Blood from Stone | 6.1

     The dim light from a swinging lantern lit the way through the rain. It bobbed violently as it’s carrier jogged, holding a large broken door above a pair of heads to keep them dry. The only other thing that brightened the surroundings was the occasional lightning flash.

It was a morning that was hard to tell had ever come since the heavy rain kept the sun from reaching the earth.

     Stone stopped in front of an open doorway, standing to the side to allow Kelso in before her. The Vima wasted no time dashing inside, shaking her head from side to side to rid herself of the rain that had reached her even under the makeshift umbrella of a broken door. Stone followed closely, lowering the soaking door to lean against the wall. She shook a bit as well, for the first time becoming very aware of the fact she had a tail.

     “I’m not used to that strength yet,” the great fish-cat chuckled under her breath, turning to look at the fins on her tail. She gave the appendage another little shake. “Or that, to be perfectly honest.”

     Kelso turned to face her, giving the larger woman a sad sort of smile. The change in the former experiment was painfully obvious since the last round. Sure she could speak now, but it had felt almost as if the knowledge of her human life had erased everything else. The vima shook her head, turning the other way to bend in half and release the ahuizotl she’d been carrying in her arms.

     Huey snorted, an action that caused his entire head to shake so strongly his front paws briefly lifted from the ground, before scampering over towards a window. He didn’t seem to mind the rain splashing in on his head from the open sill. That wasn’t very surprising considering he lived in the swamps before following the contestants to the plaza.

     Behind her, Stone moved to lift the lantern to a cavity in the wall, which still had a torch in it even if it looked like it was beginning to grow moss. Instead of lighting when the lantern was held to it, the torch began to glow with a faint blue light. A dozen more along the walls followed suit, flickering to life in a circle around the room’s perimeter until it came back to where the pair stood.

     A big, empty room, that appeared to be a dilapidated indoor tlachtli stadium greeted them. It was in disrepair, but the roof was solid enough to keep the floor dry. For the most part. Any larger holes seemed to be blocked off with dense foliage that hung down to the ground. Perfect for a morning work-out during a thunderstorm. Kelso wasn’t sure they had much time, but anything would be better to help calm and focus Stone after the last night. It had been… a lot.

     “I think we should just do some centering motions today,” Kelso finally turned, placing her hands on her hips.

     Stone raised a brow, shrugging as she replied, “I’m down for whatever you think is best.”

     The pair stretched in silence before starting, Stone following Kelso’s lead. Kelso began with a static pose, looking to one side with her arms raised to be parallel with the ground. After a few moments of holding the pose she began to move as if in slow motion. Stone did her best to follow, waiting until the last moment to move her head to match Kelso’s pose.

     “Oh, I get it! Like Tai-chi!” Stone blurted out with a wide smile after a few more pose changes. Kelso looked at her, quirking her head to one side. Stone pursed her lips in thought, “It’s, hmmm, it’s basically this.” She offered with a shrug.

     “I’m sorry for my behavior yesterday,” Stone said quietly as they returned to their motions.

Kelso moved with her. Outside the rain had not stopped. The Vima looked at Stone from the corner of her eye, still leading the slow motions the pair were doing.

     “Y’know, when you were trying to teach me some battle moves. I may have ah… gotten a bit carried away?”

     Kelso snorted, smiling a bit. “I was hardly complaining.”

     “Still,” Stone laughed under her breath as they moved onto another pose.

     The pair fell into silence again as Kelso continued to lead them in measured motions. Outside the storm raged on, thunder cracking overhead. Huey’s snores from the corner of the room would have been obvious had the rain outside not been so loud.

     Oxalide had remained in their sleeping space. The topic of the memory guardian was the elephant in the room.

     Stone followed along for a bit longer before stepping forward, shaking her hands out and rolling her shoulders. “I’m sorry I can’t-” her voice trailed briefly, “I know the point of these stretches is to focus, or calm down or whatever-”

     “It’s fine,” Kelso stepped forward, placing a hand on Stone’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure what to say. Didn’t know if there was a right thing to say. It took a moment for her to settle on saying, “You… have a lot on your plate.”

     Stone raised her hands, crossing them over her chest as if hugging herself while making sure to cover Kelso’s hand where it rested on her arm. The Vima’s ears drooped a bit, though she made sure to keep a smile on her face in case Stone could see her from the corner of her eyes. Her eyes dropped to where her hand was now held against Stone’s shoulder when she felt the woman begin to shake.

