[TheNoir] "For Whom the Bet Tolls"
- From: Lyryn Cate <wistful_fancy@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: thenoir@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 00:14:02 -0800 (PST)
For Whom the Bet Tolls
By Anita Tessasohn and Isabella Valentine, featuring Cervin Molari
Bella left Vanir in engineering and went back to her quarters. She had
forgotten how empty they were. "This is crazy," she said out loud to no one.
"This has to be a room that's been stripped for modifications or something..."
She considered going back to Shane's, but something told her to stay away.
She'd been relying on him too much. And that Trey kid was staying there too.
Instead, she figured there had to be quarters on the ship with furnishings.
"Serves me right for just choosing my own without asking..." And then she
vaguely wondered why the hell she was talking to herself.
Tossing the few scattered out clothes back into her bag, Bella left and went in
search of new quarters. With a bed.
Anita walked out of the quarters she was in. There was nothing in it, and it
looked exactly the same as the others- bare. Though she did find a room with a
bed, it was too small, forcing her to find another room. Of course, she didn't
particularly care what her quarters were like, but for this moment she felt
picky. Turning the corner, she stopped short as she noticed Isabella. Anita
suddenly smiled, "Hello again."
Fuck!, was the first thing in Bella's mind. She immediately reached for her
knife, finding it reassuring. She had left this woman scarcely two hours ago
sitting in the brig. And now she was here. Unattended. Bella attempted to
stifle the surprised look on her face. "Hello," she said, decently replicating
civility.
"So good to know you remember me, and I thought you'd forgotten me by now,"
Anita's head shifted a little, studying the woman before her eyes. "You can
quit reaching for your knife. I'm sure we both know by now if I wanted you
dead, I wouldn't have gone through the pleasantries."
"Most like," Bella replied, "but I still find it comforting, considering you're
one fucked up little girl and you're no longer behind a forcefield..."
"Oh, you don't trust me," Anita mocked surprise and sadness. But her eyes gave
it away, "Not that you should. Oh, and I won't kill you, I promise," Anita
responded with a light bubbly laugh.
"Oh, okay. Well, let's go have a pillow party then. So reassuring."
"Of course it's supposed to be reassuring," Anita took a step forward. "What's
wrong? It's not like I'm gonna stab you. And you're looking for quarters too-
just to let you know- there's not much at this end."
This woman was terrifying to Bella. But she also knew that's what Anita
wanted...to terrorize her. It was all a game and Bella knew enough to play.
She let go of her knife and took a step closer to Anita on good faith. Or
insanity, she wasn't sure. The best way to deal with her was to not let the
woman have any fear control over her. Bella did her best to make Anita a
friend in her mind. "So, do you have a list or something? I've just been
walking door to door and no luck." Bella noticed a tiny smudge on Anita's
forehead and reached up gently, wiping it off.
"What can I say? Maureen smudged my make up. Nice little knife you have there,"
Anita looked straight into Isabella's eyes and for the first few moments Anita
thought the woman might be great to have as a partner in crime. That thought
seemed so ridiculous to her she instantly laughed.
In that split moment she grabbed Isabella's arm, twisting her wrist and bending
it at a bad angle until the woman screamed at the piercing pain. Anita grabbed
the knife and backed Isabella up the wall, "If you think being a touching
friend works for me, Isabella, think again. Don't ever think I won't kill you."
Anita backed off, the knife cooly in her hands, "But, the captain was pretty
clear about killing her people. Here," Anita held the knife out with a demented
smile, "I think I made my point enough. Oh, and if you don't mind, I could
really use a brush."
Instead of reaching for her knife from Anita's hand, Bella instinctively pushed
her once Anita let go of her wrist. Her bad wrist that had been broken more
than once, for that matter. The anger and the pain packed quite a force behind
that push and Anita stumbled backwards into the opposite wall. "Fuckin' psycho
bitch!" Bella exclaimed.
Anita laughed as Bella had reclaimed her knife, "Poor baby." She pushed off the
wall, looking at Isabella cradle her wrist.
Bella was not going to back down and give this woman any more of an upper hand
than she already had. She changed tactics. Tipping her head to the side,
Bella just watched Anita standing there straightening her clothes from the
encounter. She looked at her curiously.
"Unless you're undressing me with your eyes, dear, I suggest you take a
picture," Anita straightened her thigh high boots and flattened her short black
skirt. Feeling satisfied, she made a dramatic shake of her hair. "Hope you
liked the view," Anita grinned as she slouched a bit and pushed her shoulders a
touch out.
"Not bad," Bella shrugged.
"Thanks, now how 'bout you twirl around? I promise I won't hurt you. Delicate
thing you are."
Bella turned slowly and almost sexy-like, showing she wasn't afraid.
The second Isabella did, Anita stalked up to her and wrapped her arms around
the woman's waist as she whispered into her ear, "That's nice, but you really
shouldn't turn your back on me."
"Why not?" she asked calmly. "I kinda like it here." Bella slid her arms down
Anita's forearms and covered them with hers, in some strange mockery of a
lover's pose.
