Charger 3

three: home

There were other buildings in the city that housed Knights, this building was in Downtown, just off the river banks and near the old factory buildings. Great training grounds. This particular building had once been a Dorm for one of the colleges in the area. Tough times befell the college and it became a training ground and housing for Knights.

The upper floors of the dorm building were dedicated to the female staff and Knights. Yasmine had been living there for the past three years, along with a few other girls. Only a couple of them she knew the names of. Phoenix was the one who took the teenager under her wing and treated her like a daughter, son, warrior and friend. She also beat the bloody hell out of her during training sessions until she could hold her own.

Phoenix and Yasmine looked as though they could have been relatives. Cousins or even sisters. Phoenix spoke with a slight accent and had golden catlike eyes that were hard to place her country of origin. Yasmine wasn't even sure she was human, they way she acted. She looked relatively young, but was noted to have a son that was the same age as Buck, and another daughter who was off in Highschool. Phoenix's true age, race and origin were complete enigmas.

"Ain't you a sight for sore eyes." Phin smiled, pouring her a cup of white tea. Yasmine groaned from her sprawled out position on the couch. "....Care to talk about it?"

"One for one. Tie with Solomon, Lost with Buck." Yasmine pulled up her shirt and stared at the marks that look like old scars, but were really abrasions she had earned from today's bouts.  "He's getting better. Almost took off my head at the elevator."

Phoenix sat down on the long couch beside Yasmine. She reached out and stroked her hair. "no." she said calmly. "I mean the boy who hurt you mentally."

".....Solomon?" Yasmine tilted her head. "Or Buck? because they were both being pretty buttish."

"No, no, and Buttish isn't a word." Phoenix chuckled.

Yasmine was reminded of her mom the way Phoenix acted. She was going in full mother hen mode at the moment. Rizabel lifted her head from the floor where she had been napping.

She ran to the door, a sleepy jaunt of movements. "Oollie's home!" the four year old chimed, arms outreached for a hug. The door opened and twenty six year old Oliver walked in. As if on cue, he swept his younger sibling up in his arms and covered her bare arms and legs in play bites.

"Raawrr!nomnomnom!" he got a series of squeals and growls from the child. Yasmine sat up to watch them, laughing and roaring. Oliver noticed her, little Rizabel's fingers tugging at his eyebrow roughly and trying to gouge out the eye below said brow.

"Ah. Yazz." he said, clearing his throat but still having his sister clawing at his face and neck. Yasmine saw the child draw blood, but he didn't seem to mind. His one eye that wasn't being gouged went to her stomach. "Your shirt."

She blushed red and yanked her top over her stomach. "Sorry."

Rizabel climbed and perched herself on Oliver's shoulders, frowning. "Sissy had a rough day." she said in well anunciated English. "Sully was all, "Raaawr!" an Chucky was mad because Sully was mean."

Oliver perked a brow. He held up the bag from the local Thai place he held in his right hand. "Want to talk about it over dinner?"

"Not....really." Yasmine rubbed her arm. "I was thinking of taking a bath and..."

"I like baths!" Rizabel screeched from her perch. Oliver flinched, then set the bag on the kitchen table. "Yazzy! Let's go!"

Oliver had to put out his arms to make sure his sister had not fallen and cracked her head open on the wooden floor. Rizabel wiggled like some odd worm out of his grasp until she was on the ground. She ran over and dragged Yasmine into the large bathroom.

She made a show of the bathroom, that made it feel like they had stepped into a whole new world. The faucets were metal dragon heads, jaws open and spewing water. The handles for hot and cold were taloned hands grasping orbs, the long body of the dragon leading to a second mouth that was for the shower head. The tub was solid, thick, black  and crafted of some material similar to marble. The snaking dragon body went around the rim, clawed hands holding soap dishes and areas for wash clothes.

The tub was sunk a few inches into the floor, and the rim was smooth so not to cut anyone coming or going. Rizabel pat each claw methodically, as was her before bath routine. She started tugging at her overalls.

