#Rafe Nightshade

[sothera]

As they continued to eat, both Brann and Soth passed the time in relative silence, leaving it to William and Joey to speak.

"Threw him to the ceiling?" William asked.

"Yeah, it was amazing, he's very strong." Joey answered.

"An adult man?" William asked.

"Yeah; you could tell they were talking, if you watched closely enough, but with all the catcalling, it was impossible to hear." Joey answered.

"Cat-Calling?" William asked.

"Insults; and yes, they were speaking to each other. Rafe was telling the other man what he was going to do next, in a way, it was artistic, every move plotted out in advance." Brann said, breaking his silence.

"You could hear them; I thought so!" Joey said.

Brann simply made a gesture towards his ears, "It's amazing how many people don't pick up on the obvious."

"So, it is fakery..." Soth finally broke his silence as well.

"It was 'performance', Soth, carefully crafted, by an artist of a.. different kind." Brann said.

"He's led a life very different from yours, and from the sound of things, had to please many different people, give him a chance." Brann said.

"That bit about avoiding his Handler is worrisome; what kind of person are they, that he actively wants to avoid them?" William wondered.

"I'm hoping it's just an overabundance of caution on their part; Rafe is valuable, all of Soth's people are valuable, but in this situation, he may be even more so." Brann said.

"Actually, she inherited the title..." a voice behind them said.

"Nice to meet you, finally, and for real. Name's Tait, and these are courtesy of.. well.. he has a few new names now.. The Blue Devil is the one that really steams his shirt collar though." Tait said, almost smiling. "VIP tickets for the rare exhibits, which you might find interesting. The scroll Rafe gave you allows front row seating for your friends."

"Thank you, Sir; you mentioned Rafe's Handler inherited that title, could you please explain?" Soth asked.

Tait looked at Soth, a little intimidated and a little fascinated at the same time... "You've the one.. the Pit Fighter.."

"Sothera Vidar, Sir.." Soth said, looking downward, "pleased to meet you."

"Call me 'Tait', Soth, 'Sir' is my dad, may he rest with The Gods." Tait said.

"Rafe's Handler inherited the title? How did that happen, Tait?" Soth asked.

"That was before my time; from what I understand, Regina inherited Rafe's contract when she gained possession of the circus after her dad died. No one stepped up to challenge her, and Rafe was responsible for getting a lot of people hired here, so he couldn't go back to The Board. I have to hand it to her; she kept the circus from going under, she's a wiz at math and finances, but..." Tait said, hesitatingly.

"But...?" Soth asked.

"She's...not right...in the head... Gods know she isn't slow, but, there's something in the eyes, or maybe I should say there's nothing behind the eyes...other than intelligence. People are afraid of what she might do, not because she's intimidating, but she would do it without thinking, no matter how many people it hurts." Tait said.

"So... she's without compassion, no feeling for others, as if other people have no substance other than to be there for her?" Joey asked.

"Yeah... she's a cool Frostnut; you could put an ice cube on her head and it wouldn't melt." Tait said.

"But people don't notice at first..." Joey continued.

Tait looked at the kid; there was as much mystery to him as there was to Soth.

"No; you gotta be around her for a while first." Tait answered.

"A psychopath... Rafe's Handler...is a psychopath...a high-functioning one, but a psychopath. No wonder he won't leave; Rafe is probably terrified of what would happen if he did, and I don't mean just firing everyone he got hired here." Joey's mind raced as he thought of the possibilities.

Noticing Joey's discomfort, Soth attempted to grip his arm, for comfort, unfortunately Soth missed, and his hand brushed against Joey's, which was of course bare skin...

Soth saw what a 'psychopath' was, or could be, through Joey's understanding...and actually gasped, pulling his hand back. He was young, but he'd seen much, felt much, fought against much, and he thought he'd seen, well, much...

Nothing prepared him for the type of person Joey's mind had conjured...was such a thing possible? Was it a disease? The Surface World had a name for it, so it must be real...

Soth looked at Joey now... "Is there a treatment? A drug? Anything?"

"As far as I know, no there isn't, known psychopaths are watched closely, but no amount of therapy can bring empathy to a person that doesn't have the mental ability to understand it." Joey said.

"Isn't there anything here? If anyone could bring empathy to a mind, surely it would be a Cleric or something like one." Joey said.

"We don't even have a word for the problem." Soth said.

"Maybe it's called something else here..." Joey said.

"Vala would be the only person we could ask." Brann said, "and I will have to write to her, she's on hiatus due to The Surge and the need to heal people."

"What?" Soth asked

"What we've been hearing on the wireless; it's worse than it sounds..." Brann answered, "but first things first, we have a circus to see and a battle to attend later." "Let's do that first; Rafe should have input, after we find a safe place, we'll sort it out."

Soth looked at Tait and smiled nervously, "Please give Rafe our thanks and we will see him soon."

"You bet; I'm glad we met, Soth, I hope we can all connect, and that you understand how.. sensitive.. this all is." Tait said.

"Can you come with us?" Soth asked.

"Id better get back to work; Regina has her eyes and ears everywhere." Tait said

"Enjoy the next few hours..." Tait said as he handed them the tickets and left.

Regina watched through her Scryglass; a handy, though expensive trinket. She could see the meeting between Tait and the strangers, but couldn't hear it, the Elf and his obviously Inductor companion were probably why...

Oh well...

I wonder what old Blue Boobs has in mind? Regina thought, as she continued to watch...

[katewibberlystan]

TBOB characters as flowers (AKA I did symbolism research and now I’m gonna make it everyone’s problem)

Kate: Lilies - These flowers symbolize sorrow and majesty.

Michael: Apple Blossoms - These flowers symbolize good fortune and hope.

Emma: Dandelions - These flowers symbolize youth and perseverance.

Gabriel: Gladiolus - These flowers symbolize strength and integrity.

Dr. Pym: Aloe - These flowers symbolize healing and superstition.

Wilamena: Light Pink Roses - These flowers symbolize grace and a passion for life.

Rafe: Nightshade - These flowers symbolize danger and mystery.

[thecameronchronicles]

The Debt~Part Twelve: Finale!

TW: Language. Extreme violence. Extreme Angst. Extreme Domestic Violence. Half fluff, half smut. I do not own any characters but ask that you do not publish this fanfiction without my permission on any other platform. Please and thank you. 

SUMMARY: A game of survival changes you and Rafe’s fate indefinitely…

WORD COUNT: 4700

The Debt: Part Twelve

Ward Cameron was the epitome of a Machiavellian. Polished and sleek with his graying hair and peroxide smile, he was innocuous and even charming upon first introductions. Hell, you thought so yourself when you first met him and even when coming to his office on occasion to see your mother. But behind the overpriced clothes and accompanying cologne of equal vulgar pricing, he was anything but harmless. 

Of course, he hid this well behind his self-made pedigree in eloquence and bribes masked as donations. But you have come to learn him well. Specifically knowledgeable that being alone in a room with him would prove fatal. Deadly nightshade incarnate, a devil waiting to claim dominance over what he believed to be fragile. But of those who had rivaled him in his past, none were quite like you. After all, if you were able to handle Rafe, as even he seemed exasperated to remain a father to his son, what was he but a mere obstacle to your happiness as you had Rafe practically on his knees for you. 

“I was hoping to get a minute alone with you…” Your eyes had already surveyed every possible escape route by the time these words lingered in the air. But from the distance from you to either the side door leading back into the party or the window at your back, the obstacles of locks made you well aware it would result in your swift imprisonment. Instead, you decided to buy time until Pope would return. 

