Little Talks

                                                               Little Talks
Rythian now severely regretted the way that he tended to give into Zoey’s every whim. The request had seemed odd at first, but then she had pleaded with him until he had given into the demand.

     Zoey had wanted to go back to Blackrock Hold without Ravs to look around. Just the two of them; she hadn’t even wanted their ever faithful dinosaur Tee to come along. Rythian had been apprehensive, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as he tried his best not to look into Zoey’s pleading blue eyes.

     “Come on, Rythian. Pleeaasse?” She had drawn the word out imploringly.” We won’t stay for long, I promise! I just sort of want to look around again because I feel so bad for leaving it like that and maybe there’s something left that we can bring back to the base camp and—“ she took a breath, “—I like Blackrock and I miss Baby Jim and I just want to see it again please please please?”

     “Zoey, I just—“He had sighed, “—I thought you didn’t want to go back there again.”

     “I changed my mind”

     The answer had been so typical of Zoey that he couldn’t resist the corner of his mouth tweaking up into a smirk. After a moment more of Zoey’s puppy dog eyes he had conceded with a sigh of “Fine.”

     The two had left without too much fuss, notifying Tee of their planned absence and asking their friend to watch over the base camp while they were gone. Tee had nodded stoically, tweaking his bandanna so that it hung straight and brandishing his rifle in a rough and ready manner. Rythian had no clue how long they would be away, and he told Tee that with some trepidation, but the dinosaur simply waved them away unconcernedly, confident that his friends would return safe and sound. Unwilling to use Zoey’s blue box method, Rythian had summoned the inner force that resided deep within his very being, drawing it to the surface as Zoey gripped his arm tightly. The wind had begun to pick up, and the enderborn’s cloak had flapped in the gale like dark wings. The darkness had closed in on them and there was the sensation of great speed before they were suddenly standing on grass instead of sand. As the blackness had receded Zoey had been amazed to see that they were standing at the base of Tee’s old tower.

     “What? How did you do that? We were there and now we’re here and I’m really confused because I didn’t know you could do that!” she had looked at him in awe.

     “It’s not something that I do very often…” Rythian had bent over, gasping for breath.

     “Are you ok?” she leaned towards him concernedly.

     “Just out of breath.” He had replied.

     “Good.” Zoey had straightened and walked slowly up the hill to where their home had previously stood…


     …Which is where they were now: on the lip of the crater that had been their beloved Blackrock Hold. Rythian glanced over at Zoey, his violet eyes anxious as he took in her uncharacteristically clenched jaw and drawn face. Zoey’s ice blue eyes were fixed on the center of the crater, and he could imagine the memories racing through her brain, competing for attention. Without warning she started forward, stopping when she felt Rythian’s hand on her arm. She turned to him, brow furrowed.

     “Zoey, are you sure you want to go down there?”

     She nodded. ”Yes.”

     He released her arm, and followed her as she picked her way down the steep slope of the crater. The dirt of the ground was scorched and black, and broken marble poked out of the earth like bones in a graveyard. Basalt pieces were littered around like the crushed skeleton of Blackrock itself; no wood had survived, having been atomized by the nuclear explosion. Zoey slid down a portion of sand that had been turned to glass by the sheer heat, holding her mechanical arm out for balance. Rythian followed her, his cloak billowing out behind him as he skidded down the slick surface.

     They stood together at the very bottom of the crater, the epicenter of the blast where Zoey had been standing at the moment of explosion. Rythian could see the girl trembling slightly as her good arm came up to rub at her mechanical one. He stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do as she raised her head to look around the crater, her eyes sweeping up and down the charred walls.

     Zoey felt her eyes burning as she gazed at the space that had once been home to her and Rythian. The smell of ash and soot burned her sensitive nose, and she flinched internally as a memory of the smell of burning flesh assaulted her. Unconsciously she rubbed her mechanical arm, remembering the awful pain that had lanced through the limb as it had separated from her body. She gazed around the crater, taking in the horrible destruction. All of it… her fault. Her incompetency and pride had caused the destruction of her home, Rythian’s home. She had let him down.

