Baldur’s Gate Heroes #016
Life on Earth, Part Four
Aerie had hoped she would learn far more about Imoen from visiting the place she lived. There were just a few keepsakes and items of memorabilia which seemed to be what the red head was primarily interested in, but apart from that the blonde had been disappointed to find very little which really typified Imoen’s character. Although that in itself revealed something; the apartment they were in was not Imoen’s home. There was likely no place the red headed master considered a home.
Also, items such as the exercise bike revealed that Imoen was impulsive, acquiring much that she had no use for due to some passing fancy; this worried Aerie a little. She was resolved to try hard to ensure that she herself was not a passing fancy, but without the power of her witch crystal she struggled to see ways a little blonde alien girl could prove herself useful; especially since there was so much happening around her that she didn’t understand at all. Who Mason was and why he was trying to kill Imoen, for example. The red heads impulsiveness seemed to have resulted in her making many enemies throughout her life.
Of more immediate concern however was the ‘hot dog’, which was a stick of meat in a bun. Aerie didn’t dare ask about the name; she was so hungry that she was prepared to eat anything, so Imoen had brought her to Jansen Burger. A rather grotesque statue of a rotund man with a big round nose grinned maniacally at all patrons as they entered the doors. The seats were colored purple, and purple livery adorned the walls and the same maniacal grin was printed on everything; after just one minute Aerie found the man really annoying and wanted to kick him, and then jump up and down on his stupid grinning face until it grinned no more. Some of the graffiti outside showed that many others felt far more strongly about this.
It seemed a wonder Jansen’s stayed in business; but then the mere fact that he was so irritating meant that people were more likely to remember and therefore return to this place whenever they didn’t really care what it was they were eating then they were to any of the more mundane places; Aerie was beginning to understand one of the principles of advertising. Of course, it was far harder for her to understand why images of curvaceous females who weren’t wearing much appeared almost everywhere else. She supposed she hated those even more than Jansen’s face.
“I can’t believe Mason tried to blow me up,” Imoen lent with her elbows on the table opposite Aerie, her red resting in her hands forcing her to purse her lips. The blonde meanwhile was holding a red bottle with a nozzle; she wasn’t sure what to do with it so looked around to see what others were doing. Although the restaurant was sparsely populated, it soon became obvious that she was supposed to apply it to the stick of meat.
“I know he’s an evil son of bitch,” Imoen went on, “But I honestly thought he was smarter than that, not the kind to be indiscriminate about who he kills. He must be way angrier than I thought…”
“If… if this Mason is a known criminal, t-then why does no one stop him?” The Avariel asked.
“He’s a really good lawyer I guess,” Imoen shrugged, “Besides, most people who could give evidence are too afraid of him, and of his stupid cat,” the red head shuddered.
Aerie was only half listening to the answer; the novelty of being in a new place was beginning to wear off and once again her thoughts started to turn inwards. This was a natural hazard for someone who had spent as much time alone as she had, and try as she might and in spite of all the wondrous things she’d already seen today she could never stop thinking about her former home and her people.
Amongst the Avariel there was almost no crime. Not that it never happened of course; she had been the first Avariel on Faenya-Dail to commit a crime in centuries, but she was by no means the first ever. There had been the infamous Cult of Erevan, for whose crimes several civilizations had to invent a whole new lexicon for. But on a city ship where populations numbered in the thousands, and every Avariel was there to support everyone else deviance tended to be very quickly rooted out. But here where there were millions, there seemed to be few who were willing to devote their time to caring about others. Perhaps because there were too many who needed caring for, so it was easier to just let everyone care for themselves…but not everyone had equal means; Nalia De’Arnise lived in a huge building owned by her father, whilst Imoen and no doubt many others lived out of boxes. And those with the power to change things could hardly see how much people suffered from the tops of their tall buildings… it was all rather depressing… still, they had their freedom at least. People weren’t all stuck in cages, unsure if they were truly alive or dead…
“Hey!” Imoen startled Aerie by suddenly slapping her palms loudly on the surface of table. The blonde was for a moment confused by the red blotch slowly creeping down one side of her face, and then realized that during her reverie she must have unconsciously squeezed the bottle much harder than was intended. “Gimme that!”
“I-I,” Aerie pleaded desperately, but it was too late. Imoen snatched the bottle out of the blondes and proceeded to squirt half it’s contents over the top Aerie was wearing.
“There! That’ll teach ya!” The red head announced, apparently satisfied that she had gotten her own back. The shirt was ruined, and Aerie sighed.
“T-these are your clothes,” she said. Imoen stopped smiling.
“You can keep them now,” she glared for a second. Aerie feared she may have genuinely offended her, but soon the red head broke into a far more amiable smile. “You know, Diana and I used to have food fights all the ti…” she began but cut herself off, her smile fading into sadness. “I should stop speaking about her all the time.”
