Fantasy Unlikely Partners

[Tharivle]

Rex was sitting up looking at the two of them and he tilted his head to the side when Ilaria looked back at him.
"True, I know all to well that information can backfire." Chris answered as he opened his Pringles and took a couple and popped them into his mouth. "There are some rather unsavory people that the Golden Flame has let go because they ratted out someone worse."

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria glanced at him, and then checked her blind spot as she merged back onto the highway. Her phone started to buzz again, with the same "G" displaying on the screen. "Can you just turn that off, please?" She said, looking down at her phone and then back at the road.

"I'm not saying.." She stopped, and decided to say it a different way. "When I left that scene, I disappeared. Moved, didn't use my real name for about 10 years. I left a good number of people behind completely. Only a few of them got the correct information to stay in touch with me."

She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair to brush it behind an ear. "I thought it would be okay to reach out to them, and it was important to, and the information we'll get from them is solid. They have good contacts, and they're loyal friends. But, it came at a price, because instead of telling me themselves what they had heard, they decided to give the source my phone number." She cleared her throat, and glanced at him with an odd expression. "I've been avoiding the source for about 80 years."

 

[Tharivle]

"Why do you have to avoid them if they are a good source of information?" Chris asked as he opened his 7 Up and then took a swig.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria licked her lips and was quiet for a few moments.
"He wasn't always just a source of information." She glanced over at Chris, a little bit of pain in her eyes. "We were together for 6 years. I.. thought we would be spending the rest of our very long lives together."
She swallowed, then took a drink of her soda and cleared her throat. "I was.. in my 50's, so I wasn't even really an adult in the eyes of most supernaturals, still within a human lifetime. I was stupid." She paused, and her next words were cold. "He was not"
The phone started buzzing again, and Ilaria looked at Chris again. "Seriously, will you turn my phone off, please?"

 

[Tharivle]

Chris listened intently, then shrugged. He picked up the phone and denied the call, then turned the phone off. "I'm sorry Ilaria. Didn't know that this would be hard for you." Chris said as he set the phone back in the counsel.

 

[Flutterby]

"I didn't either." Ilaira said tersely, setting her eyes firmly on the road.
"You should get some rest. You haven't had a full night of sleep in several days." Her voice was soft, and obviously tense, but she didn't move her eyes off the road when she spoke to him this time. The muscles in her jaw flexed, as she held her tongue and focused on driving. They had about 8 hours left to go; they would be to Larkspur by mid-morning.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris said nothing but stayed looking at her for a few seconds longer. "Okay" he said bluntly. Chris balled up his jacket and used it as a pillow. He reclined just a little bit then leaned against the window and went to sleep.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria took a deep breath, and let him go to sleep.
She stopped a couple times during the night, once at a sketchy rest area for a bathroom break, and once at a gas station to buy a coffee. Chris woke up both times, and seemed to watch her get back to the car safely, but they didn't say anything and he fell back asleep shockingly fast.
Around 8am, Ilaria stopped again and turned her phone back on. 38 missed calls. She placed it in the center console, and was glad that it stayed silent. She glanced over, and Chris was still asleep. She was starting to get really tired, but now they were only about an hour and half away from their destination, so she let him be.

9:32 AM, and her phone started to ring. She glanced over, and sighed, but picked it up anyway.
"I don't want to speak to you." She said softly, glancing at Chris to see if he was awake or not. "No, I needed information."
"This isn't mixed signals. It's been 80 years."
"Yeah, well, I grew up. I'm not a child to be manipulated anymore."
The voice on the other end grew louder, and angrier.
"No. You don't get to do this anymore. You don't-" She was cut off by more shouting.
"Don't talk about that to me. You lost that right the minute-" Again, she was cut off. She wasn't looking so calm anymore.
"Look, Gio. I needed info. You gave it to me. That doesn't make you a hero, just a degenerate with something to prove. I'm blocking your number. And Natasha's. Go rot." She hung up quickly, even though there was still shouting on the other end. And then she blocked the number, even as it was calling her.
As she set her phone back in the console, she turned on her blinker, and pulled into the only hotel in Larkspur. Her hands were shaking.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris woke up about half way through the heated conversation. He sat up but didn't say anything until they were already pulling into the hotel. "Everything okay?" he asked.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria didn't answer him until she had pulled into a space and put the car in park.
"No, but it will be," She said softly, as she unbuckled and then handed him his keys. "Can you get us a room? I need to sleep." She no longer felt hungry. Ilaria climbed out and grabbed her bags from the trunk, and lead the way inside.
The hotel was some kind of chain, but in such a small town, it had a lot of local flavor and charm. It reminded her of a modern log cabin. She sat down on a couch in the lobby, watching silently as the late comers got breakfast from the buffet, as she waited for Chris to handle the room. When it looked like he had room keys in his hand and started to turn away from the desk, she stood and walked over, looking at him expectantly.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris nodded as she parked and collected his things as well. She went and sat down and he set his bag down next to him and had a conversation with the desk clerk. He had a key and WiFi password, so he picked up his bags and started walking because he saw Ilaria stand and move to meet him. The room they had was on the first floor and had a sliding door that lead out to a small deck with a few chairs. There was a mini fridge, microwave and coffee pot. There was a small couch and only one bed, a queen size. "I hope you don't mind about the bed. They didn't have any that were separate."
The hotel didn't allow pets but Rex meet them outside on the deck. "Now Rex, this place doesn't allow pets. You have to stay outside." Chris said as he opened the sliding door." Rex tilted his head and walked past him anyway and sat down in front of Ilaria and looked up at her with sad pleading eyes.