Oliver ducked in and snatched his sister. "Yasmine has had a rough day."

"but I want to float! Like a vampire!"  she squealed.

Oliver looked appalled. He shot a look at Phoenix who was sitting on the couch grinning. "Rizzels. Come and have tea with mummy." Rizabel squirmed out of Oliver's grasp, ran across the room to her mother, then jumped up to sprawl across her lap.

"Story!" Rizabel shouted.

"About what?" Phoenix stroked her back.

Rizabel watched as Oliver set up silverware and plates on the coffee table instead of the kitchen table. "Hmm... Oedie!"

"Oedie?" Oliver looked up from spooning chicken pad thai onto their plates.

"Oedipus Rex." Rizabel recited, giddy.

Oliver's brow scrunched up and his eyes narrowed. "Mother. Really?"

"She's a cultured girl." Phoenix chuckled. "What about Bakunawa and Bathala? That's a better story."

Rizabel's own brow scrunched up. "Who are they?" she asked, crawling onto a cushion on the floor.

"the God of the Heavens and the God of the Darkness." Phoenix put rice and dumplings on Rizabel's plate, then poured her some tea and ice in a little cup. Rizabel sighed. "Bakunawa is also the God the resides in the ocean.... He looks like a Sea Serpent...." The child's interests were piqued.

Phoenix told the story. Yasmine used the bathtub, soaking in a mixture of witch hazel, epsom salts, and hot water. Her muscles were aching from the thrashing she recieved from trying to attain the Shard. She stared are the fan and vent over head.

"Phin!" she called.

"Yessum, Darling?" Phoenix called sweetly.

"Can I smoke in here?" she called back.

Oliver and Rizabel both frowned. Phoenix looked at them, then the door. "Go right on ahead." she said.

Yasmine patted her pants and found her tinder box. She was lucky enough to slip her last two into the small metal case before her fight. The outside was crusted with blood, as was the empty box and book of matches she left in her pocket. She found a fresh match and struck it to light her sweet escape.

"Europa." she read the box.

Yasmine hadn't been much of a drinker, smoker or drugs. It wasn't until recently she found a brand of cigarettes that didn't taste like catbutts, and didn't make her throat tighten painfully. She reached out and flipped on the fan, and the smoke and steam were sucked out through the ceiling. The vent led to the outside and deposited the smell accordingly.

She sat in the dragon bathtub, thinking painfully about how horrible her week had been. Being yelled at by her higher ups, breaking up with her boyfriend as he left her for another girl, almost getting fired at work, losing  to Solomon, losing to Buck.....

She took the longest drag she could manage and watched as the ashes slipped into the cloudy water. Looking at the dragon that spewed shower water, she clenched her jaw and blew the smoke out her nose.

"I'm vicious!" she proclaimed at the dragon. The dragon had no retort, and yielded silence to her call. She leaned her head back and kept the cigarette between her lips. Yasmine had heard somewhere if you breathed the smoke out your nose, you wouldn't stain your teeth.

"Now if only you didn't have nasal cancer, that would be awesome." she mumbled. Yasmine's mind travelled to the guy she had broken up with. Her eyes clouded over in memory, or maybe it was tears from salt water in her eyes. She sucked the last of the sweet Europa until the butt. She puckered and blew rings to the Dragon's leering gaze.

Rizabel came in just at that moment and exclaimed out a loud explative that sounded like a curse word. "You're just like the dragon princess!"

This sent Phoenix into a fit of laughter, and Oliver face palmed over the lack of decency that was in this apartment.

Yasmine puffed one last ring at Rizabel, sending her into a fit of Chinese curse words. Yasmine laughed. "I see all those Asian dramas are coming in Handy."

Oliver yanked her out the room, avoiding eye contact with Yasmine. She was smiling, then Phoenix threw more wrenches into the chaos.

"You're sooo prude Oolie." she chuckled. "you and Yazz should date."

