1,020Snek is a Good Boy
Part Thirty-Five: Home Truths
[A/N: This chapter commissioned by Fizzfaldt and beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Director Emily Piggot, PRT ENE
As the clock ticked over to five, Emily sighed and closed her laptop down. She was starting to get a feel for where Sapphire was—next door, visiting Renick—which suggested that the bonding process was definitely ongoing. By the time she'd disconnected the device from its charge cord and stowed it in its locked drawer, she could tell that the hearth-dragon was on her way back.
The connecting door clicked open just as she stood up, and Sapphire appeared in the gap, pushing it open then closing it again behind her. That task completed, she flew across to land on Emily's shoulder, a situation that Emily was finding more and more natural.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself exploring the place." Emily automatically stroked Sapphire as she opened her office door and stepped out into the corridor. "Now we get to go home. You'll probably find it a lot less interesting than here."
Sapphire chirped and rubbed her head against Emily's cheek, which Emily took to mean that Sapphire was happy to be anywhere that Emily was. Never one for sentiment, she still found herself touched. She didn't have the time or inclination to take care of a dog or cat, despite the affection that would be returned, but Sapphire was someone she could have a conversation with and cuddle up to, without all the baggage of dealing with a human relationship.
They rode down in the elevator to the underground parking garage, and she went to her car. This was something she'd been mildly concerned about; it was somewhat unlikely that Sapphire had ever seen a car, much less been inside one, and she wasn't sure how the hearth-dragon would react to being enclosed in a moving metal box. However, when she unlocked it with the fob and opened the door, Sapphire hopped off her shoulder and scrambled across to the passenger seat without having to be prompted.
Nor did she stop there. By the time Emily got in and fastened her seatbelt, Sapphire had thoroughly investigated the interior of the car, including the back seat, and was perched up on the front passenger seat, peering out the window. Her bright, alert demeanour and her encouraging chirp came across as, 'well, come on. Let's get going.'
Emily chuckled and started the car. Trust hearth-dragons to be infinitely adaptable.
As they headed for the exit, she pulled her swipe-card and lowered her window to tap out for the day. The guard in the box nodded politely to her, then did a double-blink as Sapphire popped up next to Emily and gave him a friendly chirp. "Uh … ma'am?" he asked uncertainly.
"I've been gifted with the care and feeding of a hearth-dragon, trooper," she informed him blandly. "She will almost certainly find her way down here to say hello at some point. Her name is Sapphire and yes, she will beg for treats. They're incorrigible like that."
"Um." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I see. Is there anything I shouldn't feed her, ma'am?"
Emily smiled. "I've been reliably informed that they eat whatever we do, so feel free to indulge her."
"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good evening."
"You too, trooper." She gave him a nod in return, then started the car forward as the barrier rose. Pulling out onto the street behind the PRT building, she turned in the direction of home and hit the button to raise the window at the same time.
Thirty seconds later, the passenger-side window buzzed down. Emily glanced across to see Sapphire perched on the armrest, her head out the window in the slipstream, evidently enjoying the breeze. It was clear to Emily that this was no accident; Sapphire had observed what she'd done and figured out how to do it on her side.
It really shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, Flashbang's dragon Snap had a rapidly growing fanbase who followed him almost entirely due to his artistic merits with a cell-phone camera. Despite the fact that they came from a world almost entirely devoid of anything resembling modern technology, hearth-dragons were very quick learners.
The trip home was uneventful. None of the gangs were active, thanks to Snek, and the mundane criminals were keeping their heads down too. Emily didn't hear a single siren the whole way home. Sapphire spent the drive alternating between sticking her head out the window (and startling people at traffic lights, which she apparently delighted in doing) and cuddling up to Emily.
When Emily let herself in the front door to her apartment and flicked the light switch, the place looked even more drab than normal. She knew this was because she wanted to impress Sapphire somehow, give her a place to live that wasn't so mundane, but even that awareness didn't make her feel better about it. "Well, this is home," she said out loud. "Such as it is. Feel free to look around. I'm sure you'll figure out where you want to sleep."