“Oh?” You fought the urge to tell him to go to hell or flip him off as your finger began to inflate in his direction at the thought, but managed to keep it at bay when thinking of not only your safety but that of Rafe and the pogues if your intentions were to be uncovered. Yet as he began to round the desk, fingertips tracing a pristine and well organized counter, you had no choice but to counter him, or risk being too close for comfort. 

“I wanted to apologize…” He now rested before his own laptop, still wearing the hacked files courtesy of you and Pope having worked as a team. As your eyes peripherally scanned the door while also keeping half attention on him, you watched as his conniving smile developed behind his beard. 

“But THEN I recognized a few faces that had no business being here…and realized you are FAR more cunning than I thought-” Well aware any attempt to remain polite or indifferent would only delay the inevitable, you set towards the door with enough speed to blur the space around you in a swiftness that was simply not quick enough. With a hand to your neck to keep you quiet, you were taken just beside the door, teasingly with your fingertips able to brush the knob as you tried it. 

“I truly underestimated you…” His words, slick with a guttural timbre informing you of his inappropriate interest in you, you turned away as he forced you to stare at him. For a moment, you were driven to think of how Rafe must have felt in his most primitive years, looking at this man, as he saw him as an idol, treating him with such hatred. It was the thought of Rafe and the life you wanted to give him away from his father that kept you fighting for your freedom. 

Grunting and squirming in an attempt to break free, he would only laugh at you, well aware your greatest attempts to break free were unrivaled to his effortless strength against you. Much like Rafe, you were powerless, but unlike your husband, you weren’t willing now like you would have been with him. 

“Did you really think a few files would have changed anything?” He scoffed. 

“I paid my debt to you-” His brows rose as if genuinely surprised by your words. 

“Your MOTHER was the one who held the debt to me. HER debt was to get Rafe off my hands by convincing you to marry him. But YOUR debt…” His eyes trailed down your body, enough to understand his most sadistic of intentions via his wandering gaze. 

“YOUR debt is to ME-I own you-” As he managed to let down his guard just enough to be unaware of your lingering fingers, you happened upon a heavy book, using it to hit him beside the head and move towards the door. But just as you pulled it open, managing to squeal for help, muffled by the music and chatter nearby, you were apprehended once again. Now, taken back to the desk by the back of your neck. 

“Son of a bitch! Get off of me! Asshole!” You ridiculed as he drug you through your fight, dodging your kicks and claws, until he had you over the desk. 

“I’ve wanted you since the first moment you stepped into my office looking for your mom…” He bent down over your back, your body chilled into stone to his words. 

“Luckily for me, your mom was a little too greedy and gave me JUST what I needed to keep you close…” His fingers pulled your dress to expose your lack of panties as he growled. 

“I take it my son is responsible?” He chuckled, the sound of his belt sending your fingers in a frenzy over the desk. But with the only things nearby either too heavy to lift or completely useless, you were left at God’s will and his mercy alone. 

“Fuck. You-” You clenched, not wanting to beg or plead as you knew this would only inflate his ego that much more, make his victory that much sweeter. If he intended to take you by force, you weren’t going to make it enjoyable for him. 

The sound of his zipper coming down made your eyes close tightly for just a moment before a miracle happened by a sudden shift made by you and his lust leaving him capturing you with only one hand. A mere inch allowed you to take hold of a small statue on his desk, lighter than how it first appeared, but heavy enough to do damage, as you used quick succession to strike him down. The cling of the metal to his face validated the impact as you didn’t dare to look back and just charged for the door. Yet he was resilient as the cockroach he was synonymous to, grasping at your ankle and sending your head to collide with the table off center of the room, disorienting you enough to keep you from fleeing immediately. Yet the feeling of his body weighing you down charged your adrenaline enough to endorse you once again, but now with him straddling you flat. 

“I WAS going to be gentle…But we both know how you like it rough, don’t we?” He was maniacal, his hands slipping to the top part of your dress, your hands lodged beneath his thighs in the specific way he held you. Lifting your legs as high to his back as you could to try and knee yourself free, he only grinned wider before ripping your dress apart. Exposing you to him, the cold air like ice to your skin. Without the ability to free yourself, you had one last action in your repertoire. 

“Nothing to say?” He teased, the sudden spray of your saliva cast up to him in disgust as he lifted his hand to wipe it, allowing you the space needed to thrust upwards and knock him to the side. But this only made him amused. 

“You’ll never get away with this, Ward. If you do anything to me, Rafe will-”

“My son is too afraid of everything to ACT on it. He’d still be using training wheels if I hadn’t torn him off when he was four…You should be thanking me. I made him who he was…Without me, he’s-”

“He IS the way he is without you! You abandoned him and abused him-”

“I had to correct him! I had to show him it was wrong…” Something dark altered Ward’s amusement into deception. 

“Much like I have to show you…” Suddenly his fingers came around your throat, squeezing hard enough with a steady strength that increased as if enjoying the thrill of watching you strain. Your knees began to flail in desperation, choking on air you desperately needed, as your eyes began to flutter with the tease of life leaving your gaze. The claw marks made, the desperate swallows, the pleading in your eyes did nothing but motivated him to silence you…permanently. 

What you believed to be the fingers of death having taken mercy on your asphyxia, the choking sensation came to a cessation. But once you were able to adjust your gaze to your surroundings, your hands immediately assessing the damage to your neck that was more visible to those nearby than yourself, you realized that it was not divine intervention that kept you alive, but Rafe. He held Ward by the collar of his shirt, using his knuckles as his outlet for years of abuse and neglect brought to this moment. 

“Rafe?” You choked, voice made raspy by Ward’s attempts to claim your life, you found how your pleas, even hushed by the blunt force of your husband’s, continued contact of knuckles to jaw, did nothing but motivate him to continue. 

“You think you can have anything just because you want it?! You think you can touch HER?! You’re fucking dead!” Reving up to project another blow, you would catch onto his arm out of the desperation of needing hsi support. You couldn’t care less if Ward had brain damage or internal bleeding, you just wanted the comfort of the one person you could truly rely on. The irony that this had been Rafe Cameron, a man you hated not even three months ago, was not lost on you. But you damned the red flags to hell. You were too dizzy, too achy, and too emotional to listen to anything but the pulling of your skin yearning for him in a way beyond sex. 

“Rafe…Please…” You began to sob, tears realigning his motivations as he pulled his father closer to him. 

“You so much as look at her again…I’ll fucking kill you.” He released his dad before moving over to you, finding how it was difficult for you to stand. 

“We have to go…” You pleaded, voice remaining weak and consciousness fleeting from the mix of trauma, both physical and mental, from the last handful of minutes that felt like an eternity. But Rafe looked back to his father, who was groaning, but otherwise immobile. 

“Come on, baby…” Rafe swept your arm over his shoulder, using his effortless strength to lead you to the door, where he reached to grant you the peace of an exit, before Ward spoke at your back. 

“You’re dead already. Both of you.” He uttered behind a gurgling sound caused by blood gathered in his mouth. As Rafe moved to retaliate, you trembled within his arms. 

“Please, Rafe…” Your pleas, tears, and shudders convinced him where your words would have otherwise gone ignored. He nodded rather slowly, as if thinking of an alternative, before opening the door to find Sarah on the other side of the threshold. You were half prepared to rev your own punch in her direction if she were to try and stop you. But when she made note of your wounds, Rafe’s knuckles, and the genuine look of fear over her brother’s face-which was a first for her, she seemed to understand. 

“Go…” She surprised you both as you looked to Rafe, finding him matching your bewilderment to his sister. 

“GO!” She said again, urging you to leave, as you were taken out of a side exit. But before you were able to cross from the interior of the house unaffected by Ward’s selfishness, possibly even reveling in what he had to offer, you collapsed from your wounds and your anxieties. Rafe took you within his arms, head against his shoulder and legs collected over his forearm, before taking you to his truck. 

