Characters: Bes, Seth, Meri, Tyler Date/Time: March 20, 2013 Location: From Bes' place to the Fizzini Compound Rating: PG to PG-13 Warnings: Occasional cursing Summary: Tyler goes to take Bes to the compound.
Tyler picked up his phone and called Bes' phone number.
The phone rang and rang. Just as it switched to voice mail, however, the door of the old apartment building slammed open and the tall, lanky form of one Calvin Hobson stumbled through. He gripped the railing with both hands for a moment and then, with painstaking care, he descended the steps. His mouth moved as if he were counting silently to himself. When he reached the sidewalk, he paused and heaved a sigh before adjusting the strap of the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder.
Then he spotted the car and seemed to realize his phone had gone off. Moving with exaggerated care, he brought it from his pocket to his ear, eyes on the car as if he suspected it was the one summoning him. He fumbled to the call history and clicked "call back."
Seeing a man that perfectly matches Seth's description (ie the size of a house), Cal let his phone drop and turned it off. He nearly dropped it completely, of course, and fumbled in order to save it. With an almost vicious firmness, he shoved it into his pocket and walked towards the stranger with careful steps. "Yeah, that's me. Tyler?"
A wry smile twisted Bes' mouth. "I really do look that helpless, don't I?" he mused. He did not hesitate, though, and handed over the light bag readily enough. "Thanks for picking me up," he added.
"Sorry, but you really do," Tyler confirmed, taking Bes' bag. "No problem. Do you know what's happened to the boss and Miss Davidson?" Tyler asked, concerned.
"Well... How much do you know about their, uh, extracurricular things?" To an outsider, it would have been easy to interpret his question as a sidelong reference to Seth's less-than-legal activities. If Tyler knew, though...
Bes grimaced as he gingerly stepped off the curb and moved around to take the passenger seat of the car. "And Meri," he added to further clarify that he was definitely not talking about guns and such.
Tyler lifted his head and pulled his collar down, exposing a tattoo of an aardvark-like jackal-head. "Pretty much everything," Tyler said, getting in the driver's seat.
"Ah." Bes fumbled with the seat belt but managed to get himself locked in with only a brief pinch on the way. "Okay, then."
He sank back into his seat, eyes closing as he tilted his head back. "I'm like them, too, obviously," he said. "My real name is Bes. Right now, we're all kinda paying the price of moving too slowly. We haven't gotten something that we need and so a bigger badder power took away something from each of us. Except for Meri. Thankfully, she seems okay. But me and Seth and Astarte..." He trailed off and a new grimace twisted his mouth. "You've seen me. I can't walk without falling over. Seth sounded like a bad Woody Allen impersonator on the phone. Astarte..."
He fell silent for a moment and, if Tyler had looked at him, he would have seen a muscle flicker along the other man's jaw, anger just barely suppressed. "That bigger badder something took her," he finished softly.
"Same thing any of us can do, man. Nothing." Bes lifted a hand and rubbed at his forehead. "You protect them from what you can, Tyler, and I'm betting you do a good job of it. Seth wouldn't let you know this stuff, wouldn't have immediately sent you to get me, if he didn't trust you. Even with what's going on in his head, he still thought of you right away. The other stuff?"
He sighed and his hand dropped again. "Shit, man, all I want to do is get Tara back. I don't care how bitchy Gaia is. You just don't go around taking a little girl's mom."
Tyler gripped the steering-wheel harder. "Miss Davidson..boss ain't showing it..but I know. It's eating at him bad. If he was himself he'd show that bitch hell."
"I know. Believe me. I'm ready to spit nails, too, and I'm not even... Well, you know." He looked down at his hands in his lap and closed them into fists, squeezing hard. "But that's why I needed to get to the compound. I'm at least thinking straight, even if I have trouble walking straight. Between us all, we'll make this right."
"Right. Me, too... Especially since I'm probably going to have to fly out to Vegas. Maybe by this evening. I don't know... Shit, at least I paid down my credit card last month."
It was a weak attempt at a joke but it was a very real concern. It had occurred to him that, out of the remaining Egyptians in New York, he was the most likely to be safe heading to meet Bastet at their epicenter.
