by SALSAlys » Thu Jul 17, 2003 2:39 am
(Alright, some people may want to chomp me for how their chars are shown now. Because this is showing where my 'artistic license' for the fic is going wild and probably unhealthily so. Although Tolaris' death scene DID happen. Just not like this. And I think I'll edit and redo this later. I don't like some of my descriptions.)
It was a week before Ryoko was able to see Jaeko again, due to the Barian's duties with defending Miranda Amanziani, and the half-succubus looked forward to it eagerly. When she was able to meet him again, she promptly glomped him, clinging to his arm like a lost puppy while they walked through the Doman streets.
"Wanna go anywhere tonight?" Ryoko asked, attempting to press his fingers against her chest.
Jaeko gently disentangled his fingers, so that Ryoko was still clinging to his arm but unable to force a grope. "Sure. Sonya's in Barius for a few days anyway, for schooling, so I'm free."
"Where d'y'wanna go? I mean, we c'n go dancin', or eat someplace, 'r..." Her voice dropped, and she snuggled his arm more closely. "...wanna go to your place?" Her cheeks were slightly pink. "I mean, if y'wanna... y'know..."
'Cuz Momma's RIGHT. Lotsa fun things t'do besides sex...
Of course, Jaeko completely missed the undertones to her statement. "Why not?"
"Ooh... thank you!"
Again, Jaeko had to spend a few minute disentangling himself from an overly clingy half succubus. In mid-disentanglement, though, they could hear a gunshot, and Jaeko abruptly stiffened, although Ryoko still hung onto his neck. His body was taut, and he was tensed. When the second shot rang, he was running, and Ryoko was forced to release his neck anyway or be flopped about like limp rag, and was running beside him, starting to fall behind as he accelerated towards the sound of firing.
"JAEKO! Wha' izzit?!"
"I don't know, but it's bad news! Look, get yourself to safety—" His words stopped abruptly, and Ryoko nearly slammed into him before she too was able to take in the scene.
There was a man wearing a green shirt, and holding a bloody spear in one hand, his other hand holding a red beret with a long blue cape attached to it. His build was more lithe than muscular, although not to an extreme, and his face seemed slightly cold.
In front of him, there was a figure crumpled on the ground on his back— it took a moment for Ryoko to recognize Tolaris without his beret. For one thing, she never knew he had a bald spot. And usually, he wasn't bleeding profusely.
His brown hair was flopped about his head limply, and his purple shirt was stained much darker by the blood. Crouched over him protectively was Karin. Though the same age as Tolaris, as well as the biological mother of two children, she looked the same as she had twenty years ago, except for her hair being longer— the dark braid coiled on the ground in an almost serpentine fashion, spilling itself into the pool of blood. Not that Karin seemed to care.
Even with her shades on, her expression was easily readable. Not complex at all, it was pure, venomonous hatred, all directed at the man with the green shirt. A smoking pistol was in her hands, arms outstretched and locked.
"...I have what I need. I don't think I shall be troubling you any longer," spoke the man in green, before teleporting out.
Karin ripped off her glasses, glaring at where he was before flinging them to the ground, also dropping her pistol.
"Tolaris? Tolaris? ....c'mon, talk to me... please..."
Ryoko had been taking small steps forward, trying to mince her way up close to see if she could help, but something about the pure need in Karin's voice troubled her, and she instinctively felt that this was something that the woman should be left alone for.
"Tolaris..?"
"Karin..."
Their voices dropped, and Ryoko didn't bother to try listening in. Part of her was realizing that the reason that this felt so awkward hearing was that Karin had never talked to anybody with that tone of voice, for as long as she could remember.
...I'm glad Erin isn't here....
The stray thought perturbed her, even though it felt right, until Ryoko realized her rationale.
Seein' her mom like that would make her feel... kinda shaken. 'Specially since Karin sounds like she NEEDS Tolaris...
It wasn't until Karin's voice was rising higher, almost strident, that Ryoko realized Tolaris hadn't been answering for a while.
"Tolaris... TOLARIS! You can't die on me! I'll KILL you if you do!" The voice was thick, almost choking, and then a loud sob reached Ryoko. The succubus peeked over in time to see Karin's head bobbing down briefly to Tolaris' face, before Karin's back straightened, and her shoulders began heaving.
Jaeko too was silent, seeming unable to deal with this, and Ryoko took a reluctant step forward.
"....Karin..?"
And Will was there. Ryoko had no idea where he came from; she had been too focussed on Karin, and Will's face was set in an implacable mask of anger, although it seemed to be more from frustration than rage.
"Took you this long to figure it out.... so where's Eskei NOW? Where is your divine boytoy? I don't see HIM here helping with Tolaris... strange, isn't it, how your husband probably could have EASILY saved him, but never showed up, no matter WHAT 'psychic bond' you two have—?"
Karin's raw emotions had been churning until that point, looking for some sort of release. With Will's outburst, she finally had a target to channel them at.
"WILL! SHUT THE @#$% UP!" Then Karin was springing to her feet, lashing out at Will and then tackling him, beating the ryuujin to the ground and then sitting astride his chest, fists seeming to have only one purpose— smashing his face to a bloody pulp.
Jaeko ran forward. "KARIN! STOP IT!"
"So you want some of this too, Williams?! I've got PLENTY to go around!" Her furious attacks redirected themself at Jaeko, and Ryoko took advantage of Karin's distraction to look at Tolaris' corpse, trying to ignore the queasiness in her stomach as she mentally hazed over the blood, concentrating on his face.
Odd, really. That a dead man's face should look so... content.
And wet.
Curiously, although feeling that she might regret it, she touched a finger to his cheek, then licked it.
Salty.
Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=salsalys>SALSAlys</A] at: 7/17/03 5:56 pm