“Do… do you want another hug?”
“Uh… not in here. People might think we’re… you know,” wide eyed stare again, “No; well never mind. Come on. We should behave like grown ups. Would you mind passing me a towel?”
“How do grown ups behave?”
“Serious, sensible, business like,” Imoen said as she wiped her face, “keep things tidy.”
“Oh,” Aerie was rather disappointed. For some reason, she rather enjoyed being messy. Perhaps because she’d spent years in a clean, sterile environment. But, there were serious issues to be discussed although she was sure that Imoen had likely made her mind up about them anyway. “What will you do… a-about Mason?”
“Well, the sensible thing to do would be to say out of town until he cools off.”
“Yes,” the blonde nodded, “but, y-you won’t do the sensible thing.”
“What you talking about? When have I not been sensible?”
“Well,” Aerie began coyly, drawing little circles on the table with her finger. Imoen had fought an extra-dimensional monster that fed off the life-force of material creatures, turned on a heavily armed group led by a very single minded cyborg for the sake of someone she’d just met; of course, Aerie understood that Imoen had other motives as well, but nevertheless… “I… I just don’t think you would turn your back and run away. And if you won’t run it means you’ll have to fight, somehow.”
“Maybe,” Imoen made a pyramid out of her hands, “and what do you think we should do?”
“I… I will do whatever it is you want,” Aerie seemed confused by the question.
“Yeah, but what do you think would be sensible?”
“I think,” Aerie thought back to Sorel. For a time, he’d had absolute power over her at least. He did as he wished and no one dared to try and stop him, even if it was obvious they didn’t agree with it – perhaps not unlike this Mason. She also remembered the intense satisfaction she’d felt when she finally was able to fight back and blasted his living corpse into oblivion. “I think that no one’s power should be allowed to go unchallenged.”
“Well, I’ve already taken on an alien monster… an every day crime lord should be nothing. First though, I’ve gotta go to the bathroom.”
“Y-you,” Aerie stood up anxiously when Imoen did; she didn’t need to go, but she was still afraid to let Imoen out of her sight.
“I’ll just be a few minutes,” Imoen smiled reassuringly, “Just sit down, relax, and try not to draw any attention to yourself. I’ll be back.”
Aerie wasn’t happy with the situation, but elected to sit back down and finish her hot dog, reasoning that she must have looked very silly. A guardian of the galaxy shouldn’t need someone looking after her all the time. And yet, the second Imoen was gone the walls started closing in. Looking around the restaurant she found no friendly faces; only strangers who either wanted to hurt her or would look away while someone else did. One man glared at her hatefully, although he tried to conceal behind a paper he was ‘reading; a couple in the corner conspired about her while the boy mopping the floor tightened his grip on the implement… Jansen’s face was no longer an annoyance, but the very visage of terror.
She was still being foolish, she realized; these weren’t the people who had tortured her before. Those people were gone now. But, well, she had no way of knowing what anyone’s intentions were or what she could do to protect herself. Anything she said or did might offend someone who didn’t understand that this world and its people were strange to her. She tried to do what Imoen said and not draw any attention to herself, sinking deeper and deeper into her seat and almost wishing the thing would swallow her up. The red head had better be back soon…
Unfortunately, she wasn’t back before a group swaggered into the restaurant; three men and a woman.
“Whazzup!” the apparent leader blurted as they approached the counter. “Hey pimples,” he said to the boy stood nervously behind the till, “You get us four cola’s.”
“Y-yes… sir,” the leader reached across the counter and grabbed the back of the boys head, pulling the young man towards him.
“There had better not be ice in them this time, or there’ll be trouble, got it?”
“Y-yes,” the boy hurried to pull him self away and collect the order. He didn’t ask them to pay. The gang leader leant back against the counter, surveying the restaurant. Most of the customers were suddenly in a hurry to leave.
Aerie didn’t like these people at all. She especially didn’t like the way he’d spoken to the staff; for some reason the lot of them reminded her of the guards on the island facility. Unfortunately, a person trying hard not to be noticed like Aerie was tends to stand out. And so it was with great dread and loathing she realized they were now heading towards her.
“Hey girl,” the leader beamed, removing his sunglasses and where Imoen had been sitting. He also helped himself to the remaining half of Aerie’s meal. “You wanna ditch this joint and come on back to Paulie’s so we can play ‘hide the hot dog’?” He winked. In response, Aerie arched her eyebrow and her mouth opened and closed a few times.
“Hey bitch,” the woman of the group fell next to Aerie and grabbed the blondes jaw, “When Paulie asks you a question you gotta answer!”
