Searching
Fandom: Original
Summary: The world of Torpin is open, dragging in xeni from other worlds. The majority of them are monsters, prone to violence. There are some, however, that are not, and are able to live amongst the human population, if allowed to. Marland should know; he's one of them. His job is to hunt and stop the xeni that seek only to destroy what's around them. On one job, a human xeno drops through a portal, an event which Marland has never heard of happening before. And that's not the only thing different about the human...
Rating: M
Notes: Swearing. When is there never any swearing in this? *snerk*
*stares* Is this going to end up over 100k? :O
Ahaha. Awkward conversation is awkward. X3
Bleh. Transitions are bad here. Or, just all of the pacing. D:
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 2,032
Total word count: 85,416
Status: Work in Progress
Dinnow continued to fiddle with his sandwich, his eyes not keeping still. "…Are you all right?"
"Yeah…" Marland felt awkward not stepping into the kitchen, keeping most of his body hidden behind the wall, but he knew he'd feel too exposed if he went in properly.
"What do - is there anything you need?"
"…Chocolate." He could get food later.
"Oh, okay." Dinnow glanced at the fridge in the corner. "We got some last night."
Neither of them moved.
Marland softly growled to himself. This was getting stupid. He turned his head away and sighed before he made his way into the kitchen, keeping Dinnow in his peripheral vision.
Dinnow didn't move, but he did tense. That was all though.
Keeping his ears pointed behind him, towards Dinnow, Marland peered at the innards of the fridge. He found the bright packets of chocolate easily enough and he picked up the smallest one.
"Is it okay if I take one?" he asked, turning to face Dinnow, his hand still on the door.
"Well, yeah," Dinnow said doubtfully, his eyebrows drawn in slightly. "They were bought for you."
They were? Marland glanced back at the pile in a new light. It was enough to keep him pain free for a while, but it was a varied selection, a mix of hazelnut, caramel, biscuit bars alongside plain bars of chocolate. Marland hadn't tried the other kinds before, just in case the affected him differently.
"Thanks," he said as he closed the fridge door. "I'll…" -What? His mind refused to come up with anything- "leave now." Shaking his head at the utter pointlessness of that statement, Marland left the kitchen. Dinnow didn't follow him, but he did hear a long drawn out breath once he'd started going up the stairs.
Going up the stairs was harder going down them but Marland eventually got to the next floor. He half staggered to his bed, his limbs feeling sluggish, and fell on top of his mattress. He fumbled with the wrapper for a few seconds before finally managing to rip it open. A quick twist of his wrist and he threw in a few pieces of chocolate into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly, and then realised he didn't have anything to wash the taste away.
Marland sighed and eyed the toilet door. He didn't think he had enough energy to get there, run the tap, and go back to bed again anyway.
Curling up slightly, Marland drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Marland woke up with a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, and no matter what he did with his tongue, it wouldn't leave. The hunger had gotten stronger too, and there was a weird smell in the air. Ronthar was sitting on the other bed, watching something on the TV. The sound was so low Marland could barely hear it, so he doubted Ronthar could hear what was being said.
"Evening," Ronthar said, tilting his head to smile at him.
Was it? How long had he been sleeping for? Marland grunted, easing himself off the bed. He headed for the toilet, snagging the chocolate bar and empty glass at the same time - he could feel his wing throbbing, a dull ache that seeped everywhere.
Grumbling in distaste, Marland had a few more pieces of chocolate and washed it down with water. The aftertaste still lingered but it was fainter than it had been like before at least.
After he'd used the toilet, Marland went back to the bedroom.
The TV was turned off, Ronthar's full attention on him. "How are you feeling?"
Marland considered the question as he climbed back into bed. "Okay," he said eventually. He could move his body better than before, it didn't hurt -though his wing was itchy again- and he could feel his magic in him like a second heartbeat.
"Heh, good."
Marland looked up to see Kendal leaning on the doorframe. She walked in and perched herself on the edge of the desk in front of them. "When's the earliest you want to leave?"
He blinked at her, not understanding the question. They couldn't leave, not with the notice out on them.
Ronthar straightened up on the headboard. "You found where we were being held?"
Kendal shook her head. "No. I can't ask around without looking suspicious, but you can."
"Right," Marland snapped, sarcasm dripping in his tone. "I'll just go out in the street and ask people walking by - they'll tell me everything they know." The ones that didn't run at the sight of him would be the ones that were frozen on the spot or were going to attack him as soon as he got close enough.
Kendal rolled her eyes. "Or we could hand you two in and then you'll be taken directly to wherever." She waved a hand as she said the last word.
Marland stared at her. "You're going to hand us in." He voice was flat as he tried to sort through his myriad emotions. Fuck. He shouldn't have trusted them; he should have tried to escape as soon as he found out about the notice.
"It makes sense," Ronthar said quietly, his fingers tapping on his crossed arms. "It would be the fastest way to get there, and it would be unexpected that 'captured xeni' would fight back."
"That's what we thought," Kendal agreed.
Marland glanced between them in disbelief. Was it really the best option? Except…he had no idea how else they could try to find where they'd been kept and they didn't have the time to think it over.
He huffed, lowering his head a little. "All right."
Kendal smiled at him, her teeth hidden. "So when's the earliest you want to move?" she asked again.
Marland shared a look with Ronthar, who merely smiled at him. He sighed, looking at neither of them. "I'm still a little stiff," he admitted grudgingly, "but I guess I'd be better in a day." Especially if he had his magic; it wouldn't matter so much then what his physical condition was then.
"All right," Kendal said, nodding. "The biggest problem you have is how you get out."
That was a point. Their cell didn't have any handles or the swipe panels - Marland glanced at the cardkeys on his bedside table. "If we can get away before we're put in a cell," he said slowly, "we can use these."
Kendal hummed, her eyes flicking to the cardkeys. "So that's the plan: get in, get Ronthar's laknur, get out."
"I…guess so." It sounded too simplistic, but they didn't know enough to be able to plan anything else.
They were quiet for a few seconds before Kendal pushed herself off the desk. "We're going to started marathoning an old TV series, if you're interested in joining us."
"What's it about?" he asked, wary. He wasn't sure if he wanted to watch something which Kendal found interesting.
"Heh," Kendal said, one side of her mouth twisting up in a wry grin. "We have no idea - that's why we're watching it again. It makes no sense."
Well, he couldn't go back to sleep straight away… Marland sighed as he realised something, his ear flicking back for a second.
"What?"
"I can't sit on backed chairs," he reminded her. He didn't want to lie spread across the couch, and he didn't want to spend how many hours standing either.
Kendal waved a hand dismissively. "We found a couple of stools in the other rooms - it'll be easy to bring one down."
Oh. Marland considered her offer. The people in the house were -apart from one- people he'd known for years, and they had never tried to hurt him. "Are there xeni in it?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
Hmm. That didn't sound too bad. So long as the windows were kept shut, Marland thought it might be okay. He turned to Ronthar, wondering what he thought about it.
Who blinked at him. "I don't mind," Ronthar said. "Though I suppose," he added a few seconds later, "it would be interesting to watch."
"All right then," Kendal said, grinning. "The popcorn should be finished by now," she told them as she lead them out the bedroom.
Oh, so that was what the smell was.
* * *
The TV series really had been completely nonsensical, things happening because that option had the best explosives, the characters made mistakes that should have gotten themselves and others killed, and there had been one person who kept reappearing to be 'mysterious' but her hints meant nothing in the end.
Asking about the plot earned him snickers all around. Ronthar had joined in with his own questions about motivations, with the same result.
But…it had been fun, in a weird way. He hadn't enjoyed watching it; he'd enjoyed…making a point about it and others agreeing with him.
His stomach filled with food and popcorn, Marland crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Kendal was in the room the next time Marland woke up; she was leaning on the desk again, Ronthar on his bed. In her hands were two strips of blank cloth, far too similar to the collars he and Ronthar had just been wearing.
When she caught him staring at them, she tilted a smile at him, swinging the two pieces of fabric in a loose circle. "Don't worry," she assured him, "they don't do anything."
Marland continued to regard them warily - why had she brought them?
"We should wear them," Ronthar told him. "If they think we can't use our magic, we will be able to catch them by surprise."
Okay, that was a point. He couldn't stop staring at them though. "Are we going now?"
Kendal shook her head. "We'll hand you in just after the sun sets - we don't want another repeat of what happened the last time you escaped."
Marland's ears flicked down at that reminder. Ugh.
"Plus, it'd probably be a good idea to eat before anyway - who knows how long it'll take for you to get there."
"…You've been thinking a lot like this."
She shrugged. "I'm not the one who's been recovering from being electrocuted every day. Anyway, those are the basics." She frowned down at the fabric in her hands. "We can't get any real information about the person who wants you - only the people who sort things out there are allowed to access it, and only certain people too. We really can't help you that much."
"I disagree," Ronthar said, smiling softly at her. "You housed and fed us, and let us rest here without asking for anything in return."
Kendal eyed him for a few seconds and then snorted. "I'd prefer to help by shooting a target and not leaving you two alone there." She glanced at Marland from the corner of her eyes. "Do you want lunch now or later?"
Considering how his stomach was feeling like he hadn't eaten for an entire day? "Now." Maybe eating would help settle the sudden uneasiness that had settled into his stomach.
* * *
Marland poked at the collar around his neck before letting his hand fall. If he did that too often, he'd probably accidently cut it off. He couldn't feel it against his scales, but he knew it was there, and that was apparently enough to make the skin under his scales itch to want it off.
The street he and Ronthar were standing in was dark enough that Marland felt as comfortable as he could in that situation, and it was completely deserted, apart from Kendal, who had called the xeno collectors.
He heard the van rumbling up the street before he saw it. He ducked into the closest alley, squashing the dread that was rising up in him. Kendal said that the collectors wouldn't hurt him, but...they were used to dealing with dead xeni, not living ones. How did she know that they'd tolerate him?
The van slowed to a stop next to Kendal, and Marland heard the window winding down.
"So, I don't see any xeno 'round here, an' I gotta wonder why Shodin's with you."
Marland's ears twitched as he recognised the voice. Laris?
________________________________________________________________________________________
*places toe past checkpoint* … *backs away again* Waaaaaaaaaah~!
Was going to have Dinnow apologise for wanting to kill Marland, but that seemed a little too…idealistic? Perfect? This was the first time they'd even seen each other, so…yeah.
Previous Part | Next Part
Summary: The world of Torpin is open, dragging in xeni from other worlds. The majority of them are monsters, prone to violence. There are some, however, that are not, and are able to live amongst the human population, if allowed to. Marland should know; he's one of them. His job is to hunt and stop the xeni that seek only to destroy what's around them. On one job, a human xeno drops through a portal, an event which Marland has never heard of happening before. And that's not the only thing different about the human...
Rating: M
Notes: Swearing. When is there never any swearing in this? *snerk*
*stares* Is this going to end up over 100k? :O
Ahaha. Awkward conversation is awkward. X3
Bleh. Transitions are bad here. Or, just all of the pacing. D:
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 2,032
Total word count: 85,416
Status: Work in Progress
Dinnow continued to fiddle with his sandwich, his eyes not keeping still. "…Are you all right?"
"Yeah…" Marland felt awkward not stepping into the kitchen, keeping most of his body hidden behind the wall, but he knew he'd feel too exposed if he went in properly.
"What do - is there anything you need?"
"…Chocolate." He could get food later.
"Oh, okay." Dinnow glanced at the fridge in the corner. "We got some last night."
Neither of them moved.
Marland softly growled to himself. This was getting stupid. He turned his head away and sighed before he made his way into the kitchen, keeping Dinnow in his peripheral vision.
Dinnow didn't move, but he did tense. That was all though.
Keeping his ears pointed behind him, towards Dinnow, Marland peered at the innards of the fridge. He found the bright packets of chocolate easily enough and he picked up the smallest one.
"Is it okay if I take one?" he asked, turning to face Dinnow, his hand still on the door.
"Well, yeah," Dinnow said doubtfully, his eyebrows drawn in slightly. "They were bought for you."
They were? Marland glanced back at the pile in a new light. It was enough to keep him pain free for a while, but it was a varied selection, a mix of hazelnut, caramel, biscuit bars alongside plain bars of chocolate. Marland hadn't tried the other kinds before, just in case the affected him differently.
"Thanks," he said as he closed the fridge door. "I'll…" -What? His mind refused to come up with anything- "leave now." Shaking his head at the utter pointlessness of that statement, Marland left the kitchen. Dinnow didn't follow him, but he did hear a long drawn out breath once he'd started going up the stairs.
Going up the stairs was harder going down them but Marland eventually got to the next floor. He half staggered to his bed, his limbs feeling sluggish, and fell on top of his mattress. He fumbled with the wrapper for a few seconds before finally managing to rip it open. A quick twist of his wrist and he threw in a few pieces of chocolate into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly, and then realised he didn't have anything to wash the taste away.
Marland sighed and eyed the toilet door. He didn't think he had enough energy to get there, run the tap, and go back to bed again anyway.
Curling up slightly, Marland drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Marland woke up with a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, and no matter what he did with his tongue, it wouldn't leave. The hunger had gotten stronger too, and there was a weird smell in the air. Ronthar was sitting on the other bed, watching something on the TV. The sound was so low Marland could barely hear it, so he doubted Ronthar could hear what was being said.
"Evening," Ronthar said, tilting his head to smile at him.
Was it? How long had he been sleeping for? Marland grunted, easing himself off the bed. He headed for the toilet, snagging the chocolate bar and empty glass at the same time - he could feel his wing throbbing, a dull ache that seeped everywhere.
Grumbling in distaste, Marland had a few more pieces of chocolate and washed it down with water. The aftertaste still lingered but it was fainter than it had been like before at least.
After he'd used the toilet, Marland went back to the bedroom.
The TV was turned off, Ronthar's full attention on him. "How are you feeling?"
Marland considered the question as he climbed back into bed. "Okay," he said eventually. He could move his body better than before, it didn't hurt -though his wing was itchy again- and he could feel his magic in him like a second heartbeat.
"Heh, good."
Marland looked up to see Kendal leaning on the doorframe. She walked in and perched herself on the edge of the desk in front of them. "When's the earliest you want to leave?"
He blinked at her, not understanding the question. They couldn't leave, not with the notice out on them.
Ronthar straightened up on the headboard. "You found where we were being held?"
Kendal shook her head. "No. I can't ask around without looking suspicious, but you can."
"Right," Marland snapped, sarcasm dripping in his tone. "I'll just go out in the street and ask people walking by - they'll tell me everything they know." The ones that didn't run at the sight of him would be the ones that were frozen on the spot or were going to attack him as soon as he got close enough.
Kendal rolled her eyes. "Or we could hand you two in and then you'll be taken directly to wherever." She waved a hand as she said the last word.
Marland stared at her. "You're going to hand us in." He voice was flat as he tried to sort through his myriad emotions. Fuck. He shouldn't have trusted them; he should have tried to escape as soon as he found out about the notice.
"It makes sense," Ronthar said quietly, his fingers tapping on his crossed arms. "It would be the fastest way to get there, and it would be unexpected that 'captured xeni' would fight back."
"That's what we thought," Kendal agreed.
Marland glanced between them in disbelief. Was it really the best option? Except…he had no idea how else they could try to find where they'd been kept and they didn't have the time to think it over.
He huffed, lowering his head a little. "All right."
Kendal smiled at him, her teeth hidden. "So when's the earliest you want to move?" she asked again.
Marland shared a look with Ronthar, who merely smiled at him. He sighed, looking at neither of them. "I'm still a little stiff," he admitted grudgingly, "but I guess I'd be better in a day." Especially if he had his magic; it wouldn't matter so much then what his physical condition was then.
"All right," Kendal said, nodding. "The biggest problem you have is how you get out."
That was a point. Their cell didn't have any handles or the swipe panels - Marland glanced at the cardkeys on his bedside table. "If we can get away before we're put in a cell," he said slowly, "we can use these."
Kendal hummed, her eyes flicking to the cardkeys. "So that's the plan: get in, get Ronthar's laknur, get out."
"I…guess so." It sounded too simplistic, but they didn't know enough to be able to plan anything else.
They were quiet for a few seconds before Kendal pushed herself off the desk. "We're going to started marathoning an old TV series, if you're interested in joining us."
"What's it about?" he asked, wary. He wasn't sure if he wanted to watch something which Kendal found interesting.
"Heh," Kendal said, one side of her mouth twisting up in a wry grin. "We have no idea - that's why we're watching it again. It makes no sense."
Well, he couldn't go back to sleep straight away… Marland sighed as he realised something, his ear flicking back for a second.
"What?"
"I can't sit on backed chairs," he reminded her. He didn't want to lie spread across the couch, and he didn't want to spend how many hours standing either.
Kendal waved a hand dismissively. "We found a couple of stools in the other rooms - it'll be easy to bring one down."
Oh. Marland considered her offer. The people in the house were -apart from one- people he'd known for years, and they had never tried to hurt him. "Are there xeni in it?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
Hmm. That didn't sound too bad. So long as the windows were kept shut, Marland thought it might be okay. He turned to Ronthar, wondering what he thought about it.
Who blinked at him. "I don't mind," Ronthar said. "Though I suppose," he added a few seconds later, "it would be interesting to watch."
"All right then," Kendal said, grinning. "The popcorn should be finished by now," she told them as she lead them out the bedroom.
Oh, so that was what the smell was.
* * *
The TV series really had been completely nonsensical, things happening because that option had the best explosives, the characters made mistakes that should have gotten themselves and others killed, and there had been one person who kept reappearing to be 'mysterious' but her hints meant nothing in the end.
Asking about the plot earned him snickers all around. Ronthar had joined in with his own questions about motivations, with the same result.
But…it had been fun, in a weird way. He hadn't enjoyed watching it; he'd enjoyed…making a point about it and others agreeing with him.
His stomach filled with food and popcorn, Marland crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Kendal was in the room the next time Marland woke up; she was leaning on the desk again, Ronthar on his bed. In her hands were two strips of blank cloth, far too similar to the collars he and Ronthar had just been wearing.
When she caught him staring at them, she tilted a smile at him, swinging the two pieces of fabric in a loose circle. "Don't worry," she assured him, "they don't do anything."
Marland continued to regard them warily - why had she brought them?
"We should wear them," Ronthar told him. "If they think we can't use our magic, we will be able to catch them by surprise."
Okay, that was a point. He couldn't stop staring at them though. "Are we going now?"
Kendal shook her head. "We'll hand you in just after the sun sets - we don't want another repeat of what happened the last time you escaped."
Marland's ears flicked down at that reminder. Ugh.
"Plus, it'd probably be a good idea to eat before anyway - who knows how long it'll take for you to get there."
"…You've been thinking a lot like this."
She shrugged. "I'm not the one who's been recovering from being electrocuted every day. Anyway, those are the basics." She frowned down at the fabric in her hands. "We can't get any real information about the person who wants you - only the people who sort things out there are allowed to access it, and only certain people too. We really can't help you that much."
"I disagree," Ronthar said, smiling softly at her. "You housed and fed us, and let us rest here without asking for anything in return."
Kendal eyed him for a few seconds and then snorted. "I'd prefer to help by shooting a target and not leaving you two alone there." She glanced at Marland from the corner of her eyes. "Do you want lunch now or later?"
Considering how his stomach was feeling like he hadn't eaten for an entire day? "Now." Maybe eating would help settle the sudden uneasiness that had settled into his stomach.
* * *
Marland poked at the collar around his neck before letting his hand fall. If he did that too often, he'd probably accidently cut it off. He couldn't feel it against his scales, but he knew it was there, and that was apparently enough to make the skin under his scales itch to want it off.
The street he and Ronthar were standing in was dark enough that Marland felt as comfortable as he could in that situation, and it was completely deserted, apart from Kendal, who had called the xeno collectors.
He heard the van rumbling up the street before he saw it. He ducked into the closest alley, squashing the dread that was rising up in him. Kendal said that the collectors wouldn't hurt him, but...they were used to dealing with dead xeni, not living ones. How did she know that they'd tolerate him?
The van slowed to a stop next to Kendal, and Marland heard the window winding down.
"So, I don't see any xeno 'round here, an' I gotta wonder why Shodin's with you."
Marland's ears twitched as he recognised the voice. Laris?
________________________________________________________________________________________
*places toe past checkpoint* … *backs away again* Waaaaaaaaaah~!
Was going to have Dinnow apologise for wanting to kill Marland, but that seemed a little too…idealistic? Perfect? This was the first time they'd even seen each other, so…yeah.
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