The Kitarian Comet

(( Note: Cri86 and I talked about this lil’ transitional scene between the first chapter & arriving at The Comet; it will just be a short exchange between our characters, see it as an intermezzo that we’ll use to tie our stories together! )) ”Wait, so- does that mean we’re going on vacation?! That’s so awesome, we’ve never done that before, right?!” Zero cheered as they wandered down the oily avenues to the docks. His wide grin and even wider eyes sparkled with excitement. ”Huge rooms, a hot tub, a whole lounge! Would be kinda cool if our ship had stuff like that too, right? You think we could try to add that to ours, Artie?” Right by his side at the front of the group, the crew tech wizz gave a hearty chuckle. ”Unless ye somehow figure out a way to klep a megacorp CEO’s yearly pay, A think yer gonna have to stick to what The Comet has to offer, lad.” Only a couple of steps behind, Randle tuned in with his fatherly laugh, dotted with a tone of much-needed professionalism. ”Wouldn’t pull ya trunks out too soon, kid, we’ve gotta make sure the dame and us are on good terms. Wouldn’t want to lose our chance to get a quick look at our clues in the urn, after all.” Truth be told, though.. they could do with a bit of relaxation. Sprite especially. Now a slave to a pair of steel and plastic crutches to keep the weight off her wounded foot - properly looked after, thank you very much, but stinkin’ gods if it didn’t hurt like hell.. -, she had intentionally backed away to the rear end of the convoy. Artie’d insisted on helping her, but her fear of feeling even more pampered and pathetic had caused a bit of an argument between the two. Randle and Z had tried their luck too but, alas.. the spunky loudmouth’d been reduced to a bitter, hostile and most of all humiliated loner, who pretty much refused to speak or accept help from anyone, limping along like a bruised dog. She kept quiet. Awfully so. That was, at least, until she suddenly realized that she was out of earshot for her comrades, except for Cris. A sigh escaped her. Shit, how to start this.. ”Eyy, uhh.. ‘ppreciate what y’did back t’ere. Rando told me y’wanted t’check on me an’ all. It’s embarassin’ as shit, I know, but eh..” She stared ahead, vacant-eyed. Aside from Art and Randle, no one had really taken her fear that seriously. “No one likes dropping by the doc!” was the layman’s consensus, but it was more than that. Certain scents alone could keep her awake at night. ”So, thanks.” At the far end of the street, the gates to the docks rose high. They had a vague idea of what The Kitarian Comet was supposed to look like, though that didn’t guarantee that they wouldn’t be in for a slight scavenger hunt. Plenty of time for honest confessions..

Cris followed the rest of the group quietly, her mask still on - not because she felt awkward around their group, they had seen her without mask before and she trusted them to keep hush-hush about her identity, but rather because you never knew who you could run into in space station and last thing she wanted was someone sellin' a picture of her true face to the paparazzi, which would force her to give a whole lot of explanations to the Clan about why she wasn't as hideously scarred as she claimed.

She looked up curiously, though, when Sprite addressed her. "What? Don't thank me, that's if I had been able to shoot his dumb arm off before he could get you", she said, at first thinking that she was referring to their little valiant stand-up against the Kifs. "The little bastard was fast, I'll give him that--" But as Sprite went on, she realized - even before she said it - that it wasn't all she was thanking her for.

"It's not embarassing, and it's not something you should feel bad about", she said at length. She hesitated, unsure how to breach the topic as carefully as possible. "Burt reacts the same way, only more aggressively; I'm still surprised he didn't maul that doctor he and his friend kidnapped to tend a common jackal friend of ours who was giving birth." As if trying to think her words over, she went on: "Look - there's reason why I will not let any doctor or anyone in a lab coat near my kids, save for the doc of my old pirate crew, the one who delivered all three of them--" Which in itself might have been hilarious as hell; an axe-happy android with split personality disorder and lunatic tendencies was the only medic she'd ever trust to check on her, or her children.

