Exaltation

Posted on Wed 23rd Nov, 2016 @ 6:14pm by

899 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Murder on the Silent Night Express
Location: Personal quarters - Angel Cranberry
Timeline: MD 1 1535

Typically, Angel wouldn't be greeting guests outside the doors of her quarters - though it was hardly a typical situation. The usual little rituals that dominated her life had been upended by the recent events. A change, deep and fundamental and liberating, something she didn't know she needed until it happened. Even this tiny change was an exaltation of freedom.

She greeted Harine as she approached Angel's quarters with a wide, welcoming smile and a hug - brushing off the concerned queries with a shruge and a wave of the hand, guiding her friend into the small personal quarters. The first normal contact with another person since that moment, one that wasn't a face set into a disapproving frown, asking pointed, cold questions - watching for any sign of weakness, of guilt.

As if Angel would feel guilt over what had happened. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person, too.

As Harine entered the quarters, Angel offered the security guard stationed outside her door a polite smile. The uniformed, armed officer studiously tried to ignore her ward. Ward, a polite term for prisoner. Oh, it wasn't official - otherwise, Angel would've been in the brig. It was house arrest, keeping an eye on a suspect - there were any number of polite euphemisms for the fact that the ship's security contingent considered Angel a potential murderer.

"Would you like to come in? I did make cookies." It was polite fiction, Angel pretended she wasn't watched at all times, the officers pretended they didn't watch her
It was obvious by the officer's expression and awkward words, Angel knew her name was Jule even if they'd never been formally introduced, that this scenario was one the officer hadn't been prepared to deal with, "I ... uh, should really stay out here."
"Isn't your job to watch me? You'd probably do a lot better inside than out here." Angel offered a toothy grin, "Also, I made a lot. I was bored."
After a moment's hesitation, Jule finally admitted, slowly, "I ... suppose it won't hurt."
This time, the suspect made sure not to clap the officer on the back - there was no telling how the nervous woman would react ... and she was armed, so Angel settled for a simple, "Great."

It was even the truth. Angel did make cookies, plenty of them - several kinds, largely human variations. It had always been relaxing, cooking, there was a natural order to it - established procedures and careful timing that were needed to make the outcome a success. A hobby, one that she enjoyed greatly.

So, the three of them settled in - engaged in small-talk over cups of caf and trays of cookies. The security officer - Jule had actually introduced herself properly, secluding herself a bit further away from the two friends. Far enough to offer some semblance, little more than an illusion, of privacy, but close enough to keep an eye out. Harine had been concerned, of course ... there was little else the ship talked about apart from the murder, it had even displaced the first officer's latest incident as the subject of rumours and talk.

It wasn't a subject Angel cared for - either of those. Over and done with, as far as she was concerned. The bastard wasn't even worth considering, but it was really all that the crew could talk about.

Harine's interjection was a sudden swerve of the conversation from the subject of theorizing about the murderer, politely leaving out Angel herself as a suspect, "I must say, you're taking this whole thing really well."
"Well, I didn't exactly go 'ding-dong, the bastard's dead', but I did consider it." Angel shrugged, uncaring, "I'm not even surprised by the suspicion. That little fight was quite public."
Herine's laugh was half-genuine and half-awkward, a bit uncomfortable, "Half the ship heard that screaming match. And the department did get a taste of that whole passive-aggressive thing you had going ..." she suddenly trailed off, looking to the security officer - or, more precisely, the security officer's newest attachment, "Ah, security officer lady - I'd advise you not to move."
"Why ..." that was as far as Jule got before spotting the thing crawling up her leg and freezing, white as marble

The arthropod was the size of a dopterian's head - its exoskeleton painted in shades of blue and purple, eight segmented legs gripping the security officer's leg, eight eyes focusing on the unknown intruder into its home from above fanged mandibles too large for comfort.

"Nyx, no!" Angel's shout was loud, commanding - and the creature's head turned, all eight eyes focusing on its master, "What did we say about crawling on new people? Come over here."

As quickly as it came, the creature scuttled away, much to the security officer's relief - allowing Jule to finally remove her hand from her service weapon. It crawled up Angel's leg and settled in her lap without a sound.

Jule's mouth worked silently for a moment before she found her voice, "What is that thing?"
"Centauri night-haunter." Angel stated matter-of-factly, feeding it a cookie as she petted the creature, its legs now curled underneath its thorax, "Nyx is harmless - really smart and not aggressive. Also, not poisonous - the poison glands were removed." giving the creature another scratch on the head, Angel added, "Maybe we should get back to a more comfortable subject?"

 

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