Page 49 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
“We’ve only been on one real date,” Callie whispered.
“Good to know,” Sesi pursed her lips.“Anyway, the former girlfriend.The one who was security.What happened?”
“She lost her job.We broke up and then she…” Callie couldn’t continue.“I can’t murder people.”
Sesi hung her head, bobbing from side to side.“I get it.I do.”She pulled out her ulu and sat up, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.“Like I said, this was my mom’s.She left it when she went to work in the city.They call it awoman’s knife.We use it for skinning, chopping, even cutting hair.”Sesi smiled, but it was mirthless.
“Siku refused to use it, even though he took over all the domestic tasks when his leg got hurt.I found out later that she was killed.By a security guard.For stealing food because the men she was working for wouldn’t pay her enough to eat.”Sesi ran her thumb along the blade, as though she were inspecting it.“Killing people isn’t what these are for, but it seemed appropriate to me.”
Callie stared while Sesi thumbed the knife in silence.She opened her mouth to speak, but Sesi stopped her.“I know.They’re just doing their jobs.In a system that pays people to murder other people for stealing food.”Sesi frowned.“And yeah, the solution isn’t more murder.This isn’t for revenge.You’ll have to trust me on that.You’re in no state for me to explain everything.”
Sesi stood.“I’m sorry I got you involved in this.You can leave if you want.We’ll find someone else.You’ll never hear from us again.”She sheathed the ulu and stored it on a magclip on her belt.“If you do stay, I promise I’ll never ask you to murder someone.Also, Talia will be really happy.”
Callie’s eyes started to well up.She wasn’t even sure why.Objectively, Sesi was a bad person, wasn’t she?Why was she getting all emotional over this?It must be the concussion.
“But,” Sesi continued, “I will absolutely murder anyone who tries to hurt you.”
“Did you…”
“What?Murder the pipe you ran into?I can if you want.”Sesi grinned.
Callie blinked, trying to clear the moisture fogging her vision.Sesi had saved her life twice now.She tried to remind herself that Sesi was the one who put her in danger both times, but her heart was still racing.
“Though I’ll murder every single Charger if they mistake you for a terrorist again,” she said.“Think about it.I’m sure Talia will be around soon.She can take you home.Unless you’d rather have Tornit do it.”
But Callie didn’t want Talia to take her home right now.She definitely didn’t want Tornit to either.She wanted Sesi.
Stupid body,she scolded herself.This is what happens when all you read is detective novels with shitty romance side plots.
Death
January 7 2268
T
he ulu pressed into the soft skin of her throat.She could see the edge of Sesi’s fist blanching around the handle, smell herself on her fingers.Callie tried to freeze, but her breaths came rapidly in short bursts.If she inhaled too deeply, there would be blood, and she didn’t want blood.Or did she?
Callie considered this.What would it feel like to bleed?Not just an accidental scrape where the shock of it came after the pain.How would it feel to know that someone’s actions caused it?Intentionally.The apprehension before?The rush of pain and heat during and the dull itch after?Would it be like a piercing?Would there be a scar to remind her?To mark her?
Would she be able to smell the iron in her blood?Did the synthetic organelles she had just learned she had alter it?She had never tasted anyone else’s blood.At least not more than a scratch.A moment of compassion in kissing a tiny wound.That wasn’t a taste.
Her lips had never been so coated in it that it fell off of them.That she could lick them and still have it smeared on her face.What would that be like?Would Sesi taste different than her?Like a lover’s arousal?Similar, but unique.
Thoughts summon physical realities.Her lips began to ache.They desperately wanted to find out.How would they feel pressed against Sesi’s?How different was her flavour?How did her name sound when it dripped off of her tongue at that last moment before she came apart and became incapable of control?
Sesi pressed harder.She rocked the ulu so that its point dug into her.Like she was about to carve her name into a Hexcel beam.She could kill her if she wanted to.Callie had seen her do it.Murder wasn’t ever a question of physical ability – most humans had that.It was a question of mental capacity.Could youwillyourself to murder another person?She knew Sesi could.
Would she murder Callie?She had said she wouldn’t.She had even said she would murderforher.What was that like?Most people would never know.
But humans killed plenty of other humans.They preferred to do it as disconnected from the gruesome reality of it, though.In Tyton, neglect was the most common, if you didn’t want to think about it.Stochastic terrorism was the preferred tool, if you had a particular group in mind.Drones worked, if that wouldn’t do, then guns if your enemies had the ability to manipulate the drones’ AI.If you went back far enough, you would find bows, spears, swords and then finally, knives if you had to look them in the eye.
And Sesi had a knife.She was used to this.
Callie had seen knife play before.The knives were always blunted, though some had a sharper feel than others, depending on what you were comfortable with.They still had points, though.Theycouldbe used to kill if needed.It was the relationship with your Domme that prevented death, their mental block against killing that served as a backup.And Sesi had no backup.It was like walking a tightrope with no net.
And Callie fucking loved it.
The warm wetness pooling between her legs felt like blood.It sped through her veins, from her head to her core while a small amount diverted from its path to pass through the wound in her neck.
