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Salt and Sulfur (MessedupRp x Skeith Takahata II)

Inside was s mess of pipes and tubes. Charlotte was met by two salt mages standing on a landing above her. Below her, two shapes came to creation, golems of twisted metal following the motions of the two mages. Meanwhile, four more guards with shotguns and thick body armor entered the fray of the room.
 
Charlotte looked up in surprise when two salt mages appeared. She watched the golems form followed by the extra guards. "That's more like it. I was worried that She wasn't taking me seriously." She reached into her bag as the enemies came into formation. She pulled two grenades from her bag, with a flick of her fingers, the pins came free. She held the grenades up in her hands, a manic grin on her face. If she was struck they would fall and when they fell they would go off.

"Are you listening!?" She shouted. Her voice echoing around the space. "Ready or not, here I come!" She dropped the grenades before firing the grapple cable up towards the salt mages. Her free hand aimed with her wrist cannon, firing in their direction. She leaped free of the cable, landing on their level and continued running as the grenades went off below. With a toss, she lobbed another grenade back towards the mages just in case. She giggled darkly as she kept running. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!"
 
Charlotte entered a corridor, the door sealing behind her. A chuckle emanated from all around her at once. It seemed to come from veery direction at once, as Dalia spoke. "Come and find me... It's a game... Hide and Seek... You like that don't you? Hide and seek?" She chuckled. Down one hall was a light.
 
Charlotte raised her gauntlets as she entered the corridor. As the doors lid shut, she spun to face it. Then came Dalia's voice. She looked up at the ceiling. Her smile fell away at her words. How did she know about Hide and Seek? That was between her and her parents. She looked around spotting the light. She walked forward towards the light, cautiously she kept her arms raised. As she drew closer to the light, she grew more nervous, but she did her best not to show it.
 
As Charlotte walked through the door, she felt a sharp pain in her head and passed out. She came to tied to a chair, facing Maria similarly tied in a chair. Dalia walked around the two with a grin, her robed friend walking with her. "Well Isn't this nice... I always wanted to meet the girl those two talked about. Two prisoners, they always talked about their daughter. Hide and seek... I can bring you back to them... Reunite you all again. All you have to do is relinquish my Maria back to me."
 
When Charlotte came to, she looked up in shock. Her eyes fell first on Maria before she heard Dalia's voice. She grit her teeth angrily. She struggled against her bonds until she heard her talk about prisoners. She stopped moving, wide-eyed and in shock. She looked down to find that all of her equipment was missing and panicked She started rocking the chair again, fighting her bonds. "FLOPSY! WHERE IS FLOPSY!? YOU BITCH!" She roared, struggling to get free. "Don't lie to me! Mum and Dad aren't here! I won't let you have Maria!"
 
Dalia shrugged and pressed a button on the wall, the door in the back opening to the air. "Well then... I guess that nobody will have Maria then... So how about you all go out together." She smiled and held up the stuffed rabbit, which she quickly clipped onto Charlotte's belt. "Just like I did to your mother Maria... Only now you both can go"

She pulled Maria from.the chair and then Charlotte, pulling each girl to the edge before smiling. "Have a nice trip down." She trust her hands forward and threw both of them.out of the zeppelin.
 
As Maria and Charlotte were thrown out from the airship, Charlotte struggled against her bonds. With a little effort, she popped her shoulder out of socket, swinging her arms around in front of her. "Maria!" She shouted, drifting closer to her. She threw her arms around her, holding on to her tight. "Don't worry! We're not alone!" She looked around desperately for the metal eagle. "I hope..."
 
Maria struggled and squirmed, thrashing in her binds until she got an hand free and grabbed hold of Charlotte's. "Charlotte... If we die right now... I'm.sorry I could never go through on my promise, but I'll be glad I can die with you." She kissed her as they fell, hitting the ground was different than she expected. It felt more metallic and less death-y.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked back at Charlotte. It took her a second to realize they were not only both alive but currently on the back of a giant metal bird.
 
Charlotte kissed her back as they fell, but it was cut short by the impact. She opened her eyes, pleased that the bird remained to help. She placed her hands and feet where necessary to be trapped in place, keeping Maria pinned underneath her and safe. Her face didn't show her previous enjoyment. She breathed out heavy sigh. "Back to the house, please? Back to the others."

She looked down at Maria, speaking softly. "The elf lady and Saran are safe. I brought them somewhere no one would look to find me. Not even you." She looked forward again, waiting for the bird to take them back.
 
Maria smiled softly. "Charlotte I'm sorry... But I couldn't stand letting you get hurt because of me. I didn't know she was here." She sighed and leaned into Charlotte. "You came back for me Charlotte... I Don't know how to thank you"
 
"Of course I came for you. I promised I would." She pressed her lips against Maria's forehead gently. As the bird finally landed, and her arms and legs were released, she slid free from it. With a grunt she reinserted her shoulder. "We'll be safe here for now. Dalia will be able to find you at your apartment and at my hideout. No one would look here. Ever." She paused, eying the name plate again before entering.

Charlotte didn't say anything as she entered the house. It was even more meaningful after this encounter. Dalia said she had her parents. "How did she know about hide and seek?" She slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor. She pushed the door open to her old bedroom, mostly picked clean by looters. She looked around the room before slumping in the corner, cuddling Flopsy close. She closed her eyes, crying softly.
 
Maria slumped down next to her, hands around her shoulders. "Don't cry Charlotte. It's okay, you're okay. She noted the sounds she had sustained in the fight and nodded to herself. "You need to treat your wounds. Let me help you." She smiled softly and helped Charlotte to her feet.
 
