Chapter Text
Beatrice walked up to the impressive, old building, the ornate gate open at this moment, leading into a spacious courtyard. She had heard a lot about Cat's Cradle even before she had started researching it because she was about to be transferred here. With it being the largest outpost of the OCS in Spain, it was talked about often. Beatrice had been eager for the transfer, to get away from London and her parents' influence.
They had been scandalized when Beatrice had joined the Office for Creatures and the Supernatural after finishing university. They already had been against her studying history and literature, but back then, Beatrice had finally, for the first time in her life, stood her ground against them. She was reasonably sure that they only acquiesced because they assumed that she would still follow in their footsteps and become a politician. When that didn't happen, when she instead insisted on becoming what they called a 'glorified monster hunter' (even though that very much did not do her job in the OCS justice), the relationship between them had turned even worse than it had been before.
The last three years had been hard for Beatrice, with first the training and then moving her way up the ranks of the OCS fast, trying to prove herself, if not to her parents, then to herself. She had impressed her trainers, her co-workers and herself. But of course, not her parents. They were about to disown her and Beatrice had decided to remove herself from their presence completely, asking for a transfer somewhere else.
It was not usual for novices to be transferred in the first five years of working for the OCS, but Beatrice had impressed everyone so much that they made an exception for her. She just hoped that the new station would grant her the freedom and peace she was craving. Not to mention some adventure, which she certainly would not say no to. She had spoken to the director of the Cat's Cradle, Suzanne Superion and while she had been reserved and stern, she had also welcomed Beatrice and had seemed genuinely happy to have her in her team.
Though obviously, Beatrice had no idea if that was true for everyone else here. She had researched a little after she had gotten the position, knowing that the two head investigators were Mary Turner and Shannon Masters, who had an impressive track record between the two of them, both having worked for the OCS for many years. Beatrice only hoped that they would accept her, even when she still had relatively little experience.
She truly wanted to learn from them, to understand what it took to liaise between supernatural creatures and humans, as per the OCS mandate. It often meant to just provide support to those who could blend in with humans as well as those who didn't want to, who formed their own communities. Vampires, werewolves, fairies and so many more. Some of them, Beatrice had known about before, some had been new to her but she was fascinated by all of them.
That was why she had chosen to join the OCS in the first place (or at least that was what she told herself when she didn't feel self reflective enough to think about the real reason), because she wanted to learn about everything and everyone that was out there, the variety evolution had created. Sometimes, that meant brokering peace and sometimes, unfortunately, it also meant to put down those creatures who were violent, who were attacking humans like wild animals would. The OCS tried to provide habitats for those who fed off humans, tried to give them alternatives whenever possible.
As such, they weren't the monster hunters as which they often got portrayed in the media. Sure, sometimes their jobs involved hunting a violent creature down but generally it was a lot more mundane and required finesse and diplomacy rather than brute strength. Not that Beatrice didn't have the latter, she held black belts in several martial arts and could hold her own with a variety of weapons. But she also prided herself in her skills to negotiate and to understand what someone else needed.
Walking through the courtyard, admiring the sturdy, castle like building, Beatrice thought about how much she looked forward to working with the creatures who fell under their jurisdiction here in Andalusia. She was taken out of her musings by a guard who asked her name and then escorted her to Director Superion's office. There, three people were waiting for her.
Director Superion was sitting behind her desk and greeted Beatrice with a simple nod of her head, dismissing the guard. Beatrice smiled at Director Superion, walking into the room and coming to a stop right by the other two people, who were standing in front of the desk.
There was a little tense moment, but then one of the people stepped towards Beatrice and held out her hand. Beatrice shook it.
"Beatrice Young I presume." Beatrice nodded. "I'm Shannon, this is Mary." Shannon indicated the other woman with her head, who didn't seem inclined to shake Beatrice's hand, just mustering her with a faint scowl. Shannon didn't seem fazed by it, just keeping her smile. "It's great to have you onboard."
Mary scoffed and raised her eyebrows, earning a side eye from Shannon. Beatrice made a mental note that Mary was the one to convince of her having earned her position here. She smiled brightly at both Shannon and her.
"Thank you. I'm looking forward to working with you," Beatrice said, trying to put as much sincerity in her tone as she could.
Mary scoffed again but before she could say anything, Director Superion cleared her throat and they all turned to her.
