Partner

This one did not end in a ... sort of fight to start with. It also made me think of the leader and the new "possible" leader who is in competition with the other new leader without actually knowing that the two of them are in competition.

Then I put the two together (who are both male) and I very nearly wanted to tell you all who they were. Buuuutttt that's not going to happen.

Koln and Taln, on a side note, haven't been getting as much face time, because they're "just" partners of other Sidhe and Koln's been so busy. Everytime something explodes, he has a load of paperwork to do and I'm starting to feel sorry for him.

Because the stuff is exploding all over the place!

I kind of miss those guys. Mari just sort of slides in and out as necessary. But she's running the program and Mik's office at the same time while fending off her family and the other priest lines and who knows what else! Sometimes I wonder if the woman knows more than she's letting on.

This took signifigantly less time that Sequel and yet I am more pleased with the Sequel chapter. Ouch.

Most likely both will update tomorrow morning sometime. Depending on when I get up and all...

Mmm sleeping in. Doesn't happen often in my world.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





Mik woke in the middle of the night to find Paw gone, but the place where Paw had been laying was still warm from the Sidhe’s body heat. A moment later Paw returned, stumbling into the bed and mumbling about needing the bathroom as he adhered himself to Mik’s side.

They made love and fell asleep as the sun rose above the horizon. Mik was the first one out of bed, sometime in the hours between early and late morning. He shuffled to the bathroom, showered, shaved, brushed his teeth and dressed before shuffling to the kitchen and accepting the cup of coffee from Souse.

He was sipping the coffee as he turned to Souse and made a questioning sound. Essuan was sitting on the counter idly, her mesa in her lap, giggling at nothing at all.

“Breakfast,” Souse responded, motioning to the pans and pots atop the stove and the mess that always meant good food and a full stomach.

Mik sat and drank his coffee as Paw shuffled to the bathroom and went through a similar routine to what Mik had done. Soon the Sidhe was sitting beside Mik, growling at Souse for food.

Souse fed Paw willingly and silence predominated over the kitchen while everyone ate. The foodstuffs was set aside, the dishes washed and tea replaced coffee and milk on the table.

“Well?” Paw growled.

“Mm, you,” Mik motioned to Paw, “you said last night, something about how people are living … badly, let’s say. Do you really think that taking away civilization as we know it will help the people?”

Paw scoffed, patted Mik on the head and said, “treat for bringing up conversation from yesteryear, but no. I expect billions of you to die and for you all to be miserable and time and again for you to die. Not saved by medicine, not saved by science, you will suffer over and over again. It is the rest of the world, the rest of the races that will prosper.”

“… but… we could evolve to be something more, we can become better. To. Evolve.”

“Not before the world suffered to such an extreme that the gods would have to heal it,” Paw growled, “kill you to save the others. One of your movies about aliens and such, said something about the without you the world would survive, but you cannot survive without the world, and you would kill the world. Do you understand?”

“No.”

“Like termites,” Souse muttered, “in the wood, not thinking, just eating and burrowing. Soon the whole building collapses.”

“Termites get exterminated,” Mik squeaked.

“As will the people, by the will of the gods and for the love of,” Paw made a motion that looked almost like ayata, Paw was talking about the mother goddess of the world, “your people suffer from something very unique, when it comes to civilization.”

“What is that, exactly?”

“You have real gods,” Paw murmured.

Essuan found that extremely funny. The woman choked on her tea as she laughed.

“If the gods are real, why not come down to the earth and shake their mighty fingers at us and say, bad people, bad.”

Paw blinked at Mik, “well. Godsbane, obviously. Your people can make it quickly and your government would not hesitate to use what is necessary to keep their civilization afloat. But I think it is time you fell back to nature. This metal and the destruction of water and our territories. If you are at a state level society instead of this on, then we live prosperously. Our old time trees thrive and are truly old time trees. Our tribes numbers grow.”

“And that is all you care about?”

“All you care about is your people, thus is the same for my own. The wolf does not concern himself with the rabbits, but to eat them. The wood does not care that the termites must consume it to live, it will still try to rid itself of the infestation.”

“I find that strangely disturbing.”

“Suddenly,” Paw murmured with a grimace, “so do I.”

“Philosophy aside,” Souse murmured, “what is this I have heard of the tribe ignoring a call?”

Paw’s lip turned up in a snarl, “it is true. You were concerned in other matters and by the time I heard the call, it was over. Hohi responded, but he was several floors down and the elevator for some reason was not working. I have heard that you shut down the power in the hallway in a fit of rage.”

“I will do as I please.”