She left the hearth-dragon to her own devices as she headed into the bathroom and took a shower. Once she was done, and had emerged in less formal clothing, she heard the sound of running water. Tracking it down didn't take long; Sapphire was in the kitchen sink, giving herself a bath under the running faucet. Seeing her come in, Sapphire turned off the water with a flip of her tail, shook the remaining water from her scales (causing much less spray than if she'd had fur) then looked up at Emily with an expectant chirp.
"Well, I definitely don't have to worry about your hygiene," Emily mused. "So, I'm thinking we'll have a microwave meal tonight, then I'll see about getting you your own food stocks tomorrow. Does that work for you?"
It hadn't quite been a rhetorical question. As she'd already noted, hearth-dragons were very aware of tone and meaning, even if they didn't quite know all the words yet. Sapphire chirped agreeably, then hopped out of the sink and jumped up onto Emily's shoulder, assisted by a single flap of her wings. Her paws were able to grip without digging claws in, for which Emily was grateful; besides, the warm presence on her shoulder was quite companionable.
Ten minutes later, they sat and watched some old comedy on TV while eating. Sapphire seemed to like the show, or perhaps she was enjoying Emily's appreciation of it. For her part, Emily found herself becoming more and more used to Sapphire's presence, even when the little dragon shamelessly begged for yet another morsel from her plate.
As Emily set up her hemodialysis for the night, she noted that Sapphire was watching her carefully. "Sorry, I'm not perfect," she said, stroking the little dragon's head. "Once I lie down, I won't be able to get up in a hurry. So if there's a problem, I'm going to need time before I can come and help, okay?"
Sapphire nodded and kept out of the way; once Emily had settled down, she perched at the head of the bed. As Emily began drifting off to sleep, she was vaguely aware that Sapphire had left the room and was moving through the apartment. She got the impression that the little dragon was scouting the perimeter, both cute and very much in character for her new companion.
When she woke up, she discovered Sapphire curled up under her arm, right next to the pillow, emitting tiny draconic snores. She also felt more rested than she had in some time. No dreams of Ellisburg to disturb her sleep, which was an unexpected bonus.
Sapphire woke as Emily was getting dressed, and accompanied her into the small kitchen. Recalling Riley's advice, Emily decided to prepare toast as well as bacon and eggs; she couldn't help smiling at the beatific expression on Sapphire's muzzle at the smell of cooking bacon.
Just as she was putting the eggs back in the fridge, a mouse dashed out from under the appliance. Emily cursed as it ran across her bare foot, and Sapphire's head snapped around. The hearth-dragon went from intently watching the frying bacon to blurred movement down toward the kitchen floor. There was a startled squeak followed by a crunch, and the mouse was no more.
Her eyebrows raising, Emily looked down at Sapphire, who beamed smugly back up at her. "Well, damn," she said, closing the fridge door. "That was impressive. I've been trying to get that little bastard for weeks."
It was apparent that not only were hearth-dragons adorable and enjoyable to socialise with, but they were also no slouches in the vermin-hunting stakes. Able to appreciate all three qualities on their own merits, Emily decided that she'd just been given a whole new reason to stick with the partnership.
They ate together at the table, Sapphire consuming an entire slice of fresh toast and a strip of crunchy bacon as though she'd been starving for days. The mouse, Emily figured, had just been an incidental appetiser. Sapphire was welcome to eat as many rodents that intruded on the apartment as she liked, and Emily would be happy to supply bacon and toast afterward.
Once they were finished, she picked up the phone and called a particular number. "Hello, Carol …?"
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sapphire was doing her usual trick of sticking her head out the car window as they drove along. It was amusing to see the reactions of people alongside them at the lights, ranging from 'what the hell?' to 'd'aaaaawww'. As much as she clearly enjoyed this, she'd still spend about half of any car ride leaning up against Emily, a highly agreeable situation for both of them.
And then Sapphire's head came up and she stared into the distance ahead of them. The chirp she let out sounded quite authoritative, and different to all the other sounds Emily had heard her make. Emily raised her eyebrows, a gesture she seemed to be making a lot these days. "You know they're there, don't you?" She'd wanted it to be a surprise, but it seemed that surprising a hearth-dragon took a lot of doing.
