Running from an eelmer is a really terrible idea, regardless of whether you're on land or underwater. Inspired by a very literal interpretation of Jade's Halloween groovy line ;)
Rating: G
WC: 1,048
CW: None
Razz was just barely on time for her shift, as usual.
She sighed as she hung her coat and bag up in the office, waving tiredly at Aul, who sat at the main desk with very much a similar expression of sleepiness.
"Morning, Boss."
"Good morning." He pulled his glasses off for a moment, rubbing his eyes with his pointer and thumb. "Make sure you remember to clock in this time."
"Yup. Sorry."
Jade was already in the back of the lounge, washing up some pieces of the espresso machines as Razz entered, tying her apron around her waist. "Morning, Jade," she yawned, and Jade turned to smile politely at her, drying his hands.
"Good morning, prefect."
"No Floyd today?"
"He is on his way. I told him you would make something for him if he came in for his shift this morningâŚ" the eelmer gave Razz an apologetic look.
"Mm, that's fine. I need to make something for myself, anyways. What's he feelin'?"
"He asked you to surprise him."
"'Kay."
The early mornings before Mostro Lounge opened were always peaceful, in a way, and although Razz would always pick being in bed over being awake at such an hour, she had to admit that there was something charming to the little cafe section of the much larger establishment. She helped out a little all over the place, but the coffee bar was where she normally wound upâ she liked to call it 'the one place she knew magic'.
Azul would agree with her, if their drink sales compared to before her employment had anything to say about it.
It hadn't been a particularly exciting morning for the first few hours after the lounge opened. Razz caught Azul mumbling something to himself about opening later on Wednesdays as a few early risers and athletes with spelldrive training at this hour trickled in and out of the lounge. Floyd had arrived forty-five minutes after Razz did.
"You always know just what to make me, Remora." Floyd had patted Razz's head and ruffled her hair a bit as he sipped on his drink.
"Wouldn't have a job here if I didn't," she quipped back.
By the time Razz was sent on her lunch (or, more accurately, breakfast) break, she patted her jean pockets back and front, gasping.
"Shit. I left my phone in my dorm."
She checked her watchâ she had a half hour. That should be enough time, she thought.
The girl hurried to Azul's office, knocking on the door twice before entering.
"Sorry," she waved apologetically to both Azul and Jade, who were having some sort of meeting, "I left my phone at home. I'm going to go grab it real quick. I'll be back before my break is over," and with that, she grabbed her coat and was sprinting out of the lounge.
She was gone quickly enough that she didnt't hear Azul calling after herâ "don't run!"â and she had made it to the few steps into the lounge area entrance when she heard another pair of heavy, quick footsteps behind her.
She peeked over her shoulder, and gasped so hard that she chokedâ Floyd was on her tail, his pupils freakishly dilated and his lips pulled back in a sharp smile.
"Dude! What are youâ" Razz yelped and dove to the side as she was lunged at, the long limbs of the Leech twin outstretched and swung into thin air, narrowly missing her.
"Floyd, what's gotten into you?!"
"Ah? Are you talkin' to me, Remora?"
Razz whipped her head behind her, feeling as though she had double vision. "Floyd? I thought you were right," she turned back around, "thereâŚ"
Identical faces were before and behind Razz, and she frowned and shook her head in confusion. Studying the features in front of her, she realized â left eye gold, cowlick alongside it.
"⌠Jade?"
The looming Octavinelle vice-housewarden showed no sign of recognition, pupils still blown wide and unblinking, trained on Razz. She suddenly felt as though she couldn't look away, and especially couldn't turn her back on him.
"Floyd, what is he doing?!"
"Did you try running away from him?"
"Yes, she did." Azul finally appeared at the scene, panting a bit as though he had been running. "I tried to warn her."
"Run away?! I wasn't running away from him, I just have to hurry to get my phone before my break is over!"
Razz took a step back, and Jade twitched. She glanced helplessly at Azul at her side.
"Jade, stop." Azul spoke authoritatively. Still no response. The Housewarden sighed. "Keep him distracted for a moment, please."
"I don't think I could not do that at this point," Razz said, feeling a bit desperate. Still, she shuffled to the side a bit, Jade's eyes smoothly following the motion, wide. His breathing could be heard; measured, hissing and heavy. "This is really starting to freak me out."
"Shouldn't'a run from him, little fishie."
"Well, I know that now!"
Razz kept her eyes on Jade but she could see from behind the eelmer that Azul had snuck up behind him, quietly rolling up his sleeves. He held a finger up to his lips and Razz pursed hers, starting to sweat a bit from the adrenaline and stress.
"Go!"
Azul shouted as he got a grip on Jade, wrestling the taller figure into some sort of armlock with ease. Jade snarled and growled, parting and baring his jagged teeth. Razz's eyes widened, and she began to step backwards.
"Come back here!" Jade hissed, his tone filled with vitriol, unrecognizable from his usual calm demeanour. "You started this-sss!"
"Go get your phone," Azul sighed, pressing a knee into Jade's back, successfully dropping the twin to the ground. "He should be fine by the time you get back. Go on, now."
Razz spluttered, still processing the suddenness and strangeness of the whole situation, and Floyd cackled.
"Better not turn your back on him and run again, Remora!" He pressed two fingers beneath Razz's open jaw and shut it, "Azul might not be here to grapple'm next time. And I'm too curious to see what'll happen to squeeze him myself."
Razz gulped, slowly backing away from her feral coworker. She decided she'd never run again â nothing good ever came from it.
The Ramshackle Prefect shouldnât be dabbling in black magic. But really, what other option did she have?
Rating: T
WC: 9,043
CW: hurt/comfort, angst, self-loathing, pet death, some descriptions of violence/death. Please mind the content warnings for real if these are things youâre sensitive to!
Classes on that day had been terribly normalâ boring, even. Razz had been plucking at Grim's fur in history class, snickering when his tiny paws would aggressively swing down to slap her prying fingers away; potionology with Crewel was a lecture day, so nothing exciting could have happened there, even if the Ramshackle residents had tried. PE with Vargas involved some flying, and a lot of running (or, at least, looking like they were running) for Aris, Razz, and Grim. At some point, Razz took pity on the little monster and hoisted him into her arms so he didn't have to match the pace of people with legs about ten times or so longer than his.
By the time the bells tolled and told the students their day was over, Razz split from Aris and Grim as they headed back to Ramshackle. She could hardly wait to rush over to the potionology building once more to meet Rook for his Science Club shenanigans. She wasn't a part of the club herselfâ too much math and magic for that to be an optionâ but she did like to help out with the experiments where she could and take up any excuse she could to spend more time with the school's resident stalker. Trey wasn't bad company, either.
This week's experiment was very colorful. Razz was still wiping streaks of pigment from her cheeks by the time she started to get close to home, grunting in frustration as the pesky rainbow spots stayed despite her stubborn swipes. Rook, walking her home for the night, chuckled at her fruitless endeavor.
With the small handmirror in front of her face, Razz nearly missed the gathering of students outside her dorm and the commotion that resulted from it. She frowned, looking up and returning her mirror to her pocket as she picked up her pace and rushed over to see what was happening.
It was Lilia who intercepted her, hopping down from somewhere she couldn't see and startling her half to death.
"Razz, my dear," he said, his tone oddly serious, "I don't think you should go over there."
"What?" She pressed, looking over the short fae's head to get a better look at Ramshackle, "What do you mean? It's my dorm. All my stuff is in there, Aris and Grim are probably in there too! What's going on?"
With horror, the girl finally spotted through the darkness of the overcast night a collapsed portion of the building, dust still rising as debris groaned and settled, portions of the building still actively falling and breaking. Before Razz could get a good look at the damage, Malleus approached from behind Lilia, his taller frame successfully blocking her view.
"Child of Man," Malleus started, an inscrutable expression on his face, "Lilia is right. You should find somewhere else to stay for the night."
"Malleus," Razz growled; the taller fae frowned a bit at the lack of Razz's usual use of his nickname, "stop getting in my way. What the hell is happening over there?"
"Part of Ramshackle has caved in," Malleus explained, glancing over his shoulder before looking back to Razz, "not from any attacks or malice. Likely structural failure after years of disrepair that have gone unattended."
Razz blinked. "Were Aris and Grim in there? Are they okay?"
"Aris is fine," Malleus said. "They pulled her from the debris relatively unscathed."
Razz felt dread pool in her stomach. She felt nauseous.
"What about Grim?"
Malleus's lips parted to speak, but he hesitated, peering down at the Ramshackle co-prefect with pity. Razz felt Rook's hand on her shoulder, but he didn't say anything; not that she would have heard much after that. It was like the world had been submerged in a thick fog, her ears ringing and her vision blurred. Faintly, she saw NRC students working in pairs under the blurred moonlight, easily lifting chunks of the collapsed building with powerful magic.
"Take her with you, Hunt," Malleus spoke to Rook, "Aris has already gone back to Savanaclaw for the time being. I'll be sure to let you know if âŚ"
She was aware enough of where she was being led by gentle hands to know that her partner was leading her back through the schoolgrounds to Pomefiore's dorm, but all Razz could think about was Grim; his tiny little form trapped somwhere in the fallen beams and shattered glass of Ramshackle. She felt desperate, anxious, angryâ and numb, as her feet dragged beneath her and across the fine carpet of the Pomefiore common room.
I should have been out there, Razz thought, as she laid next to Rook, peering blankly at the peeling wallpaper in the top corner of the room next to his bed. She should be out there, helping the other mages look for her dear friend; one of her only two companions who truly knew and understood her situation at this school. Rook had not stopped comforting her since they'd seen the state of Ramshackle, pulling her into his side as they'd walked back, and holding her tightly as they both tried to get any sort of rest.
But all she could think about was, for the first time, how useless she felt to know that she could not use magic.
---
By the time noon came around the next day, they had found Grim. He'd been entirely limp, visibly injured and with nearly no vital signsâ and even those were hard to diagnose; the conglomerate of magical spells that held his physical and sentient form together were mysterious even to the most practiced mages at the school. No one was sure who made him, or how, or why.
Rumors quickly spread around the school about what had happened to the little monsterâ curious students had passed by Ramshackle that morning and a few had reports of seeing one student with ginger hair in particular amongst the destruction, tearing through the rubble with bare hands while a few Savanaclaw residents helped to move the larger beams and cracked panels. When Aris returned to class in the afternoon, bandages were wrapped snugly around her palms. Deuce and Epel sat on either side of her.
