Salt & Pyrrha

A Changing World Novel

Chapter 04 - Engines & Inquiries

 

[ - content warnings: none suggested yet  - ]

 

The six of us start walking through the big field again soon after explaining to Pyrrha what exactly driving entails. She’d already known most of it actually, she just hadn’t gotten that ‘using a car’ was the same thing as ‘driving’. 

 

Cynthia is leading our little posse, followed by Carlos, myself, and Pyrrha walking abreast of each other. Sean and Raya bring up the rear.

 

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Carlos says cheerfully, “what are your pronouns?”

 

“What?” Pyrrha replies.

 

“Uh," he hesitates, "like, Sean and I are guys and use he and him. Raya and Cynthia are girls and use she and her, and Salt is a wolfby and uses they and them,” he explains, “is there a set of those words you want us to use for you?”

 

I try to focus on being mad at Carlos for not mentioning how many other pronoun options there are for Pyrrha to choose from, instead of blushing furiously at how good it feels to be called a ‘wolfby’, but it’s a tough battle.

 

Pyrrha purses her lips, clearly puzzled. Her eyes flick from Carlos, to me, to Cynthia, and back.

 

“She and her, I guess?” she hazards after a moment. 

 

“Cool,” Carlos replies. “Well I’m Carlos, he and him, and it’s very nice to meet you.”

 

I smile at his galant tone. 

 

“I’m Cynthia, she and her!” Cynthia says from up front.

 

“Sean,” Sean calls, a little dully, from the back of the group, “he and him.”

 

I glance backwards and see Raya sneak Sean a side hug, and my heart swells with warmth. I love having friends that take care of each other.

 

“I’m Raya, she/her,” she calls to us, “thanks for agreeing to come with us.”

 

“You are welcome,” Pyrrha replies, “though I think it should be me thanking you. Few who know my nature as much as you are unbothered by it.”

 

I raise an eyebrow at her, wondering if she’s reading my friend’s minds as easily as she read mine. She tenses up beside me a moment after I have the thought.

 

“We’ve barely even met you, why do you say that?” Raya asks.

 

Pyrrha's eyes meet mine, there's fear and wariness there in equal measure. I give her a smile and nod her way, trying to indicate that she's welcome to tell them whatever she's comfortable with.

 

We walk for a few moments in silence, before Pyrrha says tersely, “I’m capable of reading minds.”

 

My eyes widen. That's maybe not what I would have lead with.

 

“What?” my friends ask in near-perfect unison.

 

Cynthia stops walking abruptly and turns to stare at Pyrrha. We all sort of pile up behind her, and form a loose circle with Pyrrha across from me. Carlos has both eyebrows raised all the way up, while Sean and Raya have guarded expressions.

 

“It’s an ability I have trouble controlling,” Pyrrha says warily, “especially in a group. I swear I try my best not to look into the minds of those who are not my enemies.”

 

“She knew my real name before I opened my mouth,” I add. 

 

Pyrrha shoots me a worried glance.

 

“That’s...” Cynthia starts, “that’s fucking unbelievable, but after the rest of today I believe it.”

 

“How the hell do you have all these abilities?” Sean asks.

 

The brown haired woman straightens up, looking a little more at ease. I assume she's satisfied with my friends' mental reactions to her announcement.

 

“I assume I was born with them. I do not believe I am human,” she says. “I manifested most of my powers at eleven years old.”

 

“If not human, what are you?” Cynthia asks, her arms crossed.

 

“People call me a demon, a witch, a succubus, something like that.”

 

“Are you actually any of those things?” Raya asks cautiously.

 

“I don’t know the exact word for it in this tongue,” Pyrrha replies, “but succubus feels right from the way people think about it.” 

 

Her shoulders have lost most of their tension now, and she continues. “I never met my father, but my mother spoke often of her. My mother was human, my father was not a mortal being.”

 

I file away the fact that her parents were lesbians with suppressed glee.