As she pulled up alongside Westlake Park, she could tell that Sapphire was becoming more and more excited. However, the little dragon stuck with her while she got out and locked the vehicle, hopping onto her shoulder while still looking across to the other side of the park. Emily followed her line of sight to see the Dallon contingent of New Wave also getting out of a car, complete with their three hearth-dragons. All three were staring in Sapphire's direction.
Reaching up, Emily stroked Sapphire's head and neck. "Okay, sweetie. Go have fun."
In another instant, Sapphire was in the air, her wings beating hard as she flew to meet the other three. Emily followed on foot, heading over to meet the Dallons. Or rather, she went to meet Flashbang, Brandish and Panacea, while Glory Girl joined the hearth-dragons overhead.
"Good morning!" Brandish's broad smile and enthusiastic greeting held every appearance of pleasure. She even went so far as to hug Emily, which she had never done before, in costume or out of it. After a startled instant, Emily hugged her in return, unexpectedly enjoying the brief moment of human contact. "I'm glad you called us up. This was a good idea."
"Thank you." Emily shook Flashbang's hand, then Panacea's. Hugging one cape in any given day was as far as she was willing to go, her new outlook on life notwithstanding. "I'm pleased you accepted. Sapphire seems to think it's a good idea too."
"Twilight definitely thinks it is," agreed Panacea. "She was so pleased when Mom and Dad got Argent and Snap, and now you've got Sapphire. And I'm happy you got her too."
Emily looked at her curiously. "Would you mind explaining that statement?"
"Sure." Panacea led the way to a picnic table and sat down. "You haven't been happy for the longest time. Anyone can see it, especially with a hearth-dragon to help you do the looking. Plus, your health isn't the best, and the unhappiness wasn't helping at all. You're in charge of a lot of people, Director. They deserve to have a boss who's the very best version of who they should be."
Emily blinked at the forthright statement. A glance at Flashbang and Brandish told her that they weren't about to reprimand their daughter for her stance; Brandish was even nodding along with it. And it wasn't as though Panacea was wrong.
"Woo hoo!" Glory Girl's exuberant voice cut through the moment. "Coming through!" She flashed overhead, about ten feet up, with four hearth-dragons on her six, all flying hard. There was a small stand of trees up ahead, and she cut through them, dodging between the trunks. The dragons split up; Sapphire flew up and over the trees, Snap went left, Argent went right, and Twilight followed Glory Girl through. Seconds later, although they'd lost sight of her, there was a squawk of triumph. After a long moment, Glory Girl's voice sounded clearly. "Aw, man."
Panacea smirked. "Wonder who got her?"
"Argent did, but it doesn't matter," Brandish replied, the smile returning to her face. "They formulated a strategy and pulled it off."
"And maybe Vicky won't be quite so overconfident in future," Flashbang noted. "Though it might take a few more lessons." He chuckled and shook his head. "They are not to be underestimated, that's for sure."
Emily nodded. "I've noticed that they aren't just smart and empathetic. Sapphire got a mouse in my apartment on the first morning. I barely saw her move."
This time, Panacea chuckled. "Bet the mouse didn't, either."
"Very true." Emily turned to look at her. "But you were speaking about my health and happiness, or my lack thereof. I was under the impression that both of those were my business and nobody else's."
"Broadly speaking, that's true," agreed the young healer. "And happiness has been shown to have a positive impact on health. But given the problems I saw when I shook your hand, your overall state of health can't go anywhere but down. It will absolutely cut years off your life, maybe decades."
Feeling her good mood slipping away, Emily gripped the edge of the picnic table, digging her nails in. "I didn't come here to be lectured. I came here so that Sapphire could have a play date with your dragons. My health is my concern, and that's final."
With a rush of wings, Sapphire landed on her shoulder, while Twilight alighted on the table in front of Panacea, and each of the other hearth-dragons touched down on the shoulder or arm of their respective human partner. Emily felt Sapphire's concern, and regret filled her at having upset her companion. Reaching up, Emily caressed her, smoothing her wings down, while Sapphire leaned into the side of her head and crooned gently.