     Rythian jumped in surprise as Zoey suddenly let out a sob and sunk to her knees in the soot. Quickly he knelt next to her, his amethyst eyes wide in alarm.

     “Zoey? Zoey what is it? Are you ok?”

     She turned to look at him, tears streaming down her face. “Th—this is all my fault, isn’t it, Rythian. I d—did this.”

     The enderborn wrapped his arms around her shaking form, leaning his chin on her head. “No, Zoey, no. This wasn’t your fault.” He remembered saying the same thing to her on the lip of the crater when they had come here with Ravs. “Duncan is responsible for this.”

     Zoey flinched at his steely tone and pulled away from him so that she could look him in the eyes. “But I pulled the wrong wire.”

     He tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes, “Zoey you did everything that you could. You tried your absolute best, which is all I could ever ask.” His eyes darkened for a moment, and Zoey watched as the edges of his form seemed to blur into the gathering twilight as they often did when he was angry. “You did more than I, for certain. If anything this whole thing was my fault. I should have known that Duncan would try something like that. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in the first place. I’m sorry for putting you in danger.” His voice was rough.

     “But I like being with you.” Zoey was glad that the darkness hid her blush. “It was worth it.” She held up her prosthetic arm.

     “Nothing is worth that.” He murmured sadly.

     “I think that’s my decision.” The girl’s gaze was challenging.

     Unwilling to continue the discussion, he stood, pulling her up beside him. “Come on, we should get out of this hole and back up to the surface.”

     They picked their way up the slope, eyes searching for unstable debris in the gloom. Reaching the top of the crater, they moved off a short distance into the trees, staying away from the graveyard. As Rythian set up their tent Zoey regarded the only part of Blackrock Hold still standing: the very front wall with their tattered logo.

     “I want to fix that before we leave.”

     Rythian looked up in surprise from where he was hammering in a peg, “Blackrock?”

     “Just the logo.” She frowned, “it feels wrong to just….leave it. The crater should stay, as a reminder, but… the logo… we should fix it.”

     He stood, working a kink out of his back. “Alright.” He said softly, coming up to stand beside her, “If that’s what you want to do.”

     “It’ll show them that we’re still here, still strong. Even though they won’t know exactly where we are because that wouldn’t be good if they found base camp although who even knows who comes by here anymore so they may not even see it.”

     Rythian couldn’t help but chuckle as he set up the traveling cots under the shelter of the canvas. He always left a space between their cots when he set up in case Zoey wanted her own bed. The man suffered from the nagging fear that Zoey suddenly wouldn’t want to sleep beside him anymore. Yawning, Zoey eyed the setup before pushing her cot over until it butted up with his, forming a snug double bed. Rythian hid a smile as he crawled onto his side and pulled up the covers. Zoey joined him, curling up facing away from him so that he could wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close.

     The sounds of the night began to settle around them. The chrrk chrrk of crickets blended harmoniously with the sighing of the breeze as it rustled through the grass and leaves around them, so different from the sound of blowing sand that surrounded their new home. A sudden creak-whoosh broke the rhythm and Rythian felt Zoey flinch against him.

     “Rythian… what was that?” Zoey’s voice was a hesitant whisper.

     “It’s Blackrock.” He answered simply. The structure must have been settling and moving in the breeze.

     Another creak sounded and Zoey shifted nervously. “Why is it doing that?”

     “It’s talking.” He murmured soothingly, “Blackrock is happy that we’ve returned.” He wasn’t sure that he believed it, but it was exactly the thing that Zoey needed to hear. He knew that she would find his words comforting.

     “It is?”

     “Can’t you hear it?” they both lay still and listened to the soft creaking from their old home. “It’s telling you to go to sleep. A lullaby.”

     “A Blackrock Lullaby.” Zoey murmured, her exhausted eyes sliding shut.

     “Yes.” Rythian nestled his face against her mane of hair. “A Blackrock Lullaby.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     
     Rythian woke the next morning to the welcome sounds of birds greeting the rising sun around their shelter. He had missed that sound in the desert, but the man reflected that wherever Zoey was would be home to him, no matter the location. As if sensing his thoughts, Zoey stirred beside him and sat up, blinking at the early light outside the tent.

