Animal Beauty
Disclaimer: Riddick ain't mine. Ivy is.
Summary: This story takes place sometime after PB.
Author: Thora Arwin Thoraa
Archive: Ask first.
E-mail: thoraa@hotmail.com
I'd be happy for feedback, tell me what you think! Unabashedly
Chapter 1
I just saw him kill my flatmate.
I can't believe I saw it. I was sitting in my bedroom, yelling at Tom to get the door and he sent me to hell, saying that I'm the one who's gonna be getting it next time. I laughed it off and seconds later, he was arguing with someone in the living room.
God. I heard Tom yelling at him, sending the 'Benny Fourfinger' guy to shove his dick up someone else's ass and the next thing I knew, 'Benny' shot Tom in the head.
I know, because I was watching, shaking like mad, and scared, scared like hell. And I didn't do anything. I couldn't. I was paralyzed with fear, and I'm not even sure whether I wetted my pants or not. I just stood there, peeking through the door, through this tiny crack, my knuckles white from clenching the book I'd been reading, and still firmly grasping, and my palms were sweaty and throat dry.
I've never been so scared and helpless in my entire life. I watched Benny leave, then waited. I don't know how long I waited, because I was scared he'd return, with back-ups and sudden knowledge that I had been there, too. Listening. Watching. I ran away from there, as fast as my legs could carry me, threw the crowds and down the streets and finally found myself in front of the police station.
"Miss Chow?" The detective asked and I looked up at him from my seat in the corridor and took a deep breath, still clutching the book I was reading.
"Follow me this way." He said and led me into his office. It was a small room, with a messy desk, stashes of paper piled up on it, a dozen or so cigar ends decorating the ashtray and he had to be a heavy smoker, because he kept on coughing and choking on his words and toying with his lighter in his thick fingers.
"Ivy Chow." He repeated, checking something in his papers without looking up. "You don't look very Asian."
"No, I'm not." I sighed. I was really used to these questions. "But my grandfather was from New China."
"That explains." He said, sitting down on his chair and throwing his legs up onto the desk. "So, what can I help you with?"
I took a deep breath and he must have noticed my face go white as chalk, because he leaned in with a worried expression and offered me a glass of water. "Talk at your own pace, Miss Chow."
I told him everything I saw, from the arguing, to the deafening gunshot. I told the detective that Tom had named the guy Benny. Benny 'Fourfinger'. And that they'd been arguing about Tom's debts. Benny had said that there was too much money Tom had owed him and that he'd just reclaim what was his. Tom didn't want to give him anything and sent him to hell, so the guy just shot him. He just bloody shot him…
I didn't know how, but I found myself in the detective's arms, crying my eyes out.
"Miss Chow, on normal circumstances we'd put you under our witness protection program. But, sadly, this station's having enough problems as it is and we can't do anything for you at the moment. My recommendation is, you vanish for a while. Find a nice place you'll stay at and stay there."
"What do you mean- vanish?"
"Look, if you decide that you're gonna be witness in this, Miss Chow, you gotta disappear. This ain't a pickpocket we're dealing with here. If you said you've seen him blow your flatmate's head off, he might want to come back and do the same to you. I'm not trying to be too harsh, but that's the way it is. You should get your ass out of here." The detective took a deep breath. "I advise you try and leave the planet altogether."
"The planet?" I stuttered out, rolling the words on my tongue like they weren't even possible to pronounce. "I-I don't have anywhere to go… and the transportation from the planet is limited- there aren't any spacebuses around anymore either."
"Then you'll have to find another way, Miss Chow." He sighed almost heavily, like he was the one carrying the burden. "There are still merchant ships docked in the port."
"So, you're advising me to leave the planet? Just like that?"
"Yes." He said, dryly.
"Just leave everything behind?!"
"You don't have another choice, Ivy. In case you don't want to meet with Tom again in after-life, you better leave." He paused. "There's one more problem, you see- there was no body found at your flat."
My eyes went wide. " What?!"
"I'm sorry." He said. "No signs of a fight, no blood. This 'Benny' has to be a professional, or you're lying. And since you're the only witness in this, and a potential perpetrator, the police may want to keep you here to testify or whatever. But as I said, we have too many problems here already and we cannot protect you. My personal opinion is that you leave."
I just watched the detective in stunned awe as he pushed me out of the office and onto the corridor.
"Contact us, Ivy." Was the last thing he said and left me standing there, in the hallway, with my life messed up and with nowhere to go.
Chapter 2
I walked around the spaceport and took in all the ships. Well, the two ships. One was some kind of a merchant ship, with this large family on board, and the other looked abandoned, just the ramp open inviting one into the darkness inside.
It was a bit smaller than the merchant one, but seemed a hell lot faster and in a better technical shape. I sat down on my suitcase next to the ships, on a spot I carefully picked, and lowered my head into my hands and drowned myself in sorrow and grief. I had nowhere to go and my only friend was Tom, who was watching me from above now. I remembered I had some kind of a distant relative, aunt Rosie or what was her name, but I saw her once on my fourth birthday and that was it. If she was still alive there was a big doubt that she'd take me in. Plus, I didn't want to risk endangering her by my presence.
A plump woman cradling a baby in her arms walked out of the first of the two ships that were now getting ready for take off.
"Excuse me, Madam." I said, standing up, and taking a small step to her. She turned to face me, frowning a little.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering…" I began, and then decided it would be better to get it over with. "If you could take me off this planet. To the next stop or so- I'll pay of course, I've got money." It all burst out of me, and the woman looked me over and shook her head.
"I don't think so, honey. We're full enough already as you can see."
My lips tightened and I swallowed the curse in my chest. Great, just fucking great.
