#'you shared something deeply meaningful to you and i found it dull and unpleasant'

[dodger-chan]

I have a very dear, very close friend, a little younger than me but not much. We met in middle school, roomed together when I went to grad school where she was finishing college. She was the only non-family member at my wedding.

And she's a massive Taylor Swift fan. This is actually kind of my fault. She was only vaguely aware of Taylor Swift before I fell in love with Red and brought the album along on a car trip. She liked it enough to give 1989 a shot and was hooked from there.

She bought me a copy of The Tortured Poets Department.

Normally this is not an issue. She's far from the only Swift fan I know, far from the most obsessive. But...

She loves this album so much she wanted to share it with me so we can talk about it and I think it might be the worst* album I've ever listened to.

*My personal taste, not an absolute judgement.

She's going to be so upset with me when we talk next weekend....

[clairekatswritingcorner]

Unexpected Casualty

Word Count: 2,048

Summary: Visiting a new city through their travels across the universe, Eva, Spirit, and Aikka find themselves caught up in an unexpected scuffle.

*Author’s Note*: This title is super ominous but uhhhhhh. Lol. I........really dropped the ball on this one, and I’m sorry it’s so late ;~; but my SUPER GOOD FRIEND @aepaex had a very special and important birthday this past Tuesday, and I finally finished this gift I was writing for her! I’m sorry it’s a little belated, but I really hope it’s still enjoyable, and I just have to say again HAPPY BELATED BDAY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Another day, another new and interesting place to explore. At least, that was Eva’s mindset when she and her entourage arrived at a new destination on a foreign planet. This time the city seemed to be a bustling hub for a variety of aliens to congregate and sell their wares, and Eva was already excited to see what this place had in store for them. Aikka had dropped she and Spirit off so they could head into the main part of the city while he found a place to dock G’dar. Spirit and Aikka were currently still her only two companions on this spontaneous journey, although she knew that in their free time Aikka was busy trying to coordinate meet ups so they could add a few more members to the group. What she didn’t know were the specific details of said plan in terms of where and when and who, but that was alright. Eva enjoyed a certain element of surprise in her travels across the cosmos, and as she strolled through the market stands that lined the streets she perused their wealth of alien wares with glee.

Spirit strolled close behind her, observing both the stands and the crowd around them. The atmosphere seemed unusually dense and chaotic, different from what Spirit had experienced in other crowded locales. Perhaps there was some underlying emotional disruption going on, or something that had happened that left an unpleasant impression on the area and its inhabitants. Spirit couldn’t put his finger on it, but he supposed that as long as nothing dangerous or disruptive happened it wasn’t a big deal. After all, he was here to enjoy whatever this place had to offer as much as Eva and Aikka. He was just as excited to discover what surprises the universe had in store throughout their interplanetary travels. Although he and Aikka had markedly more experience with such a thing than Eva, there were sectors of the universe that they’d both had yet to visit, and visiting with Eva always made things more interesting.

Eva was an experience in and of herself. Being around her enhanced experiences in a completely unique way; without her around, it was like the luster of life dulled just a little. She had helped Spirit start to see many things in new ways, something that he was deeply grateful for. Agreeing to partake in this journey across the galaxy with both Eva and Aikka, Spirit felt like perhaps he finally belonged somewhere.

Of course, he always felt like he had a place as a racer, but he didn’t have an abundance of close friends back on his home planet. Sometimes when he dwelled on the reality of his loneliness, he began to long to make more meaningful connections with other Phils and even other species of aliens in general. Considering how Phils typically looked, acted, and communicated, it was usually hard for them to reach out to species who had never heard of or experienced them firsthand. It was harder still to break down the barrier of misunderstanding and confusion without inducing more of those same feelings or even eliciting fear.

Speaking of fear, the uneasiness in the air only seemed to be growing, and its effects were really starting to weigh on Spirit. Eva didn’t seem to notice as she aimlessly wove through the crowd, holding Spirit’s hand as she chattered on about random things that she noticed or that drew her attention. Spirit thought that he had been doing an alright job of just commenting or replying to her when it felt appropriate to do so since their hands were connected, but as they made it to the center of the small trading area Eva turned around and grasped both of Spirit’s hands firmly.

“Something’s bothering you, what’s going on? You can tell me.”

Spirit was surprised by her sudden bluntness, his focus on trying to analyze the weird feeling inside him disrupted. He panicked a bit, realizing that in his distraction he’d probably let some of his less pleasant feelings bleed into her mind. He apologized quickly before attempting to change the subject, but Eva just tightened her grip on his hands, a frown forming on her lips.

“Don’t lie to me, you don’t have to,” she explained, drawing Spirit to a less crowded section of the square. “I know something’s up, and I don’t like being kept out of the loop. No matter what it is, I can handle it, and you can trust me. We’re in this together now anyway, aren’t we? So fill me in.”

Spirit didn’t necessarily like having to divulge information that might lead to further conflict, but to a point Eva was right. If there was something lurking that Spirit sensed, the courteous thing to do as someone who was invited to join her and the Nourasian Prince on their open ended expedition was to share his thoughts with her. Then again, despite how much Eva thought she knew, and how much she had already been through, there were still limits to where she was permitted to stick her nose. If Spirit could help it, he wouldn’t lead her further down a path to trouble. They’d all already had enough of that for a lifetime. But there was also a familiar presence in the mixture of conflict that Spirit sensed, and that tidbit of information came in strong and fast enough that he didn’t have time to mitigate the transfer of his thoughts.