"Good. Shannon will show you to your room. Do you need any help with your things?" the director asked and Beatrice shook her head.
"No, thank you. I don't own much, it is all in my car and I will get it myself. Right now I mostly need to get my cat." Beatrice could see that Mary's face softened infinitesimal. Interesting.
"You have a cat?" Mary asked, her tone brusque but not harsh. Beatrice nodded and smiled softly.
"Yes, her name is Astra. She was doing very well on the drive here, but I'd like to get her out now and to our room, so she can get acclimated, if that's alright," Beatrice said, hoping that it wasn't overstepping.
With the way Director Superion gave her a small half smile and a nod, Shannon smiled brightly and even Mary's expression softened a little, Beatrice assumed her caring for her cat had been received well. Shannon now shared a look with Director Superion and then stepped towards Beatrice.
"Well, then, let's get poor Astra out of there, shall we? Mary and I have a dog ourselves, but we've always been thinking of getting a cat too," Shannon said, jovially, already walking towards the door.
The walk to Beatrice's quarters was filled with talking about pets. Beatrice learned that Mary and Shannon had a Labrador Retriever mix called Copper, who helped them on cases but also was all around a good boy, according to Mary, who had thawed significantly talking about Copper. In the end, they stopped only for a short look into Beatrice's room but immediately continued to her car to free Astra.
It was adorable to see Mary coo over her cat but also scowl every time Beatrice looked at her, trying very much to maintain the tough exterior. Still, Beatrice was glad that she had found a common ground that quickly and with both Shannon and Mary on her side and Director Superion, who had asked Beatrice to call her Suzanne on their first official meeting, being very supportive, Beatrice soon settled into life at the Cradle.
Especially when Copper and Astra's first meeting went very well, both of them immediately becoming inseparable. Mary and Shannon were amused by Copper fussing over the little tabby cat who was about one fourth his size but bossing him around since minute one like she had known him forever. It certainly bought Beatrice more points with them, making them more willing to help her learn everything she needed to know about her new responsibilities.
There were many supernatural creatures living in the part of Spain that the Cat's Cradle had jurisdiction over as main OCS station in the area. From selkies and mermaids at the coast to werewolves and centaurs in the mountains and forests, there were many creatures here that Beatrice was quite familiar with as well as those she had barely heard of but was excited to learn more about.
About a week into her stay, when she had already settled in, feeling like she had adjusted well to the life here, Beatrice was called into an emergency meeting in Director Superion's office, earlier in the morning than usual. When she got there, Mary and Shannon were already waiting, sitting in the chairs in front of Suzanne's desk. Beatrice smiled when she entered but stopped in her tracks, frowning. The atmosphere was more sombre than she had ever experienced here, with both Mary and Shannon looking deeply concerned and even Suzanne showing some cracks in her usually composed and stern expression.
"Beatrice, good that you're here," Director Superion said, more emotions in her voice than Beatrice had ever heard before, tears shining in her eyes. Beatrice was starting to get a little scared. "There has been an accident in one of our outposts. Possibly multiple casualties." She said it matter of factly but the emotions were still there and both Mary and Shannon winced when she said the last word. "I need you to go with Mary and Shannon's team to assess. We don't know what exactly happened and I want all eyes on this."
Mary abruptly got up and walked towards Beatrice, looking more distraught but also angrier than she had seen her before.
"Come on, rookie, time to show us what you're made of." Mary looked at Beatrice with a challenging expression, her brows scrunched together in anger.
Not wanting to provoke her more, Beatrice simply nodded and stepped out of her way, ready to follow her. Mary glared at her for a moment and then scoffed and stormed outside. Beatrice wasn't sure whether she should count that as a win or not, looking at Mary's retreating form when she heard a chuckle next to her. She turned to see Shannon, who was smiling even though it seemed sad, strained.
"It's not you, don't worry. Let's go, I'll fill you in on the way," Shannon said, a lot softer than Mary, but her voice also brimming with emotion. Beatrice nodded again and followed her outside.
Together with a team, they filed into two vans, Mary driving one of them. Beatrice and Shannon were sitting in the back with Copper and two other OCS members. Shannon told Beatrice that they were driving into the mountains, to the territory of Reya's kin. Beatrice had heard of them, but never encountered one of them, as they usually tended to keep to themselves. But she knew that there were two OCS members stationed right by the border to their territory, Areala Cordoba and Ava Silva.
