Soothsayer ⚡ Barry Allen

Beloveds

My brain had been television snow for a while, the only constant was that I kept the satalite phone on my person everywhere I went. It was on silent, so even I didn't know when the calls were coming through, but Barry tried to reach me once everyday, leaving a message everytime he failed, which just so happened to be every time.

I wanted to speak with him, hearing his voice alone was able to bring a smile to my lips, once I'd be able to actually respond to him there'd be so much more than these stolen moments. But even listening to the voicemails in my room was risky, having the phone itself was almost too risky.

I sat at the bottom of the gulch where I'd pushed Barry, my fingers drifting over the phone and through the sand; some of it had been stained red with his blood. I paused when the screen lit up, the silent alert of his daily call ringing in. I was tempted to answer even if it was just to listen to him talk without responding myself, but before long the screen returned to normal, 'One missed call' glaring up at me like usual. With a soft sigh, I pressed my hand further into the sand as I patiently waited. At a time difference of ten and half hours, the only things I could excuse his late timing for are Flash duties, or nightmares.

It scared me to think that he had nightmares every night since I left, so I pressed my knuckles into the sand, feeling the granules bite into my skin. It didn't take too long, but by the time the phone lit back up, I had to brush the grains of sand out of the indentations they put in my skin. Closing my eyes, I leaned back and held the phone to my ear, physically feeling the endorphine rush when Barry started speaking.

"After I was hit by the lightning, I was in a coma for nine months. I don't remember much from when I was under, but just before I woke up I saw you. You helped me back to my feet, were my in-home doctor... It felt so real that when I woke up I expected you to be there. It took another year, but I found you. That same coy smile I remember..." His voice trailed off and I took a deep breath, hoping I wouldn't have to restart the recording so soon.

"You may not be a real M.D., but you're damn good with your hands, you could do so much more than how you apply yourself." I knew his praise was supposed to make me feel better, but it only made me feel like crap. I didn't deserve any sort of praise after all I'd done to him, on an emotional scale alone, not even considering how I physically attacked him. "You're going to do great things when you get back, Andy. I know it, just as sure as I love you." He released a breath before hanging up, the automated voice giving me options soon after.

I listened to it until the words no longer dampened my mood, deleting the message before dragging myself back to the temple. By the time I'd climbed out of the gulch a heaviness had set into my body, trying to hide it as much as possible when I reached the temple. I was on my way to Talia's quarters when my feet stuttered, my fingers twitching for my sai when the door burst open. However, I quickly corrected myself and stood with my back to the wall, head bent respectfully as Bane stomped passed me, the door slamming shut behind him.

I waited a few seconds after his heavy footsteps receeded before lifting my head and slowly walking to Talia's door, hesitantly knocking. Something scraped against the floor inside before she called, "Enter." I slowly stepped in and shut the door with a quiet click, Talia's eyes turning to me after she picked up a small table, her body visibly relaxing when she noticed it was only me.

"Is everything alright, mistress?" I softly asked, moving to pick up shards of broken glass. She gave a heavy sigh and it was probably the strongest she'd let herself emote in my presence.

"All relationships have their complications," she admitted with another heaving breath. "It seems when you're due to run a band of assassins, those complications are more heavily stressed than others." Maybe it's the League alone that ruins relationships for everyone. I didn't know Bane well enough, couldn't say one way or the other, but if things had gotten physical, Talia wouldn't be one to take the beating. She was similar to her betrothed in the sense that when I hit them, they hit back with exponetial amounts of force. I offered her my glass-filled palms and accepted the rest that she had collected, moving to her trash bin with a slight frown. "I see the same weight on your shoulders, Al Kahin. More so in these recent weeks."

I winced as the glass slid down my hands, a quick slice across my thumb jolting my mind along side panic. "I'd feel sorry for anyone who thought they loved me. At this point, I don't even know the real me anymore." I pressed my thumb into my black linen, being completely honest. I felt bad that Barry was so deeply rooted to me -- within me, even -- that of all of the people his dreams could point him towards, it's someone who is willing to risk his life and limb.

"But there is someone who holds your heart." She didn't ask, she didn't have to. She had me under her personalized microscope for four months now, that's enough time to learn someone you're meant to take apart and rebuild.

"It's more like he's trying to find any and every way to keep his within my grasp," I sighed, knowing that I couldn't share too much with her. "He doesn't understand that I came here for him." Talia was behind me when I turned around, holding out an open palm and a band-aid in the other hand. I gave her my hand but avoided looking at her face, I was too much an open book with Barry in mind.

"You think his love is misplaced?" she asked, smoothing her fingers over my thumb in one gentle motion. If his love were misplaced, it wouldn't be reciprocated.

"He's more like a puppy," I explained, grabbing a towel to clean up spilled water. "You scold him, send him to the corner, and he's sad for some time. But the second you call his name it's behind him, forgotten, and he's ready for whatever you have for him." Talia gingerly grabbed a flower from the spilled water, running her fingers over the deep purple petals. It was similar to the one I had been sent to retrieve some months ago but it had been picked at a different season, the one I'd grabbed was blue. "I can see Bane is nothing like that."

"No, he certainly isn't," she sighed. "He will be fine, though, once his anger passes."

"Forgive me for even asking," I breathed, having been in her position, relatively, "but he hasn't hurt you, has he?" I've known too many men of power who weren't below laying hands on a woman.

"No, no," she quickly denied, shaking her head. "There would've been much more damage than just the vase." To the room, to each other, I guess that made sense. I nodded and finished picking up the water, wringing out the towel in her sink. "I can see that you haven't given up on your beloved, Al Kahin. I saw it from the day you came, even if I couldn't recognize it." I released a tense breath and laid the towel over the counter with the wetest part in the sink.

"And here I was thinking I was holding out with subtlety," I weakly chuckled. I clasped my hands behind my back and turned to face her as she sat in her chair, wringing my hands together.

"To those who haven't been cross examining you, you have been," she noted with a proud nod. "After watching you for extended amounts of time, I've learned your mannerisms. It's rare to find humor in your voice. You should bring it back." She gave me a soft smile before turning to her vanity, brushing out her hair as I moved to stand in the corner.