Work Text:
Ava Ire was no stranger to stress.
If it wasn’t the deadlines at work she had to put herself in to keep her head above water, figuratively, it was the remnants of the Vengess she was practically babysitting.
It was nice to be able to find a purpose, but it came with some rather glaring caveats when thought about critically.
Which was why after several months of situations that almost resulted in mental breakdowns her therapist, who was very patient with her outbursts and would have charged her double to listen, she finally got a chance for a vacation.
It was on a garden world that was famous as a tourist trap. Thankfully, this wasn’t her first time here.
In fact, she remembered coming to this verdant world full of delightful distractions when she was still a teenager. And human.
She let the umbrella over her head rest on her shoulder as she sighed.
That was so long ago. It was so many years she didn’t want to recount.
Even after her wasted youth, Titan-Fall, the formation and subsequent dissolution of the Deadly Sinners, and more, she still felt as though it were yesterday.
She frowned, whipped out the towel from her pack, put it on the sand, and stabbed the umbrella into the ground. The sun glared at her, but the umbrella was made of stronger stuff. Not to mention her one-piece swimsuit was durable enough to break any sharpened object that tried to cut it!
She was not going to let anything or anyone get in the way of her vacation, dammit!
Ava flopped onto the towel, pulled out a pair of shades from her pack, put them on and laid back with the intention of sleep. And woe to any poor fool who would wake her!
Blessed oblivion took her as she let the sounds of other tourists and vacationers pass around her. The odd look from those that passed by her every now and again was promptly ignored as Ava Ire, the Wrath, allowed herself a nap. People could tell she radiated the kind of power that could render anyone to dust, so, they all left well enough alone.
Time didn’t mean much to her these days, on account that the many and varied powerful Vengess artifacts left her a demi-god, if not close enough to a real one.
Nor did death for that matter, but she wasn’t about to split hairs.
“Ma’am,” a voice dared to jostle her awake. Considering she felt merciful, she would let it slide and returned to sleep.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” It asked again as Ava sat up, ripped off her shades, and glared at the teenage boy who was probably told to wake her.
“WHAT IS IT?!” She snarled, her skin glowed with a dangerous heat and light, she made sure not to touch anything when she got mad or else it would literally melt, and resisted the urge to burn the mustache off of the boy, who probably worked hard to make it grow that long.
The boy, overworked and underpaid if Ava would have guessed, fell to his knees, contrite. “I-I’m sorry, ma’am! But it’s evening and the beaches need to be closed for cleaning.”
Her rage forgotten for a moment, she looked to the sky and to her surprise and frustration, it was, in fact, eventide.
Well, at least losing a day’s time from a nap was better than another blood loss coma from fighting Titan Elites.
“Humph. Fine,” she allowed the boy to leave, got up, and assembled her things to go back to the hotel she had booked a room for a month a whole year ago.
The other patrons of the hotel, awash with more money than they’d ever need, were wise enough to give her a wide enough berth to return to her room. Yet, she wasn’t up for a good night’s sleep just yet.
Adorned in a jumpsuit that was once the lava silk dress she wore when she first transformed, she walked along the thoroughfare with others over the canals that checkered the city with rivers.
She allowed herself a nice deep inhale at the smell of the freshwater below her. It was a nice change from Abadon, the Vengess homeworld, which was comprised of either lava flow or extremely verdant fields as the result of said lava.
This was a city built on the water. And the people learned how to thrive in it. She almost envied them with their short and some would say turbulent lives. Yet, the sound of a gondola full of boisterous tourists changed her mind.
Yeah, she wasn’t about to complain with the new ‘life’ Wrathia gave her. It meant that she wouldn’t have to endure the absurdities of people who looked down on her. Even as The Wrath, she was often underestimated because of her height. And, of course, it would always end badly for those that did.
She was tempted to snap her fingers and cause the gondola to spontaneously combust when it suddenly capsized and sent its four riders and the gondolier into the water.
An older woman with what could have been her grandchild scoffed loudly, “that’s what you get when you show disrespect to Nervinia!”