"Hey, Aris," Deuce mumbled, keeping an eye on Trein who was lecturing at the front of the classroom, "have you seen Razz anywhere?"
"No." Aris said, exhaustion clear in her voice. Dark bags pulled down at her eyes; it was clear she hadn't slept much the night before. "She went to Pomefiore last night with Rook and I haven't seen her since then."
"Oh," Deuce said weakly, his posture deflating slightly, "I hope she's doing alright."
"I hardly saw her in the dorm this morning," Epel whispered, leaning across Aris to reach Deuce's ear, "and when I did, she looked a mess." A disquieted look pinched the boy's face, then he continued, "Was only out and about for a few minutes before I think she went back t' Rook's room."
"She's been dodging my calls," Aris admitted, a similar look of unease about her, "she asked me how Grim looked when I told her we'd found him, and I told her the truth." She chewed her lip nervously. "She's been AWOL since."
Brows furrowed, all three of the freshmen leaned back into their seats, catching the appraising look Trein had been giving all of them. If he'd heard their whispers, he said nothing, a flicker of pity and concern crossing his expression before he continued his lesson.
Rook was already waiting outside of Trein's classroom when Aris, Deuce, and Epel all exited together. He looked nearly as tired as Aris did, but attempted to mask it more than she was.
"Bonjour, mes amis." The hunter greeted them, decidedly lackluster compared to his usual boisterous disposition. The freshmen all greeted him in turn; he hesistated and peered into the classroom as if expecting something. "Did mon amour not accompany you to class?"
"We thought she was with you," Aris said slowly, confusion turning quickly to suspicion then concern. "How long has she been gone?"
"Since this morningâ I believe it was right after you reported on Grim's condition." Rook frowned, the gears in his head clearly turning alongside Aris and Epel's.
"So what, then?" Deuce pressed, frustrated that his peers all seemed to be piecing together something he was clearly oblivious to. "She just lied and vanished? That doesn't seem like her at all."
"No, it doesn't," Epel agreed. "I think we should go check the infirmary."
---
Vargas was playing security for the medical wing of the main castle when Rook, Epel, and Deuce arrived, Aris not far behind them.
"Sorry, kids," he told them, "I can't let you in right now. Sensitive stuff going on in there. They're trying to help our little beast friend out and need to think without more little beasties disturbing their concentration."
"We're looking for Razz," Aris said, approaching from behind her classmates. Vargas's expression softenedâ that seemed to be going around with the professors, Aris noted sourly.
"Didn't realize you were here too, kid," Vargas sighed. "Tell you what. You can head in for a bitâ just youâ but ya gotta promise to keep it down. You three can wait out here for her."
They all agreed, and Vargas let Aris pass, the infirmary quiet saved for the hushed conversation between Crowley, Crewel, and Trein. Rounding the corner, Aris spotted Razz seated motionless in a chair next to Grim's cot, one of her hands clutching one of his little paws tightly.
"Razz," Aris sighed in relief, rushing over to her friend's side, "you had us all spooked. Have you been in here this whole time? You missed class," the girl worried, standing next to her seat and looking from Razz's dishevled form to Grim's worse one.
Razz mumbled something under her breath, grasping Grim's paw harder. The feline monster didn't move or flinch, but Aris frowned at the sickly white of Razz's knuckles.
"Hon," Aris said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you're squeezing him too tight."
The girl immediately released her grip on Grim's paws like they had burned her, her hands hesitating mid-air and trembling visibly. Aris heard Razz gasp and exhale beneath her mussed hair, and her hands dropped to her knees where they fidgeted restlessly.
"Iâ" Razz stuttered, "I'm sâsorry." She covered her face and sniffed, trying to mask the sound with her hands unsuccessfully. Suddenly, she stood from her seat, and Aris finally got a better look at her face as her roommate peered down at their direbeast companion.
"RazzâŚ" Aris spoke tentatively, deeply concerned. Her friend was sickly pale, the color from her lips and cheeks almost completely drained. The tired circles beneath eyes swollen from tears were nearly purple; Aris had never seen Razz in such an awful condition; not even on her sickest days, where she looked like she'd keel over with the wind. Razz worried at her lip with her teeth, then made a weak attempt to glance to her side towards Aris.
"Sorry," Razz whispered again, and looked away, "I have to go."
"Wait, Razz. Come on. JustâŚ" Aris started, struggling to conjure up the right words, "⌠come back with us for a little while? Or head back to Pomefiore with Rook at the very least." She stepped closer to her friend, trying to ignore the way her heart stung when Razz weakly shuffled away from her, her gaze fully turned away now.
"I hate seeing you alone like this," Aris said, the exhaustion and frustration from all of the stress of the situation finally creeping into her tone, "I don't want to lose you and Grim here. Just⌠let us help you, hon. Please."
There was a sharp inhale and Razz suddenly stiffened. Aris cursed under her breath.
"I didn't mean it like that, Razz. Grim is going to be okayâ they'll figure out a way to help him, I know it," Aris tried her best to sound hopeful, "even if it doesn't seem like it right now."
Razz remained inscrutable, and there was a long stretch of tense silence in the room as the two girls stood apart from each other.
"⌠yeah," Razz mumbled, "you're right." The co-prefect turned half-heartedly to face Aris. "I, um, just want to be alone right now, though⌠please?" She begged, "I need toâ I don't know. Think, I guess."
Aris frowned and shuffled restlessly, clearly still unsure of how much she trusted her roommate's judgment.
"I'll be back by the end of the day, and I'll go check in with Rook before that, if that makes you feel any better." Razz offered; she sounded flat, but genuine.
"⌠Alright," Aris relented, some of the tension leaving her shoulders, although the concerned face remained. "I'm going to hold you to that. I'm serious. If you aren't back tonight, I'm sending out a search party."
"Okay." Razz smiled weaklyâ the expression didn't reach past her lips. "I'll see you tonight, then." She hesitated, looking at Aris apprehensively for a few moments. She inhaled to speak, but hesitatedâ then said nothing, peering at Grim's inert form before shuffling out of the infirmary through one of the back doors.
Aris stood facing where her roommate had left from with a contemplative look for some time before she sighed through her nose, returning to Grim's side.
"Don't worry, little buddy," she whispered, scratching between the direbeast's ears and trying her best not to acknowledge the lack of blue flames from them, "they'll get you fixed up in no time. So keep being toughâ okay?"
The redhead's fingertips lingered on Grim's matted fur, her eyes beginning to pool with tears as she finally pulled away to exit from where she came. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeves before breaching the doorway.
When Aris returned to the group waiting pensively outside the infirmary, she noticed right away the addition of one Heartslabyul freshman, who appeared to be trying his best to be the calm and optimistic presence they clearly all needed, but his easy posture gave way to an over-eager leap as he caught sight of Aris.
"Aris! Sorry I was only just able to catch up," Ace started, clearly searching behind her for something much like Rook had earlier as he paused, "is Razz still in there? Andâ umâ how's Grim doing?" His voice softened uncharacteristically as he spoke. Aris shook her head dejectedly.
"She asked to be left alone for a little while," Aris started carefully, turning her attention to Rook as he shifted and frowned at her words, "she basically begged, actually. She said she'd be back by tonight and agreed we could track her down if she wasn't."
Although he still seemed unappeased by the compromise Razz and Aris had apparently come to, Rook pursed his lips and nodded.
"Grim's, um⌠still not doing that great." Aris said quietly, her eyes glued to her feet. The atmosphere that spanned between her and her classmates was heavy; suffocating, like quiet drips of blot across lips that refused to acknowledge its presence. No one seemed to be able to look at the Ramshackle prefect directly.
"I don't like this," Deuce piped up suddenly, his fists clenched at his sides, "I'm worried about Razz. It makes me sick to think about Grim. Can't weâ" he swallowed thickly, then continued weakly, "â can't we do something? ⌠Anything?"
"At this point, all we can do is wait," Rook said firmly, "and trust. Trust in our professors that they will find the solutionâ that they are more qualified than any of us combined."
Some of the weight seemed to lift from the younger students as their upperclassman laid out the reality of their situation as optimistically as only he could. Yet, he and Aris locked gazes, she knew he was just as terrified as she was; as Deuce was.
As they all were.
Despite this, as they left the precipice of the damned-feeling infirmary, Aris found herselfâ alongside the Pomefiore vice-housewardenâ speaking lightly and with promise. She hoped it was enough.
---
Razz wiped her hands on her scrub bottoms as she headed for the vet section of the building. Cryptically, she'd been told by her supervisor that the techs could use some help in treatment, which she had assumed at the time meant they needed someone to hold for a nail trim, or maybe a blood draw.
It was quiet and tense in the sterile-smelling room as she entered. A tired-looking veterinarian had spotted her as she'd walked in, glancing around at the people there, and gestured for her to come over to the other side of the room.
"These two just arrived this morning," the vet had explained, "that one was DOA and the other is in critical condition. They've got him in the OR now." He'd gestured to the small body laying atop one of the metal tables, then to the room adjacent to them, kept separate by a large pane of glass. A glance inside confirmed what Razz had been told, and she felt a pinch of sadness in her stomach at the sight of the two dogs.
She'd become accustomed enough to these sorts of sights that she didn't think much of what she had to do when the vet asked her to bag the body and take it back to the freezer. It was business as usual, and she was always a bit surprised by how unbothered she felt. Maybe there was something wrong with her, she would sometimes consider passively.
Razz didn't stay at her job at the veterinary clinic for very long. The hours were long, the pay was terrible, and as much as she felt a sense of accomplishment being able to comfort and feed the friendly little creatures as they were away from their families, it was taking its toll on her. She at least knew now that her future didn't lie in vet medicineâ she'd also found a canine companion of her own during her work there. He was an older gentleman without a home, and Razz simply couldn't resist his distinguished little face. She brought him home and kept the name he already hadâ Harvey.
On the night Harvey had woken Razz up with his pacing around the foot of her bed, the girl's stomach dropped right away. Something was really wrong this time. The dog looked up at her with sad, tired eyes, little droplets of vomit sticking to the fur around his mouth. Razz felt as though she'd be sick herself. "What's wrong, buddy?" She'd asked, stroking the fur along his back with trembling hands, a numb feeling starting to spread from her chest down to her fingertips. Harvey whined softly. Razz bit the insides of her cheeks so hard she tasted blood.