 

[Flutterby]

"Sharing a bed with you isn't new," Ilaria said softly as she set her stuff down. She pulled out a pair of gym shorts from the bag, and had already changed into them when Rex came to beg to stay inside. She gave a tired smile, and crouched down to pet him.
"I know, baby," She said as she stroked his head. "But rules are rules. I'll come hang out with you after I've had a nap." She kissed the wolf on the top of his head, and then stood and motioned toward the door. There wasn't anywhere else to stay in town, so they couldn't get kicked out for not following the rules.
She pulled the covers back on the bed and climbed in, expecting to be asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. But as she curled up, her mind was still racing. This is about to be one difficult nap.

 

[Tharivle]

Rex's ears wilted as she too told him no, but then he perked up when she said she would visit. He trotted outside again, and Chris left the glass door slightly open so they could still hear each other, and ruffled his head as Rex walked by.
Chris grabbed a new set of clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When he was done he came out and sat down on the couch. Rex made a small whining sound and was standing by the door. "I have some food for you if you don't get something. Be careful." Rex barked softly and happy then he jumped back over the balcony railing, and he went off into the woods to hunt for something.
Chris watched him through the window until he lost sight of Rex in the trees, then put his feet up and rested a bit. Not really sleeping but his eyes were closed.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria tossed and turned for several minutes, restlessly moving back and forth, with sighs thrown in here and there as well. Her phone buzzed once, with a text from "Nattie," but she didn't look at it.
After what felt like forever, her body got tired of moving, and she was able to lie still. She ended up on her side, facing the end of the room, with Chris just in her sight as he sat on the couch.
Her eyes weren't shut, but stared unfocused at the blankets in front of her. Her breathing evened out, and then became choppy again. She sniffled softly, brushed the back of her hand across her cheek, and hastily turned onto her back. I'll fall asleep eventually, she told herself, flexing the muscles in her legs and then releasing them to get rid of some tension.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris noticed how Ilaria was tossing and turning. He got up and sat down on the bed opposite her. Then rolled onto his back so he was laying next to her. Then he rolled onto his side so he was closer to her and facing her. He reached a hand over and placed it on her shoulder, and slowly slid his fingers down her arm above the sheets. "It'll be okay Ari." he said softly. "Rest easy, Rex and I can hold down the fort for a wile."

Rex wandered through the woods with his nose down, sniffing for anything that could be breakfast. He occasionally stopped and lifted his head to look around. He caught the sent of something familiar and as he grew closer he realized what it was and licked his lips, rabbit. He tracked the sent and it got stronger as he went, and soon enough he could see it. Nibbling on something just a few meters away was a large male rabbit. Rex had gotten lucky to get this close because the wind had been steadily blowing toward him, and the rabbit didn't detect his slow now stalking approach. All notion that Rex was not at least part wolf erased as he flew out from where the underbrush had been hiding him, in his savage but precise and meticulous attack. The rabbit heard him but by the time it looked and realized the danger and started to run it was too late. Rex snapped his jaws around the rabbits back leg as it tried to get away, injuring it. The rabbit ran for a few seconds, its sudden speed outrunning Rex for a few seconds. But then its injury got the better of him and Rex caught up and bit down around its shoulders and neck, pinning it to the ground until it stopped moving.
Rex looked around and lay there for a moment admiring his kill. Then he picked up his meal and trotted back the way he came until he could see the hotel again. Then he settled down and started eating.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria sighed softly. "I'm okay." She said softly, but it didn't sound quite accurate.
She laid still for a moment, and then rolled into him, burrowing her face in the crook his shoulder made with his chest and neck. Her arms folded up by her chest, but the blankets kept her from getting too close. Probably for the better.
Eventually, her breathing evened out, and her body relaxed, and she dropped off into a somewhat restful sleep.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris smiled when Rex started eating. He could feel how satisfied and happy Rex was.
Chris let Ilaria roll into him and he lifted his arm then placed it around her again as she settled down. Chris dozed himself, but didn't really fall asleep.

