Young Writers Society

Enide had a very good point. Nadira crossed her arms, trying to think of a good solution. The easiest way to get around it would be for Codix to hook her up to the ship itself, and then find a robot connected to it, but that wasn't a foolproof plan. If the ship was further damaged, or was already too damaged, she could probably die.

...She dind't like the idea of dying.

"I'm sure we could figure out something," Charlie said, an optimistic tone to her voice. "We'll figure out some way to get out of the ballroom, and then we could find a robot like that - if they're not doing things in the ballroom right now."

"Hmm," Enide said. She walked around the trio, heading over to where Tannis was apparently trying to fall asleep on the floor. Tapping him on the head, she ignored how he growled as she looked back and said, "It would certainly help to have the others. Thytes can fight and Mal could heal - I suspect we will need both of their skillsets."

The woman scoffed, but the man hesitated, and Jacek sent the man--Télos--a pleading look. They were far stronger than he was, and Jacek was strong. It was why he'd been picked to be Avi's bodyguard. The man abruptly let go of him and Jacek let out a tine sigh of relief. He didn't feel like there was a vice grip on his arm anymore, but it was definitely going to bruise later. Jacek rubbed his arm and shifted away from them, out of reach. He was under no illusions that they'd get to him before he could react anyway, but he did prefer to have some space between them.

Jacek nodded to Télos. "Thanks," he muttered and glanced towards the lion-man before he turned to scan the room for Avi. He couldn't see him past all the brightly adorned people, so he returned his attention to the group before him. "Hey, um--"

The woman--Lark--stepped forwards, into Télos' personal space. "Oh, you look delicious, my dear," she said, practically purring. "May I taste you?"

"Lark!" the man hissed and moved to grab her arm and drag her away. She shrugged his hand off and pressed forwards. The man sighed and threw his hands up. Jacek could feel the way Lark's hunger intensified as she got very close to Télos, and shuddered. How was it that he could feel that without even touching her? It was downright terrifying. "Lark, please--"

"Oh, do shut up, Arden. Let me have my fun."

Thytes stepped between Télos and Lark. Something about her unsettled him. It wasn't necessarily her comments, or that she'd been holding someone hostage, or even how close she was to Télos. It was something that seemed to radiate out of her, hover in the air around her. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but he didn't like it.

That didn't stop him from aiming the tip of his sword at her. "There will not be any tasting here, I am afraid," he said.

His gut was telling him that something was off about the woman - and maybe the man - but he didn't let himself get too fazed by that. He'd stay wary, like always, but he wasn't exactly new to dangerous conflicts.

But then Thytes stepped in front of him.

Gods weren't really that powerful, and he was nothing compared to Hero after everything that had happened during and after the Great War. But Télos had always been a good fighter, and being a god did have a perk or two. He didn't think Thytes could say the same about himself.

So he stepped around Thytes and stood just a little bit in front of him - not too much, because then he'd be right in front of the woman - but it hopefully made the point he was going for.

"You can't taste me," Télos confirmed. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "...I'm not even sure I want to know how you were planning on doing that."

Lark flashed her fangs at the gold-clad man and then smirked. "How do you think I would do it?"

"Lark, c'mon--"

"No, Arden," she hissed, turning to pin him with a glare. "I'm hungry and I am done waiting or listening to you."

Jacek shuffled closer to Télos and the lion-man. He really wanted out of the situation, but the woman seemed intent on tasting Télos. As he moved, he caught the man--Arden's--gaze. He looked worried and maybe a touch ashamed. Jacek decided not to dwell on that too much. All he wanted to do was find the Royal Consort and protect him. Avi would be extra sensitive to a lot of things, and he worried how the current situation would be affecting him.

Lark turned back to Télos. "So, how about it?" she asked, smiling a sickly sweet smile. "Won't you let me sink my fangs into you? Just this once?"

The trio exchanged a look.

"It would be nice to see Thytes again," Nadira said. Codix nodded in agreement. Even though Charlie had just seen him, she liked the idea of meeting up with him again - maybe that would make dealing with all the chaos going on around them a little easier.


So that was how she was planning on feeding on him.

The conversation was giving him flashbacks to his last conversation with Robra - the same toxic yet seductive attitude. He tried to block out those memories from his mind; he couldn't let himself think of the excruciating pain that followed his final words, or the next moment he could actually recall.

