#lifeinunic

“But why? Why would he do that?” Thea didn’t understand the how either but one thing at a time.

“For the fun of it? To see what he could make of her? Fuck if I know, it’s just what he does. He plays with things, plays with people. That’s why he is where he is.” 

“And where is that?” 

“In a vacuum vault in the middle of fucking nowhere space. - Though if the Union gets its way with this hearing they’ll move him to one of their facilities.”

“Why is he there though? Did he do something really bad?” 

“Well that’s the other reason I can’t tell you what I am kid,” A sad sigh fell from his chest,  “No doubt you guessed he had his fun with me too. In fact that’s how I got this shiner you all like so well, he ripped my eye out of my face and used it in some sort of experiment or something. I don’t know what the fuck it was, I was pretty drugged and only a fucking teenager at the time. It was horrifying how little I felt but was so aware, so fucking aware of everything. Every couple minutes he’d tried to say something I’m sure he thought was comforting, ‘I know you are wary but you will be grateful for this when the time comes.’ or ‘I only mean to protect you, to bring out the best in you.” 

Thea swallowed down hard trying not to cry, again regretting her eavesdropping. Why did she have to be so damn curious?   

“You know it’s started for you, don’t you sweetie?”

The little one stood in silence as she cycled through her mind any number of things she could ask. She knew she probably was thinking too much about it and wearing his patience but if she was he didn’t say a word about it. Finally it came to her, it was so easy to choose she was slightly annoyed she hadn’t thought of it immediately. “What are you?” 

“And by extension what are you?” A flat reply from the man with one eye. 

“Yeah I guess.” Thea shrugged, he was right, there was a bit of selfishness to this question. 

“It’s a little complicated,” He admitted, his face twisting uncomfortably as he continued, “My father, as you probably overheard, is a Kasri National so I guess I’m at least in part that, though I think his original geneset was probably more subdued than it was by the time I was born...he made some adjustments. Also, I know the settlement he was from wasn’t exactly pure by the Union’s standards so it’s hard to say what bloodlines are all at play there. My mother... well I thought she was just a Nulnact, it’s supposedly how we got these weird ears and sunny disposition.”

“You thought?” 

“Well it’s just a theory but I think my dad created her.” 

“WHAT?” 

Cautiously Thea wandered across the soft peat back over to the fire, all the while trying to keep the contents of her stomach from spewing on the path before her. She wasn’t scared so much as nervous, she wasn’t sure what he might say once he saw her. 

As she got closer she could feel the pressure start to ease, it seemed her suspicion that she wasn’t as sneaky as she hoped had been a correct one.  Of course  now she could see that eye… she really wished sometimes he wore his patch in familiar company too, not just in public but she knew it got uncomfortable for him. If it was hollow, like nothing was there, it’d be different, she’d seen plenty of skulls and bones in the many medical textbooks she enjoyed looking over when her mom wasn’t paying close attention. It wasn’t like that at all though. It was like tar, like this black mass of resin that ebbed and flowed in, out, and through the hole as he moved his face from space to space. Kelsey had taken to calling it his nightmare eye, at this time it certainly felt like an apt name for it.

“I believe you have some questions for me little love?” His tone was calm but Thea could still hear a hint of that stress from earlier in his voice.. It made her hesitate a bit even though he had given her the okay, maybe she didn’t want to know… “Thea Rayne, I know how you are, just ask child before your queries consume you.” 

“You need to stay the fuck away from this. You still don’t really know what he did to you. -  What you or he are capable of, and if you go in there all angry, like I fuckin’ know you will... Well you know what I’m getting at, people could get hurt.” 

“I can’t just let it go, what if they-”

“What if they nothing, not everything regarding that asshole requires direct action from you. At least think about this, if not for yourself, fuck if not for you damn kids, what about Daph huh? At best she has to see you in that state you get in when you get in that crazy drive toward possible patricide which we both know is ugly as shit. At worst though, if he overwhelms you, which I think he can, you’ll both be well fuck man, you’ll be gone. Which would be great, you know for all those kids you have that you want to keep away from him.” 

“Shit... SHIT why did I bind my soul to hers.” 

While the wheels of her mind silently mechanized in secret contemplation her father suddenly rose to his feet and walked toward her, “In fact I think it’d be for the best if we return home before you succumb to stasis. I can’t tell for sure when that will happen but you’re going to be a bit unstable until then.” 

“But Kelsey!” Thea suddenly remembered the awful day her friend had endured, “I can’t just leave! She’ll feel so terrible, like I abandoned her... I don’t want her to think I’m like her stupid mom! I said I’d stay.” 

“Her dad is taking her to be with the rest of the family in the morning,” Bastian explained with a softer tone, “She’ll be up the cabin with her cousins for a week, I’m sure she’ll be okay. Besides if she saw what’s about to start happening to you, I think she’d worry and I know you don’t want to cause her any further distress.”  

“You know how I feel, I’m not gonna bring it up again. I only did this time cause you straight up asked what I thought. You know I don’t like tellin’ people how to handle their own shit. You’re like family to me though and those kids, I’d die for them if I had to but I really don’t want to. ” 

“I understand, and you know I don’t want that.” 

“I know, I just - don’t let him get to you. I know it’s a small thing compared to everything else but you’re the only friend I really have.”

“Am not, you always seem to have plans when I call you. Weren’t you going to Palmas tonight if cuntwitch hadn’t flaked again?” 

“Girl plans, not sure I would call her a friend, we hardly talk.” 

“Nice.”

“So you say Mr. Ballandfuckinchain. Shit’s getting old honestly, think I need to move on from it. - Anyway, I’m goin’ inside, you comin’? I can make sure to put somethin’ on the TV, I know you won’t sleep.”  

“I just don’t see why YOU have to be there specifically, I mean isn’t your statements from back after the initial event good enough? I know you don’t trust these people Bash but really if it’s the one thing the central government doesn’t tolerate it’s child abuse. Or...  you know suspected terrorism for that matter.” 

“Well I’d fucking hope not but forgive me if my faith is a little shaken. It’s pretty damn astounding this hearing is even happening Tidus. He must be giving them something man. Something entirely too useful. There’s no way they’re letting him waste away in that cell, not with his skills. It’s only a matter of time before he’s able to get to the negotiating table.”

“I did hear he has someone from The Union representing him. Since he’s technically one of theirs that’s not really unusual, Kasri are pretty possessive of their own. - Hey wait a  minute have you been talking to your sister? You always get a little paranoid whenev-”

“She has a way of knowing things Ti, you’ve seen it yourself.”