The Baron only recognized the Non’s dome-like head through association with another, smaller Non, one he didn’t like at all. It therefore didn’t surprise him when he yelled “Grab her!” without a moment’s hesitation.
The remains of his team - and it was, he supposed, his team, at least for the moment - leaped into action immediately. Antonio and Cedric jumped back and out of the cave, flanking the Non on both sides. Eve soared into the air and landed behind the Non so quickly that The Baron hadn’t a chance in hell of seeing her move. And Traveller, well, Traveller asked the Non if he should hit on her, which was a form of action.
None of this surprised The Baron. What surprised him was the Non’s reaction, which was to do absolutely nothing to defend herself. She shrank, lay down, put her arms behind her head, and exposed herself to the tender mercies of her attackers. Given that Eve was a member of said attackers, The Baron suspected that there would be no mercy at all, but even Eve seemed surprised enough that she didn’t immediately rip into the Non.
“I’m here to talk,” the Non mumbled through dirt, a distinctly feminine rumble. Her face was shoved into the lip of the cave’s remains, Eve standing on the back of her head. “Mmmmph. Peath geth off me.”
Eve didn’t move until The Baron tugged on the part of himself that kept her in check. She scowled at him - her usual expression, mind, but she could direct her dissatisfaction quite well - and grudgingly stepped onto the Non’s shoulders. The Baron supposed he wouldn’t get much better than that, and didn’t press the matter.
“You’re one of Commander Emmett’s lackeys,” The Baron said, shielding the sun out of his eyes. It was rising fast. “You helped escort me back to Kierkegaard. Or you tried. What was your name again?”
“Titan Blue,” Cedric answered for the Non. The Baron was surprised not to hear loathing in his face. “Get off her, Eve. She ain’t so bad.”
Eve didn’t budge. The Baron suspected she wouldn’t willingly move for anyone less than her father.
“This is fine,” Blue insisted, though she shifted uncomfortably under Eve’s metal boots. “Er. Hi, Cedric. You’re looking… well?”
“Been worse,” Cedric admitted, folding his arms. “Whaddya want, Blue? This mean your fuckin’ boss is around? Love to have a word with ‘im.”
“Wouldn’t, if I were you. He might take you over again.” Blue shrugged, and Eve rode the wave of her rubbery shoulders easily. “But he’s not here. He’s off… fucking… with nature, I guess? What else is new. Gotta love that prick.”
The Baron thought back to the few experiments he’d seen conducted by Emmett, during the short time he’d lived in Castle FreakShow. They were typically a mixture of cruel and unusual, and never to The Baron’s liking. He’d sent the little creep off to spy on Pubton with relish - though the pint-sized doctor’s interest in Dragomir had made The Baron regret that decision rather a lot when he’d discovered Emmett’s desire to conduct ‘invasive surgeries’.
“Zen you have a mezzage?” Antonio asked, stepping up beside Blue’s head and kneeling. “Your bozzez want to foizt off more bull about a truze?”
Blue sighed. “Not quite. I won’t bother mincing words: I got sent out here to find, uh… what’s her name… Dragomir’s wife. What is her name again?”
“Libby?” Traveller abruptly joined the conversation, his eyes lighting up at the sound of Libby’s name. “You wanna find her? Us too! I’m going to have sex with her some day, y’know. But only if they let me.”
The whole group turned to look at Traveller, expressions ranging from irritated to disgusted. As little as The Baron liked Libby, and he had a very good reason not to like Libby, he wouldn’t wish Traveller’s weird, innocent perversions on anyone.
“Lemme guess, he’s still pissed she blew him out of a cannon,” Cedric said, shaking his head. “Guy doesn’t know when to give up.”
Blue nodded. “That’s the way. He wants to, um, ‘Pull her apart and use her ribs as a drying rack’. Among other things. He’s such a charming boss, y’know? But, uh, truthfully, I’m not here for that either.”
“Zen vat?” Antonio asked. He absently poked at the side of her head, his inscrutable smile unwavering as he watched her skin bounce back into shape.
“I’m here… stop that… ‘cause I was lost,” Blue admitted. “And something, or I guess somebody, told me I ought to come this way if I wanted to be useful. In my head, like.”
The Baron stiffened. He’d not encountered Dragomir’s son personally as of yet - and despite his proximity to the glowing tower to the west, he still hoped to avoid that honour - but he knew that the kid enjoyed speaking to people through their minds. He was about to point out the obvious possibility of a trap in all this when a very different voice interrupted his internal monologue and caught his attention.
“Don’t worry,” July cackled, and though The Baron had never heard her real voice, he knew it was her. “It’s all part of the plan, aye?”
No comments:
Post a Comment