One Skill Short

Reunion

(Drusilla)

It was just a dream. Nothing had even actually happened yet and I was feeling nausea and panic creep around in me. I forced it to just fucking stay there with words. Were some of them moving closer? They were all too close. Too close. It wasn't helping against the claustrophobia.

"Sophia! Maven!" No...those voices can't be here. They don't exist here. We're supposed to be safe!

"You fought again, didn't you? Why, Sophie? You two were doing so well. You're so popular here. You and your sister. Twin delights! Come on!" His grip hurt and I scratched frantically at it with my free hand.

"No! Maven!!! Maven, where are yo-"

SLAP!

My face shot to the side sharply, cheek stinging. "You twins have been here for a year! We take care of all of your needs here and don't ask for much in return when you owe us for all the trouble you give! Tonight will be special. Tonight, you become just like the others. You get a...tattoo. Just like the others." I was immediately quiet; fearful. His tight grip is now on my shoulder and it makes me sick.

"Maven..."

[Odessa]

We lost sight of the Templars but it didn't matter once we caught sight of the smoke and even heard something vaguely similar to screaming. Maven had taken care of her attempted kidnapping well enough, but there was an odd feeling about her. Her breathing, for example, was like a calming exercise that looked like it wasn't really working. It was made worse by how much of the Templar's blood she had managed to get on herself.

Krem and the rest of the Chargers approached us from the left. Iron Bull had his mask on but I knew him well enough to know he was pissed. Where was Drusilla? Maven's eyes searched the group with the same question on her mind before turning her eyes to the smoke streaming up. I followed her train of sight and could nearly hear her thoughts swarming from here.

"Don't tell me she's over there..."

"Let's just go and get her-" Maven took off running before I could even finish my sentence.

"How did she end up with rogue Templars?" I called over to Bull as we raced after Maven. Either she had taken something to alter her speed or something else was fueling her because it was hard to caught up with her.

"I shouldn't have let her go on a walk by herself but she wanted to be alone and I thought since my boys had done a perimeter run, it was safe." Bull huffed out. How was he to know how far from the camp she would venture?

Upon entering the rogue templar camp, we saw we weren't really needed. Every single one of the Templars had fallen, fire that could only have started with magic raged around two figures sitting within the camp, further back. Maven had never acted like this before and I didn't have a clue what caused this reaction until we got closer. Drusilla was nearly fetal in her posture and leaning into her sister's embrace. Her older sister's weapons were on either side of the twins, abandoned so she could comfort her sibling. There was a strange feeling in the air when I stepped closer.

"Careful, Boss. I have a feeling this goes a little deeper than just a bad thing that happened to them when they were kids." We should have brought Cole with us. He would be able to help us unravel the situation. I made to take another step, but Bull stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Let me handle this." He muttered as he kept his step loud and slow on purpose to let them know he wasn't trying to sneak up on them. Why was he being so careful? Then Maven's head lifted so fast it was a wonder she didn't get whiplash. I was close enough to see her eyes. One might think she'd been raised by wolves with how she snarled at his outstretched hand. He murmured something I couldn't hear but I saw her grip on her sister soften. All I gathered was something about the Templars caused Drusilla to lose control of her magic and start a fire in the camp, alerting us. Maven may have sensed what was happening, which sent her charging to her rescue. By her lack of reaction, Drusilla seemed- no, was unconscious. Her outburst exhausted her and she now slumped into Bull's hold as he adjusted her. Maven stood, having sobered a little, but her eyes stayed fixated on her sister and she kept pace with The Iron Bull, her little sister's staff latched to her back and her own weapons at her sides.