 

“Where are you from?” Sean asks curiously.

 

Pyrrha cringes slightly. “My home island was called Mytilar, I have no idea if it even exists in this world.”

 

“Damn,” Carlos says, “so you lost everyone you knew when you came here?”

 

“Yes,” she replies, “though that’s not much of a loss. I was fleeing my home when I was transported here.”

 

"Sorry to bring it up," Sean murmurs.

 

“No need,” Pyrrha says, “I’m happy to tell you what I can.”

 

"Have you googled it yet?" Cynthia asks, “Whether your home exists here or not, I mean?”

 

"No," Pyrrha replies, her brow furrowed. “I’ve heard of google before, are they some kind of seer?”

 

I shake my head. Carlos stands up a little straighter, and says seriously, “It’s like a giant library for the whole world that you can ask questions to whenever you want.”

 

“If you have a computer,” Raya adds. 

 

Pyrrha looks suitably impressed with that. “I’ve seen computers in the thoughts of my victims and acquaintances, but it’s very hard to understand people’s thoughts if I have no frame of reference for them.”

 

I’m startled out of visions of my gaming PC back home by Pyrrha shooting me an appraising look. The rest of my friends follow her gaze. 

 

“W-what?” I ask, “I have a lot of feelings about computers.”

 

Carlos smiles broadly at me. “You sure do,” he says.

 

“We should probably keep moving,” Sean suggests, before casting a wary eye behind us.

 

“Yeah,” Raya agrees, “let’s move out before the cops find us.”

 

Cynthia turns and takes the lead again, and we all file in behind her.

 

---

 

“So these machines run on perpetual explosions?” Pyrha asks, as we walk up the street towards our cars. It looks like the others managed to snag parking spots on the same street I had.

 

“Yeah more or less,” I reply.

 

“That’s incredible,” she says, “and you all have such trust in these vehicles.”

 

I shrug beside her. “We’ve grown up with them our entire lives.”

 

“They’re usually safe enough,” Sean adds.

 

Pyrrha nods. “I trust your judgement,” she decides.

 

“So who’s driving Pyrrha?” Raya asks from the back of our group.

 

“I can,” I say quickly. 

 

Carlos gives me a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “I guess that’s settled then,” he says. 

 

I roll my eyes at him.

 

“Thank you, Salt,” Pyrrha says, flashing me a tiny smile.

 

“Alright, so we’ll meet at your house?” Cynthia asks as we near her white car.

 

“Yep!” I reply, “I’ll see you there!”

 

Cynthia stops at her ride as the rest of us keep walking. Soon enough Sean and Carlos get into Carlos’ little red hybrid, and then Raya gets into her yellow convertible. 

 

And then it’s just Pyrrha and I, walking up to my small black Kia Soul. 

 

“Do you want me to--” I begin, before Pyrrha cuts me off.

 

“No thank you,” she says, “I have seen how to enter these beasts before.”

 

Should I even bother voicing anything? I ask sarcastically in my head as I walk around to the driver’s side.

 

“Up to you,” Pyrrha answers with a smirk over the top of the car.

 

I sigh, and get in the car. Pyrrha opens her door and gingerly steps inside. I watch her struggle to get comfortable in the seat, before she finally sighs and pulls the door closed. 

 

“Let’s go,” she says.

 

“You have to--,” I begin, but she reaches across and grabs the seatbelt before I can finish the sentence. 

 

“Sorry,” she says apologetically, “it’s difficult to block out your thoughts when we’re this close.”

 

I feel heat rise to my cheeks as I suddenly realize that we’re sitting closer than we’ve ever been together. Pyrrha’s body is still like, radiating with beauty to my mortal eyes and I suddenly wonder if that’s another part of her powers.

 

She nods slightly, and seems to breathe out some of the tension she’d been carrying.

 

“I can draw the attention of anyone and everyone who looks upon me, if I wish,” she explains, “though I am not trying to do so with you.”

