Chapter Twenty:
Out Walking
by Angie, Lauren, Legend and Lori
Cecily McRae frowned slightly up at the sign. It looked like a nice enough place but... A sudden growl from her stomach decided any doubts, however, and she adjusted the strap of her canvas bag on her shoulder. She hated shopping and it always seemed to end the same way; she was starving. Maybe Savina's idea of a mutual Things To Get list posted on their refrigerator wasn't such a spare idea at all. It would mean that she wouldn't have to shift herself to worry about soap and toothpaste.
A small noise from the bag caused the redhead to look down and sigh. "Yes?"
"I'm thirsty, Cecily."
"Yes, alright, I was about to stop." Gently patting the side of the bag, Cecily mounted the few steps leading into the cafe proper. Wait for a waiter and get it outside, she decided. She had been trapped in stores far too long already that day. Eyes alert, she paused near a podium just inside the door and looked around expectantly.
Nika groaned as yet another customer strolled in. Today was one of those busy days when the temperature in the cafe seemed a hundred degrees higher than the one outside. Plastering on a happy smile, he walked up to the podium, ever friendly brown eyes prancing over the customer quickly before resting on her face, "Hi, welcome to Kachine Ciao. My name is Nika and I'll be your seater and your waiter. Would you prefer the patio or indoors, Ms...?"
"Cecily is fine, cheers." A faint, polite smile was offered and then she shifted, ready to follow him. "Outside if you don't mind."
"No problem, Cecily." Offering a charming smile and his arm, he winked. "Shall we?"
Politely smiling again and shaking her head, the redhead refused his arm, raising her bag slightly as if it were an excuse. "Lead away, mate."
Leading her to a table, his face clouded over momentarily. Great. That weird feeling he'd gotten when Eric was here was back... but maybe it was because he hadn't been back to this spot since his fight with Ares. Shaking his head to clear it of the annoying buzzing noise, he pulled out Cecily's chair for her and handed her a menu.
"Here we are. Will you be expecting anyone or would you like to go ahead and order drinks?"
"I'll just order a cup of tea, please," she answered, shaking her head. "It's just me, I'm afraid." Setting her bag down on the empty chair next to her, though, she frowned a bit and stared at him contemplatively. Then she shook her head and looked down at the menu, releasing him from her study.
"Tea it is, then."
Walking back to the kitchen, he frowned. Why was his head buzzing like this? It was aggravating; like a fly that just wouldn't buzz off. He prepared her tea himself, nearly ramming into his sister while lost in his thoughts.
"Watch it, Nika, or I'll practice my uppercut on you."
With a shrug, he walked back out to Cecily, being careful as not to run into anyone. While she was still studying the menu, he looked at her more thoroughly. There didn't seem to be anything remarkable about her; no leprechauns or animals screaming that she was some warrior about to kick his butt.
Shaking his head again, he set the tea down on her table with a genial smile. "Ready to order or do you need more time?"
The redhead looked up at him, pale eyes suddenly intent once more and almost apologetic. "Actually," she sighed, "Do you think you could do me quite a large favor and not run screaming when I tell you what this," she indicated a small lump in her bag, now on the table, "just told me?" Not letting him answer, she leaned closer and murmured, "Hello, there, Luonnotar Knight. I'm Hodr and there is a mole in this bag that is just bloody dying to meet you." Sitting back, the look on her face was resigned; she obviously expected him to run for the nearest phone and call the police.
Nika glared at Cecily. She was a senshi. She was gonna attack him and kick his ass. Backing up, he ran into the wall of the cafe and began edging towards the door. "Hodr, is it? Well, Hodr, I'm not gonna let you kick my ass like Ares did." Then he paused. "Or are we on the same team?"
Cecily had half-stood as he had begun his retreat. At his words, however, she returned to her chair and chuckled softly. "Same team, mate, so you can relax. I'm the Noord what-have-you of blindness. Gunny says that you're dance?"
