Chapter 7: Quid Pro Quo

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Ivy

I managed to wake up before Julie did, but I still sneaked quietly out of the house, knowing how light of a sleeper she was. Walking out the front door, I made my way across the town square down into the housing district, where most of the metas and normal humans lived. I was looking for somewhere specific, until I found it. A small, one-person cabin on the outskirts of the village, right by the wall.

Looking around to see if anyone else was up, I knocked twice on the door. After waiting a while and wondering if this was a good idea, the door opened, and I saw Connor McLeod standing in front of me. I immediately noticed two things. One, he looked like he'd been in pain, which wasn't surprising, and two, he was shirtless. The second fact sent an immediate blush over my face.

"Ivy?" He said in his deep voice as he looked down at me with a confused glance. "Oh, um, hey, Connor." I said, addressing him by his first name even though we'd only met a few times before and barely talked. "Am I...interrupting anything?" I said as I tried to avoid eye contact. I didn't want to stare, but it wasn't like he was out of shape.

Connor looked down, and he realized the state he was in. "Um, no...can I help you?" Clearing my throat, I forced myself to stare into his eyes, seeing the shade of hazel they were. "May I come in? Just, for a minute?" He seemed to consider this, then nodded and stepped to the side. As I walked in, I noticed his bedside table was knocked over.

"What happened?" I said, and he closed the door behind me. "Nothing, I uh...tripped." Knowing how good Connor was even with his one eye, I found that hard to believe, but I didn't push him. He walked past me to the small dresser he had. "Excuse me." He said as he took out a blue long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over his head. His shirt was one of many we'd collected and given to those who needed them. Wearing the same clothes every day was starting to get a bit old for people. Now that he was properly dressed, I could actually look in his direction without burning up.

His hair was slightly messy, and he looked like he'd just woken up. One part of it was matted down thanks to the makeshift eyepatch he always wore. I never remember asking how he got it. He placed a small bottle of pills on the dresser and stood in front of it, as if to block my view of it. "So, you wanted to see me? Is this about what happened with Hightower a few weeks ago?"

Looking back up, I was confused, then remembered. "Oh, no, no, no! It's nothing like that." Last month, back during one of the few times that Connor had stepped outside, he'd went to the marketplace and gotten in a fight with Hightower. Details were sketchy on what had exactly happened, but all we knew was Wren and Jude had rushed onto the scene only to find Connor on top of Hightower beating the crap out of him.

He'd basically been sentenced to house arrest for a month, since we didn't really have a judicial system, and everyone in the village had a small stigma against him. I hadn't seen the fight itself, but I'd heard all the details from Sparrow. I was questioning why I'd come here again. Then I remembered the girl and pushed on.

Connor sighed and brushed his hair back. "Good. Cause I was wondering why your brother would send his little sister to do his dirty work." I was about to say some retort, but I bit it back. Like it or not, I needed him. "Well, he...sort of did. Kinda. But not to punish you more. I...we, need your help." I said, improvising.

Pausing, Connor laughed. "Seriously? Who's we? Your brother? You mean the guy who locked me away from everyone else in the first place? What's he need me for? To test out Sanctuary's first jail cell?" Clenching my fist behind my back, I kept going. "He needs you to help rescue someone who's trapped in Seattle."

Letting that sink in, Connor frowned. "What?" I quickly explained to him everything that had happened last night, leaving out the part about Wren saying we couldn't go, and basically changing around most of the story. "Wren said that we needed someone with the right abilities to go and make our way into the city. Someone fast, skilled, and strong enough to fight those things if need be."

Shrugging, Connor walked over to the bed and sat down. "So get that blonde speedy chick. Why use me?" I bit my lower lip, trying to think of something, then an idea went into my head. "Because he wants to give you a chance to redeem yourself." Looking up at me with doubt, Connor crossed his arms. "Oh really? Then why didn't he come tell me himself?"

Crap. I had no cover for this. Then, I decided I would go with my gut. Sitting on the edge of the table, I stared into Connor's eyes. "You know how he is. Never wants to admit that he's wrong, always thinks that he knows what's best. I decided that if he wasn't going to ask you, I would." It was technically the truth, and I may or may not have drawn from my own feelings about Wren. Whatever the case, Connor seemed to buy it.

He sat there silently for a moment, considering it. "If I do agree to this, and I'm not saying for a second that I do, what's your plan?" I sighed, placing my hands on my knees. "Just the two of us. We ride to Seattle, find this mystery transmitter, pick her up and anyone else we find, head back, and if we run into any trouble, use your powers. Easy."

Scoffing, Connor shook his head. "Nothing's ever that easy, Ivy. But...if your brother really wants to do this, then why not, hmm? Let's give him a reason to trust me again." Standing up, he stretched his arms out. I smiled a little. "Great! I have to get a few things ready. Meet me in about 15 minutes outside the main gates."

Nodding, he went to go prepare some things, pulling out items from his dresser as I opened the front door and walked outside. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as I walked towards the northern side of the housing district. Now that I had part one of my plan down, I needed part two to work, otherwise, things would be a lot more difficult than I'd hoped.

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