The Aurian Chronicles Part 7: Dinner and a Lyte show

 Silver pulled her jeep into a vacant parking garage and paid her fee while straightening out her dress. She headed out to the spot where Darkness was waiting, lounging against a wall. She took in a deep breath of air and sighed softly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Ready to go, my love?" She asked happily with a tight smile.

Darkness raised a brow. "You're awfully clingy, everything-?" He began to ask, but when he saw the anxious look in her eyes, he just nodded and gently rubbed her back. "Fine, later... But I still need to know if it has gotten you this rattled." He said as they walked, while she clung to his arm. "So, uh... Who is this Larry guy? What's his deal?"  He asked as they crossed the street. Silver looked up at him. "Larry isn't a person, dear. It's Larry Mallrat's pizzeria, Lisa's favorite place."

Darkness's eyes widened as he immediately came to a stop. "NOPE! PASS! PASS PASS PASS!" He said as he tried to bolt, but Silver held him in place. She grabbed him by the head and forcefully made him look her in the eyes. "Now you listen to me, and you listen to me good, Derek Sonata! That girl in your absence, Lisa, has been nothing short of a daughter to me! I had to deal with her longing for her older brother. So you're gonna go in there, have some goddamn pizza, drink a beer or two, and BOND with your little sister! DO I MAKE MY FUCKING SELF CLEAR!" She said fiercely.

Darkness gulped and nodded. "Alright, alright... For Lisa..." He said with a groan. Silver raised her brow at him. "Why are you even acting like this? It's just a pizza place." She asked curiously. Darkness tensed up at the question and looked down. "My... uh, first hit was here... I managed to kill the guy as he was running through the play area, but I didn't know what to do with the body... SO I just stuffed it in one of those goofy mascot suits and dropped it off the bridge into the ocean.

Silver immediately power-lifted him over her head. "THAT WAS YOU?!" She demanded in Spanish, causing a few people to look her way. "I saw that on the news! THEY SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN FOR A WEEK! That could have devastated Lisa if it were permanent! Oh, you are so lucky Lisa needs you right now! Or I'd Power bomb you right now!" She said while putting him down. "Don't think this conversation is over either! You will be working in my clothes shop for the rest of the month!" She added for good measure.

Darkness just grunted. "I'm sorry; hell, had I known Lisa went here, I wouldn't have taken that job at all! Just... Don't tell her?" Silver rolled her eyes. "No, Darkness, I'm going to traumatize Lisa by telling her that not only is her brother a killer, but he ALMOST got the place she seeks comfort in most shut down..." She said with venom in her voice. Darkness just stopped her and made her look him in the eyes. "Okay, look, I know I fucked up, and I also know I dropped a lot on you at once, but I also know my wife well enough to know that she only acts this erratic when something has truly bothered her... So if you have something to share, please do so now, so you and Lyte don't pile on at the same time." He said calmly.

Silver wanted to struggle and tell him off, but the sudden realization began to set in. She let out a shaky sigh and rubbed his back. "I'm sorry, Derek... I truly am... Rosellia is here." She admitted, causing Darkness to raise an eyebrow. "The fuck for? I thought she wanted to live in South America?" He asked. Silver shrugged. "She didn't really say, but that's for later... Please, let's just work past this for Lyte," she said as they walked in.

Darkness looked around at the large area, packed to the brim with all sorts of video games. There were also plenty of play areas for both adults and children, like rock climbing and jungle gyms. The smell of admittedly damn good pizza filled his nostrils, and fresh pitchers of beer could be seen being taken to a table where Claire was sitting while she watched Lyte stomp colored buttons on a 'Music Stomp Station' machine. "This place is a kid's place? What kind of Kid's place has beer?" He asked as he sat by Claire.

Claire happily ogled Lyte's shaking butt, and Silver giggled. "Not just beer; there's a Cocktail menu, and even an adult section that opens up in the evening! Lyte got her first job here because she loved it so much; she helped put herself through school and such with a smile on her face... The money you sent was nice, but the girl was just... BUILT to entertain." She explained.