And now, apparently, there had been some kind of incident in their cabin and it was assumed that both of them were dead. Shannon's voice went quieter when she told Beatrice that it was hard for both her and Mary because they knew both Areala and Ava very well. Especially since Ava was still so young and her history had been riddled with difficulties. In a low voice, Shannon told Beatrice all about it, hastily, so she would be up to speed once they were at their destination.
Ava had been paralyzed in an accident at seven years old and had been brought up in an orphanage, barely ever leaving her bed. But then when she was sixteen, Doctor Jillian Salvius had found Ava, and offered her an experimental surgery, embedding a magical object in Ava's back, the Halo. And later, adopting Ava. Beatrice of course knew Doctor Salvius, if only by name. Still, her eyes went wide when Shannon mentioned her, as Beatrice heard of her mostly as the foremost expert for trying to blend magic and modern technology.
As Shannon told Beatrice, after several surgeries, Ava had been able to move again with the Halo's help and had decided to join the OCS, to help with her adoptive mother's cause. She had been stationed with Areala, a seasoned agent who had been working with the OCS for many years and was an old friend of Suzanne's. Which Beatrice realized explained Suzanne's emotional state.
Shannon said there was still some hope that it had been a mistake or a misunderstanding but once they closed in on the cabin, which was only accessible via a very precarious dirt road, that hope was dashed nearly instantaneously. Beatrice heard Mary gasp and looking out of the window of the van she saw immediately why. A car stood in front of what had clearly been a cabin at some point but was now just a ruin.
The van stopped close to the car, which was the only thing that wasn't affected by whatever had happened here. Getting out, Beatrice felt dread come over her at imagining what could have happened here to make the cabin look like that. And even more so thinking about what it would have been like to be inside when it happened.
At Shannon's side, Copper whimpered when he saw the ruin, his tail between his legs. But of course, he still did his job, dutifully walking with Shannon, who was holding his leash, and sniffing for dangers, for anything that should not be there. Mary had followed them out of the van a little slower, cursing under her breath. The other OCS members also trailed after them. When they got closer to the cabin, a woman with an ornate white mask covering the upper half of her face and a demanding, arrogant posture came around one side of it, nodding towards them.
"Thank you for coming," the woman, who was wearing white robes that made her appear quite regal, said, her tone as commanding as her exterior. Mary scoffed.
"Yeah, sure, of course we came, that's our people that were in there, when… whatever happened, happened." Mary's tone was scathing but Beatrice already knew her well enough to hear that there was an undercurrent of pain in it. Shannon looked at Mary a little warningly but mostly sympathetic and nodded towards the woman, who now looked at Beatrice questioningly, holding out her hand.
"I don't believe we have met. I am Reya, these are my mountains."
Mary scoffed again, but Beatrice knew the importance of being diplomatic, so she smiled at Reya, shaking her hand. Reya's handshake was firm and strong and Beatrice matched it, earning herself an approving nod.
"I'm Beatrice Young, I have just been transferred here," Beatrice said, trying to keep her tone even. Reya smiled, albeit very little, nodding solemnly.
"Ah yes, the prodigy. I've heard of you."
Beatrice could see that Mary was getting impatient. She stepped forward, closer towards Reya.
"What the hell happened here? Was this one of yours?" Mary asked, again earning a stern look from Shannon but not looking at her, her eyes fixed on Reya, who barely reacted, still keeping the smile on her face.
"I do not think I need to grace this with an answer. I will let you get on with your investigation." Reya finally looked directly at Mary. "I do hope you find whoever is responsible. Good luck."
With that, the air around her shimmered golden and she disappeared. Beatrice looked at the spot where she had been wide eyed, not having expected that. Mary chuckled darkly, walking past Beatrice and clapping a hand on her shoulder, a little too hard, but Beatrice wasn't about to complain.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Mary gave Beatrice a poignant look and then reluctantly walked closer to the cabin, Shannon and Copper following her. Beatrice took a deep breath and followed them too, bracing herself.
Inside the cabin, there was carnage. The roof was blasted away completely, leaving debris everywhere. Most walls were still standing, but bearing signs of destruction. Whatever happened here had left just enough behind to make Beatrice's stomach turn. Copper whimpered even more, pawing at the ground in one corner of the cabin's main room, then walking to another and pawing on the ground there too.