“I-I-I can’t answer him,” Aerie tried desperately to explain.
“Why not?”
“Because I… I don’t know what he’s talking about!”
“Why’s she got sauce all down her shirt?” One of the other men asked.
“She’s gotta be retarded or something,” the woman said unsympathetically. “Hey Paulie, I don’t like her face… she keeps looking at me funny.”
“Oh my girl,” Paulie grinned, “You shoulda been a lot nicer. Last time Tina met someone she didn’t like they had to pick the whore up with doggy bags.”
“But I really don’t understand!” The blonde kept pleading even as Tina raised her fist.
“This little one isn’t worth it,” Imoen caught the girls forearm, “Come, let me buy you a drink… aha,” instead of taking up her offer the two other men in the gang each took hold of one of Imoen’s and lifted the red head off her feet. “Now listen,” she went on regardless, “if this goes on there’s going to be a fight. And sure, you might win, but not without getting hurt yourselves and you don’t want that. So why don’t we all just go home, and,” Paulie stood up and pulled out a knife. “Oh, now that’s just not fair.”
“I’m going to cut you up bitch…”
“No!” Aerie sprang to her feet. It was one thing for them to threaten her, but to threaten her friend and master? “I won’t let me my friend be… ack!” Unfortunately her sudden rise in bravery was cut down by Tina planting her fist into the blondes belly, sending her sprawling into the aisle. She did succeed however in drawing the gangs attention away from Imoen as they instead turned to point and laugh at the blonde writhing in agony.
Aerie felt her cheat and stomach heave as she rolled onto her knees. Even as she struggled for air, her heart started to beat faster…
‘But… admit something… you enjoy the pain…’
Her muscles tensed as a sudden surge of energy swept through her. She felt afraid, but she also felt the anticipation of what was to come…
‘The proof of life…’
In that moment, the years of being tortured, locked away, abandoned, forgotten, abused and used; she could no longer keep those years buried or redirect the energy they provided elsewhere. Instead, they swept aside all other concerns giving her the strength to stand and then became focused on a single point; the end of Tina’s chin. And it really felt good.
“Holy crap…” Imoen was as stunned as everyone else in the restaurant to see the gang girl spinning. Tina fell to the ground and stayed there.
Although the force of Aerie’s blow couldn’t have been that great, it was sufficient for its psychological impact to be decisive. Despite all their boasting, the gang members were bullies who relied on their numbers to intimidate people. They could give out punishment, but none of them had the Avariel’s experience at taking it. This combined with the blondes sudden ferocity, the look of someone who was definitely not going to meekly surrender caused them all to think that maybe this wasn’t going to be fun for them at all… only Paulie was able to summon up the courage to charge at Aerie. Of course, he was the only one who had a knife.
But it was misjudged; the blonde simply side stepped and tripped him, forcing him to fall head first into the mop pocket.
Imoen was amazed; so much so that she almost forgot her own predicament. The men holding her were distracted by seeing their leader thrashing about on the floor with a bucket over his head. She stamped on the foot of the one on the right, and used her now free arm to deliver a low blow to the one on the left.
“Let that be a lesson to you boys,” she said as they hopped and rolled, “Stay away from all these foreign girls. And red heads.”
She turned around, stepping over Tina as she tried to get around the table to check on her friend. But she stopped short as she saw what was, to her at least, something far more terrifying then all the extra-dimensional monsters with big teeth the universe could throw at her.
“Meow?” Said Fluffy.
“Er… n-nice kitty,” the red head said as she slowly backed away, “mustn’t let it know I’m afraid… they can sense your fear…”
Paulie finally managed to pry the bucket from his head, only to find himself looking up not at a diminutive blonde woman, but at a tall thin man in a suit flanked by four much heavier men all wearing fedoras.
“Paulie, Paulie, Paulie,” the thin man said as he wiped his glasses, “I do believe that you have been warned before about causing trouble in this neighborhood,” he stated as he put them back on.
“Huh?” The thug was very confused, and very scared.
“You see Paulie, if businesses get disrupted that it makes it harder for them to pay me. So no business gets disrupted unless I say so. After all, it wouldn’t be much of protection racket if it didn’t provide protection… from trash like you, for example.”
“You want me to break his thumbs boss?” One of the men wearing fedoras cracked his sizable knuckles.
“I don’t think his thumbs will be enough… break his legs.”
“Right you are boss.”
“No! Please! I-I won’t cause no more trouble… it was just a mistake!” Paulie screamed as two of the men dragged him outside, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Cuiusvis hominis est errare; nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare,” the suited man sighed. Aerie didn’t like the looks of him either, but the adrenaline was now leaving her system so she merely glared disdainfully. “That’s latin my dear,” he said as he took a long stride towards her.