Darkness went to retort before looking up at a man in a big mouse costume with a sideways hat, a green jersey, and blue jean shorts! "HI THERE GANG!" He said, then pressed play on a 90s boombox. "I'M LARRY THE RAT I'M WHERE IT'S AT! I'M THE COOLEST AND THE HIPPEST LITTLE CUDDLY MALLRAT! I DO MY DANCE FROM HERE TO FRANCE WHERE CHEESE FLOWS ALL THE WAY UP TO YOUR UNDERPANTS YAHOO!" He sang, causing Darkness to cringe. Silver slipped Claire a twenty and mouthed a 'thank you' as they both silently giggled.

After a few minutes, Lyte got off the machine and sat by Claire, hugging her tight before sitting down. "What'd I miss?" She asked as she leaned back. Silver just grinned as Darkness looked away uncomfortably. "Nothing, just some paid entertainment for a really special guy!" She explained. Darkness just grumbled and kept his mouth shut while a waiter set down a Pepperoni Pizza, two pitchers of Draft Beer, and some frosty mugs.

"That... actually smells pretty damn good." Said Darkness as he cut some slices and watched the cheese pull stretch over eight inches. "A cheese pull, air pockets in the crust... this is FRESH! All this for a kid's spot?" He asked with confusion in his voice. Lisa laughed and munched a slice as she took a sip of beer; after a moment, she called for a blue raspberry soda. "Well, think about it like this, Derek. You bring your kids to a goofy kids' place so they can run around; you just sit around and watch them go bonkers... wouldn't you want something for YOU as the parent? That's why I loved DJing here! It's where I got my start!" Explained Lyte.

Darkness just considered her words and nodded as he sipped his own beer, savoring the combination of fresh mozzarella and cold filtered draft beer. "You make a compelling case, sis; I might actually come here more often!" He admitted, and Lisa smiled and giggled a bit as she relaxed. Claire and Silver just smiled at each other as they watched the two siblings bond.

"So Lisa... We came here to... Talk about something?" Asked Derek. Lisa suddenly became interested in her own feet as she grew nervous. Claire locked her right hand around Lisa's left, offering the comfort she needed. "You're right... Sorry Derek, I've... been putting this off for long enough." She admitted. The tone of her voice caused Darkness to lean in on guard.

"It's about an incident I've been insecure about since High School... I never told you about it because of a mix of shame and not wanting to disturb your career... Even though Silver and Claire encouraged otherwise." She explained. Darkness just looked to Silver and Claire, who looked down, trying to brace themselves for what was about to happen.

Lisa looked at Darkness and let out a shaky cough as she locked her gaze with his. "There was this boy who was really interested in me... He always gave me the creeps because he'd make these out-of-pocket comments about my body, or excuses to touch me." She started. Darkness glared hard as he began to tighten his grip around the handle of his beer mug.

"One day, he decided he wanted more than all of that, so he made his way into the locker room, where he tried to... Tried to...." She said, clenching her fists. "Sexually assault me." She admitted. Those last three words caused Darkness to grip his mug so hard it shattered as the glass spilled his remaining beer on the table, but nobody at the table paid it any mind. Darkness could see the scowl on Claire's face, the murderous gleam in her eye as she tried to be strong and hold Lyte all she could.

"He didn't, though! I sort of used my powers to blind him, but Claire... She found me in my underwear as Tommy stumbled blindly... I don't remember much after that, as I had a breakdown... But Claire's been helping me deal with it ever since... But Tommy disappeared, and I... I feel guilty that I might have caused it. That's why I didn't want you to come to that last concert. Krystal went out of her way to slut shame me because she thought I was dating her... I just didn't want THAT to be how you found out." Finished Lisa as she went back to trying to drink her beer.

There was a lot Darkness wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to yell; instead, he saw the look of sadness in Silver's eyes, the pure righteous fury in Claire's eyes. He decided he needed another approach for now. He lifted Lisa's chin to make sure she was looking at him and nodded.

"You're right, it would have been MUCH better if he simply raped Claire instead." Said Darkness. All three girls looked up in shock. "WHAT?!" asked Lisa as she started to glare. Darkness just shrugged. "Think about it: if he had done that instead, he'd never have been blinded. Sure, he'd be in jail, but hey? You'd know where he is, right?" He asked.

