Pro: I bet you're an absolute ANIMAL in bed and mmmmf mmmf mmmmmf. J'adore! Con: Y'ain't speakin' to me much since the whole thing with the gun. Awkward much?
"You shot me but that’s not what is making me keep distance. I saw through the veil around you and I tried to offer a hand to help pull you out of that void. The abyss is taking you down inside of it and I can’t get sucked into it too. I do forgive you for shooting me, but I can’t be close to you anymore. I told you then that you were being consumed by goals that I just don’t stand with."
Nikhita's heart was pounding. Her secret was known. Oh god, she was terrified. The inmates knew what she wrote on the nights where she felt unsatisfied and bored. It had started simple. It was just with Carter. In fact, Carter had the most fics at first. But then she began to see others too. Soon she felt curious wonders with Zhora and Sabine. Then it began to expand upon that. She had written them with the intention of her eyes only, making new ones to explore her fantasies.
And Davis Dusk found them and showed the other inmates. It was a miracle Zhora had been the only person to find out. But she needed to get out of here. She left the closet, a trembling hand trying to adjust her hair back into place. She just needed to calm down and relax...
Those stories were absolutely ridiculous. She'd needed a good laugh and every last one of those stories managed to tickle her funny bone. The Jokerz applauded and laughed their asses off, particularly over Rewire's bratty behavior and the particularly enthusiastic display Sabine gave everyone, complete with a pedestal hump. They had to find more.
But the end wasn't funny. None of the Jokerz really found it funny, considering one of their own (sort of; the boy was an ex-Joker) freaked the fuck out and ran out of the chapel. Eventually, it dawned on Sabine that Rebel One hadn't gone to the ladies room. Either she was clogged up and straining over one of the bowls, or she'd figured out who the writer was, too, and decided to confront her.
Nikhita Lahiri: ambitious little intern extraordinaire. She wrote this. "Boo!" Sabine called out, touching Nikhita's back with a finger when she left a supply closet.
Nikhita always got jumpy when she was nervous. After being discovered, she was trembling like a wet cat. The sooner the intern would get out of here, the better. No one needed to see her and wonder what was going on. She wasn't even sure if she could keep a straight face among Bennett.
Nikhita yelped and spun around, undoing a lot of the work she had been trying to fix. "S-sabine!" she squeaked.
"In ze flesh!" Sabine responded, grinning before giving Nikhita a shove back into the closet. "I think you an' I need to have a little talk abou' a little somethin' ya left in the library."
"Oh I bet ya didn't," she huffed, breasts shoving into Nikhita's face from that weird angle. "An' I have some words for some of the stuff you wrote." She wasn't going to attack her, but she damn well wanted to give her a scare, just to see if she could. The freckled pharmacologist shut the door and locked it so no one else could come in. "You gonna listen?"
Nikhita trembled. Oh god, what was going to happen. "I didn't mean to offend you. I swear." None of it was supposed to be offensive. She felt Sabine's breasts being shoved into her face, trembling all the while. Was Sabine going to do something to her? No..no she couldn't. That didn't seem like her. Dr. Thibodeaux hadn't attacked her yet. Yet she felt a new wave of terror hit her when the closet was locked. "Y-yes but--"
"Oh, you offended me BAD, girl," Sabine growled, hazel eyes sharp as knives as she stared down her hostage. "You think it's a joke to butcher the French language as badly as you did? You can't even fucking conjugate." Wait. THAT was what this was about? "Oh, and don't even get me started on how bad you botched the mechanics of lesbian sex. Like...damn. Y'ain't never done it and it's obvious. Like painfully so."
Nikhita stared at Sabine, ready for the terror to begin. She was ready to hear how she had ruined Sabine's character and how she was offended to even read that. But that wasn't it. "I--what?" she whispered. She was angry about the french language? She had just used a search engine translator for the french parts. "I don't know French" she whispered. "And...and you know I don't know how to do that."
"Yeeeeeah. THAT much is fuckin' obvious to me," Sabine grunted, raising her hands up in an 'I give up' motion. "Everyone else was laughing their asses off. I cringed on that one. It was just so bad. I almost wanna show you how it really works, but I have a feeling you're too strung out and freaked right now to think about that...kinda like how the Wilson boy freaked..."
"Y-you what?!" Nikhita squeaked, trying to stand up and look at Sabine. She was going to what?! "Y-you want to do that?" No. No no, that couldn't be what she meant. She had to be talking about French. However that last part caught her attention. "Carter? Carter read--" Oh god. "What happened?"