Begrudgingly and still crying, Charlotte hiked her shirt up over her head. She still bore bullet wounds from their initial escape, much less any injuries obtained in trying to rescue Maria. "It's not okay though." She turned away so that her wounds were visible. "It's a game. You like Hide and Seek don't you?" She dropped her head into her hands after repeating Dalia. "She knew all about it. She really does have them doesn't she?"

"I want them back!" She shouted through her tears, pulling Flopsy tightly against her chest.
 
Maria silently checked her wounds, luckily nothing had gotten lodged inside her body. So she only needed to bandage the few grazes and cuts she had before she sat next to her and wrapped her arms around Charlotte. "Hey... Don't worry... No matter where they are, I'm.going to help you find them. We'll do whatever it rakes to get your parents back."
 
Charlotte clung tighter to Flopsy as Maria finished speaking. She shook her head quickly, still sobbing. "What if she gets you again? I can't let her hurt you." Charlotte used one of Flopsy's ears to try to dry her eyes. "Th-the Elf lady and Saran are still here." Her voice a near whimper. "I... I didn't know what else to do so I brought them here. I don't know what to do now. But they're probably confused. Shouldn't you talk to them?"
 
Maria shook her head and pulled Charlotte into her arms, drying her tears softly. "No no no... I'm.not worried about her... I'm not worried about them because I know you have my back. Dammit, you stormed an airship single-handedly and risked your life several times to save me. I love you Charlotte and... I trust you." She looked Charlotte in the eye and gave her a soft kiss. "We'll be a family again real soon... All of us."

Behind Charlotte was the slowly setting sun. Standing in front of the sun was Maria's mother. She didn't speak this time, just nodded her silent approval and disappeared.
 
Charlotte looked up at Maria after she dried her tears. She smiled sadly, the perfect picture of a miserable child. When she was kissed again, she returned it softly before leaning into her. "I... I love you too. I just don't want to lose you too." She shook her head as she nestled into her.

"There are blankets and food here. We should get the others and find somewhere warm before it gets cold. The old wood stove is in the basement." She looked up at Maria. "I'm so tired, but the others need us too."
 
Maria shook her head and led Charlotte inside, "They'll be fine. You need to rest for now, I'll worry about that in the morning." She led Charlotte upstairs to one of the bedrooms, a bed left mostly untouched by nature and age. Maria smiled softly and pulled the cover back, setting Charlotte down. "Go to sleep... Tomorrow we'll start our new mission, to find your parents."
 
Charlotte looked around at the room she was led to. Her breath caught when she realized it was her parents old room. She looked at the bed, flashing back to being a child sleeping between them when the gunfire was closest. Back when rebellion was about open fighting and not about skulking about. She laid in the bed again, finding her old place in the middle of the mattress, even without her parents on either side. She hugged Flopsy close, looking up at Maria. She smiled sadly, nodding a little. "Where are you sleeping?" She asked, clearly hopeful.
 
Maria smiled and undressed, slipping into bed right beside Charlotte, she wrapped her arms around the arsonist who had formerly been her arch nemesis, as she pulled Charlotte close and intertwined their fingers, she realized something. Charlotte had committed crime, hoping that Maria would chase her, and maybe Maria chased her for the sane reason. She was secretly hoping someday Charlotte would stop running.

She pressed her lips to Charlotte's head and softly whispered, "I love you Charlotte." Before drifting to sleep.
 
That morning Charlotte woke slowly. Her eyes opening as she tiredly looked around the room. Seeing Maria near her, their hands still locked. She smiled a little before biting her lip. She leaned in, pressing her lips against Maria's forehead in a gentle kiss before sliding free from the sheets. She looked down at her. She thought back to the night before and everything she had seen, but her mind continued to be bombarded by images brought about by the house and the encounter with Dalia.

Thousands of voices whispered, bombarding her warped mind as she tried to formulate some kind of plan or make sense of the circumstances. As quietly as possibly she dressed. She knew three things for certain. The first, Maria was a detective and she was a criminal. One of the most wanted criminals in the city. Maria was sane. Charlotte was not. Lastly there was no way she could rightly drag Maria with her to pursue the woman who had caused her so much pain.

She exited the room after giving one last look to Maria. "I'm so sorry. I can't let her hurt you." She whispered. "I love you." She turned from the room then, heading downstairs to the ground floor. She looked around for the other women briefly before leaving the house with Flopsy belted in place. "Just you and me again, Flopsy." She said, looking back at the house. She shook her head. "Of course I'm sure! What would I do if she got hurt again or died?" She sighed before sprinting off back into the city.
 
Maria woke up to an empty bed. She looked around a bit, groggy in her sleepy haze. "Charlotte?" She searched the house, top to bottom. Only finding the two women, and all of her things gone. It was then that she fell to her knees and cried. She bawled and sept on the dirty floor, everything she cared about was gone from her, all that was left was this dirty house.

Soon she could no longer cry, there were no more tears. So she just sat against a wall and stared out through a window into the city. Soon she stood up, slid her boots on, picked up her meager belonging and left the house. She looked to her right, out onto the vast ocean. For once since meeting Charlotte formally, she felt a lump in her right pocket, her police badge. She stared at the small piece of metal for several seconds until she held up her hand and cast it into the water, watching it fall until she heard a soft plop.

She turned toward he city and walked, softly repeating to herself, almost like a hymn. "We'll be a family... All of us..."

—End of Part 1—
 
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