Partner

Yeah. I have no idea what I did all day. But this took upwards of two ... three hours to write. I wasn't even that distracted. Wonder if it says something about my state of mind? Maybe. Meh.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





Jay and Mik’s mother entered just as Mik settled back onto the couch. Essuan had one hand on her belly and a cup of tea in the other. Violet took up her post at Essuan’s side. Hohi joined Lillow on the couches. Souse wandered to the tables, inspecting the food.

Koln, at Essuan’s beckoning, joined Mik on the couch and brought Mari with him.

When Jay entered, Mik’s mother moved towards her son and asked Essuan’s permission to join the gathering. Essuan nodded her acceptance and Mik’s mother took her place beside Mik. Jay approached Essuan and presented her with a small gift box. The female took it and Jay bent just slightly towards her.

“I have heard an old wives’ tale about the nurturing capabilities of this flower and hoped that, perhaps, it would be true. Mind you, it is said to be dried and then taken as labour begins, to ease the labour and help the mother replace what she looses.”

Essuan listened to Jay with a bemused smile on her face. She nodded along until he finished and then opened the box.

“Twatting monkeys, roving hills of midden,” Essuan murmured before closing the box and handing it to Violet.

Jay blinked several times and straightened.

“Means she accepted it,” Koln muttered, “sit down. Take a load off. You must be exhausted after your long day of work.”

“Work?” Jay muttered, seemingly confused, then said, “oh, yes, not tiring, not really, no.”

Jay sat in an armchair and looked towards the tables. Koln followed the male’s gaze, but turned back to Mik a moment later.

Violet began speaking to Essuan in a casual tone, in Sidhe, as she looked around the room, keeping an eye on various people. Essuan listened and watched the food tables. When Violet finished speaking, she moved to Essuan’s other side, between the pregnant female and everyone else. Essuan murmured something in response and then smiled kindly at Mik.

Was that her way of saying something to Mik? What? That she agreed? That she knew what was going on? What the hell did it mean?

Essuan was the hardest of them all to read. Even Hohi, strange as he was, was readable at times. Paw climbed over the couch and sat on the back of the couch, one leg on either side of Mik. The Sidhe’s hands played with Mik’s hair, tugging out a few knots that Mik hadn’t known he had.

Why did it feel like everyone was watching them?

Souse approached Essuan and made a motion towards Violet as if he were batting her away. The girl stepped to the side and Souse stepped to Essuan’s side. He took his mate’s hand and helped her to her feet. Essuan smiled at him and he smiled back and pecked her on the cheek. The two of them walked towards the table, hand in hand.

“No words, just straight to the food?” Koln muttered.

“Boy,” Mik’s mother muttered back flatly, “when a woman is pregnant, you don’t lay food before her and then expect her to say something. You give her the food and then you ask her if she wants to say a few words.”

“They get food. Then mates. Then pairs with Elders. Then pairs. Then couples. Then lovers. Then courtings. Then breeders. Then single Elders. Then pregnant, single females. Then children. Then single females of breeding age. Then single males of rank. Then single males of between adulthood and child hood. Then lone males. Then single males of no rank.” Paw said to the people gathered. “Paw has said all of those who here, where belonging.”

“That’s…” Mik muttered, “confusing…”

“Basic rules. More rules say that rank of Elders, powers, how many children a female has, how many children an single male has, how many big kills a man has made, how hard a male or female works, any special notes like that. All play into rank in line.”

“Why are the females only broken into pregnant, children and breeding age?” Mari asked, “the males are broken into many more factions.”

Paw turned that over in his mind for several moments, “because Paw is male and Paw is explaining it?” a shrugged that Mik felt through Paw’s hands, “Females have their own ranks. Basically. Is all pairs, then elders, then females. Children counted as female until reach majority thusly. All females. Males know ranking of males, know where in male ranking one belongs and so Paw knows all the rankings of males.”

“Why do females go first?” Koln asked.

“…” Paw glared at Koln.

Violet snorted, “A’cause no male want fight female for food.”

“No smart one, anyhow,” Mari muttered in response.

“Jay’n’mommy go now,” Paw murmured.

“Why are they going before we go?” Mik asked Paw.

“Visitors go a’fore us.”

“You never included visitors in the list!” Mik protested as Jay and his mother stood and went to the tables to get their food.

Paw shrugged, “visitors always go before same ranking of home tribe. Except ther preggers rank. Then home tribe go a’fore visitors. Common, le’ss go ea.’”

“I think you mean ‘come on,’ Paw,” Mik muttered as he stood.

“’ever,” Paw stood and pulled Mik close to him, moving to give his ear a kiss, “wassay?”