"Pfft, was expectin' no less," Sprite chuckled at the mention of her fuzzy Troublemakers Extraordinaire counterpart. "Guess he'd expect me t'do somethin' like that too, but y'know, that's prolly why I'm so embarassed 'bout it too- I'm t'type'o sucko to freeze up." Even back when Blake scrappin' Cameron'd been her big hero, she'd always fancied herself one too. Bravery didn't show in one's instincts, she understood that, yet something about her natural response to being reminded to Lab humiliated her. It wasn't a Therion's way, so to speak.. Tak-tak clattered her crutches on the damp city floor. Most of the pain in her foot'd faded, numbed out by painkillers and chemicals that'd been poured over it. Up to her shin, plenty of bones'd been broken or even pulverized, and although her immune system was a solid one, there was no saying if she would get to keep it. That foul, coward-ass lil' Kiff.. "Heh, 'tis always t'least high'n mighty ones that got t'best vibe about 'em, eh?" she smiled. Doctor of her old pirate crew? Sprite knew it for sure now: one of her favorite things about this proper, filthy rich friend of theirs was the overly spectacular past she occasionally dropped hints about. Sure, she had a wild history herself, too, but she looked the part for it- grizzled and chaotic, with the manners of a beast. With Cris, everything she told came as a surprise. "Tha's 'em funny thing f'me too, really. Those Skylax med-heads I gotta deal with didn' scare me one bit, even if they w'r rough as hell sometimes. Same goes for Art, when she helped me back t'ere. I guess t'whole lab coat an' professional smile thing jus' creeps me t'scrap out." Zero had never felt the same. He hadn't known any better than to be pried and prodded at by empty-faced doctors from birth to pre-teens. Maybe, in a way, that was even worse..

Cris thought about it and nodded. "I get what you mean, but I still don't find it embarassing. Fear gets at everyone in different ways." She paused for some seconds, looking for the right words. "Everyone says it's always a choice between fight or flight, but freeze's just as valid an option. He would freeze too, at the sight of anything in a lab..." she trailed off when Sprite echoed her exact same words, and chuckled ruefully. "... yeah, couldn't have said it better." Her eyes wandered ahead, with that distant look of when she was thinking about her past. "It was just so unusual for him, seein' that look on his face took out my protective instincts at their worst. Then I became the one who mauled..." she breathed in deeply, "... something that just made things worse because he felt more exposed to danger when I lashed out, not more secure." She still berated herself for it, and much of her self-loathing revolved around just that, her way to react to threats. Maybe it was why nowadays she tried to be so distanced even in the face of danger - to keep a tight leash on the fury. It was a part of her, but one that she'd been made to think was wrong and shameful, the ruin of her family.

"... but I don't always maul, either. I told ya about that little cabin on the lake where we used to live with him and the kids? It was my favorite place, where we could just be ourselves, decompress, think of nothing but our family... I'd given up my pirate days to just live there with the kids, he was still working out until he'd feel ready for a different life - and after his shift was done, he'd catch up with us." A faint smile flickered briefly in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant, "At least 'til some bounty hunters mofos ambushed me and the kids to bait Shadow after those cursed posters showed up. I had Chiara in my arms and Reyn was still on the way... could have been born anytime in the next month or so. And I just... ran...." And this time it was her who looked away in embarassment. "Stars know how many shoot outs I've been involved in before... and after I took up the vigilante gig, and you've seen me - unruffled, unbothered. But if I was to ever set foot on that pier again I...." her voice broke. For a moment, she just couldn't go on.

