Reflections of Light

Wind Changes

"Ay, Lucia!" Dec greeted the girl sitting at the bar with the enthusiasm of one seeing a long-time friend.

He quickly downed his drink and gestured to the bartender. "Fill me up again, and one for the lady also."

Receiving their drinks, he went to toast. "To honour amongst thieves, eh?"

"Declan, I think you'll find you are the only thief here." Luci replied smoothly.

"Well then," Dec replied, eyes twinkling mischievously. "In that case, both drinks are mine."

There was shared laughter as he playfully swiped for her drink, before taking a long swig of his own.

"Anyway, how's everything? How's life? How's your son?"

"Well, for a start, my son is over there, antagonising that couples date."

Dec laughed. "He's got confidence, little Billy, I'll give him that.

Speaking of which, I may have managed to get a hold of a certain item you were enquiring about for him a while back.
Assuming you're still interested, that is."

Billy was having a riveting conversation with the young couple he'd cornered, mainly centered around the gruesome details of the Egyptian mummification process, which he was reading from a large, picture-filled book.

He'd been to the library that afternoon, and was now carting around a stack of books on various topics from history and science, interspersed with a handful of Asterix comics and picture books, and was all in all as happy as a Larry.

The young couple seated next to him, however, were not so much.

However, his attention was quickly drawn away when he saw a face he recognised enter the building, and hopped down off his seat to go investigate.

Travis nearly jumped in surprise when a certain hyperactive four year old landed in front of him, grinning ear to ear.

" 'Ello!"

"Oh, uh... Hello... Billy, isn't it?"

Billy nodded enthusiastically, still grinning.

"Uh..." Travis started. "You haven't run away from the motel again, have you? You're here with someone?"

"Wasn't runnin' away, was investa-gatin'." Billy said frustratedly, stomping his foot.
"An' I don't live in da motel no more. Live wif Mummy, over dere!"

He jabbed his finger in the direction of his mother.

"Good, good, just checking." Travis was quick to reassure the small boy, turning his head to look at Luci, and puzzling slightly as to where he recognised her from.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Nyx bounded up on his other side, returning from the bathroom.

"Hey. Made a friend, did you?" She joked.

Billy scowled.

Travis interceded. "Yeah, Nyx, this is Billy. He's the kid Nick rescued from the Mansion when we were breaking in to Evelyn's lab. We told you that, right?"

Nyx nodded, smiling. "Hello, Billy."

Billy ignored her. "I didn't need wescuing, I was fine! An' I was da one doin' da wescuing, I know dat place like da back of my hand, an' I wescued your fwiend Nick!"

"After robbing him blind first." Travis muttered.

"I won dat stuff fair'n square!"

"Okay." Nyx interrupted. "Everyone calm down. It doesn't matter, everything's fine.
Travis, don't argue with other people's kids, it just doesn't work."

"Yeaah!" Billy taunted, sticking his tongue out and pulling a face.

"Careful." Nyx warned. "The wind will change and you'll stay like that."

Billy closed his mouth with a click.

"Anyway," Nyx continued. "You look like you've got your arms full..." She read a title of the top of the pile. "... 'The big book of Robots'. Huh, sounds interesting. So maybe you should..."

"I'm makin' a robot." Billy intertupted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It'sa droid, like in da Star wars film I saw."

Nyx looked quite taken aback. "Really? Wow, that's..."

"It doesn't work yet."

"Oh." Nyx said, nodding slowly. "Right, okay..."

"Dats why I gotten da book, so I can learn it to make my robot."

"Ah, okay. That makes sense." She said,  smiling at him encouragingly. "Well, good luck to you. Hope it goes well."

"Yesth." Billy agreed, nodding.

"William, come away, I need you for a moment." Luci strode up, slipping on her jacket.

Nyx blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're Billy's mum?"

"Yes." Luci said flatly.

Initial shock out of the way, both girls looked at each other, silence falling over them as they remembered the last time they'd seen each other.

Each examined the other, attempting to calculate what they were going to say, and who was going to bring up what first.

The air felt heavy. Nyx's gut was twisting itself into knots as she melted under the other woman's harsh gaze, and all the implication that that entailed.

And then the moment was gone.

"Apologies if he's been a bother. William, have you got everything? We're going somewhere now.

Anyway, wonderful to see you again. Nyx, you look exhausted, maybe you should get more sleep?"

This was followed by a sly grin, at which Nyx couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Anyway, we best be going."

And with a quick wave, she took Billy's hand and lead him away, Billy piping up the moment he thought he was out of earshot. "Mummy, if I pull a face an' da wind changes, will it weally get stuck 'n stay like dat?"