Lisa's rainbow aura surged as her eyes turned into bright rainbows. "You fucking asshole! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! IF THAT HAPPENED TO CLAIRE, I COULD-"

"Never live with yourself? So you would have gone out of your way to stop him without hesitation, right? Why can't you feel that way about protecting yourself? You acted purely in self-defense... So don't you DARE feel guilty about what you did. If anything, you made the world a better place." 

Lyte continued to glare, her teeth gritting tight as the aura began to radiate in her hands. Silver smacked the back of his head. "There was a FAR better way of saying that, you idiot." She said through her own gritted teeth. Claire just held Lisa tighter as she glared. Darkness just grunted. "Look... I'm sorry, Lisa. I'm DEFINITELY sorry, Claire... But what I'm trying to tell you is that this guy... He isn't someone to feel sorry for; he's a would-be rapist... One that stopped you from hurting not just you, but others... anytime you feel bad about doing what you did... you let those bad memories win... Is that a better way to put it?" He tried.

Lisa paused and processed what he said. "I guess so... but was using the thought of Claire being hurt necessary? I wouldn't have done that to you!" She accused. Darkness raised both hands in defense. "Again, I'm sorry. I want you to stop feeling guilty; clearly, I used the wrong analogy."

"NO shit!" Said Silver with a glare. "I expected better from someone with Sexual Harassment training!" She added for good measure. Darkness pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "You're right... Again, I'm sorry." He said as the weight of his words finally caught up to him. "But I hope at least the point got through. I know you don't like to hurt people, but sometimes you are left with no other option." He explained.

Lisa just looked away and let out a huff. "I guess... I'm gonna go to the bathroom." She said as she headed away. Claire went to join her, but Darkness grabbed her hand before she could get up. "Ah ah ah ah ah, There's something I want to know from YOU, Claire Beckett." Demanded Darkness.

"... What do you want, Derek?" Asked Claire defensively. Darkness drained the remaining beer from the pitcher and looked her in the eyes. "I saw the look on your face when Lisa was telling your story. I saw the same kind of look I saw on my comrades when we went to war... do you know more about that story than she told?" He asked.

Claire simply stood up and faced away from him. "... Lisa was completely naked when I found her, and I took care of the problem MYSELF! ... Do with that information what you will... I appreciate what you were TRYING to do with that statement, but you traded one problem for another, and now Lisa needs me." She said. Darkness just held onto her. "Then, where is he?" He asked. "Fifty miles out in the ocean, where I swam out and drowned him.... Now, if you'll excuse me." She finished as she ran off.

Darkness grunted. "I've been dealing with Rapists and Murderers too long." He said, placing his Left hand on his forehead. Silver just slapped the back of his head enough to make him lean forward. "Raping someone else would have been better than Lisa? CLAIRE at that?! While I understand the point entirely, I could have phrased that a million ways better!" She scolded.

"I'm sorry, Silver. What can I do right now?" He asked. Silver just let out a frustrated grunt. "Give her space... You're gonna have to apologize better than that when she's ready to talk again about Tommy Shackler!  She added. Darkness just nodded and held her. I think we should say our goodbyes and meet them at home," He said while putting the money on the table.

After texting the girls, Darkness walked with Silver. "So when were you going to tell me Claire is an aurian?" He asked as they walked to the parking garage. Silver just stopped. "How-?"

"Fifty miles out in the ocean, then fifty miles back is about a hundred miles of swimming, plus the weight of another body kicking and thrashing... How many teenage girls do you know can do that? Look, it's whatever; I've already made enough of an ass of myself, so I'm not going to press it... I've got a lot to think about if I want to fix the relationship with my sister... If I even fucking can now... I'll see you at home, Hon." He said as he got in his Dodge Challenger and headed off, leaving Silver to climb in her Jeep.

As Silver headed off, Karryn smirked in her aurian form. "So He's vulnerable to family bonds... Interesting... I suppose I'll have to look into further testing his abilities..." She said as she walked out of the parking garage, the echoes of her high heels trailing behind her as she stepped out into New York City.