     “What am I supposed to do Kelso? She’s… She’s so far gone,” Stone’s voice faltered as she sniffed harshly through her nose, causing her snout to wrinkle. “The water isn’t supposed to heal things, it was just supposed to stop her from getting worse.”

     The vima looked up to see tears welling in the other’s eyes. She had to admit it hurt her heart a bit. Kelso swallowed, feeling like she had a sour taste in her mouth. It wasn’t even Stone’s sadness that hurt, it was the jealous thought in the back of her head that Stone wouldn’t be so upset if Kelso were in Oxalide’s place. It was a bad thought, and a bad feeling. Of course she’d care as much…

     Except, wasn’t Kelso in a similar position? She, and everyone else Stone had surpassed, had come for a reason. Though, from what she’d learned working with Stone as she moved on, the water wouldn’t really have been a help to herself. She already had an unaging body, it was just her fatigue she had wanted to cure. She raised her free hand, rubbing the sole of her palm over her eye and half of her face.

     She stopped with a small jolt. Stone apologizing for before, was she…?

     Kelso gently pulled her hand away, causing Stone to sniffle a bit as she turned to look at the vima more directly. It was the vima’s turn to hug her arms around herself, face turned down at an angle to watch the floor to her left.

     “Evie, hm?” Kelso half-laughed, half-scoffed. This wasn’t the time for her to be acting like this, but she was having a hard time reeling herself in after everything. She hurt more than she realized. Something about it all made her feel like she’d been used. Here for support with no thought on what toll it might take on her. “That was from even before your life at that company, where the Doctor works. The pair of you must be soulmates then?”

     Stone stood a little straighter, taken aback by the shift of tone. “Yeah, I mean… I guess? Evie was my name in my most recent life too but… The story Sadie had fake you tell me about the Stone nickname was true too. I guess that’s why I wound up attaching myself to it so much?” Stone spoke, turning to bring a hand to gently reach for one of Kelso’s elbows. “Kelso is… is everything okay?”

     Kelso pulled back, withdrawing in on herself. Her eyes shot up to meet Stone’s from under creased brows and snapped, “You are aware I also came for the water, are you not?”

     “Wh-yeah of course,” Stone stumbled over her words, taken aback. Had she ever seen Kelso so angry? Stone wasn’t sure the vima had even scowled so much when they had fought.

     “Lide isn’t the only one suffering!” Kelso shouted, hugging her arms closer in on herself. The outburst woke Huey, who barked once before realizing who had woken him and curled over himself to go back to sleep. “So many of us have come here and failed what we meant to do! It’s just you! You get to have a chance at the water and you don’t even want it...” her voice trailed off into silence. “Maybe-”

     “Is this about Zol?”

     Kelso’s head jerked up to meet Stone’s eyes again. “Zol?!”

     “Yeah, they really pissed you off when I got back yesterday.” Stone said. Her words were very gentle for the tone that had just been used against her. She was kind as ever, Kelso scoffed again, turning her eyes to the ground. Stone wanted to pull her into a hug more than anything, barely managing to contain herself as she continued, “Why did you come here Kelso?”

     “Because…” it took the vima a moment to find the words. Words she already knew were the truth but it still hurt to admit. “Because I’m supposed to be a guardian, and I failed.

     “I was supposed to protect them. The other vima. I left to find an old god that would be able to help me do my job better. And they granted that for me. A new form, a youthful body, even better senses.” Kelso huffed, a bittersweet laugh. “But in the end I left them. I do not know what happened, I wasn’t even gone very long!

     “When I returned the village was decimated. No one survived. I should not have left them. I should have…” Kelso’s voice grew weak once more. She moved her hands to look at her palms, as if seeing something that wasn’t there. She felt as though she had blood on her hands.

     “Died with them?”

     Stone’s words hung in the air between them. Outside thunder crashed. They remained where they were, some few feet apart, the only sound was the rain. Slowly, ever so slowly, Kelso raised her head to look at Stone. An unspoken question visible on her features.

     “I know you weren’t the only guardian. You trained to be one, so there must have been more. If something was strong enough to take out your entire village, don’t you think being there would have just meant your own death as well?” The fish-cats words were stern, but somehow comforting. “You’re brave, so brave. And strong. But, you’re still just one you. I think that’s putting a lot of burden on a single person to think it was their singular fault an entire village couldn’t be saved.”