“Oh my God!” Kiara exclaimed. 

“What the hell happened?” John B added as you were taken to the aforementioned rendezvous spot, set within the passenger side of his truck, your eyes fighting to remain pried. But to their continued questions, Rafe only seemed to grow more heated. 

“YOU were supposed to make sure he didn’t touch her! I trusted you because SHE did! Won’t be making that mistake again!” He explained through clenched teeth. 

“Rafe…” You muttered, well aware the true culprit was lying bloody within his office, not before the both of you. 

“Fucking pogues…Good for nothings-” 

“Stop it…” You pleaded, moving back out of the car. 

“It’s WARD not…not th-them…” Suddenly everything became too heavy and your head was a victim to this affected equilibrium. Before you could correct your stance or fight for a remaining consciousness, gravity pulled you to her greedy grasp. The last thing you would hear was your name spoken in a worried unison before feeling a familiar hold capture you just before you would have been one with the grass. 

When you awoke, your eyes took a moment to adjust to the room illuminated solely by the moonlight shone in through gently parted curtains. It was enough to understand you were in one of the more secluded rooms within The Chateau as it was safe away from Ward and his reach-possibly the only place to claim such a title as he wasn’t aware it even existed. At least from what you knew. 

But your thoughts quickly left the pending arrival of your father-in-law as your eyes made out a figure on the side of the bed. You knew the silhouette well.

“Rafe?” But you found that your acknowledgement of him only seemed to anger him as he was on his feet, turned away from you, and now standing before the window. Struggling to stand, you did so slowly, before moving towards him, your fingers running over his shoulders to try and ease what you believed to be guilt of his misplaced anger. 

“Rafe…”

“Don’t!” He charged, revealing through his words that he had been crying due to the sniffle and sudden beads of tears made luminescent by the moonlight. 

“Don’t tell me you’re fine. Don’t tell me it’s okay-because it’s not! It-I just-Fuck!” His hand came to a small collection of unimportant and discarded bottles now forced to the floor by this sudden outlet. 

“But I am-”

“Bullshit! I did this to you!” Your expression lifted into pity at how having you both endured this and he still blamed only himself. The idea pained you in a way you could only feel for someone you loved. And you knew, baggage, pain, anger issues and all, you loved Rafe with a passion that could leave you certifiable. But at least you had him…You just wanted him to see that-to know that. 

“If I would have just left it alone-left YOU alone, you wouldn’t be bleeding-”

“You wouldn’t be either…” You added. But in your attempt to nurse him with your kindness, he pushed you away. 

“Stop-” He shrugged you off. 

“Rafe! I had one night of Ward-you’ve had an entire lifetime of it-”

“And you wouldn’t have HAD to if not for me! He’s right, okay! I can’t do anything for you! I can’t provide for you! I can’t BE anything but a let down to you-” You couldn’t stomach how he spoke of himself and then decided to silence him with a kiss. But once allowing you this momentary connection for just that, a moment, he retreated. 

“Please, Rafe…” You begged. “I need to feel you…” You urged, desperate to replace the memory of Ward’s touch with Rafe’s. You needed the familiarity, the distraction, even the confusing peace it brought to you. 

“Please…” You begged again, fingers running through his hair as he spoke your name behind a troubled exhale. He was hesitant for a time, eyeing you as if trying to understand the truth behind your words. When he didn’t move, you kissed him again. Only this time, he would pull back completely. 

“I won’t fuck you like this…” His words pulled your lips apart in objection. It wasn’t even about the sex for you. It was about the comfort offered by his embrace and his touch alone. You needed to relish in it. But instead, came the softness of his hands to your cheeks, brushing away tears you weren’t aware had even fallen. 

“I’m going to make love to you…” The words, almost vulgar from lips usually cruel, sent him into you until you were against the bed. 

Fingers slowly pulling apart what remained of your dress, he kissed your lips for only a moment before moving that same kiss to your neck. Without the need of words to do so, it was as if he attempted to alter any pain you felt on your skin to that of his lips for his own consumption as he focused only on your wounds. The pressure was soft, but still left your skin on fire from how his care radiated behind this. Possession exchanged for passion as his lips, his tongue, his touch, all rivaled what you previously knew of him. But as always, he knew exactly what you needed without you having to ask, even without you understanding it yourself. 

“Let me love you…yeah?” You nodded slowly as his hands cascaded your curves, leaving you in only your bra as he claimed your panties earlier that day, a time before the trauma and the pain. But as always, he managed to manifest it into a lust that grew more amorous with each exchange. 

“Lay back…” He guided you onto the bed, assisting you until you were comfortable, as he lowered to the foot of the comforter. Taking your legs over his shoulders, he silently kissed the seam of your thigh, the feeling of his tears on your skin somehow intensifying beyond what his tongue or fingers could-but he remained steadfast to try. 

Your eyes erupted in a series of flutters to the stripe made with his tongue, slow in savoring you. He remained this way, tasting you, drawing away your troubles with the perfect unison of tongues and fingertips delving into you until his knuckles extended to that curve to your g-spot. Toes curling behind his back, your body responded quickly to his attempts. 

“Rafe…” You breathed. “Need to feel you inside-” He suddenly withdrew his lips, your eyes finding his usual smirk when he rose from you this way now absent from his face, but now present with a gloss left from you having dripped on him. 

“This is about you tonight, baby girl. All you.” He returned to your center, making your body shudder how he elongated his tongue inside of you, between you, curled his fingers-did everything you didn't know you needed. In what was usually rough, even painful, was now blissful, attentive, and completely selfless. Soft breaths against your thighs, French kisses to your clit, and fingers bringing you to pulsate and writhe, pulling you to that cusp of desperation. 

“Rafe! Fuck!” You squealed. “I need you-” You pleaded, pulling at his hair. Only this time, he would hover over you, shifting the bed behind you to his movements. Dismantling his belt as you pulled apart his dress shirt, still stained with blood, ignoring how the sight dampened you that much more to know the lengths he would go to protect you. 

The once harsh grip on your jaw was present more in guidance than possession as he turned your head to expose your neck to him. One soft kiss sent chills through every nerve recently on fire. 

“Nobody will ever touch you again. I promise you, baby…Only me…” You nodded, finding his lips through the darkness while his fingers pulled your hands above your head. Holding them softly yet firmly in place with one hand, he used his other to continue undressing himself until he could release his quivering erection to you. Just as you had never known kindness like this from Rafe, he had never experienced it with someone else. He had never cared to before you. But you made him want to. You made him want to care. 

“Uhh-Ah!” You winced for a moment, never quite prepared for his girth, as his hand wrapped around your mouth. 

“I don’t want anyone to stop this…Not until you’re satisfied.” Your eyes came into a roll. You managed to get a hint of that cold and possessive man you had come to love as he continued his thrusts, moving slow and deep, wanting to learn your body once again. This time, proving to himself that he could be just this way-just for you. 

“Fuck-” He clenched his jaw, his body tightening to how eagerly you responded to him. His nails lifting your hips to meet him, your breathing only endorsing his motions, your fingers leaving lines of evidence to how thoroughly he moved within you. It was as if he used each thrust as an apology and for this, you wanted him to be eternally sorry. 

“I’m-” You warned, the way he played with your clit having brought you to this edge, tears brimming in your eyes at the feeling. He nodded, your internal spasms having informed him in unison to your confession. 

