[Hunt for Paladin: Day 1]
Ten days to bring in Vilhelm- well, nine.
Lynx knocked at the door to Aerendyl's home- and he was here, this time. After a few moments, the door opened, and he looked down at her, eyes widening.
"Lynx-"
"Some conversations are better had in person. Can I come in?"
"Sure," He nodded, smiling weakly and running a hand through his hair. "Want me to make some coffee?"
"Sure, thanks," Lynx sighed, stepping in and looking around; this time, the coffee table and the tv weren't dusty. The home felt a bit more lived-in, the couch was indented and there was a shot glass, empty but smelling of whiskey, on the table.
"Hope you aren't developing a drinking problem," Lynx called, voice flat. "Sorry, that sounds harsh- was trying for a joke."
"I am a bit of an alcoholic," Aerendyl called back, moving around in the kitchen. "I'm working on trying to cut back. Making progress. I was never the one to go cold turkey- baby steps, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, baby steps," Lynx agreed, tail flicking curiously as she paced across to the bay windows, glancing up at the sky, and at the shimmering magic. "You told me magic is concentrated in the air above the lake- why was that, again?"
"One of the two dragons known to be living in Ravenwood is asleep in the lake- has been for several hundred years." Aerendyl called back, voice carrying. "The other is the Bleeding Ice."
When he said that, Lynx went still, images of a massive centipede and an arena deep underground flashing across her mind.
P.S. Don't trust Timio, that's what the book said isn't it? Why shouldn't I trust whoever that is…
"Do I know a Timio?" Lynx called politely, and for a moment there was silence.
"Where'd you hear that name?"
"Just sounds familiar. Contracted Arms, right? Maybe I saw it in a mission log, I don't know."
"Timio is an executioner, if I strip away the titles and give it to you honestly," Aerendyl spoke carefully, returning to the room with two mugs, offering one to Lynx; with a bit of coffee creamer, but not enough to make it sweet; the smell hit her nose and her ears swiveled forward, tail straightening momentarily as she sipped.
"It's good, thanks. So, executioner?"
"He hunts traitors and people who get a little too comfortable killing instead of solving… on paper. Honestly, he'd be more suited for Aegis Order than CA, if you think about it," Aerendyl laughed quietly, sitting down on the couch. He didn't ask her to sit, and Lynx leaned comfortably against the windows overlooking the lake, eyes wandering over him, now.
"Got it. Has he attacked you yet?" The blue-eyed cat asked drily, and Aerendyl nodded, gaze hardening a bit.
"Confronted me. Didn't try to kill me outright. It took people a while to realize what I was like when they usually only saw me through the mirror of being a perfect angel."
"Perfect archangel without wings," Lynx winked, again trying to joke, but Aerendyl went deathly still, and she faltered, sipping her coffee with a feeling strangely like nervousness creeping into her chest.
"I had wings," Aerendyl eventually muttered.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," He nodded, voice thickening; his eyes were closed off, now; guarded. "That's a story for another time. Anyway. You came here about Vilhelm, right?"
"I did. What can you tell me? Everything; the bad, the ugly, the things that make you look like a failure, I want it all, so I can form a plan." Lynx paused, and then added; "I want to know what the guy likes for breakfast, don't spare me any details."
"Alright," The angel winced and leaned back, staring up at her. "Vilhelm is… a good guy. Or he was, I don't know. Mom died, big brother joined CA and has been stationed in Ravenhold proper or Alcantorine borders intermittently. He joined to be a hero like he always promised momma he would, yeah?"
"Okay," Lynx nodded, sipping her coffee again and slowly walking toward him, sitting on the coffee table and languidly crossing her legs, savoring the taste of the coffee. "What then?"
"On his first shift watching a small CA base to the east, he discovered the cell where Nara was being held and set her free; he claims Nara controlled a squirrel that led him there, and Nara claims she has no such power and thinks someone else was at play."
"At… play, right." Lynx nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "Anyway, then?"
"I respected the integrity and asked Vilhelm to become my agent in the hunt to get rid of what drug dens I can and make things better; but I grabbed myself a weapon to do good, when I should have been reaching for the man, not the tool."