She was joined by both laughter and agreement from several members of the crowd as the riders and gondolier climbed out of the water.
Ava paused. That name sounded familiar. She then made her way through the crowds and to the other side of the river where she accosted the old woman and child with her.
“Pardon me,” she said, aware that some habits died hard when you were in a position to demand and get anything you wanted, “but who is Nervinia?”
The woman hummed a bit at the question, but answered regardless. “She is the Patron Goddess of the Waters Deep. Many systems in this galaxy worship her as such, for she showed us mercy when Titan abandoned us to the Scavengers.”
Ava looked aside in remembrance. She knew that after Titan was gone, the Silent Scavengers had nothing to hold them back. Thankfully, Ava and the other Deadly Sinners had used their Alliance against Titan to hunt them down and wipe them away. However, she couldn’t remember doing much in this part of the universe.
Yet, she should have known better. Of course it was Nevy.
“Thank you,” she bowed briefly in respect to the woman and left without another word.
*
“Nevy!” She called into the surf as the waves crashed upon the shore. “I know you can hear me! What are you doing here?”
Ever since she got her memories back, Nevy had shown herself to be, naturally, manipulative, but also had a mischievous streak in her that Ava almost admired. Mostly because she used them to get back at Wrathia in many, small ways. After all, she got her revenge against Wrathia anyway after Titan fell and that was that.
“No need to shout, Ava,” the woman in question answered as she, literally emerged from the waters in one of her many fabulous dresses, “wherever the water wends, I am there and I can hear you.”
Ava leveled her eyes. “Uh huh. Kind of timely how you just happen to be on a world I decided to vacation on, out of all the other planets where you are worshipped as a goddess.”
Nevy smiled pleasantly. “I know. What a remarkable coincidence.”
Ava was not amused. “Right. Coincidence.”
Nevy’s smile didn’t falter. “Don’t pout, dear.”
Ava folded her arms. “I’m The Wrath, dammit. I’ll pout if I want to!”
Nevy giggled. “Oh, Ava. I’m glad to see your wit has only sharpened over the years.”
The edge in Ava’s frown faded and a smile took its place. “But really, are you really here because I’m here?”
Nevy shrugged her shoulders as she took her place beside Ava and gestured to the path that lead off of the beach and further into a park. “It can be. It can also be a coincidence. I would prefer it be both, since, our previous interactions aside, it is nice to have company that understands what you’ve been through every now and then.”
“Ah,” Ava smirked a bit, “looks like I was right.
Nevy giggled, “after a fashion. After all, I am somewhat curious why you’re here.”
“Isn't it obvious?” Ava gestured to the hotel where she stayed at, “I’m tired and I want a place where no one knows who I am and no one to bother me.”
“People here know who the Deadly Sinners are, Ava,” Nevy’s dress changed from the the koi patterns to something more deep sea as they drew near a light.
“Well, considering that I haven’t leveled the place tells me they don’t know it’s me. It’s what I do, after all,” Ava rolled her eyes as she recalled Wrathia extolling the virtues of wanton destruction of property.
“So, with that said, what prompted you to take a break from being The Wrath?” Nevy brought her to a quiet section of the park that had a better view of the sea on one side and the city on the other.
“Ironically, a season on Abadon that’s close to summer. The colonies that I helped established are given a season where the young are able to enjoy themselves and not fret so much about the future of their people.”
Nevy blinked when she realized what Ava had said. “Oh, you’ve become a mentor or sorts to young Vengess?”
Ava folded her arms and tilted her head to the side. “Sort of. After Titan-Fall, I came upon a bunch of orphaned Vengess Titan was going to use as lab experiments. We were lucky we found them in time.
“And Wrathia’s child?”
Ava snorted. “That little monster takes after her mom in every way. At least she has the decency to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and mean it.”
Nevy started to laugh. “Oh dear, bad enough you endured the war, now you have to be a parent on top of that?”
“Thankfully, I’m not the only mentor and I was able to find a few historians who were able to take over for me while I took a break,” Ava paused a second before she cocked an eye in curiosity, “how about yourself? I mean, I thought you and Wrathia had a falling out. I half expected you to gather all the remaining Covetess to wipe Abadon out.”
