Fic: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way (Kahlan/Cara) 2/33
Title: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: NC-17
A/N: modern AU
A/N: this chapter should've been up days ago but my laptop died on me. cyber suicide or something like that - but don't you just hate it when a virus destroys everything and you have to try and save the important things. I hope that those who create viruses get a spoonful of their own medicine some day. but enough of that, to the second chapter!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The morning is not birds chirping in front of her window and a soft warm breeze whispering across her skin.
No, it’s music blaring from the apartment next to her room and the smell of fumes and trash wafting in through the closed window.
Kahlan groans and tries to escape yet again into the sweet nothingness that is sleep. But instead of returning to a pleasant dream that she can’t really remember anymore, she cracks open an eye and stares up at the ceiling. Plaster has already crumbled away from it and bare spots let the bricks shine through.
She rakes a hand through her black tresses and sits up. She doesn’t recognize the music she’s hearing and realization strikes her that many things will be unknown to her now.
Slowly climbing out of bed she pulls a pair of sweatpants over her panties and straightens her white tank top before she silently leaves her room and moves toward the kitchen.
A half-naked woman with a cup in her hands is leaning against the counter when Kahlan enters and she has the sneaking suspicion that this won’t be a one-time occurrence.
The woman’s face lights up when she sees Kahlan. “My my where has Dahlia hidden you away honey?” she drawls with a heavy southern accent.
She wears a dark blouse that isn’t buttoned, together with tiny pink panties, leaving only a little to the imagination.
Kahlan isn’t shy by any means, but how is she supposed to respond to that? She simply smiles awkwardly and shrugs.
Thankfully Dahlia struts into the kitchen at that moment, donning an almost transparent morning gown.
“Good morning everyone,” she says. “Kat, this is my cousin Kahlan,” she introduces the woman. Dahlia is all smiles when she opens the fridge in search of cold milk.
“Seems like the good looks run in your family” Kat purrs.
“Nice to meet you and thanks,” Kahlan answers with as much friendliness as she can muster. Where does Dahlia find those women?
Dahlia pours cereals into a bowl and drowns them in milk without batting an eye. She doesn’t seem to mind that Kat is longingly staring at her cousin all the while.
“See you later cousin,” Dahlia mumbles, shoving a spoonful of her breakfast into her mouth as she exits the kitchen.
Kahlan has to actually take a small step back to avoid being touched by Kat as she passes her. The brunette stares after the two of them, sensing that she is going to have to get used to seeing quite a lot of naked skin.
She then copies Dahlia’s choice of breakfast but decides to eat in the kitchen.
There are no chairs let alone a table, but the windowsill works just as fine.
She gazes down at the street below and chews thoughtfully. Everything still looks as dirty and uninviting in the daylight as it had looked the night before. The few cars that drive by appear old and beaten. Much like the people that go about their business in the city.
There seems to be nothing but flats in the buildings surrounding their apartment and she’s going to have to go looking for a grocery store or anything of the like very soon. Not that she has any money she could spend, but she needs food sooner or later.
She knows she can’t burden Dahlia with her expenses and finding a job will be in order too.
Kahlan sighs and cleans her empty bowl before putting everything back where she’d found it.
On her way back to her room she hears suspicious sounds coming from behind Dahlia’s closed door. She ignores them as best as she can.
“At least she’s closed it,” the brunette mumbles and makes a beeline for the bathroom instead.
She quickly takes another shower, hot water or not, because she still can’t get rid of the feeling of being dirty. Whether it is because of this city or something else entirely she isn’t sure.
After that she spends the day with getting acquainted to her new home. Moving her stuff from her bag to the dresser is one of the more productive tasks. There isn’t much to see anyway.
Luckily the sounds from Dahlia’s room quiet down soon and around noon Kahlan can hear the front door open and close.
She carefully slips out of her room and finds Dahlia in the living room. She’s lounging on the couch, with a cup of instant soup on her lap.
“Cousin!” She pats the sofa next to her and smiles. Kahlan grabs a blanket and covers the cushions with it before sitting down, because she can still see the maybe-orange-juice stains.
“Did you sleep well?” Dahlia slurps a few noodles and looks at Kahlan.
She looks so incredibly young as she sits there in her large t-shirt and shorts Kahlan thinks.
“Yeah it was alright. But it sounded like you had a busy morning.”
Dahlia grins. “You got that right.”
“So is Kat the ‘woman of your dreams’?”
The dark-blonde chuckles and shakes her head before shoving more noodles into her mouth. “No she isn’t but she was fun.”
“I see…”
Kahlan leans back and folds her hands across her stomach.
“So,” Dahlia begins, putting her bowl onto the small coffee table in front of them. “Why are you here?”
