Partner

Four hundred reviews. Wow.

I thought that I could make the party all one post but turns out that would be way too long. I was highly amused several times during this, despite the serious nature of some of it.

I'd say expect another update in an hour or so. But there's a bit of art I have to attempt to finish... so it might be a few hours.

Read, review and enjoy.



Most of the partners were already there. All of the Sidhe were. The pool room, naturally. It was the only place large enough for the group. People shuffled about the pool, more comfortable with the presence of Sidhe but completely uncomfortable with the fact that no one really knew what was going on.

There were several tables set up. All of them were decorated with a variety of flowers. This one from their continent. That one, the traditional flower arrangements that would be for a baby shower. On that table there was one arrangement of white flowers in the middle, one to the side of yellow and one to the other side of the rarer green flowers.

Mik couldn’t recall where he had learned that tidbit from. The one in the middle represented the mother, purest of all magics was her ability to produce a child. The yellow was for a boy and sat to the left of the mother. The green was for a girl and sat to the right.

Knowing the Sidhe put a twist on the arrangements. The yellow was the colour of the sun, that which delivered what the world needed to survive, but at the same time, the sun could be blotted out. The green was for the earth itself, Mother, as many religious people called it. Without the sun, something could struggle to survive on the earth, but without the earth, all was doomed.

Right and left, the girl goes on the stronger, more capable side. The boy on the other.

It was odd to see two cultures bleed over into one another so thoroughly that it was impossible to tell where one tradition began and the other ended.

The third table was set off to the side and had tropical flowers arranged on it. Edno was standing by the table and speaking to two of the males from the lower ranks of the tribe, and motioning to the flowers. Likely a cautionary warning as to the strength or taste of the flowers.

Paw took his pot of stew-soup thing and placed it on the table with the mother/child arrangements. The Sidhe cocked his head to the side and studied the arrangements for a long moment before switching the positions of the boy and the girl arrangements. Then Paw wandered to the first table, looked over all the flowers and plucked out a small stem of what looked like blue bells, and tucked it into the mother arrangement so that it stood in stark contrast to the white.

Seemingly satisfied, Paw approached Mik and offered his arm to the man. Mik accepted it and tried not to lean too much on Paw as the two of them walked to the couches and seats that had been set up in a circle in one corner of the pool.

“For Elders,” Paw murmured, craning his neck to look out across the pool, “affore Mik asks, Essuan uses this one,” Paw raised his left hand, “more than other, so arrangement needed changing. And Essuan healer. Usually use rare blue flower that grows only at base of old time tree, but no old time tree growing so have to improvise. Don’t eat anything ‘till later. Some people snacking. Paw go make certain is understood of… of…”

Paw lost for words?

“Manners?”

“No. Like that except more…” and a hand motion.

“Etiquette?”

“Tha’s the one,” Paw pecked Mik’s temple, “right back.”

Souse walked in a moment later with Essuan. Everyone stopped and watched as the pregnant female was escorted to the seats. Violet entered behind the two of them, blanket in hand. The blanket she draped over Essuan’s legs once Essuan was sitting.

Everything went back to normal. Sort of. As normal as it could be?

Lillow approached Essuan and chattered something in a very stern tone to Essuan. Whatever the girl said, it made Violet go a bright red colour. Essuan listened to it, emotionless, and responded very calmly to Lillow before looking away, across the pool and to where Souse stood talking to Edno. Lillow accepted the dismissal and walked away, obviously unhappy with the answer she received.

Souse returned to Essuan’s side and leaned close to Essuan as the woman whispered something quickly to him. One eyebrow went up and Souse’s lips pressed into a thin line. Souse glanced about the room, seemingly taking a casual look around, before settling on Mik.

“What-” Mik felt, rather than heard, Hohi approach the couches. The large male set his hands on Mik’s shoulders and gave them a little pat.

“We need to talk,” Souse murmured, taking another look around the room, “in private.”

“Now?” Mik was certain that he couldn’t walk out of the room by himself.

“Yes,” Souse muttered, offering his hand to Mik, “Now.”

Mik sighed and took Souse’s offered hand. His legs were more stable than he had expected them to be. He managed to walk out of the pool room without help of any kind. Once in the hallway that led to the pool room, he collapsed into a chair.

“How are you feeling?” Souse asked quietly as Hohi looked into the pool room once more and closed the door.

“Like I just ran a marathon and then did basic training in under six hours,” Mik muttered back, “using only my legs.”

Hohi stood in front of the door and folded his arms.

“You,” Mik jabbed a finger at Hohi, “what was that look you gave us? Not exactly the first time you’ve walked in on sex.”

Hohi went a bright red colour. Mik had never seen the large Sidhe blush, let alone avoid the look of another person. Hohi’s eyes finally fell on the wall by his feet, avoiding even looking in the general direction. Souse looked uncomfortable.

“This was different.”

“How?”

“The door was closed and… it was different.”

“It was sex, you are all about the openness with sex.”

“It was different,” Souse stressed the last word, “are you telling me that you two have joined like that before? Are you telling me that if I went in and checked your sheets, there would be,” a motion by Souse’s crotch that was almost a finger twirling, “soiling them?”

“Sex. I think my legs tell me that we had sex.”

“And how does Mik’s ass feel?” Hohi muttered, mustering up the courage to meet Mik’s eyes before he went a bright red again.

“…” fine and dandy. No pain at all.

“Paw likely asked you something… like… is all you want sex. Or… is this about more than physical… it doesn’t translate the same, damn it,” Souse muttered to himself, obviously annoyed.

