Chapter Text
Really Nav, again??
Gideon didn't bother with a response, continuing to pack her things. She didn't have much anyway. Swords? Check. Shoes? Check. Dirty magazines?
Seriously? We're taking those??
Gideon rose an eyebrow at her Daemon, "What do you think?"
Her tone made it clear the question required no reply, yet her Daemon persisted in his yapping.
I think we've tried escape a thousand times. I think we've failed to succeed a thousand times. I think we've hurt for our attempts a thousand times, in a thousand increasingly creative ways. Why? Why do you insist on hurting us so?
Gideon's response was silence as she went to brush her teeth. She took her time to hang up her coat and even made her bed, a super rare occurrence indeed. But when she made to leave, Sirius went to lie at the foot of the bed in silent defiance. "Here's a better one; why do you insist on being such an... obedient little lapdog?!"
Maybe because I enjoy not cowering in anticipation of Lysander's claws?
Gideon threw her hands into the air in a gesture of exasperated disbelief. "She's literally the size of one (1) of your paws! You're a fucking Direwolf. Try to keep that in mind when you're cowering from a teacup-sized ball of fur?" When Sirius didn't have anything to offer to that, she gestured him over, "Now come here so I can remove that stupid collar," Sirius didn't take long to consider before moving his head closer.
"There, now we're free" Gideon whispered into his neck when both her cuff and his collar were lying on the floor. He huffed in disagreement and she stared back at her only friend and ally... and also technically (literally) herself.
As they navigated their way through the catacombs, along several catwalks and up and down a myriad flight of stairs, their silence stayed resolute for similar, yet entirely opposite reasons. Gideon was riding the adrenaline high that came with another possible escape attempt, and slinked along shadows in anticipation of freedom. Sirius slunk fretfully after Gideon, ears close to his head and tail tucked between legs, anticipating the inevitable punishment.
Gideon, refusing to let Sirius' musings affect her, instead focused on how great it would be to prove Sirius wrong. They'd make it, this time, and then Sirius would be sorry for doubting her. Sirius snorted; dread persisting to color his thoughts. "You’ll see," Gideon promised him, confident that this time would be a success.
Once they reached the split-shaft and the pit where their ride was due to arrive, they split off. As Gideon searched along the walls and kicked dirt and rock piles into fine dust, Sirius spent his attention scenting the air and sifting through the four or so distinct smells he could detect.
The search proved fruitless on both accounts, even after they'd checked every nook and cranny... twice over, a grim comfort. Gideon, satisfied, raised her chin at Sirius triumphantly, "See, nothing to fear! I told you so," she said in relief as she dug out her little bag of tasteless, grey porridge.
After her meagre breakfast, Gideon slid her head back onto the wall and closed her eyes, visualizing her impending escape. Sirius however, fidgety as ever, paced the vast landing site, disrupting her every time he passed by. His disquiet didn't take long to bleed over to her, so she got up as well.
Moving to the balcony pier, she scanned the central cavern below her for signs of movement. Sure enough, she heard the clatter of skeletons as they started their journey to the planter fields.
Sirius cowered when the first bell sounded, belly low and ears flattened to his scalp. "Seriously?! Every time! You're supposed to be used to it by now, you coward," Gideon exclaimed, annoyed, but came to sit next to him anyway, letting him hide his head in her lap. "Hey, just fourty more minutes. 40 minutes and you'll never hear those bells again," she promised him, and of course his pessimistic ass replied. Yeah right...
Once the bells quit their cacophony, Sirius shook himself off... and then threw himself at her, again.
Blang... Bla-Blang... Bla-Blang!
"Huh, muster call," Gideon mused as Sirius remained frozen half on her lap.
They know, won't be long now
Gideon buried her hands in his fur, "It doesn't matter, they can't stop us. Not this time." Sirius was about to demonstrate his complete lack of faith in her when his ears pricked before he turned his head towards the interruption. A moment later the heavy stomps reached her ears as well, though she refused to turn her head as well.