“Cum-cum for me, baby.” He breathed low into your ear, your body arching beneath him as he followed your high, “Mine…You’re mine-MINE!” He spoke possession in every synonym available as you nodded, mouths parted in a reflection of one another, as he joined your orgasm to you having agreed by mouthing ‘yours’. 

But as you would usually find yourself abandoned in a cold sweat customary for your afterglow of being with Rafe, you were instead pulled into his chest, where he kept you as a promise of his protecting you, returning you against him for every time you attempted to readjust. 

You would awake that next morning to the deafening screech of the front screen door driving you to wrap yourself in Rafe’s dress shirt and witness the origin for such a noise. 

“Sarah?” You quickly eyed the space behind her. “Is Ward with you?”

“Of course not.” Her eyes fell in pity for a moment and then became swallowed in guilt. “Wheezie saw what happened…She…I’m not saying I agree with my brother or even your methods…but my dad can't get away with this. And…I think you’ve been good for Rafe…” To this, your heart lightened. Even more so as she produced a flashdrive between her fingers. 

“This is what you need to take him down.” Rafe suddenly emerged from behind you, having heard the conversation since she arrived as he sensed your abandoning of him. Sarah continued as she saw him. 

“You deserve to have a life. And maybe getting away from dad will be what you need.” She directed this towards Rafe. “But once you do this, you have to be sure…” She extended the drive to you. 

“Are you sure?” You looked up to Rafe, who seemed conflicted, his hand coming around your hips to pull you into him. 

“Absolutely.” He finally answered. 

“Then let’s take the bastard down-” JJ suddenly added, revealing the core pogues made awake by your conversation. 

“P-4-L?” Pope questioned as Kiara rolled her eyes, setting her hand in the infantile joining of hands. 

��To freedom?” Kiara added.

“To answers…” John B scoffed. 

“To second chances…” Sarah’s eyes fell to John B as her words held a double meaning of hope. 

“Of making things right…”” Rafe now looked at you. 

“To us.” You finalized. “Kooks and pogues alike.” 

“I think we should smoke on it-” JJ broke the otherwise awkward silence left by the ascension of hands joining in victory, even if celebrated early. 

“That’s your answer for everything…” Kiara said with an eye roll. 

“And it hasn’t steered me wrong yet-”

The group joined together once more, suddenly made friends by a mutual enemy who would learn just how devoted you were to your task. 

SIX MONTHS LATER

“Rafe?” You questioned, joining him at the fire ablaze in victory of the verdict passed down by the judge earlier that day. 

Ward Cameron found guilty on accounts of murder, embezzlement, attempted murder-the list was endless. But the smoking gun came from Big John’s return to the living, having been hiding due to Ward all of this time. With his difficult to dispute, your and your mother’s testimony, and those he had wronged in the past that couldn’t wait to help lock him away, the jury decided within record time that the once picture perfect patriarch was guilty. But as so many celebrated this victory, you couldn’t help but feel guilty to join in their happiness when seeing how it affected the man you loved. 

“Rafe?” You called his name again as he took his fingers to your waist until you sat over his lap. 

“Drink?” You offered kindly as he accepted it. This was how it had been the last several weeks. He was always quiet, but always in need of you. During the day, he had to have his hands on you, and at night, he proved his love in the soft possession of what it meant to truly belong to one another as lovers. 

“Are you okay?” You asked now as he shrugged. “You know, you can talk to me about it…''You explained, hands traveling down his back and returning upwards to comfort him with this caress. 

“I just…” He let out a sigh. 

“It’s okay…to be sad…” His eyes shot up in confusion. 

“I’m not…I’m not sad, baby…I’m just trying to figure out…how to pay you back…” Now you looked at him in misunderstanding. 

“Pay me back?” You laughed behind the echo of his words. 

“I’m free. YOU made that happen. Baby, I haven’t done a line since we’ve been married-and the one time I tried, you…” You smiled in remembering how that moment had ended. He cocked his jaw for a moment before continuing. 

“You saved me…Your hard head and stubbornness…YOU…” He shook his head, the realization hitting you both of how extraordinary you found how something so pure could come from two hearts once so tainted. His hand rose to your cheek. 

“That’s ALL I need baby…You and me…” He supplied a gentle kiss to your lips. “Now…do YOU want me to get YOU a drink? You’ve been waiting on me for the last hour…” To this, your face illuminated. 

“Actually…I can’t…”

“I forgot…You’ve been feeling sick…I thought it was because of the trial…Do you feel ANY better now that it’s over?”He asked, completely compassionate. 

“No…I mean…Yeah…I think I’ll feel a LOT better in about seven months…” His face pulled back in uncertainty.

“Nine months? What do you-” The realization behind his eyes sent him to his feet. “Are you serious? You’re-” Everyone now looked at you, the news heard due to his reaction. 

“I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure. Sarah and I went to the doctor this morning-” Before you could continue your explanation, you were swept in his arms and spun before being landed back on your soles. His hand then moved to your stomach as he apologized, relief and hope having returned to his eyes. For the first time, a bliss that didn’t come from sex or deviance. This was from love. 

“I for one think that ‘pogue’ is a VERY good name for a baby-” JJ added, pulling a blunt from his lips. 

“OR JJ, I’m not picky-” Kiara took the blunt from his lips, extinguishing it and berating him for even smoking around you.You rolled your eyes to their banter, hoping one day they would swallow their pride and cross that line and know the happiness you had with Rafe. But as the group began to playfully argue over names for your unborn child, Rafe leaned in to you, forehead set against yours. 

“I love you…” Words you once rejected at just the thought once upon a time, now brought peace that you weren’t even aware you needed. But they were spoken in repetition from this day forward, proven every night, and never left to question. Your hearts indebted to each other for having saved one another. Undeniable and passionate-sometimes too intense to handle without going a little crazy. But that was what it was like to love Rafe. And as you loved Rafe, he loved you twice as much…

THE END

Taglist: @hopebaker

[yesshinypizzastudentthings-blog]

Halston Heritage Sleeveless Strappy Satin Cocktail Dress, Black

Details

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Imported of Japanese material.

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[sothera]

"I don't think that would be a good idea; not in here, at least." Brann said.

"I know, I just have this urge to listen, like I'm supposed to hear something, but I'm not." Soth answered.

"He could be trying to call out to you; if you want, you could try to find a quiet place outside, and try there." Brann suggested.

"A good idea; I think I'll try that." Soth said, getting to his feet.

"Want me to come with you?" William asked.

"Or me?" Joey asked.

"No; thank you both, but I would like to meet him alone the first time." Soth answered.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of you being alone with him; I'd like to meet him first. We have no idea what kind of person he is, only that he is one of your kind." William said.

"And all of my kind... are not 'kind'..." Soth said.

William chose his words carefully...

"We have no idea what kind of situation we're actually in here; just that there is a member of your race that works here, and they may be suffering abuse, at least psychological abuse, but nothing else."

"Either way, we have to know, and after his.. communication.. with Joey, I don't think he's hostile, in fact, quite the opposite." Soth said.

"They're in the Eastern Food Area; one of the servers saw them sitting and talking, the kid looked like he wanted to go outside, said something about wanting to be barefoot." Tait said.

"He must have sensed me calling out to him; the flooring there is lacquered wood, and he had shoes on." Rafe said.

Rafe had the note ready; it had been with him since he made contact with the kid with the odd eyeglasses.. Joey?.. and hadn't left him since. He hadn't seen another of his kind in years; this boy.. Soth.. would be a breath of fresh air.

Of course, Soth had questions; some of them doubtless uncomfortable, the Bikrum being among them. Rafe had been through the Bikrum.. five times.. and would go through it many more times..

As would Soth..

Did he know? Had the Elf told him? Is that why the Elf was looking so hard for someone, to relieve him of the burden?