Why couldn't the lighting be better in this damn room? With all the dim lights and the muted colors, Sabine's head felt like it was gonna split wide open. Was Nikhita even blushing? Damn fluorescent made it impossible to tell. "Sure do," she insisted, "but that ain't what's got me curious now. This is more than just you freakin' out that we found your porn, ain't it?"
"Sabine I..." She was with Frank. she had already cheated on Carter who swore to keep their secret. She trembled, standing up, feeling Sabine's body close against her. "Please...please you can't tell anyone. You promised not to tell anyone about me and Carter already." She hoped Sabine would do the same.
Taking a few steps forward would back the intern into the corner and scare her even more. Sabine knew damn well what she was doing. She put her hands on Nikhita's shoulders, squeezing tight to hold her in place, and looked down at her. "I'm the least of your worries," she told her firmly. "I know I promised not to tell anyone about you two. And I've kept mum. But..."
She cleared her throat. It sounded terrible. "It ain't me you should be freakin' out over. Poor little Carter flipped his shit out there. I think he's gonna crack and I think if ANYONE goes into his cell right now, he's gonna blab to the first person he sees. He's in hysterics."
She trembled as Sabine touched her. Nikhita wasn't sure what would happen now. This had been a scenario she never anticipated and yet here she was. She was shoved into a supply closet with probably the hottest (oh god did she actually think that) lesbian in all of Arkham.
"Carter won't blab" she whispered. "We promised and everything. He knows what would happen if he would." It would ruin both of their futures. Everyone would know Carter was in Arkham and his closely hid secret would be outed. Nikhita would go to jail and her future would be no more. They both risked to lose a lot in this.
Nikhita moved like a scared little animal. Sabine noticed. She could rip this girl apart with her bare hands, even if she didn't look anywhere near as buff as, say, Riley. That splicer had so much muscle on her that Sabine had lustful thoughts every time she looked at her.
Shoving the intern into a supply closet, getting this close, talking about her and her exploits...? It sounded like the lead-up to another one of those silly stories, Sabine realized. Fancy that.
"Carter wouldn't blab if he was calm," she whispered back, "but he ain't. Fuck promises. He's falling apart at the seams. He'll do something rash and stupid and you want my advice?" She poked Nikhita's chest, right below her collarbone. "You gotta take care of this and nip it in the bud."
Nikhita shivered, trembling. If he ran from reading that, Sabine was right. Carter might blab. She had seen him get nervous a lot of times already but this might send him over the edge. But the way Sabine phrased it.
The intern swallowed, trembling under Sabine's touch. "What do you mean by nip in the bud?" She seriously wasn't about to suggest something that Nikhita would flat out say no to, was she? She crossed a few lines but that was too extreme!
Sabine's expression went from serious to severe. "Did I ever tell you how I got my start, Nikhita? Or why my voice is so fucked up? My company, Mnemno Inc., was trying to get FDA approval for an anti-trauma drug of mine, but we needed to do more testing.
"They flew me out to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and I was told not to ask where my volunteers came from. My agency would handle it. I couldn't help but notice they were almost all teenage girls...and they all came to those appointments like clockwork. They weren't scared of me. They were more scared because shit was being done to them elsewhere.
"Some people regret sex, is what I'm saying. Sometimes they'll say yes to you so as not to hurt your feelings or because they're scared of what you'll do if they say no. Sometimes they'll act without thinking and regret it later. When that happens, it leaves a wound inside. That wound festers and clouds everything."
Her fingers moved to stroke Nikhita's cheek in a tender way. "You're a talented young lady. You shouldn't quit your day job to pursue a career in writing erotica, but Miss Nikhita darlin'? You have so much to offer. It would be a shame if a case of some insecure boy's mornin' after jitters ruined your future. Tell me you want my advice and I'll tell you what to do."
She had read some of Sabine's file but this was new. She never heard from the horse's mouth. She knew Lethilum wasn't supposed to be the popular Lotus Eating rage that it was now. It had good means once upon a time.
"That's horrible" Nikhita whispered. But Carter hadn't regretted it had he? He still saw her. No...no that wasn't right. It was Terminal who still saw her. It was Terminal who she had the intimate relationship with. Carter avoided her like the plague. Anytime she wanted to say a hello, he rushed in the other direction. He was...
"He's scared of me" she whispered, a horrible realization coming to light. "I--I didn't mean to hurt him. I thought we both felt like that. Terminal had been so...I thought--" She felt the fingers stroke her cheek as she looked at Sabine.