     “What time is it?” she rubbed sleep from her eyes with her good hand.

     “A few hours after sunrise.” He sat up as well, stretching.

     Zoey slid out from the warmth of the covers and peered outside into the trees before rummaging in her bag. Pulling out a loaf of bread, she tore it in half and handed part of it to Rythian as he approached her. They munched their breakfast in relative silence as the air slowly warmed around them.

     “How do you plan to fix the logo?”

     Zoey looked up at him, “I’ve sort of been collecting wool and shaping it for a few days because it’s always good to have some wool you know.”

     “I see.”

     Making their way to the front of Blackrock Hold, Rythian and Zoey could see a few saplings beginning to come up around the edge of the crater. Zoey paused to look at one of them that was nearly as tall as she was, her eyes brimming with tears.

     Rythian wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “See, new life; things move on. Lives will continue on at Blackrock, even if they aren’t ours.” Her head moved up and down in a nod as she sniffed.

     They began at opposite ends, each repairing their own symbol and moving towards the middle. The scaffolding they erected was haphazard, but it would do for short term jobs. The work was hard and frustrating as they kept having to move the ladders, and the wool was scorched and fragile due to the heat. Zoey let out a growl of frustration as a section of her mushroom crumbled beneath her touch, and then another growl as a bit of basalt broke away when she used it to steady herself. Rythian seemed to be doing fine on his pickaxe, and she angrily pushed her wool into place, causing another section to crumble.

     Rythian looked across to Zoey as she threw her hands up in exasperation. He wasn’t sure why she was so on edge, but it wasn’t like her. Perhaps it was the crater just barely visible over the tops of the battlements. The enderborn shifted on the ladder, taking care not to bump the fragile wool of his part of the logo.

     Sun glinted suddenly off of a smooth piece of basalt, throwing a flash of light into Zoey’s eyes. She stiffened as a memory assaulted her mind. A bright flash, a huge explosion, searing heat, rending pain… her vision going dark as the world around her was consumed by flames. Letting out a small cry, Zoey sagged against the wall, which crumbled under her touch and sent pieces of debris spinning down into the crater. Recoiling, the girl teetered backward away from the ladder and tumbled down towards the ground with a yelp.

     “Zoey!” Rythian threw himself from his ladder, grimacing when his ankles jarred on the landing, and ran to where she lay sprawled on the grass.

     He knelt beside her and reached out to help her up, but abruptly she sat upright and turned away from him, shoulders hunched.  Unsure of what to do, Rythian pulled his hand away and sat quietly, watching his friend’s shoulders quiver.

     Finally Zoey let out an agonized cry. “Oh I’m just so USELESS!”

     Rythian jumped in surprise, “Wha--?”

     She whirled around, her eyes filled with tears and her face flushed. “Look at me! I can’t fix the stupid wool and I break everything that I touch and I fell off the ladder! I can’t build a proper teleport machine and I can’t do magic or science and I can’t defuse one stupid NUKE!!”  She stood and paced wildly around the area.

     Rythian watched her, bewildered. Zoey was always so unconcerned about everything, she was never this unsure of herself; she wasn’t one to doubt herself or put herself down. She was the very ideal of self-confidence to him. He felt her doubt and inner turmoil now like a knife driving into his gut, and he would do anything to make it go away for her.

     Zoey’s tirade continued as she tore around the space, “I can’t do ANYTHING right! I destroyed our home and made us all move and got myself hurt and made you use all your magic which probably hurt and I lost Fishton and got Ringo all irradiated. I just cause trouble for everyone, why couldn’t that nuke have just killed me? It would have served me right!”

     “That is ENOUGH!” Zoey flinched as Rythian suddenly appeared right in front of her. He hadn’t moved from his earlier position that she had seen, but as the girl looked she thought she could see faint purple particles swirling off of his cape. His purple eyes were glowing in anger as he walked right up to her. She tried to look away from him, but he took her chin firmly and tilted her face up so that she was forced to meet his eyes.

     “How could you say that?” he demanded, his voice was quiet but it cut like a whip. “Do you have any idea what would happen to Tee or the rest of us without you? What would happen to me? Zoey without you there wouldn’t have been a Blackrock Hold; there wouldn’t be a base camp. Without you we would have all fallen apart.” He took a deep breath and spoke more gently. “Without you, there isn’t a me.”