Nika nodded, pulling out a chair at Cecily's table and sitting down. "Yeah... funny thing, too, since I hate dancing."
Cecily's face went oddly still and she nodded. "Funny old world, innit?" she answered dryly.
Shrugging, he looked around, making sure no one was around that needed seating or anything. "So... who's Gunny?"
"Gunny... Gudrun, actually, is my guardian." Leaning forward slightly, she eased up a corner of her canvas bag.
Immediately, an over-eager, twitching nose poked out, sniffling around happily. Soon it was followed by the rest of a furry black body, all bright-eyed and trembling with joy. "Luonnotar Knight," a breathless little voice whispered, "is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me." Nika grinned, peering down at the mole. "And you're the lovely Gudrun?"
The mole beamed, body quivering. "Oh, and you're just as nice as I was hoping!"
Chuckling, he looked back up at Cecily, "Well, what do we do now that we know we're on the same team? Are we supposed to do the whole super hero team thing?"
Cecily nodded. "Pretty much, mate." Then she smiled and absently adjusted the bag on the table to better hide Gudrun. "Since you didn't run away screaming, I reckon it's safe to assume that you already knew about this all. Fancy a bit of joint patrol?"
"Sure thing. Sounds better than me getting my rear kicked on my own. I'll have you to drag me home." Nika smirked, then pushed his hair out of his eyes, wincing as his fingers passed over a bruise that hadn't completely healed yet. "I knew about this all a few months back... then about three weeks ago I got in my first little fight with Ares." He winced. "Let's just say I didn't exactly win."
Cecily nodded. "I follow. You didn't go out alone, did you?"
"No. Ares transformed here in the bathroom. She must've had a guardian with her." He frowned. "There was another one...Pluto, I think, but he took off before the fight began." Shrugging again, he grinned. "Anyway, where would you like to meet? I need to get back inside and take care of the rest of the lovely customers."
The redhead nodded. "Right, then. I'll pick you up here at ten?"
"Yup, sounds good to me." He grinned, pushing his hair out of his face. "In costume, I presume." Without waiting for a reply he stood up and made his way back inside, calling "See you at ten!" over his shoulder as he went. Strange, strange boy.
Impatiently, Hodr waited in the alley beside the cafe, tapping her foot. Where was he? It was five past ten and the quiet was deafening. Where was he?
The minutes ticked by, eventually reaching ten past ten. No doubt Hodr was about to kill him. With this in mind, Luonnotar was skidding down the road to the cafe, grateful for the lack of streetlights, which would show off his stunning costume. Panting, he stepped into the alley, letting his eyes adjust to the dark before standing up straight and placing his cane over his shoulder. "Sorry I'm late. Mami 'n' Papi didn't go to bed until 9:59."
The tall redhead's scowl immediately disappeared and was replaced by a faint smile and nod. "Parents, right," she murmured. Then she paused and frowned. "Just how old are you anyway, pet?"
"Seventeen." Luonnotar flashed a brilliant smile. "But my intellectual age is well past two, I can promise you that. I even have enough tact not to ask you your age." Leaning on his cane, he sighed, after casting a glance or two around, "Well, shall we get this show on the road, or would you prefer to simply accompany me to a nice little pub where we could get to know each other?"
She chuckled and shifted her grip on her spear, pushing off the wall to stand next to him. "Sorry, mate, but I think we'd better be out and about. We can talk on the way." Pointing upwards, she smiled. "Your choice, though. High road or the low road tonight?"
"High road?" He followed her finger with his gaze. Did she mean on the rooftops? Maybe she did. "High road, I suppose."
"Pukka." Without any further conversation, Hodr flipped her spear into subspace and mounted the fire escape. "Meet you up there, mate."
Following her lead, he leapt lightly up onto the roof of the cafe, surprised at his sudden ability to do so. Must be one of those special senshi things, he thought to himself. Boy, it sure was a lot chillier up here than it was on the street. Sighing, he followed Hodr along, heading blindly into the dark...