Mauled, she said. Worlds apart between what that exact word meant to them, though Sprite knew better than to instantly underestimate the prowess of a seriously screwed-up human being. Even those that didn't turn into unrelenting murder beasts whenever they were pushed over the edge could still do some grave damage to whatever threatened them. Packed with skill and neato tricks like she was, Cris probably was no exception. Sprite let out a sigh, thinking they were starting to wade into more comfortable talking territory.. that was, until she noticed the change of tone and a hitch in her voice. "Eyy, eyy- no need t'go on, y'don' needa revisit that if y'don' wanna," Sprite tried to console her pal, her voice about as low and gentle as a hotheaded loudmouth's could be. "All 'em spineless shit from 'em hunters aside, tho', a place like that sounds.. prime." Decompression wasn't a luxury that neither Sprite nor her friends'd enjoyed often. Be it the chaotic Skylaxian bases, the restless New Arcadian streets or even the chummy insides of their beloved Rustbucket, it was hard to find a place with the infectious kind of serenity that turned tense shoulders to pulp. Moments like those were always fleeting, caught on a concrete rooftop after sundown, taking in the sight of a sleepless city or military camp, surrounded by the chirp of feral insects or wisps of cigarette smoke ascending from the streets below. To her, a cabin like that sounded like paradise. "Tha's just t'crappy thing 'bout us cool sucko's- whenever w'enjoy somethin' good, Ol' Mr McScrappin' Fate figures out a way to muck it up. I'm jus' hope that t'trip to that Hani chick's ship'll be different.." She appreciated Cris's understanding and sympathy, but she knew that tearing down their morale before the mission 'get chummy & peek at vase' had even started was a bad idea. "Who knows, might turn out t'be a prime lil' intermezzo b'tween our other screwin'-arounds, ey!"

Cris made a sound halfway between a snorted laugh and a sob, looking up at Sprite with slightly glistening eyes that betrayed an apologetic smile. "H-heh... guess I ain't much for moral support when I'm stilll kinda broken over much less, right?" She shook her head. "Silly when you think I've seen far worse carnages, and then having to escape from a place where I felt safe could scar me that badly... but what I'm tryin' to say is you don't have to feel bad 'bout your own freeze-up, 'specially not around me. Been there, done that, we can always be miserable together", she chuckled weakly and raised a balled hand for a fistbump.

Her words about fate struck a chord in her too. "Yeah, it's how it felt like for us too. Never a moment's respite and when there is... usually it's only the calm before the next storm. I thought we could run away from that if we left our old lives behind and just lived in the present with our kids, but... guess some things you just can't run away from." She frowned slightly behind the mask. "Part of the reason why I don't like the twists of Fate all too much and like to give back as good as I get, y'know? No way I'm going down without a fight, whatever gets thrown at me." She snickered softly. "Kinda like in that old videogame my husband liked... 'when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! I don't want your damn lemons, I'm burning your house down with them!', that's me." And this time, as she looked up, the tears were drying and there was an expression of respect. "And you as well. So don't feel low if you have your own limits, k?" She would have normally gone for a hug at this point, having always been a hug person - but events in her life had beated even that out of her, so she instead reached out to pat Sprite's shoulder lightly.

"And agree, might as well enjoy the change of pace now that we have the chance to", she nodded, though still with a wistful smile. "Between you and me, I'm not much for all the fancy stuff, maybe because I was born to it and grew so stifled with it I just wanted out.... preferred the simpler things with Shadow and the kids, but it was nice now and then to take them out on a theme park or some other fancy place just for a change. In small dosages, it's enjoyable."

"Yeah, know whatcha mean.." Southpoint felt like that. Or rather.. barely felt like anything. The only time Sprite ever got to relive the trauma she'd apparently rained upon others, was in her dreams, and even then the guilt was on near equal footing with the fear. "Eyy, scrappin' cheers t'that, heh!" She returned the fist bump. What did it matter anyway.. Nothing could be compared to the Southpoint fiasco. "An', thanks, y'know?" Clattering along in the wake of her triumphant - but secretly worried stiff, whether Sprite liked it or not - buddies, she found as much comfort in the content of Cris's words as being talked to in general. In her own way, she understood. Of course, now wasn't the time to tell her about her 'darker' chapters, and frankly, that was perfectly fine. Much like her Therion was an anomaly, so were her woes surrounding it- at least on the human side of things, they had each other's back. Fast forward a couple of shared words, and Sprite even got to chuckle again. "Tssk, easy f'y' t'say! Y'arn' alone in that shit, tho'- nearly all 'em cases we had involvin' rich folk featured one'o 'em screwin' up while tryin' t'escape that life'o glamour." Sure, sure, Cris wasn't like that, obviously, but it was true! Lots of aspiring mobster kings were simply bored princes fleeing from the comfort of their papa's wealth. "Chillin' in 'em jacuzzi's and sippin' hotshot booze's jusy our cover-up, though.. real thing we're after is gettin' chummy 'nough with that Hani chick t'let her show us that urn! Who knows, might catch her onna friendly side." Sprite hadn't taken particularly well to the lioness's bossy demeanor, though Randle'd told her to keep an open mind and give her a chance.. so that she would do.