It was when she'd been scratching between Harvey's ears and his skin started feeling a little colder that Razz had started to realize exactly what her time in the clinic had done to her. The technician stood next to her with an empty syringe and a pitying expression on his face as the girl's touch hovered over the limp animal, torn between pulling away or cradling his soft body with gentle hands as he laid on the cold, metal table. She blinked and blinked, unable to stop the hot tears from trailing down her cheeks.
Most people would think, at this point, of all of the sweet moments they shared with their furry companions, Razz figured as she drove away from the clinic, an unclipped collar sitting innocently on the passenger seat next to her. Those thoughts would be the right ones to have, Razz thought, frustration seeping into her mind. Why was it, then, that all she could think about was Harvey's body laying on a cold table in the back of the clinic, waiting until some kennel assistant could get around to him, all the vets and techs just too busy to go through the trouble? Why was she overwhelmed by the thought of the assistantâ much like herselfâ being unable to muster up any care or compassion as they hoisted his body into a plastic bag and deposited him into the deep freeze?
Once these thoughts faded, all Razz could think about was how helpless she was. She'd hardly even noticed that he was sick, and thinking back on it nowâ now being just a few hours laterâ she knew she didn't fight hard enough to keep him around. She should have asked what else they could do, she should have begged and kicked and screamed for them to help him more, to find another way. But all of that was over now, and the space on the bed next to her was as cold as the metal table she'd become so familiar with.
And it was happening again. Her companionâ dying, alone in that sterile room.
This time, she decided as she thumbed through the yellowed pages of a dusty old book, she would try harder.
This time, it would be different.
---
In the Diasomnia common room, voices were hushed as a strange combination of students sat around the obsidian table at its center, the atmosphere heavy and serious.
"So she's late," Malleus clarified. Lilia, seated next to the fae, hummed thoughtfully.
"Yes. I'm really concernedâ she doesn't lie, and when she's not where she says she'll be, she always texts me," Aris replied. At her left, Leona lounged, looking deceptively unbotheredâ the alertness of his ears and the way his tail twitched next to Aris's leg gave him away. Vil sat to her right, his legs crossed and his brow furrowed.
Any other time, Rook would have fussed over the wrinkles that Vil was inevitably forming with such a tight expression, but the hunstman had little room or clarity of mind to talkâ he looked far more stressed than his housewarden. He sat adjacent to the Savanaclaw, Ramshackle, and Pomefiore prefects along with Epel, Ace, and Deuce. The freshmen were antsy, hands wrung and knees bouncing restlessly.
"Do we have any idea where she could have gone?" Vil asked, his head lowered as he used his thumb and forefinger to pinch at the bridge of his nose.
"Man, does she expect us to check the entire campus?" Ace huffed, his efforts to lighten the mood entirely unappreciated as Leona's tail flicked in irritation and he clicked his tongue. Malleus glanced at the Heartstlabyul student with a chilling frown. "Sheesh, sorry," Ace mumbled, leaning back into the couch, "She's my friend too, y'know."
"Yes, we all care about her," Lilia said, waving a hand dismissively at Ace, "that's why we're all here, of course. So why don't we try to brainstorm a little more?" The older fae turned to Aris, resting his head in his palm as he propped his elbow on his knee. "Did Razz say anything about what she wanted to do before she disappeared?"
"Not really," Aris sighed, starting to sound frustrated. "She just said she needed to think."
"To think, hmm?" Lilia mused.
"Has anyone checked the library?" Rook asked suddenly, looking left and right at the shaken heads and blank glances his peers exchanged. Without missing a beat, Rook stood from the Diasomnia couch, hoisting his bag and bow over his shoulder and hurrying out the front door.
"To the library it is, then," Malleus decided, following close behind the Pomefiore junior. Aris and Vil were hardly a few steps behind, and the rest scrambled to their feet to follow.
The library was desolate. It was a weekend, late at night, in the middle of the semesterâ every student had better places to be, and the book-musk that filled the air was devoid of any sound besides the hurried shuffling of the group's feet as they entered.
"Razz?" Aris called out. Rook was the first to enter, immediately scouting down each aisle of bookshelves systematically, glancing back to Malleus who simply nodded and followed suit. Aris got no response, her own voice echoing once in the wide expanse of the empty study area. Leona closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, turning to his girlfriend after a few moments.
"She's been here," Leona said lowly, "but I don't think she's here anymore. I should be able to figure out what section she was in, though."
"Okayâ then take me there," Aris demanded impatiently.
"Alright, alright," Leona huffed, trailing further into the library, weaving through shelves and tables as he followed Razz's scent. Vil, Lilia, and the freshmen followed close behind.
Rook and Malleus seemed to have picked up the same trail Leona did as they intercepted each other and rejoined the group, Rook taking the lead once more as they went further and further into the room, starting to reach some of the more eclectic sections filled with tomes and complex incantations.
"I didn't even know the library went this far back," Epel whispered to Ace and Deuce, who nodded their agreement.
"I tried to get further back here once. I got stopped by Trein. I think this is a restricted area only for special classes or professors or something," Deuce said.
"Sure looks like it," Ace stated, brushing his fingers along the spines of the books, "check out some of these titles, dude. 'The Alchemy of Flesh?' 'Bargains of the Underworld?' SeriouslyâŚ" the Heartslabyul student trailed off, shaking his head as though to rid himself of the chill that crawled up his spine.
"We generally don't come back here even as juniors. I have only ever entered this section for the purposes of advanced alchemical formulas," Vil admitted, "and even that required explicit permission from Crewel, or sometimes the headmage."
"Does that mean we're technically breaking in since the library is closed?" Deuce asked worriedly.
"It might," Lilia chuckled. "But there are more important things at stake here than academic compliance at the moment, my dear boy." No objections were voiced at that.
"This must be where she spent the most time," Leona informed Aris, "her scent is strongest here."
Coming out from a narrow aisle, the students found themselves in a nook-like area with a desk whose table was scattered with pages, quills, an few open books, and a magically burning candle.
"What is this�" Aris frowned, looking at the loose pages, some of which had hurried notes scrawled on them, some of the words scratched out and reattempted before they appeared to be ultimately scrapped altogether.
"Not a good sign," Lilia said solemnly. He lifted one of the books, tucking a finger into where it was opened to show Malleus the cover.
"Oh my," Malleus frowned, "that is concerning."
"What is it?" Vil demanded, angling towards the tome to see what the two Diasomnia residents were looking at. Aris did the same.
Vil was silent, covering his mouth with a hand as his expression grew increasingly worried. Rook shuffled through the pages and flipped the other books shut on the desk, taking in all that he could, holding up some of the pages to the sections that had been opened.
"Incantations: Arcana for All..?" Aris mumbled, looking from Vil, to Malleus, to Lilia. "I don't get it. Is it like, little spells that people with limited magic can do?"
"No," Leona said, "It's magic for all. For people like you. Like Razz."
"We can do magic�"
Rook's attention was suddenly caught by the conversation across the table from him, and his head snapped up in a panic.
"That book, s'il vous plait," the huntsman demanded, holding a hand out to Lilia expectantly. The fae raised an eyebrow but handed it to him nonetheless; Rook flipped the book open to the spot Lilia had been saving and snatched up one of the pieces of parchment that had been un-crumpled with some lines scribbled out.
"What kind of magic?" Aris asked cautiously, looking to Lilia and Malleus.
"Powerful spells; of all kinds. Many of the incantations in here are spells only I or Lilia would be able to perform naturally; they are forbidden from being used in the ways they are laid out in this book." Malleus explained, watching Rook curiously.
"Why is it forbidden?"
"It's what you'd call 'black magic', I believe," Lilia responded this time, "Powerful and easy to access, but it's high risk, high rewardâ except the 'risk' is less of a chance-wise thing and more of a guarantee, even with the use of a magestone. Highly destructive for the user's body, especially if they aren't adept mages."
Aris blinked a few times and swayed unsteadily, grasping the table in front of her for balance as she exhaled shakily.
"Waitâ so we think Razz is going to use one of these spells or something?" Ace realized, and Rook snapped the tome in front of him shut as he grasped at the wrinkled parchment tightly.
"She is going to use it to attempt to heal Monsieur Fuzzball, if she has not already."
Aris hesitated for a moment. "How dangerous is healing magic?"
"Any magic is dangerous for someone who has no innate magic," Vil snapped, "I cannot believe she would do something so foolish."
Suddenly, Malleus, Lilia, and Leona all stood up straighter, glancing around in alarm at something it was clear the other students were missing.
"You sense that too, lizard?" Leona turned to Malleus, his tail swishing in agitation. Malleus all but ignored the nickname, nodding once.
"It's happening close by. We need to get outsideâ now."
One by one, whatever it was the three mages initially sensed, each other student began to feel the same thingâ a powerful surge of magic, a creeping sense of dread like static that pricked at the hair on the backs of their necks. The air outside was chilly, the night dark as it could beâ the moon only unshrouded its face in fragments as thick, dark clouds rolled past it.
The clouds seemed to concentrate the most heavily above the Colosseum. The closer the group hurried towards it, the clearer it became that it must have been the source of the strange magicâ even without an affinity for it, Aris felt instinctually that she should be tailing it in the opposite direction. This instinct didn't get a second thought; Aris continued resolutely with her classmates towards the looming pillars of the stadium. She felt her heart racing in her chest.
"Whatâ?" Ace slowed and stopped as he breached the entrance to the Colosseum, his face scrunching in confusion and worry. "What am I looking at?"
Before them laid a number of strange, out-of-place thingsâ closest to them, the Headmage and Trein faced what was further away, with the latter cradling something in his arms. They stared up at a massive, dripping, dark form, illuminated dimly by the magical lights at the tops of the pillars in the Colosseum. Next to Aris, Leona inhaled sharply at the familiar scene, looking down at the bits of dust and rock that floated and spun slowly, suspended in the air by some sort of resonating arcane power. Aris scooped his hand into hers, squeezing tightly as she marched towards where Crowley stood.
"Headmage!" The Ramshackle co-prefect called out. Crowley whipped around, a bewildered expression obvious even with half of his face covered.