Psyche sighed, heavy boots clopping against the pavement, the chain on them attached to the strap around her thigh jingling with her every step, "I just don't know," she said to Ares, shaking her head, "I'm starting to think that either there aren't any enemy senshi, or that we really oughtn't be fighting them. I mean, I'd never tell Jason that, of course, but why are they our enemies?"
Of course, it didn't hurt that her Hindu beliefs frowned on violence in general, and even if she wasn't the most devout of Hindu, she still stuck to the basic precepts.
"They do exist." Violet-garbed, Ares walked easily alongside the younger senshi in the darkness. Her pretty face contorted in a grimace as she remembered Luonnotar and the (admittedly shallow) cut he'd scored off her; then she remembered it gave her wrinkles and stopped. "I've fought before and it's no use talking, they just want to fight. Frankly, I'm just interested in staying alive."
Psyche nodded, "Not a bad sentiment, I suppose. Personally, I think staying alive is very important in comparison to fighting a battle for no apparent reason. I wish Jason could explain to me better why we're fighting."
The Australian-accented girl tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "And that he'd come with us tonight. How are we supposed to know if there are enemy senshi nearby?"
"Um." The golden-haired Graikos racked her brains, trying to remember if Ajax had told her anything remotely useful, and deciding not. "They'll tap us on the shoulder and shout?"
Maya laughed, "Well, I don't think that's going to work, but we'll just have to see what we can find anyways. I don't particularly want to fight anyhow..."
She sighed. It was so hard, knowing that she'd have to fight if ever put in that sort of situation. She hated the idea of violence, but she wasn't about to let Jason down.
Galina's lips thinned slightly. "It's not a case of being bloodthirsty warmongers," she said, voice slightly sharp and low, so that no one could hear them. "It's a case of fighting or dying. They're only on the lookout for themselves. Remember that."
The girl nodded solemnly, then lapsed into silence. She knew Galina well enough, they'd patrolled once or twice before, but for some reason she felt slightly uncomfortable around the woman. Probably because she'd never really talked to anybody more than a year older than her before unless you included parent-types.
She wasn't sure what to say.
So instead she merely glanced around, thinking a bit. There -had- to be enemy Senshi. Galina had met one before, and Jason kept going on about how she'd have to fight them. The only question, really, was where were they?
Luonnotar shuddered. Damn it was cold. Armor didn't have a lot of insulation to it. Glancing over, he winked at Sailor Hodr, "Maybe we'll get lucky and there won't be any other freak shows out there tonight. We could call it quits early and have a nice cup of cocoa." Oh Lord, he only hoped they wouldn't meet any other senshi. And if they did, he hoped they were on their side.
The redheaded senshi did not bother answering. She merely glanced over her shoulder at her new partner and smiled thinly, encouragingly. Then, suddenly, she froze and pointed downwards. When he didn't react quickly enough, she unfolded herself from her crouch and pulled him towards the edge of the roof with her, pointing again. "There," she whispered. "Voices and I'm sorry, mate, but I don't recognize them." Her hand absently rubbed at his shoulder as she squinted into the darkness below. "Ready for the fire escape, mate?"
"Fire escape?" Great. Not only was he getting jerked around by some chick in a cape, but now he had to go down a fire escape. He hated heights... not as much as math, but he did indeed dislike them. However, he gulped back his fear for the moment. It was hard not to ignore the burning hate that had started to rise in the back of his mind. Where had that come from? "Ready when you are."
"I'll go first." She smiled again at him; this time it was softer, as if she knew what he had just been thinking. "Take it as slow as you need to. It's dark enough down there that we have time to get sorted." Patting his shoulder once more, she moved to the fire escape and, within moments, had disappeared over the side of the roof, moving silently.
