Home Again

[merrit]

Erik had finally put the last of his belongings in place before he sat onto the bed looking at his cabin. It had been almost two years since he had last been on board this ship and now it looked as if he had never left. His clothes were hung in a semi orderly group and model ships decorated the tables. He even had a gun hung up though it was quite old and definitely didn't work.

The middle aged pilot laid back on his bed and lit a cigarette. His mind was a million miles away. He was still worried he might endanger the crew of this vessel, but he had guards against that. Well at the very least he'd know before anything would even come close to looking at them.

As the acrid smoke rose into the vents Erik put on some music that softly played out. It was odd to hear a man as hardened as him listening to something so serene but he was. He was home and it felt odd to him.

[Noelle "Sapphire" Star]

Noelle had gone back to her leopards, practicing and the like. She found herself unable to concentrate though, the curiosity eating away at her. Two years. That's how long Erik had been gone from the Carnivale. She really hadn't expected him to come back, or even be alive. Despite all of that he waltzed up to them earlier as if everything were peachy-keen and two years was nothing. He had offered to explain at least, she wasn't sure what to expect. Practice was over. Noelle took the cats to their temporary cages so they weren't left unattended in the ring. That was one of the biggest rules around here and she definitely didn't want to upset the Ringmaster.

She wasn't sure if Pixie would come or not, considering Erik was most likely in his quarters. Noelle hated seeing her friend uncomfortable. The walk was a ways to get to the ship, she nodded at those she passed by. When passing by the medical tent though, the young woman paused. Someone had cut themselves, there was blood. She could see one of their docs tending to the man, at the moment his name escaped her. Her focus was set on his arm, her gaze became sort of distant. Memories. It was only when a bandage covered the man's arm that Noelle snapped out of it, shaking her head slightly. The rest of the trip back to the ship was uneventful.

As Noelle stood before the door that was Erik's quarters she heard some music, only vaguely. The light smell of smoke wifted through the air. Sighing she knocked on the door. "Hey Erik. It's Sapphire." Her voice was neutral, she wasn't sure what to feel right now.

[merrit]

Erik sat up and looked at the door, he was unsure for a moment of what to do. He hadn't expected her so soon. Then again he should have known better. He snuffed out his cigarette in the nearby ash tray and turned off the stereo. With a soft sigh he stood up and opened the door. He smiled that sly grin of his and nodded as he walked back towards his bed to sit. As he did he pulled a chair out so she could sit. The chair was just a basic steel construct, that was basic in any quarters, except his had a fur backing and nice cushioning, something he brought with him. His brown duster hung on the back for ease of grabbing.

"Coming to my quarers so soon after I arrive, oh how the rumors will fly.... I'm just kidding."

Even though he was he knew how quickly word would spread if any one saw her come into his quarters. That wasn't something he'd like to have floating around, especially since Pixie would be particularly aggravated. Not that she had anything to worry about.

"Close the door though if you will, I don't want any one else catching this by chance. I didn't expect you to come a calling so quickly. Are you that curious?"

Erik smiled a bit.

"You know what they say curiousity killed the cat trainer."

As soon as he said it he realized his mistake. He kicked himself for letting that slip. Especially since she still grieved for the woman that trained her.

"Sorry. What I meant to say was that if you really want to know, it could put you at risk as well."

[Noelle "Sapphire" Star]

As she stood outside the door the music stopped. Despite his smile toward her Noelle didn't smile in return; in fact her eyes narrowed just a bit as a near glare. When he pulled the chair out for her she did nod in thanks. Her emotions were mixed right now but she did let a slight smile cross her lips at his rumor comment. "As if that's new, if anything it's only gotten worse over the years." Truthfully she hated rumors and the drama they caused, it would be bad if such a thing went around about her. Bad for Erik at least. It was bad enough he was a man who smoked, if something were to go around about him and Noelle...let's just say Pixie might not be able to control herself. She wasn't sure if he was aware of her friend's extracurricular activities, she wouldn't be the one to tell him.

