and gritting her teeth, Lynx bent her knees and began to carefully pace sideways. She remembered how, last night, she'd anxiously insisted she saw a rat, and she was scared. Remembered how the guards had laughed at her, the cat afraid of rodents… but they'd brought her a few mouse traps with poisoned cheese. Grindiong it up into the dust in her corners had been easy enough… after that, ripping part of her worn pillowcase away, and a safety pin, had gotten the job done.
"To your left!!" The crowd roared, but when Kato dodged right, Lynx wound back her arm.
Don't miss, do you really remember how to do this?
"KATO DODGE!!!!" Several screamed, and Kato dodged backward as Lynx hurled the blade as hard as she could- there was a flash of steel, and Kato hit the ground, staring ahead dumbly, expression one of disbelief.
"You didn't even w-win," He stated, as if he was truly confused, blood running from the corner of his mouth. The sword was buried deep in his stomach; Oops. I aimed too low- or maybe I didn't account for the distance. Yeah, that one. Shouldn't have moved ten steps back, idiot.
"I did win," Lynx mused, stepping forward. "Can you see it all? I don't know if rat poison actually causes blindness, or if that's just a myth."
"Can't see," Kato confirmed, and Lynx nodded, tangling a hand into his hair, tipping his head back, meeting his eyes anyway.
"I'm looking you in the eyes right now. Can we call this off? If you surrender, will they let you live?"
"OHHHHH!!!" The announcer jeered over the loudspeakers. "THE DIRECTOR'S CHOSEN WANTS TO OFFER MERCY!!! LITTLE DOES SHE KNOW…"
"TWO ENTER!!! ONE LEAVES!!!!" The crowd roared, and Lynx sighed.
"Of course. If we refuse to kill eachother?"
"Guards kill us both," Kato whispered.
"Really? You're bleeding out slowly. There's time to save you."
"Don't want saved," Kado whispered, coughing wetly.
"Fine." Lynx nodded. "Well, do you want anything before you die?"
"W-What?"
"Final words? Come on, I'm not good at this kindness stuff. Do you want me to just cut your head off? You keep talking about putting on a good show."
"I…" Kato swallowed. Gagged, coughed. Hard, blood spilling onto his chin. "What… my laugh… morning…"
"What, why did it make me leave? It wasn't real, sounded like a robot. No more talking, let me end your suffering," Lynx muttered, and leaned back, grabbing the hilt of the weapon in Kato's stomach.
"Wait… if you live…"
"Lover? Partner? Child? Be quick."
"Can you… give me a… real laugh? I'm tired of… being a showhorse," Kato chuckled, blood leaking from a nostril.
"A real laugh, to the stars for Kato, when I get out of here," Lynx nodded, and in one arc, ripped the blade out of his stomach, spun, beheading him, then turning to the crowd.
"I'M NOT WOUNDED!!!! SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE, AND LET ME OUT!!! WE KNOW HOW THIS ENDS!!"
"WOW!!" The announcer jeered, slurring his words as if enjoying a good drink while chatting. "SO CONFIDENT, SO EAGER!! THE DIRECTOR'S CHOSEN ISN'T EVEN CLEANED UP FROM THIS FIGHT AND WANTS ANOTHER- DOES SHE HAVE MORE DIRTY TRICKS UP HER SLEEVE?! WHAT DO WE SAY IN THE ARENA, THOUGH, FOLKS;"
"A WIN IS A WIN!!! ANYTHING IT TAKES!!! TWO ENTER, ONE LEAVES!!!" The crowd screamed back, so loudly that Lynx clamped her hands over her ears in shock.
"THAT'S RIGHT- LYNX COULD HAVE A GALLON OF GASOLINE BETWEEN THOSE TITS AND A LIGHTER IN HER POCKET AND WE'D LOVE THE CREATIVITY!!! BRING IN THE NEXT!!!"
"Wait!!" Lynx shouted. "Need to piss! Give me five!!"
"WOW- WHY DID SHE TELL US THAT?! WHAT A WEIRD LADY- YOU HEARD HER, THOUGH!!" The announcer jeered, laughing. "TEN MINUTE RECESSION, AND WE LET HER FACE THE RANK FOUR CHAMPION!!! WILL HE BE READY?! OF COURSE- WE'LL TELL HIM TO BE!!"