"Oh good. But then, you'd remind me of men. Too easy, too tempting," Anita said
softly and knew in that second Isabella would feel a cool blade sliding down
her skin.
Bella wanted to tense at the feel of the cold metal, but forced herself to
relax into Anita's arms, chancing that Anita wouldn't really hurt her. Surely
the Captain wouldn't have let her out of the brig without some sort of
threat... Bella tipped her head back onto Anita's shoulder, "That's too bad,"
she whispered.
"For you," Anita replied with a murderous tone. She'd take her chance. Maureen
said not to kill her people, she never said anything about harming them. With a
twitch of her fingers, she securely wrapped the handle and pierced the blade
into Isabella. She heard a whimper, and held Isabella tighter to her body,
"Tell me when you wanna stop."
Bella gasped as she felt the knife pierce her skin. It wasn't deep, just a
surface wound. She should've give in, she knew it. But she just wasn't going
to back down from this woman. If she did, she would be under her control
forever. "Kinky," she whispered through the pain.
"You ain't seen nothing yet." The blade went deeper, but slower.
"Oh, god," Bella choked, knowing she was in trouble, as pain flared in her
belly. It was too late and she was committed now. She was either going to
have to suffer through the pain and hope Anita let her live or cry mercy and
possibly die for it. In Anita's sick and twisted mind, Bella knew there was no
other way.
Anita laughed into her ear, "You don't get it, do you?" The blade went to
Isabella's right, as the knife tore open flesh, and blood stained her pants.
"Aaaaiiii," Bella cried out in pain, unable to resist. It felt as though her
belly were on fire. But she said nothing else.
Anita slipped the blade out, trailing the blood stained weapon across
Isabella's skin, "Wasn't it exhilarating?" She let go of the woman.
Bella was too weak to stand on her own and fell into the wall face first,
taking slow, shallow breaths. Instinctively, she covered the wound in her
belly. She was pretty sure the cut was bad. She didn't have the energy or the
guts to say anything. Bella had gambled with a mad woman and lost.
Anita snickered as she looked at the woman, "See, I could have killed you. But,
you too, won't be of any use if you're dead. And I'm sure that won't settle
well with Maureen. So," Anita looked around and decided to sit close to
Isabella. She crossed her legs- moving a little until she felt comfortable,
"I'll wait until you feel better enough to walk to sickbay."
"Go. Away," Bella said through clenched teeth, on her knees still facing the
wall. She felt the hot, sticky blood pouring through her fingers. She didn't
know how long it took to bleed to death and she didn't want to find out.
Anita crinkled her nose, "And I thought we were getting to know each other.
Hmm." She got up, and took Isabella's arm, "Your.. cut, isn't as bad as you
think it is. Don't worry, dear, you won't die. That much is sure. And unless
you wanna walk alone, I suggest you take my help. It doesn't come often." Anita
stared at her, waiting for her response. She would drop Isabella right here and
let her tend to herself if she said no. It didn't matter either way... or maybe
it did.
Bella wasn't about to rely on this woman's help. "I'd...rather...die," she
spat, throwing off Anita's arm. Perhaps she wouldn't die of the cut, but it
was free flowing with blood and didn't seem as though it was going to stop any
time soon. Bella bit her lip as she placed a bloody hand on the wall to stand.
She knew she had to make it to a turbo-lift and down a deck to get to sickbay.
She took two steps forward, moving away from Anita.
"As you like, dear. Thought maybe you'd trust me on my offer," Anita laughed.
The woman truly didn't know this was a rare moment. As Isabella limped,
dragged, a combination of both, Anita turned and walked away. She was stopped
by a man.
"Help your friend over there," Anita simply said and brushed past him.
"Bella." Cervin ignored the woman walking away. He'd deal with her later. He
got to Bella. "Jesus. Come on," he took her arm and wrapped it around him as he
gently lifted her up.
"She's...sick," Bella panted, grateful for the help. Her front was pretty much
covered in blood as well as her hands. There was a small bloody trail down the
wall as Bella had been relying on it for balance.
"I gathered. Dunno what the fuck you were thinking, but the next time- if
there's a next time- you shoot her dead. Or I will. In fact, that's not a bad
idea. After we patch you up," Cervin finished, as they managed to get into the
turbolift.
"Didn't...think she'd...really do...it," Bella said, fighting back tears.
"Didn't...want her...to have...upper...hand." Bella panted again, having said
too much. She just allowed her head to rest against Cervin as he held her on
her feet.
"Yeah, well, with psychos like that, you don't make bets. A time spent among
these walks of life should tell you that, Bella." The lift opened as Cervin
helped Bella limp. This was taking forever, and Cervin saw her bleeding
worsening. He shifted, moving under Bella, and sweeping her legs up as he
carried her and walked. "It's getting worse."
She didn't say anything, just concentrated on not panicking. Bella never did
handle pain well and though it was something she was growing out of, she was
still working on it. The silent tears began creeping out the corner of her
eyes.
They entered sickbay, Anais coming out to meet them. Cervin immediately said,
"There's a deep cut in her, compliments of a sick bitch we have on board right
now." He laid Bella carefully on the bio bed and promised, "I'll be back
later."
---------------------------------
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