Noelle closed the door as he requested, she wasn't sure if Pixie was going to join them. If not she could tell her everything later, if she wanted to know. With the end of his words her mood shifted without warning, her look was one of anger and her voice filled with rage. "What the hell did you expect Erik?! You waltz back here two years after disappearing and you don't even seem phased by it! Things don't go back like nothing happened!" She stood again, not wanting to sit anymore. Noelle's arms crossed her chest as she began to pace back and forth, an action her leopards did often while in their cages. "That is uncalled for and it's not funny in the least." Ali would probably always be a sore subject for her, Erik's joke only made it worse.

The leopard trainer stopped next to the chair that was now vacant, letting out a sigh she threw up her arms and sat back down. Erik apologized to her, "I train with quite large cats on a daily basis. I play with swords, daggers, and knives too. Risk is what I do Erik." Noelle's was relaxed again, as if her little outburst hadn't happened. "I'm not afraid if that's what you're worried about. I do want to know."

[Pixie]

Pixie disappeared when Noelle went to cage her cats, ducking into her own quarters for only a moment. She stripped herself of the ridiculous tutu and the big bow in her hair, slipping on some black shorts instead. Then she made her way to Erik's room, looking just a little less clownish.

She was just in time to see Noelle enter his room and the door close behind her. Stopping suddenly in the middle of the chaotic hallway, Pixie was almost immediately slammed into by a man behind her. Another may, an attractive young man that might have piqued the interest of a normal girl her age, an acrobat. He gripped her arm to steady her and gave her an easy grin. "Sorry 'about that..." he said and she returned his grin with her quick, cheery one. "Oh that's alright! It was my fault, after all," she chirped, then moved forward again quickly.

At Erik's door she paused, pressed her fingers to it. Closed her eyes. Noelle was in there, alone with a man. It did not have to mean anything, but she had a hard time calming the taste that rose like bile to flood her mouth with a sharpness, the taste of jealousy.

From within the room, Pixie could hear Noelle's voice gain volume. She was angry. A smirk tilted the clown's painted lips and she finally raised a fist, knocking sharply at the door as she composed her face into a look of nonchalance.

[merrit]

Erik couldn't say he was too suprise at Noelle's response to what he had said. He knew the slip of the tongue would cause an outburst, but what he didn't expect was her anger at him leaving so suddenly. She wasn't know as one to care whether or not some one came or left the group. Maybe she had gotten used to him more than he figured, maybe she considered him closer than what the others in the ship were considered.

"I know you risk your life for a living, that's a calculated risk. This is a lot more dangerous than anything you've ever dreamed of." As he spoke about that the scars along his torso stung with a phantom pain at the memories they brought up.

A knock at the door stopped him before he could continue his warning. He looked at Noe, knowing full well that he could give her all the warnings in the world and it'd only increase her curiosity. He stood up and grab his flask from a nearby drawer. Taking a swig he put it back and opened the door to see Pixie standing there waiting to be invited in. He smiled at the quiet clown and motioned her to step in.

He shut the door after she entered and went back to sit on his bed. He gathered his thought and prepared to tell them what he hadn't told anyone. They needed to know... they deserved to know why he had been away. Why he had left so suddenly.

"Ok, so two years ago a contact of mine sent me a message. I had him keeping an ear to the ground, and he would let me know the moment trouble was heading my way. Well, the people who were looking for me had caught my trail again, and it was leading them right to the Carnivale. I left hoping to lead them away from the people I considered my family, the ones I was actually close to."

He knew everything he said just then was rather vague and he was waiting for Noe to call him out on it. If she wanted more details he would certainly give them to her, but he wasn't going to needlessly throw around information just to endanger their lives.

[Noelle "Sapphire" Star]

Erik had been one of the few people that Noelle had felt a connection with, at least on some level. If he had never shown back up his absence probably wouldn't have been given a second thought, however he had returned. He seemed uncaring that he'd been gone for so long and that's what brought out the young trainer's rage.

Noelle might not be actively affectionate with anyone but that didn't mean there wasn't any care and concern in her.

When Pixie entered the room Noey softened and when she got close enough to reach a hand would brush her. A comforting touch for them both this time, her anger subsided.