Yasmine stood up in a rush, slipped and went under the water. She did not bang her head and drown, but she wished she had. She came up coughing, and heard Phoenix's laughter once more. Oliver was stammering, and Rizabel was saying she always wanted Yasmine as a real big sister.

Yasmine went under water once more, carefully, trying to drown. All she heard under water was Phoenix's teasing laughter. She only meant well, she had no idea how much it was hurting to listen to it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Delilah removed the bandages around her wrists and smiled and the wonderful recovery her body had. Sure, there were scars, long thin lines, curving this way and that. But there was no infection, viral exposure, botched limbs or lose of mobility in her apendages.

She smiled at the Shard her and Solomon had retrieved. It was gorgeous! Golden with the beautifully crafter running Rabbit and Stalking Fox. She held it to the light to look at all the wonderful details. She hugged it close to her chest, loving the feeling the Relic cast over her skin.

A delicious Euphoric scent most people got from drinking or a hit of pills of needles. She giggled, then her laughs were cut short when a form snatched it from her grasp. Solomon's serious face turned harder with a frown.

"Stop playing with this." he growled. "This isn't a toy, Delilah."

Delilah rolled her eyes, and tossed her magenta and mahogany hair out of her face.

"Just having a bit of sport." she said, her accent more prominent now that she wasn't battle crazed. She smiled cutely at her elder. "Isaias's going to be jealous."

Solomon inspected the Shard, then nodded grimly. "Immensely."

Delilah turned her head and laughed. A twelve year old boy with a poseable taxedermy catdoll rounded the corner. His young face was contorted into a pure hate that was saved for Delilah. He reached up for the blue tie that was around his throat.

"Solomon!" he shouted. "This was my Mark!" Delilah snickered, daring him to remove his tie. She had her thumb to her mouth, pressing her finger to her sharp canine. "You promised!"

"First come first served!" Delilah snarled at the kid.

"Shut up you Cockney bitch!" Isaias screamed at her, on the verge of tears.

"And I fought the Charger! Send the fat cow into a bookcase and a wall!" Delilah laughed and laughed and laughed. "I hope I punctured her damn lung!"

Isaias looked so furious. "You stole my Mark! And tried to kill my-- Solomon!"

"Would both of you shut your damn mouths!" Solomon looked at them both, his eyes angry and cold as ice. "I do not have time-- or the patience-- for this. Isaias, you were indisposed this afternoon, even if you were the one that Scented the Shard, Delilah was available." His hard gaze turned to Delilah. "Keep this childish behavior up, and I'll trade positions with Ruth for all my Marks."

Both Delilah and Isaias turned pale. "Yes sir..." they mumbled, losing their fire easily at the mention of the other female Knight in the building. Delilah made a face at Isaias, and scurried off to her room. She had two Geometry assignments and three literature papers to get done before Friday. It was already Wednesday and she hadn't started spit. Isaias cast one last look at Solomon, frowned, then trudged on back to his room. Murphy's tail was coming undone and needed some stitches.

Solomon rubbed his temples, then went to place the Shard in the safe. Him, Ruth, and only two more Knights in the area knew the combination, for safety reasons. The energy the Relic cast off was delicious and addictive. He had a stronger will than most of the other Knights, and easily fended off the urges.

His mind drifted to the battle this afternoon, and sighed. A smiled curved his lips and a small chuckle came out his mouth.

"Can't believe the little Minx had the audacity to shield the second Shard." he smiled. He had felt them both, Rabbit and Fox, and Eaglewing. Then Eaglewing had disappeared from his Senses and he made the decision to go after Rabbit. Even if there was a gap between their experience and ages, she was becoming quite the adversary.

This sent him into a fit of laughter, his hand over his face to cover his eyes and brow. He peaked between his fingers, still laughing. Solomon wondered what her bones would sound like when he snapped them one by one. He wondered what agony she would curse him with when he would be allowed to End her. Slowly, and full of pain.

Bone by Bone.