"Got it. Very toxic gay lovers coded, please continue," Lynx nodded, and Aerendyl faltered, shaking his head.
"Are you joking again?"
"Course."
For another moment, they just stared at each other, and Lynx raised an eyebrow before he spoke again.
"You're not… very good at making it clear that you're joking," He snorted, shaking his head, and Lynx shrugged, yawning, sipping again.
"I'm still trying not to hate you," She admitted. "You're trying and that counts for something. We're not gonna vibe like longtime besties or siblings like we did after you gaslit me into joining the perfect gang or whatever. Now, back to Vilhelm," She added as he flinched, tail twitching once. It was true, though; under this, there was a strong undercurrent of irritation grinding in her chest, and she couldn't just pretend that things were fine- not yet. What she could do, she reasoned, was recognize that Aerendyl wanted to change, and not treat him like some kind of lost cause.
"Right," He nodded, clearing his throat. "Last time you visited me didn't happen. Clean slate. Anyway. I had Marcus train Vilhelm, and erased him from legal systems, code named him Paladin, listed him as a homunculus servant of mine. That was my first error; I think he stopped FEELING like a person. I…" For a long time, the angel trailed off, looking down and working on his coffee. Eyes dark, eyelids heavy, Lynx gave him room to speak, leaning back on one hand and sipping her coffee, still- it was almost gone now, she noticed with some sadness.
"I don't know how he got the knife," Aerendyl admitted, sighing. "I can look into it, but I don't know if it would do us any good; it's a restricted item that was locked up in a vault inside CA's main headquarters here; not the academy, but the offices. Supposedly, it contains the soul of a god on the brink of death; the old God of Pain, they say. I believe it- the people who told me as such can generally be trusted, and the person I took it from would covet something like that."
"The person you took it from?" Lynx asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Irrelevant, and I don't want to talk about it," Aerendyl muttered, breathless. "Years ago- a few years, I mean. Elevated leader had the knife and- I took it from him," He muttered, voice suddenly thickening, and Lynx narrowed her eyes, but she didn't press.
"Got it. What then?"
"I locked it away. Someone gave it to Vilhelm. A while ago, I think… I think he wanted help. He came here and he had the knife and I just- I didn't recognize it. I didn't realize what I was looking at. I don't know if he's possessed- I don't know if getting the knife away from him would fix this, I don't know that's why I want to have him brought in. If you think I should be more worried about how he got it then fine, but the truth is probably as simple as it being the same rats who wanted to kill me want to destabilize my position. That's part of why they told the assassins who wanted you dead, where you are."
"What do you know about my past?" Lynx asked before she even realized she was thinking it. "What do you really know? Why did they want me dead- there has to be a good reason."
"Grey Hand," Aerendyl nodded, clearing his throat. "It's the assassins syndicate that runs Pempa from the shadows, and likely what you were a part of. You were sent after the Elevated leader after he unleashed a sentient fungus on a major Mirian city; you crippled him permanently but he got the upper hand. The people sent to finish you off; they were Elevated, and that's why their work was sloppy if I had to guess. Elevated is great at working from the shadows with pretty words; but they're not used to making moves in broad daylight. Any competent assassin- like you?- wouldn't have bothered with a 'test assassin' or whatever that Carla chick was supposed to be."
"How is she, anyway?" Lynx snorted, rolling her eyes and setting the empty coffee mug aside before leaning back on both hands, staring at Aerendyl, eyelids heavy.
"She's probably sipping wine on some Mirian beach," Aerendyl chuckled drily, shrugging. "Anyway, let's get back to talking about Vilhelm, yeah? He's gone off the deep end, won't answer my calls, won't let me see him. He was last sighted in Pinevale near the murder site, and since then, no reported sightings. I recorded our last call. Want to hear it?"
"Sure," Lynx nodded, and Aerendyl took out his phone, fiddling with it for a few moments before the recording began to play.
"Vilhelm, you are murdering people with no proof that they were planning a Gods-damned thing, this has to stop!!" Aerendyl's voice rang through, and then there was Vilhelm's, drier, amused.