-
"Huh. You know, Nara, I'm surprised that you still showed up- what with your concert going on tomorrow. Are you afraid, at all, that nobody will show up?"
"Very," Nara sighed quietly, sinking into the couch and looking up at her doctor. "I just feel… out of place."
"Yes? And why do you feel like that?"
"Lynx is so traumatized and hurt; you can tell she's done a hundred years of growing in what, nineteen? Twenty one? Then Alice- I mean she literally killed herself. Then there's me…"
"Yes, you," The doctor coaxed, and Nara angled her head, sighing.
"I'm just me. I'm afraid that it's wrong to be attracted to a woman you know?" She laughed, sighing. "My biggest concern is doing well in classes, and passing tests- and I feel that I am getting launched into something that feels bigger than myself. Sometimes I wish I had never met Lynx, or been chosen by the Playwright. I mean, that is not quite what I mean to say; meeting Lynx was no mistake, but why must things be complicated…"
"I wonder, as well, sometimes," The doctor smiled softly, crossing one leg over the other. "Do you feel… insignificant? I hope that it's not a feeling of being beneath the others, around you."
"No, nothing like that," Nara affirmed, smiling, sighing. "It's just that I'm so… normal. By comparison."
"Well, maybe normal is just what Lynx and Alice need. If you love them-"
"Stop," Nara cut in, shaking her head. "You keep coming back to the romance, but this is, respectfully, greater than my romantic fantasies. The problem here is that I feel… out of my depth, as it were. Confused as to what I ought to do, and how I may seek to help. Had I such a bloody history, then, perhaps comforting another who has waded through hell would be second nature, but as I am…"
"You can be a harbor all your own, worry not. Not every harbor must have been bloodied and survived, to be a safe harbor."
"Will a bloodied vessel feel safe docking in a pearly harbor, though?"
"Time will tell, but fear will bring you no solace. Now, last time we spoke, you mentioned that you want to make the playwright suffer, did you not?"
"No." Nara shook her head, smiling wistfully. "Had I the ability to punish that god, for what he has done, and what he will continue to do, then yes, it is a chance that I would take. Making the chance would be nice, but it is not realistic."
"So… it is something you wish to do, in the back of your mind?"
"Something that I would be grateful for the opportunity for, yet do not wish to deliberate, wasting time and energy on an unrealistic goal," Nara corrected, covering her mouth as she yawned. "Excuse me. Lynx's taste for coffee- or maybe her restleess nights- are rubbing off on me."
"If I may," The doctor continued, tapping the arm of her chair. "I do notice that you mention Lynx a lot more often than Alice. Is there a reason for that?"
"It just kind of feels like Alice is in love with Lynx, and, maybe, I am as well, and neither minds the other being there. I would argue that while Alice is attractive, she is not the partner that I would seek out, under other circumstances."
"And with Lynx- do you fear that the Playwright has trapped you into liking her? I mean, are you not oil and water, considering your innocence and her… trauma?"
"No," Nara affirmed with a small frown. "I did worry, at first, yes. I am no pawn to Lynx though; I respect her forwardness and honesty, how she communicates. I dislike her aggression and I disagree with the logic that sometimes it is better to kill than to forgive. I am no slave, nor accessory, to her."
"That is very good. In other news, Nara, and perhaps a less stressful train of thought; how has your first exam in law- and, why is it that you've decided to follow through, with being a police officer?"
"I… want to help people. Really help them."
"CA is, by and large, a corrupt organization that profits off of occultism and the drug trade. Do you see yourself helping people, joining something like that? Or are you only joining for Lynx?"
"Aerendyl wishes to fix it, and I believe him. Reformation requires unity- but I'm not some accessory for Lynx, do you understand that? I'm my own person- and I turned up the water works for the news. Am I worried? Yes. I'm not some slave though, and I'll have you remember that."
"Unity, huh? Unity to fix things…" The therapist grinned slowly. "I like the way you think. Now, about that test…"
The desire to help people… is it real? Or is it a requirement of society?
I wonder.
Was I part of a society, once?
I wonder.