Partner

I didn't update yesterday. Boo. But I was working more on a side project. Trying to finish it so I can post a oneshot.

I always feel really, really badly when I don't update. Seriously. It got to be like ten last night and I put asside the project and went OMG I DIDN'T UPDATE *sob*

Ah well. I do try.

For a while I've thought, you know what would be adorable? A little Souse to run around and embarass his father to death. That would be so cute.

Read, Review and Enjoy.




“Two hundred Sidhe have died in the last twenty-four hours. They have offered no resistance, seemingly they are of two tribes, closest to civilization,” Mari clicked through some photos. The clicking got faster and faster until a blank slide finally came up, “We’ve released these photos to the press. To do with as they will. Souse has been informed of these facts and yet still he does nothing. Thus the question comes up. What exactly is the plan here?”

Mari snatched up her phone as it buzzed across the table. Koln watched her for a moment, arms crossed and a scowl on his look, before turning to the partners that were present.

“They aren’t leaving anyone alive, even the children are being killed,” Koln murmured, “The things they are doing are destructive enough that no one would blame the Sidhe if we woke one morning and found the Valeasans slaughtered in a similar fashion.”

Mari sighed as she closed her phone. All eyes were on her.

“The press has just broken the pictures on the morning news and talk shows.”

“All… of them?” one of the partners managed to get out with a strangled sound.

“All of them. Jay’s station, unsurprisingly, is still talking about it as the others have gone back to regular programming. A full, up to date tallying of the war. People have stayed home from work, a remarkable fourteen percent. Four percent higher than the finals of those sports you men play. The human resources and PR boards have been backed up since the pictures began to air.”

“What are the people demanding?” Mik asked.

“That we take up weapons in favour of the Sidhe, save the defenceless creatures, they say. Most of the males are volunteering for service,” Mari murmured, “Galt has called a meeting of the project heads and us. They want to hear what we have to say about this. Koln, Tahn, I want Violet and Souse there. No more decisions are to be made without the leaders there.”

“One leader,” Tahn responded, “but I will see if Violet will accept the invitation non-the-less.”

“Wonderful. Any news from Paw as to what is going on?”

Mik started, wondering what was being talked about, “uhm. About. What?”

“Has Paw spoken with Souse yet? About the computer?”

“No. Please tell me you did not speak with Paw about that,” Mik said, “they aren’t us, Mari, they don’t have the same rights as we do. Souse has spoken his mind, that is the end of the matter.”

“I meant the computer he snuck from someone else’s apartment. The one that’s under your bed.”

Mik consciously placed his hands palm down onto his legs, just so he wouldn’t smack the table top in annoyance, “I was unaware that that was there.”

“You looked under the bed just last night, and you did not see it?”

“No. I had other things on my mind at the time.”

Mari and Mik’s eyes met and the woman looked away quickly, “I apologise, I thought you were aware of it. Obviously waking at that time in the morning, one cannot expect that you would be the most observant.”

The others shifted nervously. Koln finally cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“It has come to our attention that you all think you’re fucking special. Questioning our decisions. In case you have forgotten, you are in the military. Unlike Sidhe you cannot switch tribes when you disagree. You follow your god damned orders or you get disciplined. If we say someone is going to stand naked in the hallway just to amuse the Sidhe, then you’re going to damned well do it. And if we say that someone will do paper work and help us keep this program running so you all can continue to have the luxuries that you have, then that person will do paperwork to keep you in your jobs. Am I understood?”

There was a small murmur from those behind Mik. Koln glared around the room.

“Sorry, what was that? Mumbling? Apparently I am mistaken. I don’t have military men here, I have ninny children. Do you understand?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” the group replied as one and Mik cringed away from it.

“Good. Get the hell out of my meeting room,” Koln growled.

The others fled in an orderly manner and Mik forced himself to remain seated until the finally one of them was gone.

“Thanks, mom,” Mik muttered.

Koln looked Mik up and down and then let out a huff, “We have more important things to be doing than having a pissing contest between the men. Besides, if I were fucking you, you’d be walking with a permanent limp.”

Mik sighed, “driving them back to militaristic rules is not going to help the Sidhe feel safe. It will make them feel confined. Someone will leave the apartments to go for a walk or something and then. All hell will break loose. They are obviously not people.”

“We have planned for that possibility,” Mari murmured, “several Sidhe movies are being filmed as we speak. Free publicity to one or the other would be accepted without question. The men are becoming antsy. They are not as well suited to the Sidhe as we should have hoped. We would replace them, but, unfortunately, they are the only connection to anyone else that their Sidhe seem to have. Souse may have taken your advice and bartered away the male, but he has made no attempt to tell the male of this fact.”

“He wouldn’t. He didn’t tell me he was bartering a male to me, and I highly doubt he talked it out with Paw before hand. It only becomes obvious once the pairing is expected to happen. Any idea which female is supposed … accept him?”

“Violet has pointed out the female who lost her child. Obviously capable of carrying and not about to become attached to a male. The rest of the tribe watches any male who approaches her, so they, and we, think it may be the safest bet. Maybe with a child to concern himself with, the male will be more settled and more content to follow.”

“The tribe’s dynamic has changed. The influx of people has diluted the bonds and created new ones. We need to encourage those bonds to grow and strengthen, before we bring more Sidhe in. The duel tribes allowed for a Sidhe to chose one or the other. But this united tribe presents a problem. What if a Sidhe isn’t compatible with Souse’s tribe?” Koln responded

“Ehm. If,” Mik wondered how to explain the majority of the Sidhe. The ones that did seem dim, even to Mik, or background. Filler for the tribe, a way to provide food for the necessary parts, the Sidhe who were capable of joining that… community mind thing, “if they have no powers, it is a good chance they will fit in, the problem would be, whether or not Souse would accept their blood. He prefers those with power. Just look at his tribe compared to the others. The ones closest to him are Essuan, Lillow, Hohi and Paw. All strongly powered.”

“Why is that?” Mari asked, “why keep the powered ones to him if power cannot be used in dominance?”

“I would have to say it can be, if both combatants have power. Otherwise, how would one or the other know that power is being used? Souse’s own power is to use the powers of those around him. The stronger the powers in his tribe, the stronger he is.”

Mari was quiet for a long moment, “is there any way for Souse to breed? At all?”

“I… might ask what would come of a child conceived on the wrong side of the sheets, so to speak. But even when Paw brought his tribe to Souse’s, Paw didn’t have to bring his blood into Souse’s tribe. Being leader can afford a person quite a bit of security when it comes to keeping one’s blood to one’s self. But then even if Souse goes to another woman, what would Essuan’s reaction be? She might not be the type to share her male. Obviously you want to breed him for his power, a child between him and Essuan would likely be born unwell due to … conflicting bloodlines. I suppose it would be called.”

“Hmm,” Mari flipped open her phone and seemingly searched through it for something, “I will have to speak to him on it and analyse the reaction in real time. We will need Essuan, though I fear her speaking capability could cause… issues.”

“She’s trying,” Mik muttered.

“She is, yes, and her responses are highly amusing, however, I cannot keep a straight face when watching the videos of it, how will I keep quiet while facing her directly?” Mari murmured, “go rest for the rest of the day.”

“Alright,” Mik stood and made his way to the door.

“Oh. And Mik?” Mari waited until Mik turned towards her before speaking again, “they say it would be prudent to simply wait a time before taking action.”



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