Fanfare

Poison

When he gets back, Jon has his toy gun trained on him in the darkness. "Turn around and go back where you came from," he says. His words are slow and slurred. Pierce strides forwards, ducking his head aside and covering Trenna's body with his own as a shot goes off, hitting the wall behind him. He shifts his grip on Trenna and walks right up to Jon, looking down at him savagely as he traps the barrel of the gun between his arm and his body.

"Are you drunk?" he asks quietly. 

Jon squints up at him. "Pierce? No, no. I'm not drunk." He grins. 

Pierce smells the sour afterimage of alcohol on the younger boy's breath. It's strictly forbidden to drink it; they only use it for cleansing wounds. The kid must have stolen some. Pierce grits his teeth, trying to decide if putting Trenna down to hit him will be worth it. After a moment, he decides against it and simply jerks the gun from Jon's grip, balancing Trenna in one arm on his knee while he loops the strap over his other arm. He settles her in his arms again and jerks his chin towards the door. "Open it. And don't touch anything but that pipe until you're half awake." His eyes flicker towards the length of metal beside the door as he tries to determine whether it's wise to leave him with any weapon. But he's watching the door; he should have something. Just in case.

Jon wordlessly opens the door and shuts it behind him. Pierce walks down the long, sloping corridor. The small rocks on the walls flicker with light; something's wrong. He frowns. If something had happened, Jon would have told him at the entrance, though he very much doubts the drunken teenager's ability to recall any information at the moment. He sighs and quickens his pace, his boots pressing quietly on the ground as he goes. The soles are so thin he can feel the rock beneath his feet, the rough dips and grooves, worn smooth by many feet over many years. He imagines he can see the footsteps his grandfather took, many years ago, up until he had no way to continue making them. He wonders what made his grandfather think he could fill them.

Trenna's breaths are silent in the semi-darkness. He looks down at her, wondering how, even asleep, she can be so quiet. She was always quiet, when they were younger. Molly could make her into a different person, though. Molly could make anyone into a different person. Even him.

The lights flicker again, and he can hear voices, shouting and the scraping of a bench being pushed back on the floor. He steps out of the mouth of the corridor and looks around in confusion; everyone is sitting at their tables. But Jack is standing, leaning across the table and yelling at Calla, who is yelling back just as heatedly. Anna and Ben are each attempting to calm them down, but they don't seem to be listening. Everyone else is watching with vague interest, talking amongst themselves, or ignoring the situation and eating. Fights between Jack and Calla are not something new.

Pierce stands quietly until people start to notice him. They each turn to look at him respectfully. He wonders what he's done to earn their respect.

Some looks surprised as their eyes trace down to the figure of Trenna in his arms. But no one moves. Finally, the only sound is Jack, yelling at Calla. Her eyes find Pierce over Jack's shoulder, and she falls silent. Jack turns, slowly. He sees Trenna in Pierce's arms and the lights above stop flickering.

"What's going on here?" No one speaks. Pierce looks at Ben and jerks his chin. The older man stands and comes over to him. "What happened?"

Ben looks a little amused, and Pierce immediately lets go of the suspicion that something serious has happened. Relief settles on his shoulders like a weight, but he's not surprised; even relief is a burden, because it means there is something he has to protect, something he has to feel relief for. "Jack got... a little worked up when Trenna didn't meet us. Call said it didn't matter if she didn't come back, because she hoped Trenna was dead, and you can imagine how that went down." Ben looks a little ashamed. "You know how Calla is. Suspicious of everyone and everything on two legs. And Jack. After his sister..."

Pierce takes a deep breath to calm himself. "Thanks," he says.

Ben smiles and places a hand on his shoulder, looking down at Trenna. "I didn't do anything. But you're welcome. What happened to her?"

"Market people trying their powder trick," he tells him, frowning.

Ben shakes his head. "Again? I thought they'd stopped. I'll let everyone know they're doing it."

Pierce nods and Ben starts going to each table, spreading the news. Pierce sighs and starts towards Trenna's room. He's stopped at the door by a woman; she's about Ben's age, with pale blonde hair and a kind face. She holds a bucket out towards him. "You'll need this. Do you want me to stay with her?" she asks.

Pierce shakes his head. "I'll do it. Could you...?" He jerks his chin towards the door, and Tess smiles.

"Of course." She opens the door and lets him walk in, placing the bucket on the ground before she closes the door behind her. "Call me if you need any help."

"Thank you," Pierce says to the closed door. He turns around and places Trenna carefully on the bed. Then he sits beside it, on the ground with his legs crossed, the bucket on his lap. He waits for her to wake up. This is going to be a long night.