 

“What else can you do?” I ask quietly, staring into her stormy grey eyes with amazement.

 

She smiles a little at me. “I don’t feel any fear from you,” she remarks.

 

“You’ve had ample opportunity to harm me and my friends, and you haven’t,” I say with a shrug.

 

She nods. “True. I suppose I may as well be fully truthful with you, then. I can induce a state of frenzied need in those I touch, so that all they can think about is release.”

 

I raise both eyebrows. “Okay that’s a pretty specific power,” I say.

 

It’s her turn to shrug. “It is both a boon to my hunting and a defense should I be attacked.”

 

“Your hunting?” I ask warily.

 

“Eating food does not sustain me,” she says casually. “Instead, I must gather sexual energy from humans every week or so.”

 

“Oh is that all?” I ask, my face heating up as images of her having sex populate my thoughts.

 

“Yes,” she replies with a smirk. 

 

Fuck shit sorry, I think, trying to reign in the horny thoughts.

 

“No need to apologize,” she replies aloud, “most people are constantly having such thoughts when they look at me. You are a rare case.”

 

“I’m asexual,” I offer, “I don’t really want or get anything out of sex myself. That might be why?”

 

She looks intrigued by this admission. “Oh?” she asks, “I did not realize you had a term for that.”

 

I smile at her. “We kinda have a growing list of terms for how humans relate to their sexualities.”

 

Her eyebrows rise. “Interesting, I would very much like to see this list.”

 

“We can take a look online when we get to my house?” 

 

I put the key into the ignition and twist it, bringing the car rumbling and whirring to life.

 

“That sounds... nice,” Pyrrha replies.

 

I grin at her. “Good! Then it’s settled. Do you want to talk on the drive over, or listen to music?”

 

Pyrrha’s eyes grow wide. “Listen to music, please!” she says quickly.

 

My grin widens, and I tap on the central console’s display. A few more taps and the opening ska of We Are the Union’s song ‘Morbid Obsessions’ begins playing.

 

As I pull out of the parking space, Pyrrha sits enraptured by the sounds and lyrics.

 

It isn’t until I’m about halfway home and four songs in that she speaks up again.

 

“Thank you for taking me to your home,” she says in a lull between songs. “I have, kept myself cut off from this world for a long time now. Your kindness in helping me fight those men is, um, very appreciated.”

 

I know I’m blushing from head to toe. “Anytime,” I say awkwardly.

 

Silence lapses between us once more as Against Me!’s ‘The Ocean’ starts up, and we drive onwards into the midday mists.

 

The Ocean includes a lyric about how the singer ‘wishes they could’ve been born a woman’ about a third of the way through, and I notice Pyrrha sits up a little straighter after hearing it. A moment later she reaches out and taps the ‘Pause’ button on the console. 

 

“I was like that, once,” she says. “I was born as what you would call a boy. But when I manifested my shapeshifting ability, I turned myself into a girl.”

 

“That’s beautiful!” I say with a smile. I turn to look at her as we pull up to a red light, and see she’s looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.

 

“Beautiful?” she asks, “That is not what my village thought.”

 

“That sounds like the village’s problem,” I reply with a shrug, “We call people like us ‘transgender’.”

 

“You mean you were like me, as well?”

 

“I’m still like you,” I say, “I was assigned ‘boy’ at birth as well, and it didn’t fit me either. I used Cindy’s spell to escape my old body. I think she released her spell specifically to help people like us.”

 

Pyrrha looks wistful. “What I would have given to have met someone like me, back then,” she says. “I’m so glad Cindy was able to give this gift of freedom to the world.”

 

“Yeah,” I reply. “Me too.”

 

The Ocean swells up around us, and we return to our comfortable listening silence. I find myself looking forward to getting to know this enigmatic transgirl succubus.

End of

Chapter 4 - Engines & Inquiries