"Well, it's nice to meet you, uh. Paladin," Lynx snorted lamely, rolling her eyes and starting down the concrete ramp once again, anxiety flaring in her chest, making her lungs squeeze just a bit too tight.
"Please," The brunette man behind her chuckled. "When it's just us like this, Vilhelm is fine. Paladin is the name on my case file. A mercenary from Starria, was it?"
"Yes sir," Aerendyl affirmed. "Nice to have my two students meet."
When she reached solid ground, Lynx turned, tail flicking about, and stared the soldier down, thinking. Stubble lined his jaw, and his hair was starting to grow out- messy, not long enough to fall in his eyes. No scars- his skin was soft. Huh.
He's kinda hot.
Lynx shook her head and extended a hand, which Vilhelm shook, raising an eyebrow. "It's nice to meet you. Really."
"Back at you. Aerendyl's spun me quite the story of you, Lynx," Vilhelm muttered, brushing past her and taking the lead. Lifting his weapon and flicking a flashlight attached on, he pushed past the door that Lynx had nearly blown off its hinges, sweeping from left, where the tunnel opened, to right, before stepping in properly. "Excited to be getting your first real taste of the field?"
"Well, yes-" Lynx nodded, swallowing, and fell into step behind him, with Aerendyl taking up the rear. "What kind of story did Aerendyl spin, though?"
"Said you'd be as good as me as soon as you got the proper qualifications, and got a handle on your impulsiveness."
"Tch…" Lynx huffed, glaring back at the angel, who smiled, shifty as ever. "Bringing your prodigies along just so you don't have to break a sweat, you're despicable…"
"Again, I don't know how to fight gently- if I don't use magic at all, even a normal demon could hurt me, if it got the drop on me." Aerendyl grinned lightly as they continued on, eyes lazy, calm. "I don't want to create a sinkhole that pulls in some mall and owe millions in property damage. Leave it to guns and claws- I'll brawl with you if I need to. Good old fashioned bare-knuckle boxing." Grinning, he bent his knees, assuming boxer stance, and threw a few loose punches at the air over Lynx's head.
Lynx couldn't help a laugh, and so they continued on in peace, for now. Deeper, into the tunnels, Vilhelm leading them on, turn after turn, bend after bend.
The cat-cop sucked in a breath. Hesitated. Let it out. Sucked in again.
"What is it?" Vilhelm asked curtly, quietly.
"How do you know where we're going?" She could, after all, see in the dark, but even so, she only saw blank, repetitive tunnels in every direction.
"I studied a schematic of the sewers on my way over. It follows a pretty simple layout unless you go down to the old city."
"The old city?" Lynx latched on, eyes widening. "What does that mean?"
"Long, long time ago. A lot of the ichorum heating is down there," Vilhelm explained. His voice was… odd. Curt, almost rude, and yet gentle in the same breath. It was… disarming. Confusing.
"Long long time ago… what?" Lynx raised an eyebrow, glancing back at Aerendyl- but the angel waited, letting Vilhelm answer.
"The old city was where people lived before Ravenhold was established with Ichorum. They used being deep underground for the survivability- less frigid air, and more enclosed spaces meant less struggling to keep everything heated. Back when fire and electricity were the best we could do- when there weren't a thousandth the angels and demons that walk this place there are now."
"Deep, cave dwelling humans? Sounds like some sort of fantasy novel," Lynx mused, thinking. "Weird. Last time I was in this tunnel, I didn't walk more than six feet before I was found by… whatever, that demon was. How far have we gone now?"
"Half a mile. I have a route planned. If, by the end of that route, we've heard nothing, then I guess our demons…" Vilhelm paused, perhaps thinking. "Maybe they worried about being found when somebody showed up to investigate, assuming you'd snitched. Maybe they relocated. Either way, come on, we're gonna keep looking. Find something or don't, that part I can't decide," Vilhelm muttered, as they reached a fork, turning left.
"What if the demon is down here, planning an ambush?" Lynx raised an eyebrow, curious. "I mean, lot of corners we're passing."
"From what you said," Aerendyl finally chirped, chiming in. "The thing likes to get in your head before you see it. I have to wonder if it won't hide from us entirely- assuming it's even here, still," He laughed. Lynx nodded, pushing through a curtain of moss, shuddering at the wetness, the warmth of it. When she looked down, her hand came away moist. "Ugh…"
"Sewers and dampness," Vilhelm chuckled. "I'm getting used to it. You will too."
"Right," Lynx nodded, glancing around at the moss on the walls, thinking. "So if there's a dam upstream, why is there any moisture down here for something like this to grow?"
"Underground," Vilhelm answered promptly, sweeping another corner and leading them on. "There are springs and natural sources of water fed from the major lakes around."
"Mm…" Lynx nodded, thinking.
"Combine that with a good chunk of ichorum infrastructure heating being down there in the old city, and there's your answer," Vilhelm concluded, speaking slowly, as if measuring his breaths. "We're halfway through the top level of the sewers. Going down a level or two is safe, and at levels two and three, there's a lot more straight maintenance paths, none of this twisty turning crap. Care to go down?"