"Thorne?" He exclaimed, double-taking as he realized she'd brought an small legion of students with her. "Oh dear," the headmage sighed, shaking his head as they all drew around their professors expectantly.
Somewhat closer now, the looming, dormant form was only slightly clearer. It was a shifting, amorphous thing, with some kind of curved seam drawing down one of its sides. The thick drops coming from it were pitch black.
"What is that, Crowley?" Malleus was the first to speak up, stepping towards the front of the group, his gaze fixed on the dark form.
"How irresponsible it would be of me to involve students in such a scandal as thisâ oh yes, indeed," Crowley started to himself, "but truthfully, the scale of something such as this may be beyond simply mine and Trein's magic combined⌠to have the magic of a Draconia to assistâ yes, that may be it!"
Crowley lifted his head from its thoughtful tilt and suddenly pointed his raven-topped cane towards the students, Malleus in particular.
"To be entirely truthful with you, my dear students, we did not arrive much before you did, so I'm not wholly sure myself." Stepping to the side, the headmage revealed what Trein held in his armsâ a still-unconscious Grim, his grey fur matted with the same black ooze that dripped from the dark form across the Colusseum. "I have an educated guess, but I do not think you'll appreciate it."
With a groan that reverberated through the ground beneath their feet, the strange form began to shift more dramatically, stretching out at its sides.
Wings, Aris realized in grim fascination, those are wings.
They spread out suddenly, with a gust of air that nearly knocked many of the students of their feet, and a colossal, humanoid form began to uncurl from beneath the thin, bat-like wings and rise upwards.
"Is that�"
"A phantom," Rook gasped, staring up in horror at the entity as it stretched up towards its full height, blot-covered arms and clawed hands reaching towards the moon as its wings fully unfolded behind it. "Mon dieu!" He cried, the first to noticed the comparatively tiny figure that laid limp on the ground at its base. Instead of legs, it appeared to be half-risen out of the blot that accumulated beneath it, the figure there nearly completely covered by the ink. The huntsman made a break for the unconscious form.
"Rook! Watch out!" Vil warned, watching as a large hand swung downwards, slowly as a result of its scale, to scoop up the figure with a pinched thumb and forefinger. Silhouetted by the brief moonlight as it was lifted into the air, it became obvious that the small figure was a person.
"Shit," Aris gasped, starting to hyperventilate, "Fuck! Is that Razz?!"
Higher and higher, Aris's prefect counterpart was lifted into the air, dangling above the colossus. Its neck bent and its head reared back, mouth gaping wide as the students below cried out. Rook snatched his bow from his shoulder, drawing the string back inhumanly fast and dropping to a knee as he aimed upwards.
"Hunt, you'll hit her!" Malleus shouted sternly, but Rook paid him no mind. He let go of the string as the giant released Razz. She fell into the phantom's awaiting maw, the arrowâ no, not an arrowâ catching the girl with a brilliant flash of light just before its jaws snapped shut.
Stunned silence covered the scene. Rumbling thunder sounded around them, and Rook dropped his arms to his sides with a trembling breath.
"Do something!" Aris suddenly shouted, turning her attention furiously from Malleus, to Leona, to Rook and the Headmage. "She's in thereâ look!"
Sure enough, after a few moments, it was as though there was a translucent cavity of some kind in the chest of the beast before them, and a human form with a gentle glow could just barely be seen beneath the thick layer of blot.
"We've done this before," Aris stated, "this isn't any different than one of your overblotsâ except she won't last as long as you guys, I bet." She stomped towards Rook, pulling him to his feet and dragging him back to the group. "So get your asses in gear and help her!"
"She's somewhat right," Lilia admitted, "this should be resolved if it's treated in the same manner as an overblot. We just have to be especially careful not to catch Razz in the crossfire."
"So we just need ta blast the hell outta this thing?" Epel asked, looking hopeful, if not a bit bloodthirsty.
"Essentially, yes," Malleus confirmed, allowing magic to lift him into the air as he spoke, "so let's not waste any more time."
"Ahâ yes! Yes, Draconia and Thorne are right!" Crowley suddenly agreed, "You are all allowed to use whatever means necessary to destroy the phantom and get Moon out from inside. Keep your spells aimed away from its chest!"
As the onslaught began, Malleus threw devastatingly powerful spells at the colossus from above, while the rest began from below. Crowley and Trein turned their full attention to Grim as the responsibility for offense was largely taken up by the students.
A deep, rumbling laugh came from the monstrous form, its arms crossing in front of its chest. Eyes split open as it did so, glowing yellow and sharp as its teeth. Facing them with parted lips and a scowl, the being had horns and very much held the resemblance of a demon.
"Deserve this," it stated firmly.
Rook and Aris both faltered for a moment as it spoke in Razz's own voice, distorted, deep, and bellowing as it was. Each student prepared for an incoming attackâ falling to the defensive at the threatening words.
But no attack came. The demonic figure kept its arms crossed firmly, the glow from Razz nearly completely covered by the position.
"Hah?!" Ace exclaimed, "The hell's that supposed to mean? You're hurting her, you big, ugly freak!"
"Hurt," it hummed lowly, easily tanking the magic being thrown at it, "hurt. Yesâ she did."
"Get its hands to the ground!" Rook commanded, calling down light magic to strike at the creature's arms. The freshmen readily listened, and Vil took point next to his vice-housewarden to assist as well. Leona scoffed, but stepped forward nonetheless.
The combined firepower of two housewardens, a vice-housewarden, and the three freshman was a sight to behold, but it didn't seem to be working well enough. The inky form of the creature's arms were being slowly blasted away, but it would reform before any lasting damage was done, and it remained resolutely still.
Lilia, who had seemed content to largely observe up until this point, chuckled to himself and turned to Aris, who glowered at him.
"I guess I'd better get out there and help, hmm?" The bat fae grinned. "This should be exciting. I'm trying not to use my magic so much, you know," he said cheekily, "but desperate times, right?"
The addition of Lilia's offensive magic was startlingly powerful, easily matching the might of all of the freshmen combined. Finally, they seemed to get over the precipice, and the phantom's crossed arms were deteriorating faster than they could be healed. It growled out in anger, scowling lips pulling down into a deeper frown.
It unfolded its arms, reaching out instead to sweep across the field with splayed hands, grasping for the small offenders.
"Woah!" Epel cried, just barely scraping past the attack as Leona snatched him up by his collar and pulled him out of the way. Deuce shouted and dropped a hefty cauldron onto one of the encroaching hands, causing it to flinch back and rumble out in frustration.
Quicker than it could pull back, Rook hopped up onto one of the hands that was now within his reach on the ground, clambering up the arm with spider-like motion and speed. The phantom reacted too slowly, slapping at its arm and missing the huntsman by a hair.
When he reached its neck, Rook attacked with a sharp slice of wind magic, creating a narrow gap in its throat. The phantom cried out in rage, reaching once again to try to grab the offender on its shoulderâ and it looked to the students on the ground like it had succeeded.
Vil scowled and attacked its hands with fire, which uncurled to revealâ nothing.
A shadow appeared in the glow from the phantom's chest, and Vil realized that Rook had made his way through the incision on the creature's neck to reach Razz before it could seal shut.
"Stop!" Vil shouted, and his peers hesitated, but obeyed. Even Malleus, who had all but nearly amputated one of the creature's arms from the shoulder now, listenedâ although he looked skeptical.
The attacks from the creature stopped entirely, and it folded its arms once more. The thunder again became the only sound from the scene as the phantom peered down skeptically at the NRC students. Malleus rejoined them and approached Vil.
"What is your angle, Schoenheit?" He demanded, and Vil turned to face the Diasomnia prefect.
"Rook has a plan," Vil said simply, "I trust he knows what he is doing."
Malleus looked skeptical, but sighed. He watched the phantom expectantly, meeting its yellow gaze.
Deuce fidgeted, impatient and uncomfortable with sitting around as he waited for an unknown plan to be carried out. He wished he could be doing more. That seemed to be going around.
"Do you speak?" The blue-haired Heartslabyul freshman suddenly asked, loudly. The phantom slowly turned its neck towards him, staring wordlessly.
"Um⌠what did you mean earlier, when you said 'deserve this'?"
The demonic figure sat still for a few moments, and just as Deuce was sure it wasn't going to respond to him, it spoke up.
"She tried to help," the phantom said, "she did not."
"Are you talking about the little fuzzball?" Leona replied, raising an eyebrow. The monster turned towards the beastman this time.
"She hurt him. All she does is hurt." The phantom continued to speak with Razz's voice, "She deserves this. Needs to pay for the hurt."
Inside the phantom's blotted form, Razz remained unconscious, but her face tightened and she quietly whimpered, entirely unaware of the situation outside of her glass prison. She clutched an onyx, blot-soaked magestone between her hands, the substance continuing to well up from between her fingers and disperse into the black, fleshy surface beneath her. It dripped down slowly from above as well, splattering onto her head, soaking her hair, and trailing continually down her face. Rook was beginning to be covered in the blot as well as he held an inert Razz close, trying to gently wake her to no avail. She looked pallid and terribly weak.
"That's stupid," Ace retorted up to the phantom's words, "no amount of hurting her's gonna change a bad decision she made. Let her go." The phantom did not respond.
It seemed like an eternity as they all waited for some kind of sign or brilliant act of heroism from Rook, the phantom's behaviour deceptively docile as they refrained from attacking it. Epel had resorted to pacing around anxiously, and Deuce chewed at his fingers.
Calmly, Vil gestured for Malleus to come closer to him. The fae obliged, leaning down to better hear his shorter peer.
"Is the damage you did to that arm fully healed yet?" The Pomefiore housewarden whispered.
Malleus looked up to the phantom's right shoulder. "It does not appear so, no. It's still partially detached." Vil hummed thoughtfully and nodded.
"On my signal," he said quietly, "I want you to hit it there as hard as you can. Try to get the arm off with one spell, if you can."
"What of the child of man? Isn't it possible she will be hurt?"
"It's better than her dying," Vil chided, "and Rook is there now. I'm certain he'd got a good hold of her."
Malleus hummed his approval. "Very well, then."
The light from the phantom's chest, though obscured by its arms, started to ebb and fade just so. It was at this point that Vil turned to Malleus and noddedâ the fae took action immediately, holding out a palm and willing black-violet void magic to accumulate in the clouds above the phantom's form. It groaned through the sky, louder than the low thunder that seemed to never cease. The force of it rushed wind through his peers' hair; it knocked Vil's crown off-kilter. The phantom reacted to the sudden charge of magic, thrusting its damaged arm out towards Malleus menacingly.
