*Play Song*
"Lilith....." Aphmau repeats the name, and for whatever reason, it hits her with a punch of affection.
"With all the commotion of trying to keep things under wraps, would you mind looking after her for a while? Until we get everything settled?" Laurence inquires with caution, knowing Aphmau would catch on soon enough.
"Under wraps? Settled? What...." And here. We. Go.
Laurence parts his lips to speak but is unable to fill in the blanks, Aaron's impending stare of doom not helping matters.
"What are you trying to say, Zvahl? You aren't calling in land forces to come to take care of this or----" Zane pipes in, Laurence saving his friend some breath by a quick shake of his head.
"I'm saying....that no one is coming...."
"Really Laurence? Must I, and countless others, explain to you once more for your imbecilic mind what we encountered out there? What killed 2 and injured 4?" Aaron snarls, getting up close and personal with the island's sheriff, towering a good few inches over the slender brunette.
"You don't think I would if I could?" Laurence retorts, his eyes slitting with undermined fury. "These were people, Aaron. Good, innocent people. One was a mother, and another a veteran. You think it was my choice to let this go down without so much as an investigation?"
Aphmau sighs, massaging the bridge of her nose with her fingertips. "....You can't do anything?"
"Trust me, I tried guys. But whoever is running operations over on the Land is being paid big bucks to keep this whole creature incident under wraps."
"Paid? Who would spend that kind of money on something as, hate to say it, trifling as a creature attack at sea?" Zane questions, the salty air breezing through his jet black tufts through the restaurant's open windows.
"I am as informed as you guys are at this point, it could be the sensitivity of the tourism appeal of the island or it could do with the existence of the beast itself.....but this is all beyond our capabilities."
"So what do we do now?"
"We do what's within our jurisdiction. You take care of the girl for the time being, until we can get her into the foster system. And we go about our lives, we stay clear of the water for a while till whatever the monstrosity is gets bored and moves on to pester another island." Laurence states, taking in his comrade's solemn appearances, exhaling in hopelessness. "I really am sorry guys, but that's all I have for you. If you guys have any questions, you know where to find me."
As Laurence takes his leave, Aphmau promptly collapses into a nearby dining chair, the floor as well as the chair, wailing and screeching at her action, Aaron more gracefully doing the same.
"How are you feelin'?" Aaron asks, Zane taking this as his cue to depart as well.
"I don't know....it just feels so...surreal. Nothing happens on this island, like nothing, ever. And what we saw in the water, it couldn't have been real. Something like that....not on this planet nor this lifetime nor this universe....." Aphmau spills in disbelief, shaking her head frantically to the point where looking at her do it gave Aaron the illusion of a migraine.
"Hey....hey..." Aaron, realizing mere words wasn't gonna cut it, cups his palms at Aphmau's cheeks, holding her still as Aphmau returned back to earth, relaxing into his touch.
"We are gonna figure it out, okay? But first....take a breath..."
Aphmau obliges, taking a break from her blabbering to briefly meditate, closing her eyes as she seeks to control her fleeting panic attack.
"Good....cause you were about to give me anxiety..."
Aphmau laughs, her cheeks glazed with recent tears, her forehead resting against Aaron's as they both take a moment to breathe and become aware of each other.
"Actually...." Aphmau lifts her head, her soft lips pursing with thought. "There is something we can do....."
A wry smile tugs at a corner of Aaron's lips. "What do you have in mind, Ms. Phoenix?"
"What do you do when you are dealing with the mysterious and scary?"
In unison: "Lucinda!"
Have a nice day my crystals!
YOU ARE READING
Phoenix Peak: The Darkness Within ~Aarmau AU~
FanfictionIt's just simple island living for Aphmau Shu Phoenix, and the rest of the few inhabitants which occupied the island, Phoenix Peak, just off the coast of O'kasis. They lived happily, despite the rumors that the island was supposedly haunted, and all...