"I'm down. You okay, Lynx? Not too scared are you?" Aerendyl asked, angling his head.
"No. Not too scared," Lynx affirmed, nodding and continuing on. For a time, they walked in silence, until Vilhelm stopped at a metal door, testing it; unlocked, the steel swung inward, revealing a staircase down.
"You can back out if you need to Lynx." Vilhelm nodded, and though he was as curt as ever, there was a softness in his eyes.
"Nah."
"As expected of Aerendyl's other favorite," The soldier replied with a smirk, shaking his head and starting down the steps, now, his footsteps echoing for what may as well have been miles. Feeling vaguely claustrophobic, Lynx followed, glancing back now and then to make sure that Aerendyl was still behind her.
The staircase opened, soon, into a long, straight tunnel, and though Vilhelm's flashlight would have given her a small amount of peace anyway, she could see quite far. Thus, she stiffened, grabbing the back of Vilhelm's collar and tugging him closer. "Eyes."
"What?" His voice dropped to a near-silent whisper, eyes narrowing.
"Eyes," Lynx spoke back on a breath, voice barely there. "Door. Few hundred feet down the hall. Somebody."
"Sure?"
"Sure." Lynx nodded, swallowing past the tightness in her throat, narrowing her eyes at what seemed to be an open door. She was sure- for just a moment, something had been staring their way from behind that door. "I got a bad feeling about this."
"Mm…" Vilhelm shook his head… and stepped forward, his collar falling free of Lynx's grip. "We can always fall back if we start to get in over our heads, but it's probably just some homeless whelp. We can point them toward the shelter, and help.
"How… optimistic," Lynx whispered. "Forgetting what I saw down here?"
"If it is a demon, we take care of it, problem solved," Vilhelm whispered, still slowly advancing- the door was visible in the beam of his flashlight, now. Decidedly open. "That only leads to another maintenance tunnel, nothing to worry about. We have Aerendyl watching our rear, remember."
"Pro boxer, at your service," Aerendyl whispered, playfully jabbing the air again. Somehow… somehow, the words didn't put Lynx at ease, this time, but she continued, looking over Vilhelm's shoulder into the distance. Nothing, just more tunnel, and a space off to the left, maybe opening into a room, she couldn't be sure from here.
"I see the gap," Vilhelm muttered preemptively, continuing forward. For a time, they walked, and then the tunnel did indeed give way to a sort of platform, like what she might have expected at one of those underground train systems that supposedly existed in Starria. A door- Vilhelm tested it, and it swung open, revealing candlelight and more moss. Lynx walked through after him, looking around, pushing a sheet of that slimy moss out of her way as she took in the room beyond.
"Huh…" Vilhelm was already poking around, but Lynx drew a slow breath, thinking for herself. Several sleeping bags, and a notebook on the table, being yanked into Vilhelm's hand.
"It's a logbook," He muttered. "Patrol routes. Names ring any bells to you?" He tossed the book to Aerendyl, who caught it deftly, leaving Lynx to listen, tail flicking about nervously, that tightness still in her chest.
"No." The angel shook his head, handing the book to Lynx, who briefly glanced over the many names she didn't recognize before setting the thing down on the rickety, rusted steel table it'd been picked up from.
"We officially getting in over our head?" Vilhelm asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Aerendyl nodded, swallowing slowly. "This isn't something I can be directly involved in. If Lynx is right, and somebody saw us… who knows how many, or where they are. I can have a team put together, though. Give you a squad."
"Me, too," Lynx muttered, biting her lip. "Come on Aerendyl, don't shut me out of this one halfway through."
"Mm. Fine. Fair," Aerendyl agreed, sighing. "I'll tell the professors you're sick, and that they ought to drop your coursework off at your door for you tomorrow and the next day. For now, let's get out of here."
"Let's," Lynx muttered, pushing her way through the doorway again, shoving aside the moss with an agitated growl. Together, the three of them started back the way they'd come, Aerendyl falling into the rear just as before. "Think it'll be that easy?"
"When is it ever that easy," Vilhelm muttered, sweeping a corner and starting up the stairs. "Come on, we'll exit downtown and have a nice walk back to the park. Take the short route."
"Yeah," Lynx whispered, swallowing. "Shortest route sounds good."
Time passed in an uneasy silence, and much to Lynx's shock, they soon pushed through a rusted service door, stepping outside and into fresh air. The cat-cop sucked in air, hard, loving the clean taste of it, blinking slowly.
"That didn't feel right," She grit out, shaking her head. "I feel like some illusion is about to fall away, and we never left the room at all."
"Aerendyl," Vilhelm cut in, not answering. "You do know that you could get in major trouble if you include Lynx in the operation without her credentials."
"She's there as part of an understudy program- after all, the team tomorrow will only be investigating the possibility of some homeless demons down there- with orders to arrest, not harm. You know the deal."
"Mm, if you say so," Vilhelm nodded, and turned his eyes to Lynx. "Try and get some good sleep tonight, then. What time are we meeting back?"
"Ugh," Lynx affirmed, pushing a few strands of what must have been moss off her neck, looking back, watching the green flora drift on a breeze back into the tunnel. "I'll make sure to sleep yeah. Only investigating. What time should we meet back- and what should I expect?"
