The minute she stepped through the door, Nene didn't say a word. She knew her lover could see the understanding, shock, and dozens of other mixed emotions
that asking Sylia what'd happened on her way home had brought to her. But chief among them, Nene Romanova knew that Ifrit had it even worse, because unlike
her, Ifrit was hardly human.
Which was why the first thing she did was slip onto the couch beside her and pull her tightly to her chest, feeling Ifrit cling to her as she did. "I
heard. How's Alice?"
"Asleep...after bawling her eyes out for half an hour," Ifrit said, her voice bitter and angry at the last.
"Any motives on Inyme's part?"
Ifrit nodded. "Apparently...she fell apart after they found intelligence that Nemesis started the Rikti War. She turned herself in as soon as they got
back to the base..."
Nene nodded silently, as she felt the air around her warm again.
"How could she? Alice trusted her....loved her....and she just..."
"Didn't tell her the entire truth."
"She did more than that, Nene, and you know it!" Ifrit growled, Nene's sweater feeling uncomfortably warm despite the 20 degree temperatures
outside. However, she didn't back down, stroking Ifrit's hair as the fae calmed herself again, the temperature returning closer to normal.
"No, actually, that's all she did. Sylia sent me the opening bits of Miranda's search of the databases....so far, it's come up clean. Nothing
altered, nothing sabotaged. And honestly...I don't expect her to find anything."
"You what?" Ifrit said, blinking. "But...if she wasn't a traitor, why would she...?"
"Because she's a martyr," Nene said softly, seeing the confusion on Ifrit's face. "Think through it, love. She's a soldier. A deep
cover operative. Both from us and most of the Rikti, if her opening statement they've taken makes any
sense....which means what we knew about her life was her life. We didn't know all about it, but you know she was a
private type around everyone but Alice. Hell, the writing was on the wall from the start. She said she came from another dimension, her armor practically
looked Rikti-ish when you sit back and look at it. Longbow had some stupid theory that it was reverse-engineered from Rikti invaders into Inyme's home
dimension...it was plain as day, but we didn't see it....but she never lied to Alice. Everything we heard from Alice about her fits her life as one of the
Rikti, and....I think that's why I don't think she betrayed us."
Ifrit looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "...what?"
"Where would you have put Alice on Inyme's priority list before today?" Nene asked.
"The very top. Possibly above her own well-being....I was beginning to think about asking her to lighten up a
little."
"Then look at what happened. She's a deep cover agent for an alien power that she finds out attacked...killed...innocent people by mistake. Her
"righteous cause" falls apart. The Rikti are as evil as we see them as, because they killed millions over a provocation that was entirely
faked." She looked at Ifrit, getting a nod that she was following her, before continuing. "And when Vanguard finds out what she is, by accident, dumb
luck, or whatever, who's going to get investigated the worst for being the one that helped Inyme join Vanguard in the first place?"
"Alice," Ifrit whispered, pale now.
Nene nodded. "She's a smart girl....she'd come to the same conclusion I did. That Vanguard would investigate her, possibly see Alice as an
accomplice. Especially if they found out that Alice had learned to control her powers and telepathy from a Rikti spy. Turning herself in, she can try to
mitigate the damage...maybe."
Ifrit frowned. "So she wasn't using Alice at all?" she asked, getting a shake of the head from Nene.
"No...I think that was her initial intent. It makes sense from what we know of her mission....but....she fell in love. Alice became her friend. Her
confidante. Her love and lover....isolated from what she thought was her true "people", living among the enemy constantly in fear of being
discovered, Inyme learned to trust Alice, at least as far as she could....Alice was the only truly friendly face that Inyme knew here. Her whole world....and
that kind of feeling can change your priorities."
Ifrit looked at her, before sighing and hanging her head, leaning against Nene again. Nene stroked her hair gently.
"I know...your first instinct was to leap to Alice's defense....just like Inyme."
"How do you do that?" Ifrit mumbled into her hair.
"Do what?"
"Just...figure it out, perfectly, just like that."
Nene chuckled ruefully. "Some of it helps by being blindingly obvious in hindsight. From there...it was just knowing Inyme. Antisocial, fiercely
protective, and head over heels in love as she was."
Ifrit nodded, trying to let the flames calm as she listened to her lover's cool logic.
"Of course, that means she's gone into full-blown martyr mode now....if her cause is worthless, and Alice is the only thing in her life she feels
worth protecting.... you're right. It's not a healthy attitude for her. Alice's the only one that I think could break her out of it, but..."
she shrugged.
"...damn it," Ifrit said, sniffling slightly. "I....all I could think about was that she hurt Alice...."
"I know. The same we 'hurt' Sammy and Alice when we make a nasty mean rule for their own good," Nene said softly. "And just like that,
Inyme's probably hurting as much or more than Alice right now."
"I know," Ifrit replied, not opening her eyes.
"And it's not your fault that you were jumping to the wrong conclusion. When you run hot, you run hot, love.
It's your nature. It's why we balance each other out so well," the redhead smiled softly, stroking the edges of the fae's wings.
Ifrit managed a bitter chuckle. "Inyme would never want to hurt her. I know it so well... but when I saw my kitten like that, when I learned why..."
"You wanted to blame something you could hurt, rather than some enormous conspiracy that may never be brought to justice."
"I...it took everything I had to hold back the fire..."
"I know," Nene whispered. "It's okay."
They didn't say anything more. They didn't need to. Ifrit remained prone against Nene for minutes...minutes which turned into hours, as Nene just
comforted her with her presence. Eventually, she felt the slow, even breathing that indicated the fae was finally asleep, and smiled haggardly.
"That'll do...." she said, looking out the window.