“What do you mean?” Kahlan looks at her cousin and raises her eyebrows.
Dahlia turns sideways and folds her legs underneath her so that she can look directly at Kahlan. “Don’t get me wrong cousin. I think it’s great that you’re here, really do. But after what, eight years, of complete and utter silence you suddenly call and need a place to stay. There must be a reason why you’ve given up whatever life you’ve lived.”
Kahlan stares straight ahead at the small television that’s not turned on. She has to think about her answer for a little bit. There’s much she can’t tell Dahlia, and very little that still matters. So she settles for a very general answer that is neither informative nor satisfying.
“I just needed a fresh start.”
Dahlia sighs quietly.
“Maybe one day you’ll trust me enough to tell me a little more,” she says quietly, with a sad smile.
“Dahlia…”
“No it’s alright. I understand, or at least I try to.” There’s a moment of silence.
“Let’s talk about something else.”
Kahlan nods but doesn’t show how grateful she really is for Dahlia’s acceptance.
They’d last seen each other ten years ago, in a different part of the country and, as it seems to her, a different life. As little girls they’d played together for hours on end. Back then everything had been easy and uncomplicated.
Dahlia had moved away with her family and they’d stayed in contact for two years until suddenly Kahlan had more or less disappeared after the death of her mother.
Dahlia had never gotten along with her parents and she’d moved out as soon as she’d been able to, ending up here. Kahlan knew that much because the two of them had talked a few times on the phone before she’d come to the city.
“You said that you work hard for your money, but you never told me what your job is.” Kahlan picks up the change of topic, now looking intently at her cousin.
“I work in a strip club.”
Dahlia chuckles as she sees Kahlan’s stony expression.
“But not as a stripper, geesh. I’m a waitress alright?”
“That’s…that’s good,” Kahlan admits. Although she wouldn’t put it past Dahlia to take off her clothes for money. Not that that’s a bad thing, just maybe dangerous.
“I thought about it you know, but I can’t really move that well on a stage. But hey, how about you come with me tonight? To my shift I mean. You can look at the club and I’ll even buy you a drink.” Dahlia waggles her eyebrows. She seems intent on sharing her life with Kahlan and the brunette smiles gratefully.
“Alright sounds like a deal.” They smile at each other and a moment of understanding or familial bonding or whatever passes between them.
Also Kahlan really looks forward to getting out of the apartment, even though a strip club wouldn’t usually be her first choice of destination.
Chapter 3
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: NC-17
A/N: modern AU
A/N: this chapter should've been up days ago but my laptop died on me. cyber suicide or something like that - but don't you just hate it when a virus destroys everything and you have to try and save the important things. I hope that those who create viruses get a spoonful of their own medicine some day. but enough of that, to the second chapter!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The morning is not birds chirping in front of her window and a soft warm breeze whispering across her skin.
No, it’s music blaring from the apartment next to her room and the smell of fumes and trash wafting in through the closed window.
Kahlan groans and tries to escape yet again into the sweet nothingness that is sleep. But instead of returning to a pleasant dream that she can’t really remember anymore, she cracks open an eye and stares up at the ceiling. Plaster has already crumbled away from it and bare spots let the bricks shine through.
She rakes a hand through her black tresses and sits up. She doesn’t recognize the music she’s hearing and realization strikes her that many things will be unknown to her now.
Slowly climbing out of bed she pulls a pair of sweatpants over her panties and straightens her white tank top before she silently leaves her room and moves toward the kitchen.
A half-naked woman with a cup in her hands is leaning against the counter when Kahlan enters and she has the sneaking suspicion that this won’t be a one-time occurrence.
The woman’s face lights up when she sees Kahlan. “My my where has Dahlia hidden you away honey?” she drawls with a heavy southern accent.
She wears a dark blouse that isn’t buttoned, together with tiny pink panties, leaving only a little to the imagination.
Kahlan isn’t shy by any means, but how is she supposed to respond to that? She simply smiles awkwardly and shrugs.
Thankfully Dahlia struts into the kitchen at that moment, donning an almost transparent morning gown.
“Good morning everyone,” she says. “Kat, this is my cousin Kahlan,” she introduces the woman. Dahlia is all smiles when she opens the fridge in search of cold milk.
“Seems like the good looks run in your family” Kat purrs.
“Nice to meet you and thanks,” Kahlan answers with as much friendliness as she can muster. Where does Dahlia find those women?
Dahlia pours cereals into a bowl and drowns them in milk without batting an eye. She doesn’t seem to mind that Kat is longingly staring at her cousin all the while.
“See you later cousin,” Dahlia mumbles, shoving a spoonful of her breakfast into her mouth as she exits the kitchen.
Kahlan has to actually take a small step back to avoid being touched by Kat as she passes her. The brunette stares after the two of them, sensing that she is going to have to get used to seeing quite a lot of naked skin.