"Oh, god," Shannon murmured under her breath when she followed Copper and looked at what it was he was pawing at. Beatrice hesitantly followed, not encouraged by the way Shannon put her hand over her mouth and Mary's swearing completely stopped, instead she had retreated a few steps, staying deadly silent and leaning on the wall looking like she was about to pass out, breathing heavily.
Not particularly wanting to look at whatever it was, Beatrice still knew she had to, steeling herself for what she would see. It wasn't like these would be the first dead bodies she would see, not even the first dead bodies in horrible conditions. But even then, what she saw made her stomach turn violently and she had to look away immediately. It was human remains, or at least that was what Beatrice assumed. It looked like the flesh and bones had completely melted, leaving behind something that barely even resembled a human shape.
"That's…" Beatrice started, not able to finish the sentence, feeling sick. Melanie, the Cat's Cradle's forensic scientist was now walking past her with her kit, crouching down. Even Melanie looked shocked for a moment, taking a deep breath before she took something out of her kit and started analyzing the remains. There was no other word for it, as Beatrice wouldn't even call what was there bodies. It was simply remains and while there were indications that it had been humans at some point, it very much was not now.
Suddenly, Copper perked up and growled, advancing towards the cabin entrance so fast that Shannon was barely able to hold his leash. He barked at the door that was open, or rather, not there anymore, whatever happened here having torn it off its hinges, leaving a charred hole behind.
"Copper, what is it?" Shannon's voice was shaking, but she still got up, nodding to Beatrice and Mary to follow her.
Beatrice was relieved to leave the inside of the cabin and its horrors and go outside, even when Copper now behaved like something very scary and dangerous was lurking nearby. Having learned his tells from Shannon and Mary, Beatrice knew what it meant that his ears were lying flat and his hackles raised, not barking right now but growling quietly and very much still advancing in a specific direction, towards the forest.
Looking around diligently, Beatrice tried to notice everything, but there did not seem to be anything out of the order. There weren't even animals around other than birds she could hear in the trees. Those and the OCS team setting up a perimeter around the cabin were the only sounds she could hear. The area around the cabin was deserted, with no activity whatsoever.
But Copper was still walking in a very specific direction and then stopped, basically putting his paws into the ground and barking, never taking his eyes off of a specific point in the trees. Beatrice looked in that direction but couldn't see anything. Still, Copper was clearly indicating that something very dangerous was very close. Shannon gave both Mary and Beatrice a poignant look before nodding. Mary nodded too and turned to Beatrice, her expression grim.
"Okay, we need to check that out, whatever it is. We just gotta be careful not to enter the territory of Reya's kin unannounced, since they don't take kindly to it, but it only starts further into the forest." Mary still didn't seem keen to enter the forest, but walked towards it a few steps. Copper cried now, pawing at the ground again, seeming inconsolable. Mary turned back, frowning and Shannon shook her head, giving Copper a pat on the head, trying to soothe him, which did not have any effect. Then she gave the leash to Beatrice, to her surprise and Coppers distress. Beatrice took it, wrapping it around her hand like she had seen Shannon do.
"Watch him, alright? We will be right back." Shannon's voice also wavered, not at all as confident as she was trying to project. At first, Beatrice wanted to protest, not feeling comfortable with letting them go off into danger without her, but Copper was now even more agitated, though he didn't seem to want to go anywhere, just fidgeting and dancing in place. Beatrice needed all her concentration to keep the leash steady, so she just nodded. Shannon smiled at her, even when it was more of a grimace. "Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."
Beatrice didn't doubt that, even when she would still feel better if she could come with them. But she was still new and they were her team leaders, so she did not want to go against them. Holding Copper's leash securely, she watched them advance very carefully towards the forest, Mary drawing her shotgun and Shannon her sword, both ready to use them at a moment's notice, as they had no idea what they would be facing.
Copper's whining reached even higher levels and even when Shannon had told him to stay put, he was now pulling on the leash, desperate to follow Shannon and Mary, barking loudly. Beatrice had a hard time keeping him still, talking to him softly, trying her best to calm him down. Thankfully, eventually he did, and Beatrice changed her stance a little, putting her weight on her other leg to stand more securely.
