They returned to the home planet shortly, not bothering to stop at the old rebel camp. Totorian had, instead, insisted that they simply be dropped off near the new camp, weapons in tow. Immediately Bastion-Icthius was shown to their cell with a promise that Totorian would explain their situation shortly. He cast a wary glance at both Xyppia and Vzexee before he left, unsettled and perturbed. He didn't trust them. He didn't trust Bastion. But Bastion he could control, these bonds would not be so easily manipulated. They had bodies and powers, both beyond him.
Bastion felt Icthius' pace about the room, his shoulders rolling forward and back and making him nauseous (as much as a head could be). He squeezed his eyes shut and willed Icthius to settle down. He didn't.
"He's mad at me!"
Bastion let out a long sigh but said nothing, fearing what might come out of his mouth should he open it. He didn't have to though, Xyppia was quick to pick up on his slack.
"Of course he is,� she barked, glowering at him from...somewhere. Bastion couldn't tell which way was which with Icthius' walking in circles.
.:Want me to get him to stop?:.
.:It's all right, he'll settle down on his own. Let him be:.
.:Poor Xyppia....:.
"What do you mean 'of course he is'? What is that supose to mean?" Icthius' pitch got higher and higher until he was nearly frantic. He paused momentarily, and Bastion could hear his claws clicking plainly against the floors. Stone. Hard and dull without the metallic clanging that Star City had caused. Their tail flicked against their hips and he started forward again, faster and harder. Bastion could feel their muscles tighten and strain with each quicklonghard stroke of their paws.
"The way you act...the way you act to everyone! You don't care about anyone else, do you?" she kept her voice surprisingly low, but Bastion could hear that tinge of anxiety riddled throughout Xyppia's tone.
"Certainly not."
"What about me?"
That caused Icthius to stop suddenly, pitching Bastion forward. He rolled out of the pouch a little and suddenly the world came spinning into view. The prison was much small than the other, hence Icthius' need to pace in circles. Xyppia was at their left, sitting with her paws turning in on each other. She was frowning, holding Icthius' gaze. Vzexee was at their hip, stopping as Icthius stopped, but its chest was heaving and when Bastion sent a finger through their bond link to probe its mind he found it just as dizzy as he himself was. It'd been following them.
"What about me?" Xyppia repeated.
Bastion flicked his eyes toward her, catching sight of Icthius turning away out of the corner of his gaze.
"Of course,� he replied, strong but shaky,� Don�t be silly, Xyppia. Honestly."
Xyppia's frown deepened and she looked away.
.:...poor Xyppia:. Vzexee turned to Bastion, catching his eye .:He does care about her, doesn't he?:.
.:Of course...he's just....Icthius:. Bastion doubted Vzexee knew what that meant, but it let the subject alone never-the-less. Icthius started forward again and Bastion wiggled his way lower into the pouch.
Totorian reappeared hours later, after Icthius had exhausted himself and collapsed against the far wall of the cell. He'd fallen into troubled sleep, but neither Bastion nor Xyppia could sleep. Vzexee, on the other hand, was just as exhausted as Icthius and quickly dozed off, curled against Bastion-Icthius with its head resting against their dorsal fin. His flames licked their coat, warm, but not burning.
Totorian's claws clicked against the stone floors, loud against the silence and falling in steady, even beats. Bastion wiggled himself out of the pouch and perked his ears, eyes squinted through the darkness. Xyppia, too, rose to attention, waddling forward until she was only a foot from the bars. Totorian's claw-taps stops and silence descended. There was no sound or movement for a long moment, but no claw-taps to signal Totorian had turned to go back. Hesitance, perhaps. The sound started up again and Totorian padded into sight, flicking his tail tips against his sides like an angry cat.
"My apologies for the wait, there was some trouble in-" he clamped his mouth shut, eyes flicking between Xyppia and Bastion, faces aflame from the soft glow of Vzexee's natural red-orange light. He turned his head first to Bastion, mouth agape, and then Xyppia, before casting his gaze upward away from them both,� Wake Icthius."
Xyppia stepped away from the cell bars and approached Icthius. She nudged him with her paw, and he stirred a little, brow furrowing. She backed away again, and Bastion assumed she was sending some sort of message to him through their bond link. Eventually Icthius let out a long yawn and rose to his paws, stretching his forelimbs out in front of him. He jostled Vzexee who stirred but did not wake, curling about itself instead.