The attention went back to Erik, Noelle listened carefully as he spoke. All of it vague and scarce on details. The annoyance within her began to rise a little, did he really think that would be enough information? "So that's a nice summary, but let's dive into the details. Whad'ya say?"

[merrit]

Erik smiled slightly and laughed abit. Noe was always kind of pushy and had to get to the bottom of it if she felt it was important. Nervousness still plagued his mind, he was endangering them by telling them this but it would be the only way he could get back on their good side.

"Ok, so during the unification war I was a fighter pilot and then a medi-vac. I risked my life constantly to make sure others got away safely. Well during the battle of Serenity Valley my ship was shot down on my fourth or fifth trip back. The crash killed a lot of men. I managed to survive along with a couple others, we began to try and get out and reunite with some of the other brown coats when the Alliance got us."

He paused when he thought of this trying to fight the urge to punch the wall as he saw the bodies in the ship and the two others being shot down by the Alliance groups.

"I was the only one captured alive, they took me to some station of theirs away from where folks would go stickin their heads. I resided in that place for two years before I was finally able to get out of there."

He could feel the pain enter his voice as he said this. It was something he couldn't stop much like the scars that seemed to burn everytime he thought about this time.

"Needless to say those two years were not spent well. The war was over but I was still being tortured and abused. They let me out but they kept tabs on me, and then they wanted me back. The first time they came after me, they killed..."

Erik felt his eyes well up with tears he hadn't thought about her in so long that he had almost forgotten. He had almost forgotten her green eyes and dark red hair. Her smile and firey attitude. He had almost forgotten the pain he felt when he saw her get gutted.

"They killed my fiancé right in front of me. They came busting in, and threatened her life if I didn't surrender. So I did and they killed her once they thought they had me. They apparently didn't have me well enough I was able to get free and ran. So I've been running ever since, I had contacts who would let me know when they started picking up my scent and getting near enough to be trouble. When they did that I picked up stakes and moved. So that's why I left so suddenly. I didn't want any one to get hurt.

He now felt pain all over his body bringing up the past was filled with problems. He had the scars both physically and psychologically to prove they were painful. The thing he hated the most was not being able to bury his fiancé. What's worse is the Alliance claimed he murdered her, which anyone that knew him didn't believe.

[Pixie]

Pixie pushed past Erik with hardly a word, moving to stand next to Noelle for a moment. At the other woman's touch she smiled and reached out to clutch her hand for just a moment, then released her. They had a strange relationship, but Pixie never questioned it. Surely Noelle knew the clown's dark side, but she had not told on her or even tried to ask Pixie about it. In fact, she did not even seem afraid of her. Which was good; Pixie would never harm a hair on Noelle's head.

Moving to the bed, Pixie leaped upon it without asking. She kicked off her boots and crossed her legs, playing idly with a worried seam in one of her gloves, a thread slowly unwinding as Erik told his tale. She did not seem particularly interested in his words, but when the story took a very tragic turn at the end, she glanced up at him with sharp predator's eyes. "So you're running." Her tone was not judgmental, but her eyebrow raised as if to suggest this was a cowardly thing to do.

"Surely," she began, drawing herself up to her knees and placing her hands on her hips, "You want revenge? Surely," her eyes narrowed, "You don't want those...monsters running free?" No, 'I'm sorry for your loss'. No, 'goodness, well I'm glad you're safe and you're back with us'. Pixie was all business and very little attachment to emotion or people. Of course, she'd never had to deal with the loss of someone she did care about. Things like revenge were practical to her, whereas the fact that he may be afraid or that he may not be the type to take pleasure in revenge was lost on her. She could not understand what his feelings were unless she was to lose Noelle.

[Noelle "Sapphire" Star]

Noelle could see how telling the story was affecting Erik. She didn't regret asking though, she felt as though she deserved to know. Nodding a little after he finished she began to pace again, only a few steps back and forth. "The Alliance are just a group of people really. We are a family though Erik, odd and unusual of one as we might be. We take care of our own, you didn't have to leave." There was a very minor annoyance in her voice nearing the end.

