Blood and Gold: Chapter 8

[jiminee]

 Chapter list

“Finally,” Vechs says, uncrossing his folded arms as he sees the figures approaching him. He and Nebris are leaning against the city wall, under the branch.

“You’ve been waiting?” Zisteau asks as he comes nearer.
Nebris nods. “For at least half an hour.”
“How long were you at the wall?”
“Not long,” Vechs says. “But it didn’t take us long to figure out that place is impenetrable.”
“Are you sure you looked long enough?”
“Zisteau,” Aurey says. “It’s ok. We can do more reconnaissance another day.”
“I take it you guys also had no luck,” Vechs says, his face falling. Zisteau shakes his head.
“There’s something weird about those guards. They don’t move, and they don’t change.”
Aurey sighs. “The only interesting thing that happened was seeing BdoubleO in a bakery, but that wasn’t even that interesting. He just talked to the shopkeeper, acted like a weirdo, and left.”
“Wasn’t he in the forest just now?” Vechs says, his eyebrows coming together.
Aurey nods. “That was weird. I don’t know how he got up there so fast. I didn’t see him on my way at all.”
“Maybe he knows another way into the city,” Vechs says. “Speaking of which, we should go.”

He takes out his hooked rope and slings it over the branch, climbing back up deftly and dropping over the other side. He waits for the other three to follow, and the four continue through the forest. Vechs thinks about BdoubleO. Bdubs. That’s what he introduced himself as, when they met. Vechs tries to keep the memories of the night from piercing back into his mind. Why did he do that? He had made himself a promise. It was such an easy promise to keep, and yet… Vechs tells himself it doesn’t count for the millionth time, but it doesn’t work because he knows it does count. Nobody, especially not Vechs, could sleep with someone and have zero emotional attachment afterwards. Vechs cringes at the pang in his heart and stares straight ahead through the dark trees. The canopied leaves block out most of the sunlight, filtering it into greenness that gives the forest an uneasy, dark atmosphere.

“Vechs?”
A hand on his shoulder makes him jump. He turns.
“Nebris. You scared me.”
“Oops, sorry.” Nebris glances back, and Vechs sees that Zisteau and Aurey are a little way behind them, walking apart and sharing no words. Nebris lowers his voice under the rustling of the leaves. “I need to ask you something.”
Vechs’ heart drops, just like it always does, even though he knows it’s probably a harmless question.
“What is it?”
“Do you still love Blame?”
“Why the blyx would you ask me that?” Vechs turns to Nebris, glaring at him through his goggles. He hopes the anger will hide the high note in his voice, hide the tears that come to his eyes each time Blame is mentioned.

“A ninja?”
“Yes,” BdoubleO says calmly, arms folded as he leans against the wall of their hideout. “He was in the area, and seemed like a perfect guy for the job. What’s the matter?”
“It seems a bit extreme.” Guude is listening with an incredulous look, standing in the doorway as Bdubs explains.
“Guude, you were the one who said we would need help for this. Not me.”
“And when did I say you should enlist a ninja?”
“I’m pretty sure I distinctly remember hearin’ you say, ‘we’ll catch all of them, no matter what it takes.’”
“I don’t think I said that.”
“You did. Anyway,” Bdubs says, “The point is, he’s capturin’ them. I don’t think it’s too bad that he’s a ninja.”
“What’s his name?”
“Etho.”
Guude snorts, but says nothing.
“C’mon Guude. We gotta do this. We need them, if we ever want to succeed.”
“Guy, we can succeed on our own. I don’t see why you’re so insistent on… oh.” Guude interrupts himself to vocalise his revelation.
“Huh?” Bdubs asks.
“I just realised something. That’s why you’re so obsessed with getting them to join us.”
“What is why?”
“Don’t bite my head off at this, but do you have a little crush on that Vechs guy?”
“What?!” Bdubs reddens. “What in the hell are you talkin’ about?”
Guude sighs, moving from his place in the doorway to pace across the room. “You had sex with him, that’s what. Bragging about it afterwards, too. Why’d you do that?”

Bdubs goes even redder and spits on the floor. “Had ter seduce him. To get the information I wanted.”
“Oh, great. What information did you get out of him?”
“I’m still working on it,” Bdubs says. “Charm him slowly, y’know? He’ll be wrapped around my finger before you know it.”
“There’s nothing slow,” Guude says, “about gettin’ into his blyxin’ pants the second you saw him. Didn’t even stop to say hi. Just bam, and yer pinned up against a tree.”
Guude’s accent rises as the volume of his voice does. Bdubs finds it endearing, and smiles a little as Guude grows louder.
“I knew what I was doin’, Guude. He has an emotional attachment now. He’ll have to cave, and help us.”
“Well with the ninja doin’ all that for us, what’s the use of tryin’ to screw him again?”
Bdubs sighs. “I’m sorry fer doin’ that, Guude. He’s just… interestin’, okay.” He pauses, and pulls a small package out of his bag. It’s a greasy, paper-wrapped parcel that he puts in Guude’s hands.

