DETERRENT - Apply Fic

15

Harvey told them what he had decided. When Eurydice protested, Harvey's glare was so thick it muted her voice. Faris refined the speech. They agreed, he and Harvey, that Faris would deliver it. He did it in the same recall he gave Harvey, pretending to report.

The others chimed in when asked. Gale had a hit the boy, but not first period Titus had run into a tree along the way. Norbu distracted the girl, so only Gale, Faris and Norbu were seen. Everybody else had waited at the farm. Some hid inside the house, crawling under the sofa and dragging dust on their clothes. No one had gone upstairs. No one had hit another delinquent. Any damage was minimized.

As they finally finish, Benji leans forward. His elbows dig into his knees, forearms exposing his freckles. He searches the faces of all the delinquents. Cosmia digs her fingers into the plush fabric of her seat, afraid of what he'll find.

"You both feeling okay?" Benji looks between the two injured men. "There's a physician a ways over. I can ring him and get him here by morning."

Titus doesn't move. It's his first broken nose, but not his first lesson learned with a fist. His whole life he craved knowledge. Taking over his father's business meant learning from him. As much as Eurydice decries the Silvers, she has a similar teaching method. Long ago, Titus learned on important thing. Certainty comes with satisfaction, even if it's hard to see behind his swollen face.

"I'm okay," Gale reaches his hand up, feathering his split lip. His wince is so familiar. The way the sound pulls in his chest and then pinches in the back of his mouth. He could recite it like any nursery rhyme.

"I'll make tea anyway," Benji murmurs. "Anyone else who wants any is welcome to stay. We'll take the whole day off tomorrow. As thanks for your honesty."

Then, Benji steps out of the room.

Eurydice storms out. Norbu is still about to speak but then Harvey is rushing after her.

Norbu shoots Cosmia and Faris each a glance, "another puzzle?"

~~~

The night air is wet. Dampness feels like home, and Eurydice stops just off the porch to feel it. She counts the dissimilarities. It's not like Neo Elysium. The stench of oil, lingering from her motorcycle pollutes those streets. It's too quiet here. She sleeps better in The Sticks than in The Arch, daring to lie with Zephyr. Somehow, the farm is even worse. The music Benji plays isn't the kind that possesses her to dance. It's sunny and hot, somehow even at night.

Harvey comes up behind her. She's always hyperaware. Fale's home and crime are on her lips when her leg is torn out from under her. She slams into the dirt. Eurydice pushes her hands to lift herself up and then the bottom of Harvey's cane is pressing against her spine, pinning her into the dirt.

"Harvey," she grits her teeth against the hum of pain in her jaw. "Get that fucking thing-"

Above her, Harvey shifts his weight, pressing down on the cane. Strangled air sucks in through her lips.

Her back is to him. At the sound of her pain, in the darkness of the farmhouse with everyone inside, he permits himself to close his eyes. Tears, cold and wet, blink in his eyelashes.

"I've never killed anyone before," his voice is harder than the dirt below her. "Some people think it makes me soft, but I've never needed to do it. Dead bodies are so stiff. They aren't particularly chatty either. I like my people more pliable, with open mouths. Do we understand each other?"