What Now?

[Nox]

Life was a whirlwind of crisis' one after the other. And it all felt normal and Nox had nothing but a dull feeling about it all. Sasha just showing up had been the worse and best thing that could have happened. He hated and loved it, or he would if he felt anything at all. But it all was just there. His life was just there. It was nothing but the dull day to day life of a mundane person. How did he ever live like this.

Nox had become so reliant on the power that without it he felt useless and half the person he was. But it didn't bother him. It should. He should be pissed and throwing things, but it was just life -- it went on.  One step at a time, one minute, one second. Life went on and Nox had made himself a promise a long time ago that he wouldn't go out like his father. Suicide was not in his cards. He was less a danger to himself than before, and yet even more at risk for doing something stupid. At least going after Pirozzi had gone well.  He'll have to do better against other creatures.

Salvation and Damnation were now both on his hip when he left the house under the large puffy jacket he had to wear.  Oriena's text had startled Nox as he fed Lily. He'd almost forgotten he'd sent her a text days ago about needing to meet. And she finally responded. It was a good thing he hadn't needed it anymore. But now he had to break the news and while it wouldn't damage what they had, there was a pang of guilt and sorrow that it could. Oriena was unpredictable and Nox could never guess where her wind might blow.

He sent her the location of the shit motel they used often that paid by the hour. They might use a lot or a little or none at all.

Nox left Lily with Marta a little earlier than usual, Oriena would not appreciate a baby. She barely tolerated him most days.

The place was a shit hole, but it was the cleanest of the shit holes Nox had used. No bugs, and the sheets were clean.

Nox was early he always was.  He put the gun and knife on the stand next to the TV and sat on the bed waiting for Oriena to show up. It could be soon, it could be an hour or more. He didn't expect her to jump when he said he needed her. He was not at all surprised it had been days. Normally he'd have gone looking for her in her favorite haunts, but he hadn't had the need, the horde was gone and now this was an end. He could have done it at Kallisti or someplace else it wasn't about sex though he would oblige her in anything and in any way and he could just lie, but that would end poorly. And he didn't lie to Oriena. There was no need. There were no secrets between them.

[Oriena]

Her cheekbone smarted in the icy Mosocw air, the white of one eye blushed red in the corner where the vessels burst – new injuries layered atop those sustained during her spar with Mia, from fights picked in less safe locations than that shithole of a gym. The bag of drugs was still slipped deep inside a pocket, but she’d not touched them – mostly because of how much she wanted it. In stone cold sobriety she was brittle and frustrated, and the anger had nowhere to go but her fists. Between that recklessness she was waiting for the next nosebleed, the next swell of pressure inside her skull, but it hadn’t happened yet. The whispers of the ijiraq were like half-heard conversations in the back of her mind. The lingering promise of a storm.

She’d stopped going to the club, not even to assess the new dancers, which she normally did whenever Carmen suggested new hires. Instead she’d just told the other woman to handle it. Kallisti was more or less in Nox’s hands now, whether he realised it or not. Slowly, she was cutting her ties.

The motel was familiar, and not the kind of place anyone asked questions. Not that Ori was the sort of woman people stopped to interrogate anyway. She shouldered in the door, eyed where Nox sat on the bed with a look that quickly flickered into disdain. It wasn’t the ravenously impatient posture it should have been, which perhaps meant he’d found someone else to scratch the violent itch with. She didn’t internalise whether or not that meant anything to her. But she did consider that it might mean he intended to talk. Which was precisely why she didn’t yet close the door behind her.

[Nox]

Nox looked up and saw the near flight in the open door. He stood up, there was not telling what Oriena would do and short of walking to the door and closing it for her, he had no way to keep her from fleeing his words. But he didn't want to hide, or fake it, or mince words with Oriena. He was grateful for her help in his shit and she knew he was there if she wanted it -- which she never did so offering to help was neither not an offer she was likely to take and she definitely wouldn't stick around for a pity fuck as she'd probably assume it was.

No song played in his ear. Ashtons voice silent for the moment while he conveyed the absolute misery of his life to the only person who had ever unerstood any of his shit. "The horde is gone, Oriena." His voice was emotionless. It should contain the fire of the loss, or excitement at it's disappearance. He didn't elaborate, Oriena didn't care. But it took effort to keep his mouth shut and let her decide what she wanted to do.

While his voice held nothing his body was ready for whatever Oriena through at him. He was ready for a fight, ready to submit if that was what he felt she needed at the given moment. He welcomed whatever she had to give him. He'd at least feel something without the help of Ashton's song. He was positive anything with Oriena would be better than a stranger. There was power in trust and respect.

She could leave, she could bolt out the door, but he wanted to explain, and ... against his better judgement Nox closed the distance between them with his usual grace and speed. He reached out with the mechanical hand, not lost upon him that she'd destroyed the other the last time he did this, but it was different this time. His fingers collapsed around her throat and felt the soft tender skin of beneath his fingers, he didn't squeeze to hurt or strangle, but she knew he was there. "Nothing has to change." He said quietly.