“More?”
Bdubs nods. “Went up to the top of the city again today,” he says. “Bit of pilferin’ earnt me that.”
Guude unwraps the paper to reveal a handful of glittering green crystals, cut into brilliant faceted rectangles. He nods approvingly, and goes over to a small chest set on his bedside table. He pours the emeralds in and relocks the chest.
“I shouldn’t be letting you bribe me into staying calm about this whole Vechs thing,” Guude says, “but here I go again.”
Bdubs smirks. “You know you love it. Anyway, I’ll try and stay away from Vechs, okay?”
Guude nods, exhaling. “Thank you. And I guess I’ll leave the ninja to it.”
“Thanks,” Bdubs says. “Now excuse me, I gotta go out again. Won’t be long.”
“Again?” Guude frowns. Bdubs goes out more and more these days, often leaving minutes after arriving. He says he’s just fooling around in the city, testing his limits, trying to be better, but Guude is hurt that he isn’t often invited to come. He is suspicious as well as hurt. He’s always known there are things Bdubs doesn’t tell him, and it’s been getting worse lately just as his disappearances have.

Nebris finds Vechs in the bedroom. Aurey and Zisteau stayed in the main room, and Aurey had quietly urged Nebris to go and apologise.
He hadn’t meant to hurt Vechs. He never meant to hurt anyone with his questions, but he hadn’t realised the subject was so sensitive. All he’d wanted to do was know…
Nebris tries to calm himself and still the small flutter of fear that Vechs might still be angry at him. He knocks on the door. There is silence, and Nebris wonders what Vechs is doing. He knocks a little louder.
“What do you want?”
“I just want to talk. To apologise.”
There is an audible sigh. “Come in.”

Nebris breathes out and pushes the door open. Vechs is lying on his hammock on his stomach, head resting on folded arms. Nebris sits somewhat awkwardly on his own hammock.
“Listen Vechs, I’m sorry. I know it’s something you don’t want to talk about, and I guess my question was too bold.”
Vechs says nothing, his goggles hiding any emotion.
“Forgive me?”
“Nebris, please. I don’t want you to feel like I hardly tell you anything, but there’s stuff that I need to keep private, okay? It’s my past, and I don’t need it coming back now.” Vechs thinks about the lie this is, how he’s so set on apologising to Blame – that’s not anything like leaving his past behind. But Nebris doesn’t need to know.
Nebris nods. “I understand, but will you please just accept my apology?”
Vechs turns to look at him. “I forgive you.”
Nebris stands up, but before he leaves, stands closer to Vechs, and says,
“I want to be a proper part of this group. And Aurey and Zisteau and you know so much about your past that I can never hope to understand. But even knowing small things just makes me feel more included. I’m sorry if that’s overstepping my boundaries.”

“I do still love him,” Vechs says quietly. “I do. But there are other people, you know? I can pretend he never existed when I’m doing things with other people, and that’s okay. It’s a temporary solution but it works.” He turns away sharply, as if only just realising he’s shared too much.
And suddenly Nebris understands him a whole lot more.
“I think I’ll come out now, actually,” Vechs says. “Can’t mope in this room forever.” He stands up. He looks woozy and Nebris can see the redness below his goggles.

It is a quiet night, even though dinner and their card games have plenty of alcohol to keep them going. It isn’t so much a tense atmosphere this time; just the personal musings of each person soak up any words before they come out.
Vechs thinks of Blame. He always does, now. And the worst part is he’d almost stopped. He’d almost forgotten, until the stupid blyxing Bdubs reminded him of the man he’d left in Feretan. And now his head doesn’t stop spitting dreams at him, silly fantasies that can never happen, even if Blame, by some miracle, is still alive. He sighs, trying to pretend he doesn’t notice Nebris’ stares. He wants the man to be intrigued by him, but he also fears that his habit will claim him as another victim. And while he’s trying to re-forget Blame, that’s an even bigger possibility.
Zisteau wants to get into Corax palace badly. He’s frustrated that everyone’s so discouraged about it. It’s a big undertaking, sure, but there must be some way of doing it. He just can’t let them be thrown into prison again, not with the disaster that happened last time they tried getting into a heavily defended fortress. He knows that Vechs has personal issues now, what with the shock of realising Blame could still be alive. He wants to care about that, but getting too close to Vechs again would be too dangerous for the team.
It has always been too dangerous for the team.
Aurey wants to help Vechs. She has too much feeling for him, for Nebris, for Zisteau, for her whole team. It hurts to see Vechs grieve over the man she can remember him loving more than anyone. The possibility that he’s still alive is too much for Vechs, she thinks. She wants to reach out and help him forget again.
Nebris watches Vechs. He watches, and wonders how he can be so in love with a man who may not even still be alive.

Comments

[ruddiestbubbles]

You don't know how much I want a huge plot twist were Etho and Nebris get together or Etho remembers Nebris and such. But, I can only hope.

Great chapter as always <3

[jiminee]

c: