"Alright, have at it." Marcus, combat instructor, readied a wooden sword. "This time, you're going to use your bare hands while I have a weapon. Tell me why."
"Sometimes all I've got is my claws," Lynx repeated, bending her knees, readying herself for the onslaught she knew was coming.
"Just remember not to fight fair," Marcus nodded, and then she became as a blur, swinging her sword around from the shoulder, feinting downward and trying to crash the blade into Lynx's hip. The cat girl hurled her weight to the side, over the blade, and rolled to her feet in an instant- but Marcus had already recovered, leveling strike after strike with Lynx's head. The blonde staggered back as one caught the side of her skull, and Marcus was there, driving her to the ground and throwing her sword aside. Raising her fists, slamming them down into Lynx's face; snorting as her nose broke, Lynx pivoted, wrestling a foot under Marcus's sternum, channeling her strength, and pushed with everything she had. Marcus quite literally hit the ceiling of her dojo, and Lynx was on her feet before the teacher came down, bringing her leg around in a wicked roundhouse, sucking in air as she kicked her instructor into the wall, wiping blood from the lower half of her face.
"Broke my damn nose," She panted out. "You ever think maybe you're going too hard?"
"No. I'm helping you," Marcus snickered, and Lynx raised a foot to kick while she was down, only for the teacher to kick first, swiping Lynx's legs out again. She surged forward, trying to pin the cat down, but Lynx was ready- she bit the hand that went for her throat, arched her back, got her thighs around Marcus's head and slammed the other woman down, sideways, throwing herself around, on Marcus's chest for a split second before she rolled to her feet; and when she turned, Marcus, too, was standing.
"You're breaking even against me, but you still can't win. Not good enough." Marcus shook her head, inhaling sharply. "Still, it's progress."
"Are we done, then?" Lynx raised an eyebrow.
"For the moment," Marcus nodded, nursing her bleeding hand, now, where Lynx had bitten. "You can find your own way out, I'm going to go clean up the bite wound."
"What about my nose? You made it try and find a railway track in a wall," Lynx frowned, feeling as though she'd run into a wall of brick.
"Go and see Jones on campus, he'll fix you up."
"Ugh…" Lynx nodded and turned, walking away, looking around. Marcus's home was relatively simple- as she stepped out of the dojo, there was nothing remarkable. All beige furniture and modern shelving- a boring, normal sort of home. Lynx wondered if, like Aerendyl, she didn't spend much time here… but, that wasn't important now. Seeing Jones before he was off for the day- that was what mattered.
-
"Ouch. Was training rough on you today?" Jones smiled, as Lynx sat down, and she nodded, shifting.
"Yeah," The blonde nodded, closing her eyes a moment. "It's getting better though. Marcus thinks I could beat almost any student here in terms of pure hand to hand, though- but I'm not letting that get to my head. Sure there's hundreds of thousands of fighters out there who can beat my ass," She added with a tired chuckle, tail thrashing around. "Does your work ever feel pointless, or futile?"
"What do you mean?" Jones asked lightly, his hands glowing with a warm, golden light. Before Lynx could answer she shuddered and winced in pain, her nose repairing itself with an audible snap.
"Ouch-" Lynx winced, wrinkling her nose and shaking her head, swallowing blood. "Ugh- it's just that no matter how many of us you fix up, another one will walk in here bleeding and needing help. It won't ever end, no matter how often you help somebody you don't change anything." A pause. "Sorry, that was worded way too harshly, I just meant-"
"No, I get it," Jones smiled warmly as Lynx stood up, stretching. "How do you feel?"
"Fine? Pain is gone. Or do you mean emotionally? Then, grateful? Relieved?"
"You seemed agitated, though, when you came in," Jones countered in his same velvety tone.
"Well yeah, I was in a lot of pain."
"I have done enough to make me feel fulfilled, then." Jones nodded, and Lynx understood- at least, she thought. "You can't save the world. If that's why you want to join CA, then you may as well quit before you can. You can't save the world- but you can be the world."