     Kelso looked up at her, tears building in her eyes. How did it even come to this? She was out of practice with conversations. A weak chuckle escaped her lips as she wiped the back of her hands against both of her eyes.

     “It is very strange,” the vima paused to take a deep breath. She closed her eyes and her ears folded back as she did so. Orange eyes seemed a bit clearer when they reopened to meet Stone’s. “To hear you speak so eloquently.”

     “Not bad though, I hope.” Stone replied, a barely there smile on her lips. “I don’t think you’ve failed as a guardian, you just have a different choice to make now. You don’t have to abandon your people, but do you really want to let it consume you entirely? Zol doesn’t know what they’re talking about, you’re a wonderful guardian you just don’t have anything to guard right now.”

     “It was not about Zol.” Kelso offered quietly, almost so quietly Stone didn’t hear her. “It was about me.”

     The fish-cat’s ears laid back as she ducked her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”

     “It was about me. My outburst. I don’t-” She cut herself off with a harsh breath, huffing the air out audibly. “It has been a long time since I’ve been around others. Longer still since I’ve… hrm… had any dealings of the heart.” Kelso faltered again, pointedly looking at her feet. “It is not the time for me to feel this way, but I cannot help but think… Were I the one in such dire peril that you wouldn’t be as affected.”

     Stone’s eyes widened as her eyebrows lifted. Though her tears had dried, she could feel the path they’d taken down her cheeks crack at the movement. She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her mouth as she worked to piece together the parts.

     “Are you mocking me?” Kelso asked, obviously aghast at the fish-cat’s reaction.

     “No! I mean, I guess kinda. I’m not mocking, but I am laughing.” Stone spoke in one long breath, chuckling inwardly as she inhaled. “Kelsooo, do you have a crush on me?”

     “What?! No! Absolutely not!” the vima instinctively threw up a defensive wall as she tried to back-track. Her hair and tail were floofed. Stone found that almost unbearably adorable.

     Stone stepped forward, closing the small gap that had grown between them as she reached to take one of Kelso’s hands in her own. “Y’know, it’s been a while for me too.”

     She didn’t miss how Kelso stiffened at the implication.

     “I think there’s probably a million people who would say I was being greedy, or something. Maybe I am. All I know is that of course I would care just as much if it were you. Even without the whole ‘dealings of the heart’.” Stone shook her head with a soft laugh. “What are we, teenagers?” She inhaled, a laugh still lingering on her breath as she lifted Kelso’s gaze to her own with a finger hooked under the vima’s chin.

     “Even if Evie and Oxalide are soulmates, I love you too. Just as much.” She paused a moment before tacking on. “Too soon?”

     Whether Kelso thought it was too soon or not wasn’t answered. Instead the shorter woman did a little leap, wrapping her arms around Stone’s neck to catch her in a kiss. It seemed like the right thing to do. As expected, the fish-cat was ready to catch her.

     “Ugh, ew gross get a room.” A bird-like caw interrupted. “Found ‘em!”

     Stone felt a little tug at her head fin. Kelso half-growled into their kiss, quickly tucking her nose down to press her face into the larger woman’s shoulder. The fish-cat hugged her close still, keeping the guardian’s toes off the floor, as she turned from the kiss to see a little shadowy dragon swoop away from her to land near Huey.

     The shade wasted no time in harassing the little ahuizotl awake with a playful yank to his hand tipped tail. Huey snapped awake, barking as he hopped to his feet to face his attacker. Sadie just cackled, hopping back out of the way before taking off again. This time with Huey close on her tail.

     “Oh thank stars,” another familiar voice replied, walking in from the storm absolutely drenched. Kinsey shook himself off as best as he could, larger ears flopping comically around his head as he did so. He looked up in time to see Kelso gently sliding back to the floor, Stone still holding an arm around her. He wrinkled his nose at the display. “Ugh, okay, see I thought Forte was just being nasty before but you two are definitely up to something aren’t you?”

     “You’re back!” Stone perked up, looking behind Kinsey expectantly.

     The kurri’s features fell, his eyes darting to the side. “Uh, yeah. Just me.”

     Kelso wheezed, finding herself drawn closer into Stone’s side as the fish-cat tensed up. “IS FORTE DEAD?!”

     “What? No!” Kinsey rushed, raising his hands as if he felt Stone was about to charge him.

     “He’s just not feeling well. He refused to go to the infirmary, but he did make me make him a stupid nest in the viewing room. Couldn’t just deal with the nest he had. Not that he could go to the other nest anyway in this weather but I’m also pretty sure it’s probably been knocked down.”

     Kinsey scrunched up his face, realizing that he was getting distracted. He was only here because he was doing a favor for Forte anyway. He didn’t need to stick around. His eyes drifted up to Stone, whispering worriedly to Kelso, she could really speak now huh? What had happened last round?

     “Anyway,” He cleared his throat, “Your friend asked me to fix this for you before your last round. Course we weren’t friends, aren’t friends. But like, you’re friends with Forte and I’m trying to be nicer.” The kurri huffed, reaching in his satchel, pulling out something black and tossing it at Stone. “Whatever.”

     Stone put one hand up. She definitely didn’t catch the item, moreso she blocked it from hitting her in the face. Kelso reached out with both hands instead, catching the device as it began to fall to the ground instead. The vima picked it up, in one hand, holding it so they could both look.

     “Your earpiece!” Kelso exclaimed.

     Stone picked it up, turning it over in her hand before looking back to Kinsey. “You… fixed it?”

     “I mean. Kinda. Tech wasn’t really my specialty but I managed to work with-” He stopped suddenly, looking under his arms. A doorlet had appeared at his left side, blinking as it turned it’s singular red eye up to look at him. “Okay, yeah- I managed to work with Cal and Cuah to kinda… merge it with magic? It’s short distance, but I have it on good authority it’ll be good enough for what you’re gonna be doing. It’s linked to the viewing pool. If someone viewing speaks you’ll hear it in your headset.”

     Stone and Kelso looked from Kinsey to the doorlet. They’d never seen one speak, but listening to the kurri you’d think they could. A dramatic wheeze-whine filled the room as Huey finally gave up chasing Sadie, instead collapsing at the doorlet’s front feet. His panting was accentuated by sad whining, Sadie flitted lightly over to settle herself on the kurri’s back half. She seemed proud of herself. The doorlet, Cal, looked down to it’s paws, raising one stubby leg to pat at the ahuizotl’s head.

     The scene distracted all three of them only for a moment. Stone looked up, closing the earpiece in her hand. “Thanks, Science Man.”’

     “Whatever,” he said again, turning to look at the wall as he folded his hands over his chest.

The rain was the only sound aside from Huey’s continuing whining, until a voice pierced through the storm.

     “He-’Ey y’all!” a blocky figure stepped into the doorframe, forcing Kinsey and the rest to step further in to make room. The bust-a-bout’s accent characteristic enough to recognize even without seeing who spoke the words. “Check this out!”

     Ritzy came into the light of the room, lifting a giant hand palm-up in front of herself. “I was just walkin’ aroun’ an’ this magic thing appeared!”

     Sure enough, the bust-a-bout was encircled by a dim blue light. It was brightest just above her, fading to be almost entirely translucent until it reached the ground, where it glowed faintly in a circle around her feet. As she moved her arm up the circle expanded with her, never allowing her outside of its radius.

     “I dunno what it is, but it’s th’first time I been able to be in the rain without gettin’ hurt!” the young competitor’s smile broadened, it looked like if she smiled any more her head might split in half. Literally. It was a little unsettling.

     The room fell into a strange silence. Not quite uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either. Kinsey for one did not hide his obvious unease at the smile, his nose wrinkling in a grimace.

     “Anyhow! Zol sent me out to find you guys!” Ritzy continued, just as Stone was getting ready to speak. “How lucky that yer all in the one place! Come on then.”

     The bust-a-bout waved an arm to follow her, marching back out into the rain. The other’s all shared a look, knowing exactly what this was about. The final round. Kinsey followed silently, the doorlet he called Cal close on his tail. Kelso ducked a bit, patting her knees to beckon Huey. The ahuizotl came over obediently but didn’t hop up into the guardian’s arms. Instead he stood, looking pathetically up at her until Kelso sighed and leaned over further to pick the soggy creature up.

     Stone smiled as the Vima chided the little creature under her breath. Heaving the broken door above her head once more, and picking up the lantern that was still burning she and Kelso made their way into the storm once more. The blue flames in the deteriorating gymnasium flickered once before fading to darkness.