"That's all true, to a point." Brandish spoke in a non-confrontational manner, holding Argent close to her. The silvery hearth-dragon snuggled up to her, eyes half-closed with enjoyment. "The problem is, you're bonded to her now. That only gets broken one way: with death."
Glory Girl nodded as she landed alongside the table. "That's true. I'm not bonded, but Riley told us all about it."
Emily got the impression she was missing an important point. "Okay, but Sapphire's not going to find it hard to bond with someone else once I'm gone. She's already made friends with ninety percent of the people in the PRT building."
"No," Flashbang said. "That's not going to happen. Didn't they tell you?" He stared at her, his expression full of sorrow. "Once you're bonded, that's it. Your life force is entwined with hers. If you die, she dies."
"What?" Emily blinked, trying to will what she'd heard into any other configuration of words, but treacherous memory played it back perfectly. If you die, she dies. Horrified, she reached up and gathered Sapphire into her arms, staring at the perfect little hearth-dragon, her beautiful blue scales, as a bottomless pit opened up beneath her. "No. That's not true. It can't be true."
"It's true." Panacea's voice echoed in her ears as from far away. "Hearth-dragons only live twenty to thirty years in the wild, but if they bond to a human, each lives as long as the other."
"No. I won't let that happen." Emily held Sapphire closer. "How can I fix this?"
"Before we answer that," Brandish said quietly, "I think we need to know why you haven't had your problems dealt with earlier. After all, you're a PRT Director. If anyone has access to parahuman healing, it would be you."
Sapphire rubbed the top of her head against the underside of Emily's jaw while she wrestled with the question. It was something she hadn't shared with anyone, even the PRT-mandated therapist, for the last ten years. Up until now, the barrier against saying anything had been too high. The wrong word in the wrong ear might have had devastating consequences for her career.
But now, all she saw in every face was concern and understanding. Sapphire's warmth, both physical and emotional, buoyed her up and gave her the strength to speak. "It was Ellisburg," she said at last. "I went in with a strike squad."
She told the story slowly and haltingly, holding onto Sapphire like a lifeline. How they'd gone in with cape support, but when the operation went bad, the heroes had fled, leaving the troopers on the ground to fend for themselves. The fighting retreat, spending ammunition and containment foam like water, losing comrades all the way. How the dying screams of her friends still haunted her nightmares of that place. And how when they finally pulled her out of that slice of hell on earth, they'd had to first kill the monsters that had been chewing on her legs and ripping into her back.
"While I was in recovery, I decided I'd never let myself depend on a cape for anything important," she concluded. "I'd seen what they were like. Undependable, liable to cut and run when the going got tough." Her expression twisted into a sour grimace. "When they posted me here as Director, it was a cruel joke. I set out to make sure not one of my capes ever pulled that shit on anyone. Did I push too hard? Probably. But they do say first impressions are the ones that stick."
"But surely you've seen that most capes aren't like that, right?" asked Glory Girl. "I mean, New Wave, we're pretty good at what we do."
Emily turned to look at her. "Miss Dallon, there is a YouTube channel solely devoted to the collateral damage you have personally caused around the city. I believe this is not your topic to address." She didn't raise her voice, but her tone raised a flush on Glory Girl's face.
"That's not fair." Panacea moderated her tone when Twilight nuzzled her ear, and she hugged the little dragon a little closer. "Vicky means well. So do most of the capes who screw up. Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're not wrong," Emily confirmed. "I have been guilty of focusing on the bad and overlooking the good, and that's something I'll be working to remedy from here on in. It's also true that I was being a little unfair just now, but that was to make a point. Surely it must be easier to just … not break things?"
Brandish snorted softly, and rolled her eyes. "You'd think so. Neil gets by fairly well, and he's seven feet tall."
"I'm trying harder, these days," Glory Girl protested. "I haven't broken anything for ages!"
Emily nodded. "Understood, and that's laudable. However, you do comprehend why I've refused parahuman healing to this point?"