"Expect," Aerendyl spoke, uncharacteristically serious, as they started to walk. "-To follow, orders. I'll drop some clothes off at your dorm later for you to wear. This is just, you taking part in a basic investigation though, do you understand? Don't get a big head- you still hafve a test next Wednesday."
"Yeah, yeah," Lynx affirmed, nodding. "If there was some army down there, we'd have seen it. A few wandering homeless folk shouldn't be anything to worry about."
"Correct," Aerendyl sighed, looking around. People were turning to look their way, curious- To be fair though, Vilhelm is armed to the teeth…
"Speaking of. Will I be armed tomorrow?"
"With a knife and a flashlight maybe," Aerendyl winked, stretching, chuckling. "I mean. I'm not going to hand you a gun myself, you know, you are still my student, adult or not. You get your gun license yet?"
"My what?"
"Gun license. Proving you're trained on how to shoot, and not to shoot, and that you're not high risk of becoming a serial killer. It's easy to get, but I'm not handing you a gun without it. Sides, you won't need it for tomorrow, you're just riding along."
"Mm. Alright. Easy to get though? License to have a lethal weapon?"
"Please," Aerendyl laughed. "This isn't Starria, and half the people you could try and shoot could simply dodge, teleport, or magically yank the gun out of your hand. They're not as lethal as you'd expect with how many ways around them the average angel or demon has."
"Gotcha…" Lynx fell quiet, contemplating, and for a moment she only listened to the crunch of snow under her shoes… and then, with a reddening face, her stomach growling.
"I know a great coffee place," Aerendyl commented offhandedly, smug.
"I'll go on ahead. I assume you want me leading things tomorrow? What time should I arrive," Vilhelm raised an eyebrow.
"One, entrance we used today under the old bridge." Aerendyl nodded. "Be safe, Paladin."
"Right, right," The brunette chuckled softly, shaking his head and walking away. "See you tomorrow, Lynx."
"Bye! Wait Aerendyl- why did you say you can't be involved, tomorrow?" The blonde asked immediately, tail starting to thrash about, peering up at him with wide eyes. "What's the reason? You love making things better and all that, right?"
"It's appearances," He shrugged, yawning. "If I want to make changes happen, I need to maintain control, not go on wild goose chases in the sewer. Can't let them think for a second that I'm not fully focused on maintaining control."
"Who's them?"
"The people above me, on paper." Aerendyl swallowed , steering Lynx down a side street. "Today might be my, how to say… day off, but when I'm in office, I can't let them see me so much as sweat."
"Why not?"
"Because there are angels who can hurt me, maybe kill me," he answered with a quiet sigh, and for just a moment, Lynx would have sworn his eyes held all the exhaustion of a thousand universes. Then the smile was back, the gleam. "Come on, let's get food. How can I appear unapproachable if I'm not properly fed, and caffeinated?"
"Alright." Lynx nodded, and gently, she hugged his arm, pushing her cheek against the angel's shoulder. "Please be safe. Even if you don't always have time for me, I care about you."
"Right. I… care about you too."
-
That night, the cat-cop slept deeply, and without dreams. Having thought she'd fall into bed and spend eight hours tossing and turning, she was pleasantly surprised when she woke to the sun of rising dawn warming her back. Stretching, yawning, she rolled out of bed, landing nimbly and throwing herself across the room, staggering to the kitchenette and starting a cup of coffee before shuffling to the bathroom.
This is nice, She thought as she washed her hands, moments later, staring her own blue eyes down in the mirror, eyebrows furrowed. Having some sort of purpose- I'm not a kid who needs to discover the world. School isn't for me- I need to be doing things in the name of what's right. How am I supposed to content myself with sitting behind a desk and reciting history facts, knowing that people are out there, suffering?
A few moments later, she opened her door, yawning, and kicked the baggy package left for her in the hall into the air, catching and slamming the door behind her with a foot as she retreated to bed. The clothes were simple- dark cargo pants and a top to match. Boots and a belt. Simple as could be.
Hm… Lynx hesitated and yanked her phone from her end table, opening it, and sent brief messages to Alice and Nara before jamming the piece of metal and plastic into her pocket and shouldering her way through the door, swallowing.
"Wait!" A voice called as Lynx neared the dorm's door, the lounge still somewhat dim, sun not having yet fully risen. Turning, the blonde watched as Nara shuffled toward her, eyes narrowing again.
"What's up?"
"Just wanted to say that I hope you have a good day," The girl tiredly muttered, throwing her arms around Lynx and pushing her face into the blonde's chest, inhaling slowly. "Be safe, okay?"
"I will. Promise," Lynx added, kissing the top of the dark-haired woman's head. "Sorry… last night I was kind of just a whirlwind, it was an overwhelming day."
"You're okay. Not healthy to be around all of the time, anyway, don't you know? We're here for you- well, Alice is resting, still, but you understand my meaning," Nara added with a soft laugh, letting go and stepping back. "See you tonight?"
"I'll check in at least," Lynx agreed, turning toward the door. "Gonna hit the road."
"Be safe."
"I will."