The Chay Ong Casefiles, Volume One: Always Chasing Rainbows.

Chapter 11: Heart to Heart

Husk was smoking a cigar and tapping the ashes into the alley below when Chay climbed to the roof. His wings were close to his back, and his head was hunched over the side, staring off into the bloody crimson of Hell's sunset.

"You wanted something?", Chay asked.

"Yeah...sure. Join me for a smoke?", he waved his cigar towards her, not even bothering to turn around and look her in the eyes.

"No...I don't smoke. Never liked it." Chay felt her skin prickle. She had only known Husk for a few hours at this point, and yet his entire body language had her on edge. He was oddly reserved, even methodical.

"Have it your way." He puffed on his cigar again, the cloud of smoke rising up over his head.

-Alright, fuck it.

"Husk...what's your problem? You've been eye-balling me since you showed up. You look like you expect me to stab you in the back at any given nanosecond. Just come out and fucking say what's going on!"

Husk didn't immediately respond. He simply kept puffing on his cigar and staring out into the distance.

Then he started to chuckle. Lightly at first...and then louder. By the time he turned around to face her, he was almost doubled over with laughter.

"Expect you to? Bones, where the fuck do you think you are? How long have you been down here, exactly? I don't know how they do shit in Imp City, but here in PC you trust no-one. This world is the fucking industrial run-off of humanity! And the world before was barely any better. Open your fucking eyes."

Chay grumbled to herself. Why does everyone keep calling me Bones?

"Is that what you brought me up here for? To bitch at me about things I already know?"

Husk wiped away a tear from his eye, still chuckling in his throat. "Naw, that's not it. I did enjoy it though....no, I just have one more thing to you, and it's really fucking important so you better listen."

Chay crossed her arms. Her scarf billowed in Hell's breeze. "Alright, I'm listening."

A grin slowly grew at the side of Husk's mouth.

"Bones...."

Husk put his cigar back into his mouth, his grinning teeth gripping it in his maw .

"Meak robsa anak kuchea sreisaamphoeng."

Chay blinked.

Then her eyes grew larger as realization slowly washed over her.

Then the yellow pupils of her eyes shrank with anger.

"You son of a bitch...what did you just call my mother?"

Husk snapped his fingers. "I fucking knew it! Holy fucking shit but I fucking knew it!"

Husk threw his cigar to the floor of the roof and stamped it out. "I cannot believe I didn't figure it out sooner! That accent! That get-up! That fucking scarf! I knew I recognized all of that shit!"

Husk walked up to Chay, and got directly in her face. He poked her chest with one of his claws.

"You were in the fucking Khmer Rouge!"

Chay said nothing. She just stared at Husk with...she wasn't sure what she was feeling at this very moment. Contempt? Impressed? Some mutant combination of the two? She's been so used to not being recognized for so long that at this point she wasn't sure how she should react in the first place.