"Icthius."
Icthius ceased his stretching, jumping to attention at Totorian's voice. He blinked lazily, squinting because Vzexee's flame-light didn't extend quite so far outward. But Totorian still smelled like Totorian, whether or not he could see him properly. With a flick of his tail he padded toward the bars, cocking his head a little and offering a smile,� Good evening, Totorian."
"Mr. Icthius,"Totorian dipped his head in greeting,� Sleep well?"
"Quite, thank-you."
"I apologize for the wait, everything's been arranged, and you're free to roam the camp in company of an escort,� he reached back and wrapped his jaws around an object dangling from his dorsal fin. With a jerk he pulled it off and closed his lips over it, squeezing his eyes shut. In moments the bars around them dematerialized.
Icthius stepped forward, Xyppia waddling up to his side with her head lowered, spirits sunk.
.:Vzexee:.
.:Hm?:.
.:It's time to get up, we're-:.
The bars snapped up again, causing Icthius to bang his nose off them. He recoiled with a snarl, fur bristling.
"Not them!" Totorian snapped. His eyes widened and he backed away, clearing his throat a little,� Not them,� He repeated softly,� Just you. Leave the...dragons and your other here."
"But Totorian, that's hardly f-."
"I have absolutely no qualms against disallowing any of you to leave."
At that Icthius swallowed and bowed his head,� Very well, Totorian." He craned his neck, grasping the pouch between his teeth, and swung it up over their dorsal fin. He let it fall from his teeth with a thunk and a quiet wince from Bastion.
Totorian smiled and closed his mouth around the object once again. The bars melted away and Icthius stepped through them. They bolted up right as soon as his last paw was out of the way, and Totorian dropped the thing...the key, to the mouth of his other to hold until he could have it reattached once again.
.:.:.::.:.:.
"Why not us, Bastion? Why can't we go out?"
They'd all chose to speak aloud now that Icthius was gone, not because there was some secret they must keep from letting Icthius know, but simply because there were only three of them now, and if they hadn't, Xyppia would be left out. She was already...unhappy, resting her head on her paws and looking away from them as they spoke. She sighed often, commented rarely, and seemed to withdraw into herself.
"It's my fault, and I apologize for that,� Bastion let out a little sigh and offered a weak smile to his bond and Xyppia,"I quite profusely expressed my lack of...desire to be here."
Vzexee let out a gush of hot air, nostrils twitching in much the same way Bastion would have wrinkled his nose, "Loyalists," it nodded agreeably.
Xyppia let out a sigh, the umpteenth since Icthius had left, and shifted her weight a little.
"We'll get out,"Vzexee nodded,� I�m positive. And then we'll fix this."
"Fix what?" from Xyppia this time, not looking at them, but she lifted her little, round ears toward them.
Vzexee grinned and trotted in front of her, pressed the side of its cheek against the top of her head. Its warmth flowed off of it, casting her in a soft orange glow that set her already bright, flaming, redness alight.
"This war,� said Vzexee,"That's what we'll fix,� it smiled and settled down beside her, resting its little maw on top of her head,� And Icthius, we'll fix him too. Just for you."
Xyppia didn't reply for a long time. She stared into the darkness, squeezing her ears against her skull. Bastion could see her tense, kneading the gravel with her fat little puppy paws. Finally she lifted her eyes and nodded her head,� I�m tired."
"Go to sleep, then,"Vzexee replied.
They snuggled into each other, basking in the warmth and the soft light of Vzexee. Finally Bastion witnessed their breaths even out and their eyes flutter shut, taken by sleep. He watched them by the dimming firelight until sleep claimed him as well.
We'll fix them.
We'll fix the war.
And Icthius.
That's right.
We'll fix everything.
If only.
.:.:.::.:.:.
Icthius returned rarely during the next two days, ignoring Vzexee completely and fawning over Xyppia. He groomed her, the few times he visited, taking extra care to make her glow. He'd talk aloud, and occasionally Xyppia would reply in turn, but she was either mainly silent or kept her comments between their bond link. She brightened each time her came, and each time he left she seemed to become less depressed, but she was never happy. It perturbed him. Vzexee did he best to keep her occupied. It would prompt her into play and meaningless banter whenever it could, and she seemed to come to life when it did. Bastion wished he could do something, but as a head he could do little more than add to their conversation. They spoke like children, about children's interests, and Bastion didn't want to intervene with his own less light-hearted opinions. It was nice to watch them, though. He was glad he'd bonded Vzexee. Perhaps more for Xyppia's sake than his own.
