It is a few hours after meeting Raine that Yara finally finds some time alone, having been temporarily relieved of her duties as Raine heads to meet with her doctor for a checkup.
Her head is still spinning from the revelation, but now that it's happened, all she can think is of course, of course that's the reason Mrs. Rivyet is pursuing Kaya – for the sake of healing her daughter, her only heir.
It's so obvious now Yara wonders how she had never realized it.
But then again, both Mrs. Rivyet and Mr. Rivyet had been extremely careful about concealing Raine's presence from Kaya (and vice versa, it seems, as Raine doesn't know about the real reason they're on the airship either), so considering how Yara had been Kaya's personal attendant, it only makes sense that the knowledge of Raine's existence would be hidden from her as well.
But that only raises the question – why now? It's obvious they still don't trust Yara, and, considering Raine is the whole reason they're doing all of this, that makes her the largest weak point they have. Did they never consider the possibility that she might eliminate Raine to reduce one of Kaya's pursuers, or did they decide that the benefits outweigh the risks?
Yara frowns.
But what benefits?
Unless...
Had they figured out she had been snooping around, and gave her this task to prevent her from doing so?
And had they predicted that it would be more likely Yara would accept, and continue to stay without making a move towards Raine because it's the easiest to access information here, not just on them but on all of the other people after Kaya as well? The benefits of that do outweigh the benefits of eliminating just one of her pursuers, after all.
It sends a chill through her, to think that they could read her so well.
Well, no matter. Either way, she has to warn the others about this new development, considering she won't have as much time on her hands now that she has to deal with a new full-time job.
She reaches her room, closes the door with a silent 'click', draws the blinds and sits down on the bed again.
Taking deep breaths, her eyes closed, she pictures they're faces and reaches –
"What are you doing," she says flatly, staring down at Tam and Chia who appear to be crouching on the compartment floor, out of view of the frosted glass windows looking out onto the train car's aisle. There's blood on Chia's hands – doesn't seem to be her own, though – and the two of them are visibly tense, out of breath and –
"Get down already!" Tam hisses, recovering quickly from his surprise (props to him for getting used to her Realmwalking) and yanking her down to the floor as well.
"What are you doing," she repeats again, still deadpan.
"Hiding, obviously! What else does it look like?" he snaps, voice still lowered.
"From?" she blinks, unimpressed.
He gives her the rundown – two people, a man and a woman, dressed in travelers' clothes who had ambushed them in an empty train car and how they had escaped. Well, temporarily, anyway.
"Seems like Chia's unpredictability saved the two of you this time," Yara notes.
"That was my favorite knife," Chia laments mournfully. Tam shoots her an incredulous look.
"You left it in his leg?"
"Well, what else could I do? You know, considering the heat of the moment and all that," she says defensively. "Though, now that I think about it, maybe it was a bad choice, considering that was also my last knife."
"You have several knives," Yara says, less a question than a statement (or maybe it's both).
"Yep! Though I lost the other two a while ago..." she frowns again.
"So basically, we have no weapons," Tam says. "Great."
"I mean, that's not exactly true... I still have my lighter!" she says, rummaging in her pocket and pulling said lighter out. "Wait – on second thought, I have two." She sticks her hand back into the pocket and pulls out another one.
"What do you even do with so many lighters?" Yara asks, genuinely curious.
"I explode stuff, of course!" she says cheerily.
"Of course," Tam says, in the tired tone of "I am not awake enough to deal with this".
Once again, Yara wonders how these two are even best friends, then decides that maybe some mysteries are too much of a hassle to deal with and she would be better off saving her brainpower for something else with a shake of her head. "Anyway, the people after you," she prompts. "I'm assuming you have a plan to deal with them?"
A pause as Tam and Chia glance at each other. "Well..." Tam winces.
They explain. Yara listens.
What.
"You're planning. To shove them off the train. When it slows down," she says slowly.
"We were under a lot of pressure! And do you have a better idea?" Chia says.
"... fair enough," Yara admits. "But have you ever considered how?"
