Chapter 185

185 Tragic Past(Part Two)

***THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS 18+ CONTENT. LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, BLOOD, GORE. VIEWERS DISCRETION ADVISED***

Skye gasped silently as a heavy melancholy settled around them. She reached out and grabbed the majority of Shasta’s hand that Maevis wasn’t already touching. Shasta hung her head a moment to collect herself, and turned her hand upwards to return the gesture to her friends.

Skye wanted to hug Shasta so badly, but wasn’t sure how she would react to such familiarity. The ale was beginning to take effect, and her emotions were beginning to kick into overdrive. She so badly wanted to comfort her new friend, but held herself back. She considered where they were and decided to wait until Shasta had finished with her stories, and the crowds had thinned out before doing anything rash.

Maevis felt terrible for Shasta. She knew that her family had been murdered, but no one in the Fae Nation knew of the actual events and circumstances. Maevis just knew everything that had happened after that in better detail. ‘Even for a Fae, Shasta has lived a very hard life.’ As the thought crossed her mind, she subconsciously griped Shasta’s hand harder.

Shasta had downed nearly both of her bottles. Only about a quarter was left out of the two Renee had gotten her. She stood at the end of the bar as she watched the three women with apprehension. In about ten minutes, the Vice Commander would become very belligerent, or so she thought..

Alfred was watching the scene unfold from his position at the bar. He liked Skye and Maevis quite a bit already, and seeing how they were reacting to Shasta’s story made him feel like they were genuine people. When he’d seen her enter with a human, it’d utterly surprised him. Shasta rarely spent personal time with humans except for the occasional meal with Tidas, or a passing tryst. The expression she’d had earlier was far softer than normal, and the way she talked was more courteous; even to Renee.

The day Skye came into her life was the day that Shasta had started to change. She had fumed and complained about the princess to him the first time they’d met and fought. Shasta had come to see him the next day to tell him all about how pampered she’d seemed.. But after a few bottles of cream, she’d bragged about Skye’s potential. He’d gotten the feeling then that Shasta already liked her, she just didn’t want to admit to it yet.

Alfred polished a glass as he used his magic to eavesdrop. He knew it was bad form, but he wanted to make sure Shasta was being completely truthful. The fact that she had started from her actual beginning allowed him to ease up enough to keep an eye on his business. Renee was a beautiful, intelligent girl, but not the most coordinated..

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Shasta squeezed their hands gently, then pulled back to wrap both around her bottle. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. Every time she thought or talked about her past, it flashed before her mind’s eye. Thinking about the look of fear in Lin’s eyes, and the rage she’d felt towards the men made her tail fur fluff in agitation.

“Ye really don’t have to tell us if ye don’t want to.. Or we can do it another time if ye prefer..” Skye suggested in a gentle voice.

Shasta took another deep breath and replied; “No, it’s alright.. It’s something I think you two should know; I trust you. And the hardest part is past now..”

Skye and Maevis re-situated themselves, then Shasta continued; “I’m not really sure what happened after I saw the man walking towards Lin and I.. I just remember feeling massive amounts of rage and pain, and.. the next thing I know, I’m the same size as Lin.”

“I was disoriented at first, but I remembered Lin was behind me. When I turned back to check her.. S-She was already gone..” Shasta’s voice wavered as she stared at the remaining cream in her bottle.

Skye and Maevis choked back their tears. Shasta was already having a hard time not balling her eyes out, and Skye knew that if she started crying again, it would turn to sobs, and they would all start crying in a public place.

Before either could say a word of comfort, Shasta’s disposition shifted drastically. Hostility and pain rolled off of her in waves as the next set of memories filled her mind. Red began to cover her vision as the blood-soaked memories flooded her head..

Shasta finished off her cream as she spoke; “I jumped on the man with my claws out.. He’d stopped moving the moment I’d transformed, so he was easy to kill.. The other three though.. They were more of a challenge.. If I would’ve been any weaker or younger, then they would’ve killed me..”

Shasta flashed a menacing grin; “I killed the first one after jumping around, dodging dead men.. Ha! Even before my magic, I was fast.. But right after I killed the first one, the big one got a hold of me. He let the other guy hit me a few times, but they forgot that cats have claws on their feet, too..”

“When I kicked off of him, I sliced his forearm deep, then I managed to get my feet up, onto the legs of the bastard holding me. I dug my claws into him..”

Skye flashed a curious expression; “Wait, how do yer claws not poke through yer boots all the time?”

Shasta barked a sharp laugh; “They’re retractable; like most cats’ claws. My body is mostly human, it’s just covered in fur-”

“And ears,” Maevis cut in.

“And a tail,” Skye remarked.

“And you growl,” Maevis added with a touch of amusement in her tone.

“Yes, I’m a Fae! But what I’m saying is-you know what? Never mind.. Anyway..” Shasta huffed, but she felt her bloodlust dissipating.

