Episode 15

(Salt Lake City, February 7, 1995)

[Author’s note: We return to Rin and Daryl, 8 months after the events of episodes 12-13.]

There were certain things Rin knew she would have to do from the moment she adopted a pet. Daryl would need careful instruction in all his duties, less for his benefit than her own. If she wanted her pup to survive, she had to think like a human. It had been a very long time since Rin was vulnerable, and that made things difficult. This wasn’t a mere matter of avoiding overtly dangerous situations. She had to understand his actual thought processes, as there were many things which wouldn’t even occur to her.

Rin also found that she had to employ a gentler touch. If Daryl objected to something she proposed, her immediate inclination was to brand him a coward. This was unfair, of course. If their first few months together had proven anything, it was that he was no coward. But Rin was being forced to relearn the myriad boundaries which circumscribed human existence.

On one hand, she wanted a happy lover and assistant. Or at least a useful one. On the other, it was very difficult to analyze everything from the standpoint of human needs. Like when first learning a language, she had to consciously translate everything. But there was a critical difference: this language had an expiration date.

Even if Rin and Daryl remained together for a full human lifespan, an eventuality which she thought exceedingly unlikely, her new-found expertise would die with him. If allowed to endure, it could become a hindrance. She would continue to behave like a human, subject to the same fears and constraints which govern human life though completely inapplicable to her own.

She would hesitate, avoid direct and obvious solutions, worry about irrelevant contingencies. She would complicate her life to protect an already-protected self. Would that be her epitaph to him? There were dangers to having a pet, and those dangers went beyond attachment. Still, Rin had an eternity to recondition herself. What could be learned in one lifetime certainly could be unlearned in another. It just was one of the nuisances she had to endure. Along with being his bodyguard, mom, and mentor.

Fortunately, there was one area in which Daryl required no training. That’s not to say Rin didn’t teach him a thing or ten along the way. But having a talented lover made the rest palatable, at least for the time being. As she had learned, some of the boundaries of human existence could be quite fun to circumscribe.

After a rocky beginning, the couple reached an understanding. Whether for training, in pursuit of their mission, or in the course of everyday life, Rin would propose a plan. Daryl then would object to its many obvious failings. After an hour of cursing at him, declaring him craven in several languages, and questioning his manhood (and sexual prowess, for good measure), Rin would fall into a sullen silence for a few hours.

At first, she spent half that time considering how to rid herself of the noisome pest and half realizing he was right. As their relationship progressed, both the duration and frequency of this process decreased. Rin found herself well-enough attuned to Daryl’s concerns that she could anticipate his objections. However, this didn’t stop her from provoking them anyway. It was nice to force him to acknowledge his vulnerability, and she took a certain satisfaction in berating him for it. Also, it wouldn’t do to agree too readily or there would be no limit to his impudence.

Proper care wasn’t the only challenge of pet ownership. Teaching was necessarily as well, some of a less practical nature. This was the type which Rin was about to impart. It was a story she hated telling, but one which required telling — sooner or later. Part of her ill-humor was because it had turned out to be later. She had expected Daryl to importune her for it much sooner. At least she hoped he would, as little as she looked forward to the chore itself.

An assistant who lacked curiosity would prove limited and probably would have to be put down sooner rather than later. On the other hand, if Daryl’s forbearance had some other explanation then the delay actually served her well. She had ample time to prepare the tale. This wasn’t simply a matter of recalling details or placing them in the correct order. As always, the question was what to include and what not to. Here she was driven less by questions of brevity or clarity than what would serve her best. And for that, preparation was necessary.

Rin had prepared, and then she waited. And waited. And waited. Until she concluded that Daryl indeed had no interest. Commingled with her disappointment was relief that she wouldn’t have to tell it after all. The problem with this story was that it could elicit sympathy. Rin was uncertain how Daryl would behave if he felt sympathy for her or their quarry or anyone else. It could change how he viewed her.

Who knew what theory he had concocted to justify their actions so far, but once he had the real story things would be different. Would she still be a noble instrument of the gods, or an unfeeling executioner? What concerned Rin most was that this bothered her. Why did she care what Daryl thought? Does one acquire a pet to be loved or to love? She decided it was neither. One gets a pet to guard one’s home. And, if it’s the right type of pet, perhaps play with it.

By the time Daryl finally did raise the subject, almost eight months had passed. He and Rin had successfully completed their first mission, a woman named Vivvett, and were planning their second. This was to be an easier target, and Rin had promised him a more integral role. She hadn’t quite promised to let him do the deed itself, but was weighing the possibility. A Two he could handle. Probably. If circumstances hadn’t demanded otherwise, she would not have chosen Vivvett for their first assignment together.