Another long, pregnant pause.
"Well," Tam begins, then stops as they hear the distinct sound of a door opening. He risks a glance out the frosted window. "Crap, they're here. How much long till the train slows?" he asks Chia.
"Anytime now," she says.
"Okay," he says. "Okay. We move when they start checking compartments." He looks towards Yara. "Think you could back us up with your Starsong?"
Yara opens her mouth to reply, but is interrupted by the sound of the compartment door sliding open – the one a few compartments next to them.
"Now!" Tam yells, sliding open their door.
Once again, they run, pelting down the corridor as there's a shout behind them and then is that an actual gunshot –
"They shot as us!" Chia yelps as they head past the partition doors – hurriedly slamming them closed – and into the next train car. "They're shooting at us!"
"I know that, thank you very much!" Tam retorts, already breathless as they head down the train aisle. "Though, this wouldn't have been as large a problem if there were more people on this train, but someone had to make us take the midnight one for 'safety reasons', which apparently backfired heavily!" he said, glaring accusingly at Yara.
She shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time, considering less people meant less eyewitnesses."
They rush past the compartments, shoving anything they can see into the path to block their pursuers and heading through car after car – not even shooting a look at the one Kaya and Allioni are in lest they give their location away – as they hear a loud screech, the train beginning to slow as its brakes are applied.
"Train's slowing!" Tam shouts. "Which car are we at –" they hit another door which Chia attempts to yank open (with quite a large amount of strength), only to realize it's locked tight, her arm jolting from the sudden force.
"Uh... guess we're already at the end?" she says, laughing nervously as Tam rushes to the nearby window to confirm it with his own eyes. He curses, turns to Chia.
"Any idea how to open it?"
"Well, I'd attempt to pick the lock –" she says, a comment that Yara isn't even surprised at anymore (of course Chia knows how to pick locks, she thinks in the back of her mind, why wouldn't she?), "- but that's only if I had more time," Chia continues. "And we do not have time."
As if to confirm this, the door behind them bursts open. Wow, great job, guys, Yara thinks sarcastically. Right on time – you couldn't even think to let us open the door to throw you out first, how inconsiderate.
Which maybe says something about her self-preservation skills if she's got two almost-definitely-confirmed assassins after her (or, well, Tam and Chia, really, since she'd technically just gotten caught in the crossfire. Vaguely, she wonders if they would let her go if she explained it that way, then decides they probably wouldn't).
The man grins a grin that definitely doesn't say "I'm going to chop you up into itty-bitty pieces and enjoy it all the while", and wipes his bloodied palms on his pants in what should probably come off as intimidating but which in all honesty is just really gross – like dried blood, ew, Yara thinks as she wrinkles her nose.
Also, those stains will never come off – not a very wise move, blood guy.
(Yara would know – she's experienced it personally, after all.)
"I'm going to rip you up into tiny pieces, and I will enjoy it," gross-blood-guy says with a snarl, and wow, Yara really hadn't predicted he would say exactly that, but judging from the audible gulp Chia makes beside her, it seems to work just fine in terms of inducing fear in your enemies. Which – good for the guy and his partner, of course, but... not so good for them.
Tam spins to Yara, hisses, "Use your Starsong!" as the man and woman begin to advance, slow, savoring it, knowing there's nowhere left for them to run. A predator toying with their prey.
"Well," Yara starts, stops, starts again. The skirts of her maid's uniform have somehow become fisted in her hands, her fingers twisting in the fabric, and the floor has suddenly become very interesting to look at. A piece of art, really – all those swirls and lines and... stuff. She opens her mouth – better just spit it out before you lose the nerve – then says, "That's the issue. I can't."
"You what," Tam says flatly, voice devoid of all emotion except for "please God I am so tired" (having probably run out of surprise, despair and all other similar emotions weeks ago).
"I can't," she says it again with a wince, "use my Starsong. Since the airship, I – I've tried reaching out but every single time it – it rejected me. I can't use Galatheia anymore. I can't –" she opens her fingers and closes them, remembers the phantom feeling of a bow in her hand, of firing an arrow of light that always hit true, remembers being absolutely sure. "I can't use my Starsong anymore."