It happened in just a second, when Beatrice was leaning towards the forest, which Copper must her interpreted as her wanting to follow Shannon and Mary. He panicked, turning to her and nudging her. Bowing down a little, Beatrice tried to console him, to get him to calm down, but in exactly that moment, he moved his head up jerkily, jumping at her.
The pain was instantaneous, Beatrice's nose and eye feeling like they were on fire where Copper's head had connected with her. Not able to keep her balance, Beatrice fell back onto the ground, landing hard on her backside. Copper was next to her in a second, barking even louder and more insistently now, but Beatrice barely registered it, feeling dizzy and sluggish when she tried to get up and instead lying back down, holding her head.
"Beatrice? Beatrice, can you hear me?"
"Fuck, what happened?"
Shannon and Mary's voices above her brought Beatrice back and she groaned, opening her eyes, not being sure when she had closed them. She also wasn't sure whether she had passed out or just had to rest for a moment, but seeing as last she remembered, Shannon and Mary had not been crouching close to her, it was possibly the former. Which did not bode well and neither did the pain in her head.
"I… I'm not sure." Beatrice tried to get up again, groaning a little and holding her head. But with Shannon's help, she did manage to at least sit up. She saw Copper lying next to her on the ground, his head on his paws, still whimpering. Trying to take a deep breath, Beatrice felt her head clear at least a little. "I think Copper tried to stop me from going after you. He was really afraid."
"Yeah, well, whatever it was that he was scared of, it's gone now," Mary said, concern in her voice. "There was nothing in the forest and Copper has calmed down, so we think we think we scared it off."
"Good." Beatrice tried to stand up, but even with Shannon's help, it was difficult and she groaned again.
"We have to get you to the hospital. This does not look good." Shannon gestured towards Beatrice's face. On instinct, Beatrice touched her own face where Shannon had pointed and winced when she felt the pain. The immediate urge Beatrice felt to tell Shannon that she didn't need a hospital died when she tried walking and barely could, feeling very wobbly.
Both Mary and Shannon supported her and helped her into the van. Shannon stayed back with Copper to oversee the operation while Dora, one of the other members of the team, drove the van. Mary sat in the back with Beatrice. Feeling bad for causing this much trouble, Beatrice apologized to Mary, who just waved her off and then sighed, leaning her head back on the van wall.
"Honestly, yeah it sucks that Copper might have given you brain damage," Mary smirked and Beatrice scoffed, glad that Mary was able to joke in this moment. Then she turned a lot more serious, looking at Beatrice with an expression that was both guilty and sad. "But I honestly don't think I would have been able to stand being there for much longer, so thank you. Kinda, you know."
Mary scrunched up her face, looking apologetic now. Beatrice didn't really know what to do, wanting to comfort her. Impulsively, she held out her hand. It was a little bit of a surprise when Mary actually took it, squeezing a little. She didn't look at Beatrice, but down at their entwined hands, sighing. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, Beatrice squeezed Mary's hand, wanting to comfort her.
"You knew them well, didn't you? Areala and Ava?" Beatrice asked, immediately regretting it when Mary looked up at her sharply. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"No, it's alright." Mary took a deep breath and smiled in a sad way. "Yes, I did. Know them. Areala less. She was very private, kept to herself mostly. I'm not sure anyone really knew her, maybe other than Suzanne. But Ava worked with her for three years and I'm pretty sure even she didn't know her all that well." There were tears in Mary's eyes now even though she smiled wider now, melancholy in her expression. "Ava on the other hand, she is, was, an open book. It was like, anyone would just meet her once and already know all about her. I… I wasn't that friendly to her at first, I thought she was naïve and annoying, but when I got to know her…" Mary shook her head, a tear now running down her cheek. "She was as close to a little sister to me as I ever had. I can't believe she's…"
Mary trailed off, a heavy sob wrenching from her. Beatrice felt her own heart constrict. She might not have known either Areala or Ava, but having seen the carnage in the cabin and seeing Mary and Shannon's grief very much did not leave her unaffected. Together with the fact that her head was throbbing in pain, the emotional toll all of this was taking on her was quite a lot. So much that she was glad she would go to the hospital to get checked out instead of having to stay and work this case.
Generally, Beatrice really did not like making a fuss when she was injured or ill, preferring to keep working as long as she could. But right now, with her head throbbing and her stomach still turning from what she had seen, she craved to be able to sit down on a comfortable couch or maybe even lie down. The movement from the van alone made her dizzy and she was glad when it was over and Mary and Dora helped her out and into the hospital.