I sat down on my only suitcase again, defeated, and just watched the almost vacant spaceport, with only one ship now. Trash laid around on the runway, rubbish-bins were turned over, dispatchers were going home from work. I'd never live on a planet like Earth if I hadn't been born on it. Supplies here were long used up, in the last century in fact, no fuel, no vegetation, no animals, and people were moving away, far from this place and this galaxy, with their families and friends, leaving the corrupted and sad rock behind.
Just then I noticed a guy walk out of the other ship. I couldn't really see him at first, against the utter blackness of the ramp and the pitch black colour of the ship, and then he stepped into the light, emerged from the dark world, and I had to squint my eyes to see him.
He was tall, at least 6'2", big, had a shaved head and he had the most beautiful figure I had ever seen. Something about him was wild, bestial. His walk, the way he moved, the way the Sun played with his features. He reminded me of a big cat, he was so animal. He had goggles on, shading his eyes from the only Sun, and a thin layer of sweat glistened from his chest, and I could see he wasn't black, but a dark caramel colour. There was this power in him, this strength about him, this intensity, like I was watching it all in slow motion, everything coming to me so slowly that I thought I was in a haze, dazzled, dreaming. I was mesmerized, wanted him to look at me, wanted him to touch me. I was so confused. He crouched down to the boxes next to his ship and rummaged through them, before standing up again, licking his lips.
"You can take them in." He said, his voice coarse and deep. So deep my breathing hitched. And a smaller guy, but tall nevertheless, appeared on the ramp and started to take in the boxes which were apparently their cargo.
I slowly stood up, clutching my suitcase in one hand so hard my knuckles were turning white, and walked up hesitantly to the big guy. I was shaking. And to tell the truth I didn't know why, only that I was confused, excited and scared all at once.
"Excuse me?" My voice cracked at the end and I had to clear my throat two times before I could speak again. "Excuse me? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
The guy didn't notice me at all, or didn't bother to turn around, I couldn't tell. He just remained kneeled by the boxes, a list in his hand, and he went over his loot once more.
"Excuse me?" I repeated and almost winced when he just barely tilted his head and I caught a small glimpse of his profile, before he looked back at the boxes again.
"I was wondering, if you could give me a lift." I began. "I'll pay of, of course. Just as far as to the nearest stop. Please."
He still said nothing and I just stood there facing his back, expectant and nervous. My nerves humming, my pulse racing. And I don't know how, but I stepped closer to him then, one hand firmly on my suitcase and the other holding up a credits card,
"I said I'll pay."
Suddenly he stood up and turned around, almost majestically, almost like he'd practiced this simple move all his life, because there was this grace in it and I just watched him, my head reeling and my heart beating against my ribs. I didn't know what was happening to me, but my senses were on fire.
He looked me over, slowly, up and down, his face unreadable, then cocked his head to the side in what I thought was an annoyed smirk. "Run along and play with your Barbies, kid. I ain't got all day to listen to your shit."
I could feel my face heat up and I gritted my teeth, my grip on the suitcase almost painful.
"I'll pay, Riddick."
He looked at my with what, amazement? Surprise? He was definitely enjoying himself.
"So you know who I am?" He asked, his lips quivering into a dirty smile.
I nodded. I noticed the newspaper board in the police station and there was a bounty reward on him there. Even in a place like this.
"Daddy didn't teach you not to talk to Strange people, kid?" He added, grinning smugly.
"Please." I said. "Just take me to the nearest stop. I need to get out of here." God, I was begging and I knew it. Go with Richard B. Riddick or stay here and get my head blown of. What was better?
His expression changed suddenly, and he glared at me coldly, his lips tightening. "I'm not taking you anywhere."
I was too scared to protest, or say anything else, and just watched him as he disappeared up the ramp, in a few quick steps.
Moments later I sneaked inside after him, cursing myself, hoping he wouldn't kill me the moment he saw I was on his ship. I walked up into the cockpit, where I caught sight of him in the dim light and cleared my throat. My voice broke the silence in an almost deafening vibration,
"I've got a lot of credits."
"You do?" He asked, flatly, without facing me, without kicking my ass out of there. He had to know I was standing there watching him for a long time and my breathing hitched at the thought.
"Yes. I can pay." I repeated.
"You're not the brightest of crayons in the pack, are you?" He growled.
I swallowed. "Wait. Okay. I-I know what you want." I said, almost stuttering on my words. He turned round again, leaning against all the panels, and crossed his arms over his chest, showing me he was waiting for whatever I had in plan to do with amused fake anticipation.
I took a deep breath. Life or death. I reached for the neckline of my shirt and slowly unbuttoned the first white button with trembling fingers. I couldn't believe I was doing this and I couldn't even look up at him. I was shaking so much.
Through the corner of my eye I saw Riddick watching me, motionless- he just stood there, and I wasn't sure what he was thinking, because I couldn't read his face. But he didn't stop me and that was enough, so I reached for the second and third button and when I was done, I shakily took the both sides of the shirt in my hands, without noticing I was painfully clutching handfuls of the material in my fists, my heart pounding so loud I was sure he had to hear it. Then, slowly, I drew the shirt open, exposing my breasts for him.
For him. Life or death.
Riddick let his eyes drop over my skin and stepped closer to me then. I was shaking like a leaf and I couldn't look him in the eyes. My God, I was so scared. I couldn't breathe when he walked up to me and I just watched, trembling, when he (hesitantly it seemed) reached out, and almost touched the underside of my right breast.
I swallowed and winced, jerking away from him so fast like he'd burned me.
He stepped back.
"You've got nothing I want." He growled, roughly. "Get the fuck off my ship."