"I've heard talk about Vegas, but a date hadn't been set for going. Looks like the trip's going to have to be moved up," Tyler said, thinking aloud. "We're almost there."
Tyler had barely parked the car before Bes had his hands tangling in his seat belt, quickly undoing it. He almost tripped in his haste to exit but he caught himself with a ridiculous hop and skip. Then he ducked back to snap up his bag from inside the car. "Right. Graceful."
"Yep, she probably heard me tripping." Bes reached out to run a big hand over the top of Meri's head, smoothing already smooth hair, but he retreated almost immediately as if worried he might hurt her with his own clumsiness. "Hey, kiddo. Have you been keeping your Daddy out of trouble?"
"I think it would be a great idea." It was with a grateful sigh that he followed the young girl. He claimed his seat so quickly that he almost slid off it and a sharp laugh escaped him. "Right. Story of my day, guys."
Then he shook his head. "Okay. So we've got a rescue mission to stage and a problem to fix and it looks like Vegas is the place to go for both."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-03-21 08:15 am (UTC)Then he spotted the car and seemed to realize his phone had gone off. Moving with exaggerated care, he brought it from his pocket to his ear, eyes on the car as if he suspected it was the one summoning him. He fumbled to the call history and clicked "call back."
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Date: 2013-03-21 03:40 pm (UTC)"Cal?"
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Date: 2013-03-22 04:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 04:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 04:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 04:45 am (UTC)Bes grimaced as he gingerly stepped off the curb and moved around to take the passenger seat of the car. "And Meri," he added to further clarify that he was definitely not talking about guns and such.
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Date: 2013-03-22 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:00 am (UTC)He sank back into his seat, eyes closing as he tilted his head back. "I'm like them, too, obviously," he said. "My real name is Bes. Right now, we're all kinda paying the price of moving too slowly. We haven't gotten something that we need and so a bigger badder power took away something from each of us. Except for Meri. Thankfully, she seems okay. But me and Seth and Astarte..." He trailed off and a new grimace twisted his mouth. "You've seen me. I can't walk without falling over. Seth sounded like a bad Woody Allen impersonator on the phone. Astarte..."
He fell silent for a moment and, if Tyler had looked at him, he would have seen a muscle flicker along the other man's jaw, anger just barely suppressed. "That bigger badder something took her," he finished softly.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:11 am (UTC)He sighed and his hand dropped again. "Shit, man, all I want to do is get Tara back. I don't care how bitchy Gaia is. You just don't go around taking a little girl's mom."
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Date: 2013-03-22 05:21 am (UTC)Tyler gripped the steering-wheel harder. "Miss Davidson..boss ain't showing it..but I know. It's eating at him bad. If he was himself he'd show that bitch hell."
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Date: 2013-03-22 05:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:38 am (UTC)It was a weak attempt at a joke but it was a very real concern. It had occurred to him that, out of the remaining Egyptians in New York, he was the most likely to be safe heading to meet Bastet at their epicenter.
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Date: 2013-03-22 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 05:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:41 am (UTC)Tyler had barely parked the car before Bes had his hands tangling in his seat belt, quickly undoing it. He almost tripped in his haste to exit but he caught himself with a ridiculous hop and skip. Then he ducked back to snap up his bag from inside the car. "Right. Graceful."
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Date: 2013-03-22 06:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 06:58 am (UTC)Tyler led him up to the door, giving it a ring. A pitter-patter of feet came running to the door before they were abruptly halted.
"Whoa there, meri. It might not be, Tyler. It could be somemone whose intentions aren't good, so I'll answer the door. You stay behind me."
"Daddy!" came an indignant girl's voice.
"Now, now, there is no need for yelling." The door opens, revealing Seth and Meri. "Oh good, it is Tyler and Bes."
"I TOLD you, Daddy!"
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Date: 2013-03-22 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-22 07:22 am (UTC)Then he shook his head. "Okay. So we've got a rescue mission to stage and a problem to fix and it looks like Vegas is the place to go for both."
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Date: 2013-03-22 07:33 am (UTC)"Yes, yes that's right. I'm going to try and use Skype so Bastet can talk to us. I hope it gets through, I have no guarantee it will."
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Date: 2013-03-22 07:39 am (UTC)