“Aikka…something involving Aikka?” Eva asked, her expression shifting rapidly from confusion to worry to determination. “He’s in a fight with someone…where is he? What’s going on? When did this start, Spirit, you have to--”

Too many things were happening at once and Spirit yanked his hand away, not sure what course of action he wanted to take next. He was thoroughly disappointed in himself for not exercising more restraint, especially knowing the kind of impusliveness Eva was prone to, but none of that really mattered in the wake of what occurred next. Spirit and Eva’s eyes darted to the sky in unison as two great beetles rose up over the city. Flashes of light from clashing spells shooting from their backs intensified the midday light illuminating the streets. Eva and Spirit stood glued to the spot as they both realized Aikka was locked in some form of unexpected combat with another Nourasian, or at least another alien who happened to be riding the same kind of beast as G’dar and holding off Aikka’s attacks with similar magic.

“Spirit, c’mon, we have to help him!”

Spirit didn’t know what Eva meant, or how she thought they’d be able to do anything from their current position, but as she took his hand and started sprinting through the crowd her thoughts made everything known. Spirit somehow felt that her rash plan would turn out to be an acceptable course of action, and as the two burst forth into a clearing between buildings Spirit followed the lead that Eva had set out for him in his mind. Shifting forms, he morphed into his racing appearance, a large, silent, sleek body that startled and cleared out the rest of the lingering bystanders. Eva clamored onto his back quickly, and as soon as he felt her fingers secure in his fur he took off.

Eva had a small pistol strapped to her waist that was able to fire various types of alien ammunition, from bullets simply meant to stun to those of a more lethal variety. She loaded a flash generating round into the weapon as Spirit sliced through the air, cutting between the two warring aliens to break up their barrage of attacks. Aikka and G’dar staggered back, and Aikka’s eyes grew wide with surprise and relief at the sight of his friends. He knew he’d probably be in big trouble with them later for getting wrapped up in such a scuffle, but there would be plenty of time for explanations later.

“Aikka, get out of here!” Eva called as Spirit curved back around, coming to a stop between the two hovering aliens. He tried to get a good look at Aikka’s opponent and glean anything he could before either of them starting attacking again. “We’re causing too much of a scene, and there are too many civilians around to continue a battle here. Someone’s gonna get hurt if we don’t--”

“You’re the only one who’s gonna be getting hurt!”

Aikka’s opponent launched another magic attack, and Spirit barely reacted quickly enough to guard Eva from being struck. His wing hissed in the wake of the burn the attack inflicted on him, and Eva shot the explosive flash from her gun before placing her hand on Spirit and instructing him to retreat immediately. She gestured a similar signal to Aikka, shooting off a smoke grenade to give them some cover as the trio fled to a more safe, secluded area of the city. Although both G’dar and Spirit were considerably big and hard to miss as they soared across the city, Aikka was able to cast some magic that disguised their trail at least part of the way. As soon as they landed Eva slid off Spirit’s back, waiting for him to return to his bipedal form before both she and Aikka descended upon him to inspect his injury.

“Are you okay, is this going to be alright?” Eva rapidly inquired, her panic evident as Aikka placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down, he’s going to be alright. Let me take a look at it, I’m sure it’s nothing some magic and a bandage can’t fix.”

“I thought your magic was offense based?” Eva pointed out as the Prince took Spirit’s arm and examined it. The fur was slightly singed, but nothing major. Although Spirit flinched a bit, the pain wasn’t excruciating, and he knew that Aikka was speaking the truth. A quick medicinal treatment and some rest would have him back to normal in no time; in the meantime Eva was still frazzled and intent on getting as many answers about the situation she could.

“What was all that about?” she interrogated Aikka as he began chanting something over Spirit’s wound, a gentle blue glow appearing and pulsating around it. “Who was that, and why were you fighting, and are they gonna be able to track us, and--”

“It’s going to be alright, Eva,” Aikka reassured, smiling at her softly.

Spirit could feel the pain in his arm starting to ebb, the sensation turning to numbness as Aikka ceased his chanting. He fetched a bandage from his bag and wrapped the wound neatly, and Spirit thanked Aikka with a grateful nod. Although he was relieved to have his wound treated, Spirit was mildly concerned about the ways in which this injury would prevent him from shapeshifting. Hopefully their group would be able to procure some temporary transportation until he was fully recovered, since he wasn’t sure G’dar would do the trick. “It was just an unexpected scuffle. I don’t know who they are, and we might cross paths with them again, but this time I’ll be ready.”

“We’ll all be ready,” Eva added, placing a hand on Spirit’s good arm as she let her feelings of apology and sympathy flow to him. “I’m really sorry both of you got dragged into whatever that was. I think it would be best if we stayed somewhere outside the city tonight.”

Their journey had barely begun, and already the trio was starting to make unknown enemies. Spirit had a hunch, however, that if the assailant had very well been Nourasian, there was a deeper plot brewing beneath the surface. The universe had undoubtedly changed since the events of the Great Race of Oban, and forces beyond comprehension were still at work behind the scenes. Feelings, actions, and paths were all being manipulated to lead the survivors to a new destination, a new fate. Perhaps Aikka’s scuffle and Spirit’s injury were signs of the adversity that would follow them from now on. Either way, Spirit didn’t want himself or his friends to have to face such misfortune. Together, hopefully they would all be able to find a way to avoid such calamity. After all, they’d made it this far.