Then, there was Regina, proving that we all have our burdens. Everything that had to do with this place had to revolve around her, one way or another. She would have to be kept out of the loop until Rafe found a way to inform her that she couldn't use for leverage.

Rafe made it to the Food Area, and there they were... time to shine. Rafe put on his best smile as he approached them.

"Fair Day to all of you! Welcome to the Rainbow Salamander Circus! I trust your midday meal was satisfactory? " Rafe asked as he stopped by their table.

"You.." Joey said.

"Yes, young Sir, my name is Rafe, and I'm pleased to meet you." Rafe said, winking at Joey...

Those glasses...

Rafe finally turned his attention to Soth.

"And of course, you need no introduction, young man, Sothera Vidar, I'm honored to shake your hand, Sir..."

Soth stood up, Rafe took his hand.. and made contact..

"Hello Soth; yes, it's me, I'm sorry to meet you like this, but to meet you at all.. it's been so long.. please be patient for a little longer, I will do my best to answer all of your questions, but we have to do it in a way that doesn't attract the attention of my Handler. I have a small home nearby; hopefully, you can meet me there after my shift ends tonight. Please say you will meet me there."

Soth simply nodded...

"And you, Sir Knight, Mr. Stetman, correct?" Rafe asked out loud.

"Yes?" William asked.

"I have a special invitation for you; you've no doubt heard about our Wild Man, I have here a special request for you to meet him, in The Cage this very night, to demonstrate your prowess in battle." Rafe said.

"I'm not sure; I've heard this Wild Man is quite the warrior, despite his wild nature, and very strong." William said.

"Tut!" Rafe said, "I have a very good feeling that you will prevail; brute force can take one far in battle, but finesse will often take one much farther... I strongly hope.. even suggest.. that you try your luck." Rafe said.

"Very well, challenge accepted!" William said.

Finally, Rafe turned his attention to Brann, and said, in perfect Elvish..

"Greetings, friend, yes, it's me, the brute from the cage. I'm pleased you and your friends are here; I will help Soth with any questions he has, and I will be his friend, and all of yours. I know you have your reasons for not telling Soth what he wants to know, and they are your business, but know that I have my reasons for certain choices too. I look forward to seeing you all tonight; I trust you know the place."

Brann responded in Elvish..

"Yes, I recall it well, Rafe, you are quite the performer. I've waited years for someone from Soth's race to befriend him, but that moment never came. I've actively searched as well with no results. Just as I was going to go to the Board to request someone, I heard about you. Hopefully, we can solve each other's problems, or at least lessen them a little."

"Hopefully.." Rafe said, switching back to Common, and handing William an elaborate piece of parchment.

"See you all soon." Rafe said, "enjoy your meal, on The House."

Rafe then looked at Soth, smiled and nodded, and left... for now.

[sothera]

Was it possible to feel hopeful and fearful at the same time?

Rafe wondered this as he got out of bed; not much in the way of sleep went on, but he had time to think, time to get ready.

And there was a lot to get ready for...

He had to cut a deal of some kind with Regina; Jeff's presence made things easier for him personally, and a Hellbeast capable of speaking Common would be quite the attraction. It also meant that he wouldn't have to slip away from the Circus to Hunt, and possibly get caught by the League.

As long as he could keep Jeff healthy and well fed, Rafe could feed from Jeff for years, possibly centuries, without endangering either of them. No more feeding from old, drugged up Kobolds, which supplied Rafe what he needed, but left him fuzzy headed and dizzy.

And also compliant, which is what Regina liked. Yes; diplomacy will be needed here. If I lose Jeff, I lose my only way to Feed without attracting outside attention, and she loses a potential money maker for the circus...

But Jeff gains his freedom, or at least a better existence than he has here, with people that would care for him. She also gets me under control again, or at least too fuzzy to fight with her.

I could offer to do something for her; something else, another character maybe, in exchange for Jeff's transfer to a Preserve. Although what that might be, Rafe didn't know.

He approached Regina's office; Tait of course was already up, working hard, Tait would be... around, he always was if he thought Rafe was going to have a hard time.

No avoiding it... Rafe went in...

"That took long enough..."

Regina sat at her desk, giving him the usual look from the eyes, lingering on the chest, then .. down further .. then back to the eyes.

If he'd been alone with a normal woman, Rafe would either have been flattered, (and red as a fire berry) or embarrassed (and red as a fire berry), but .. Regina wasn't normal. No; Regina and normal had parted ways long ago, if they ever walked together at all. Rafe noticed it when she was still a little girl; she never giggled, never spoke unless she had a question, never played with the other kids, just her and her pops. Rafe enjoyed Nicaris, and had been devastated at his death. Regina's mom, Devanna, had died giving birth to her daughter, and Nic had taken to her like a worshipper to a Goddess, and had never spoken about his daughter, or the .. other things she did .. quietly, out of sight.

Rafe remembered...

Rafe actually slammed the main pole into the ground, causing it to make a loud 'WHUMMM!', vibrating it to the point of shattering...

Looking back, he wished he had...

He ran to his old friend's side...

"I'm sorry, Rafe; you must be Godsdamn tired of hearing that from people..." Nic said on his Last Day.

"It's okay, Nic; you rest now, Dev's waitin' on you, you know how she gets when you're late.." Rafe was in tears now.

For a brief moment, Rafe considered giving Nic The Gift, but...

"No, Rafe, please don't, I'm old; I'm at the point where life itself... hurts... so... please... don't." Nic said.

Rafe felt something in his chest actually crack; just as it did the day they found him near death, gripping Brandol to him... pumping the last of his strength into him...

It had been useless then, it would be useless now.

"It's all hers now... all of it... how could I have been so blind... Gods... Rafe, she's your new Handler now... " Nic said, appalled.

"It's okay..." Rafe said, tears going down both cheeks, "you and Devanna need to talk."

Nicaris looked up at Rafe, "Gods, you're beautiful, outside and in, why didn't I notice that before?"

And those were Nicaris's last words...

There was complete and utter silence...

Except for one voice...

"Wow, he really was delirious, how could he think you are beautiful, you're half naked, you're all sweaty, and you stink!" Regina said.

Complete and utter silence again... for all the wrong reasons...

At last, the Legate spoke up, finally finding her voice, "Perhaps we should discuss transfer of ownership and burial proceedings now, Miss Porter."

Rafe exhaled...

"Sorry, had to make myself beautiful." Rafe said, snapping back to the present.

"Yeah; I can see you put real effort into it." Regina said, noting the outfit.

"I know you like to keep an eye on my... runes." Rafe said.

"That's a good way to say it; and since you brought it up." Regina said, pointing at the tank top and snapping her fingers.

Rafe sighed...and started pulling it off...

"There we go; gotta love that view." Regina said.

"It really is too bad you're half-demon; if you weren't, we could have a great time." Regina said, studying the sigils on Rafe to see how they changed.

Nothing happened: Regina changed her tactic...

She ran her hand across Rafe's chest; he sighed inwardly, wondering if Regina ever bothered to read at least one paragraph about Rafe's kind, Gods know her dad did, somewhere, there was a shelf full of books on Inductors... they disappeared after Nic's death, had the Legate taken them?

Her hand touched his skin...

One word .. at least at first ..

Over and over again...

Mine.. mine.. minemineminemineminemineminemineminemineminemine

Rafe's head started to pound; mostly due to the effort it took to block Regina's possessive thought out.

"You know, Regina...I can be 'yours'...that way, too." Rafe smiled as he caused the muscles in his pectoral area to striate under her hand.

Most people found it impressive, he showed Jayce how to do it once his... experience... with Soketh began to... manifest... Jayce had no shortage of dates afterwards.