As in the others? “talk at Kolns tonight,” Mik murmured back in barely more than a letting out of a breath. Paw sighed beside Mik and handed the man a plate.

As they walked down the line, Paw pointed out a few of the dishes that were safe for Mik to eat. Mik piled the various things onto his plate. Some kind of grain mixed with dried fruits. A meat that was cooked until it could be pulled from the bone with a fork. A flatbread that was an orange colour with green bits in it. To go along with the flatbread was an oil based spread that was filled with herbs and spices. Of the people food, Paw pointed out cheese and nuts and batted Mik’s hand away from the platter of processed meats and cheeses.

After filling their plates, the two of them sat back at the couches. Paw nibbled on the food and Mik followed the Sidhe’s example. Once everyone had eaten and had their fill, several of the lower ranking Sidhe wandered about the room and took the dirtied dishes back to the tables.

“What now?” Mik asked, “Essuan eats the middle arrangement?”

“Pockmarked asses?”

Souse looked puzzled, “no. Why would she… you’re being racist.”

“You. Are being racist,” Mik responded, “it’s not illogical, is it?”

Violet snorted, “Essuan doesn’t like white flowers. Only pink.”

“Right…” Mik muttered, “do we… discuss names.. Or… something?”

“In wild, gifts are given to mother and praises of her brightness. Not many mothers have this gathering for their child,” Souse murmured, “but the need for such gifts no longer exists. Roof over head, blankets and foods and such. So others talk. You need learn traditions of birth and such.”

“Birth and such?” Mari asked.

Souse patted Essuan’s stomach, “this. Most important fact, no name, no gender given to child born. Name gifted upon first year of life. Child, babe, yes, but no names. No gender.”

“Can… we give it a number? For… registration purposes? If we do make a file for it and… something were to happen…”

“Tracing purposes. She means if the child is stolen, what could we call it in our paperwork.”

“Child of Essuan,” Essuan growled at Koln.

“I love how at important moments her speech is perfect,” Mik muttered.

“Proper nouns easy,” Paw murmured to Mik.

“Alright,” Mari murmured, “I suppose that is understandable. Anything else we should know about this birth? Shaking building or death from above or something of that sort?”

“Screaming, blood, birth fluids,” Violet murmured.

“Essuan is the only mid wife amongst those here,” Souse responded, “And like as not it could come early. Essuan’s other child came a week early and she was pleased with that. The child is nearly fully formed. Essuan would not announce it’s arrival otherwise.”

“Which is what this is?” Koln asked.

Souse nodded.

“Well that is delightful,” Mik’s mother murmured, “now if only my son would give me a grandchild.”

Violet’s head turned to the side as she frowned, “why would Mik give you his child?”

“It’s a saying, meaning that I want a grandchild and my son is the only one who can make a grand child. Thus by having a child he is giving me what I want. Not the actual child itself,” his mother responded calmly, “just as Essuan is giving the tribe her child.”

“Ahhhh. Mik and Paw plan to mate, means no children because they won’t be with a woman. There. I. Said it,” Violet folded her arms and looked away, glaring at nothing at all.

Mik groaned. Paw clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Mik’s mother looked around at the Sidhe and people present and frowned.

“Have you people never heard of a surrogate?”

“Apparently Paw can’t… you know… and this causes an issue,” Mik muttered.

“I thought that the child was Essuans…”

“It is,” Mik snapped, glaring at Souse.

“And Souse… did the part without your permission.”

“Males can be used like that,” Souse protested, “and they weren’t even in a relationship. It was just sex.”

“You gifted him to me, to me,” Mik snapped back at Souse, “therefore, despite the fact that I didn’t know it at the time, he was mine and you had no right using him how you please.”

“Dickwadic shit damn hells bells Illuva shopping at moonstide blood in the rivers?” Essuan looked from Souse to Mik and back to Souse again, “lippered fished out of high tide.”

Souse murmured something to his mate and the woman leaped up from her seat and jabbed a finger at him, responding in a very angry tone before turning to her brother and shouting something at him as well. Hohi put his hands in the air as if to surrender and responded, bowing his head and turning it to the side. Essuan jabbed her finger over the entire group, jabbed at the door and snarled something before stalking off. The others looked upset.

Paw snorted, chuckled something and said, “Essuan is mad and has played the, if you don’t do as I say I’ll pop this child out here and now card.”

“There are…”

“Can she actually…”

“Best do as the pregnant woman says,” Jay murmured, standing as he offered a hand to Mik’s mother, “before she tears out our intestines and strangles us with them.”

Paw laughed. Mik wondered if Jay had just inadvertently given himself away. Well… away as he could give himself. The people stood and looked uncomfortable, but followed Paw out of the pool room and towards Koln’s apartment.


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