Arcana's Path Ch. 06

"That's your witch friend, right?" Kitty frowned, "I dunno if I'm immune. I feel it. I just don't like it. That make sense?"

Her stomach turned, "You can feel her spell... And you can resist? What the fuck, Kitty. I mean... Holy shit. I don't think you get how insane that is. You... Well."

Arcana laughed softly, and then smiled, "Actually... It makes sense. The woman who has the balls to take on a god. Of course they're not going to have their will bent by a cloud of sexy times magic."

"Eh. Dunno about that. Ya mum don't seem that godlike."

She blinked, "Uhm... Kitty... Rasputin and Ardet-lili are demigods, too. Powerful enough the divine granted both of them immortality. And you've met Marduk. He's not just a big ass dragon. He's divine."

"He felt it." Kitty nodded to herself, "Friggin' big. Eyes that seemed wild but crazy smart. He had like a... Presence. Like ya step wrong, he'll pankcake ya first, then wonder if ya were worth the effort. Ya mum... She just feels like ya mum."

Arcana laughed at the absurdity of it. Suggesting that one of the last gods to expose themselves to humanity felt no different than any other parent. "You're totally immune to fear, Kitty. Of course she feels normal to you."

"I'm not."

She winced, looking down, "I know."

"Lotta things I'm afraid of, Arcana. Stupid things. Spiders. Bad haircuts. That you'll finally realise ya way too good for me. That I'm pretty much a waste of space, and you're a hero or some shit." Kitty lifted her chin so she was staring into her eyes. "Some things are worth bein' afraid about. Others ain't."

Arcana kissed her passionately, and then stood up, "Come on. I want to get to Ava so I can show off for you some more. Because I don't know where this hero thing is coming from when I'm basically wildlife control, but I'll take it while I can. Before you realise I'm in a dead end job."

---

The bike didn't really have the same personality as her last one had. This was just a long distance beater. It didn't purr, it didn't roar. It didn't give you a sense of accomplishment every time you took a corner, no matter how fast or slow you were going.

It didn't even try and make itself exciting.

The only comfort to the boring and lazy drive was whilst the bike sucked and the scenery was bland, the company was perfect. How could anyone's hands be so soft and delicate?

Especially when said hands were constantly exposed to flames and dragon scales. It wasn't like Arcana avoided doing anything rough with them. By all rights, she should have the hands of a tradie.

Kitty saw their turnoff, and tarmac quickly became corrugated road filled with potholes that could take a wheel off. The boring bike became even more boring as she was reduced to near idling speeds.

Slow enough that her own dragon could apparently catch up and jump up to perch on the handlebars. Exactly how far off the grid was Arcana required to keep this weird dragon that was going to make her see things?

She had a pet dragon.

Kitty grinned like an idiot at the ridiculous thought. There was no part about meeting Arcana that she regretted. The life risking crap was worth it in every way because of the amazing impossible crap it gave back in excessive amounts.

Even just that kiss in the park before they left was so much more than anything that Kitty had come to expect from her life. She'd never had someone that, when they kissed her, seemed to block out the world.

Yet, with Arcana... Sound dropped away.

Crowds and people became so dull that they didn't even seem to exist. Sun and wind disappeared. Kitty had no doubt that even if she were in a sandstorm, Arcana could take her away to a place where it was only the two of them.

A frightened tear ran down her cheek, and she was thankful that she was actually wearing a helmet for once. Something Arcana had convinced her to do if they were heading outside the city.

This entire world that had opened up to her... Kitty wouldn't be able to continue to face it on her own. She'd probably keep the pet dragon, but that was it.

No faeries, no seeing freaks like Ardet-lili. None of that. She was going to become one of those unseeing mundanes again, because seeing any of it was going to remind her of the girl who came falling out of the sky on a burning fireball of a dragon.

She wasn't gone yet.

Until she was, Kitty was going to show her that she was as strong as she believed, even if it was utterly bullshit. Kitty was going to face the world with a laugh and a sneer. She wasn't going to curl up and cry, admitting that Arcana's fate was bringing back dreams of her mother's death.

She skidded the bike to a stop outside a dull and grey building, the most exciting the bike had been all day.

Kitty pulled the helmet off, flicked her hair out and wiped quickly at her face, trying to hide the movement in the rest. She dropped the helmet onto a handle and turned to her girlfriend.

She picked Arcana up holding her and kissing her briefly. The woman's legs went around her waist, and Kitty marvelled at how light she was. Probably cheating to make it so that the kiss would last.

Kitty broke the kiss reluctantly, "Not that this isn't awesome, but we ain't got a bed here. So... Time to see a freaky fucked up dragon?"