"What are you suggesting I do?"
She omitted the part about how those girls were all victims of sex trafficking, or how she still kept in contact and checked in on some of the ones she was able to rescue. She also omitted the part about the one she became the closest to, all in part because Chanthavy suffered so much and never wanted to see her again...and Sabine was going to suggest doing what she'd done to that girl.
"He sees you and he goes in the opposite direction. You say hi, and he ducks out. He's afraid and you told him to keep his mouth shut. I bet you anything he's been sitting on this ever since you two fooled around. But it's okay, darlin'. You didn't know. So what do you do? Hm? I'll tell you."
She leaned in close enough for Nikhita to smell the spiced apple rings she'd eaten at dinner on her breath. "You do what I did for all those girls, hon. You make him forget...and my friends outside can give you what you need to make that happen."
She could smell the apples whafting from Sabine's mouth. Nikhita could feel Sabine press her body against her. The trembling was still there, but the nerves were redirected.
But she had never planned on this. She thought Carter had wanted this. She had no idea that this was something he hated. She had prayed he wouldn't say anything but now it looked like he would. Oh god...oh god...
"You're asking me to dope Carter up on Lethilium..." she gasped. "I don't want him to be braindead. And how would I bring in something you know is illegal in here? I-I can't do that."
"I'm proof that folks don't go braindead," Sabine huffed. "I ODed and it didn't kill me. I'm almost back to normal, but I can't remember the part where I got hit with the stuff. Lacunar amnesia's a bitch--but it could be your friend and only hope if you want him to shut the fuck up."
She wasn't going to sugarcoat it. He WOULD tell. She could see it all over his face. "If Mercer or Dusk or someone like that goes into that cell to check on him...it's over and you know it. You'll be registered as a sex offender, go to prison, and your dreams will be kaput. You made a mess. This will clean it up. And if you don't like my suggestion, fine. Let's see you do one better."
"I--" She had to think of something. She was stammering trying to think. Could there be anyway to avoid this? Yes it would save her and Carter, but this was different from keeping a secret. This was forcing partial amnesia on someone. She was terrified. There had to be something.
But as Sabine was pressed against her and no matter how much time passed, nothing came to mind. Carter could blab. No...no Carter would blab. It was just a matter of time. And this was to save both of their futures. He was in a bad spot and he could make a terrible decision. Nikhita looked at Sabine with sad eyes and whispered a few words.
"What do I do?"
Sabine stuffed a piece of paper in Nikhita's pocket and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You go to the address on that sheet of paper and ask for Martha. Tell her you forgot to pick up a bouquet for Perry D. Slocum and pay her in greenbacks. Not creds. She'll give you an inhaler and tell you how to wipe a memory. If you can't bring yourself to do it yourself, we'll talk and I'll see if I can get one or two of my little friends to help you."
Ghoul probably would.
What was she doing? Oh god this went above and beyond writing porn and getting caught. Now she was desperatly trying to hide this truth from every and forcing it to happen. But she nodded. She got all the information. "How much is this going to cost?" she whispered.
She felt the shoulder squeeze and Nikhita's hand drifted to Sabine's other hand, holding it. She felt so scared. "I can't do it. Please I can't. I'll tell you or a friend what to forget but they have to promise not to say this to anyone. Please Sabine. Please."
"It's an inexpensive chemical to make, so I don't have to charge much for it." She wanted it to be sold in mass quantities so she could have a solidly large clientele. "However, you'll want the heavy duty stuff. That costs a bit more, about $200. And I can't do this next part for you. I'd be serving way more time if I'm caught with lethilium...but I know someone who knows what to do. Don't you worry about a thing, baby girl. I got you."
Nikhita's eyes water and she continued to tremble. But she was scooting closer to Sabine. "Thank you" she whispered. The problem was on high alert but she needed to solve it. She would have to call her boyfriend and say she was running late. She just needed an errand. "And what about me and the fics? Are you going to say anything?" She wanted all these problems resolved. "And who's going to do this? I don't want more blackmail or problems..."
"I kept mum about the other stuff, didn't I?" Sabine pointed out, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll talk to Ghoul and see if I can get him to gas your boy. He owes me a favor, anyway." Rather, he would soon. Her boy created a situation outside that was going to cause such a mess that Ghoul's boy would come crawling right back to him, begging for his help. She knew it and she couldn't wait to see that. "And he won't talk. But can I ask you to do a little something? It's about your stories."
Aside from the obvious thing (research), there was one thing. "Patrick wants a story. That and I want you to write a piece about Dusk and Watt...create some tension between those two. They're getting too close."