"What does that mean?" Lynx recoiled, raising an eyebrow, and Jones smiled softly.
"There will come a time when you understand. This, I can promise."
"So you're just going to speak in riddles?"
"Yes." Jones smiled, laughing. "Have a good day, now, Lynx. I promise. You will understand one day. Being the world is not so hard as it sounds."
"Tch…" Lynx clucked her tongue and turned, headed for the door. "Thanks for the help, Jones," She muttered as she headed outside, glancing down at herself, at the crusted blood on her shirt. "Right, being the entire world…"
"Alright, Lynx," she spoke on an exhale, sighing, stretching. "Drug free and with no idea who the enemy is. What to do, what to do…" Because let's be honest, Lynx. You're not built for a movie date every night. Then again, I'm just a student, shouldn't I take it easy…? No, no. Aerendyl is out there- no. He was visiting that redhead, getting some tail, isn't that what he said…?
"Hey, Lynx. Can I borrow you for a second?" Her head cracked around; Aurelia, smiling and waving, wearing a skirt that was just a bit too short with a soft, off-white sweater. "I have a favor to ask."
"What's that?" The cat-girl angled her head, ears swiveling.
"Wanna earn some pocket money? I need a favor."
"Sure." Lynx nodded immediately and kept walking as Aurelia fell into step beside her.
"Well, this isn't something I can trust the CA with, because I don't want to get my friend in trouble," She muttered quietly, glancing around. "I don't want to talk about it here- can we get coffee?"
"Don't even have to ask, color me interested," Lynx smirked, her eyes sparkling like a cat who'd found something to chase.
-
"So, what's on your mind?" Lynx asked lazily, kicking her feet up onto the booth table and raising a coffee cup to her lips. Cheap, burnt coffee this time- but she could dip into her pocket and produce enough coins to pay for it, having forgotten her medallion in her dorm room.
"Well, here's the thing," Aurelia spoke in a sing-song sort of tone, looking away through heavy lashes. "My friend is going to do something stupid, tonight, and buy some drugs. I wasn't able to talk her out of it. I know where the meet is set to go down, though, so I was just wondering…"
"Wondering? What, you want me to tip somebody off?" Lynx raised an eyebrow.
"Not that. I thought, originally, of asking you to go there with her, as a sort of bodyguard- but if you get caught, then it'd look like you wanted to buy drugs. I don't want to get you in that kind of trouble. So I was thinking…"
"Yes?" Lynx prompted, gentle.
"Well I was just wondering if you could keep an eye on things?" Aurelia asked quietly, pleadingly, splaying her hands out on the table. "I know that we aren't that close, really- and I feel bad asking, but I'll throw you a hundred, if you do this for me. Just, you know, lurk nearby, and if you start seeing a bunch of red flags, maybe step in? It should be okay, but I don't know, something about the whole deal is throwing red flags for me."
"How do you mean? Think the jerk is a creep, maybe some ex of your friend?"
"No. Her old dealer got busted, and the new one is sketch; doesn't wanna share his real name or anything, and only talks from a burner phone. He's smart- a little too smart to be some sort of street-level dealer, if that makes sense? I'm not asking you to put yourself in danger for me, or anything like that. Just… to be there, in case he gets too handsy with her, or tries to shove her into a car, or something. Please?"
"Mnf…" Lynx nodded, not really needing to think about it. "I don't mind- it sounds harmless enough. You might want to consider finding better friends though- I mean, drugs are an expensive hobby. Almost as much as gambling," Lynx added quietly, stirring her coffee, sipping again. Ugh. Nasty.
"I get that, but it's a girl I've been on good terms with for a while, so please?" Aurelia asked gently, clasping her hands together. "I… I'll try to find her help. I don't know, tip off somebody at the school- but I want them to find the drugs on her, and get her help. Not catch her in the act, where it'll be more stressful- she'll be locked up and processed, for at least a while, and just… you know?"