Arcana lowered herself reluctantly, her face pouting, "Damn it. Why can't gravel be comfortable?"

"Could put you on the bike's seat, if you..."

The woman giggled and rolled her eyes, "Nah. I can wait until we get where we're going. It should be special with you. Not desperate."

Kitty shrugged, "Your loss."

"Shut up before I change my mind." Arcana grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the building, before pausing, "Uhm... Why don't you bring the bags in? I'll set up Ava on the roof."

---

Ava was one of the best trained dragons in Arcana's little zoo of critters, so she didn't really need to set anything up. Put the saddle on the ground, and the creature would shuffle into it excitedly, bouncing and rearing to go.

Arcana had tried to slow Kitty down so she could hide how sick she was. She was busy leaning on the wall and vomiting into the corner. A larger pool than she was particularly comfortable with.

Throwing up a giant pool that looked more like someone had murdered someone and drained them from a giant fish hook was not just frightening. It was the sort of thing that made you doubt your own sanity.

Certainly hammered home the point of her mortality being about to run out.

As Arcana tried to catch her breath, leaning on the wall with a cold sweat running down her face, she silently cursed her mother a dozen different ways, including one or two ways that might be actual curses.

She didn't hear her girlfriend arrive, despite the carrier bags. She'd expected Kitty to go crazy when she saw the sleek black dragon, but the woman was leaning up against a wall across the room, pretending not to see anything.

Arcana winced, and then skipped over, plastering a fake smile on her face and grabbing Kitty in a hug. She leaned on her shoulder, looking at the dragon. "So... What do you think? Better than your favourite bike?"

"Is this like the stealth fighter of dragons? Looks fuckin' baller."

She whistled loudly, and Ava bounced over to the two of them, shaking her saddle excitedly. The dragon made a keening sound, and pawed lightly at the ground.

"Fuckin' A." Kitty said in surprise and reached out to pat the creature on the head. "So... I ain't hallucinatin' when you said you could teach me to ride this thing?"

"Ava." Arcana said firmly, "The name of a dragon is a big deal to them. She'll like you if you use it, and hate you if you don't. But, she's polite, as far as dragons go. Probably just dump you midflight into another dimension if she hates you."

"Shit." Kitty chuckled, "Well. Ava. You going to mind if a mundane sits on that saddle?"

The dragon whirled around in a circle excitedly, before stopped and tipping her side down to make climbing into the saddle easier. Arcana pushed Kitty gently.

The woman started, "You ain't told me what to do, yet."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll get to that." Arcana ignored her, "Foot in the stirrups. Come on, where's that Kitty confidence? Let the dragon know who is in charge."

Kitty glared at her before adopting her usual sneer and complying. The woman shifted as she sat down, finding a more comfortable way of sitting. "This is going to wear me out me cunt as bad as you do, ain't it?"

Arcana flushed and punched her weakly, "Shuddup. It shouldn't, really. Not if you're riding right. Hands on the pommel. Sit up straight. When things get fast, hunker down and stand in the stirrups."

She circled around the front and fed the dragon a piece of charcoal she'd picked up from a nearby pile. "Now, Ava knows how to fly. She knows what to expect. If she gives you a weird look, it's because you're asking her to do something dumb. But mostly, leaning left to fly left, lean right to fly right. Don't try and do loops and stuff. You're a beginner."

"Up and down?"

Arcana rolled her eyes, "Pull and push on the saddle. Duh. And stop worrying, I'm going to climb in behind you. You're in the driver's seat, but I'm not giving up on our romantic little trip. I'm not letting you fly on your own just yet."

"Aw." Kitty looked disappointed, and then split her face into a grin again, "Well, what you hopin' for? Christmas? Get on, girl."

"Still attaching the carrier bags." Arcana replied tiredly. Attaching the bags should have been easy, but her hands were trembling, and her nose was running.

She honestly didn't know if she was going to pass out before they got to their destination.

Arcana tried to shake it off, and pulled a stretchy cable up from the bottom of the saddle and hooked it onto Kitty's belt, and another onto her own. She smiled weakly, and reached up an arm, "Uhm... Help?"

Kitty grasped her with a hand of iron and dragged her up easily, where Arcana sort of just collapsed against her back. She breathed in raggedly, unable to get enough air from just her nose.

The woman in front shifted a little, "We need to get you a harness? Or not take you back somewhere you weren't?"

Arcana sighed and put her arms around her waist, "Don't worry about me. Never letting go of you. Go ahead and tell Ava to take off. Squeeze your legs."

"That I know how to do." Kitty teased, pretending to not be worried.