Luonnotar sighed. Okay, here goes. Quietly following, he gripped the cold steel tightly, moving at a snail's pace. This was so not in his job description. Once or twice his foot slipped and he clung to the fire escape like a child gripping onto his parent's leg. 'If only Papi could see me now,' he thought bitterly. This looked to be an eventful night.
Maya stopped suddenly as she saw something fall to the ground in front of her. Not fall, really, so much as jump. And it wasn't really a something so much as a someone...and then another. She glanced nervously at Galina - No, Ares, she reminded herself, and tugged rather uncertainly on her skirt. "He...hello?" she called towards the figures.
The first figure, tall and slim, stepped out of the shadows, revealed to be a redhead with a spear. Her pale eyes quickly measured her opponents and she smiled faintly. "I'm Hodr. Noord." She indicated the other shape over her shoulder. "Luonnotar." Her grip changed on her spear and her feet shifted minutely, posture straight and en garde. "You would be?"
Maya bit her lip, glancing briefly over at the crystal globe floating by her shoulder, then back at the two, "I'm Psyche, Graikos. And this is Ares."
She smiled a bit weakly, uncertain what was to come next. She didn't want to fight, she didn't want anyone to get hurt, but if they attacked her...
"Ares," the blonde said coolly. "I think we've been aquainted in one way or another. You," she directed at Luonnotar, "gave me the loveliest scar. I've been wanting to pay you back for that."
Luonnotar blinked, staring at Ares. Chicks in short skirts always messed with his memory. As his mind slowly came back into working order, a look of recognition spread across his face, which was quickly replaced with a grumpy frown, "Wasn't my fault. You punched me in the face. My nose is still sore."
Maya eyed both of the enemy senshi warily, biting her lip a bit as she glanced at Ares. "So...umm..." the Hindu girl sighed heavily. She could tell that Ares wanted to fight, and it was what she was supposed to do....
"Soul Decision!" She cried. Immediately the globe stopped hovering next to her, and instead settled over her now open hand, a beam of light coming from it and heading directly for Luonnotar.
"Why does everyone attack..." But the rest of Luonnotar's protest went unheard. Slumping to the ground, his eyes slid out of focus as the power of the attack began to grip his mind. "Whoa... what..." He stared blankly around, looking at the fellow senshi as if they weren't even there.
Hodr muttered under her breath, cursing any and all magic. Then she stepped neatly in front of her new partner and reversed her hold on her spear. The point downwards, she lifted it high and suddenly jabbed it towards the ground. "Lights Out!" she snapped. Immediately, the area was plunged into blackness, both her opponents and her dazed partner blind and confused.
Psyche blinked into the darkness, a muffled gasp escaping her lips. Vishnu she hated the dark, horribly. In fact, the entire idea of it terrified her, and she backed away in a panic, glancing desperately for an escape. No. Not darkness. Why had she attacked? Now everything was going downhill. She wanted to be home, safe in her bed, not out here in the dark. Even her globe of light was dark, and that was magical. Not good. Not good at all.
Ares swore under her breath in a litany that would probably have shocked her younger comrade-in-arms. "Stay where you are, Psyche," she said in a low voice, crouching and trying to get her bearings. This was not going properly at all.
Psyche tried not to panic, consciously slowing her breathing, concentrating on the task at hand. There were two people not far from her that would kill her, given half a chance, and she had to be ready for them. Ready to defend herself.
But the darkness seemed to close in on her, and she couldn't quite quell the panic.
As Hodr's attack began to take effect upon Psyche, the fog that had taken a grip upon Luonnotar's mind began to fade. He slowly staggered to his feet. "Hodr?" He blinked, taking in the scene before him. "What... what happened?"
A hissing voice echoed in his ear, seeming disembodied and ghostly, "Just a little trick, lad. Stay put and be ready. This'll pass in just a bit." Then there was a sensation of movement at his side, a shifting of air.
Suddenly, a powerful kick shot towards the crouching Ares. It hit her solidly in the chest, and, exhaling sharply, Ares fell backwards against the pavement.
