Aftermath

It's nice to know Ayan cares enough about a person to get upset when he finds out they might not be nice like they claim to be. At the same time, Durth's summation of the problem is interesting, but not quite likely. For those who have read Partners and Sequel, somewhere in there it mentioned that Sidhe have this odd effect on people, bring out the bad. Gods, I hope it was in there and not another story. Ayan and Ayato are that multiplied. Ayato almost always has a look about him, the "knows far too much for someone his age" unless of course specific conditions are met while raising him.

Lillow up to her old tricks and a bit of information on Ayan's extended family. Given what I know about M'hn, this was mildly confusing until I considered the possibility that M'hn doesn't actually know what I thought she knew.

The fact that Una steps between Durth and Ayan is interesting, considering Ayan's powers and the fact that what little training Durth had was with a broadsword and... technically almost a year ago.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





“And that is what rape is.”

Ayan stared at Una as the immortal flicked two sticks together and an supernatural speed. It had taken most of the ride to explain the concept to Ayan and anytime the young man had opened his mouth to question Una, Una had raised his voice and continued on as if Ayan didn’t exist. Durth stood to one side of the small fire pit and watched uncomfortably as Una made smoke and then flame with the two sticks.

“But-”

“No buts.”

“But by your own concept even a mate can be-”

Una looked up at Ayan and was simply silent. The young man looked confused, then uncomfortable. Tears sprung up in his eyes, “but-”

“Has M’wn done that to your father?”

“But it’s not. It can’t. The others would let him!” Ayan protested through his tears, “Koln does it every night almost-”

“Oh,” Una sighed loudly, “Koln and Taln are another matter all together. No matter who touches Taln, the young…” Una sighed, “the man’s mind goes off as if he is being raped. He’s very sensitive and is meant to be a damsel in distress. Trust me, if anyone ever actually hurts Taln, the entire tribe and village and probably half the lands will know. Considering the bloody mess that would follow.”

“Taln hasn’t got powers,” Ayan said weakly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

“No, but M’wn has decided Taln is like a brother to him and which makes Taln related to M’hn who has put a claim on Auhi as a sister which makes Taln related to Auhi who is related to Essuan who is related to Souse, all of whom are related to Lillow and Hohi.”

“Lillow?” finally a name Durth knew.

The female landed beside the fire, head turning just slightly to look at Durth before she turned her full attention to Una, “why is he insisting.” In the tone that screamed angry female. Ayan blinked at Lillow before he shot a look at Durth that clearly stated Durth had best excuse himself and do so quickly.

“I…” Durth started and got the distinct feeling that an angry female only got angrier when she thought males were going to run away because she was upset, “need to go help Raya set up the trailer, before he comes looking for Ayan.”

“Who?” Lillow turned her attention from Una, to Durth. Her eyes narrowed as she considered Durth then it seemed to occur to her, “oh. Right. Run along then.”

Lillow knew who Raya was. She was, if Una’s talk was correct, family to Ayan. So. Durth glanced at Ayan and then left as quickly as he could. He just didn’t understand the confusion that was becoming a theme when people talked off handed about Ayan. Was the young man not supposed to be there? Did he insert thoughts into other peoples’ heads about who he was and where he was supposedly from?

Could a living being actually do that to another?

“What’s wrong?” Raya asked as Durth walked up to the already set up trailer.

“Did you know you can rape a person without touching them?” Durth muttered, “I spent the afternoon learning about rape, thanks to Ayan’s questions. According to Una-”

“You can rape a person with words, Durth, it’s the ability to make someone else feel dirty, used and useless.”

“But rape is the act-”

“No, it’s not. I could ‘rape’ you,” Raya made air quotes and everything, “and it wouldn’t actually be rape. On the other hand, if I misstep during said non-raped rape, then it once again becomes rape once more. I can rape you without touching you and without powers.”

“That’s just abuse.”

Raya sighed and pressed his lips into a firm line, “there is a difference between abuse and rape.”

“So… sexual abuse isn’t rape.”

“Rape doesn’t often happen to the same person via the same rapist more than once. After once it becomes sexual abuse and is still just as bad. Do not. Nitpick with me about rape, Durth. You will lose.”

“Men,” Tah muttered, walking between them as she spoke to her babe, “they like starting pissing contests, kind of like dogs. Only dirtier. At least a dog can lick its own balls.”