"Well," Tam says, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "We are so absolutely, completely, screwed." His voice shakes a little at the end, his hands trembling, and Yara almost wants to slap herself because what is she doing.
She can't use her Starsong anymore.
That's a fact, that's an ability lost, that's a disadvantage, but that's all it is.
Deal with it.
Right now, she needs to fight, or none of them are making it out alive.
"Right," she says, curt this time, silently bottling all those thoughts and emotions and pain up and shoving it down down down do not think about it do not think about it even if it hurts and it feels like you just lost a piece of your soul all over again and she takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders and grabs the fire extinguisher from the corner to toss it to Tam. "Chia, pick the lock – we'll give you time. I'll take the big guy – you take the woman," she nods to Tam.
"What?" he shoots her an incredulous look, and she shrugs.
"The guy is stronger – that much is obvious – and I'm the only one here with proper combat experience. Therefore, it's also obvious who's pairing up with who. In all honesty, I'd prefer if I fought with Chia since she seems like she at least has some form of combat experience – albeit mostly earned from shoving people out windows and stabbing them in the legs and perhaps other more painful spots – but since I doubt you know how to pick a lock, I guess it's you and me."
"Ah, hand-to-hand, is it?" The man's grins, and he throws away his gun in favor of shucking his jacket off and cracking his knuckles. His partner opens her mouth to protest – it seems she's the more rational one – but he waves her off, instead gesturing towards Yara. "Let's see how good you are, brat."
"But I can't just –" Tam splutters, glancing from Yara to their opponents again.
"No time to be gentlemanly about it," she says, focusing her gaze on the man, readying her fists. "I mean, if you feel too bad about it, remember that all are equal on the battlefield – or some crap like that. Just knock her out with it, or something. Oh, and mind the gun."
"Mind the what –" he begins, but she's already off in a blink, a flash of movement, and –
Her first punch connects with the man's forearm – already braced for it in a guarded position, unfortunately, and the man's grin somehow, impossibly, widens further. "Not bad, little girl."
"Oh, I haven't even gotten started yet," she mutters under her breath, then sweeps a leg off the ground and aims a kick at his head – which he moves to guard, feints for a punch to his left – he guards that as well, and there! His right side, perfectly unguarded, and she darts in for an actual punch –
Block.
Kick.
She ducks low, gritting her teeth in frustration as the man's leg soars over her head, so close she can hear the "whoosh" and feel strands of her hair lift in response, as if blown by a strong wind –
The punch comes almost instantly, so fast she doesn't have time to do anything except tense her stomach in preparation. As it is, it still pushes her several steps back, then another few feet that she clears herself to dodge the next kick. Hard enough to leave her blinking back spots.
Crap. This guy is good.
And that's definitely going to bruise tomorrow.
In her peripheral vision, she can see Tam engaging the woman, managing to knock the gun away from her with a well-timed swing of the fire extinguisher (and a lot of luck) before spraying her with said fire extinguisher's, well – extinguisher.
Ouch. Right in the eyes.
"Shouldn't you be focusing on your own opponent?" the man says.
Keep him talking. Stall. The less you fight the better – you can't hold out against him for long.
She shrugs again, a casual up and down of her right shoulder as she sneaks a glance towards Chia, still fiddling with the lock while mumbling a string of encouragement – or perhaps curses – under her breath, then turns back to the man in front of her, gaze disinterested and almost bored. "Don't need to. I could beat you with my eyes closed."
"Oh, aren't you an interesting one?" that sharp-toothed grin again – she's really beginning to grow tired of it.
Inhale, a shallow breath, sucked in through her teeth.
Exhale, a small huff that's barely audible.
Lunge, skid to a stop, store up the momentum in your legs, in your knees, and leap –
Her skirts swish around her knees, black heavy fabric on white lace, her hair flying and she kicks as hard as she can as much force you can possibly apply –
A thud, the man lets out a grunt, and she allows a small slip of a satisfied smile as she darts away again, light on the balls on her feet, still careful not to get in too close or get greedy with her hits but – a near perfect roundhouse kick.