"I think I get it. Though, I don't know if Aerendyl would approve of me going vigilante."
"Come on…" Aurelia pouted, shaking her head. "Don't be like that. You're not going vigilante, you're just… doing me a favor. Making sure a friend gets home safely from her walk. However you want to put it. It doesn't have to be a messy thing."
"No, don't worry," Lynx agreed, rolling her shoulders. "I may not be fully qualified yet, or whatever, but if there's one thing that I do know? It's sometimes, breaking the rules a little is better than following them to a T."
"How smart, how sophisticated and noble," Aurelia snarked, rolling her eyes, and Lynx scowled lightly, thinking before she spoke.
"First off, to hell with you- I'm siding with you here. Second, I do agree. By the book… rules aren't made by people who work on site. I used to say that- I think."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. It sounds right," Lynx nodded, sitting forward. "So give me the detes, will you? Where do I need to be, and when. Thank the gods your friend had enough brain cells to tell you where she'd be, at least."
"Right. So, here," Aurelia leaned forward, spinning her phone around. "Across from the park and under the old bridge; there's a dry riverbed that's long since been diverted. Here's the issue from my point of view; there are service ramps for people who used to need to go down and clear out the drainage." She pointed; there, a picture of the scene in question, seemingly snapped from a smartphone in the middle of the day. "Those ramps are wide enough to fit a car."
"So if your friend is about to get kidnapped, they'd have an easy out. Is the friend…?"
"Human." Aurelia nodded. "Not confident she could do a whole lot against the dealer, he's a demon."
"Got it… so your friend…"
"Might be a little mentally challenged," Aurelia admitted. "Call me a bleeding heart though- I just want to make sure she gets out of this safely. I admit… part of me is selfishly hoping they will try something, you can bail her out, and then this can be the scare she needs to clear up her act."
"Mm…" Lynx nodded, thinking a moment. "Don't think that makes you a abd friend. Sometimes a little cruelty can be kind."
"Yeah? That another one that you think you used to say?" The fairy-girl asked playfully, wiggling her eyebrows, and Lynx shook her head, remembering the way she'd willingly thrown herself into Carla's car, handing herself over to the kidnappers to make things easier.
"No. That's one I learned since I woke up. Tonight then, what time?"
"Midnight. Easy enough. You know where this bridge is at?"
"I know where the park is. Won't take much more than that," Lynx affirmed, clearing her throat and knocking the rest of her coffee back, shuddering viscerally as she swallowed, revulsion jolting her spine. "Ugh, it tastes so bad after it's gone cold…"
"Seconded," Aurelia smiled slowly. "There may be another way I can thank you, for doing this favor for me… but what's the deal, between you, Alice and Nara~? Come on, girl to girl, spill the tea bestie. I gotta know."
"Hah." Lynx let her feet hit the floor, then crossed one leg over the opposite knee, leaning back and chuckling.
"It's complicated. I'm kind of with Alice. Kind of with Nara. Both are okay with it. I don't really know what's going on. Gonna give it time, see what happens."
"They deciding to share you, like some sort of dumb harem story…?"
"I don't know," Lynx shrugged. "It's a talk I need to with them, and one that I'm not ready for. Just… gonna keep playing things by ear."
-
"Just… going to keep playing things by ear," Nara whispered, blinking slowly. "This world is so confusing, I don't understand what's going on, nor where I am, not really. I have bits and pieces, but only the ones that the Play Write deems necessary for me to have, does that make sense? Can you imagine how frustrating that must be? Forgive me, my awkward manner of speech. I am not accustomed to sharing such personal woes," Nara admitted, leaning back into the couch where she lay, as if, in doing so, she could sink in even deeper and disappear from the world.
She lay within Alice's family manor- though Alice herself was still in the dormitories, waiting for Lynx. No, Nara was here alone, speaking with a kind-faced woman in her early thirties who'd reached out on Alice's behalf; a therapist, she called herself. The term shrink, came to mind, but Nara felt that it might be rude to use such a dated term. After all, she remembered, before… mental health was a joke. Maybe I ought to say that out loud.
