(no subject)
Late at night, in a truck stop somewhere in Eastern Nevada…
Coyote waited in another diner. This one was also sparsely populated, truckers drinking coffee by themselves, mostly. She had ordered a cup of her own, then lit a cigarette and adopted an air of inapproachability. It worked. She didn't drink the coffee.
The door opened some time later. A man stepped inside, looked around briefly, then came straight to her table and sat down. Coyote looked him over. Jay Ichiro O'Connell was tall and lean, like his sister. The shape of his face and his hands came from his father, but his hair and those eyes were all hers. The her that she had been.
"Hello, Blue Jay," she said, and tapped ash off the end of her cigarette.
"Hello, Mother. I see that Bird brought you my note. How did she take it all?" He ran a hand over the plastic tabletop.
"Reasonably well, considering. She may come back and scream at me once she has processed things further."
He chuckled. "That's our Bird."
Coyote made no reply at first, gazing steadily over the table at him. Another trucker stood up from the counter and left, banging the front door behind him. "How did you find me?" she asked, as though it barely concerned her at all.
"I've been practicing," he said with a shrug. "Bird was never really interested in that kind of stuff. She always tells me to quit faking the medicine man shit to impress the tourists." Jay smirked. "It works on either side of the border. The tourists can't tell or don't care about the difference between a home grown Zuni boy and a native Mestizo."
She nodded, conceding the point.
"And anyone who can be bothered to know doesn't usually bother me. I go where I please and follow whatever leads I like. I've learned a lot that way. I was in Mexico lately, ran into someone who knew about you."
Coyote reached across the table and patted his hand. "It is a good story. But who are you really, and why are you riding around in this boy's mind?" She exhaled a stream of smoke at his face.
Coughing, he seized her hand and squeezed it hard. Coyote gave a sharp little gasp and yanked back reflexively. She could feel the small bones grinding together.
"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. How did you know? You haven't seen your son for years!"
"The seed may not appear the same as the grown tree," Coyote spits. "But all rot smells the same."
He squeezed again, and she subsided, scowling.
"Your son was poking into things he shouldn't have been. I believe I surprised him. He was not properly respectful of the honor that I offered him, when I took him as my vessel. But when I did, I knew the plot for what it was."
"What plot?" she hissed under her breath. "You just said yourself I have not seen him for-"
"I sensed that he was your get. He thought that you were dead, but I know your machinations, Huehuecoyotl. I may have been locked away, but I will not allow your greed to overcome me or my territory." He had leaned in close to her now, still with a tight grip on her hand.
"You are insane. You think this is some ancient turf war? I am not who you think I am!"
He smirked. "You can't fool me anymore. But maybe you could buy your way out of trouble, like you always did. We could trade. Many vessels are burned out after I use them. Your son was not powerful, but he had some talent. He still fights me. Is your life worth his?"
"No," Coyote said, quickly. "Why should he be worth that to me, if we have not been together all those years?"
"Then what stops me from crushing what is left of him and coming for you?"
"A trade, yes," Coyote said. "To show you I mean you no ill. An alliance. I can supply you with the power you want. Vessels or sacrifices. I know people. I can give them to you."
"Ahhhh," he said, sounding pleased for the first time. He released her hand. She drew it back to her chest, red and shaking from the pressure he'd put on it. "In trade for your son."
"And your favor. The boy is mine, it would reflect poorly on me if I did not bargain for his release back into my service."
Jay, or whoever is driving his movement and words, nodded. "I want four. Four now with the promise of more later, as tribute." His eyes shone with greed; he obviously wanted Coyote's agreement badly. "Four with power, like yours. Like your son's."
"When and where?" She sat still, cigarette burning down in her other hand.
"Your son seemed most interested in a city called Las Vegas. It seemed like a good place. Plenty of interesting people. Perhaps I'll stay. I'll contact you when it is time."
"I'll need warning," Coyote said. "The ones I bring you, I cannot take them by force, but by guile. It may take a few days."
"You'll hear from me," he said, standing up.
"Wait!" Coyote said, holding out her hand and then snatching it back after thinking better of the gesture. "Tell me your name. If we are to be allies-"
"You know it," he said. "However, I feel generous enough to play your game. I am Xolotl. Don't test my patience again, or you and your son will regret it." He left by the front door, vanishing into the gloom of the parking lot.
"You okay? Was that guy bothering you, lady?" one of the truckers asked as she stared out after him.
"No," Coyote said, crushing out the remains of her cigarette with excessive force. "I am fine."