Finally, a third day passed since their return, and Bastion woke to an uncomfortable tightness in what was left of his neck. It tingled and burned, and before he opened his eyes he thought that perhaps he'd fallen asleep against Vzexee's flames. But he hadn't. Cracking open his eyes he concluded that Vzexee and Xyppia were curled about each other before him, and he was resting comfortably against his bond's side. With legs stretched out behind it, there was no area he touched anywhere near Vzexee's soft flames.
The tightness seemed to grow worse, and the little edge of his spine that was left against his skull began to pulse with pain. Bastion sucked in a hiss of breath and squeezes his eyes shut.
.:Bastion?:. Vzexee probed his mind, concern clearly tainting the word. Instantly Vzexee was on its feet, quickly followed by a roughly woken Xyppia.
.:I'm fine. It's time.:.
.:Time? Time for what? What's wrong? What's hurting you?:.
"Icthius!" Xyppia raced toward the bars.
Bastion cracked open his eyes, but Icthius was no where in sight. Xyppia called his name again, and finally a duel set of claw-taps reached his ears. Icthius and a Watarus Bastion had never seen before (bulky but not overly large, male) turned the corner. The strange male held a key between his teeth and as he approached the bars disintegrated.
Xyppia shot out of the cell toward Icthius,"Are you all right?"
Icthius tried a grin, but it curled his lips like a grimace and he nodded simply.
The strange male stalked into the cell, shoving passed Vzexee who stood protectively beside Bastion's head. He picked him up, massive jaws closing gently over his head, and trotted back to Icthius. Vzexee hurried after them, his flames bright and wavering with his nervousness.
Bastion was dragged out of the cell, up a set of smooth stairs carved from the very same stone as the den. They led toward light...to fresh air that assaulted his nose like a pleasant wash of sugar-sweet smells. The light was dim, the sky cast bloody gold-crimson as the sun made its ascent into the indigo sky. They crossed the camp hurriedly, paws thumping rapidly against the too-green grass. Bastion's view was limited but he caught sight of their goal.
A guillotine.
.:What are they doing? What's happening? Bastion!:.
.:It's fine, Vzexee, everything is fine. I'll be all right soon:.
The male stopped beside the guillotine and Icthius took hold of the rope in his mouth, resting his head in the nook. Bastion could hear Vzexee's heart beating in its chest, a rapid thudithudithud that only seemed to grow quicker and quicker the longer they waited.
Icthius shifted until he was comfortable and let his eyes drop softly shut. He let go of the rope, exhaling as he did so. It happened too quickly to see. The blade fell with a 'shing' and a 'thunk' as it bit into the wood. Icthius' head dropped from his shoulders, tumbling into the grass and bloodying it a dark, purple hue. Quickly the strange male yanked Bastion-Icthius away from the guillotine and stuck Bastion against its bloody neck stump.
The pain stopped instantly. It was like a cool rush of water bathing over him, refreshing and ice cold. His body repaired itself in moment, flesh twining with flesh and the stump of his spinal cord quickly melding into the main spine. He let out a gush of air, eyes fluttering shut.
.:See, Vzexee? Nothing to worry about. I'm fine:.
"Bastion!"
Suddenly Bastion found himself behind shoved forward again. Wood bit into his neck and he winced, eyes snapping open. The male pushed his head down and grabbed the guillotine's rope, dragging it backward until it was half-way up the full length. He let it go and the rope swung forward, snapping back against Bastion's thigh. It was the last thing he felt until his head went rolling back into the grass, stopping against Icthius. They stared, eye to eye and bodiless, at one another.
The look did not last long. Soon the male had snatched Icthius up again and shoved him back against the body.
Bastion stared dumbfounded at Vzexee's flamed, watched his bond's lips move, but couldn't hear anything.
This is what it would be like.
He'd be a head. Bodiless. For the rest of his life. They'd never let him be in control again.
Unless he did something.
Wordless, Vzexee and Xyppia exchanged a lingering glance. More passed between that look then could ever had with words.