"Oh I'm sorry, does my boss, the complacent murderer want to give me advice on what's good? Because last I checked, a ragged assassin with a few weeks in politics is more good than you ever have been."
"I'm trying to change, but that's not the point right now- you say you're more good than me, and you call me a murderer, then what are you?"
"Difference between us, bastard?" Vilhelm laughed. "I know to kill someone before they become a problem. Real goodness is ugly."
The line went dead, and Aerendyl stared quietly at Lynx.
"You see? He's gone completely off the rails," The angel sighed. "I could try to find him. Have him killed. That'd be the easy choice. Some would even say the right choice." His voice, though…
He's not testing the waters. He's thinking differently.
"Thanks. I'm gonna get into Pinevale and put my nose to the ground," Lynx nodded. "You've been… helpful enough," She winked, rolling her eyes. "How's that redhead you've been sleeping with?"
"Alexis," He looked away, mouth twisting to the side. "She's doing fine. Wants to leave Elevated and join Aegis Order."
"I'll meet her when I have the time," Lynx nodded, and then she was gone, winter's wind kissing her skin and carrying snow into her hair as she walked down toward Alice's car.
The ride to Pinevale, according to her phone, would take five hours; relaxed, she shot Alice and Nara a text in their group chat.
Lynx: [Gonna head to Pinevale to start asking around. After the shit from lately, the time to myself would be nice. Wanna follow me tomorrow or the next day? Nothing against you two, just need some time to clear my head and have quiet.]
They replied within moments.
Alice: [Kk, see you tomorrow, love you]
Nara: [How to reply to a text message]
Nara: [Ignore that please]
Nara: [I thought I opened the search bar, but it was the emoji menu]
Nara: [Don't call me a grandmother. :sob_emoji:]
Lynx: [Love you doll, love you ancient old wrinkly granny.]
Tossing her phone onto the dash, she peeled off.
-
"So," Alice giggled, reading Lynx's final text before slowly looking up at Aurelia. "I wouldn't feel right if you didn't have this conversation with Lynx before we had you officially join up- but keep it real with me. Don't mention Lynx, don't mention me- we're talking about you. Why do you want to join up? Because I keep asking, and you keep dodging the question."
The two stood in the middle of what would be the training yard, and Aurelia had a few weapons laid out on a table in front of her; Alice had been curious to see what kind of shot she was, as an aside, and interestingly, the first thing Aurelia picked up wasn't a gun, but one of the bows. Her eyes; mismatched- drifted up to the targets at 20, 40, 60, 100, and 150 meters into the tree line; magically enchanted Alice dolls without a face, meant to heal their wounds instantly; the blood had been replaced with a clear substance that looked the same, meaning killing one looked like popping a water balloon rather than killing a person.
"Well," Aurelia shrugged and grabbed an arrow, knocking it, thumb at her cheek. Pop, the head of the 20-meter target exploded, and she grabbed another arrow, nocking. "I don't really want to tell the whole story twice. Can I long story short it?"
"Sure thing, sure thing," Alice nodded, watching as the head of the 40 meter target exploded in a watery explosion as well; the bow was made from an enchanted wood, but even so, the force of the shots surprised her as Aurelia readied another arrow- and she drew the string so quickly- she was strong.
"I've never been a student at Contracted Arms Academy; not really. More like a sleeper agent. I ran from Mir because I have a twin there who was sent to kill me. I told her she'd never see me in Mir again. I came here, I laid low; but civil war might be brewing and I can't stand idly by when people I care about might be in danger."
Pop, the next target, and Aurelia readied herself again.
"I…" Aurelia pushed on, when Alice didn't reply. "I just need to be part of this. Doing the right thing; rejecting our own darker impulses, and avoiding the easy path. That's kind of my thing, you know?"
"Good," Alice nodded. "That's the kind of person we need on our side. I'm all for it, but you need to meet with Lynx first."
"Yeah, yeah, girlfriend approval," Aurelia rolled her eyes, and-
"Fuck you, and fuck that," Alice snapped. "I'm not some bitch to Lynx- right now I'm Alice, co-leader of Aegis Order, and you need approval from the other leaders before we trust you. I already trust you. Understand? You're not my friend right now."