 

[Flutterby]

It was a several hours, late lunchtime, when Ilaria woke up. Because it was the peak of the day, she woke up feeling sluggish and a little grumpy, but she was too hungry to continue sleeping.
She groaned softly, and stretched out her legs. When she stretched her arms, she withdrew one quickly; moving it had hit Chris squarely in the chest. "Chris.." She whispered, as she curled back up slightly and closed her eyes again, because they weren't ready to be open yet. "Hungry."
Apparently, she couldn't function past single words quite yet. "Lunch?"

 

[Tharivle]

Chris smiled and said "Okay." Then he rolled out of bed leaving Ilaria there to squint. "There aren't many places to eat but there is a grocery store. We could just pick up supplies for a few days and eat here. Or we can go to the diner for our meals." Chris put on his boots and asked, "What do you want to do?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria sat up groggily, squinting over at him and running a hand through her hair. She grimaced- she needed a shower. Instead, she pulled it up into a ponytail, and then made it into a bun, and left it. She crawled out of the bed, and pulled on a clean shirt and pair of jeans without much thought to Chris or anyone outside their little patio seeing her.
She sort of glared at him when he asked her to make choices. Once dressed and shoed, she approached him and plopped her head onto his shoulder. It was still her death month, and being up in the middle of the day bordered on tortuous. "I hate February." She mumbled softly. She cleared her throat, and then said, "Some of both. Store for now."

 

[Tharivle]

"Okay." Chris said with a small chuckle. He grabbed his keys and lead the way back out to the lobby, then out to the car. Rex meet them out at the car, still licking his lips. Chris let him in the back then got into the drivers seat.
Chris didn't know exactly where the store was, but it wasn't hard to find. They pulled in and parked. Rex was laying in the back snoozing and made no move to get up with them. Chris got out and went inside. "What strikes your fancy?"

 

[Flutterby]

"Yogurt." She mumbled, picking up a shopping basket, and lead the way off toward the dairy section. After a lap around the store and through most of the aisles, she had plopped any array of food into the basket, mostly non-meat proteins and fruits. After a little hesitation, she tossed in a package of chocolate chip cookies as well. She held the basket on her hip between her and Chris, so that he could add things too. But mostly she wandered through the store silently, plucking things off the shelf.
"Ready when you are," Ilaria said softly, and lead the way to the check out when he was ready.

While they stacked their items onto the belt, Ilaria listened to the conversation that the cashiers were having with each other.
"Did you hear? The Clarkson's dog disappeared, just up and gone. Like the Quincy's last week."
The other one tutted softly and shook her head. "I saw on the 48 Hours that serial killers start off with animals. I'd bet my pension that there's some crazy up in the foothills, practicing on those dogs."
The first woman gave her coworker a look. "That's just disgusting, Judy. I don't know how you watch that stuff."

Ilaria turned her head and looked at Chris, recalling what the dryad had said about pets disappearing and children wandering off.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris only added a few things, content to let her pick stuff out. He wasn't a picky eater. At the register he raised an eyebrow at what the two cashiers were saying and meet Ilarias look calmly. Chris paid for their groceries and grabbed the bags as they were placed to the side. As they walked out Chris asked, "Where do you think we should start in out search for weird things that could mean a shard?"

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria glanced back at the store, and then said softly, "I'm wondering if Rex can help us look for those dogs." She said quietly. She was trying to think- there was something bugging at the edge of her mind, but she was too sluggish to catch it. "But I think we should start with lunch."
She was quiet on the short drive back to hotel, and silently insisted on carrying one of the bags this time. Once inside, she remade the bed and plopped down on top of the covers, fixing herself a turkey sandwich with their new groceries. After a few bites, she felt more coherent.
"This doesn't seem like an easy place for demons to hide out- too small, close knit community." She said. "In the city, they possess a human, or are powerful enough to take their own human form, and hide out in the slums. I don't know where to look for them here."

 

[Tharivle]

"You are right, demons do usually hide out in cities. But there is something to be said about a little clearing in the woods, especially if there is a font of power in or around said woods." Chris responded. He thought for a minute then added, "Let's just for a second assume that the demons are hear because there is power here and not because they are interested in the people. They can possess animals just as easily, even easier than humans." Chris paused again as he finished making his own sandwich. "What if they are possessing the dogs, and living in the woods. It would take less power to transform into something terrifying and scary, because they would already be something with teeth and claws. And dogs are faster and can hide easier if they want to run away." Chris sat quietly eating his sandwich while thinking. Then he added, "And yes, we could start at the homes where dogs have gone missing and track them."