A flash of black light cracked down from the clouds, sending shockwaves through the ground as it sliced hot through the demonic form's arm and made contact with the Colosseum ground. For good measure, a second beam arched a fraction of a second later, slicing through its opposite arm as well. Both limbs, completely severed by now, fell to the ground and melted into pools of thick blot as the phantom wailed in pain. Aris covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shutâ even the screams sounded like Razz.
With her eyes shut, Aris nearly missed the scene that followed as a powerful surge of light magic burst from the phantom's chest, chunks of blot erupting from the impact as Rook leapt from the opening, clutching Razz tightly to his chest. As they both hurtled towards the ground, Vil responded quickly with a burst of wind magic to cushion their fall.
Just as quickly as the opening in the phantom's chest had formed, it re-formed, and the monster howled in anger, desperately swiping at the ground as Rook sprinted away with the source of the phantom's power in his arms. Aris realized that the hunter was headed straight for her.
"Take her," Rook directed, placing Razz's feet to the ground as Aris scrambled to scoop up her friend in her dormant state, "and as soon as the phantom begins to fall, take that magestone from her hands."
"Excellent work, Hunt!" Crowley called from over his shoulder. "Yes, yes, you should be able to use your full power against the phantom now! Please, be rid of it!"
Epel blinked and turned to Ace and Deuce. "We weren't supposed to before?"
"He's not talking to us, dude," Ace hissed, "he's talking to tanks one, two, three, and four over there."
Bursts of flame, water, and flora filled the air with bursts of red, blue, green as the onslaught began, the phantom doubling its efforts to take out its attackers now that it was missing its prisoner. Multicoloured flames rose as the phantom used stronger attacks now, clawed hands coaxing the fire from the ground and flinging it every which way, trying desperately to attack whichever students it could. Pillars of light and void magic rained relentlessly on its horned head, desperate screeches ringing through the night sky.
With the full might of multiple housewardens and one of the world's most powerful mages against it, it wasn't long before the phantom began to weaken; it slowly folded in on itself, clutching its arms into its torso as it lost its physical form, inky flesh chipping away in clumps and melting into the dirt. Its wings folded protectively over its body.
Aris decided the time was right, and wrenched the obsidian stone from her friend's hands, surprised by how tightly Razz still held it despite her comatose state. Aris managed to take it from her regardless, and the heard the shriek of the phantom behind the veil of its wings as she did so.
The clamor from the battle faded, and bit by bit, the phantom fell to pieces and became nothing but blot that slowly seeped into the Colosseum dirt. The freshmen collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, sighing heavily, and it was over.
---
Razz's head was killing her.
She was awake, but she kept her eyes closed, feeling unprepared to face the day that awaited her. There was an exhaustion deep in her bones that insisted she sleep for just a little longer, and she had no intentions of resisting it. As she moved to roll over, however, she realized something was resting heavily on her chest and against her side, and she frowned, finally opening her eyes.
Light filtered through her lashes and Razz blinked to acclimate herself to the bright room as she realized she was not in her own room. She realized she was in the infirmary, which she guessed made sense given how badly her everything ached. Looking down towards her torso, she saw that the weight on her chest was Rook's head as he slept as well, seated next to her with an arm stretched across her ribcage. The lump laying at her side was grey.
What is that? Razz thought to herself, frowning at the warm form as she instinctively ran a hand through Rook's hair.
At once, memories came flooding back of the events of the days before, and she knew right away what was at her side. Tears welled in her eyes and she scooped up the sleeping monster into her arms, squeezing him to her chest tightly.
"Mrrâ?" Grim trilled sleepily, squirming as he woke up in Razz's tight embrace. "Hench-human, yer squeezin' me too tight," he complained.
"I thought I killed you, Grim," Razz sobbed, burying her face in the fur atop his head, "I was just trying to help youâ I was being so stupid."
"W-well, I'm obviously not dead," Grim offered, wheezing, "so it's all good, right?"
"I'm so glad you're okay," Razz whispered, planting kisses between the direbeast's ears, "I really thought I'd lost you."
"Can't get rid of me that easily," Grim bragged, his smile obvious in his tone, "you're gonna be stuck with me for a lot longer than that, human!"
Grim's loud words finally caused Rook to stir, and he lifted his head from Razz's stomach to stretch and peer at the commotion with sleep-addled eyes.
"Bonjour, mon amour," Rook said with a grin, "I am so very glad to see that you are both awake. How do you feel?"
"Just fine, weirdo," Grim offered, looking off-put. Razz and Rook both giggled a bit.
"I'm sore everywhere," Razz admitted, "but I'm alive, which is good. I, uh⌠don't really remember what happened."
"You made some admittedly poor decisions," Rook said gently, "and ended up in quite the precarious situation. But it is resolved, and you are safe."
Razz looked away from Rook and Grim, shame written all over her demeanour.
"Don't do that," Grim demanded, "it makes me feel all bad inside. You're fine and I'm fine, so who cares?!"
"He is right," Rook agreed, "and I trust you will not take such drastic measures again, so there is nothing to discuss, oui?" Razz nodded sheepishly.
The door to the infirmary suddenly burst open, and Aris stood at the precipice, her hair messy and her cheeks flushed like she had been running.
"You," Aris stormed to Razz's bedside, "don't ever do that ever again!" She pressed an accusatory finger to Razz's chest, tears welling up in her eyes at the same time they began to appear in Razz's. Aris collapsed to the bed, pulling Razz into a tight embrace, only slightly crushing Grim in between them.
"I'm sorry," Razz managed, her words muffled by Aris's shirt. "I promise I won't."
"Good," Aris huffed, releasing her roommates and standing with her hands on her hips. "Thank God you're both okay. You had us all worried sick."
From behind Aris, Vil, Leona, Epel, Ace, and Deuce all filtered into the room, each of them holding little giftsâ with the exception of Leona, who struggled to carry piles of sweets and knick knacks in through the door.
"Oh, thanks, hon," Aris called over, "you can just put that on the bedside table over here."
"I'm assuming you've been properly chastised already," Vil said as he approached Razz, placing his gifts on the bedside table as well, "so I will hold off for now." He leaned over and pecked Razz's forehead. "I'm very glad to see my favorite spudling is still with us."
Razz couldn't help a bashful grin at Vil's words as she thanked him for the gifts and the kind words.
"Yeah, who else would be able to keep our vice-housewarden 'n check? Or have me over for dinner on Sundays and give me sweets?" Epel chimed in, smiling innocently when Vil glared down at him.
"That one was supposed to be a secret," Razz whined playfully, giving Vil the same placating smile when his disapproval was turned to her.
"We missed you in class," Deuce offered genuinely.
"Yeah. It was super boring without two-thirds of the Ramshackle crew there," Ace added.
"Thanks, you guys." Razz said, looking over all her friends and feeling affection well up in her chest. "I'm really glad things are back to normal. I'm sorry for scaring everyone."
"Almost normal," Grim interjected, "we don't have Ramshackle for a little bit. We're gonna haf'ta couch surf for a little while." He sighed. "It'll be easy for you n' hench-human-number-two, but I'm gonna have to stay with these two stinky guys," Grim grumped, gesturing to Ace and Deuce.
"You're welcome, by the way!" Deuce huffed.
As the two Heartslabyul students argued with Grim, Razz turned to Rook, who had been peering at her intently for a few moments now. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"This was left for you," Rook said, handing his girlfriend a wax-sealed envelope.
"Really? Who from?" Razz questioned, flipping over the letter to see the Diasomnia house seal stamped to the corner. "Oh. Neat."
Child of Man,
I apologize for not being physically present to greet you, but I am sure there will be many people who want to talk to you when you wake up, so I believe this will be better. I hope you are feeling well. I'm told you will make a full recovery. I'm very glad to hear that.
Many aspects of humanity are vexing to me. While I cannot say I fully understand why you made the choices you did, I hope you know that I value your company and that Diasomnia's doors are always open to you should you need someone to lend you an ear.
I hope for a speedy recovery, child of man. I am sure we will meet again soon, even if it is not outside Ramshackle for a little while.
-M
-P.S.â Lilia would also like to send his regards. So here they are.
"I do not have competition, do I?" Rook said playfully, and Razz giggled, both at Rook's commentary and Malleus's overly formal way of communicating.
"Never," She assured the hunter, giving him a quick kiss. She spoke again, more gently, "Andâ thank you for saving me, Rook."
you kidnap your son after putting a failed hit on him. itâs the first time youâve seen him in years. he immediately says your outfit is ugly and calls you fat.
you are taken as a prisoner of war. you send a coded message to your son and beg him to come rescue you. you wait, deathly ill, telling everybody that you know he will come for you. he shows up, and you immediately call him stupid.
Fellow twst fans, I'd love to accept any commissions from you of any yuu or OC you have! Sketch without color is $15 and sketch with flat color is $30. For a meme redraw specifically please send the meme reference and I would be thrilled to recreate it with your oc. All sketches are half body and I welcome anybody to reach out!
what would the aftermath of the incident with The Pegasus look like for a Romulan Federation officer? or alternatively: Tâmok has a terrible time and is fixed by a Picard speech :-)
rating: g
word count: 1,326
content warnings: none; some angst
"It's a prototype for a Federation cloaking device."
T'mok's head still spun with the situation the Enterprise crew had just found themselves emerging from, Riker and that vile Pressman's words echoing in his ears. Deep lines creased his face as he frowned and pressed a few fingers against his lips while he leaned against his hand contemplatively, the familiar sounds of Romulus's nature bringing some measure of order to the chaos and anger that nearly drowned out the rest of his thoughts.
Although he had decided to completely abandon his position within the Romulan Empire and join Starfleet some years ago now, there were times T'mok questioned whether he'd done the right thing or not. Of course, there would hardly be any opportunities to truly change his mindâ if he were to leave the Federation, there would be no place for him within the Empire anymore. The moment he was outside of the protection of the treaty between the Federation and the Romulans, he was sure the Tal Shiar would be on him before he knew what was happening. It was far too late to turn back now.