“That’s not fair,” Raya snapped at her.

“What is not fair,” Tah turned to Raya, “is that I have a fussy baby and my man won’t go to the troupe master to get something for her because he’s afraid.”

“I’m not afraid, I tried to go last night and then-”

“And then what? Hmm? You saw someone who looked like someone? Get over yourself, you have a child to care for-”

“Gods, I can’t take this today!” Durth turned on his heel and left immediately. Straight back to Una’s fire where he found Lillow on the ground with Una’s foot pressed firmly into her neck, “what the. I was gone like five minutes.”

Una’s head tilted towards Durth, the only indication the young man had that the immortal’s attention had shifted from Lillow to him, “she’s being fussy and hormonal. She also tried to tear my throat out, I am giving her nothing that she did not expect when she picked the fight.”

“Why is everyone fighting?” Durth snapped, “they’re fighting, you’re fighting, now I’m fighting with you-” he looked to Ayan and stopped speaking, “because of him.”

“Damned-able damns,” Una pulled his foot from Lillow’s neck and stepped between Durth and Ayan immediately, “I thought there was something off about you, but not that off.”

“What?” Something flickered at the back of his mind, Durth took a step away from Una, “I don’t want to hurt him. But it’s because of him, he’s. He’s,” how the hell could he describe it? “It’s like we all know he’s inside our heads and. And we just don’t know how to handle it so we shout and scream and get upset.”

“Then why is Lillow picking a fight with me?” Una muttered, looking to the female who grinned back at him, “you little-”

Lillow hopped up and brushed her bottom off, “I am the best at what I do. M’hn sends her regards, by the way, she says the next time you want to breed her like a dog, you’d best come and tell her yourself. Or, she can come here and just use you like a puppet.”

“She can’t use a person like a puppet, her powers are not that strong yet…” Una let out a string of curses.

“Okay,” Durth held up his hands, “now I’m really confused.”

“Una wants to breed M’hn, like a lot of people want to breed M’hn but M’hn’s chosen male is only sixteen, not old enough to breed even by animal standards. So Una’s been trying to get M’hn to breed with M’wn who has claimed her as a sister but isn’t actually related to her. You’re lucky,” Lillow looked at Una, “we didn’t tell M’wn of the plot because he’d really be pissed. Remember what happened when Souse said that he and M’hn would make cute puppies? Souse scarred,” Lillow turned her attention back to Durth, “which is nearly impossible to do because Essuan is a healer. And so is M’wn of course, so Souse had a fun old time trying to recover with the powers of two healers using his body as a battle ground. So he sent me to tell M’hn and M’hn sent me back to tell him to go fuck himself.”

“Except simply saying back off is never enough for M’hn,” Una muttered.

“She’s an alpha dog, she’s so alpha that she’s more dominant than Una is,” Lillow said quickly, “she asked me to pick a fight with him so that you would react the way you reacted.”

“Why…” because now something was off, something was different. Durth frowned and looked down at his hands, it felt like his very bones were hotter than the rest of him. That was not good, that was bad, the last time he had felt like that…

Wait. He had never felt like that.

“Oh, Durth, don’t take it personally,” Lillow nodded, “if there were a simpler way to do it, we would have done it that way instead.”

She had just. Something she had done had. Durth caught himself and straightened, tightened his hold on himself as pieces tried to slip out of place.

“I think I’m beginning to understand how you can rape a person without actually touching them,” He muttered to himself as he looked down and straightened his shirt, plucked off a leaf that was stuck to the fabric. Durth finally looked up at Una, “Tah’s child has been sick and Tah apparently can do nothing about it.”

“I will see to it immediately,” Una said carefully. “Are you feeling alright, Durth?”

“Fine,” he snapped back quickly, unable to tell his own voice from Una’s. He couldn’t seem to figure out, “I,” he needed everyone to just let him be for a while, “have possibly taken ill. I will go lay down.”

“I’ll bring you something.”

“Don’t.” Durth responded coldly, feeling an echo of something he didn’t want to confront just yet, “I just need a little quiet is all. All this. Craziness today has taken it’s toll on me.”

He left quickly, unable to shake the feeling that someone was inside his head, trying to sort the pieces out.


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