stormbelow | 一期一会 » MEETING ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Okay, that was instantly alarming. He lets himself be led, a million questions bubbling up that he barely manages to squash. It could be anything. Something to do with Arashi's boss, with his coven thing. Could be Brisbane.

Fuck, don't let it be Brisbane.

"Are you okay?" he manages.

"I'm fine." It's endearing that Harvestman asks that first. Arashi frowns uncertainly for a moment, before deciding, to hell with it, there's no reason to dick around with something like this.

"Charlie's in the nexus."

His reaction is predictable. He freezes where he stands, his grip on Arashi's hand suddenly tightening. Just hearing her name is like a shot through the heart. It was enough to make everything stand still.

"What...?"

Damn it, he hates this. Not that he'd been thrilled by Harvestman's delay in getting in touch with his daughter, but he'd understood it, and he can only imagine what this must feel like.

"I think she ended up there by accident. It didn't seem to surprise her, though. I unlocked her door, but I don't think she left... you just need to know that she's. Around."

"You... you spoke to her?"

There's a level of delay between understanding and acceptance playing across his face. He has to sit down. He does, heavily, on the couch he'd just been sleeping on.

"Yeah."

Arashi sinks down carefully next to him, sitting on the edge of the cushion in case he needs to jump up again. His whole body is basically half-tensed for exactly that.

An explosion of anger was the last thing on his mind. Maybe if it was Brisbane. Or Lilith. Anyone but her. He'd built up such a careful distance, such a careful image of her in his head. He didn't know if he could stand that being destroyed.

"I... w-what was she like?"

"She looks like you." It was something he'd only noticed after the fact, but looking back now, he can't believe he didn't see it sooner. "I didn't realize it until I knew who she was, but I couldn't not see it after that. I probably... hm, didn't make a very good first impression, and I didn't stay long, but..."

He slides his other hand over Harvestman's, thinking about it. "She seems healthy. Quick instincts, but she didn't immediately go into some kind of panic mode when she saw me. And she was apparently still in contact with Gabriel, who was apparently willing to tell her my name but not who I was. You can sort of tell that she's the... deputy, if that makes sense."

"Think you'd be hard to explain," he says, voice distant. His fingers clench when Arashi touches him, but he doesn't try to touch him back. He'd probably break something.

It's awhile, a few minutes of staring at the floor, before he speaks again. "I've never heard her speak."

It's a few minutes more, before Arashi answers, but he hasn't once looked away from Harvestman the whole time.

He asks it very quietly, "Do you think you may have put it off for long enough?"

His eyes flickered with the usual anger, but he keeps his gaze on the ground. "She know what you are?"

He nods. "She knew right away."

Harvestman grimaces. Even he could miss the mark on who was or wasn't a vampire in a nexus, the nature of the place threw him off. A good Hunter never missed. "And?"

"And nothing. I told you, she has good instincts but she didn't panic, she didn't treat me as an immediate threat, just as a stranger who could be." He wrinkles his nose with displeasure. "Then Gabriel got involved and made me something relevant. If I'd known it was her, honestly, I... wouldn't have stuck around as long as I did."

"Got involved?"

"He was texting her. Told her to ask my name, when I wouldn't tell her she took my picture and sent it to him." Which still annoys him, whenever he thinks about it. "He told her I was okay, she wanted to know why, but she said that she doubted he would explain if she asked."

His mouth twitched. Smiling might lead to hysteria, but the annoyance in Arashi's voice almost made it worth it. His explanation didn't clarify anything about the exchange - his mental image was blank, lacking in movement and sound a picture couldn't provide. "Smart."

Arashi just sighs. It's not that he's purposefully trying to be vague... well, he sort of is. This situation isn't exactly one he feels comfortable with.

"You can tell she's well trained. But I'd be willing to bet she doesn't always get the whole story and she knows it. Not surprising. John, you should see her for yourself." He rubs Harvestman's hand again. "You don't want it to happen by accident."

He twists his hands together, closing his eyes. It was either that or press into them like he did when stressed. That would alarm Arashi. "I'd have to talk to Gabriel."

"Why?"

"Why?" It's clear from the confusion in Harvestman's expression that he trusts Gabriel far more than Arashi does. (The tables that could be turned on him when that was pointed out might best be left for later.)

"He's the one who can arrange that without things going to shit. She obviously trusts him."

The irritation is starting to bleed back into Arashi's tone; it's mostly because of Gabriel, but not entirely. "Or, you could get up and walk through a door and talk to your daughter. Trust is relative, John. Whether or not things go to shit is pretty much going to be on you and Charlie."

"She's a Hunter, Arashi. That ain't gonna go so fucking well."

There's the anger again. He's not good enough at biting it down. "I don't fucking know if I can even talk to her."

Neither, at this point, is Arashi.

"Says who? You've never met her! How do you know what she'll do or what she'll think? She managed to get through an entire pseudo-conversation with me without so much as calling me an asshole, and I'm pretty sure that's more than you could say when we first met. I get that it's terrifying and it's difficult and it's going to change everything. I get that. And I'm going to help you get through it but it's time to do something. Your excuses haven't changed, but neither has the fact that you have a child who deserves to know you -- or are you just going to let Gabriel and Brisbane continue to dictate everything that happens in her life and yours?"

"Don't fucking yell at me, you act like this is so fucking easy! I'm not you, alright? I'm not some goddamn prick who's had three hundred years to get over my shit!" He points a finger at Arashi's face, hovering just over his nose. "And you're still an asshole."

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