Cars, Love, And Farbanti

CHAPTER 8: PARTY

 "So, uh, why am I here again?" Stan ushered me into the house. "I need to show you something. Privately." I followed him upstairs. I hoped he wasn't planning anything intimate, after all, we hadn't even had our first kiss yet. He closed the door of his bedroom behind him, and turned to me with embarrassment. "So, uh, you've never gone swimming with me, and we've been invited to a pool party, after all. I wanted to break the ice with you before showing this to a large crowd." I arched an eyebrow. "OK. What is it?" He cautiously removed his shirt, and to be honest, he looked good. Better than me. But I understood immediately why he hadn't shown me the blue scales, with their green patches and gill slits under the ribcage on either side, that his shirt usually covered.

His back and chest were covered in deep scars, straight cuts at different angles, as if he had been slashed with a sword repeatedly. His eyes watered, as if he wanted to cry, but he held his composure. "What happened?" I said, trying to keep an even tone. Tears finally began to fall, and he explained what had caused him so much pain. "Once, when I was in high school, crime lords attempted to take over the city, fighting for control of the streets. So Han decided to take matters into his own hands, forming an alter ego, and becoming the Purple Martin. Well, one day, one of the crime families got their hands on me. Somehow, they figured out we were friends, and they kidnapped me and tortured me. Not for information, not for his identity, they wanted to lure him out, but more for fun. Well, I say 'they', but it was just one family member."

"What happened to them?" I asked. "Well, of course, my uncle, his old squadmates, and Han didn't take this well. They tracked down each of the family members. Uncle Alyx killed the man that tortured me, Tor, your professor, killed the man's father, and Han killed the man's mother. The mother was the head of the operation, and they all had a power trip sort of thing going on. Only the youngest child of the leaders survived, and he refused to take over the crime business, only retaining the legitimate part of their company." I held his hand reassuringly. "Stan, I'm so sorry, and honestly, I'm flattered that you trust me with all this. And you know what? A lot of people like scars. I'm one of them."

He smiled, and put his shirt back on. "Thanks. Now, we should get going, right?" I nodded, grabbing my bag. "I have my donation for the entrance fee. Is 50 credits enough?" "More than enough." We headed to the landspeeder he had borrowed from his sister, and stepped into the open canopy. He started the turbine engines, lifted the landing gear, and headed for Farbanti Hills. Farbanti Hills was the richest part of town, full of sports speeders, mansions, and of course, pools, all overlooking Farbanti. There was one street with the biggest mansions, and the biggest one of all was at the end of the street, the Deiu Estate. It was a modern complex, clearly designed for hosting parties as well as a permanent residence. The logo on the fence matched one mounted to one of the tallest buildings in the city.

A valet took care of our speeder, and we approached the door, where two wolves in bodyguard gear stood. One nodded at Stan. "Mister Dupont." "Derek," Stan replied fondly. "Here's our donations," Stan said, and he nodded, placing them in an armored box, before allowing us to enter the courtyard. It was full of elites, actors, millionaires, as well as many humble folks, friends of the host's, Stan assured me as he removed his shirt, down to his swim trunks. "Hey, is that Tor?" He nodded. "Yeah, that's him. Let's say hi." Tor was standing with the host, and I noticed the two looked nearly identical. "Hi, Professor." Tor turned away from his discussion. "Mike! Hello! And Stan, too! Good to see you." He gestured to the other desert dragon.

"Mike, this is my brother, Giovani Deiu." Giovani nodded. "Hello, Mike." His smile faded a little as he turned to Stan. "Hello, Stan. I'm glad to find you well." He became serious for a moment as he looked briefly down at Stan's scars. "Stan, listen, I'm-" "Sorry? Yes, I know. You've redeemed yourself, Gio. I'm glad you broke the cycle. Now," Stan turned to me with a smile, and Gio's returned as well. "Let's go swimming, shall we?" We cautiously entered the crowded pool, and I shouted above the loud music. "Wait, if Gio is Tor's brother, and Gio was the younger brother of that family, and Tor killed Gio's father..." Stan nodded. "Piecing together the history, I see. Yeah, Tor killed his dad. Never really accepted him after the war, when he realized how manipulative he was. Didn't help that he was funding, you know, the bad guys. We're allowed to say that about the Charmundan Empire, they did some fucked up shit. Yes, Gio stood idly by for a bit. But he's done a lot of work repairing the damage his family did. His company is known for donating large sums of their profits to charity. I used to hate Gio, but we're on good terms now."