Ghoul would do it and he'd keep quiet. She could be okay with that. She wanted to know how it happened and when. She didn't want to make things difficult or make the lithlium's job pointless in this instance. She continued to hold Sabine's hand, getting even closer. She could feel herself pressing against her. Now Sabine could smell the perfume Nikhita used around Arkham.
She expected the worse but she was amazed to hear her requests. Rewire and the recent Willie Watt. She could do that. But..."Patrick? As in Ratboy?" She grimaced. "But he's not pretty. I...it doesn't work like that when I write Sabine."
"And Willie is?" Sabine asked, tilting her head. "Or Shriek, for that matter? Honey, just throw the boy and his crispy critter a pity fic. I'm not asking you to fuck him for real." But he looked disappointed when there didn't appear to be a story about him. "If you can't, you can't. No big deal. I'm just askin' because I ain't got no control over what he does or says...an' I know he'd shut up if he got one."
"I know but..." Nikhita whispered. "They have charms to them." Willie had a stellar body. Shriek was brilliant and clever. Even with Ghoul's hidieous form, he had a brilliant mind that intrigued Nikhita. "I'll...I'll do one I suppose" she whispered. "I can also try and--" She gulped, clearly nervous. "Do better french and lesbian sex in yours?" Nikhita's face was red, coming down from some of her nerves, but also fully aware she just told Sabine she had a Thiobodeuax itch she needed to take care of when she got to her computer.
That merited a snort. Sabine playfully patted the intern's head and unlocked the door. "You're one warped pup, Nikhita," she muttered under her breath. "And I'm not kidding. Ask for Martha and she'll take care of you. Once it's in the building, I'll take care of you. Just chill, take it easy tonight, and relax."
"When I take care of this and when I know Carter won't say anything, I'll relax" Nikhita whispered. The door was unlocked but she wasn't moving still. She held onto Sabine's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She'd talk to Martha tonight. She'd probably park it one level above and wear something so she wouldn't be spoted. Maybe she'd disguise herself so no one would finger in on that level. She did have a Halloween costume in her trunk for a party Frank was dragging her to. "Sabine, thank you."
What happened next surprised the intern. Nikhita slowly pulled Sabine into a hug. She rested her head into her shoulder, holding her close. Both Zhora and Sabine were helping her through this and now, maybe she could rest easy when Carter wouldn't say anything
The hug threw her off because she wasn't expecting it. Sabine stood there, stunned, and let Nikhita hold onto her for a while. No one was passing by. No one would see. "Thank me when it's done," she told her, pulling away. "And brush up on your French."
💍 An' let's be real. It ain't something they'd never do.
The night had been a blur and the moment sun hit her face, Riley groaned only to turn and snuggle into warm skin. However upon the contact, she woke only to find herself against Sabine's back. She pulled back only to feel confused until she noted the ring on her finger and connected some dots. "The hell did we do last night?" she grumbled only to rub at her head.
Time had been against Riley ever since the warning at her garage was sent. She had made a Croc Gang member bleed terribly and had them back off but at a price. Her boss had given her time off as she requested and had come to make the decision to move all work off site to other locations with business partners. It left the garage closed as safe from serious losses from the gang if they retaliated. It also left Riley moving off and figuring out a plan of sorts against the crew as a whole.
The woman had dropped her bike off at a friend's place without being trailed and had also cleaned out what she needed from her small apartment. Unfortunately, she ended up in a bloodbath and battle as she left her apartment building with two Alligator splicers. It left her bloody in a lower leg but she had left one for dead and the other tapped up and restrained for anyone to find on the street. He would be unable to free his elongated mouth from the amount of duct tape around it. It seemed Riley wasn't afraid of being attacked, she merely fought back.
It had been over an hour since the fight and she had made her way to the docks from a taxi. Her eyes looked over the pier numbers before located the proper one. As much as her right leg hurt, she knew she'd be better off to work on cleaning it in safe territory. She hopped aboard Sabine's floating abode and slipped inside after a few hardy knocks. Her eyes adjusted to the decor and she moved in a few more steps to place her bags down. "Oi, Sabine? You around?"
The pain was immense to her and she fumbled to fall into the nearest seat before reaching down to clasp at the injured limb. Riley was aware of how lucky she had been not to be subjected to a death roll but she swore up a storm as she waited for any sounds of the owner of the boat. "I swear if they keep jumpin' me, I'll skin em all down for size." she hissed only to let out another soft sound that was catlike in nature.