     Zoey’s blue eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off.

     “Do you think for a second that Tee or I care about Blackrock more than you? Zoey, it was just a house--granted it was our house--but in the end it was just a building. Home is you, me, and Tee. Home is us.” His eyes were boring into hers. “There isn’t a single day that I don’t thank the powers that be that you’re still alive and talking to me. It was your foresight that kept everyone safe; without you we would have all stayed here right on top of the nuke. You are the heart and soul of our group, our family. So don’t ever say that the nuke should have killed you.” He shook her lightly, “Ever. We all love you, Zoey” his eyes never wavered from hers, “especially me.”

     The tears in her eyes spilled over and traced down her cheeks. Gently Rythian thumbed them away. “Do you understand?”

     “Yes.” Her voice wavered as she leaned into him, burying her face in the rough material of his shirt. He enfolded her in a hug, rocking back and forth slightly.

     “M’sorry.” Her words were muffled, but they translated clearly enough.

     He squeezed her tightly, “I don’t like seeing you hurting. It hurts me too you know.”

     They stood that way for a while, until Zoey pulled away from him. Her eyes were a bit red, but they had a new spark of life in them. “Let’s fix the logo.”

     It took the rest of the day to fix the logo and the front wall of Blackrock Hold. Rythian stood hand in hand with Zoey as the sunset illuminated the now repaired front of their former home. It looked slightly patchworked, as the old wool and stone was soot covered, but the image still shone through. Satisfied with their work they retired to the tent as night closed around them. Zoey listened to the creaking of Blackrock Hold from the safety of Rythian’s arms. Was it her? Or did the creaking sound happier?

     Rythian started awake as Zoey quietly got out of bed and moved to the tent entrance. “Zoey?” the name was slurred by sleep.

     “I’ll be back in a little bit, Rythian. I promise.” She turned and padded away when he nodded acquiescence. He wasn’t overly pleased, but the enderborn recognized her need for a little time to think by herself.

     Zoey walked to the front of Blackrock hold and sat on the front stoop, looking up at the doorway above her. Turning, she faced the crater and dangled her legs over the edge. The moonlight filtered down into the hole and for a moment she thought she could see the interior of Blackrock as it had been. The marble interior she had so lovingly created and designed, the magic room with all of its intrigue, and the rec room with its chalkboard. She closed her eyes and let the memories overwhelm her. Rythian and her building the frame for Blackrock, the way she had counted off rhythm from him to throw him off, it was the first time he had really laughed. Their teasing arguments over which one of them would have the tiny bedroom, and Rythian’s awkwardness when they had decided to share the master bedroom between them. Tee’s tower and Gilbert the Snow-Golem, Sentry. Zoey let the images and memories swirl around in her mind and then packed them tenderly away in her subconscious, hopefully she would be able to dream about them, to remember them.

     Carefully Zoey leaned against the doorframe, resting her forehead against the smooth basalt, “Goodbye, Blackrock. You were a good home to us, I won’t forget you, I promise. Thank you for sheltering us for so long.” Standing, Zoey made her way back to the tent, and Rythian.

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Tee waved excitedly as his sharp eyes caught sight of Rythian and Zoey coming into Base Camp. They looked… different, somehow. Rythian looked like he was happy to be back, and Tee noticed with some amusement that the enderborn’s fingers were intertwined with Zoey’s as they walked. The dinosaur felt his spirits soar as he caught sight of Zoey. The girl was chattering animatedly to Rythian, her eyes sparkling with good humor. Her words became audible the closer they got.

     “… and then we can go find coco beans and make cookies and give them to everyone in Sick Bay only now it’s Cabertown. Ravs can have some and we can all go together and Tee can play the lever game!”

     “Of course, Zoey.” Rythian smiled fondly at her. “I’m sure Ravs would love cookies.”

     “Hi, Tee!” Zoey greeted the dinosaur enthusiastically, “We’re back!”

     “Yes we are.” Rythian’s eyes were fixed on Zoey’s smiling face, “We’re home.”