"It's just such a different world," She continued, drawing in a sharp breath. "Mental health doesn't matter. If you think to take your life- then just do it. Or go to the bin, where they'll beat you, electrocute you, and test new drugs on you, in the name of making you better. That's what I know… and now it seems that people try to prioritize the health of the mind? Societal norms have changed so very much, you see my confusion? The frustration, as well. I hold the knowledge to drive a car in this country, but also in Pempa where the vehicles aren't built with ice and snow in mind. I know how hard to push the gas and when to brake… but I have yet to learn how to use a vacuum cleaner."
"It is more disorienting," Nara huffed, "-I should think, to have only some knowledge, rather than none. I am thus left with nothing else to believe but that the Play Write has imparted to me only what knowledge he deems may be necessary."
"So you really spent so much time under the influence of a god…" The therapist thought, chewing the end of her pencil a moment. "Question. Rest assured, we will circle back to your earlier frustrations- do you feel that spending time with such a powerful figure has affected your abilities at all? After all, It's not hard for me to figure out that you are the Nara responsible for the Night of a Thousand Songs, in eastbrook. I wonder, if the scale of your abilities may not be the results of such an extended encounter with the god. After all- you knew, immediately, what to do. What had to happen, in order to save those people- just as you know how to drive or, I assume, work a firearm. Is that correct?"
"I did, yes," Nara agreed, nodding. "I do not believe, though, that this power, at least directly, comes from the god. I have to fuel myself with positive emotions, revelry- without it, well… I have yet to experiment, on exactly what I can do. I am beyond certain that it will be nothing compared to what I did that evening though- the power I felt that night…" Swallowing. Shaking her head. "It was something as if of another universe."
"I see. For the sake of making sure that I can be as objective as possible with you. Do you feel that you are reliant on Lynx? After all, considering the soul bond…"
"No." Nara shook her head. "My attraction to Lynx runs deep because of what saw within her soul, but there is no impulse that does not feel perfectly rational within the parameters of logical thought. Please make no mistake- I am not property, or a lapdog."
"No, no. I was only checking how you felt- this session, Nara, is about me getting to know you. I can't offer advice when I don't even know you, can I?" The doctor smiled over her glasses, and Nara nodded, relaxing some.
"I apologize. I am, if you recall, from a time when being attracted to somebody meant leaving the control of your entire life, to them. I am determined to be my own person."
"Like Alice, Lynx, Aerendyl. Is it justice that you wish to find? Or, do you wish to leave everything behind, and start over?" The therapist smiled. Nara didn't.
"I do believe that justice is a noble goal," Nara spoke slowly, measuring her words as she went. "I think that if it is justice, and fairness, that Lynx and Alice seek, then I am not going to oppose them, or their ideals."
"You, though, Nara. What do you want?"
"I do not think that Lynx truly yearns for justice- at least, not in the traditional sense."
"Oh? Nara, though- I asked what you believe in. Why do you avoid the question?"
"I just don't think that justice is, always attainable."
"No?"
"I think that revenge is the smarter option," Nara shrugged, closing her eyes. "Justice is… tricky. Open to interpretation. Revenge, on the other hand- much more fair than justice. Much more easy."
"Who do you wish revenge on, Nara?" The doctor asked quietly, pen scratching on paper, one leg crossed over the other.
"Nobody."
"Do you wish for revenge on Lynx? For owning a part of you, so literally?"
"Gods, no."
"Then,"
"I just meant, in general. Not that I want revenge on any one person- I believe that the world is inherently, to some extent, without justice." Nara answered with a small, confident smile, but something flickered in the backs of her eyes. Her nose flicked, before she could stop herself.
"Do you want revenge on the Play-Write for what he did to you, and to Lynx, Nara?"
"Mm… no."