Once she was registered, she was sent to the waiting room. She assured Mary and Dora that she was alright and while Mary didn't like leaving her alone, Beatrice could tell that after this breather, Mary now wanted to get back to Shannon, to support her. So Beatrice told Mary that it was alright, that she could wait alone. Mary assured her that she would send someone from the Cradle to get her. Beatrice thanked her, appreciating it.
The waiting time was quite long and Beatrice got more and more itchy to get back to the Cradle and rest. The nausea, dizziness and headache were all now reaching a point where Beatrice really wasn't comfortable sitting in the hard hospital chair anymore, but she tried to be patient. Thankfully, eventually she was seen by a doctor, who did several tests and said she had a concussion and should rest for a few days and come back in if any of her symptoms worsened significantly.
With that, Beatrice was discharged. Sending Director Superion a text with her results, she got a text back saying that someone would pick her up as soon as possible. She was glad that she indeed only had to wait a short time before she saw someone familiar coming through the door. When she recognized who it was, Beatrice smiled warmly. She liked Yasmine, even when she was always a little anxious in Beatrice's presence, but Mary had assured her that Yasmine was just like that, that it was how she interacted with everyone, especially at first. But Yasmine was always kind to Beatrice.
They hadn't interacted much yet, with Yasmine heading up the IT department in the Cat's Cradle, so other than setting up the network for her, Beatrice didn't have much to do with her yet. Even so, Yasmine's warm smile made Beatrice feel instantly better. When she got to her however, Yasmine scrunched up her face a little.
"Hi, Beatrice, I hope you feel okay. I mean, you have a concussion, right? So you probably don't feel okay. But I'm here to get you back to the Cradle so you can rest." Yasmine fidgeted with her hands a little, looking down as if she was embarrassed to have been so blunt, but Beatrice's smile grew wider, finding Yasmine's tendency to just blurt out things endearing.
"Thank you. I would indeed like to rest, yes."
Yasmine's face lit up and she looked at Beatrice a lot more assured, gesturing to the exit.
"Good!" Yasmine said, far more enthusiastic, but then her face fell again. "I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not a great driver though. I generally don't drive people, but it was either me or Crimson, and I think Director Superion thought it would be better for you if I picked you up." Yasmine looked like she felt a little bad. "Not that Crimson couldn't pick you up. Just…"
Yasmine trailed off, looking unsure again. Beatrice laughed a little and nodded, patting Yasmine's arm even when she felt a little overwhelmed by everything and really would like to sit down. But still, she didn't want Yasmine to feel bad, so she raised her eyebrows and smirked, a little conspiratorially.
"Oh, absolutely, I understand. Again, thank you. I am sure you will drive me well."
Nodding enthusiastically and smiling again, Yasmine led the way out of the hospital. Beatrice thought about the conversation and how much what she had said was true. As much as she liked the Cat's Cradle and the people working there, Crimson was one of the few people in the Cradle Beatrice didn't care for too much. Crimson was arrogant and self absorbed and as Mary told Beatrice on one of her first days, everyone knew she was only in the Cat's Cradle and the OCS in general because her uncle was a powerful figure in the organization and had always managed to cover up the complaints against her.
Basically, most people avoided Crimson and she got send on menial tasks more often than not, so it made sense for her to be available, just as much as it made sense for Director Superion to pick Yasmine over her to drive Beatrice back. She did understand how Yasmine got the reputation of not being a good driver, her starting and stopping being very abrupt and taking corners a bit too fast as well as gripping the steering wheel hard and looking like she was being chased all did not inspire confidence.
But they made it to Cat's Cradle in one piece and Beatrice thanked Yasmine profusely for driving her before retiring to her room. She considered that she probably should check in with Director Superion but at this point she really did not feel good anymore, so instead, she hoped Suzanne would understand that she needed rest first. Finally Beatrice was able to sink back into her soft bed. Letting out a sigh when the pain instantly lessened, Beatrice was basically asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
When she woke up again, she needed a moment to orient herself, not knowing where she was, but then everything flooded back to her. Sitting up abruptly, she immediately regretted that choice, feeling nauseous, her head throbbing. Putting her hand on her head, she took some of the painkillers she had gotten prescribed and then lied back in bed, waiting for the wave of pain and nausea to pass.