She swore in Polish and twisted out of the way, fighting to get her breath back; pushing herself up, she tensed, bracing herself and stepping back quietly.
She really hated the dark.
She was about to hate it even more as the leg again swung to connect with her ankles. The surrounding blackness had lifted slightly, though, and she spotted the dim form heading for her.
It was too blurred to dodge; she fell heavily back, throwing out her hands on the ground to stop her descent and back again as she threw them out to attempt to block any incoming attacks.
Foot pistoning out to catch the blonde's hip, Hodr took a moment to holler over her shoulder to her teammate. "Oy, move it, lad! You should be able to see now." She grunted as Ares swung wild and managed a lucky shot at the side of her knee. Feeling it buckle slightly in shock, she threw her weight forward onto Ares, taking the fight up close and personal, determined to keep the other woman pinned. "Go on! I've got this one."
"I.. uh... I..." Luonnotar cleared his throat. What was he supposed to do? Jerkily he raised his wand into the air and waved it around three times. "L-latale pallone!" Relief mixed with pity flooded through him as tango music began to play. Poor girl.
A bright red light hit Psyche the moment she seemed able to see again, and the girl blinked several times as Tango music began to play, and she moved in time with it for a few short seconds.
Then she was thrown, smacked up against a wall, and the air rushed out of her lungs.
"Oy! Hodr, lets get out of here!" Luonnotar wasn't sure what he'd just done and he didn't like it one bit. Fighting back the urge to go check on the girl on the ground, he turned to his still fighting comrade. "C'mon, we've pretty much beaten them, we need to get back!"
"Go?" The disbelief was obvious in the redhead's voice as she twisted a bit to look over her shoulder at her companion. She grunted and swung out wildly; Ares had scored a hit while she was distracted, a vicious jab to her kidneys. "Little busy here, mate!" Ducking, she protected the now throbbing area and shot a fist out, attempting to return the favor.
The blonde was smacked fully in the face; she fell back, momentarily stunned, hands clapping over her wound as stabbing pain shot through what was - very hopefully - not a broken nose. Now both she and Psyche were down; her last-ditch attempt failed, Ares leant against the wall that Psyche had smacked against with streaming eyes and a ringing head.
Hodr's eyes were narrowed as she slowly stepped back, gaze never leaving the enemy as she bent to retrieve her spear. "Right, then," she murmured. "Walk backwards, mate. Into the nearest alley. Straight down, quick step. I'll be right behind you." When he didn't move right away, she nudged him. "Go on. I'm not sending you off so I can do anything." The tall redhead paused and grimaced. "It's a bloody mess already. Go."
Luonnotar nodded, his eyes still fixated on the incapacitated Psyche and Ares, "Right then. Just...yeah." Not feeling all to sure that his companion would leave the two girls alone, but not wanting to seem like he didn't trust Hodr, he backed to the edge of the building, before waving his cane at the two fallen senshi.
"�Till we meet again." It was not a taunt, more of a reluctant warning. Sighing, he hopped backwards, moving the short way to the alley behind the building. He gazed up at the night sky and the remains of what had been his first real battle. He just hoped that Hodr would remain true to her word.
No more than five minutes had passed before the tall redhead appeared silently at his side. He started, eyes wide, and glanced at her. There was something different about her, something just a bit off. Suddenly, he realized what it was.
She was missing her cape.
Glancing at her younger teammate, Hodr smiled faintly. "I left it back there with them," she muttered. Then she began walking, long strides carrying her away from the scene of the battle, and he moved quickly to pace her. "As long as I'm like this, that Ares gel has something to clean herself up with. Maybe she even has enough sense to see to her friend."
There was a long pause and, for the first time that night, Hodr's head drooped, shoulders curving inward. "What a piss-up," she whispered to herself. "They didn't stand a chance. So bloody unfair."
Knowing that the very concept of the war was unfair. Knowing that some day they wouldn't be able to stop at first blood.