She knew that they were trying to calm her without making a big deal over it. Tidas and Zas did something similar whenever her ire began to rage. It made Shasta smile to think about all the people she had in her life now.. Loved ones that didn’t want to see her hurting.

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Alfred, Tidas, Zas, Lawrence; now she had Skye and Maevis as well. She looked over at Alfred with a tender smile, then nodded to him when he returned it. Everything she was experiencing now was ultimately thanks to him...

Looking at her two friends, Shasta suggested that they finish their food before she continued with her story. It would only get more complicated from here, and she didn’t want their food to go to waste due to her talking. Wasting food wasn’t something Shasta did voluntarily, unless she was drunk.

The three woman ate their food as they chatted first about Shasta, then about Alfred. Skye was surprised to learn he was something called a Wepwapet. According to Shasta: they’re descendants of an ancient god called Ophois. Skye knew of a lot of legends surrounding the ancient civilization called Egypt. It was one of her favorite subjects as a young teen, and the inspiration behind Thoth’s name.

As far as Skye knew, Wetwapet was the name of the ancient god. However, their were so many names associated with him that some could’ve been names, or terms for his descendants. As Skye’s mind raced, her tastebuds sang with joy as she bit into one of the pulled pork sandwiches.

Alfred had brought over more drinks for Shasta and Skye, and switched out Maevis’ ale for a sweet tea. She had only taken two sips from her shot glass. It was still akin to drinking from a three gallon bucket for the fairy, but it was better than attempting to drink from a human-sized glass or mug.

“I noticed you weren’t drinking much, so I brought you something that was non-alcoholic. Is everything alright over here?” Alfred asked in a kind voice.

Skye looked up at Alfred with her mouth full, and a grin on her lips; “Oh-ahye! Ith tasteths great!”

Alfred and Shasta both smiled and chuckled at Skye, while Maevis chided her for her poor manners with a grin. The atmosphere had lost it’s deadly vibe, and had been replaced with life. The four stood and talked about the food, ale, and other dishes that Alfred favored or made often. The conversation led to Skye promising to make visiting after practice a regularity.

It surprised Alfred how serene Shasta seemed, but she did just basically slam two whole bottles of cream. Her nature and gate eased considerably as she spoke easily with the two women and himself. His mind told him it was the company and cream, but his instinct told him it had more to do with Skye.

He wasn’t sure if it was something she controlled or not, but Alfred swore Skye was doing something that made the energy around them different. ‘Maybe she’s a Light or Ether magic mage? No, Shasta said she was a Water and Earth mage.. Something else too, but it wasn’t another element. What was it? Healer? I think so.. Can healers affect the senses like that? No. Only Ether, I think..’

As Alfred lost himself in his thoughts, the mention of a name brought him back; “Did you say Lawrence? Who is he? Shasta mentions him occasionally, but she won’t tell me about him when I ask. I think Prince Tidas knows him too. Is he in the RMC?”

Skye and Maevis both glanced at each other with amused expressions before turning to Shasta. Her eyes bulged and her mouth gaped in shock that Alfred would ask them. He was always cordial with customers, but never this friendly.. It irritated Shasta that he was blatantly pumping them for information since he’d come over to their table.

Alfred was like an overbearing older brother to Shasta. The bond they’d created during their time as slaves kept them connected, no matter how their lives had differed afterwards. Most Fae that lived among humans had been slaves at one point or another. It was just what happened for Fae..

“So who is he? What’s his magic?” Alfred asked as his tail gave away his level of excitement.

“It’s up to Shasta,” Skye stated right before she dug into her last sandwich.

“Thank you,” Shasta said to Skye, then turned to Alfred; “You! No! Bad dog! There’s nothing to tell yet, so stop asking about him!”

Maevis sighed with a smirk; “See? It’s because you flat-out lie to him that he won’t believe you.”

“MAE?!” Both women yelled at her.

“What?! It’s not like he doesn’t know there’s Something going on there.. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be acting so oddly over it,” Maevis remarked in her own defense.

“How about this; I’ll let you ladies finish your discussion, then you can tell me who this Lawrence guy is.. If he turns out to be a lecher, I’ll have to kick his ass,” Alfred had smirked after he spoke, then walked away.

The three women laughed about the fact that Alfred had just threatened the King of Ruscovic. Shasta thanked Skye and Maevis for not saying anything, even though Maevis didn’t help much.. But Shasta just chalked that up to her Pixie nature.

After they polished off their food, Renee brought over one more cup of ale for Skye, and a watered-down bottle of cream for Shasta. They normally did this when she drank too quickly. It stopped her from getting too rowdy normally.

Skye drank deeply from her mug, than asked; “So... How did ye get from Sai to the Fae Nation?”

Shasta winced with her eyes a second before she replied; “After I killed the third man, I went and sat down by Lin. I didn’t know what to do.. That’s when I heard rustling from behind me. It was coming from where Lin’s parents were.. Her father was still alive..”