And despite all of that, the moments where the former Romulan Commander considered the weight of what he'd done as too great or perhaps incorrect were few and far between at this point. The peace and protection the Federation provided for himâ and more importantly, his wifeâ was more often than not consistent and genuine. He missed his people, but he knew he couldn't say the same about the Empire at this point.
T'mok couldn't help but question the integrity of Starfleet, especially in the upper echelons, after everything that happened with the Pegasus. He took some peace in knowing Pressman would face justice; an instinctual part of him simply wished the punishment would be more severe than it surely would be.
More than a single man, thoughâ someone had to approve the experiments with the cloaking device, and more than a few people would have been needed to develop the technology itself. The animosity between the two forces, T'mok understood. There were times he wished he could tear his own former associates to shreds himself during missions, and others where he had to grit his teeth and follow orders despite every fibre of his being screaming for him to do otherwise. But this? A direct violation of a peace treaty with his people because of what? Paranoia? Paranoia was exactly what most people agreed Romulans were most guilty of; it's what drove them to such deception and subterfuge over time.
T'mok snarled and picked up a rock by his foot to hurl into the lake he sat across from. Rising to his feet, he began to pace alongside the lake's edge.
Had it not been for his exceptional hearing, he would have been distracted enough that he missed the hiss of the holodeck doors as someone entered his program. The look the Romulan shot whoever it was that entered must have been murderousâ they paused for a good few moments before continuing forward. When the doors shut behind him and moonlight was cast on his face, T'mok saw that it was Captain Picard who was approaching him.
"Captain," T'mok said as evenly as he could, "were you trying to reach me? I apologize if I missed your hails." Despite his best efforts, his words still came out as distinctly sharp and angry. If Picard noticed, he didn't take it personally.
"No, Lieutenant, you did not miss anything. I just, umâŚ" Picard stepped a bit closer, pursing his lips and looking up to take in the world around him, "wanted to come and check in on you, personally."
"I⌠appreciate the sentiment, Captain." T'mok hesitated, unsure of exactly how to respond. He stopped pacing, at least, standing at attention as Picard stopped by his side, following T'mok's previous gaze out and over the lake.
"I have only seen Romulus one other time," Picard mused after a while, "and it was actually on this very holodeck that time as well." He cast a sidelong glance to T'mok, whose jaw was set tight, a deep frown still on his brow.
"Is that so?" T'mok didn't turn to look at Picard as he responded. "I didn't take you as one who spent his vacation time on holodecks, Captain. Much less on Romulus, of all places."
"Oh, it wasn't a program made for myself, Lieutenant," Picard assured, "I was simply taking a look at a program made for another Romulan who was once on board. He actually very much reminded me of you, Mister Tâmok."
T'mok glanced over to Picard suspiciously. "How so? I hope you're not about to tell me you think all Romulans look alike, Sir."
Picard chuckled. "Certainly not, Lieutenant. I was actually referring to your integrityâ and your willingness to integrate into something unfamiliar and new while holding on to your heritage."
"You've piqued my interest, Captain," T'mok grumbled after a moment, "who was this guest?"
Picard tapped his palm against his fist as they rested behind his back. "His name was Alidar."
T'mok was silent for a long while. Picard could see the way he chewed on the inside of his cheek as he wrestled with his own thoughts. The Captain sighed through his nose.
"Lieutenant T'mok, I wanted to offer you my sincerest apologies for what has happened here tooday."
T'mok shook his head. "You are not one of the people involved, Captain."
"Maybe not, but by wearing this uniform, I do represent Starfleet as a whole, Lieutenant. The creation of the Pegasus and the development of its phase-cloaking technology was a complete failure of the Federation. That kind of secrecy and deceptionâŚ"
"Is more what you'd expect from people like the Romulans?" T'mok finished, turning to fully face his captain, something like hurt written on his face.
"Perhapsâ but I was going to say that it was something we as humans used to be very familiar with, and have tried very hard to leave behind us." Picard turned his shoulders squared to T'mok as well. "Clearly, we are still not perfect."
Restlessly picking and pulling at his uniform, T'mok sighed. "Truly, Captain, I do not hold this situation against you. But I must admit to you⌠I question how deep this corruption runs within Starfleet Command. I cannotâ" he pursed his lips, "I understand I cannot ask you to share sensitive information with me, Captain, butâŚ"
Picard held up a hand as T'mok struggled to find the right words. "As far as I am aware, Lieutenant, Pressman was acting in a very isolated sphere. Please trust me when I say that I would be forthcoming with you if I suspected anything moreâ I have always found Admiral Raner to be excessively paranoid, and I am quite sure she will be investigated and removed from her position as well."
"⌠Thank you, Captain."
It was clear T'mok was still preoccupied within his own mind, but the worry lines in his expression had softened after Picard spoke. Picard reached out and placed a sympathetic hand on T'mok's shoulder.
"I don't expect you to make peace with this immediately, Lieutenant. I understand it may take some time," Picard gripped T'mok's shoulder more tightly, "but for now, I would implore you to stay. You are an essential part of my crew, Lieutenant, and we need youâ not despite your Romulan blood, but because of it."
Picard peered meaningfully at T'mok for a few moments longer before patting his shoulder twice and pulling away. T'mok nodded slowly at his captain, at an angleâ a more traditional show of respect.
As Picard left the holodeck and the chirping sounds of Romulus's nighttime air, T'mok turned back to the moonlit lake before him; the weight of his thoughts felt much lighter. He took in the familiar smell of the water and woods around him, closing his eyes.
posting more tâmok and bea bc I have a few drabbles stacked up for them and I care them so much >:)
rating: t
word count: ~1650
content warnings: drinking, slightly drunk flirting, a teeny bit suggestive if you squint
It was a spirited evening in Ten Forwardâ the first night of the weekend where all of the officers finally had their chance to relax and unwind from the business and chaos of the week. And it had been a chaotic week indeed.
Bea had resigned any hopes of being an officer some time ago, but still enjoyed the luxury of the Galaxy-Class starship regardless. She'd been taken on as an elementary school teacher just this past year and found that this life suited her much better than the previous one had. She was immersed enough in her novel and drink that she didn't noticed when the lounge's volume dropped a touch as the doors of Ten-Forward hissed open and shut for what must have been the hundredth time.
"May I join you?"
The direct address finally snapped Bea back into the real world, and she glanced up to spot the source of most of the ship's buzzing tension and excitement for the past few days. A Romulan Commanderâ an expatriate now, the same one she had met just over a year ago when she was first stationed on the Enterprise as an ensign.
"Oh! Ahâ yes, yes, of course!" Bea stammered after an uncomfortable silence, gesturing towards the chair across from her perhaps too enthusiastically. "Please, have a seat."
T'mok did so, carefully pulling the seat out from the table, studying Bea all the while as he sat with perfect composure at the edge of his chair. Bea swallowed uncomfortablyâ T'mok finally gazed at the rest of the room around him.
"It seems rather busy in here tonight."
Bea blinked at the sudden attempt at small-talk from her new companion; she couldn't help a small smile at the uncharacteristically stunted manner of speech.
"It's a Friday night, Commander," Bea teased, "do Romulans not like to party?"
T'mok scoffed and chuckled. "Oh, we do," he leaned back in his chair a touch, "but it's nothing like this. I'm quite certain it's not something many of you humans would be able to stomach."
"I don't know," Bea shot back with mock-confidence, "I got myself into some pretty crazy situations when I was younger. One of them was on your ship, if you remember."
This time, T'mok barked out a real laughâ a few of the patrons at the tables around the two glanced over with raised eyebrows. "You call that a party? My dear, we were holding you hostage."
"Sure," Bea shrugged, "but you've gotta make the most out of what you've got, right? Ohâ how's Veras doing?"
âVeras?â T'mok's expression sharpened incredulously, "He didn't take kindly to being disciplined after the stunts he pulled while you were aboard. That dyypan veruul betrayed me not long after you left the warbird," he huffed and tapped a finger on the table, "I never trusted him. Good riddance, I say."
Bea wore a small grin at the sudden outburst. "He wasn't my favorite person, I'll admit that. But, uhâŚ" she spoke more tentatively, "did you end up⌠you know?"
"Killing him?" T'mok offered lightly, raising an eyebrow. "You needn't worry about details like that. Besidesâ it's inconsequential now," he waved a hand dismissively, but Bea got the sense it was more for his own sake than hers. She decided to let the subject rest.
"Honey," a voice suddenly called from the bar, "bring your friend over here and get him something to drink!"
â⌠Honey?â T'mok questioned when Bea turned to face the call from Guinan. Bea flushed.
"It's just a nickname from my students," Bea took her turn to brush T'mok off, "don't worry about it. Come on, let's go see if we can't get you something."
T'mok followed closely behind Bea as they approached the bar, taking a seat next to her as she sat across from Guinan. The El-Aurian barkeep studied T'mok with keen interest, the corner of her lips quirking up after a few moments. "So this the fearsome Romulan I keep hearing so much about." She glanced over to Bea. "For such a scary man, you've got some interesting taste in friends."
"I see my reputation precedes me," T'mok grumbled, crossing his arms as he watched Guinan right back. "I'm surprised how similar a Federation vessel is to my own people in some ways."
"The rumor mill stops for no one," Guinan agreed, "although I'm not sure how accurate it's been this time around."
"You're claiming I'm not 'fearsome'?" T'mok said sharply.
"That's not what I said," Guinan assured coolly, "but I've heard more than one claim that you're here as a spy for the Star Empire. And you know what?" Guinan leaned closer to T'mok's face, head propped up on one hand, smirking and narrowing her eyes, âI don't buy it."
T'mok's jaw stuck out a bit as he scowled. "And how, pray tell, are you so confident that I am not?"
Guinan shrugged. "Call it a hunch. I'm sure Honey Bea here can sense it too." T'mok turned to Bea accusitorally. She shrugged and held her hands up in surrender.
"She's just like that, don't let it get to you," Bea tried to comfort her obviously disgruntled companion, patting his sleeve a few times. He glanced down to her smaller hand against his arm, clearing his throat and looking back to Guinan.
"I'm told you serve drinks here," T'mok sneered. Guinan chuckled.
"Maybe so. What're you in the market for? An ale? Kali-fal?â
The Romulan perked up in interest. "You have kali-fal here?"
"Not much," Guinan spoke lowly, reaching below the counter to pull out a half-full, carved-glass bottle of a bright blue liquid. T'mok's eyes widened and he leaned forward.