"We just have to make a Formal Request for Unapproved Intercourse at the Board of Inductors; you know how it is, we can't have my kind spreading through Humanity willy-nilly, no pun intended. We just have to get the potion and the appropriate Protection, and we can go at it like bunnies in snow time..." Rafe said, as deadpan as possible.

Regina dropped her hand... mission accomplished.

"I think I'll stick to real men..." Regina said with a half smile, half sneer.

"Your buddy Tait for example...nice eyes, he fills out that shirt well, and while he might not be able to hold the main pole one handed, but his own pole..." Regina began...

"I'll let him know you're interested; I'm sure he'll be as thrilled to know as I was." Rafe said, smiling.

Rafe sensed Regina's intense frustration; she wanted to slap him, but knew enough to know that abuse of a Charge (which is what he was under the Contract) was enough to break the Contract, sending him back to the Board and leaving her without a star attraction.

Rafe also knew there were other ways Regina could live in his head, rent-free... best to get submissive before she thought of any.

Rafe took her hand in his; this time putting it on his shoulder. He started striating again; the entire chest this time...

"There are some advantages to... new experiences... monsters like myself can bring a kind of strength and endurance to the game that no Pureblood human could ever hope to.." Rafe began, as he slowly slid Regina's hand back to his chest...then stopped, disgusted.

Janice... 💔🥺

"Enough... No more Dragonpucky, what's it gonna take, Regina, to keep Jeff alive and your busy mitts off my friends? Naked backflips? Shirtless birthday parties? What will it take?" Rafe asked, as he awkwardly pulled away from her.

Regina seemed to come out of some kind of trance...

"I'll let you know; come back later..." she said, walking to her desk and sitting there, as if gathering her thoughts.

Rafe remembered why his kind... the males... had the ability to striate (ripple) their muscles that way.. it was twofold.. to attract a mate, a hopefully forever love.. and..

To attract more intelligent, more humanoid Prey, long, long ago...

Rafe's shame in doing that, even to Regina, was overwhelming. He double quicked it to the door, putting his tank top back on as he left.

Tait was outside, taking an extended look at the ground, waiting for him.

"Yeah... definitely gonna plant some grass here." He said to no one in particular....

He saw Rafe just standing there...

"You okay? How'd it go?" Tait asked.

"Let's call this one a draw..." Rafe said, suddenly reaching out and hugging Tait, lifting him off his feet in the process.

"Sorry, it's just..." Rafe began.

"It's okay; I feel like I need to take a bath in alcohol whenever I talk to her too." Tait said.

"I've got good news; they're here, I saw them!" Tait said, smiling.

"You did? How many?" Rafe was actually shaking...

"Four; the Elf, the skinny kid with the funny specs, a Knight with fire red hair, and the kid... or at least he looks like a kid, through the face. He gives off that vibe .." Tait said.

"What vibe?" Rafe asked.

"Like standing next to an amp before a big blast of sound comes out of it, that 'whummm' noise, too close to the generator, power lines after a rain storm... " Tait said.

"I get it." Rafe said, "was he friendly?"

"Seemed to be; polite at the very least, keeps calling everyone "Sir" and "Ma'am" even the laborers." Tait said.

"Seems like a nice kid, though..."

"Did you get the full name?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah; it was on the Guest Registry, 'Sothera Vidar' as I recall." Tait answered.

"VIDAR?!" Rafe repeated.

"Yeah, I made sure, why?" Tait asked.

"He's a Pit Fighter, he actually..." Rafe said

"Kills them, for a living, in the caverns?" Tait said. "He seems like such a nice kid..."

"He is a nice kid...he's just...young, and has questions, give him a chance, Tait." Rafe said.

"Sure; as long as you're around." Tait said.

"I'm gonna try something." Rafe said, removing his sandals, he planted his feet on the ground and exhaled...

Soth... Sothera Vidar... This is Rafe... Rafe Nightshade... Can you hear me?... You have questions...So do I...I look forward to meeting you... All of you.

Soth and his friends arrived in Umber, and there it was...

"I thought Ringling Brothers™ was big; believe it or not, this place gets bigger up close." Joey said.

"This is where he lives..." Soth said, trying to take it all in.

"Best of the Dawn to you, Sir." Soth continued as a dark haired young workman scooted past him, with some papers.

"Uh... Hiya..." the workman said as he scooted by.

"I guess we should go in; we can get some grub, get to know the place." William said.

"Well see him soon, Soth, I have tickets." Brann promised.

"Good...yes, let's eat, find a place to sit, I have the strangest urge..." Soth said.

"To do what?" Brann asked.

"To go barefoot; like I do in the caves." Soth said.

[sothera]

"You've seen him; spoken to him?" Soth asked.

"Yes; it wasn't so much a conversation, but we did communicate." Joey said.

After helping Varko, Soth and William returned to Brann's new house, and were waiting for them when they returned.

"While he was in the cage, he touched the back of my hand, we sort of... connected. He spoke to me." Joey said.

"In the cage?" Soth asked, "they keep him caged, like an animal?"

"No; not all the time, I think that's an act, I think they have him doing a lot of things behind the scenes." Joey said.

"So he's used like a workhorse?" Soth asked.

"No... I think he works hard, but he looked healthy." Joey said.

"Okay..." Soth said.

"At least he's not in any immediate danger, and he's being treated reasonably, if not ideally." William said.

"He...is expecting us... you... Soth." Joey said. "It was hard to leave him; more than anything else, I think he is desperately lonely."

"We should go... now... tonight..." Soth said.

"No... it's after closing time, we'll go tomorrow, about the same time, you can see him in action then." Brann said. "Let him rest, Soth, so that he can prepare and do what he has to do."

He's coming... here... tomorrow... Rafe thought as he sat on his bed.

He checked on Jeff before going to his quarters, and found him fast asleep. He walked Tait to his own little room; Umber was the main location for the circus, and he was glad to be "home".

"You wanna flop with me tonight? I have the spare bed in the other room." Rafe asked.

Tait turned red, "Nah, I'm okay here, gotta get up early tomorrow anyway... unless..."

"No, it's good, I'd probably keep you up anyway, good night, bud." Rafe said.

"'Night..." Tait said.

One of my own kind... my own people... it's been so long. Rafe thought.

Rafe was as close to happy as he had been in a long time...

How long would it last, with Regina breathing down his neck.

[sothera]

"Ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you remain calm and quiet, make no quick, jerky movements, and please, try to avoid eye contact..." the barker said.

She's laying it on a bit thick, even for her...Rafe thought, knowing immediately who wrote that dialogue...

"you've been selected due to your discretion and your discerning taste..." the barker continued.

"Odd; I thought it was due to the fact that I shelled out ten extra gold..." Brann said.

Joey snorted quietly...

"We found a brave, strong warrior tonight, one that might go the distance with our Wild Man; give him a quick, quiet round of applause." the barker said.

There was a brief quick sound of clapping before the lights came up and showed the man in the cage.

"Uhh...Tait?" came a familiar voice from the back of the cage, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah?" Tait asked, doing the same.

"Did you have your hair done?" the voice asked.

"No...maybe..." Tait admitted.

"Did they trim your eyebrows?" the voice asked.

"Yeah..." Tait admitted.

"You wanna make fun of me some more, or do you want to get this over with?" Tait asked.

They were interrupted by the barker...

"And now, without further diversion...The Wild Man..."

Rafe kept the makeup to a minimum; just some on the cheek and the arms, he tensed up and the lighting did the rest...

Tait started immediately...he managed to land several punches to Rafe's gut in quick succession.