"Ah, don't think twice of it. I didn't" the masked vigilante assumed, the all-eyes smile behind the mask looking a little less tremulous and a lot more confident now as she was slowly regaining her usual self-control. "Even when all I can offer is support or a listening ear, for me it's a no-brainer when it comes to my pals... even ones I've not known for all that long. Maybe I can't fix all the wrongs with just my hands, but sometimes having a friend's hand to hold onto is just enough, you know?"

As the topic shifted to escaping the world of riches and luxury, she snickered too. "I mean, not gonna deny I'm a particular case, growin' up with grandmother Isabella is something I'd not wish on my worst enemy... but yeah, not surprised. Wealth is just like in the saying, too much of a good thing..." Her eyebrows arched slightly at the mention of the urn, and she nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much. Looked it up actually, fine handiwork but that alone doesn't explain or justify such an attack... really makes me wonder what's so special about it, if you guys don't mind me nosing aroind as well," she joked. After all, if the urn had already caused so much damage, it felt like her duty as a vigilante to find out more, in addition to wanting to help her friends. "Yeah... I really wonder in what unknown we're gonna plunge this time around."

Looking back at what'd transpired only half a mere hour before Cris and her got into this conversation, Sprite's belly itched with a regretful tickle. Admitting her wrongdoings wasn't something that came easy to her, but having her woes and pain tempered by her masked friend a little, she was ambushed by the vibe to forgive her pals for their overbearingness later. They cared about her, and she sure as hell cared about them.. "Eyy, guy, vibe's all mutual. Don' worry 'bout comin' t'me f'shit like 'tis either- I wouldn' mind returning t'favor," Sprite said with a weak chortle, faded eyes flicking between her chatting partner and the group of comrades marching ahead. "M'prime f'more than jus' kicking ass, after all, heh." Even if not all their issues was comparable - cheesy as it sounded, Sprite definitely wished she would never have to be able relate to the whole 'missing lover' thing Crus had going in -, it was still good having someone to count on. Of course, Randle, Art, lil' Z.. they understood her too, were of great help like she was to them, but exactly because she was so intimate, platonically or romantically, with them, having a sib on another ship was a therapeutic breath of fresh air for her. Cris didn't know her full story, and neither did Sprite know hers, and that exactly made for a valuable connection between the two of them. Anyway, all big thinkin' aside.. ..they still had a vase to conquer! Color trickled back into Sprite's cheeks when she breathed new life into her trademark smirk of hubris, and leaning her weight on her good leg for a second, she gave Cris an amiable slap on the back. "Whaddaya know, t'be real supra t'have y'! Hani chick didn' getta great impression'o Rando an' me t'first time, so a pair'o eyes from 'nother corner's more than welcome!" Up ahead, the rest of the group'd come to a standstill, glaring up in awe at the magnificent behemoth of a ship that was The Kitarian Comet. They better prepared to board! "W'll fill y'in on all 'em cool deets in a minute, heh. Suppose I'm gonna give 'em m'word'o apology first- better be in our sweetest scrappin' moods b'fore w'take 'tis prime ol' dive into whatever-the-hell!" New experiences, shenanigans and maybe even some partners in crime. Limping onward, supplies dangling on her shoulder and her face full of spunk, Sprite knew it for sure: this plunge into the unknown was gonna be an adventure to remember! (( Thread CLOSED, we'll be movin' our ragtag bag of misfits into the Comet now for further antics! ))