"Wherever did you get that?"
"It's a personal favorite of mine." Guinan winked, untopping the bottle to pour a bit into a short, square glass. "I stash up on it where I can. It's been a while since I was able to get my hands on more, though, so I hope you're grateful.â
"Certainly," T'mok said, impressed. He glanced over to Bea. "That being said, would you spare a bit more for my friend here?"
"I suppose I can."
Guinan poured a bit of the kali-fal into a shotglass for Bea, sliding it across the bar towards her. The teacher eyed it suspiciously, but quickly shifted to a warm smile when she saw T'mok watching her expectantly. She lifted the glass to her nose.
âWhoaâ!â Bea coughed, twisting her head away from the alien drink as her face instinctively screwed up at the strong scent. "I have never had a smell do that to me before."
"And no other drink will," T'mok hummed, copying Bea and lifting his glass to his nose. He inhaled slowly, deeply, wearing a look of nostalgia, "it seeps in and opens up the sinuses in such a way that's simply impossible to mimick on your replicators."
Cautiously, Bea touched the liquid to her lips, wincing initially at the way it burned on her tongue. T'mok hummed and noddedâ a few moments later, Bea's eyes widened in surprise. "There it is," T'mok grinned, "lovely, isn't it?"
"I don't know if it's physically possible for anything on Earth to taste like that," Bea said in awe, then coughed, "or be that strong.â
T'mok took a long sip of his own kali-fal, humming in pleasure. "I would venture to guess not."
Before long, both Bea and T'mok's glasses were empty, and a more comfortable atmosphere settled between the two of them, and seemingly the rest of Ten-Forward as well. The longer the Romulan lingered in the space, the more accustomed the other patrons seemed to grow to his presence regardless of their suspicions of his intentions. Blood warmed and reservations thinned by the Romulan liquor in his veins, T'mok turned to Bea, whose cheeks were beginning to flush a rosy pink despite the much smaller portion she had.
âIâm curious about something, Bea.â The Romulan shifted in his seat to square his shoulders towards her, resting an elbow against the bar. âDonât you feel even the slightest bit nervous around me? We do share some history,â he pursed his lips, âand Iâm sure it wasnât entirely pleasant for you.â
Beaâs brows furrowed as she sipped her drink and thought for a few moments. âIâm a little nervous around you, sure, but you donât scare me.â
âElaborate,â Tâmok demanded, his words a touch more slurred than usual.
âYouâre an imposing guy,â Bea started, âno oneâs questioning that. But I can tell youâve got a good heart.â She tapped the left side of his chest, paused, then shifted and tapped just under his ribcage instead. âYou donât make me nervous because youâre scary, though. Itâs âcause youâre stupid handsome.â
Tâmok went still. âPardon me?â
âI can tell youâre a good guy,â Bea repeated, the latter half of her observation apparently slipping her mind. She frowned when he continued to peer intensely at her. âWhat? Whatâd I say?â
There were a few long moments of silence between the two of them, Tâmok looking deeply thoughtful as Bea sobered a touch under the pressure and squirmed.
"What would you say to a nightcap?" Tâmok looked over the woman next to him with some mischief in his eyes. "Your captain was kind enough to set me up with some very nice quarters, but I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with this ship as I should be by nowâŚ"
"Oh! You meanâ" Bea paused and touched her fingers to her lips as she held back a hiccup, raising an eyebrow conspiratorially, "You need help finding your way back to your quarters?"
"Precisely," T'mok confirmed with a sharp smile.
"It'd be my pleasure!" Bea agreed readily, chewing the insides of her cheeks and trying hard not to outwardly giggle to herself. "We can head out now if you're done."
star trek would be the ideal fictional universe to get trapped in because you'd explain your situation and they'd be like yeah makes sense. no further questions. fortunately we can use the mysterious warp signature emitting from this system's icy moon to counterface with the solar radiation and slingshot you back home
A Starfleet officer wandering alone where we were investigating... She cannot be as clueless as she seems. What is she UP to?
To send an ensign on a risky mission like that? Surely something else is at play here... There's simply no way Starfleet isn't plotting at a larger scheme here... of course we captured her! It's their own fault for not being more careful.
(Where to go from here⌠she obviously doesn't know anything [of use / at all] <some word starting with h?>") (not sure about this)
LMAO you got it!! Past there itâs honestly just random scribbles lol. Allow me to paste their first interaction as a reward for all your hard work đââď¸
â
First Contact
A young Starfleet recruit in a dirtied yellow uniform shivered as she sat herself as tightly as she could into the corner of the Romulan holding cell. When Bea had decided to enlist, she hardly imagined she would end up hereâ she had been promoted to a provisional ensign and had enjoyed exactly three hours of routine bridge work and was even allowed to join an away team before getting separated from her group and taken hostage by arguably one of the worst alien races to possibly be abducted by: the Romulans. There should have been no way for them to be hereâ the planet was Federation and nowhere near the Neutral Zoneâ but it would be silly to assume they always respected those rules. She supposed she was just grateful it wasn't the Cardassians. Bea had an particular interest in learning the history and cultures of any and all alien races she could, which wasn't helping the way her heart raced in fear in this particular instance. She briefly recalled the late Tasha Yarâ the second one they found after her death, and her subsequent daughter Selaâ before she forced herself to stop thinking about it.
The way the doors hissed open to the wardbird's holding cell nearly reminded Bea of being back on the Enterprise; the stark, square angles of the silhouette that blocked out the brighter light from the hallway snapped her back to the reality of her situation instantly. With her head tucked into her arms, she was sure the new figure in the room couldn't have seen her faceâ she decided she would fake sleep. No other brilliant plans were coming to mind at the moment.
"Get up," the voice from the doorway demanded. She did not move.
"I said, get up." The voice stated more harshly, and Bea heard his footsteps growing closer and closer to her safe little corner. A harsh grip on her shoulder where it attached to her neck pulled her from her huddled position, and she winced at the way it pinched her nerves. She considered for a moment pretending it had knocked her outâ she decided against it. Her attempt at faking sleep earlier hadn't worked, so that likely wouldn't have either.
Bea limped forward through the alien passage, keenly aware of the disruptor pressed into her lower back as the Romulan officer urged her forward. She glanced around, trying to remember everything she was taught in her basic trainingâ escape routes, hiding places to remember for laterâ she was sure she wouldn't remember them later, but at the very least going through the motions brought her some comfort.
She really wasn't cut out for this.
"Sublieutentant Veras, report to the bridge immediately."
"Sub-Commander, I have a prisoner with me. Can it wait?"
"That's an order, Veras. Now."
The Romulanâ Veras, apparentlyâ growled and grabbed Bea by her shoulders suddenly. She yelped as she was pushed past a set of doors into what looked like a supply closet, wide-eyed and stock-still as Veras twisted her around to face him, leaning in and hissing inches from her face.
"Stay in here, Federation scum, and wait nice and patiently until I get back." Veras pushed the disruptor meaningfully into Bea's abdomen. "Or else." The ensign nodded rapidly.
She was alone in the closet, forced now to grapple with her situation. The adrenaline from her interaction with the sublieutenant kept her from trying to get any rest or sleep despite the exhaustion that had seeped into her bones from the stress of the past few days.
Would Starfleet really wait or spend time looking from a lowly enlisted ensign? Bea certainly hoped they would, but she wasn't sure what exactly the protocol was in situations like this. The training she had on getting lost was much the same as what a mother would teach her childrenâ stay where you are and wait for someone to find you. But what about the protocol for being captured by one of the quadrant's military superpowers and held as a hostage? The Romulans seemed to think Starfleet cared enough about its officers; if they didn't, she wouldn't be here, allowed to live and breathe. She'd likely be back on that planet, her body covered in some substantial disruptor burns waiting to be recovered.
The'd come back for her, she decided. They had toâ the Federation's care for its citizens was the reason she had decided to enlist in the first place. She was sure they would come for her. But she had to try to help herself as well.
Taking a deep breath, Bea inched towards the door of the supply closet, looking for some kind of security or locking panel nearby. To her surprise, the door hissed open when she got close to itâ no locks or security measures at all. She frowned a bitâ that Veras must have had a very low opinion of her indeed.
Peeking around the corners of the doorway, Bea was shocked once again to find no guards posted at any locations she could see. She knew she had passed a shuttle bay, or whatever the Romulans called their version of one, earlierâ she could make a run for it if the path was as clear as it looked.
Tapping the side of her neck under her ear like Counsellor Troi had taught her and attempting to steel her resolve, Bea began sprinting towards her goal. Her heart raced faster and faster, hardly any of it from the physical exertion. She turned the corner she thought she had rememberedâ and ended up in a completely unfamiliar hallway which split off into two more at its end. She groaned in frustration and panic, gripping her hair before turning on her heel and trying the next one.
It was two more hallways and about 100 meters of back-tracking and re-tracking later that she finally found what she was looking for. The entrance to the shuttle bay was also unguardedâ there was no point in turning back now. Bea rushed towards the shuttle bay; the doors opened with her proximity much like the others had, and she had made it just a few paces into the room before her arms were snatched up from either side, cacophonous and mocking laughter filling her ears. Her stomach dropped and she felt as though she would be sick.
"Veras was right," a woman spoke from her left, "personally, I thought a Starfleet officer would have a bit more sense in her head."
From her right, the other officer addressed Bea. "Do you truly think us foolish enough to leave escape routes so unguarded, or are you just dull enough to think you could get so lucky?"
Humiliation and fear brought nothing but tears to Bea's eyes as her head drooped and she slumped into the guards' grips. She heard a scoff.
"Pathetic."
This time, Bea was returned to her holding cell while she waited for the Sublieutenant to return. She had stopped crying maybe five minutes after being dumped back into the sparse space, but her puffy eyes and rosy cheeks gave away all they needed to by the time Veras entered once more.
"Shameful," he stated with an even tone, "such a blatant and sloppy escape attempt is unbefitting of someone who wears such a uniform. I was told your kind could be recognized by their self-righteousness and lofty egos," as he spoke, he lifted Bea by the collar of her uniform this time, "I don't recall anyone mentioning such naivete." Veras kept a hand on Bea's arm as he led her out of the cell this time. "Although maybe that part is just you."
Eventually, the two reached a turbolift and Veras ordered it to take them to the bridge. The sublieutenant turned squarely to face Bea before he spoke.
"If you make even the slightest sound, or attempt to communicate in any sort of way when we arrive, I will execute you immediately. Do you understand?"
Bea looked panicked and unsure of how to respond. Veras rolled his eyes.
"You can speak now."
"Yes," Bea blurted, "yes, I understand."
"Good." The Romulan sighed and muttered something under his breath that Bea couldn't hear.
The turbolift doors opened and revealed the front viewing panel to be filled by the formidable presences of both Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander Will Riker. Out of instinct, she smiled and parted her lips to greet them; she gulped and pursed her mouth back shut when Veras jerked her with one hand and pressed a disruptor to her side with the other.
"Ah, here they are now," the Romulan in the Commander's seat said smoothly as she turned to look at Bea and Veras, "as you can see, she has not been harmed."'
"I don't buy it," Commander Riker scoffed, "if that were true, why does her uniform look like that?"
"I'm sure your away team can confirm that the planet we found her on was no paradise," the female Romulan explained, "and it seemed to us as though she had been lost for quite some time before she ran into us."
"That planet was strictly in Federation territory, Sub-Commander," Picard said sharply, "what business did any of your officers have being there?"
"We were on a diplomatic mission," the Sub-Commander replied easily, "it's a simple matter of speaking to one of your admirals to confirm such."
"Trust me, I plan to. And I expect her to be returned to us without delay, Tel."
"I wish it were that simple, Captain, I really do," Tel lamented dramatically, "but the guard I have posted with her isn't merely for show. You see, despite her being a guest in our ship, your ensign has decided to repay our generosity by snooping around for Romulan intelligence and attempting to steal one of our shuttles. She was our guest, but I'm afraid we have grounds to keep her as a prisoner now."
"Steal a shuttle?" Riker turned to Picard in exasperation, "Captain, I believe it's much more likely that she was trying to escape!" Picard held a hand up; Riker sighed through his nose, straightening his posture and smoothing out his uniform.
"I'm inclined to agree with you, Commander, but Sub-Commander Tel has provided us with⌠evidence of her claims." Picard tugged on the front of his uniform and fixed his gaze resolutely on the Sub-Commander. "Soâ what would you have us do to correct the situation, Tel?"
"It's not my jurisdiction," Tel shook her head, "I will have to speak with my Commander about it and decide if there is some sort of compromise we can reach. The demands of justice cannot simply be ignored."
"Of course," Picard said flatly, his expression stony. "We will open communications with you again in one hour." He turned his attention behind Tel, and his gaze softened. "Ensign, we will get you home. I would ask for your patience and cooperation, for your own sake."
Bea felt her heart squeeze at the Captain's reassurance, and she risked a small nod. Veras made a small noise of disapproval, but otherwise remained motionless.
"I'm afraid that's not entirely under your control anymore, Captain." Tel turned and nodded to her communications officer, and the transmission ended. She turned around to face Veras. "Sublieutenant, return her to her quartersâ and play nice. Do not kill her."
"What if she escapes again, Sub-Commander?"
"Must I hold your hand through everything, Veras?" Tel snarled, "I don't care how you do it, just keep her contained and don't do anything that would provoke the Enterprise in the case that she is returned. If you must discourage her somehow, get creative." Tel turned her cold gaze to Bea, and a small, mean smile crossed her lips. "If I had to guess, I doubt she'll give you much trouble."
Bea attempted to escape three more times before the hour that Picard promised was up. It's not that she was trying to anger the Romulans; that wasn't in her nature. It was rather the result of one particularly bored Romulan guard and Bea's trusting nature and insistence on seeing the good in everyone she ran into. Yes, even if those people were actively holding her hostage and playing cruel games with her.
Each time the guard pretended to take pity on her sad state and unlock the cell for her, a separate guard would find her and haul her back to her quarters. She supposed she should have questioned why the guard posted to her door wasn't getting in trouble for allowing a prisoner to escape, but it wasn't until the third and last time he unlocked her door that she realized what was happeningâ and it was only because he and the Romulan taking her back had burst into laughter when they spotted each other and Bea's frustrated expression.
"Centurion Melar," a deep, cutting voice suddenly interrupted the derision from the door guard's communicator, "report to my office and bring the Starfleet officer with you immediately." Melar looked to the other guard nervously; moments later, the same voice came from his communicator. "Centurion Cemut, return to your station. Now." The voice growled and went silent just as suddenly as it appeared.
Bea didn't make a peep as she could practically feel Melar's angry gaze burning in the back of her head. They retraced the same path she had taken with Veras earlier, making their way to the bridge and passing all of the high ranking officers to reach a door she didn't recognize. Melar pressed a button and waited a few moments before the same voice from the communicator replied.
"Enter."
The way the room Bea entered was set up told her right away who the person sitting behind the desk wasâ the Captain; or rather, the Commander of this warbird. He glanced up to Melar with a leveling stare, waiting until the Centurion began to squirm before speaking. "Leave us."
Melar obeyed immediately, scurrying out of the office. After the doors slid shut behind him, only the thrum of the warbird's quantum-singularity core left to fill the air.
"Have a seat," the Romulan Commander finally invited, gesturing to a single seat across from his desk. Bea wasted no time, nearly tripping herself as she rounded the chair and all but fell into it. The Commander hardly looked impressed.
"I watched you attempt escape a total of four times, ensign." The Romulan turned to face Bea more fully, his stern tone making her start to sweat. "You had to have known it was futile after the second attempt, or at least the third. What game is it you are playing at?"
Fidgeting with her hands in her lap, Bea stared at the Commander for a few moments, trying to recall if it was Romulan custom to be explicitly told to speak to superior officers or something the like. The man across from her raised an eyebrow at her antics. "You may speak freely."
"Your guards were messing with me, sir," Bea admitted, "I started to suspect something after the third time, you're right, but I wasn't sure. I haven'tâ well, you see I'm notâ really good at all this."
The Commander barked out a sudden laugh, and Bea flinched. "What, being a hostage?" he chuckled again, "Most aren't."
"Well, I more so meant being in Starfleet." Bea admitted, shame creeping into her voice. "I hardly remember protocol, I don't handle this kind of stress well, and everyone tells me I'mâ" she stopped suddenly, muttering quietly, "Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like you really care about any of this."
The Romulan at the desk looked somewhat shocked; likely at his prisoner's willingness to share what seemed like literally anything with him with nearly no pressure, let alone interrogation or torture. He blinked.
"What is your name, human?"
Bea looked equally shocked, but it didn't take her nearly as long to respond. "Bea. I meanâ" she stuttered and blushed at her own informality, "Ensign Bell. â Sir."
The Commander straightened in his seat. "Good. I am Commander T'mok. As I'm sure you've deduced by now, I command this ship."
"Yes, sir," Bea readily replied.
"I admit that I don't fully believe your story about your reasoning behind your escape attempts, Ensign. Please, indulge my curiosityâ what were you really thinking?"
Shifting uneasily once again, Bea avoided eye contact with T'mok as he watched her expectantly, hands folded on his desk. "The guard, you called him Melar," Bea started, "he said he wanted to help me escape. I believed him the first time, just naturally." She glanced up to T'mok. "That's why people call me naive, I guess. But every time after that, I knew he wasn't really being honest. But I wanted to believe him. Maybe if I showed him I trusted him, he'd actually start to feel differently. I don't know."
T'mok sat in silence for a good few minutes, and it was clear he was in disbelief at the story he'd heard and processing Bea's words.
"He is Romulan. You know that, right?"
"Yes," Bea argued, "but that doesn't mean I should just assume I can't trust him. Everyone else might say so, but I refuse to believe that."
In the silence that followed, something in the way the Commander and the Ensign looked at each other shifted. T'mok raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, taking in all of the woman in front of him for the first time since they'd metâ Bea studied T'mok's face more carefully and felt her cheeks warm a touch as she noticed he was quite a bit more handsome than she initially realized.
"You really aren't cut out for this." T'mok said flatly, and Bea's face fully flushed.
"I know."
Despite Tel's heartened protests, T'mok spoke to Picard and arranged Bea's return to the Enterprise without any further delay. He had guided the Ensign from his office with a hand between her shoulders rather than with a disrupter jammed into her side, and she easily cooperated with the Commander. At the time, Picard had actually commented on it.
"You seem to be in much better spirits, Ensign. Have they been treating you well?"
T'mok initially watched Bea expectantly, but turned his attention to Melar and Veras before she responded. They both shrunk under the stare.
"Yes, Captain," Bea reassured Picard, "They haven't hurt me. I feel fine." She glanced over to Tel and withered a bit at her mean expression. "Just, um⌠feeling a bit homesick."
When Doctor Crusher examined Bea later that evening, Bea assured her that whatever injuries she had came before the Romulans found her. She admitted to the Captain that she had attempted to steal a shuttle like the Sub-Commander had said, but didn't respond when he asked if it had been because she was trying to escape. Picard eventually huffed at her strange responses.
"Ensign Bell, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to protect the Romulans." He glanced down to the marks on her wrists where handcuffs had dug into them. She tugged her sleeves down. "Why?"
"I haven't lied, sir." She said confidentlyâ and she hadn't; Romulans had a nasty habit of telling half-truths and dramatizing when the situation allowed it, so everything they told Picard had been technically true, save for the stealing-intel bit. "I really wasn't treated all that poorly when I was over there. And their Captain; er, Commander, was really reasonable and nice. CaptainâŚ" Bea leaned in seriously, "I've read up on Romulans extensively and I know what could have happened to me. I'm really okay."
Picard sighed and leaned back in his seat, a cup of early grey warming his palms as he watched his Ensign. "You are exceptionally kind and forgiving, Ensign. We could use a few more officers like youâ although I'm grateful it was Commander T'mok who found you instead of⌠well, perhaps quite literally anyone else."
"You flatter me, Captain," Bea said with a warm smile. "And I'm sorry, but I think I quit."
As Bea filled out her resignation papers in her quarters, her mind wandered once again to the Romulan Commander she'd encountered that day. She thought about the authority he carried so naturally, and his hands folded on that desk⌠she shook her head, rubbed her tired eyes, and decided she would get to bed early that night.
Neither the Ensign or the Commander realized that they were both thinking of each other at the same time that night. Bea slept for 13 hours, and T'mok slept for his usual disciplined 6.
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