Coyote waited in another diner. This one was also sparsely populated, truckers drinking coffee by themselves, mostly. She had ordered a cup of her own, then lit a cigarette and adopted an air of inapproachability. It worked. She didn't drink the coffee.
The door opened some time later. A man stepped inside, looked around briefly, then came straight to her table and sat down. Coyote looked him over. Jay Ichiro O'Connell was tall and lean, like his sister. The shape of his face and his hands came from his father, but his hair and those eyes were all hers. The her that she had been.
"Hello, Blue Jay," she said, and tapped ash off the end of her cigarette.
"Hello, Mother. I see that Bird brought you my note. How did she take it all?" He ran a hand over the plastic tabletop.
"Reasonably well, considering. She may come back and scream at me once she has processed things further."
He chuckled. "That's our Bird."
Coyote made no reply at first, gazing steadily over the table at him. Another trucker stood up from the counter and left, banging the front door behind him. "How did you find me?" she asked, as though it barely concerned her at all.
"I've been practicing," he said with a shrug. "Bird was never really interested in that kind of stuff. She always tells me to quit faking the medicine man shit to impress the tourists." Jay smirked. "It works on either side of the border. The tourists can't tell or don't care about the difference between a home grown Zuni boy and a native Mestizo."
She nodded, conceding the point.
"And anyone who can be bothered to know doesn't usually bother me. I go where I please and follow whatever leads I like. I've learned a lot that way. I was in Mexico lately, ran into someone who knew about you."
Coyote reached across the table and patted his hand. "It is a good story. But who are you really, and why are you riding around in this boy's mind?" She exhaled a stream of smoke at his face.
Coughing, he seized her hand and squeezed it hard. Coyote gave a sharp little gasp and yanked back reflexively. She could feel the small bones grinding together.
"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. How did you know? You haven't seen your son for years!"
"The seed may not appear the same as the grown tree," Coyote spits. "But all rot smells the same."
He squeezed again, and she subsided, scowling.
"Your son was poking into things he shouldn't have been. I believe I surprised him. He was not properly respectful of the honor that I offered him, when I took him as my vessel. But when I did, I knew the plot for what it was."
"What plot?" she hissed under her breath. "You just said yourself I have not seen him for-"
"I sensed that he was your get. He thought that you were dead, but I know your machinations, Huehuecoyotl. I may have been locked away, but I will not allow your greed to overcome me or my territory." He had leaned in close to her now, still with a tight grip on her hand.
"You are insane. You think this is some ancient turf war? I am not who you think I am!"
He smirked. "You can't fool me anymore. But maybe you could buy your way out of trouble, like you always did. We could trade. Many vessels are burned out after I use them. Your son was not powerful, but he had some talent. He still fights me. Is your life worth his?"
"No," Coyote said, quickly. "Why should he be worth that to me, if we have not been together all those years?"
"Then what stops me from crushing what is left of him and coming for you?"
"A trade, yes," Coyote said. "To show you I mean you no ill. An alliance. I can supply you with the power you want. Vessels or sacrifices. I know people. I can give them to you."
"Ahhhh," he said, sounding pleased for the first time. He released her hand. She drew it back to her chest, red and shaking from the pressure he'd put on it. "In trade for your son."
"And your favor. The boy is mine, it would reflect poorly on me if I did not bargain for his release back into my service."
Jay, or whoever is driving his movement and words, nodded. "I want four. Four now with the promise of more later, as tribute." His eyes shone with greed; he obviously wanted Coyote's agreement badly. "Four with power, like yours. Like your son's."
"When and where?" She sat still, cigarette burning down in her other hand.
"Your son seemed most interested in a city called Las Vegas. It seemed like a good place. Plenty of interesting people. Perhaps I'll stay. I'll contact you when it is time."
"I'll need warning," Coyote said. "The ones I bring you, I cannot take them by force, but by guile. It may take a few days."
"You'll hear from me," he said, standing up.
"Wait!" Coyote said, holding out her hand and then snatching it back after thinking better of the gesture. "Tell me your name. If we are to be allies-"
"You know it," he said. "However, I feel generous enough to play your game. I am Xolotl. Don't test my patience again, or you and your son will regret it." He left by the front door, vanishing into the gloom of the parking lot.
"You okay? Was that guy bothering you, lady?" one of the truckers asked as she stared out after him.
"No," Coyote said, crushing out the remains of her cigarette with excessive force. "I am fine."