Her teacher would be proud, she thinks.
Her teacher who is also her mother and suddenly she is seven again, wanting nothing but approval and affection and love (not that you'll ever get it, you were a fool, she thinks scornfully at her younger self), not minding the fact that her mama is squeezing her hand a little bit too tightly with a frozen smile, not minding the fact that she's going to help the girl with the black hair and bright smile to her death and oh god the thought makes her sick now –
Yara sucks in another sharp breath, shakes her head.
Don't go there.
Do not go there.
"What's wrong, little girl? Tired? We can stop if you want." There's a glint in the man's eye that makes Yara doubt he'll stop, though. He seems eager to give her more than a few more bruises (and perhaps several broken bones).
She flicks a stray strand of her blond hair out of her eyes, narrows them on her target again. "As if."
There is a dull "thunk", and Yara glances over to see the fire extinguisher Tam is wielding connecting with the woman's skull, who drops almost instantly, the white foam still on her face almost making the situation seem comical –
"What did I say about focusing on your opponent?"
Her eyes widen.
Oh crap –
She's flung across the length of the train like a rag doll and Stars how strong is this guy, her back hitting the door with a crash and she hears something crack as her world goes painfully white for a moment –
Screaming. She hears screaming. Is someone calling her name?
Like anyone could ever care about you.
She blinks rapidly, feels tears unwillingly form at the corners of her eyes and blinks those away too as she struggles to put her feet under her, to put her hands by her sides and push herself up from the floor and get up get up get up or you'll die and they'll die and the blood will be on your hands so get up –
By Liliana and all the Orbits, broken ribs hurt like hell.
She coughs. It sounds a little bit wet.
Oh, this one is new.
She wonders if this is how a punctured lung feels like.
Popped. Like sad little balloons, which is basically what lungs are.
She feels a little like bursting into hysterical giggles at the thought, her body swaying like some flimsy tree being buffeted by a light wind and her head swimming.
Yep. She definitely needs medical attention.
No passing out. I swear to all the Stars, Hwa Yara, do not pass out.
You've taken harder hits than this. You've trained. You have experience. The rest of them don't. If you pass out, who's going to take care of them?
"Okay, Yara," she mutters to herself. "Okay. And up –"
Her world goes painfully white again (for Starmother's sake stop doing that, world) and she sinks back down in an instance, muttering "Ow ow ow ow ow" under her breath all the while.
A punctured lung is and broken ribs are definitely not fun. She resolves not to get one again.
Maybe something easier, next time, she muses to herself. Like a dislocated shoulder. That would be nice – at least I can set it by myself –
Her thoughts are (very rudely) interrupted by Tam, who shoves her back down to sit – had she been subconsciously getting up again? – hissing under his breath, "For god's sake Yara, don't try to get up when even I'm pretty sure I heard your ribs break, and that's from all the way over where I was standing – sit back down! God, and you call us troublesome."
"When did you –" she wheezes out, "What did you –" she glances towards the man, currently howling at the top of his voice (she hadn't even noticed) while clawing at his face.
"I poked his eyes!" Chia says, seemingly popping up out of nowhere. "Thanks to your opening – it should keep him busy for a while, I think. Now my hands feels gross, though," she makes a face, swiping her fingers on the train wall. "His eyeballs," she explains. "They were kinda squishy. And sticky. And yucky –"
"– and that's enough information for today!" Tam cuts her off hurriedly, and she pouts. "And did you even unlock the door?"
She brightens immediately, reaching over (oh, Yara realizes, so the door is just right there – she must've been flung really far) and opening it before flashing a thumbs up. "Did it in record time!"
Instantly, the noise of the train chugging gets a hundred times louder – well, oops, that pretty much gave away their plan – and Yara leans forward slightly to catch sight of country sights flying past and brown train tracks winding out in front of them that, were someone to be flung from the open door and land on them, look very, very dangerous indeed.