Now I just have to deal with the rest of the problems this's dug up...
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
that asking Sylia what'd happened on her way home had brought to her. But chief among them, Nene Romanova knew that Ifrit had it even worse, because unlike
her, Ifrit was hardly human.
Which was why the first thing she did was slip onto the couch beside her and pull her tightly to her chest, feeling Ifrit cling to her as she did. "I
heard. How's Alice?"
"Asleep...after bawling her eyes out for half an hour," Ifrit said, her voice bitter and angry at the last.
"Any motives on Inyme's part?"
Ifrit nodded. "Apparently...she fell apart after they found intelligence that Nemesis started the Rikti War. She turned herself in as soon as they got
back to the base..."
Nene nodded silently, as she felt the air around her warm again.
"How could she? Alice trusted her....loved her....and she just..."
"Didn't tell her the entire truth."
"She did more than that, Nene, and you know it!" Ifrit growled, Nene's sweater feeling uncomfortably warm despite the 20 degree temperatures
outside. However, she didn't back down, stroking Ifrit's hair as the fae calmed herself again, the temperature returning closer to normal.
"No, actually, that's all she did. Sylia sent me the opening bits of Miranda's search of the databases....so far, it's come up clean. Nothing
altered, nothing sabotaged. And honestly...I don't expect her to find anything."
"You what?" Ifrit said, blinking. "But...if she wasn't a traitor, why would she...?"
"Because she's a martyr," Nene said softly, seeing the confusion on Ifrit's face. "Think through it, love. She's a soldier. A deep
cover operative. Both from us and most of the Rikti, if her opening statement they've taken makes any
sense....which means what we knew about her life was her life. We didn't know all about it, but you know she was a
private type around everyone but Alice. Hell, the writing was on the wall from the start. She said she came from another dimension, her armor practically
looked Rikti-ish when you sit back and look at it. Longbow had some stupid theory that it was reverse-engineered from Rikti invaders into Inyme's home
dimension...it was plain as day, but we didn't see it....but she never lied to Alice. Everything we heard from Alice about her fits her life as one of the
Rikti, and....I think that's why I don't think she betrayed us."
Ifrit looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "...what?"
"Where would you have put Alice on Inyme's priority list before today?" Nene asked.
"The very top. Possibly above her own well-being....I was beginning to think about asking her to lighten up a
little."
"Then look at what happened. She's a deep cover agent for an alien power that she finds out attacked...killed...innocent people by mistake. Her
"righteous cause" falls apart. The Rikti are as evil as we see them as, because they killed millions over a provocation that was entirely
faked." She looked at Ifrit, getting a nod that she was following her, before continuing. "And when Vanguard finds out what she is, by accident, dumb
luck, or whatever, who's going to get investigated the worst for being the one that helped Inyme join Vanguard in the first place?"
"Alice," Ifrit whispered, pale now.
Nene nodded. "She's a smart girl....she'd come to the same conclusion I did. That Vanguard would investigate her, possibly see Alice as an
accomplice. Especially if they found out that Alice had learned to control her powers and telepathy from a Rikti spy. Turning herself in, she can try to
mitigate the damage...maybe."
Ifrit frowned. "So she wasn't using Alice at all?" she asked, getting a shake of the head from Nene.
"No...I think that was her initial intent. It makes sense from what we know of her mission....but....she fell in love. Alice became her friend. Her
confidante. Her love and lover....isolated from what she thought was her true "people", living among the enemy constantly in fear of being
discovered, Inyme learned to trust Alice, at least as far as she could....Alice was the only truly friendly face that Inyme knew here. Her whole world....and
that kind of feeling can change your priorities."
Ifrit looked at her, before sighing and hanging her head, leaning against Nene again. Nene stroked her hair gently.
"I know...your first instinct was to leap to Alice's defense....just like Inyme."
"How do you do that?" Ifrit mumbled into her hair.
"Do what?"
"Just...figure it out, perfectly, just like that."
Nene chuckled ruefully. "Some of it helps by being blindingly obvious in hindsight. From there...it was just knowing Inyme. Antisocial, fiercely
protective, and head over heels in love as she was."
Ifrit nodded, trying to let the flames calm as she listened to her lover's cool logic.
"Of course, that means she's gone into full-blown martyr mode now....if her cause is worthless, and Alice is the only thing in her life she feels
worth protecting.... you're right. It's not a healthy attitude for her. Alice's the only one that I think could break her out of it, but..."
she shrugged.
"...damn it," Ifrit said, sniffling slightly. "I....all I could think about was that she hurt Alice...."
"I know. The same we 'hurt' Sammy and Alice when we make a nasty mean rule for their own good," Nene said softly. "And just like that,
Inyme's probably hurting as much or more than Alice right now."
"I know," Ifrit replied, not opening her eyes.
"And it's not your fault that you were jumping to the wrong conclusion. When you run hot, you run hot, love.
It's your nature. It's why we balance each other out so well," the redhead smiled softly, stroking the edges of the fae's wings.
Ifrit managed a bitter chuckle. "Inyme would never want to hurt her. I know it so well... but when I saw my kitten like that, when I learned why..."
"You wanted to blame something you could hurt, rather than some enormous conspiracy that may never be brought to justice."
"I...it took everything I had to hold back the fire..."
"I know," Nene whispered. "It's okay."
They didn't say anything more. They didn't need to. Ifrit remained prone against Nene for minutes...minutes which turned into hours, as Nene just
comforted her with her presence. Eventually, she felt the slow, even breathing that indicated the fae was finally asleep, and smiled haggardly.
"That'll do...." she said, looking out the window.
Now I just have to deal with the rest of the problems this's dug up...
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."