"Thirty whole minutes since we took them off, Crux. It's almost like you want us to leave... Ohh shit, you absolutely do!" Sirius stiffened at the sound of maniacal laughter, before getting up and backing away. Fucking coward.
Havoc kept advancing in Sirius' direction as Crux rounded on her, "You ordered a shuttle through deception," Gideon however, ignored him, focusing on her Daemon.
Please don't make me.
He begged her, continuing to retreat away from Havoc.
Again Sirius, you're a fucking Direwolf!
Crux, unaware of the inner dialogue between Gideon and Sirius, kept up his monologue of her crimes, "You falsified documents," his Daemon advanced another step, Sirius retreating another in response.
And that's a fucking Hyena! He all but screamed back at her.
"You stole a key, removed your cuff," Crux really needed to learn to read the room.
Learn to take a punch or two!
She threw the advice at him, but he returned it with gloomy realism,
He BITES, Nav! Punching isn't the issue here!
The hyena wasn't backing down in the slightest, and crowded Sirius into a wall. "Same fucking difference!" she shot back, disrupting Crux's continued list of wrongs, goods and stocks, before fully facing Crux. Trying her hardest at feigning indifference, she considered her options. There was something... uniquely satisfying in antagonizing the old bag of bones, despite the consequences that route usually reaped. Eh, she's leaving soon. What's another round or two with Crux, right? She had time to kill anyway.
He spat insults at her, she returned with witty quips and unaffected small talk. It was all but a rehearsed dance at this point, to be honest.
Stop antagonizing, Nav!
Sirius grit the thought out at her, body tense. Too late, apparently, as her most recent offer of a fictional porn mag proved to be Crux's breaking point. Havoc sunk his teeth into Sirius' shoulder at the same instant Crux's fist went flying at her.
Fucks sake Sirius, you are not prey. Prove it! She sent the thought flying at Sirius, as the pain in his neck distracted her in her effort to dodge Crux’s clumsy fists.
She kept up her smart ass remarks though, never willing to demonstrate any weakness, even if her demon was so quick to roll over and play good dog.
Fuck. YOU.
Sirius snapped, finally rounding on havoc properly. He bit savagely into Havoc’s flank as soon as he got the opportunity. Crux cried out in pain, reaching for his knife.
At that Sirius dropped Havoc and rounded on Crux, back at Gideon’s side in an instant. “Do not make the mistake of drawing on me, Crux,” Gideon intoned one hand on the grip of her sword, other on the sheath locket. Sirius drew back his muzzle in a threatening snarl, posture stiff and ready, rumble building low in his chest.
“Daemons can’t attack humans you squirming infant. You should know that, Gideon Nav,” Crux stated, tremor in voice betraying his confidence. The ninth had learned from experience that what Gideon ought to, rarely applied to what Gideon could. “Wanna bet,” Gideon called his bluff as Sirius (in a rare state of courage) advanced a step.
Crux took his hand off the knife (in an equally rare state of defeat) but stood his ground even as Sirius loomed over him. Crux didn’t grace Sirius with his attention, but returned to threatening Gideon, “One day, Ill flay you for your disrespect Nav.” He kept up the threats even as he retreated step by step, Havoc following close behind him.
Finally Havoc looked at Gideon in a final attempt at cowing her into compliance. “This is a muster Nav, and we command you now to go!” Nice try, mutt.
“You go, you dead old dog!” she told him before fixing Crux with a final glare, “And you tell her I’m already gone!”
To both their surprise, Crux and Havoc left.
“See! I told you! Nothing can stop us now,” Sirius relaxed his muzzle, teeth hidden once more, and lay back down next to her.
That may be so, He mused sceptically, but the cautious hope in his tone was unmistakable. “Twenty more minutes,” she whispered to them both as they settled in to wait.