"Regina had a look at 'Jeff'; they even talked to each other...she knows he's been here a while, she knows you feel responsible for him...she knows you care about what happens to him... Gods, hitting you is like hitting the pavement..can we be done now?" Tate said.

"Almost..." Rafe said, "this is the part that kinda hurts, we haven't found a way to pad the bars yet, I'm gonna bounce you off the rails right behind you, ready?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah..." Tait said.

Rafe knocked Tait's hands away and flung him into the bars directly behind him.

"Uhh.." Tait said as he impacted and dropped to his knees.

The crowd was not happy...

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

"Abomination!"

"You okay?" Rafe asked as he grabbed Tait and very gently lifted him up.

"Yeah, just smarts a little." Tait answered.

"Okay, this part is easier, but looks a lot more dramatic, remember to groan when you get up there..." Rafe began...and then, he noticed them...

They'd been quiet when the other people were catcalling him...the Elf was one thing...

The boy...

Those spectacles...

Were they... Bakelite™?

"Uhh...Rafe?... Getting kinda dizzy up here." Tait said.

"Oh, Gods, sorry, yeah, Jayce managed to put an air mattress on that corner under the straw; I'm gonna land you there." Rafe said.

"Ready?" Rafe asked.

"Guess we'll find out..." Tait answered.

"Just remember to lay it on thick when you get there." Rafe said.

"Whoops Da Babyee!" Rafe whispered as he tossed Tait to the cage's top overhang.

"Ahhh!" Tait said as he flew through the air and onto the air mattress.

"Uhh...Uhh.. Argh...I...am... finished..." Tait said dramatically.

Rafe avoided rolling his eyes.

"Oh...just a minute short...too bad. Well, his gold gets added to the prize chest, any takers?" the barker asked.

The crowd was silent...

"Okay, ladies and gents, get your ComGems ready, it's picture time, single file and not too close, okay?" the barker said.

"Not me..."

"Hells no..."

"I'm not going anywhere near that freak!"

The crowd filed out quickly...all but one woman. Getting next to the cage, she took the equivalent of a selfie, and started talking to the barker.

"Hi, my name's Nora, Nora Mitchell..." she said.

Mitchell... Lizbeth's...mom? Rafe wondered.

"Just a few questions...his kind usually fight demons, shouldn't he be out doing that?" Nora asked.

"Not my call, lady..." the barker answered.

Nora looked towards Joey and Brann, then nodded toward Rafe...

"My turn..." Joey said.

The kid's coming; time to ham it up. Rafe thought.

Joey approached the cage; it felt like it had taken forever just to get this close, and there wasn't much time left before he and Brann had to get back...the sigils had changed again...

"Look; I know half of this is just an act, but I can read...I mean, I saw the poster, I know you are not happy here."

Rafe stared at him impassively...

"Sorrow, regret, despair...help... that's what your sigils said in the poster. I'm going to guess you don't want to talk out loud." Joey said, looking at the barker in the distance that...Nora?...was distracting.

"Here's how we'll do this... blink once for yes, twice for no, okay?" Joey asked.

Blink...

"Are you going to hurt yourself?" Joey asked.

Blink...Blink...

"Do you want to leave?" Joey asked.

Blink...

Then a pause...

Blink...Blink...

"I see...some friends of mine will be coming here tomorrow; one of them is... like you...one of your kind. He's young, and he has questions, questions we hope you can answer. Are you willing?" Joey asked.

Blink...

Then... something else...

Rafe touched the back of Joey's hand, very gently...

So soon? Please come back tomorrow, I will do my best for you and your friend, but please come back...🥺

Joey could feel the ache in his own Soul....

"I will...WE will..." Joey said.

He really didn't want to leave, but he had to get the others here...

Joey collected Brann, who was talking with Nora and the barker...and they all left, Joey taking one last look as he did so.

Rafe sighed as he watched them go...

"Uhh, sorry, but, how do I get down from here?" came a voice.

Tait...

"Just jump; I'll catch you." Rafe said.

"That was kinda fun..." Tait said.

"How much did you hear?" Rafe asked.

"Enough..." Tait answered.

"Think you can slip them a note tomorrow?" Rafe asked.

"If you don't write it, I will..." Tait answered.

"It's after dark; Regina can wait." Rafe said.

"For now..." Tait said.

[sothera]

Mingle, listen, help, move on...

Mingle, listen, help, move on...

Mingle, listen, help, move on...

Rafe had been doing this for over half a century; not long after.... Janice... when he was still staying away from the prying eyes of the Inductor Board. Janice had met her future... human... husband. Rafe knew it was time to leave; an actual marriage would have been impossible, and even if it wasn't, Janice deserved someone who could share the years with her... experience time with her...

...grow old with her...

Rafe felt the years, at least in his...Soul...but his body remained unchanged...

... Janice deserved more...

Mingle, listen, help, move on... and snap out of it...

So far, Rafe had managed to defuse two in line squabbles, a fight a few moments away from fisticuffs, and quietly get a lunch for a woman about a minute away from passing out. He sent her to the job wagon, wondering if he'd done her a favor or not.

Then, there were the brush ups...

...and he didn't mean the makeup...

...Damn this shirt anyway...

If it had been a proper shirt, with proper sleeves, it wouldn't be a problem...but since it wasn't...

"Woe..."

"Solid..."

"Gods..."

"Wonder how much it would cost to have him..."

"He can plant a pole under my Big Top anytime..."

It wasn't the words; Rafe learned to block them out long ago.

It was the feeling... the intent behind them.

That was impossible to ignore.

Then, he heard it...

"Daddy...? Dad?"

It was a little girl, and she was nearby...and worried. Not scared, not yet, just worried.

Rafe saw her...

Old enough to have a basic conversation, but young enough to not be let out of sight...who in their right mind...

Then, it happened...

What would it be like..to have a little girl..not a boy...you could dress her up in cute dresses...get her little shoes... take her to museums... Rafe thought.

Gods, snap out of it!

"Hi!, I'm Rafe, welcome to the Rainbow Salamander Cirus, did you lose something?" Rafe asked, careful not to lean over her.

The little girl looked up at Rafe...

"My goodness!" She exclaimed.

Rafe gasped and smiled at her, hoping he could keep her calm and not intimidated by his.. size...damn this shirt anyway Rafe thought.

Then, he came up with it...

"You lost your goodness?" "Woe!, that's not good!" "Where were you when you discovered you were no longer good?" Rafe asked.

"No silly, my dad!" She said.

"You lost your dad too?" "Do you think he might be with your goodness?" Rafe asked.

"No, I just lost my dad, he was going to get in line to get a ticket for that Wild Man guy." She said, pointing at one of the many posters on every blank space nearby. The one Rafe disliked most (naturally) with him chained up in the forest.

'Guard Dog' indeed...Rafe thought... The poster was cheap, even by Regina's standards...

Rafe wondered what she'd think when she looked closely enough at it to realize he'd left his ComGem on 😇?

What is it they say...Win Little Victories?...

"Let's go find your pops..." Rafe said, "maybe we can find your goodness on the way."

"I still have my goodness, I just need my dad!" the girl said, looking up at him.

"How about a free dragonback ride while we look?" Rafe asked, hoisting her up to his shoulders.

"Okay..." she answered.

"What's your name?" Rafe asked.

"Lisbeth... Lisbeth Mitchell..." She answered.

"Okay, Lisbeth, let's go!" Rafe said, running just fast enough to make her feel like she was moving fast.

Lisbeth tried not to giggle...

"Do you see your dad or your goodness yet?" Rafe asked.

"Yeah, there's dad, and I still have my goodness." Lizbeth said. She pointed to a man in the crowd.

"There you are!" the man said.