Nevy smiled pleasantly as her dressed took on the pattern of an orca. “Wrathia is dead, dear. And her kingdom is a forgotten memory. I’m not that petty.”
Ava opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Especially when she remembered when they first met. Ava was not in the mood to have another mental tidal wave that left her discombobulated for longer than she wanted to admit.
“Besides, the Covetess have thrived without me. And it’d be better were I to simply work from behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly. I felt I deserved a respite as well,” she stated matter of factly as her dress changed back to that of a koi.
Ava gave her a tired smile. “Well, it looks like you got your life in order.”
Nevy tittered lightly. “Such as it is, anyway.”
Ava turned to hear the beginnings of a party near where they were and was tempted to join. She had enough time ‘alone’ and if given the chance, perhaps a bit of solitude in the middle of a crowd was in order.
Nevertheless, Nevy had been good enough to her to warrant an invitation. “Want to join me? I’ve gotten used to and found some amusement watching people get drunk and making fools of themselves.”
“Thank you, but I must decline,” her cheery demeanor faded somewhat, “I’ve seen more than my fair share of revelries.”
Ava nodded. “Fair enough. If we do meet again, Nevy, I’d like to talk some more.”
“Why wait?” Nevy was genuinely curious as she tilted her head.
“Because it’s come to the point where I know how much emotional and mental endurance I have to speak with people before I need to take a breath and process what I’ve experienced. It’s helped me keep my temper even.”
“Ah. That is a valid reason,” Nevy turned back to the path where they came from, “if you’d like, you’re more than welcome to summon me from this beach if you wish to talk more.”
Ava blinked. “Even if you’re halfway across the galaxy?”
Nevy gave her a cryptic smile. “The Endless Sea of Stars do not operate in real space time the way most things do.”
“Oh, that again,” Ava rolled her eyes, “I’ll take your word on it.”
“Until then, Ava,” she then walked, or floated, back to the sea and left Ava alone.
Ava, then, took off to the party.
*
There was still a half hour or so before dawn broke and Ava found herself restless on her bed.
Alone.
She was half tempted to take up a Florani girl’s invitation to join her, however, the poor thing was too inebriated to make it there without help. Regardless, Ava still found the idea of anyone being intimate with her to be rather off-putting. She liked her solitude, thank you very much.
So, she left what could have been a nice night with someone, temporary as it could have been, and let the air conditioner embrace her instead. She could have snuck into the food storage’s freezing unit if she was so inclined, but that would have been not worth the hassle.
She tossed off her sheets, got dressed back in her jumpsuit, and padded out of her room and out of the building.
Thankfully, only the concierge, the desk manager, and the occasional housekeeper were up and were more concerned with other things. She was able to acquire a pair of bottles of beverages made from local fruits, though she regret not buying them elsewhere, since they seemed more expensive than necessary.
The cloud cover was nice enough, though, it would still let the sun peek through the horizon once dawn arrived. She would have normally gotten the odd look here and there for walking barefoot on the rock path. They didn’t know, or didn’t care, that she could very well melt them if she was so inclined. Such was her lot.
While the number of water bodies on Abadon were few and far in between, Ava relished and coveted them. She enjoyed the feeling of the sand between her toes and this world’s sand’s natural softness. The salt water in the breeze left her breath content and satisfied.
She was only a few feet from where the surf reached its furthest on the beach when she cupped her hands and called, “Nevy! Do you have a minute?”
Once again, Nevy emerged from the water, in the same dress when she saw her last.
“Of course,” she trod through the waves and onto the sand right next to Ava as the sun peeked out from the distance, “is something the matter?”
“Well,” Ava folded her arms and sat on the sand, “yes and no. Do you mind if I ask you something?”
Nevy was confused, but nodded as she joined Ava. “Not at all.”
“Well,” Ava was sure she had rehearsed this before, “but, when you mentioned your life as it is, it reminded me of the pact Wrathia and I made.”
