#xennaaa

“This isn’t just anyone! And don’t we have a duty to those who came from this cavern once upon a time?” Xennaa’s same argument repeats, albeit worded slightly differently. “Besides, it’s not like it’s just another grub.” “That doesn’t make it better. In fact you do recognize how that’s worse right? You don’t even know what this troll does for work! You’ve never even met them before!”

“No but I’ve met Harvey.” “Yes, I know you’ve met Harvey. You sing his praises regularly. If he wasn’t already in a red I’d assume that’s what you were after.”

“I would never want to split them. It’s true love that they’ve got there. I’m jealous, I want my own perfect red like that. Or a pink.”

“You have someone who would love to be pink with you.”

“She doesn’t understand me. She wants me to go back to being the perfect little grub raiser and designer. That’s not who I am. Not anymore. There’s so much more out in the world for me to do and connect with.”

“You aren’t connecting with shit. You never leave the cavern. You only even met Harvey when he came by with a lusii delivery.”

“You know what I mean. Besides this isn’t the point. I can feel it.”

“You can.. Feel it? Feel what exactly Xens?”

“Their desperation. I need to help them. Need to bring them home.”

“This is not their home.”

“It could be.”

“You are not bringing some stranger in here and risking the grubs! What about the-” She lowers her voice, glancing at the cavern’s opening they’re by. “-mutants? What if they’re just trying to get in here to cull them?”

“They’re not. I know.”

“How can you know? Xens, please! You. Do. Not. know. This. Troll.”

“I know their caste.”

“Oh that makes it all better. Surely with their blood color in mind we know everything we need to about them!”

“They’re a violet.”

“A- a VIOLET?! You want to bring a violet here? Are you fucking insane?”

“Bea-”

“Don’t you Bea me! Do you understand that they’re one of the most dangerous castes? Next you’ll tell me you’ve got an indigo believer lined up.”

“Actually-”

“You’re fucking with me. Tell me you’re fucking with me.”

“Well there was this nice clown who wants to visit and see the mothergrub-”

“Absolutely not.”

“Bea we can’t keep the mother locked up like some big secret forever.”

“That is literally our job actually. Literally what we’re here for. Are you trying to bring the drones on us?”

“The empress wouldn’t dare send them here.”

“You think the empress who earned the name the Daunting won’t send the drones here to wipe us off the map if she finds out we’ve been getting mutants out of here? Letting fuschias survive?”

“You’re being over dramatic.”

“I very much am not.”

“Besides, that’s not what this is about.”

“Yeah, what this is about is that you’re insane. You’re going to get us both killed.”

“You could take them.”

“Did you ever think whether or not I wanted to do so?”

“I trust you.”

“Xens..”

“And I have to do this. I’m leaving now-”

“Give me the address.”

“What?”

“Give me the address. You’ve never left these caverns but I have. I know what’s out there. You’re better off here watching the grubs.”

“I knew you had a heart in there.”

“Yeah sure let’s call it that. I’ll scope them out. If-..” Beatrx ran her hand through her hair and sighed. “If they really do need help, I’ll bring them back. We don’t have much but it’s safer than out there.”

“Thank you Bea! Here’s the address I got from the pestertroll message. I hope they’re still there.”

“Do you even know what I’m looking for? Like any description at all?”

“They’re a violet?” “Great. Love a where’s waldo where I don’t even know waldo’s name.”

“It’s a new adventure!” “It’s a disaster. Stay here. Don’t move. I’ll message you the moment I’m on the way back.”

“Good luck!”

“Yeah. Thanks. Know that I’ll never do this again, your bleeding heart be damned.”

“Thank you.”

Beatrx nodded, holstering her pistol and taking one last glance at the inner caverns. They’d have to be okay without her for a short while. On the bright side at least she’d done a perimeter hunt this week, so there shouldn’t be any stray lusii nearby wishing for an easy meal. She rolls her head, stretching out her neck and then her arms and legs. The location is deep in the city so it’s going to be a bit of a run for her.

It’s a short walk in the forest before she comes to her clearing. It’s quiet, but in a good peaceful way. There’s still faint sounds of existence in the distance but nothing overwhelming. Good. Beatrix whistles and a large white cat nearly knocks her down. She barely holds herself up before throwing herself onto it’s back- and just like that they’re off.

The nice thing about being up while the sun rises is that there’s no one around. So few trolls can handle the sun’s harsh rays so it’s a no brainer they’d sleep now but Beatrx has always felt the most alive under it’s warmth. That’s when it hits her that she’ll need to hurry up. A violet under the sun? If they were even still there they wouldn’t last long. It feels like only moments but she’s sure it was around half an hour before she finds herself in the dead of the city, jumping from roof to roof. It doesn’t look like anyone is there- until her eyes catch what she thought was just a stain. There’s a woman there, under all that violet and scraps of metal. This must be her destination.

“Hello? Are you.. Uh.. Are you okay?” Her voice shakes a bit, trying not to gag on the heavy smell of the blood. There’s no response. Maybe she really was too late. She’d have to break the news to Xennaa- but then the body moves. Not much, but enough that it scares her and immediately her instincts have her draw and aim her gun. Their skin is burning, and the smell combined with the blood is only getting worse. It’s almost making her hungry. “I’m going to touch you.”

Beatrx manages to get the violet on her lusus and tries to shade the body on the way back as much as possible. As they make their way she tries to catalog the injuries. There’s a large laceration on the troll’s forehead, from just above the right eyebrow to somewhere deep in the hairline. Their left horn is torn in two. There’s a- well, the best descriptor she can think of is ‘hole’- there’s a hole in the right side of their chest deep enough to see some bone. The least worrying is a small piece of metal lodged in their right leg. They don’t have a lot at the cavern, but they have enough that with any luck they can get this troll stable enough to go get some actual help.

“Xennaa- grab the kit. As quick as you can! And contact Harvey.” She yells into the cavern as they arrive.

“Why? What do I need to say to him??” Xennaa calls back, having yet to see their guest.