“Not while people are watching, you will not,” Paw snapped back at Souse, making the older male look downward and away from Paw, “the extent of our powers are unknown and they shall stay that way unless I call for them to be unleashed, I will not have our hand played before the people because of your foolishly stupid actions. You are not a child, you are an adult and a leader of a tribe. Act like it.”

Mik’s mouth hung open.

It took another moment for him to register the fact that Paw was speaking so bluntly about people while the cameras were rolling. He could only assume that Paw had been mucking with the electricity again.

Souse managed to look sufficiently chastised.

“Your tribe did not heed a call. Either cull them or bring them into line.”

“Culling them is hardly the option here. The blood is thin enough as it is,” Souse responded, “you, yourself, have argued against my culling the tribe for the sake of continuing a charade. To cull is to destroy the charade, if they think for an instant that we do not need them, then they will throw us out or declare war or worse.”

“These people saved our lives, they deserve our respect, no matter their ignorance,” Paw snapped back, “but your own tribe are our people, they deserve neither our respect nor the staying of your hand. Lillow could have died.”

“She would have been safe despite-”

“She is my daughter,” Paw bellowed, making Essuan flinch away from him, “that is my possession you dare to say was alright, was safe in the hands of your tribe as a man of the people touched her in a disgusting way. None of us are safe so long as your tribe run about like ill bred ragamuffins. You would lay down the law to Mik and I, but not to them?”

“Mik and you are people and Sidhe together as one, not-”

“Muff fucking mouse trapping boomerang sasquatch,” Essuan murmured to Souse, her eyes cast down as she reached over and patted Souse’s hand.

Whatever the woman had said, it made Souse turn a bright red colour. Anger rose in the male’s face even as Souse struggled to bring it under control. Whatever the female had said, upset Souse and yet hit the spot entirely.

“Treat each man equally and to each man an equal share of the burden shall be given. Man or woman, a tribe exists only if the heart of every member is in it, only if each and every person takes an equal share of the burden of existence. For never shall a Sidhe survive on its own, but needs the aid of every other Sidhe and never could a man guard his family better than the tribe can. No man can stay alert at all times, no woman can be more cautious than a group of women, together united for the better of the people. These words Harella-shay delivered unto us, for the sake of the survival of the people. Do you take these words to heart?”

“Whisper knows that this one does,” Souse responded with a whine.

“Long past has the time for a new leader come and gone,” Paw muttered, “how long until he is ready?”

Souse let out a sound of uncertainty.

Paw sighed.

“Who is this new leader person?” Mik asked, “you guys keep talking about him around the partners and they all think it’s going to be me.”

The look Paw gave him was lethal. Souse frowned and gave his head a shake as if the idea just didn’t sit right.

“The new one will be announced when he is ready,” Paw muttered in response.

“Although Hohi pointed out another candidate, as per your request,” Souse said to Paw, “more… butterfly than dragonfly but… in a time of peace, sometimes a butterfly is better.”

Mik frowned, “dragonfly?”

“Your,” Souse motioned towards his own neck, meaning the choker that Mik had forgotten he was wearing, “metal bit made me think of that description.”

“My… metal bit?”

“Dragonfly charm,” Paw muttered, “Sidhe symbol for Whisper. Also symbol for people and warriors.”

“Are we feeling a bit cocky?” Mik asked Paw, “branding me as yours so blatantly.”

“Next fucking woman who hits on you is getting my fist in her face,” Paw snapped back, “I don’t care if they have fucking breasts or if they can have sex without lubrication or if they can change their hair colour every five seconds if it so pleases them. You are not up on the block, you are not for sale and yes, damn it, you are mine.”

Mik looked at Essuan, desperate for help. Essuan looked at Souse, desperate for the male to step in.

“Among males it is perfectly acceptable to claim possession of one or the other. One cannot always say, this woman is mine, however, one can say, the male is mine. The woman chooses you, but when there are two males…” Souse shrugged, “more possessive. Males do not always mate for life and if there is a male who expresses an interest in other males but the other males are only with a male because of a lack of females…”

“The male gets possessive,” Mik sighed out, then looked at Paw and said pointedly, “if I was just with you because there was a lack of females, I would have been hitting on Mari with the rest of them,” he pecked a startled Paw on the cheek, “speaking of which, I have to go in and take a few lessons before she comes looking for me. She’s scarier than you are. And nicer to me… strangely.”

Paw made an insulted, almost hurt sort of sound as Mik left.

Mik wondered why he felt so satisfied at tormenting Paw and stepped onto the elevator just as his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

Alerting him to four missed calls, ten text messages and several pictures, all involving Rel and Mm. Mik sighed and tried to put Paw at the back of his mind. Time to work.


.