“Ah, yes,:” Nevy held her hands together, “the ‘new life’ you wanted without her.”
Ava snorted. “It is, in a twisted sense,” she looked up to Nevy, “did she ever do that to you? Like, say something then used some kind of doublespeak to justify her awful behavior?”
Nevy turned somber. “Yes,” she closed her eyes, “when we were an item, she made many promises to me when we were young. Perhaps, in my naivety, I didn’t see her as the kind that would lie outright. And she did love me… for a time.”
Ava folded her arms. “Why was she so horrible?”
“Who knows,” Nevy shrugged, “whatever change she underwent when she grew up to become the woman that tormented both of us, seemed to show who she really was.”
Ava was silent a moment. “Were you ever able to move past it?”
“While it was somewhat disappointing that I didn’t get to do her in myself, I did appreciate the irony of she and Titan finishing each other off,” her smile was obvious.
“Huh, you too?” Ava cocked an eyebrow, “I mean, I don’t hold the fact she was awful to me against her kid or her people. Though, I do make sure she was not worthy of the worship from those who want to claim her as inspiration or whatever.”
Nevy’s smile turned pleasant again and she reached for Ava’s hand. When she held it gingerly, she said, “I suppose it is perhaps for the best for both of us that she is gone and can no longer hurt anyone.”
“I’ll drink to that,” she handed Nevy one of the bottles and opened her own.
“Now, may I ask a question?” Nevy opened her drink, though she did not require the same need for sustenance Ava did.
Ava took a swig. “Go for it.”
“Is the life you have now acceptable? I mean, your wish from the pact and everything,” Nevy sipped hers tentatively.
Ava paused a moment, stared at the horizon as the sun peeked out between a few more clouds briefly. “Yeah. It’s not the best, but considering I was only fifteen at the time and didn’t know what I really wanted, this is not a bad set up. Wrathia’s kid would violently murder anyone that talked bad about me, the people in the Vengess colonies on Abadon consider me one of their own, and, at the risk of sounding redundant, Wrathia is dead and gone.”
Nevy smiled as she sipped her drink again. “I see you’ve learned how to deal with disappointment.”
“Not exactly,” Ava protested with the index finger of her free hand before she took another drink, “it’s not so much dealing with disappointment as it is appreciating what you have and being content with that. If good fortune comes your way; great. If not, then you’ve lost nothing.”
“That’s assuming something comes along to take what you have,” Nevy looked out to the sea, pensive, “time has a habit of doing that.”
Ava shrugged and took another drink. “Fair enough. But that’s why I don’t let myself get too attached. Everyone and everything has its own story. More importantly, it’s not about me anymore and I can live with that.”
Nevy chuckled at Ava’s nonchalance and swirled her drink. “Will you like to make a toast with what we have left?”
Ava blinked at looked at the last portion in the bottle through the top and realized her error. “Oh, um. Well, yeah, we can do it anyway.”
Nevy smiled and held up her bottle. “To Wrathia. The worst there ever was.”
Ava snorted and raised her own. “To Wrathia. Good bye and good fucking riddance.”
Their bottles clinked, their drinks completed, and as the morning sun began to burn the fog, Nevy stood. “I suppose it’s time I depart. After all, you have a vacation to get to.”
Ava guffawed a second before she got up. “That’s right, a whole lot of nothing to do.”
Nevy chuckled in amusement. “You know,” her eyes grew narrow and glinted with mischief, “there is a settlement on another world not far from here where, if one was so inclined, would not be bothered by anyone. It’s perfect for those that hate crowds.”
Ava hummed a moment. “I’ll think about it. If I change my mind, I know where to find you.”
Nevy nodded. “That you do,” she began to walk to the sea.
“Nevy,” Ava called to her before she stepped into the waves.
“Yes?”
Ava smiled brightly. “Thank you.”
Nevy returned the gesture. “You’re most welcome.”
By herself, Ava regarded her situation with her hands in the pockets of her jumpsuit as a morning breeze whipped through her hair.
This life, imperfect as it was, wasn’t so bad. It made her almost want to thank Wrathia for it.
Almost.