Under the Darkest Skies

Chapter 11

WARNING: gore (photographic)

If nothing else, at least the weather's glorious, Becky thought. She had been dreading their second meeting with Sora ever since Finn and Seth had discussed it, but she supposed if she had to hear dreadful things, basking in the sunshine would make it a bit better. It didn't hurt that Finn and Seth were sunbathing as well, so the view was doubly lovely.

Finn caught her watching them and smiled. "Rollins, your girlfriend is ogling me."

Seth barely lifted his shoulder off the lounge chair in a shrug. "She was your girlfriend first," he pointed out. "If you have a problem with her, take it up with her. You know how she feels about abs."

"I'm just wondering how me and Piper nearly get incinerated in the sun, but Finn doesn't," Becky marvelled. She didn't think this kind of climate would be anything Sora would pick, but it was the blood-brewer who had asked to meet at Finn's house in Florida, so they were relaxing by the pool until she arrived. "Must be that demon blood."

"Has to come in handy for something," Finn replied, rolling onto his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows. "The banshees don't have any special sun-repelling song?"

Becky shot him a dark look. "I wish. If there were, I would actually try that...."

Seth flipped onto his side to look back at her. "Are there... like, specific songs banshees learn? Or is it something with the tone you use?"

"It's more about tone. Certain combinations of notes work together like a spell." Then Becky laughed. "I really should have paid more attention in music class, I guess."

Finn's phone let out one, long beep and then fell silent. "Perimeter alert," he explained as he sat up, reaching for his phone. "Sora's here. Be right back."

After Finn left the pool area, Seth stood and joined Becky under her umbrella. She wanted to enjoy the sunshine, but even with sunblock, she was already starting to burn. "I know you don't approve of this," he said softly. "If you don't want to listen, you can go inside. I won't be mad."

Becky shook her head. "It's... it's not that. I'm just worried, that's all. It sounds like a major spell, and that means there's a lot of room for things to go wrong, especially when it involves blood. And your bone marrow?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "It's up to you, of course. Just... ask a lot of questions and listen to the answers. Really listen. Don't just pay attention to the good bits."

"I will." Seth's voice was terse and he stopped himself short. "Sorry. I... I know you mean well, and I get that you're cautious because you know more about all of this in general than I do. I just want to learn for myself. Maybe I wouldn't grasp everything, but...."

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Becky kissed his shoulder. "You're doing much better than I would be in your place. If I were new to all of this, I'd probably just... run."

"You wouldn't. You're too stubborn." Seth held her close until he saw the deck doors open again. "Thanks for coming, Sora. I appreciate it."

"Thank you for agreeing such a lovely venue." It took Becky a minute to recognize the blood-brewer. Sora had understandably been stressed the last time they were all together: her power left her sensitive to large crowds, and she had been backstage at a wrestling event. At Finn's condo, they were the only four people present; aside from two cats, no one was inside. It must have felt so much better, like breathing in pure oxygen instead of dust; Sora certainly seemed happier and more lucid. Her skin tone was still greyish, but somehow not as washed out, and her long, thick braid was draped across her right shoulder. "Becky, it's nice to see you again. I'm glad to see that you've healed." The blood-brewer walked over and handed her what looked like a bottle of nail polish. "If you must be sewn silent in the future, apply this first. It will help."