Fortunately, Vivvett hadn’t given them trouble. She was caught completely off-guard, and Daryl hadn’t even come into play. He complained that he didn’t feel involved, and had peppered Rin with questions afterward. Well, this time he’d get his wish. Rin’s plan placed him in the middle of the action, though hopefully there wouldn’t be any. She just had finished briefing him on it and paused so he properly could express his gratitude for the opportunity. After a minute of silence, Rin grew irritated.

“So, Daryl, how do you feel about this?” she prodded.

“About what?”

He sounded puzzled, so Rin settled on a less subtle approach.

“About my putting a useless turd in the middle of my operation so he can ruin everything but maybe, just maybe, become a slightly less useless turd. Am I not the most goddamn generous woman you’ve ever met?”

“Sure.” Daryl seemed lost in thought.

It was all Rin could do not to hammer his face with the nearest blunt object. Why did she even try to be nice? Maybe she should give the target a chance to fight back. Let Daryl see what even the weakest Protege could do to a man, before she stepped in to save his bruised and bloody ass. If she stepped in. It would serve him right and probably save his life down the line — if he still had one to save.

Why was it so quiet? Rin stopped fuming for a moment and looked at Daryl. He had an odd expression on his face, as if struggling with something.

“What the hell is it?” she groaned, awaiting whatever inanity he was about to utter. He’d better be a great lay tonight, or it would be his last.

“Where do the protections come from?” Daryl asked in an offhand manner, as if the question had occurred to him for the first time. It was so unexpected that Rin found herself momentarily speechless.

“If it’s something you don’t want to talk about, that’s fine,” Daryl hastened to add when she didn’t immediately reply.

Rin smiled at his consternation. He obviously had mistaken her surprise for irritation. Rin knew exactly what he expected. The next half hour would be a loud one. She’d insult him a lot. Then she’d threaten him a lot. Then she’d screw him a lot.

Instead she planted a big kiss on his lips. If he was too stupid to see that she was pleased, the boy deserved to fret.

Although relieved, Rin weighed doing exactly as he expected. A good smacking around would knock some sense into him. Why had he taken so goddamned long? She wanted to get this over with months ago.

But her relief that Daryl wasn’t defective outweighed her resentment at actually having to tell the tale, especially after so long. Despite all her preparation, she did briefly consider evading the question altogether. He had given her an obvious out, and Rin was fairly certain that if she took it he would not ask again. Like a good soldier, he would continue to obey without requiring reasons — as long as he felt it furthered his own purpose.

However, the story was as necessary as it was problematic. To be of any real help to Rin, he would need to know more about the protections. If she tried to properly explain them in a vacuum, he’d just have more and more questions. By the time they all were answered, he effectively would have heard the story in a much less coherent manner.

But it didn’t matter. She had resolved to tell it to him, and would stick with that plan. Perhaps such knowledge would even improve him. But first things first.

“Why now?” Rin demanded. “Why the hell did you wait until now to ask?”

Daryl seemed surprised by the question. “I figured that if you knew and were allowed to, you would have told me. So I assumed you didn’t know or weren’t allowed.” This really riled Rin, but she calmed herself.

“Allowed? Allowed by whom? I don’t answer to anyone,” she snapped.

“What about these gods you say you serve?”

Rin realized that he wasn’t goading her. That had been his actual reasoning.

“Then why ask me now? Has something changed?”

“I decided not to assume. Since we are about to do our second mission, I wanted to know. And you told me not to assume.”

Rin laughed. “So you wished to know all along, but it took eight months for you to learn that lesson? Gods, you’re a tard.”

Daryl said nothing, and Rin leaned in. “Listen, pal. I’m going to teach you something universal, something that will help save your life one day. When you’re asked by a woman why you didn’t speak up about something, you say ‘because I couldn’t think of anything but you,’ or something similar.”

“I was left speechless by your beauty. Does that work?”

Rin gave him a sidelong glance. “I guess I’ll need to teach you how to use that mouth of yours.”

“And if I said I don’t know where they come from?” she asked, this time a bit more gently.

“Now I’d say you were lying.”

Rin thought for a moment before reaching a decision. “Fine, I’ll tell you the story, though I won’t swear to its veracity. These sorts of tales change over the years, and sometimes they never happened at all.”

“So it could all be nonsense.”

Rin rolled her eyes. “You want the goddamn story or no?”

“That’s fine.”

Daryl’s apparent indifference made her want to hit him even harder.

“Well, pay attention. I don’t tell this to everyone, and I won’t say it more than once.”

Daryl nodded and sat back.