After a few minutes, it finally did and Beatrice dared to get up more slowly. Looking at her watch, Beatrice saw that she had slept for five hours, which meant it was now nearly evening. And it also meant she had not just missed lunch but also probably crucial developments in what was so far her biggest case here. Holding her head in her hands and groaning, Beatrice got up, but realized she had to relieve herself first, so she ventured into the corridor, walking slowly. Thankfully, the common bathroom wasn't far from her room and after she freshened up, she felt a bit better.
Walking out of the bathroom, Beatrice meant to try and go to Doctor Superion's office before getting something to eat, to see if she could do something for the case. Though she most likely would have to stay here in the Cradle, with the concussion and all, she still hoped there was something she could do. To her surprise, right when she was about to walk to the office, she saw Shannon and Mary standing in front of her door with Copper between them, Mary knocking on the door.
Beatrice smiled to herself and walked over as fast as she could. Shannon saw her first and smiled back, putting a hand on Mary's arm and tilting her head in Beatrice's direction. Mary turned towards Beatrice with a frown and then she rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"And here I was afraid you died or something when you didn't answer the door," Mary said, in a light tone, but her face falling immediately after she was finished, clearly thinking about Ava and Areala. Shannon put her arm around Mary, consoling her. Trying to keep the atmosphere as light as possible, Beatrice chuckled a little, hoping it didn't sound too forced and walked up to them, opening her door.
"No, I just had to use the bathroom. I'm all good, no worries." Beatrice gestured into the room before she entered herself, sitting down on the bed because she did feel a little light headed still. Shannon sat on the desk chair while Mary kept standing.
"We're not staying long. Just wanted to drop by to bring you up to speed and get you something to eat since you missed lunch," Mary said, pointing to a tray of sandwiches on the desk. Beatrice smiled gratefully, her stomach now certainly making its desire for food known. Before Beatrice could thank Mary for the food, she got distracted by Copper, who had immediately gone to greet Astra, who graciously let him lie next to her. Mary laughed a little. "And Copper wanted to see you and apologize, but I think he got sufficiently distracted now."
Copper raised his head when he heard his name and when Beatrice laughed a little, he got up and trotted towards her, his head down and his tail between his legs. He put his head in Beatrice's lap, his face a mask of sadness. Beatrice couldn't help but laugh again at that display. She patted Copper's head.
"It's okay, you didn't mean to. You're a good boy, Copper," Beatrice assured him and he let out a little happy bark, his tail swishing on the floor. He waited until Beatrice gave him another head pat and then went back to Astra, who was already waiting for him and yawned contentedly when Copper rolled up next to her again, snuggling close to him.
Beatrice laughed again, as did Mary and Shannon.
"Okay, then, with that out of the way," Shannon said and rolled in the chair a little closer towards Beatrice, handing her a tablet, which Beatrice took, curious what this was about. "Suzanne said to give you this. It has everything on it that we could save from Ava's laptop and phone. Videos, files. Suzanne wants you to go through them, maybe there's some clue as to what happened in there. She's going through Areala's files herself."
Beatrice frowned, looking down on the tablet. It didn't feel right to go through someone's private things. Of course she knew it was standard procedure and Ava was dead, so there was no reason for them not to, but still, it felt weird. Even so, she nodded, looking back up. Mary looked at her sympathetically.
"We'll be gone for a few days, we have to check out things with Reya's kin, especially since the liaison between the OCS and them, Lilith, hasn't been seen since the cabin was destroyed." Mary shrugged, her eyes sad. "Right now, it looks like it's a possibility that the Halo malfunctioned and blew up, melting everything in its path, including Areala and Ava, but we need to be sure. Doctor Salvius is going to be here tomorrow, maybe you can already give her some answers by then, if you start on the newest files."
Beatrice would have rather gone with them, but she understood that right now, she was in no condition to do so and was glad that there was still something she could do to help.
"Of course. I will do my best." Beatrice tried to sound as determined as possible. Shannon gave her a little pat on the shoulder and then got up.
"Copper, come on boy, we gotta get you to Yasmine," Shannon said, but Copper barely even acknowledged her, curling up more, seemingly very content where he currently was. Beatrice frowned a little.
"Yasmine? You're not taking Copper with you?"
