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Something was wrong.
He could tell, though the rain was no heavier than it had been all week, and he'd received no word, that there was something wrong.
This was confirmed when he entered the shop and Lorelai didn't even bother to look him in the eyes as he passed to the hideout.
And then, when he was inside the place proper, Tarquin looked up at him apprehensively. That in and of itself wasn't an issue, it was the leery nature of it. The way he seemed less worried for him and more of his reaction.
“Ashur…” His right-hand man began, then motioned to Ashur's desk. He stop-started, rubbing at his chin nervously. “You should sit.”
Ashur raised an eyebrow. It wasn't unusual for Tarquin to keep an eye on patrols, or missions happening outside of Minrathous, but for him to insist he take a seat meant that it was likely a whole team had been wiped out.
“Which team?”
“Just sit.”
That didn't bode well, at all. Ashur cautiously moved to sit at his desk, staring at Tarquin with slight suspicion, while the man in question refused to look him in the eyes.
“There, I'm seated. Now I repeat, which team?”
“No team.” Tarquin insisted.
The fact he wouldn't meet Ashur's eyes told him that it was…
“What did Pandora do this time?”
Pandora Deus, his beloved, was not patient, or a team-player, or anything that could be considered cooperative. He'd hoped sending her off to cool after their last fight would soften her so they could actually talk, but it would appear that was the wrong move.
Then, Tarquin wordlessly unballed his fist and placed something on his desk. Leaning over to inspect it, Ashur froze. It was her bracelet. Her favorite one. One that he had bought her, the one she had kept hidden, such was the nature of their relationship, but he knew she treasured it.
It was burnt, charred, and the small gemstones tarnished with smoke and ash. A fire?
“Is she that mad at me?” Ashur tried to remain even-keel. He was in denial, his heart racing, but he kept it together. There was no possible way.
“Ashur-”
“Don't. Where is she?” He couldn't help it, his voice raised slightly.
Tarquin looked at him with pity, clearly struggling to even voice the words. “This was all they recovered…”
His jaw locked, twitching slightly as he ground his teeth against each other. All they recovered. All they recovered .
“When and how?” He asked monotonously.
Tarquin sighed, though he looked concerned at Ashur's lack of reaction. “In the field. They were extracting a red lyrium artifact, and it started to destabilize. Venatori attacked while they were working on disarming it, and it…exploded. There was a fire, everyone else made it out, but when they realized she wasn't with them, they went back and…that's all they found. No trace of a body, it was probably…” He paused. “They believe it was vaporized.”
Nothing. He could hear nothing but the blood pumping in his ears. A myriad of reactions ran through his mind. Anger at the team for leaving her behind. Disbelief at the fact that she'd let it happen. And finally soul-crushing silent despair.
Pandora was gone.
His flighty, headstrong, frustrating but at the same time, kind, soft, and perfect Pandora. They hadn't had the most smooth relationship, but he savored every moment with her nonetheless.
He started to pace, he couldn't help it, there was a weight crushing his chest that he couldn't relieve.
“And the recovery team actually looked ? She didn't get knocked back by a shockwave, an explosion, anything ?” He was deep in denial, he knew that. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that she would let this happen. She was reckless, yes. But she had never been dumb, she knew how to block, she would never let something like a fire take her.
Tarquin shook his head morosely. “They checked up and down, Ashur.” Ashur could barely stop it, a humorless chuckle escaped his lips, which startled Tarquin. “You're laughing ?”
Ashur's eyes were transfixed on the bracelet, as if he were trying to find some sort of reality where this wasn't true. Its presence taunted him. Why would it be left behind, of everything? If she were vaporized…
“Who was leading this mission, again?”
Tarquin, baffled, leaned back. “Pasiphus.”
Ashur felt a lump form in his throat. “Pasiphus never liked Pandora.” He said quietly. He hadn't even thought of who was leading the mission when he sent her off, just that it was outside the city, away from the hustle and bustle and away from him.
“Are you accusing him?” Tarquin stood to his feet as well, staring at him with apprehension. “I know this is a tragedy, but you can't-”
“I am accusing no one.” Ashur quickly replied, raising the bracelet and motioning it in front of Tarquin's face. “I am merely suggesting that Pasiphus did not look as thoroughly as he says he did. If Pandora was vaporized…how did the bracelet remain?”
Tarquin took a small breath. His eyes were dawning slowly with a realization as he understood Ashur's words. “You think he lies?”
“I think he misinterprets the truth.” A clarification.
His right hand man let out a burdened groan. “You don't mean to say you will arrange a search party?”
“Why not? If she was vaporized, nothing would remain. Especially not a recognizable piece of jewelry.” He turned the bracelet over, catching sight of the inscription on the inside of the band, a declaration in native tevene. His heart clenched.
“Must you see her body with your own eyes to confirm?!”
“Yes.”
“It will only hurt more.”
He stuffed the bracelet in his pocket. “Until I see it, I cannot declare her gone. Until I view her death rites, her cremation, with my very own eyes, I will refuse.”
“Ashur…”
He shook his head. “Ready a team, please. Keep an eye on the blast site, make sure the relic shards are disposed of, check the surrounding area. Make it discreet, quiet as you can.” He looked away. “I cannot go myself, but I want to know exactly what they saw, where they looked, what they did.”
“Venatori are likely still in the area. The team we send would be at risk.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ashur of course knew he was right. There was no way the site was safe enough to return to at this moment.
He turned and stared at the hideout, all eyes on him. He had to remain calm, he was their leader, their beacon. He couldn't be foolish, and act recklessly.
“Very well. I will wait, but do not assume I wait idly. I want every single scrap of information related to this mission brought to me. Witness statements, the artifact, if anything remains of it. The names of the Venatori, if you can get them.” He commanded quietly.
Tarquin nodded solemnly. “I can do that. And Pasiphus's team, surely you don't intend to punish them?”
“No…but I want Pasiphus under observation, quietly. If he's truly innocent, he has nothing to fear, but if he had something to do with this…”
That seed of suspicion gnawed at him, growing slowly. A bracelet surviving a supposed vaporization, the Venatori knowing exactly when they would show up, the fire. It was all too convenient.
Tarquin nodded, standing. “Very well. I'll take care of it.”
Ashur already knows the waiting will be torture, the scrounging for scraps of information is not new to him. But this was different. If there was even the slightest hint of a chance that Pandora was alive, that she had survived, then he would take it.
Unanswered questions and haunting possibilities. The pieces didn't fit together cleanly. But he owed Pandora more than rash action. She was owed the truth, whether the truth would shatter him or not.