She visualizes a head splitting on the tracks like a burst watermelon then immediately regrets it. Sure, breaking someone's ribs and puncturing their lungs is rude, but she doesn't want them to actually die. Or at least, she thinks so.
Speaking of the person who broke her ribs and punctured her lung, he's currently standing up again and roaring curses, his eyes red and streaming with tears and ooh boy, he looks very mad –
Her world seems to tilt and spin and dance every which way, black spots dancing in the corners like those annoying dust bunnies she would always find in the most unexpected of places in the rooms she cleaned, and she decides that this new development is inherently bad. Because dust bunnies are always bad.
She feels like giggling again.
Sure, don't just get the crap beat out of you, how about some crazed laughter while we're at it? Just to completely tear down any shred of dignity you have left.
Shut up.
Yeah, and talking to yourself isn't a sign of going completely bonkers or anything, the annoying voice (that is probably the source of all of Yara's snark and sarcasm and therefore what makes her annoying as well, or maybe it's the part of her that's annoying and Stars this is giving her a headache why is she thinking about this again?) says, but finally goes quiet.
"I am going to kill you," the man says, and he really seems like he means it this time, so that's worrisome –
"Uh... game plan?" Tam says.
"Remember that one time we went to see a matador?" Chia says. "Yeah, well – pretend he's the bull and you're the matador."
"That isn't even remotely helpful!" Tam snaps. "It's not like he'll just charge and all we have to do is get out of the way – even if we pretend he's a bull, he's not as stupid as one!"
"Yes, probably not," Yara agrees, nodding sagely. "Oh look, he's coming," she notes, unable to find it in herself to be concerned anymore (though she probably should be).
"Holy crap move –" Tam yanks Chia out of the way just in time to avoid another fist aimed at her face, passing so close to it that she can practically see every vein on the man's clenched hand.
The man steps closer. The two take another step backwards, their feet basically by the edge of the open door now.
"So, how would you like to be thrown out?" the man says. "I only need one of you, after all."
"Uh... Tam? I think our plan backfired," Chia says nervously.
"You think," he says dryly.
Get up, the tiny bit of Yara that's still thinking straight says.
"I'm trying," she grits out unintentionally.
The man advances – one step, two steps.
She braces herself against the wall and strains against the pain, thinking get up get up get up get up but her legs refuse to move and her entire body seems to scream in progress and she wants to scream too –
Three steps.
Come on.
Four.
Get up already, Hwa Yara –
Five –
The door at the end of the train is wrenched open, the man pausing and turning at the sound, distracted, and there is a shout of "Move!" and a blur of white and black and wings and light and speed –
Chia manages to pull Tam away just as Kaya kicks the man out the open door.
Yara cranes her neck to see Allioni at the other end of the train, before turning her gaze to Kaya, landing on the floor and skirts ruffling around her legs, white wings fading back to wherever they came from, hair wild and windblown.
She grins, a little sheepishly, and scratches at the back of her head. "Sorry we were late."
"That," Chia manages, wide-eyed. "That was close."
"Well," Tam says. "You still managed to get here before we were kicked off, so technically, you did get here on time. Thanks for the save."
Kaya nods, turns to Yara. "By the way, Yara, are you alright?"
"Yes," Yara says as she finally manages to shove herself off the ground, "I'm just fine –" her knees buckle under her.
Or not.
There are several shouts of alarm as she goes down, and she raises an eyebrow. "Really now, don't need to be so dramatic about it –" she manages to wheeze out. "We're safe and unhurt and alive so everything's dandy –"
"Unhurt," Tam says flatly. "Really."
"Just a broken rib or two, nothing to worry about," Yara says, waving them off. "A little rest and I'll be good as new, which reminds me – excuse my abruptness, but I'm afraid I might need to pass out for a moment."
There is a collective chorus of "What?!", loud enough to rupture her eardrums.
"Don't need to be so loud about it either," she grumbles.
Then, true to her word – she passes out.