Mary shook her head. "No, they don't like dogs up there. He'll stay here, but Yasmine and Suzanne will take care of him, they're used to it." Beatrice nodded, understanding, but when Mary walked towards Copper, he still did not seem very interested in coming with her. "Come on, boy, Beatrice needs to rest."
"He can stay here, he doesn't bother me," Beatrice said, spontaneously. She wasn't really sure why, and when both Shannon and Mary looked at her surprised, she nearly took it back but then she looked at Copper and how happy he and Astra seemed and shrugged. "I mean, Astra loves him, clearly, and I do too. I can ask Yasmine about his routines and everything. It's fine."
Shannon and Mary shared a look and then both shrugged too.
"Okay, if you're sure about it. I'm sure he'd love staying with you. But you can always bring him back to Yasmine or Suzanne if it gets too much, okay?" Shannon said, smiling a little now. Beatrice nodded.
"I will, but really, I like having him here."
"He clearly likes it here too," Mary said, with a little scoff and an eyeroll towards Copper. Shannon and Beatrice laughed. Then Shannon and Mary said goodbye to Copper and Beatrice and left.
Beatrice decided to dive right in and start going through Ava's files, both to feel like she was actually doing work and to have something to tell Suzanne and especially Doctor Salvius tomorrow. Turning on the tablet, she saw many documents and video files. She decided to first go through the videos to get a feel for Ava, starting with the newest one, from two days ago. Most of them, as this one, were saved copies of video messages to her best friend, Camila.
The first thing Beatrice noticed about Ava was that she was beautiful. Her eyes were shining as she recounted something about a show she had watched. Beatrice wasn't sure what any of it meant, since Ava was rattling off names and theories faster than Beatrice could follow. But it was still captivating, especially the way Ava's eyes shone, the way she was pleased with herself when she talked about how something she had thought would happen had actually happened and the way she scrunched up her whole face when she mentioned things she disliked.
Finding herself disappointed when the message ended, wanting to see more of Ava, Beatrice went immediately to the next message, a day earlier. She took one of the sandwiches Mary and Shannon had left her, absent-mindedly eating it, as she kept watching Ava's videos. Even when they didn't seem to on the surface contain relevant information for the case, Beatrice knew that Ava could well pivot at any point and give something away, some suspicions she had or problems with the Halo, anything that could help Beatrice.
One of the things Beatrice noticed was that there was tension between Ava and Areala. It was clear there was something going on between them from how Ava talked about her. Apparently in the last few days their once positive relationship had soured, with Areala mostly ignoring Ava. Only when Beatrice got to a week ago did she learn why exactly, or rather, why Ava thought this was happening. She was complaining about Areala requesting for Ava to be stationed somewhere else, something that made Beatrice perk up.
Nobody had mentioned a request like that before. She wrote it down in her notebook with the timestamp of the video and then watched further. Ava was on the verge of tears when she talked about how she had overheard Areala talk to someone on the phone, saying that she couldn't work with Ava any longer. Beatrice's heart went out to Ava, especially when she threw her arms into the air in frustration.
"And she didn't even say why. I asked her, point blank and she just said it would be safer for me to be somewhere else. But she refused to explain more. What even does that mean? I'm fucking safe here, it's like, one of the safest stations in the OCS. I know Lilith is a pain in the ass but she would never do anything to me and neither would anyone else of Reya's kin. And why now? It's been three years. I really thought she trusted me, that she liked me." At that point Ava had stopped talking and let out a strangled sound between a sob and a gasp, angrily wiping away a tear. Beatrice watched as she straightened up, furrowing her brows and shaking her head. "I don't know. Maybe it's a misunderstanding or something. Please, don't tell mum, I don't want to disappoint her. I just… I hope Areala won't go through with it. I never thought I would, but I like it here. I even like Lilith. And I think I would miss it a lot."
After that, Ava shook herself, quite literally, shaking her whole body, and switched the topic back to how ridiculous the depiction of fantastic creatures in shows such as Buffy were. It was fascinating to Beatrice how Ava could bounce back so quickly, but she also noticed that her heart didn't seem to be in her puns and jokes as much as it had in other videos Beatrice had watched and that her eyes were still full of sadness.
It was a little confusing to Beatrice, that she was already so attuned to Ava. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about her just called to Beatrice. Trying not to think about it, especially since Ava was dead and developing any kind of bond with her would just lead to sadness, Beatrice kept watching more videos, determined to stay detached, to just look for information.