Rafe crouched and put Lizbeth gently on the ground...

"Daddy!" Lizbeth said as she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Sir, I'm Jeb, Jeb Mitchell." Jeb said.

"Rafe Nightshade: I work here, your daughter was very brave." Rafe said.

"I don't know how I lost her; I was trying to get a ticket to see the Wild Man, you know, The Blue Reaper, and I just...lost her." Jeb said.

"That happens sometimes," Rafe said, "we think we lose something, but we still really have it, or we look down for it and realize it's gone."

Jeb looked at Rafe; an odd thing for someone his age to say...

Rafe smiled, "kinda like goodness; you never really lose it if you had it at one point, you just forget it's there...but...just look in the eyes...if you look hard enough, you'll see it."

Lizbeth smiled at him as he smiled at her...

...with his blue eyes...

...and his blue hair...

She'd noticed it when she was on his shoulders; funny color...

She looked at the poster...and then at Rafe... her eyes widened.

Jeb's eyes followed Lizbeth's....he drew the same conclusion.

Rafe realized they'd put two and two together...

"Well, I'd better get back to work, you know how bosses can be, especially if you don't live up to their expectations." Rafe said.

"Yeah..." Jeb said.

Jeb held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Nightshade."

They made contact...

...We won't say a word...be happy...

Rafe smiled..."Maybe we'll see each other again one day: I hope so..."

Jeb and Lizbeth nodded...

"Bye..." Lizbeth said.

"Take care..." Jeb said.

As they drove home in silence, Jeb turned on the newfangled wireless in the car, another Kadiri concoction; nothing like big, wooden monolith that also played records in their house, but a tiny thing with just basic controls. It didn't produce the rich, deep sound their wireless at home did, but it came on instantly, and was good enough.

Best of the nightfall to all our listeners; here is the news in brief. A large upsurge in creature encounters has been reported across the region, continent wide. The problem has come to the attention of the Great Council, which is considering the use of the UKDF as a deterrent. This is the first time in decades the Defense Force has been used in such a manner.Its hoped that the upcoming drop in temperature at year's end will force the monsters back into their caves. More on that later; right now, let's enjoy the music of Squeaky Madison and his orchestra, brought to you in glorious high fidelity sound, courtesy of Kadiri Technology...

Jeb turned the wireless off, "If I hear that name one more time..."

"We're almost home, dad." Lizbeth said.

"Good." Jeb said.

"What do we do?" Lisbeth asked.

"What we always do; we talk to mom, she just joined this Foundation her mom's friend created just before she passed..." Jeb said.

"Yeah, she has a card it's..." Lisbeth suddenly paused.

"It's what?" Jeb asked.

"It's..The Nightshade Foundation..." Lisbeth said.

"Well, come morning, it will have a new member." Jeb said.

A few years later, when she was old enough, Lisbeth also joined; when she had children of her own, so did they, and by that time, The Foundation had grown, and would not be ignored....

[sothera]

A little girl...what would that be like...

According to the Learned Ones, we..I can't father a female child, which is why we need to use surrogacy to continue our race...

This began The Great Indenture...our way of life changed, our culture subsumed into Humanity, for the greater good, for continuance of our kind...

Warrior, Defender, Guard, Protector, Advisor, Builder, Artisan, Inventor...

From the time he was able to walk upright, Rafe had these concepts drilled into his mind. His first ten years he'd spent with the Learned Ones...learning...how he was "gifted"...

Great strength, great agility, great resiliency...

And the horrible price he and his kind paid for such "gifts"...The Need...The Drive...The Draining Embrace...

Most people knew it simply as The Hunger...

As a boy, Rafe found these things hard to imagine; aside from his hair, he didn't feel any different...when his lessons were done, he even played with the Pureblood children of some of the staff.

Most of them were older than he, but they were kind; almost like they'd been told by their parents in advance to be nice to him...

Which, of course, they had been...

Or was it fear; fear that he would....look them up one day and....

No... No... Please Gods...no...

He wondered what happened to them, after all these years. Many of them would've passed away by now, seventy years was a long time for them.

Back to the present...back to work, old boy... Rafe thought as he left the front end of the tent to get to a place where he could wash up. He had to get the 'pancake' off so he could apply the dark stuff...

The Wild Man was due for a show tonight...

Rafe looked around...there it was... still warm too...thanks, Tait...

I gotta do something for this guy...Rafe thought as he dipped the towel in the water and got down to business.

Rafe washed, wiped and rubbed, then did it again, this stuff was built to stay where it was, which was a good thing most of the time...

Done...

Yeah..there you are... Rafe thought as he looked at the Shaqarava in the mirror... I'm gonna need you later, red of course.

As Rafe finished and found a good spot to dump the water, he noticed a note attached to the back of the bucket, away from prying eyes.

Hey...

Hope the water was still warm.

I'm gonna be your first victim tonight. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, ya little scrawny punk...

I put the routine I'm gonna use here.

We need to talk...

Regina knows...

See you tonight...

Big T

P.S.; please don't squish me, I brought you a towel and everything.

Rafe would have to vary the usual routine; Tait wasn't trained on how things went in The Cage. He must think it's important or he wouldn't have switched with Jayce. Tait was athletic enough; Rafe would have to be careful though. Hopefully, Jayce had briefed him on how to land the right way...now Rafe would have to pick a place to land him. Several air mats had been discreetly hidden in the cage; Rafe would pick the best one...

Meanwhile...

Of all the ways he'd thought they'd get there, this was not one of them...not that he minded, of course...

Joey had seen old movies; he'd even been to a 'vintage' car show once, with his dad. Maybe it was just him, maybe not, but people back then, they built things, they made them with, well, if not blood, then definitely sweat and tears...

...and it showed...

It wasn't just the machines; the houses, the buildings, even the clothes, there was a gloss, a sheen, an elegance that just wasn't there anymore...it was made...with hope...

That turned out well, didn't it☹️?

"Not that I mind; this is just...cool...but why not just..." Joey asked.

"Most cities and towns have Wards that prevent it, and have for centuries. You don't want an invading army, not to mention a thief, just popping in whenever they like." Brann said.

"We didn't have any trouble getting to yours..." Joey said.

"My house is registered as belonging to a Wizard; we can get to certain locations in or near the house itself, but no farther." Brann said.

"That makes sense..." Joey said.

"Once we're outside the city wall, we can Jump home." Brann said.

"We should get back before Soth and William get home, then." Joey said.

"Do you mind if I turn on the wireless?" the driver asked.

"Please do!" Joey said, curious...

That concludes our noon briefing on The Upsurge; check back after nightfall for our evening session, where we'll discuss the decision to bring in the UKMF to help defeat The Demonic Menace, stay tuned. Now, for the soothing voice of Hetty Lightstone, brought to you in glorious high fidelity sound, courtesy of Kadiri Technology.

"Ah...I missed it, oh well, there's always tonight." the driver said.

Joey noticed the 'wireless'; it looked like it had been added recently, and wasn't part of the car when it had been built. Also, the radio came on the second the driver turned it on... meaning...

"Transistors..." Joey said...and now that he thought about it..."no crank either"... Joey recalled Ryder talking about Soth mentioning both.

"Yeah, that's what the guy at the installation place called it, a transistor radio, and this car is brand new, I sure don't miss the crank, not one bit." the driver said.

From vacuum tubes to transistors in, what, less than six months? It took us decades; the Kadiris were moving fast... Joey thought.

He would have to keep a closer eye on the Kadiris; Soth kept mentioning.... Bryson?....

Yes, it would be wise to keep checking on them, maybe have a little talk with Mitzi too.

"We're here..." Brann said, as the car slowed down...