“Ohh… latin. You really must be clever,” Imoen scoffed. He ignored her.
“It means…”
“A-any man can make a mistake,” Aerie said boldly. With Quayles help she’d been able to learn many of Earth’s languages; really once she understood English the rest were very easy. “O-only a fool keeps making the same one.”
“That’s right. I do not believe we have met,” he bent over and took the blonde girls hand, kissing it. “My name is Mason.”
Aerie knew there was a reason she didn’t like him. And despite the fact that he was a very well kept man, he felt slimy for some reason.
“Er… L-Laura,” she remembered to introduce herself.
“Delighted.”
The Avariel did think to say something like ‘the pleasure is all yours’, but she wondered if that might be too bold considering what a dangerous man he clearly was and maybe it was a cliché around here and pretty soon the moment had passed anyway.
“I’m surprised you came back,” Mason turned his attention back to Imoen who still hadn’t been able to find a way to get past Fluffy, “I am also surprised that you didn’t get the present we left for you.”
“Oh, we got it alright,” the red head spat.
“I see,” he relaxed into a chair, “It seems I underestimated you… and now you’ve even acquired your own side kick. I’m sure Diana would be proud.”
“You don’t know anything about her.”
“True, I only know what I’ve read. And I know the media has a habit of embellishing these stories a little. Still, she seems to have been quite a remarkable woman. So remarkable that she never really gave you a chance to prove yourself, did she? It seems you do have skills… skills that could be useful…”
“Listen, you weaselly little worm…” Imoen rushed forward suddenly, but the cat hissed causing her to run back again and climb on top of the counter.
“Fred, bring me a coffee and some doughnuts. And Ed, why don’t you take Fluffy back out to the car,” Mason instructed. One of the henchmen moved towards the cat like a farm boy trying to catch a chicken.
“Here kittykitty,” he said, failing to catch the animal but eventually succeeding in shooing it outside.
“Why don’t both you ladies sit down?” The boss gestured to the seats in front of him. Imoen came down from the counter, tugging on her jacket to compose herself before sitting down. Aerie then sat next to her, having waited to see what the red head would do.
“I notice the yellow fellow isn’t with you,” Mason said casually, stirring his cup like he was just talking to some friends rather than a crime boss trying to intimidate people. Considering the content of his speech, both women found that far more despicable.
“No, but I’m sure he sends his love,” Imoen went along with the charade. “And he hopes you’ve given up smoking.”
“And, how is Minsc?” Mason sneered.
“You know, I’ve not seen him much lately either. I should probably call him,” Imoen stood, but the henchman, Fred apparently, was stood behind her and forced her back into her seat.
“I don’t think we need to bother him right now,” The boss smiled, “He could have been a champion you know… before you came along. But, what’s done is done.”
“Look, just being in the same room as you makes me come out with this awful rash, so why don’t you just say what it is you want?”
“You stole one of my main attractions, damaged my property and injured some of my men… you should really be killed for that. But, like I said, you have skills and are clearly resourceful. I’m offering you a chance to work off your debt and not have to look over your shoulder for the rest of what would be a rather short life… crudelius est quam mori semper timere mortem…”
“It… i-t is more cruel to fear death than to die,” Aerie translated. It was clear to her now that this man considered himself superior to all others because of his intellect… his smugly superior gait must have been what initially repelled her. It was also clear he was in love with his own power; a man like that really needed to be knocked back a little.
“You want me to work for you?” Imoen sat back a little. “What would you say to that Laura?”
“I… I b-believe an appropriate phrase would be, ‘ascendo tuum’.” Imoen had no idea what it meant, but the effect on Mason was that he immediately lost his composure.
“Now you listen to me you little brats,” he hissed whilst turning red, “I was prepared to be generous because you’re just a couple of dumb kids. But you have this one chance and this one chance only!”
“Mason,” Imoen laid her hands bare on the table; a gesture of friendship, “Buddy. It is a really kind offer, but honestly, I would have to say that I would rather marry a fish.”
“Well then, you will get to meet plenty where you’re going,” the crime lord stood up.
“You want me to do ‘em now boss?” A henchman asked.
“No… you heard the blonde… more cruel to fear death. Sooner or later, these two will have a little accident. Now let’s go.”
“Right,” the henchmen followed Mason towards the exit, “I’m a little confused boss,” one asked as he held the door open. “Are we just gonna wait for them to have an accident or where you saying we’re going to make them have an accident, just not yet?”
“Just get in the car you nitwits.”
“H-he seemed very angry,” Aerie hung her head forlornly. She had never got to finish her hot dog and still felt hungry.
“Yeah… we made him mad all right.”
“So… h-he’s probably not going to come back for these doughnuts, right?”