Aurelia's shot went wild, and a hole was bored through a tree two paces to the left of the target before she slowly looked at Alice.
"Okay. Sorry."
"Good. Feelings have no place in politics- romantic ones anyway," Alice shook her head, sighing. "Sorry for snapping, but… no. Don't you ever reduce me to a little maiden who needs girlfriend approval. I'm the heiress of the family, and a genius inventor."
"I am sorry," Aurelia nodded. "Honest. Trust and believe, I get people trying to reduce you to something you're not," She added with a more relaxed giggle. "I'm a half-succubus, half-fairy, you think I don't know the feeling? Wasn't my intent, I promise."
"Okay." Alice nodded, but even though they'd calmed, Aurelia's next shot also went wild; a tree further into the woods had a hole bored in it, suddenly.
"I'm rusty," Aurelia winced, and Alice shrugged.
"Happens to the best of us. Down for a little hand to hand sparring, see how you fight? More just for my own knowledge; if we're going to be on the same team, I want to know what you can do."
"Sure thing," Aurelia nodded. "Anywhere specific you wanna go, or wanna throw down right here? No touching the weapons of course."
"Sure thing, let's just fight here, no weapons," Alice nodded and walked forward, grabbing a handgun off the table and shooting Aurelia's thigh twice; she screamed, but the rubber bullets inside bounced off her thigh, bruising as Alice walked forward, slamming a fist into Aurelia's stomach and tossing the gun aside as the fairy girl doubled over, panting.
"Lesson one," Alice whispered, kneeling. "Your enemies won't ever respect the rules. Being kind? Merciful? They don't mean being fair, they mean being smarter, faster, and stronger; and being willing to let someone walk away anyway."
"Right, right," Aurelia winced and stood, stepping forward and throwing a punch; Alice jerked aside, grabbing Aurelia's wrist, and the succupixie's other arm came around, slamming a fist into Alice's chest with staggering force. Alice stumbled back, and Aurelia grabbed her throat with both hands, squeezing; Alice's world blinked for a moment- she'd made herself mortal after all, in a sense, but her tail, slimy and dark, coiled around Aurelia's neck and ripped her off, slamming her into the ground and arcing, slamming her down again, again, before throwing her back into a tree.
"You really are rusty," Alice laughed musically as Aurelia slowly staggered, panting, to her feet. "We'll get you in fighting order, don't worry."
"Sounds good," Aurelia winced and fell, passing out. For a moment, Alice stood there, wondering if she ought to feel bad before Nara's voice chimed behind her.
"Having fun?" The kitsune asked, and Alice turned, smiling.
"How are you doing, Nara?"
"I am doing well. I have come to a strange consensus about my own feelings though," Nara admitted. "Would now be a good time to confess?"
"Confess?" Alice raised an eyebrow. Nara looked at her for a moment, eyes conflicted; Gods, I can practically hear her heartbeat from here.
"I…" Nara muttered, throat tight. "I apologize for the suddenness-"
"Spit it out," Alice snapped, tail beating the grass once on reflex, and Nara winced.
"I do not love you." Nara stared quietly at Alice, chest heaving, as though she'd just confessed to murder. "I like you. I like you a lot, and I respect you; you are intelligent and cunning, but I do not feel a romantic pull toward you."
"That's fine," Alice smiled, relief filling her chest. "I was worried this was going to be something darker, to be real- I don't love you either. You're not my type, you're not into any of the same shit as me, you've got no tits- but I like you, too. Think Lynx is in good hands with you. Gods, you had me going," She laughed, and Nara, too, laughed, relief flooding her voice.
"I am glad we agree," Nara smiled peacefully. "So nothing needs to change, then? Including the size of my breasts, thank you."
"Yeah, sounds about right," Alice agreed, laughing softly. "Let's grab some food and watch a movie? We can be besties even if we don't wanna put our tongue in eachother's mouth I think- I can even teach you how to use a TV remote, grandma!" She added, snickering, and Nara glared, huffing and walking back toward the house, tail thrashing.