"Yeah, we get it," agreed Flashbang. "I can see why it might be problematic for you, given your experiences with capes in a tight spot."
"'Problematic' is a distinct understatement, Mr Dallon." Emily looked around at each superhero at the table. "However, there comes a point in every person's life when they have to stop and re-examine their convictions. Or rather, there should. This is such a time for me. I could stick to it … but that could have tragic consequences for Sapphire, and I refuse to let that happen." She caressed Sapphire's wings gently, feeling the delicate membranes under her fingertips. Closing her eyes, the hearth-dragon rumbled softly and leaned against Emily's chest.
Panacea waited for a few seconds before she spoke. "So, you'll let me heal you?"
Brandish cleared her throat. "I suggest we make it official. We borrow facilities in Brockton General—you've healed enough people there, they should dedicate a whole wing to you—and you grow back the Director's kidneys and calf muscles there. A doctor on staff checks and certifies your work, and that makes it all above board, going forward."
"That sounds reasonable to me." Emily scratched Sapphire under the throat, where she liked it. "If you could set it up, I would appreciate it. In the meantime, Glory Girl, I believe our meal has arrived." She nodded toward where a pizza delivery van had just rolled up to the side of the park. "Could you please fetch it for us?"
"Uh … sure." The teen hero took to the air and flew in the direction of the van.
Brandish raised an eyebrow. "You ordered pizza for us? How did you know we'd all still be here?"
"I didn't." Emily smiled. "But I'm sure Sapphire doesn't mind cold pizza."
Raising her head, Sapphire made a noise of interest. The other hearth-dragons joined in, all looking in the direction of where Glory Girl was fetching the refreshments. It wasn't long before she started back, carrying two pizza boxes and a bag with a couple of soda bottles plus some paper cups, all per the order.
"We have pizza!" declared Glory Girl, coming in for a creditable landing, considering that her hands were full. "Big one for us, kids' size one for the dragons?"
"That is the general idea," Emily confirmed. "Given their general carnivorous proclivities, I ordered a meat-lovers with extra meat for them. I didn't know what you ate so I ordered half and half Supreme and Hawaiian. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
A general chorus of 'no' arose, amid laughter and the excited chirping of hearth-dragons. It was Twilight who figured out how to open the smaller box, whereupon the four hearth-dragons set about dividing the contents equally between them.
Emily took a slice of Supreme. She hadn't eaten pizza in years, but some things never changed. "Do you know, Sapphire bathes herself in the kitchen sink? Uses the brush to scrub her back between her wings and everything."
Panacea rolled her eyes as she claimed a slice of Hawaiian. "Twilight worked out how to open tins of fish, then taught the others how to do it. I caught her at it. She asks if she can have one, but still."
"Wait," protested Emily. "How …?" Hearth-dragons weren't weak for their size, but they weren't that strong.
Brandish shook her head. "They use a spoon handle for leverage. It's like watching the march of technology, sped up a thousand times."
Emily nodded. "I hear you. Sapphire figured out electric car windows in less than a minute. And she uses the toilet if she needs to go. She even flushes, once I showed her how." That had been a surreal experience.
Glory Girl looked around at the others. "Do ours do that? I thought they just went outside, in the garden."
Flashbang shrugged. "No idea. I honestly wouldn't be surprised, either way."
Emily looked at the New Wave heroes. "So, how did you meet your hearth-dragons, anyway? You just went to Snek's world and there they were?"
Panacea grinned and pointed at Brandish. "She's got the best story by far. So, there we were, in a medieval fantasy world, and Mom was all up in arms about hearth-dragons, and we went into an honest to goodness tavern …"
Brandish hid her face while everyone else laughed. "I wasn't that bad. Was I?"
"Yes, Mom, you were." Glory Girl giggled as she took another slice of pizza. "Mind you, Uncle Neil was talking about learning how to quaff ale, so that was something else we were looking forward to. But anyway …"
Emily grinned as the tale unfolded. The pizza was hot, the soda was cold, and the company was pleasant.
All in all, it was turning out to be a very good day.
End of Part Thirty-Five