“He… asked me the first one. Obviously this is… a big deal. You’re both acting the way people do when they catch other people having sex. So what does it mean?”

Both males looked at each other. Hohi bit his bottom lip for a moment and said something to Souse. Souse sighed and responded with a shake of his head. Both were silent for a long moment and Hohi said something else, something that he thought was a bright idea. Souse shot it down immediately.

Translation problem. Lovely.

Mik sat there and wondered what was up with his legs. If, given all and all, Paw and Mik hadn’t had sex… what had they had?

Violet slipped out of the pool room, jabbing Hohi in the side as she did so. She frowned at the three of them and said, “how long does it take two males to explain to one male what is going on?”

Souse responded in Sidhe and the girl tipped her head forward and tapped her bottom lip.

“So. Closest translation,” Violet jabbed a finger at Mik, “Paw’s declared his intent to mate you.”

Mik’s blood went cold, then his heart did a funny little skip of excitement before he managed to get out, “we’re to be mated?”

“No… this is like…” Violet huffed, “when people go exclusive. Steady. Only you and him.”

“… Sidhe do that?”

“Not really, closest translation. What is so hard to get about closest translation?” Violet snapped, putting her hands on her hips, “He’s declared he’s going to court you. Although it’s a very strange way of doing it. Courting then sex. Why do male pairs always get it wrong and mucked up like that?” she looked between the other two Sidhe, who both found the ceiling very interesting suddenly.

“Uhm. Violet?” Mik muttered, “from what I’m told, Sidhe are very open about sex out… you know, out in the wild and away from people influence. Most couple with quite a few Sidhe before intent to court is … declared? By the sound of it, I mean, I could be wrong.”

“I will not-”

“I said most, most!” Mik cringed away from her angry look.

“Why would they do that?”

“Pleasure,” Souse muttered, still staring at the ceiling.

Violet frowned. Hohi mouthed something to Souse, hiding his lips from Violet. The girl pounced on him, Souse made a sound similar to a high pitched whine but continued to stare at the ceiling. Mik pressed his lips together.

“Okay. So he’s declared his intent and obviously the Elders aren’t happy with this because you kept me here after the explanation and all I have to say to that is that you all are going to sit on your fucking hands and let us figure this out.”

Three annoyed Sidhe looked at Mik. Mik folded his arms and returned their looks.

“Mik is getting apt at translating Sidhe,” Violet growled.

“Very,” Hohi muttered.

“Perhaps too good,” Souse growled, “the Elders are the final law, we are the ones everyone listens to. Why should we allow you to do as you please? If we allow you, then we must allow others. It is our jobs, our duties, to continue on good blood and good culture and traditions. Exceptions cannot be made.”

“Paw was gifted to me. He’s mine, that gift wasn’t taken back. He’s not part of your tribe, you forced him into your bidding. He was the leader of another tribe, who wasn’t even included in the trade between your people. He has no ties to you except for me.”

“Yes. And?”

“You can’t have an issue with me mating or breeding because I’m not going to be breeding, Souse. I am part of your tribe, not Paw. By disallowing us to continue how we will, you break any chance you have of Paw joining your tribe. Properly. In a few months, do you really think he’s going to say that he is a part of your tribe, that he is your tribe?”

“He is an elder,” Violet responded.

“Then if he is part of the tribe and he is an Elder, does he not deserve the right to oversee his love life as he pleases? Why are you so against this anyway?”

“You will die. Paw will not even be middle aged when you die,” Hohi muttered.

“You cannot breed and Paw mating you means that you would have to be zsheeash, that both of you would have to agree to breeding instead of just him.”

“Zsheeash?” Souse had said something like the sound of a ‘z’ with the shhh sound and then the letter ‘e’ and then ‘ash’. Mik’s had come out more like the zeesh that some people his age used when they were being sarcastic or such.

It was Violet’s turn to find the ceiling interesting. Souse cleared his throat and moved from one foot to the other.

“As Souse was for Paw and Essuan,” Hohi was eager to offer up, “Paw won’t perform otherwise.”

“Paw won’t…” Mik mouthed the words as his mind turned it over, “Oh gods, you. You,” he jabbed a finger at Souse, “you had my man? What in the seventeen hells-”

“He won’t perform for a female otherwise,” Souse responded calmly.

“I’d slap you,” Mik growled, “but that takes standing up and I don’t think my legs could take it.”

Mari and Koln came around the corner down the hall and guiltily walked towards the group. Mari was a bright red colour, Koln had his hand just at her elbow. Both stopped beside Koln.

“We were hoping to wait until you were finished,” Koln muttered, “but the sun is setting and Mari has informed me that it has to start before the sun sets. You’re mother is also on the elevator with Jay and … well.. I don’t think you want her overhearing anything the likes of which Mari and I have overheard.”

Mari went a brighter red.

“My mother is coming?” Mik squeaked out, “I can barely stand and you invite my mother?”

“To be fair, Essuan invited her,” Koln murmured in response, “now. We can all gather at my place later to take up this discussion. But for the moment. This night is about Essuan,” Koln raised his voice over Souse’s protest, “not about whether or not the Elders agree with Mik and Paw mating. Now. Let’s all smile and go in and be nice to the crazy pregnant lady who could kill us all in our sleeps without breaking a sweat.”

“She would never do that,” Violet muttered.

“You ruin her night and expect her to not kill you?” Koln muttered, “you obviously don’t know Essuan.”

The Sidhe cringed. Koln helped Mik to his feet and all went back into the pool room.

Mik wouldn’t have minded if he had melted into the background, what with it being Essuan’s day and all, but that was not the case. Unfortunately.


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