Looking over to Pixie, speaking of revenge. She grinned, nodding in agreement with her friend. "Pixie is correct Erik. Keep running it won't stop, whoever they are won't leave you alone." Something clicked in her mind, something about this didn't make entirely enough sense. Why would the Alliance care so much about one person to keep looking for him long after the war. Her gaze shifted again back to Erik, "What exactly do they want from you?"

[merrit]

Erik listened as the girls tried to tell him what they thought. They were so young and while they had probably experienced more evil and hardship in their life than other kids their age, they still had an innocent view of the world. One where you could make a stand and possibly survive, that death was the worst thing that could happen. Yet, there were things worse than death, things that would make the strongest man beg and plead. Also the enemies never fought fairly, they went for the weakest spots. Slowly weakening you until you could barely move and then they stepped up to fight. Suddenly Erik's eyes went cold and emotionless, something few had ever seen. One would almost equate it to the hollow and deadly look given by a great white shark on the earth that was. Eyes that only showed a predator looking to kill.

"I run because it means they can't catch me. As long as they can't catch me I can plot and wait and gather my resources. For when I do choose to fight, it'll be on my terms not theirs. When I strike I want them all to fall. The triggermen, the handlers, the puppetiers. I want every single player to suffer and suffer bad. With this enemy you have to be careful, or else you lose all chances."

Erik thought about the few men he had all ready killed during his running. Men that were easily missed, but still played a part in what happened. He then shook himself out of it and his eyes regained their sparkle, almost as if they never left. He quickly leaned back and lit another cigarette keeping it close to the vent. It pulled the smoke out of the room and made sure it was nice and clear.

"I don't know why they're chasing me, hell I wish I did then I could probably use it against them. So is that what you expected?"

[Pixie]

Pixie cracked her knuckled methodically as Noelle spoke, nodding along with her words. Her eyes flicked around Erik's room curiously, studying objects. Her gaze settled on Noelle as she said they were a family, and she winked at her friend. "Yes, you didn't have to leave..." not that she had been affected too much. People came and people went on this ship; it was the way of the Carnivale.

He began to defend his decision and Pixie dropped back to lay down on his bed, her legs still folded underneath her, her arms stretched out above her. "Your own terms? Smaaaart," she intoned, staring at the ceiling. At least he had a plan besides just running; Pixie did not respect those who ran from a problem.

When he said he didn't know why he was being chased, Pixie slowly lifted herself back up to a kneeling position and cocked her head, hands resting in her lap. It was clear as her eyes narrowed that she did not fully believe him. "You...have Alliance chasing you. You don't know why?" Her head shook slowly and she glanced at Noelle.

[Noelle "Sapphire" Star]

Noelle nodded in agreement with Pixie's response, that was a smart move. Though Erik seemed to have been running for years now, when was he going to have those terms of his? "You want all of these people to suffer, understandable. But what have you done to them in all this time and you've been running for how long exactly? Surely you've had the chance here or there to extract minor bits of revenge."

She met her friend's eyes, it was a bit suspicious that Erik said he didn't know why they were chasing him. In her experience people often didn't tell the truth of things, at least not fully. Noelle could only think that was what was happening now. She didn't say anything, instead waited for Erik to respond to Pixie's question.

[merrit]

Erik smiled slightly, the kind of smile that is devious in nature.

"Oh you bet I exacted some revenge. But all i was able to get my hands on were a couple of the triggermen. Men who were too far down the totem pole to really know what was going on or why. Though when I got through with them, they at least knew why they were dying."

Erik's eyes hazed over for a moment as his mind went back to a man tied to a chair. Bloodied and in obvious pain. It was a scene of torture. He had done some nasty things to that man. He made sure he got everything out of the man that he could. Fingernails, appendages, and burns and cuts all helped the information flow from the man's mouth. Of course also threatening the man's family helped. He had enough information on them to make them seem very attainable.

Erik's eyes came back into focus and he tried to rack his mind again about why they wanted him.

"Look I've tried to find out why they wanted me but I've had no luck. My best guess is that they thought I was different than other people. I don't know how or why they think that, but it would be the thing that makes most sense to me."