But this time, thankfully, he could just be himself. There was no need to trick the woman with the fangs like there had been with Robra, and he was very relieved to be able to say, "I appreciate the manners, but I'm going to have to say no."

"It would," Enide said with a nod. She looked back at Tannis. "But, if we are to do that, we may need to have to carry my poor friend out of here. Which I imagine will be some challenge, given that Nadira is not exactly in a position to walk -"

"I'd just be dead weight," Tannis growled. "Get out o' here."

Enide tapped him on the forehead. "No," she said. "I will not have anyone come to harm while accompanying me on this diplomatic trip, however much of a disaster it might be."



"Likewise," said Thytes. "If you want to plant your fangs on Télos, you will have to fight the both of us."

Carter? Can you hear me?

Avi's gentle voice reached through Carter's mind, slowly traveling down the line until it reached his wandering consciousness. The communication was more like a telegram than anything else and he sent back the response as a little impulse.

"Yes, I can hear you."

-

Flynn didn't want to shift Carter's head but obliged to letting Avi touch him. Then he started to answer the questions from the lion medic, thinking carefully about the other times this had taken place.

"I don't know too much about his condition but I know it happens when there's too much sensory input. And with the ship shutting down, he probably felt too much energy and passed out."

"Does he wake up on his own?" Mal said, glancing between Flynn and Carter. "How long does it take? If he's getting overwhelmed by something, it might be better to try and stop whatever it is before this happens to him again." The lion knew that meant dealing with the ship, but decided not to think about it - for once, it'd be better for his well-being to think about his job.

Nadira and Charlie slowly looked over at Codix.

He stared back at them.

"I'm not strong enough to-" he started to say, only to stop when he came to the same realization that they had. He bit back a sigh - he had wanted to be done with John now that they were getting Nadira another body. "I can do it - I just need to change my form to the one I was using earlier, and I should be able to pick him up."

Yes, I can hear you.

Good, Avi replied and settled down on the floor beside Carter and Flynn. How can I help?

* * *

Jacek edged back a couple of steps to put himself in line with the lion-man and Télos. He drew his short sword and held it deceptively loosely out to the side. "I suggest you either help or leave," he said, gaze darting between the two of them. "You had better make your decision quickly before I put my 'fang'--" here, he shook the blade a little with a smirk, "--through your neck."

Lark stopped short, her gaze narrowing dangerously. She seemed to hesitate for several moments, as if debating with herself on whether she should agree or not. Finally, she snorted and crossed her arms, pointing the dagger straight at Télos' face.

"Fine," she said as Arden stepped up beside her. "We'll help."

"We have a ship," Arden said, glancing sideways at his female friend. "I'm willing to let you guys tag along until we get there."

Enide reached out, grabbing one of Tannis's arms. While she tried to ignore just how much bigger he was, or how he growled and tried to shake his arm free, she nodded. "That sounds like a workable plan."



The situation had jumped from a fight to escaping the ballroom so quickly that Thytes almost found himself accepting the offer. Sure, Lark was still pointing a knife at Télos' face, but it seemed like a genuinely nice deal on Arden's part.

Then Thytes remembered that he hadn't come alone.

"I need to find my friends," Thytes said, lowering his sword. "I am, not quite sure where they are, but I cannot abandon them."

Codix spared Enide and Tannis the sight of his form changing by stepping out of the stall during the transformation - by the time he stepped back inside, he was already John again.

"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath, "let's do this."

He joined Enide by Tannis and grabbed him by the other arm. It would have been difficult managing a feat like that before the shift, but the transformation made it easy.


"I also need to find his friends," Télos said, making his sword disappear. He could always summon it again if the situation took another hostile turn - it was a perk of being the god of gold. "They're my friends, too. There's also a girl - her name is Charlie. I'm not sure where she or his friends went, but I want to make sure she's okay."

Wow, Codix's other form was a bit stronger than Enide had been expecting - she had no problem hauling Tannis onto his feet, even though he slumped forward.

"And will you be alright, Nadira?" said Enide, staring at the robot's leg.



"Where is Charlie?" Thytes said. He tried to pick her out in the crowd, but it was still too panicked and turbulent. He frowned. "I do hope she found some friends in mine, unfamiliar as she was with most everyone."