Moon's Rite

Banshee Queen

Tony settled back in her seat, closing her eyes and getting comfortable. Sleeping wasn't on the agenda, but she wanted to at least attempt to rest. She didn't know when she would find time and place to sleep. She certainly didn't want to give up her momentum while the trail was hot.

Someone sat next to her and she cracked a lid open to take measure of her seat mate. He looked like the average business man, tired even before boarding a red eye flight. Tony let her eyes fall shut once more, settling further into her seat. With closed eyes and headphones in, no one bothered her any more than necessary. Not until they were in the air.

A slight nudge to her elbow had her cracking an eye open and slanting her gaze to the curious look turned her way from the man next to her.

"What brings you to Ireland?"

Tony's eyes slid open fully, turning her head to face her seat mate. She reached up to remove one earbud. There was no music actually playing. Tony had just learned most people left you alone if you appeared to be listening to something.

And then there were those who couldn't, or wouldn't, take a hint.

But being polite never hurt so Tony would play nice until the man made a nuisance of himself. "Nothing special really. I just like to travel."

The man grinned. "Ah. Vacationing then?"

Tony nodded, despite her intentions being closer to business than pleasure. But she had never been particularly eager to bandy about her truths. Even partially. She left the carefully worded half-truths and double meanings to her elder sister. Tony had no problem lying.

He sighed wistfully, dropping his head back against the rest. "Wish I had time for a vacation. Seems like I've been too busy lately to do much of anything just for myself. Oh, but I'm sure you don't want to hear an old mans' woes. I apologize for interrupting you."

Tony cocked her head curiously, shrugging a little. "What is it you do?"

"Politics. Sort of. I wear a lot of hats to be honest. Making deals, looking for leverage to push for the right people to be in the proper place and time, human resourcing, public relations..." He gave a shrug of his own, frustration bleeding into his tone. "And lately, it seems I've been watching all my best laid plans getting torn apart at the seams by my opposition."

A huff of sympathy made him relax again and he managed a smile for Tony's observation. "As opposition is prone to do."

He reached up, loosening a silk tie and getting a little more comfortable. Tony instinctively checked the flesh of his throat as it was revealed, noticing a mundane scar just beneath the shadow of his jaw. He let out a breath in a rush, drawing her attention back to his face. "I mean, I can't really blame them. They think they're doing right for everyone. They just don't see the big picture like I do. Maybe one day they'll see I'm doing everything I am for the greater good. Setting up leaders who will take a stand for the oppressed, forced to hide in the shadows. But for now, they only see the upheaval such a change will bring."

Tony hummed, thinking. "There will always be those who fear change," she murmured. "Those of us who can take a step back and see the bigger picture with a sense of detachment are good for forcing that change into being anyways. But, in my opinion, it's always tricky determining whether or not a change is really needed in the first place. After all, if it isn't broke, don't fix it, right?"

The man frowned, contemplating. "So you think my problem is that I'm fighting inevitability."

"I think I don't have enough of a grasp of your particular situation to offer sage advice. I prefer to leave a lot of those moral dilemmas to those above me and simply cut out what needs pruning to make room for the good to grow. But in the cases where the final decision is fully mine..." Tony scrubbed one hand over her sleeve and the tattoo beneath. The tattoo of angel and demon locked in mortal combat til the end of time. "I'll always have to wonder if it wasn't best to just let things play out on their own."