She then copies Dahlia’s choice of breakfast but decides to eat in the kitchen.
There are no chairs let alone a table, but the windowsill works just as fine.
She gazes down at the street below and chews thoughtfully. Everything still looks as dirty and uninviting in the daylight as it had looked the night before. The few cars that drive by appear old and beaten. Much like the people that go about their business in the city.
There seems to be nothing but flats in the buildings surrounding their apartment and she’s going to have to go looking for a grocery store or anything of the like very soon. Not that she has any money she could spend, but she needs food sooner or later.
She knows she can’t burden Dahlia with her expenses and finding a job will be in order too.
Kahlan sighs and cleans her empty bowl before putting everything back where she’d found it.
On her way back to her room she hears suspicious sounds coming from behind Dahlia’s closed door. She ignores them as best as she can.
“At least she’s closed it,” the brunette mumbles and makes a beeline for the bathroom instead.
She quickly takes another shower, hot water or not, because she still can’t get rid of the feeling of being dirty. Whether it is because of this city or something else entirely she isn’t sure.
After that she spends the day with getting acquainted to her new home. Moving her stuff from her bag to the dresser is one of the more productive tasks. There isn’t much to see anyway.
Luckily the sounds from Dahlia’s room quiet down soon and around noon Kahlan can hear the front door open and close.
She carefully slips out of her room and finds Dahlia in the living room. She’s lounging on the couch, with a cup of instant soup on her lap.
“Cousin!” She pats the sofa next to her and smiles. Kahlan grabs a blanket and covers the cushions with it before sitting down, because she can still see the maybe-orange-juice stains.
“Did you sleep well?” Dahlia slurps a few noodles and looks at Kahlan.
She looks so incredibly young as she sits there in her large t-shirt and shorts Kahlan thinks.
“Yeah it was alright. But it sounded like you had a busy morning.”
Dahlia grins. “You got that right.”
“So is Kat the ‘woman of your dreams’?”
The dark-blonde chuckles and shakes her head before shoving more noodles into her mouth. “No she isn’t but she was fun.”
“I see…”
Kahlan leans back and folds her hands across her stomach.
“So,” Dahlia begins, putting her bowl onto the small coffee table in front of them. “Why are you here?”
“What do you mean?” Kahlan looks at her cousin and raises her eyebrows.
Dahlia turns sideways and folds her legs underneath her so that she can look directly at Kahlan. “Don’t get me wrong cousin. I think it’s great that you’re here, really do. But after what, eight years, of complete and utter silence you suddenly call and need a place to stay. There must be a reason why you’ve given up whatever life you’ve lived.”
Kahlan stares straight ahead at the small television that’s not turned on. She has to think about her answer for a little bit. There’s much she can’t tell Dahlia, and very little that still matters. So she settles for a very general answer that is neither informative nor satisfying.
“I just needed a fresh start.”
Dahlia sighs quietly.
“Maybe one day you’ll trust me enough to tell me a little more,” she says quietly, with a sad smile.
“Dahlia…”
“No it’s alright. I understand, or at least I try to.” There’s a moment of silence.
“Let’s talk about something else.”
Kahlan nods but doesn’t show how grateful she really is for Dahlia’s acceptance.
They’d last seen each other ten years ago, in a different part of the country and, as it seems to her, a different life. As little girls they’d played together for hours on end. Back then everything had been easy and uncomplicated.
Dahlia had moved away with her family and they’d stayed in contact for two years until suddenly Kahlan had more or less disappeared after the death of her mother.
Dahlia had never gotten along with her parents and she’d moved out as soon as she’d been able to, ending up here. Kahlan knew that much because the two of them had talked a few times on the phone before she’d come to the city.
“You said that you work hard for your money, but you never told me what your job is.” Kahlan picks up the change of topic, now looking intently at her cousin.
“I work in a strip club.”
Dahlia chuckles as she sees Kahlan’s stony expression.
“But not as a stripper, geesh. I’m a waitress alright?”
“That’s…that’s good,” Kahlan admits. Although she wouldn’t put it past Dahlia to take off her clothes for money. Not that that’s a bad thing, just maybe dangerous.
“I thought about it you know, but I can’t really move that well on a stage. But hey, how about you come with me tonight? To my shift I mean. You can look at the club and I’ll even buy you a drink.” Dahlia waggles her eyebrows. She seems intent on sharing her life with Kahlan and the brunette smiles gratefully.
“Alright sounds like a deal.” They smile at each other and a moment of understanding or familial bonding or whatever passes between them.
Also Kahlan really looks forward to getting out of the apartment, even though a strip club wouldn’t usually be her first choice of destination.
Chapter 3